Mondo Rock
Encyclopedia
Mondo Rock is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, most prominent in the early 1980s. The band was formed in late 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Ross Wilson.
. Following the first breakup of Daddy Cool in 1973, Wilson and long-time collaborator Ross Hannaford
formed the short-lived Mighty Kong, which recorded one LP before splitting. This was followed by a reunion of Daddy Cool in 1974, but the group split for good at the end of 1975. Wilson's career was temporarily stalled by a dispute with his former label, Wizard Records, which prevented him from recording for several months. He returned to the music scene in late 1976 with the soundtrack to Chris Löfven's cult road movie Oz, which included Wilson's debut solo single "Livin' In The Land Of Oz".
Mondo Rock went through numerous line-up changes and it has reformed from time to time (including in April 2007). The original incarnation formed in late 1976 with Wilson on lead vocals, Peter Laffy on guitar, Greg Cook on keyboards, Mike Clark (bass) and Bob Bickerton (drums) but by early 1977 the lineup consisted of Wilson, Laffy, Ian "Willie" Winter (guitar, ex Carson, Daddy Cool), Barry Harvey
(bass, ex Chain
) and Trevor Courtney (drums, ex Cam-Pact), but Wilson disbanded this lineup in mid-1977.
The next version of Mondo Rock formed in Nov. 1977 with Wilson, Gunther Gorman (guitar), Tony Slavich (keyboards), Simon Gyllies (bass) and Iain McLennan (drums, ex Ariel
), but Gorman left before the group started performing again and was replaced by jazz guitarist Chris Jones. Several other members came and went over the next year—Peter Laffy returned, guitarist Randy Bulpin was added. Slavich left (and was not replaced) shortly before Mondo Rock released its debut single "The Fugitive Kind" / "The Breaking Point" on Wilson's Oz label in August 1978 and it reached #26 on the national singles chart. Their debut LP Primal Park came out in late 1979 and yielded the singles "Love Shock", "Searching For My Baby" and "Primal Park", but McLennan contracted hepatitis
just as the band was about to embark on a tour to promote the album, so he was temporarily replaced, first by Eddie Van Roosendael and then by veteran drummer and producer Gil Matthews (ex Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
) for the tour. Wilson again disbanded the group at the end of 1979.
The first version of the "new" Mondo Rock consisted of Wilson, Gil Matthews, guitarist Eric McCusker (ex Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band), bassist Paul Christie
(ex-Kevin Borich Express) and James Black (now leading the house band on the popular Australian TV quiz show RocKwiz
on SBS) on keyboards and guitar. This lineup recorded Mondo Rock's first major hit, "State of the Heart" (Oct. 1980), which peaked at #6 on the national chart. The A-side was written by McCusker, who contributed many songs to the band's repertoire, thereby taking some of the pressure off Wilson, who was at that time experiencing a bout of writer's block
. Matthews left after the single came out and he was replaced first by Andy Buchanan and then by John James "J. J." Hackett, ex-Stars. Mondo Rock's next single "Cool World" (April 1981) was similarly successful, reaching #8.
This line-up recorded Mondo Rock's second LP Chemistry (July 1981), which reached #2 on the album chart the following month. The title track, released as the next single, reached #20 and it was followed by "Summer of '81", which got to #31. "State of the Heart" was also released in the USA although their American label Atlantic
felt that it was too long for radio and edited it for release there, much to the band's chagrin. Ironically, the song was a US Top 40 hit for Rick Springfield
five years later, in a version that was almost identical to Mondo Rock's original recording.
Further success followed in 1982 with the release of their third LP Nuovo Mondo, which also reached #2, and yielded two more Top 40 hits -- "No Time" (#11) and "The Queen and Me" (#40). The next single, the haunting "In Another Love" (Feb. 1983) failed to chart but John Farnham
subsequently recorded a version of the Ross Wilson-Gulliver Smith album track "A Touch Of Paradise" and it became an Australian Top 20 single when it was lifted from his hugely successful 1986 'comeback' album Whispering Jack
.
Paul Christie left the group in Sept. 1982 and subsequently formed the all-star band The Party Boys
; he was replaced by James Gillard. Concurrent with Mondo Rock's success, Ross Wilson scored another surprise hit during 1983 with the novelty song "Bop Girl", written for his then-wife Pat, and backed by Wilson and his former Daddy Cool
bandmate Ross Hannaford
. The song was a major hit in Australia, reaching the Top 5, and the music video
for the song is notable for the presence of the young Nicole Kidman
as an extra.
The new Mondo Rock lineup recorded their next album The Modern Bop in late 1983 and scored its biggest Australian hit in March 1984 with McCusker's "Come Said the Boy", a provocative tale about the loss of virginity
, which was banned by many radio stations including Sydney's then top-rated 2SM
. Despite this, it went on to become their most successful single, peaking at #2. The album featured two more hits, "Baby Wants To Rock" (#18) and the title track "The Modern Bop", which charted in some states but just missed out on making the national Top 40.
Mondo Rock performed four songs for the Oz for Africa
concert (part of the global Live Aid
program) - "Cool World", "The Moment", "Modern Bop", "Come Said the Boy". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network
and Nine Network
) and on MTV
in the US. After signing to the Polydor label they released the compilation album Up To The Moment, which included two new singles; these did not make the Top 40 but the album was very successful, reaching #5 nationally in mid-1985.
By the time Mondo Rock released Boom Baby Boom in September 1986 the lineup had changed again, now consisting of Wilson, Hackett, McCusker, Gillard, Andrew Ross (sax) and Duncan Veall (keyboards). Their popularity was by now beginning to wane, but they still scored a further two hit singles, "Rule Of Three's" and "Primitive Love Rites", the latter becoming a minor hit in some regions of the U.S.A. They made one further recording, the Aliens EP, in late 1987, but Wilson disbanded the group in early 1988 and recorded a solo album, The Dark Side of the Man, which produced the Top 40 single "Bed Of Nails".
1990 saw their last recording of new material as Mondo Rock, with the album Why Fight It, featuring Wilson and McCusker with a studio 'supergroup' that included former Beach Boys drummer Ricky Fataar
and renowned American guitarist Waddy Wachtel
. Three CD singles were released -- "Things Are Hotting Up", "I Had You In Mind" and "Soul Reason", but these did not chart and Wilson dissolved the group during 1991.
Mondo Rock has occasionally reformed, and they starred in the 2006 "Countdown Spectacular
" concerts, which were seen by more than 100,000 people throughout Australia, performing a medley of "Cool World" and "Summer Of '81", and a full version of "Come Said The Boy".
Paul Christie is now the founding partner of Almost Famous http://www.almost-famous.biz, a corporate teambuilding and events company.
Early years: 1976–1979
Wilson had been a prominent figure on the Melbourne music scene since he was a teenager in the mid-1960s and he had enjoyed great success nationally (and some success in America) in the early 1970s as the lead singer and principal writer of the hugely popular Daddy CoolDaddy Cool (band)
Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
. Following the first breakup of Daddy Cool in 1973, Wilson and long-time collaborator Ross Hannaford
Ross Hannaford
Ross Andrew Hannaford is an Australian musician. He is often referred to by his nickname "Hanna". Widely regarded as one of the country's finest rock guitarists, he is best known for his long collaboration with singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, which began as teenagers, and with whom he formed the...
formed the short-lived Mighty Kong, which recorded one LP before splitting. This was followed by a reunion of Daddy Cool in 1974, but the group split for good at the end of 1975. Wilson's career was temporarily stalled by a dispute with his former label, Wizard Records, which prevented him from recording for several months. He returned to the music scene in late 1976 with the soundtrack to Chris Löfven's cult road movie Oz, which included Wilson's debut solo single "Livin' In The Land Of Oz".
Mondo Rock went through numerous line-up changes and it has reformed from time to time (including in April 2007). The original incarnation formed in late 1976 with Wilson on lead vocals, Peter Laffy on guitar, Greg Cook on keyboards, Mike Clark (bass) and Bob Bickerton (drums) but by early 1977 the lineup consisted of Wilson, Laffy, Ian "Willie" Winter (guitar, ex Carson, Daddy Cool), Barry Harvey
Barry Harvey
Barry Kenneth Harvey is a New Zealand former rugby league player who represented his country in three Test matches, including matches that counted towards the 1988 World Cup.-Playing career:...
(bass, ex Chain
Chain (band)
Chain are an Australian blues band formed in Melbourne as The Chain in late 1968 with a lineup including guitarist, vocalist Phil Manning; they are sometimes known as Matt Taylor's Chain after lead singer-songwriter and harmonica player, Matt Taylor...
) and Trevor Courtney (drums, ex Cam-Pact), but Wilson disbanded this lineup in mid-1977.
The next version of Mondo Rock formed in Nov. 1977 with Wilson, Gunther Gorman (guitar), Tony Slavich (keyboards), Simon Gyllies (bass) and Iain McLennan (drums, ex Ariel
Ariel (band)
Ariel was an Australian progressive rock band based around the duo Mike Rudd and Bill Putt, who formed the band in 1973 after the breakup of their previous group Spectrum . The original Ariel line-up was Rudd , Putt , Tim Gaze , Nigel Macara and John Mills...
), but Gorman left before the group started performing again and was replaced by jazz guitarist Chris Jones. Several other members came and went over the next year—Peter Laffy returned, guitarist Randy Bulpin was added. Slavich left (and was not replaced) shortly before Mondo Rock released its debut single "The Fugitive Kind" / "The Breaking Point" on Wilson's Oz label in August 1978 and it reached #26 on the national singles chart. Their debut LP Primal Park came out in late 1979 and yielded the singles "Love Shock", "Searching For My Baby" and "Primal Park", but McLennan contracted hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
just as the band was about to embark on a tour to promote the album, so he was temporarily replaced, first by Eddie Van Roosendael and then by veteran drummer and producer Gil Matthews (ex Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-sixties. The group enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early seventies to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period...
) for the tour. Wilson again disbanded the group at the end of 1979.
Breakthrough: 1980–1984
In February 1980 Wilson launched a new version of the band (which also went through several lineup changes) and this proved to be its most successful incarnation. Mondo Rock rapidly became one of the top touring bands in the country and one of the most successful Australian chart acts of the period, scoring four consecutive Top 5 albums and a string of Top 40 singles—including three Top 10 hits—between 1980 and 1985.The first version of the "new" Mondo Rock consisted of Wilson, Gil Matthews, guitarist Eric McCusker (ex Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band), bassist Paul Christie
Paul Christie (Australian musician)
Paul Christie is an Australian bassist and vocalist. He came to prominence as a member of the second and most successful lineup of the group Mondo Rock, which was founded by former Daddy Cool leader Ross Wilson...
(ex-Kevin Borich Express) and James Black (now leading the house band on the popular Australian TV quiz show RocKwiz
RocKwiz
RocKwiz is an Australian television quiz show series, focused on rock music, and broadcast on SBS One. It premiered in 2005.-Summary:The forty minute program airs on Saturday at 9:20 pm, and is hosted by Julia Zemiro. It is shot in The Gershwin Room at St Kilda's Esplanade Hotel, commonly...
on SBS) on keyboards and guitar. This lineup recorded Mondo Rock's first major hit, "State of the Heart" (Oct. 1980), which peaked at #6 on the national chart. The A-side was written by McCusker, who contributed many songs to the band's repertoire, thereby taking some of the pressure off Wilson, who was at that time experiencing a bout of writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
. Matthews left after the single came out and he was replaced first by Andy Buchanan and then by John James "J. J." Hackett, ex-Stars. Mondo Rock's next single "Cool World" (April 1981) was similarly successful, reaching #8.
This line-up recorded Mondo Rock's second LP Chemistry (July 1981), which reached #2 on the album chart the following month. The title track, released as the next single, reached #20 and it was followed by "Summer of '81", which got to #31. "State of the Heart" was also released in the USA although their American label Atlantic
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
felt that it was too long for radio and edited it for release there, much to the band's chagrin. Ironically, the song was a US Top 40 hit for Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
five years later, in a version that was almost identical to Mondo Rock's original recording.
Further success followed in 1982 with the release of their third LP Nuovo Mondo, which also reached #2, and yielded two more Top 40 hits -- "No Time" (#11) and "The Queen and Me" (#40). The next single, the haunting "In Another Love" (Feb. 1983) failed to chart but John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
subsequently recorded a version of the Ross Wilson-Gulliver Smith album track "A Touch Of Paradise" and it became an Australian Top 20 single when it was lifted from his hugely successful 1986 'comeback' album Whispering Jack
Whispering Jack
Whispering Jack is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop singer John Farnham. It was produced by Ross Fraser, and released on 20 October 1986, which peaked at #1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Album Charts...
.
Paul Christie left the group in Sept. 1982 and subsequently formed the all-star band The Party Boys
The Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock band with floating membership that existed from 1982 until 1992. Initially established by Mondo Rock bass player Paul Christie as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from other projects, the group has boasted members from acts such as...
; he was replaced by James Gillard. Concurrent with Mondo Rock's success, Ross Wilson scored another surprise hit during 1983 with the novelty song "Bop Girl", written for his then-wife Pat, and backed by Wilson and his former Daddy Cool
Daddy Cool (band)
Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan , Ross Hannaford , Ross Wilson and Gary Young . Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks...
bandmate Ross Hannaford
Ross Hannaford
Ross Andrew Hannaford is an Australian musician. He is often referred to by his nickname "Hanna". Widely regarded as one of the country's finest rock guitarists, he is best known for his long collaboration with singer-songwriter Ross Wilson, which began as teenagers, and with whom he formed the...
. The song was a major hit in Australia, reaching the Top 5, and the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song is notable for the presence of the young Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
as an extra.
The new Mondo Rock lineup recorded their next album The Modern Bop in late 1983 and scored its biggest Australian hit in March 1984 with McCusker's "Come Said the Boy", a provocative tale about the loss of virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
, which was banned by many radio stations including Sydney's then top-rated 2SM
2SM
2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, New South Wales, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group...
. Despite this, it went on to become their most successful single, peaking at #2. The album featured two more hits, "Baby Wants To Rock" (#18) and the title track "The Modern Bop", which charted in some states but just missed out on making the national Top 40.
Later years: 1985–1990
In 19851985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
Mondo Rock performed four songs for the Oz for Africa
Oz for Africa
Oz for Africa was an Australian concert held on 13 July 1985 at the Sydney Sports and Entertainment Centre. It was broadcast locally and internationally as part of the worldwide Live Aid performances to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The concert featured 17 bands performing some of their...
concert (part of the global Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
program) - "Cool World", "The Moment", "Modern Bop", "Come Said the Boy". It was broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
) and on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in the US. After signing to the Polydor label they released the compilation album Up To The Moment, which included two new singles; these did not make the Top 40 but the album was very successful, reaching #5 nationally in mid-1985.
By the time Mondo Rock released Boom Baby Boom in September 1986 the lineup had changed again, now consisting of Wilson, Hackett, McCusker, Gillard, Andrew Ross (sax) and Duncan Veall (keyboards). Their popularity was by now beginning to wane, but they still scored a further two hit singles, "Rule Of Three's" and "Primitive Love Rites", the latter becoming a minor hit in some regions of the U.S.A. They made one further recording, the Aliens EP, in late 1987, but Wilson disbanded the group in early 1988 and recorded a solo album, The Dark Side of the Man, which produced the Top 40 single "Bed Of Nails".
1990 saw their last recording of new material as Mondo Rock, with the album Why Fight It, featuring Wilson and McCusker with a studio 'supergroup' that included former Beach Boys drummer Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar is a South African multi-instrumentalist of Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer, and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in the comedic television movie, The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, a spoof on the actual history of The Beatles, and for his performance as a...
and renowned American guitarist Waddy Wachtel
Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
. Three CD singles were released -- "Things Are Hotting Up", "I Had You In Mind" and "Soul Reason", but these did not chart and Wilson dissolved the group during 1991.
Mondo Rock has occasionally reformed, and they starred in the 2006 "Countdown Spectacular
Countdown Spectacular
The Countdown Spectacular is a series of concerts reviving the nostalgia of the Australian music television series Countdown.-Countdown Spectacular:...
" concerts, which were seen by more than 100,000 people throughout Australia, performing a medley of "Cool World" and "Summer Of '81", and a full version of "Come Said The Boy".
Paul Christie is now the founding partner of Almost Famous http://www.almost-famous.biz, a corporate teambuilding and events company.
Studio albums
- Primal Park (1979)
- Chemistry (1981)
- Nuovo Mondo (1982)
- The Modern Bop (1984)
- Boom Baby Boom (1986)
- Why Fight It? (1990)
Singles
- Fugitive Kind 1978
- Love Shock (1979)
- Searcing For My Baby, Primal Park 1979
- Primal Park, Primal Park 1979
- Chemistry, Chemistry 1981
- State of the Heart, Chemistry 1981
- Summer Of 81, Chemistry 1981
- Cool World, Chemistry 1981
- No Time, Nuovo Mondo 1982
- The Queen And Me, Nuovo Mondo 1982
- A Touch Of Paradise, Nuovo Mondo 1982
- In Another Love, Nuovo Mondo 1982
- Come Said The Boy, The Modern Bop 1984
- The Modern Bop, The Modern Bop 1984
- Baby Wants To Rock, The Modern Bop 1984
- The Moment 1985
- Boom Baby Boom, Boom Baby Boom 1986
- Rule Of Threes, Boom Baby Boom 1986
- Primitive Love Rites, Boom Baby Boom 1986
- Aliens Walk Among Us, Aliens EP 1989
- I Had You In Mind, Why Fight It? 1990
- Things Are Hotting Up, Why Fight It? 1990
- Soul Reason 1990