The Easybeats

The Easybeats were a rock and roll band in the 1960s from Australia. They formed in Sydney in 1965. The band is a classic example of the influence of postwar migration on Australian society -- all five members were from families who had recently migrated from Europe. Lead singer Stevie Wright was from London, rhythm guitarist George Young was from Glasgow, lead guitarist Harry Vanda and bassist Dick Diamonde were from The Netherlands, and drummer Gordon "Snowy" Fleet was from Liverpool, England.

By the end of 1965 they were the most popular rock band in Australia, and in 1956-66 they scored a string a classic hit singles, all co-written by Young and Wright, including 'Women', 'Wedding Ring', 'In My Book', 'I'll Make You Happy', 'Come And See Her' and 'Sorry', and all produced by Ted Albert, whose family owned leading Australian music publishing firm J. Albert & Sons. Their concerts and public appearances were regularly punctuated by fan hysteria of a similar scale and intensity to that which accompanied The Beatles.

After relocating to London in late 1966 they had one big international success, Friday On My Mind in 1966, written Harry Vanda and George Young (who developed into a prolific writing team) and produced by Shel Talmy and toured Europe (with The Rolling Stones) and the United States.

Two of their songs, Bring a Little Lovin and Come In, You'll Get Pneumonia, were recorded by Los Bravos and Paul Revere and the Raiders, respectively. Good Times and Falling Off The Edge Of The World were minor hits in the United States. However their career stalled in the late Sixties due to poor management and lack of record company support and an album intended as the follow-up the success of 'Friday', produced by Glyn Johns, was never released. (A cover version of Good Times by INXS and Jimmy Barnes became a hit in the US after being featured on the soundtrack of the film The Lost Boys in 1987.)

After disbanding in late 1969, Vanda and Young remained in the UK for three years, working to pay off debts incurred during the Easybeats years. They returned to Australia in 1973 and reunited with Ted Albert and became the house producers for his new Albert Productions record label, writing for and/or producing many chart-topping acts including Stevie Wright, Rose Tattoo (band), Cheetah (band), William Shakespeare (musician) and The Angels (band). 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 cover version hit when recorded by Bay City Rollers, and produced the first seven albums for AC/DC, which featured George's younger brothers Angus Young and Malcolm Young.

Vanda and Young also recorded several Australian hit singles under the pseudonym Flash and the Pan, including Hey St. Peter and 'Down Among The Dead Men'. Flash and the Pan had a European hit single with the dance track Waiting For A Train in 1981. Singer-model-actress Grace Jones also recorded a successful cover version of their song 'Walking In The Rain'.