Mondo Rock Essentials

Following his success as the frontman for '70s boogie-rock kings Daddy Cool and as a go-to producer for other Australian groups, Ross Wilson reinvented himself with Mondo Rock. In the early '80s, he and guitarist/songwriter Eric McCusker tapped into the era's changing sonic landscape and repeatedly hit the bull's-eye—witness the nervy New Wave of “Cool World,” the sparkling power ballad “State of the Heart,” and the lusty coming-of-age tale “Come Said the Boy.” The band were equally at home with slick funk-pop (“Chemistry”) or big-beat rock (“Summer Of '81”), all tied together by Wilson's gymnastic vocals and McCusker's gleaming hooks.