The Easybeats - "Friday On My Mind" (1966)

The Easybeats were a rock and roll band from Australia. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and split at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single "Friday on My Mind". The Easybeats manager was former Sydney real estate agent, Mike Vaughan.

The band's line-up exemplified the influence of post-war migration on Australian society. All five founding members were from families who had migrated to Australia from Europe: lead singer Stevie Wright and drummer Gordon Henry "Snowy" Fleet were from England; rhythm guitarist George Young was from Scotland; lead guitarist Harry Vanda and bassist Dick Diamonde were from the Netherlands

During 1965 and early 1966 they released a string of hit singles, all co-written by Young and Wright, including "For My Woman" (#5), "She's So Fine" (#1), "Wedding Ring" (#6), "Sad and Lonely and Blue", "Easy as Can Be", "Women (Make You Feel Alright)" (#1), "In My Book", "Come and See Her" (#1), "I'll Make You Happy" (#1), and "Sorry" (#4), and all produced by Ted Albert. In addition, the Wright-Young songwriting team wrote a number of hits for other artists, including "Step Back", which became a #1 hit for Johnny Young (no relation) in 1966.

In early 1966, while the group were still touring Australia, manager, Mike Vaughan, flew to New York to attempt to secure an American recording contract for the band. After initial lack of interest, on the last scheduled day of his visit Vaughan was able to convince United Artists Records to sign The Easybeats. Ten days of negotiations resulted in a groundbreaking five-year contract for overseas releases.

Just before relocating to London in late 1966, they recorded a farewell TV show, The Coca Cola Special, regarded as one of the prime artefacts of Sixties Australian pop TV. The show had a tragic postscript, however - after taping the special, guitarist Harry Vanda returned home in the early hours of 4 July 1966 to discover that his wife Pam had taken her own life with an overdose of sleeping tablets. Despite this, the group was obliged to honour their overseas commitments; the grief-stricken Vanda had to send his young son to be cared for by his parents in The Netherlands and the group left for the UK on 10 July 1966.

They briefly stopped over in Perth, Western Australia but a planned farewell performance on a temporary stage set up on the tarmac at Perth Airport had to be cancelled amid chaotic scenes, with 4000 fans breaking through barriers and storming the runway. A bomb threat then forced the group to evacuate the plane, and they had to be smuggled out the emergency exit into a catering van and driven to the end of the runway, where they hid for half an hour until they were able to rejoin the plane.


Friday on My MindAfter arriving in London the band recorded a number of songs with Ted Albert at EMI's Abbey Road Studios, but these were deemed unsuitable by UA and Albert was removed as producer. The band were then teamed with freelance producer Shel Talmy, who had achieved great success with his production for The Who and The Kinks.

One of the tracks they recorded with Talmy became their first big international hit, "Friday On My Mind". It made #1 in Australia, #6 in the UK, #16 in the US, and the Top 10 in Germany, Holland, France and Italy, eventually selling over one million copies worldwide, and being awarded a gold disc.. In 1973 David Bowie covered the song on his Pin Ups album, and in 1977 the punk band London introduced the song to a new generation on a four-track EP for MCA Records; the London version, produced by Simon Napier-Bell, was actually recorded in the same studio (IBC Studios in Portland Place) in which the Easybeats had cut the original.

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[joshwelljonesfirst]

The driver and horses must of got injured in this wild escapade. You can see the driver is thrown forward when the carriage hits the road pole.

Check out 2.12

[TheBacmaster]

@joshwelljonesfirst No doubt about it. The unedited version is available on You Tube "Aaron1912"

[its4it]

The Easybeats beat the pants off Rebecca Black!

[Chrissy063]

A Friday night in 1986. Festival Hall in Melbourne. 8pm. The Easybeats on the first night of their one city/one night tour. It was BRILLIANT!! First song was, of course, 'Friday On My Mind'. Not one person stayed in their seat. We all rushed the stage. I was in row 11 and got right to the front and Stevie kissed me!!! Life changing moment? No. Unforgettable moment? Hell Yeah!!!

[tunesbear]

Way ahead of their time!!!!!!

[joshwelljonesfirst]

@TheBacmaster Thank's Joe, That Incident' was massive!

[joshwelljonesfirst]

I loved the beats"

I have this traffic everyday all day in Melbourne haha.....

[satanblock]

oberaffengail

[metafis]

I dont know any Beatle song that sounds like this. Its more proto-punk sound .... a great song anyway!.

[telstar9]

@paintedship If your from Scotland you are British Steve wright is from England but hes British. I think the Dutch geezers just made the tea though.

[paintedship]

@telstar9 not exactly true- Stevie Wright and Snowy are British, George is from Scotland, Harry and Dick are Dutch.