Easybeats
(Stevie Wright, George Young, Harry Vanda, Dick Diamonde, Tony Cahil)
Easybeats

 Personnel

George Young: Guitar
Harry Vanda: Lead Guitar
Stevie Wright: Vocals
Dick Diamonde: Bass Guitar
Gordon Fleet: Drums (1965-1969)
Tony Cahil: Drums (1969-70 )
 Biography

  The Easybeats were formed in Australia in 1964 when they met all at Sydney's austere Villawood Migrant Hostel. They soon found themselves to be the equivalent of the Beatles in Australia, causing what was called "Easyfever" throughout 1965. Although by the time the Easybeats landed in England in 1966, their creative balance was shifting. Originally Harry Vanda, who was actually Dutch and Englishman lead singer Stevie Wright would pen their tunes, now Vanda teamed up with George Young and the first song written together, which was also the first to be recorded in England (with Shel Talmy producing) was the song that is most remembered from them:Friday On My Mind. A huge international hit, it was the first for an Australian pop/rock group at the time. Friday On My Mind let the Easybeats move on with confidence and resulted in spending most of 1967 and 68 in the studio, creating some of those years most ambitious work—which is no understatement. They tried their hand with all types of musical styles, from good old rock n' roll (Good Times) to psych pop (Land Of Make Believe), all the while finding new beats, melodies and guitar styles not heard in pop music before. The group more or less disintegrated by 1969. Drummer Snowy had become too homesick to continue working in England with the group and Tony Cahil replaced him. Their last album, Friends, was released in 1970 and showed the group lean towards the boogie rock similar to what the Status Quo went for around that time. It is also important to note that the album was really a Vanda/Young collaboration, as the group didn't really exist anymore. However, a great wealth of unreleased work that was left behind eventually surfaced, salvaged in 1977, when Vanda & Young compiled The Shame Just Drained LP. Featuring 15 tracks from sessions dating from 1967-68, it shows the Easybeats should have been destined for greater things, but in similar style to the Kinks work of the same time, appreciation came much too late. Repertoire Records lovingly released all their original albums with massive amounts of bonus tracks in the early nineties.
 Other


Pictures

 Easybeats Easybeats
 Easybeats Easybeats in London
 Easybeats  Easybeats

Links
  Easyfever site
 

 

 
 Featured Albums (1968-70)

Vigil
Vigil
Released 1968; United Artists (S)ULP 1193

1 Good Times Vanda/Young 3.23
2 What In The World Vanda/Young 2.15
3 Falling Off The Edge Of The World Vanda/Young 2.33
4 The Music Goes Round My Head Vanda/Young 2.47
5 Can't Take My Eyes Off You Crewe/Gaudio 3.30
6 Sha La La Vanda/Young 3.04
7 Come In You'll Get Pneumonia Vanda/Young/Cahill 3.23
8 See Saw Vanda/Young 2.32
9 Land Of Make Believe Vanda/Young 3.10

10 Fancy Seeing You Here Vanda/Young 2.30
11 Hello How Are You Vanda/Young 3.14
12 Hit The Road Jack Mayfield 2.49

13 We All Live Happily Together Vanda/Young 4.04
14 I Can't Stand It Chambers 2.52

Friends
Friends
Released 1970. Polydor Special 2482 010

1 St. Louis
Vanda/Young 3.09
2 Friends Russel 3.43
3 Watching The World (Go By) Russel 2.33
4 Can't Find Love Vanda/Young 3.25
5 Holding On Russel 3.36
6 I Love Marie Russel 2.37
7 Rock And Roll Boogie Russel 2.26
8 Tell Your Mother Russel 5.20
9 The Train Song Russel 3.29
10 What Becomes Of You My Love Russel 3.15
11 Woman You're On My Mind Russel 4.31

The Shame Just Drained
The Shame Just Drained
Released 1977. Compilation of their late 60's unreleased material.

1 Little Queenie Berry 2.41
2 Baby I'm A Comin' Wright/Vanda/Young 2.02
3 Lisa Vanda/Young 3.14
4 I'm On Fire Vanda/Young 2.21
5 Wait A Minute Vanda/Young 2.42
6 We'll Make It Together Vanda/Young 2.41
7 Peter Vanda/Young 3.01
8 Me And My Machine Vanda/Young 2.27
9 The Shame Just Drained Vanda/Young 2.43
10 Mr. Riley Of Higginbottom & Clive Vanda/Young 2.30
11 Kelly Vanda/Young 3.16
12 Where Old Men Go Vanda/Young 2.32
13 Johnny No-One Vanda/Young 2.31
14 Amanda Storey Vanda/Young 2.48
15 Station On The Third Avenue Vanda/Young 2.55

 Singles (1967-70)


Dutch picture sleeve
Who'll Be The One?/Saturday Night
1967 -
United Artists UP 1175

Norweigan picture sleeve
Heaven And Hell/Pretty Girl
1967 - United Artists UP 1183

The Music Goes Round My Head/Come In, You'll Get Pneumonia
1967 - United Artists UP 1201


Hello, How Are You?/Falling Off The Edge Of The World
1968 - United Artists UP 2205


Italian picture sleeve
The Land Of Make-Believe/We All Live Happily
1968 - United Artists UP 22198


Good Times/Lay Me Down And Die
1968 - United Artists UP 2243


German picture sleeve
St. Louis/Can't Find Love
1969 - Polydor 56335


(Who Are My) Friends?/Rock'n'Roll Boogie
1970 - Polydor 2001 028

 

Shop
HOME