Reviews

The Big Takeover - Mondo Topless: Go Fast! (Get Hip) - by Michelle

Supertrash Webzine
Live Show Review - Saturday February 28th at The Radio Cafe with THE WOGGLES and THE CLUTTERS - Nashville, TN - By Ryan

After the Clutters short and fast set, Philadelphia's MONDO TOPLESS took the stage. Just like Sleazefest last year, they totally commanded the entire audience's attention and got people up front and shakin' their ass. With Vox organs, rotating speakers and loud guitars, they plowed through about a 45-minute set of some of the rockinest and most powerful garage I've ever heard. They're very fun to watch as well. It's like watching siblings on stage with middle fingers flying, fun little slaps to the back of the head, and an occasional kick or two exchanged between the guitarist and the singer/organist. I bought their Get Hip release "Go Fast" at the show last night so look for a fine review of that little slab-o-wax in the near future.

Lowcut Magazine (Denmark) - Mondo Topless - Go Fast! CD (Get Hip)

Cosmik Debris - Mondo Topless: Go Fast! by DJ Johnson

This is like a nice, loud letter bomb from an old friend. Just when it seemed like Mondo Topless had faded into the ether, here comes their strongest album yet, five years after the last one, loaded with all the sounds that made them cool before but now sporting much improved songwriting. Led by Sam Steinig's engaging voice and Vox Continental organ, Mondo Topless could play Sinatra and it would come out a great frat party song. Kris Alutius burns up the tracks with one of the meanest guitar tones in the biz, especially in the last section of "Futility Dance." That guitar is so mean-toned it's as if Robert Johnson brought it back from the crossroads, autographed by "the other guy in the transaction," if you know what I mean. No? Don't matter. You'll understand the moment you hear it. If you're anywhere near Philly, watch for these guys in the clubs, you lucky bastards. Since they're on Get Hip, they'll probably be venturing out on the road now and then, so we'll all have a chance to bask in the whirlpool of energy they stir up. Meanwhile, this CD at high volume is my Rx for whatever ails you, from depression to exhaustion to a broken heart. You'll be jammin' in no time. This stuff is so happy and energetic it sweeps you up in its own excitement, and that's always welcome.

Splendid Ezine - Mondo Topless: Go Fast! by Jennifer Kelly

This Philadelphia garage band is named after Russ Meyer's pseudo-documentary, and like their namesake -- a 1966 look at bare-breasted women worldwide -- they gleefully step on, over and way the hell past the boundaries of good taste. The band raunchily tears through tracks like "Panty Sniffer" and "Think with Your Hands" (further pursuing a theme from their first album, Fifty-Thousand Dollar Hand Job) with a sound that is as dirty and leering as the lyrics it supports. It's juvenile, and full of the sniggering smart-ass humor you last heard in the back row of high school homeroom, but it's also seriously rocking and really, really fun.If you're playing along with our garage rock bingo game at home, you'll find Mondo Topless in the Merseybeat-influenced column, fourth row down ("Includes organ player", just after "Female lead singer", "Blues duo" and "No bass player"). Sam Steinig's vintage Vox Continental organ is, perhaps, the band's defining feature, squealing and swirling and surging under their manic beat. The Vox Continental was one of the earliest portable organs, and its bare bones sound (no bass, limited vibrato) was the hockey-rink heart of songs by the Monkees ("I'm a Believer"), Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Dave Clark Five. If you've ever heard the high-toned arpeggios beneath Eric Burdon's guitar in the Animals' "House of the Rising Sun", you've heard a Vox Continental at its best, and Steinig pays tribute to the Animals' keyboardist Alan Price in a cover of "I'm Crying". It's a frantic romp through every decade's garage land -- Mondo Topless borrowing from the Animals, the Animals borrowing from Bo Diddley, and Bo -- well, who knows where he got that guitar line, but I bet he didn't make it up. Among the original tracks, "Think with your Hands" is the standout -- John Loxterman's snaky, sinister bass line percolating under Kris Alu's surf-guitar accents and underlying Steinig's creepy, insinuating vocals. "Horsefeathers" is also quite good, built on a very simple, punishing drum line with a rhythmic stop-and-start verse and a shouted chorus of "Horsefeathers ... You said it again." It's bare, stripped-down rock and roll at its essence -- not a lick of organ here. "Anytime" puts the same insistent rhythm to work in the bass line, tops it with a syrupy wash of organ, and backs the vocals down to a sweeter, mildly poppier level. No garage band worth its salt can leave the Stooges alone, so Go Fast! closes with that band's "Loose", from the Funhouse album. It's a reasonably good cover, but listening to the two side by side just makes it obvious where current garage rock diverges from the old stuff. Iggy sings like he's just back from sabbatical in the ninth circle of hell, rocking like a lost soul who knows he's headed back as soon as the song ends. Mondo Topless, by contrast, sounds like they're closing out the coolest keg party you've ever been to, and maybe afterwards will grab a few pancakes at the all-night diner. They just can't wipe the grins off their faces, and while that may keep them from ever being as demon-ridden brilliant as the Stooges, it does make Go Fast! a slamming good time.

Lance Monthly

Mondo Topless - Go Fast! - by Beverly Patterson
The title of this disc says it all. Mondo Topless plays motor-mouth rock and roll, the kind of stuff that encourages you to raise your fist in the air, scream your lungs out, and shake your rump to. Each and every song on the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania band's new album is delivered in a super duper, high-energy mode. "Go Fast!" really does unleash one wild and crazy corker after another, giving the listener the impression Mondo Topless devoured pounds of candy bars and drank gallons of coffee before entering the studio. Pronounced by a reverberating rhapsody of stabbing guitar breaks, digging organ grooves, bellowing vocals and titanic drum thrills, the record is as powerful as a thunder and lightning storm. Original numbers such as "No More," "Panty Sniffer," "Think with Your Hands" and "Bottomless Pit" plainly indicate Mondo Topless has a gift for parenting million dollar melodies amid their manic enthusiasm. "Go Fast!" is bundled tight with nothing but catchy curves and arrangements that click the first time around. The members of Mondo Topless are serious scholars of purebred garage rock, having learned their lessons from the likes of The Unrelated Segments, The Ramones and The Cynics. A great disc from a great band!

In Music We Trust

Mondo Topless: Go Fast! - by Alex Steininger
Don't tell Get Hip Recordings that garage rock is the new 'in' sound, because they've been doing it before MTV even knew what garage rock was (though well after the original 50s and 60s garage rock movement died). With a cast and crew of rock lovers, Get Hip has always been the best source for quality garage rock. And if their latest release, Mondo Topless' Go Fast! doesn't make you want to dance and inspire you to love garage rock again, than nothing will. Go Fast! is as classic as they come - sweat-drenched, fast, and hip shaking good. The organ soaked, fast-paced rhythms, and manic guitars all come crashing together to make an appetizing sound, a fresh, refreshing rock sound that recalls sock hops on speed as much as it does the post-punk movement. Mondo Topless creates sixteen tracks here that will devour you and make you come back for more. It is the sweat taste of rock 'n' roll's sweat, and you just can't get enough. I'll give it an A-.

Shredding Paper

Mondo Topless: Go Fast! - by Michael Subvert
Mondo Topless has been tearing a swath through the Philadelphia scene for over a decade. Their honest, slamming garage rock n roll has an intensity that makes the garage pretenders of today seem so, so lame. When lead vocalist Sam Steinig growls out a chorus while clawing at his Vox organ, the effect is positively electrifying. Witnessed live, with the band in full swing, the scene is straight out of a '60s dance show. The sound is tough but sweet, catchy as hell, and often downright evil. This disc may not hit the heights of a live set, but it gets damn close. The approach is pure rave-up. Every track is a party song, a hip swinging number of truly cool proportions. If your toes aren't tapping, then someone must have cut off your feet.

Mondo Topless: Go Fast! - by Tom Schulte - (Ink 19, DetroitMusic.com, Outsight, Factsheet V)

Part of the charm of vintage, '60s psych-rock is the primal, visceral energy channeled through the keyhole of the day's available analog technology. The trend in the garage rock revival is to amp it up, recording in the style of the teen rock of yesteryear in modern studios. The Vox-powered quartet Mondo Topless becomes a time capsule by offering a thin, trebly recording of ripping rock on Go Fast! The 15 excellent songs of unleashed throwback rock culminated in a rendition of The Stooges' "Loose". (4)

Odyssey Zine - Mondo Topless: Go Fast! by Phil

I'm thinking Telstar must have crossed paths with this band at one point. If you can't get enough hip-shakin' fun from bands like The Woggles, The Greenhornes or Swingin' Neckbreakers, you should check out Mondo Topless. That's not to say that you should stick Mondo Topless in the garage reserves. They should be enjoyed now and often. These super-charged 60s freaks just let loose a brash, organ-drenched garage blast that can't be beat for grog-gargling good times. It's extremely energetic, slightly psychedelic, and busting at the seams with buzzing guitars and gravely shouting. They even threw in a really great-sounding cover of "I'm Crying" by the Animals. They cover of "Loose" by the Stooges. Obviously they have great taste. The Stooges cover doesn't fare as well as the rest, but I'm guessing it's good fun when heard live.

Cyclops Zine

Get Hip Recordings has just unleashed �Go Fast!� by Mondo Topless. Mondo Topless have been around for more than a dozen years playing a cheesy organ fueled garage rock n� roll. Influences include Sonics, Get Hip�s own Cynics and the whole �Back From the Grave� series. �No More� leads off the album. It�s a feet movin� rocker with a great shout out chorus. �Think With Your Hands� has some cool loud and soft dynamics going on. Sam Steinig�s acidic vocals are really great on this song and the whole record for that matter. �I�m Crying� is a blazing punk rocker with great backing vocal harmonies. �I Ain�t Getting Any� is a danceolicious ditty with a blaring horn section. �Panty Sniffer� is a kinky number with some super fuzzed-up guitar work. The record ends with a cover of the Stooges� �Loose.� They�re obviously paying homage to one of their heroes. It�s a blistering rocker and they let it all hang out on this one. What a cool closer. So if you�d like some great garage rock circa 1967 you�re gonna like �Go Fast!�

No Brains Zine

Mondo Topless - Go Fast! - by Vanya
The only record of Mondo Topless I had till now was their LP "Get Ready For Action" on Dionysus from 1998 (I miss "$50,000 Hand Job" album). Mondo Topless didn't change much, well their hairs are shorter. Wild baby-I'm-the-right-man-for-you garage organ + fuzz action with distorted vocal - perfect band for wild parties. I like: "Horsefeathers" with great chorus, psychotic "Every Day", wild cover of "I'm Crying", ... the second half of CD is even better and vocal sounds better when backed with wilder sound ... "Anytime" you start to move with Mondo Topless you can't stop till you're totally "Loose".

Blank Generation

Mondo Topless - No More b/w Panty Sniffer (Get Hip)
These guys have been �round 4ever! Jeez� Yeah, the a-side is 60�s rock �n� roll kicker with the infamous organ� The b-side is a bit of a stomper for the lewd and crude kids of today� Super Sixties Garage Rock fans will want to check it out� (JD)

Mondo Topless - No More b/w Panty Sniffer (Get Hip) - by Tom "Tearaway" Schulte (Ink 19, DetroitMusic.com, Outsight, Factsheet V) Out of Philadelphia, this garage rock group dabs extra Farfisa on both sides of this single. The A-Side is almost menacing in its darkly punk rejection. Nearly threatening in its stalker portrayal, "Panty Sniffer" is fuel for a drunken frat raid escapade

New City (Chicago, IL)
MONDO TOPLESS - Get Ready for Action!

Awash in pipes from a Vox Continental Organ, Philadelphia's Mondo Topless is high-energy garage rock in its purest, finest form. This quartet's "Get Ready for Action" (Dionysus) will eternally win my blue-ribbon of excellence for one big reason: of the 2,500-or-so CDs, records and tapes that live in my collection, maybe fifty are packed with great songs from beginning to end. "Get Ready for Action" is one of those fifty. This isn't groundbreaking really, in that the tunes are an amalgamation of sixties garage/pop rock and punk rock, but the band's ability to write inescapably sharp hooks sets them apart from the legions of garage-rock bands that write three cool songs and then load a record with nine fillers. Every MT song is uptempo energy, organ-driven but backed by high-fuzz, low-end guitar noise (which is the punk-rock part); "Down," doubled in pace and minus the organ and vocals, could easily be any song from any Exploited record. And the night couldn't be better: a small venue (which means a small cover charge), and not on one of the amateur (Friday, Saturday) nights. Rock rarely gets this good.

Cosmik Debris
MONDO TOPLESS - Get Ready for Action!
by DJ Johnson

The latest from Philadelphia's Mondo Topless find the band drifting toward a singular sound, something of melting pot fed by ? and the Mysterians and Paul Revere and the Raiders. I loved the variety of sounds and tempos on their 1996 CD/LP, Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job, and I have to admit I wish there was some of that variety on Get Ready For Action. Once past that mourning period, there's no denying what Action has going for it, and that is... well, action! The band takes off with the first track, builds up to full speed by the second track, and never even slows down to ask directions or pee. Frightening! Their music is still retro, Voxx organ-driven rock, but all kinds of modern touches are creeping in now, from distorted vocals ("Amazon Queen") to ultra-punk guitar power chords ("New Age World"), most of which works quite well. The boys have obviously gelled as a unit, as they never miss a beat while flying by the seat of their collective pants. They only come in from the Autobahn on the final track, the relatively slow and muy mysterioso "Goodbye." Mondo Topless smokes, and it feels great on the dance floor, so if you're looking for a rock 'n' roll rocket ride, get ready for action.

Coffee and Smokes
MONDO TOPLESS -"Get Ready For Action" (U.S., Dionysus-LP/CD)
by Alex Piandes

This inaugural effort by this Philly foursome for Dionysus is nothing short of spectacular. It contains 13 tracks (12 originals) with all but three clocking in at under 3:00. This wild ride starts with "Amazon Queen" and has you holding you hat right through the echo and grind of "Goodbye". The best way to describe this effort is that it's one of those rare studio albums regardless of genre that truly captures the energy of a live performance, no mean feat, in my opinion. I can't say enough about the originality of the tunes as well.The organ and bottom are guarantee to loosen a few fillings.  I recommend this LP highly!
(Available through Dionysus mailorder and at independent record shops)

Kitty Cat Explosion
MONDO TOPLESS "Get Ready For Action!" LP

Let me just say "Amazon Queen" is one of the best songs ever, and it's only the opening track of the album. If that ain't enough how about this it drenched in Organ action and fuzzed out guitar madness and incased with a steady back beat that will make you shake, ache, and come back for more! (***1/2) Dionysus Records

CMJ New Music Report - February 16, 1998
MONDO TOPLESS "Amazon Queen" 7" EP
Reviewed by Kelso Jacks

DJing a tiki-themed night any time soon? Well, then hunt down this stomping garage single. Mondo Topless are at their fuzzy-vocaled, organ soaked best (jungle whoops and ape-like howls at no extra cost) on "Amazon Queen." Once again the foursome prove that it does best when playing with turbo-charged acceleration. In fact, the b-side offerings "Leave Me Alone" and "Just What I Need" ignore speed limits altogether. The former is a high-energy, heavy-handed refusal of love while the latter is a higher-energy, open-hearted acceptance of it.

Mondo Topless - Amazon Queen (1997) (GI records) (modish garage pop)
by Skunky Beaumont in 7-Inch Insanity

Mondo Topless is so rockin with deadly Vox organ and rockin guitars its covered in rockin, rockin rockin rockin! It kinda sounds like the dude is singing through a mega phone. It has 3 dittys including amazon queen. I think its outta print, but you can order some of mondo topless�s other stuff on www.mondotopless.com

Creative Loafing (Atlanta, GA)
MONDO TOPLESS: Performance Preview
by Greg Nicoll

They take their name from a Russ Meyer movie, but these boys don't bare their chests (for that kinda action, check out Tribe 8 on Tuesday at The Point); no, these cool cats' "sixtease" band name is tailored to evoke the go-go spirit that extends all the way from their twangy guitars and pumping Farfisa (hey!! it's a Vox, pal!  -Sam) organ to the mushroom haircuts and paisley pants on their boppin' bods.

Cosmik Debris
MONDO TOPLESS: Amazon Queen
(7" 3-song EP on GI Productions)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson


Travel with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when even the fast and loud rock had pop pills all over it. Mondo Topless is a garage band from Philly that has managed, over the course of a few singles and a full-length CD, to figure out that elusive secret. How DO you play retro and still have a sound all your own? First you gotta love what you're doing, and this platter is loaded with joyful rockin' and playful rollin'. It also doesn't hurt to have a central sound that everything else explodes around, and Sam Steinig's swirling, careening, stabbing, laughing, sassing, erupting organ provides that. Steinig has the vocal thing covered, as well. And the band just flat out rocks. "Amazon Queen" took just a touch of getting used to because of a gritty, distorted vocal track that is A-typical of Mondo Topless, but once you're used to that, it's hard to imagine it any other way. The B side, "Leave Me Alone" and "Just What I Need," is just fine, but I keep comin' back to "Amazon Queen" to get my Mondo kick. If you're on the east coast, watch for these guys. I understand the live show is a blast to witness.

1000 Flowers
MONDO TOPLESS: "Amazon Queen" EP

I didn't spin this record for a long time. Big mistake! God, this rips! The title track is ultra fast, ultra catchy rockin' poppy garage with a little Farfisa organ action going on. Cool distorted vocals over the top and a bunch of jungle sounds underneath that make Snorkel Bob the Golden Retriever race around the house barking. He's a little slow. This is super, super good. Top notch, megahit, great release by a great band, all that good stuff. I've got a whole line here to rave about this record but I've done twitterpated myself!!!

Subterranean
MONDO TOPLESS: "Amazon Queen" EP

This band takes more than just their name from RUSS MEYER; the lyrics are sassy, the sound stylish, and the songwriting on these 3 pop-inflected beat-garage hits is not unlike THE CARRIE NATIONS. Razor-sharp guitar, megaphone vocals, energy OD. (G.I.)

Maximum RockNRoll
MONDO TOPLESS - "Amazon Queen" EP
by Chris Harvey

Pretty high energy punk rock of the garage flavor. A little bit overproduced, what with the schlocky megaphone-type vocals and the overbearing organ, but entirely listenable and even toe-tappable.

Cosmik Debris
MONDO TOPLESS: "In the End/Stay Away" (Dionysus)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

Great gallopin' garage! Mondo Topless kicks butt on these two power-mod tracks. Sam Steinig's Vox organ work is definitely the hook in the mix, and once you lock onto it you might just come to the conclusion that he's one of the hottest players around. His solo in "In The End" is what rock and roll is all about. If you ain't dancin', you must be pushing up the daisies. Vince Friel's guitar is solid and in your face, and Tom Connors and Jamie Mahon are one of the best drums/bass duos in recent memory. The band plays tight jackhammer rhythms energetic enough to match Steinig's great rock and roll voice. Mondo Topless has a full length release in the works, and if this 7" is any indication, it's going to be something else.

The Red & Black (Athens, GA)
MONDO TOPLESS: "I Want to/Real Gone Girl" (Worrybird Disc)
by Jeff Griggs

There just aren't enough bands anymore with really good organ players. Luckily, a band called Mondo Topless, led by wiseman Sam Steinig and his mean Vox organ, is on a mission to make you "shake your thing".

The Philadelphia-based band incorporates an especially delicate balance of young garage-rock angst with everything good about 1960s bubblegum pop bands. "We pride ourselves on being intelligent people who play stupid music," Steinig said. "We are the sorbet in the muddle of sound when people are tired of being pummeled." Steinig and company (Jamie Mahon on bass, Vince Friel on guitar, and Tom Connors behind the drums) have a 7-inch single, "I Want To" b/w "Real Gone Girl", on Atlanta's Worrybird label that testifies to their musical philosophy. These two tracks will transform the otherwise innocent bystander into a victim of his or her own latent desire to "git down". "I Want To" is a pulse-racing, rump shaker replete with the lines such as "I don't want to see you dance/I just want to get in your pants." It's a rock 'n' roll theme song for the dirty, trashy side in all of us that serves as a perfect complement to the mellower B-side.

"Real Gone Girl" just oozes the sweet juice of the Doors, leaving a very Morrison-esque aftertaste. The organ solo in this song is a blistering aural delight, confirming my suspicions that this is one of the coolest pieces of vinyl I've heard. The single may be a little hard to find due to bad distribution in the Southeast (I don't know whom to blame), so I was overjoyed to get my hands on one of these babies at the recent Mondo Topless show at the 40 Watt Club. Look for another single on Dionysus, available May 24, and a full-length CD/LP on Denver label 360 Twist in August.

Trouble Bound
MONDO TOPLESS: "In The End/Stay Away" (Dionysus Records)
by Phil Kellum

This is another little beauty that blew me away. Mondo Topless is a great mod/garage band straight outta Philly, PA. They rock hard and fast, but you can still dance and rock out to it without hurting your neighbors. This is about as fun as fun gets on this 7". The screaming, wailing Vox organ on both songs killed me. I just wish there were more songs! Grab this one immediately!

Maximum Rock N' Roll
MONDO TOPLESS: "In The End/Stay Away" (Dionysus)
by Mundo Murguia

Get out your white go-go boots 'cause there's two good tunes on this slab from this 60's style garage/pop band. I really like the sound of the Vox organ on this single. The A side is a fast rocker while the flip is a little longer and slower. So start dancing!

Philadelphia City Paper
MONDO TOPLESS: "Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job" CD/LP (360 Twist! Records)
by Margit Detweiler

Here's a surprise. Even with an album title like Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job, this CD from local yokels Mondo Topless is actually pretty decent. Driven by a Vox Continental organ (also befitting the title), this swanky, '60s-flavored collection of songs would make Gidget and Moondoggy frug furiously. With happy-go-lucky melodies and reverb guitars, Mondo drag races down the same speedway you might have found '80s neo-garage bands like The Cynics or The Three O'Clock on, though without the hyper, dirty edges of the former and the slick psychedelia of the latter. Still, they're difinitely worth checking out at their record release party at Doc Watson's.

Cosmik Debris - December, 1996
MONDO TOPLESS: "Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job" CD/LP (360 Twist! Records)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

I reviewed the debut single from this killer retromod band in the July issue of Cosmik Debris, and I closed by saying "Mondo Topless has a full length release in the works, and if this 7" is any indication, it's going to be something else." TOLD YA SO TOLD YA SO TOLD YA SO!!!

Damn, I love sayin' that. Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job far surpasses expectations. 14 tracks of powerful pop music anchored by Tom Connors (drums) and Jamie Mahon (bass), well doused in fuzz by guitarist Vince Friel, and blasted into the sky by the cyclonic organ playing of Sam Steinig (who happens to be just about my favorite vocalist in this genre). The album begins in chaos, with a building storm of guitars, bass and drums rising inside the swirling organ, which suddenly deposits you, Dorothy, and her little dog into a great tune called "Dragstrip." From there on in, it's mostly full speed ahead -- with one exception: "Real Gone Girl" is the least typical track on the album, but it's my favorite. I like the slow surreal stuff, and this one has a great Doors feel similar to "When The Music's Over." Friel's distant and lonely guitar wails make this song a spine-tingler. At the other end of the spectrum is the title track, a rambunctious R&B rave up in the tradition of mid-period Ten Years After in which everybody in the band gets their ya-ya's out. Between these ends, you'll find Mondo Topless' bread and butter: Hoppin' wall-of-sound retro-rock built around Steinig's organ and great voice.

If there was any justice in this world, there would be a category for this music at the Grammy's, Fuzz, Acid and Flowers would be required reading in schools all over the world, and Mondo Topless would be in high rotation on all FM stations and MTV. Well...I can dream, can't I?

Carbon 14 - #10
MONDO TOPLESS - "Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job" CD/LP (360 Twist! Records)
by Leslie

Mondo Topless is perhaps the only "Paisley Underground" band that exists in Philly. I have to agree with Larry's assessment that if this CD came out ten years ago, they'd be a lot more popular but from what I've found, people either love the Vox sound or hate it. We both like it (plus they're named after a Russ Meyer movie, which is always endearing to Larry) so this gets a good amount of play in our house. These guys touch on all the possible variations of garage music, moving smoothly from psychedelia to pop to punk to surf, and manage to pull it all off.

Cyber Babble
MONDO TOPLESS - "Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job" CD/LP (360 Twist! Records)
by Rich Atkinson

The Philadelphia garage band Mondo Topless is definitely a band that is going somewhere. In an age of alternative rock band strying to find that "new" sound, they have stepped backwards a little to the 80s garage sound of the Lyres, Thee Hypnotics & Zodiac Mindwarp. Their songs are really tight, catchy 3:00 minute flashes of the past. The Hand Job album is a collection of 14 enjoyable songs that should keep any alterna-rock fan happy. But what they lack is the power of seeing the band live. We recently had the pleasure of catching them in front of about 50 people at the Sam Adams Brewhouse in Philadelphia where they played a really tight, LOUD set that truly rocked. It was just plain good music and good fun. If you're in the City of Brotherly Love, check out the City Paper and see if they are playing. And once you catch their act, get their latest CD or for you truly retro-heads, buy the white vinyl album.

Crypt - O - Rama
Athens, Greece
MONDO TOPLESS "Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job" LP/CD (360 Twist! Records)
After two 7" singles the time for the first full length release by Philadelphia's wild organ-driven garage punkers Mondo Topless has reached. 14 tracks that promise a frenetic orgy for your ears, a unique combination of excellent garage pop, punk energy and dance inducing psych, all topped off with a thick layer of swirling Vox organ. Hip swaying rock -n-roll that will definitely make you want to dance. A great fun!!! Dig them!!! Band management: PO Box 25318, Philadelphia, PA 19119, USA.

Bad Trip
MONDO TOPLESS - "$50,000 Hand Job" (360 Twist)
Creepy garage punk with the mighty Vox Continental taking center stage, this full length gets sicker and sicker as each track plays, and that ain't no slag off, these guys are twisted psychedelic garagesters of the highest order! Another release you'll play over and over and enjoy more and more! Alright!

Digital City (Philly Sound)
MONDO TOPLESS - $50,000 Hand Job (360 Twist!)
by Brian Glaser

WHO: Sam Steinig (Vox Continental organ, harmonica, lead vocals), Vince Friel (guitar, backing vocals), Tom Connors (drums, backing vocals) and Jamie Mahon (bass).

WHAT: Old-school trashy garage rockin' madness. The lyrics rarely get more profound than "I don't wanna watch you dance/I just wanna get in your pants." If Lenny Kaye put together another Nuggets tomorrow, Mondo Topless would be right there on side one. Bonus points for not being scared off by the obviousness of adding a zoom and crash sound effect at the end of "Dragstrip."

HOW: Though in general the band sounds like Bethlehem's Original Sins, Mondo Topless differentiate themselves from the rest of the riff-rock pack with their judicious use of a Vox organ.

WHY: Because sex and fast cars are the main reasons boys start rock bands in the first place.

WHERE: Mondo Topless play around Philly non-stop. If you miss 'em this weekend, they'll be right back.

--Brian Glaser, Digital City Philadelphia, 7/21/97

Lollypinkus
MONDO TOPLESS - Fifty Thousand Dollar Hand Job (360 Twist!)
by Elektra

When I first saw the movie "Welcome To The Dollhouse" I looked high and low for the soundtrack. It was a pure pop masterpiece comlete with Casio keyboard and dreamy vocals about nothing in particular. I was smitten. Still haven't found that damn soundtrack. Actually, I quit looking when Mondo Topless came my way and righted all that was wrong in my world. The Topless sound is basically driven by a big, sweet swirling organ, that makes all other homogenized attempts at this sorta thing sound even more pathetic (if that's possible) in comparison. This disc has a touch of that "Big Rock Sound" that I usually do not go for, but Mondo Topless have such strong songs that I simply cannot help myself from being ga-ga over their tight sound, jangly guitar and nifty vox (the organ and the voice) stylings. Their music is really pure and fun in a way that, say, the Partridge Family coulda been. I mean, if Keith and the Klan Partridge woulda lost the pervert manager, quit hangin' out with Mom and started dropping acid and having promiscuous sex on that swell, gas guzzling bus of theirs they might have been able to pen lyrics like "You think I'm creepy. Well, I think you're wrong". Remind me to plagiarize/drop that line around friends and loved ones in the near future. Sounds good, dunnit?
(360 Twist!)

Mondo Topless~ "$50,000 Hand Job"
Erivan's Tavern
by: Eric the Erivan

This album is a myriad of styles crammed together into one pretty picture. Organs blasting, taking front stage over guitars give this band quite a different sound. "Kick it, Sam!" These guys definitely know how to play together without losing a beat. Half of the songs kick butt in a serious way while the others are good, but not quite as knee slapping, more slow and thoughtful. Ach, the Colors! A 360 Twist Release.