The Easybeats

[MO]

Who remembers,Stevie Wright and the Easybeats am watching between here and tv..this is your life..and they've got Stevie and quite honestly I don't know if its a combination of booze and drugs or life catching him up,but he looks like he is on his way out.

Compare him to Ozzy Osbourne and Ozzy is way on top.

[Sourbastard]

Dude, your not having flashbacks are you? The wars over man! The wars over! Didi Mao! Didi Mao!

[MO]

Originally Posted by sourbastard

Dude, your not having flashbacks are you? The wars over man! The wars over! Didi Mao! Didi Mao!

Damn acid..it just does'nt stop...hahahaha

[bindi]

Some of those Easybeats songs are just so damn catchy!

My parents came to Oz in 1965 on the ten pound note scheme with three young kids (I was born here later on). They stayed at the Villawood Hostel in NSW and Dad told me of the time the Easybeats put on a free performance there (apparently one or more? of them stayed at the hostel at some time? at least that was the rumour being circulated at the time).

He said they were brilliant :

[Quasi]

Originally Posted by bindi

Some of those Easybeats songs are just so damn catchy!

My parents came to Oz in 1965 on the ten pound note scheme with three young kids (I was born here later on). They stayed at the Villawood Hostel in NSW and Dad told me of the time the Easybeats put on a free performance there (apparently one or more? of them stayed at the hostel at some time? at least that was the rumour being circulated at the time).

He said they were brilliant :

Harry Vanda was born to Dutch immigrant parents, and George young of Scottish, so it is quite possible they were there in the same way your family was(though not at the time the band played there of course).

[MO]

Originally Posted by Quasi

Harry Vanda was born to Dutch immigrant parents, and George young of Scottish, so it is quite possible they were there in the same way your family was(though not at the time the band played there of course).

Yes they were..hence the concerts,they'd been there done that and wanted to show the current intake you can make it if you try.

By the way Quasi do you play any Crow or Pavlovs Dog or any of the lesser known groups who had some damn fine music on your station?

[MO]

Originally Posted by bindi

Some of those Easybeats songs are just so damn catchy!

My parents came to Oz in 1965 on the ten pound note scheme with three young kids (I was born here later on). They stayed at the Villawood Hostel in NSW and Dad told me of the time the Easybeats put on a free performance there (apparently one or more? of them stayed at the hostel at some time? at least that was the rumour being circulated at the time).

He said they were brilliant :

The old ten pound scheme,finally after 2 times on the merry go round,I married a ten pound pom...just wish I'd met her sooner..but things happen when there meant to happen.
Sorry about off topic..but its my thread anyway.

c'mon who else remembers when music was real.?

[sfr rob]

Originally Posted by John McMaster

Who remembers,Stevie Wright and the Easybeats am watching between here and tv..this is your life..and they've got Stevie and quite honestly I don't know if its a combination of booze and drugs or life catching him up,but he looks like he is on his way out.

Compare him to Ozzy Osbourne and Ozzy is way on top.

GREAT SONGWRITER.
but yeah the drink and white stuff has really screwed that man up. sort of sad to watch, but yeah he made some good music!

[BJ]

Originally Posted by sfr rob

GREAT SONGWRITER.
but yeah the drink and white stuff has really screwed that man up. sort of sad to watch, but yeah he made some good music!

Stevie wright a great songwriter what a load of bull s!ht. He never wrote a song in his life. Vander and Young wrote all of his songs. From the Easy beats to his solo stuff. I know i was around at the time

[GRNKPR]

Originally Posted by CH7472

Stevie wright a great sonwriter what a load of bull s!ht. He never wrote a song in his life. Vander and Young wrote all of his songs. From the Easy beats to his solo stuff. I know i was around at the time

at the time or era was that the early 40s or 50s thats how old stevie looks and if so youve aged well johnno

[BJ]

No it was the late 60 early 70s young fella.

[Casper]

And here I was thinking this thread was about kitted up rice lancers and hi-n-drys! :

[BJ]

Originally Posted by Casper

And here I was thinking this thread was about kitted up rice lancers and hi-n-drys! :

You carnt help your self can.

[Hank the Deuce]

I missed "This is your life", but I'm a fan of the Easy's... while Harry Vanda and George Young (Angus & Malcolm's big bruvva) were the creative hub of the band... and then of Alberts studios... Stevie did have a hand in some of their stuff, and also a couple of others... he wrote "Step Back" for Johnny Young apparently.

Still, he fronted the Easy's... a stack of great songs there... "Sorry", "Good Times", "St Louis", "Friday on my Mind" (of course), and then "Evie" as a solo performer... by the time I was a teenager, he was the guy they interviewed on "Beatbox" whenever they talked about drugs or addiction... he was generally quite frank about things too IIRC.

He didn't look like a picture of health during the "Long Way to the Top" tour a couple of years back either.

[RegSpec]

A stint in Chelmsford getting deep sleep and electric shock "therapy" sure didnt help him. Poor bugger :(

[Quasi]

He's an icon of the Aussie music industry, with hits like Black eyed bruiser and Evie, along with his Easybeats stuff. Some years ago he released a couple of albums ('Striking It Rich' and 'Hard Road') which contained remakes of some of the Easybeats tracks, and they are great (play some on the station).

His discography can be found here:

http://hem.passagen.se/honga/databas...ghtstevie.html

[Hank the Deuce]

John, I can't say I remember when music was real, since I was born at the end of 1971, but I've been making up for it since... while I love much of the stuff from the early sixties, I always thought that the equipment let them down a bit... imagine what the Beatles would've been like with Billy Thorpe's Sunbury amp rack?

[MO]

Originally Posted by Hank the Deuce

John, I can't say I remember when music was real, since I was born at the end of 1971, but I've been making up for it since... while I love much of the stuff from the early sixties, I always thought that the equipment let them down a bit... imagine what the Beatles would've been like with Billy Thorpe's Sunbury amp rack?

Yep don't disagree but would it have been the same sound,for instance the Doors recorded most of their early stuff in a hotel room using a reel to reel tape recorder.

In retrospect Thorpe's voice was'nt that good so having a huge amp rack(for the day)drowned out a lot of his sour notes.

[Hank the Deuce]

I first saw Thropie live during the "Lock up your Mothers" Aztecs reunion tour... me and a couple of mates basically stood right over his monitors the whole night.... MAN! Loved every second of it...

They were more of a loud covers band, whereas the Easys were the real deal...Vanda and Yound's influence on Australian music is kinds hard to overestimate IMHO... still, I loved Michael Chugg's story about how the Aztecs killed all the tropical fish at the Bondi Lifesaver...

And your point re the equiipment used, the Doors etc... these days there are there are a lot of people use a lot of high tech gear to get the sort of lo-fi sound those guys worked with...

[BJ]

Originally Posted by Hank the Deuce

I first saw Thropie live during the "Lock up your Mothers" Aztecs reunion tour... me and a couple of mates basically stood right over his monitors the whole night.... MAN! Loved every second of it...

They were more of a loud covers band, whereas the Easys were the real deal...Vanda and Yound's influence on Australian music is kinds hard to overestimate IMHO... still, I loved Michael Chugg's story about how the Aztecs killed all the tropical fish at the Bondi Lifesaver...

And your point re the equiipment used, the Doors etc... these days there are there are a lot of people use a lot of high tech gear to get the sort of lo-fi sound those guys worked with...

How can you say Thorpie and the Aztecs was no more than a cover band.I watch these guys play at Sunbury and the Warrandyte Festivel and all of there stuff was there own. They were the first to have multipl hits in ther won country as well as over seas and the didi it off there own bat with no help from any record compny like these weak as p!ss bands today. Yeah i read Thorpies books as well, now there is an Aussie legened and he is still going strong. I do agree that in there time the Easy beats were hard to beat, and when you look at the people who where all so on the imagration trail you also have Jimmy Barnes, Bon scott, Angus Young, John Paul-Young the list goes on and on. But getting back to Thorpie I still go and see he play nealy every week some were and for my money it is he who should be held in high esteem over many others in the rock industry. As for Little Stevie well if it handnt be for the Easy Beats i think you would not of even heared of him and dont foget Thorpie was perfoming at the adge of 13 in Queensland just sa htey were getting started.

[Hank the Deuce]

Originally Posted by CH7472

How can you say Thorpie and the Aztecs was no more than a cover band.I watch these guys play at Sunbury and the Warrandyte Festivel and all of there stuff was there own. They were the first to have multipl hits in ther won country as well as over seas and the didi it off there own bat with no help from any record compny like these weak as p!ss bands today. Yeah i read Thorpies books as well, now there is an Aussie legened and he is still going strong. I do agree that in there time the Easy beats were hard to beat, and when you look at the people who where all so on the imagration trail you also have Jimmy Barnes, Bon scott, Angus Young, John Paul-Young the list goes on and on. But getting back to Thorpie I still go and see he play nealy every week some were and for my money it is he who should be held in high esteem over many others in the rock industry. As for Little Stevie well if it handnt be for the Easy Beats i think you would not of even heared of him and dont foget Thorpie was perfoming at the adge of 13 in Queensland just sa htey were getting started.

I've enjoyed seeing Thorpie on every occasion I've gone along (and there have been as many as I could manage, and not often enough at that), and yes you're right, he's an unquestioned legend. Most of what he has accomplished has come through strength and force of character and self-belief. The guy's got a great rock voice, and his performance philosophy is a good one. The guys who have gone through his bands over the years are all class, and it's the Sunbury Aztecs who stand out for mine: Warren Morgan, Gil Matthews & Paul Wheeler, but, the others? Lobby Lloyd, Johnny Dick (who was booked to drum for a corporate gig I played once, but pulled out... I was a bit crestfallen, as it would've been great to play with a guy who'd been there, done that) were all solid and talented performers....

but I'll stand by my "covers" statement, although my Thorpe experience is probably much less extensive than yours. While he's had hits with his own stuff (including the Zoo stuff... their eponymous album is one of my faves), the crowds are always singing out for Be-Bop-A-Lula, CC Rider, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, World Turning (which I especially love), Poison Ivy... and there's no shame in that either: interpretive artists like Joe er and Bryan Ferry are no less brilliant for not having written many of their best numbers, and I'll continue to pay whatever it costs to see Billy Thrope whenever I can.

While it's probably equally valid to suggest that Stevie Wright was in the right place at the right time (and it was Villawood - fancy that!), he deserved his place at the front of the Easy's stage. In the sense that it was probably a fairly easy gig (do what Harry and George tell you to do, and watch the hits roll in) he was probably less instrumental in their success than Billy Thorpe was in his, but the runs wnet on the board, and that's how it goes in the books... best of both worlds? Get Thorpie to belt out Evie Part 1.

And anyway, I like covers bands! :sm_headba

[FordFan86]

Great music, nothing like that coming out now days.

[Captain Stubing]

It seems to be forgotten... these blokes had talent! I saw a band in the early nineties, in Rockhampton, the main player was apparently the lead guitarist in the Aztecs. Fantastic music!! These blokes knew how to play rock and blues.

I could keep going on, but, I'll stop there!

[BJ]

I like people who can agree to diagree. I am like you and take from each group what i can. I have been lucky in my life to have seen all of these people in the prime live on stage and would not change a thing..

[Hank the Deuce]

Originally Posted by CH7472

I like people who can agree to diagree. I am like you and take from each group what i can. I have been lucky in my life to have seen all of these people in the prime live on stage and would not change a thing..

Right on! My wife and I have all sorts of rows over our (vastly different) musical tastes. Music (like most divisive topics you could name I guess, if you want to take a big-picture view of things), divides people beacuse they all look for, and take from it, different things.

I've been fortunate to see any number of people whom I consider to be great musical acts... and my perception of them was undoubtedly centred on what I like... at various stages in the last 18-odd years, I've seen both big Oz and international acts past and present, quite often at close range (Waves nightclub, you were a great band room!), and there are local covers bands whom I consider to be top ten in my personal list of incredible gigs (Bourbon Street, come on down!). For my last word on the Billy/Stevie thing, I reckon they were both incredibly significant for Australian music in varying ways.