Mondo Rock
| Mondo Rock | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Rock, progressive rock |
| Years active | 1976–1991, 2006–2007 |
| Labels | Oz, Avenue, EMI, Atlantic, RCA, WEA, Polygram, Polydor, Columbia, J&B, BMG, Sony |
| Past members | See "Members" |
Mondo Rock was an Australian rock band formed in November 1976 by mainstay singer-songwriter, Ross Wilson (ex-Daddy Cool). Their second album, Chemistry was issued in July 1981, which peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. It was followed by Nuovo Mondo in July 1982 which reached No. 7, The Modern Bop in April 1984 which appeared at No. 2 and a compilation album, Up to the Moment in June 1985, which peaked at No. 5. Mondo Rock reached the top 10 on the related Kent Music Report Singles Chart with "State of the Heart" (October 1980), "Cool World" (April 1981) and "Come Said the Boy" (December 1983). The group disbanded in 1991, although they have periodically undertaken reunion concerts. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, "[b]y way of ceaseless touring and the release of a series of sophisticated pop rock albums, [the band was] one of the most popular acts in Australia during the early 1980s".
Mondo Rock were formed in November 1976 in Melbourne by Bob Bickerton on drums (ex-Rock Granite and the Profiles); Mike Clarke on bass guitar (ex-Mick Rogers and Eclipse); Greg Cook on keyboards and guitar (ex-Cam-Pact, Skylight, Phil Manning Band); Peter Laffy on guitar (ex-Fox, Freeway); and Ross Wilson (ex-Daddy Cool) on lead vocals and harmonica.
Wilson had been a prominent figure on the Melbourne music scene since he was a teenager in the mid-1960s and had success nationally in the early 1970s as the lead singer and principal writer of the popular, rock revivalist group, Daddy Cool. Following the first breakup of Daddy Cool in August 1972, Wilson and long-time collaborator Ross Hannaford formed the short-lived rock band, Mighty Kong in 1973, which recorded one album before disbanding. He followed with a reunion of Daddy Cool in 1974, but the group split again at the end of the next year. 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 mid-1976 by working on the soundtrack to Chris Löfven's cult road movie, Oz. In August that year Wilson issued his debut solo single, "Livin' in the Land of Oz", from the soundtrack on his own Oz Records label.
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