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Re: Easybeats

Good to hesr from you, Stuart! Yeah, Volume 3 may be my favorite, although the Australian “Vigil” is great. They remove the “naff” tracks and add “Bring A Little Lovin’” which they gave to Los Bravos, I believe.
According the book Friday On My Mind by a fellow named Jeff Apter, George Young liked “Hit the Road, Jack” and wanted the Easybeats to show their versatility. I was surprised as well to read that, as I prefer it off the album as well. But the epics like “Hello, How Are You” were evidently the ones George Young felt were too “off-brand”, as we might put it these days.
George Young was suspicious of psychedelia, as he thought it wasn’t “rock’n’roll” enough according to that book, but a lot of bands just dipped their toes briefly in the lysergic pool.
I’m in agreement about the My Dear Watson stuff. I just listened to the second My Dear Watson single which is another Easybeats sounding affair. The third 45 is kinda country rock, and not Easybeats at all, but the first two are definitely for Easybeats fans, even the non-Vanda Young songs have the guitar and la-la-la’s…😂
The later Easybeats like Music Goes Round My Head and those Vanda-Young 45’s from the early seventies show some of their love of ska/Caribbean/blue beat stuff they heard in the clubs (again according to the Jeff Apter book), and there’s kind of a “good timey” feel to the Grapefruit dong “Sha-Sha” on that last single that bears that out. Not the best thing Vanda and Young ever did, but kind of fun.
The Easybeats are a fine topic and it’s great to hear everyone’s take. If Lou Reed liked them, that does show their global and stylistic reach. Not as hip as the Velvet Underground maybe, but they could write a catchy tune!
Great to hear from you all! 😀👍