[1] On 23 September 1965, the group released its first album, Easy. The album was a mixture of recent singles, new recordings and out-takes from the scrapped 1967 album. Still trying to get back into the UK charts, the band moved to a more pop-friendly sound and released the soft rock, ballad "Hello, How Are You" on 8 March 1968. The single was slammed by critics and reached #59 on the Australian chart; their lowest-charting single to date. Penelope Cottier writes poetry as PS Cottier. Fleet was unhappy at the amount of time he had to spend away from his wife and young children. 4 and No. In 2007, Stevie Wright performed at the Gathering Festival in Yandina, Sunshine Coast. The single received moderate airplay in the US, but did not chart. Before the Easybeats, most Australian recordings were local recordings of overseas hits. 1[1] hit for Johnny Young (no relation) in 1966. After auditioning several titles for Talmy, "Friday on My Mind" caught the producer's ear as the next single. Clockwise from left: Dick Diamonde, Harry Vanda, Snowy Fleet, George Young, Stevie Wright. The baroque pop ballad "Land of Make Believe" was released in the UK on 5 July and in Australia on 18 July. Australian Rock duo Divinyls recorded a cover of "I'll Make You Happy" on the B-side of the single "Science Fiction" in 1982. It was awarded a gold disc.[2]. Apter examines the early influences on George Young, from sister Margaret's collection of records, to the family's early music-making. Dutch immigrants Johannes van den Berg (Harry Vanda) and Dick van der Sluijs (Dick Diamonde) and English immigrants Stevie Wright and Gordon 'Snowy' Fleet were living in or near the hostel, and The Easybeats grew out of these contacts. After the war, William worked as a yard man for a builder and then as a postman. Later that month, they toured Europe in support of The Rolling Stones. "[16] One of the stamps featured was the "She's So Fine" stamp. In May, their first album for United Artists was released: Good Friday (re-titled Friday on My Mind in the US). Albert Productions, and particularly the writing/producing team of Vanda & Young, were famously instrumental in changing this state of affairs. [2] The song featured Steve Marriott of the Small Faces on backing vocals and Nicky Hopkins on piano. The members of The Easybeats were left with virtually no money after the band's collapse; the need for control and clarity seems to have motivated George Young after this experience. It was picked up by Sydney radio and became a minor hit, reaching No. [4] It was critically applauded by some reviewers - Australian music historian Clinton Walker calling it "gonzo journalism at its best",[8] while The Bulletin later referred to Sorry as "one of the most harrowing rock books ever written". George Young, Soundtrack: Maximum Overdrive. The band was inspired by the "British Invasion" spearheaded by the Beatles. Jeff Apter has written a clear and thorough biography of Young, from pre-Easybeat days through to his death in 2017. Their next single, "She's So Fine", gave them that commercial success, reaching No. However, since the vocalist was a female, the lyrics "If you don't think I'm your man, Find somebody if you can, And ask them to hold your hand, Not me." His brothers, AC/DC Guitarist Malcolm Young Passes Away at 64, Shooting underway on ABC mini 'The Easybeats', Indie Spotlight: ‘Get Social’ Is ‘The Office’ For The Digital Age. George Young was the first of the three Young brothers to gain fame and acclaim in the musical business. All the songs were written by group members, with vocalist Stevie Wright and guitarist George Young co-writing eight of the fourteen songs on the album.. For the next single, "Sad and Lonely and Blue", the band returned to the blues based feel of "For My Woman". They wrote and produced several major hits for John Paul Young including "Love Is in the Air" and "Yesterday's Hero", which was also a hit for The Bay City Rollers, and produced the first six albums for AC/DC (which featured George's younger brothers Angus Young and Malcolm Young). Wright, Vanda and Snowy Fleet attended the ceremony. 1 in Australia, No. They had even more success in Europe with hits such as "Waiting for a Train", "Midnight Man", "Early Morning Wake Up Call", and "Ayla", from the number 1 albums Early Morning Wake Up Call, Headlines, and Nights in France. In 1940 William joined the Royal Air Force serving in World War II as a flight engine mechanic. In the 60s he was guitarist for extremely popular Australian band The Easybeats. In 1993, New Jersey mod/power poppers the Insomniacs released a version of "Goin' Out of My Mind" on their Germany-only four song EP for Outer Limits Records. [citation needed] However, like "For My Woman", it failed to make the top 10, only reaching No. In May, the band finally released their second album for United Artists; Vigil (re-titled Falling Off The Edge of the World in the US). According to the Juke Magazine article it was "due for release later that year",[6] however this never happened. Obviously after this long we do have a very strong bond. The group left for the UK on 10 July 1966. George Young was the first of the three Young brothers to gain fame and acclaim in the musical business. Looking for some great streaming picks? 7. The band returned to London and continued to work in the studio. "Friday on My Mind" was released in the UK on 14 October 1966. They broke up in 1969 despite no official announcement; singer Stevie Wright died in 2015 and rhythm guitarist George Young (brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC) died in 2017. Although failing to chart in the UK, it reached No. Considered one of the most important rock acts in Australia during the 1960s, they enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled the Beatles. He was arrested for heroin use later that month. The music video for "Where Were You" featured Stevie Wright as a futuristic rock star miming to George Young's vocals. The band also began work on a new album with Johns, most of which was recorded and prepared for issue but was never released because of the band's complicated financial and contractual problems. The single was a commercial failure and did not make the UK charts (although it was No. A cover version of "Good Times" by INXS and Jimmy Barnes was a No. In 1999 journalist Jack Marx published a much-anticipated book about Wright, entitled Sorry - The Wretched Tale of Little Stevie Wright. The families of the band members spent their first years in Australia housed at the Villawood Migrant Hostel in the early and mid-sixties. Despite an initial lack of interest, Vaughan was able to convince United Artists Records to sign the band. As with their Central Sound records, they played most of the instruments on their recordings with the other Easybeats members occasionally contributing. However it reached No. Dutch immigrants Johannes van den Berg (Harry Vanda) and Dick van der Sluijs (Dick Diamonde) and English immigrants Stevie Wright and Gordon 'Snowy' Fleet were living in or near the hostel, and The Easybeats grew out of these contacts. In 1969, the band parted ways with United Artists and their production company Albert Productions to sign with Polydor Records. In 2012, Los Straitjackets released a version of "Friday on My Mind" as a bonus track on their Jet Set album on Yep Roc Records. Albert Productions, and particularly the writing/producing team of Vanda & Young, were famously instrumental in changing this state of affairs. The B-side to the Australian single was the next UK single; "Good Times". Apter charts the success of the group, through to its move to England, and eventual dissolution. Wright's substance abuse problems spiralled out of control in the 1980s and 1990s and he came close to death on several occasions, but was pulled back from the brink by his partner, Faye. Nevertheless, Sorry earned the disdain of its subject, Wright's many fans and other critics. Wright told Juke Magazine in 1983 "we had our lawyers working out the deal" because there was a venue interested in having them "but at the last minute they tried to change the venue and we just said 'forget it'. During their six-year run, they scored 15 top 40 hits in Australia The song charted in multiple countries: No. Stevie Wright went on to become a cast member of the original Australian stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar (1972–73) and then launched a successful but short-lived solo career with the hit single "Evie" and the album Hard Road in 1974, which reunited him with Vanda and Young, who produced the records and wrote many of the songs, including "Evie", an ambitious three-part suite split over two sides of a single. The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964.