Summer Of ’81 – Mondo Rock Live At The Pier

Mondo-Rock-Summer-of-81In the summer of 1981, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the US president, Dreamworld opened on the Gold Coast, and Trevor Chappell bowled his infamous underarm delivery against New Zealand.

And Mondo Rock cemented their reputation as one of Australia’s finest bands, with the release of their album Chemistry. The album hit #3 on the Australian album chart, and saw the band win two awards at the Countdown Awards: Album Of The Year and Best Australia Songwriter (Eric McCusker).

In the lead up to the release of Chemistry, the summer of 1981 saw Mondo Rock play live at Frankston’s Pier Hotel. Now nearly four decades later, the band have made the recording of that show available as an album: Summer Of ’81 (Mondo Rock Live At The Pier).

Summer Of ’81 features all the hits from Mondo Rock’s highest-selling album Chemistry, which was released later that year, including State Of The Heart, Cool World, Chemistry and Summer of ’81, as well as the band’s debut single, The Fugitive Kind, and We’re No Angels. The album also includes a Mondo Rock rarity that never appeared on a studio album – Slice of Life.

Summer Of ’81 was recorded at Frankston’s Pier Hotel in 1981. The show was originally broadcast live by the then new EON FM, which was Australia’s first commercial FM station. It’s the band’s first ever live album release, and captures Mondo Rock at the peak of their powers with their classic lineup: Ross Wilson, Eric McCusker, James Black, Paul Christie, J.J. Hackett.

The Pier Hotel show was one of the first Mondo Rock gigs for drummer John James Hackett, who sadly passed away last year – the release of Summer Of ’81 is a tribute to our dear friend JJ.

“The Pier was packed every week, EON-FM was the new pumpin’ radio station and Mondo Rock was on the rise with hit singles on the charts and a new album on the horizon. We were hot & hungry and you can hear it on this album,” says Ross Wilson.

“It’s only taken us 39 years to release this album but we’re very proud of it. This was an incredibly exciting period for Mondo Rock. We haven’t had one of our new releases released on vinyl for 30 years, so we’re all super excited.”

“In my youth, I became a dedicated vinyl hound. Once you start, it’s hard to give it up. To wonder at the awesomeness of a needle in a microgroove that somehow becomes full spectrum sound – it is magic,” said Wilson.

Bloodlines has announced a very special release: Summer Of ’81 – Mondo Rock Live At The Pier on double vinyl and CD. The double vinyl will be pressed on coloured vinyl, with one translucent red disc, and one translucent purple disc. Manufactured in Australia, the vinyl was mastered by Martin Pullan and overseen by Mondo Rock’s Ross Wilson. The album was released digitally in May.


Summer Of ’81 – Mondo Rock Live At The Pier is released by Bloodlines and available from all leading music retailers including Apple Music.

Image: Summer Of ’81 – Mondo Rock Live At The Pier – courtesy of Bloodlines