The Easybeats — “Peculiar Hole in the Sky”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 21, 2024

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,310) The Easybeats — “Peculiar Hole in the Sky”

Here is the UK/Dutch immigrants to Australia Easybeats’ (see #201) “psych masterpiece” (DK, http://www.milesago.com/RecommenEasysAnthology.htm), recorded in ‘67 as a demo for their friends the Valentines (yes, featuring a pre-AC/DC Bon Scott), released as an A-side by the Valentines in ‘68 (sung by Bon, “fabulous”, “one of the great Australian singles of the late 1960s” (Alec Palao, liner notes to the CD comp Peculiar Hole in the Sky: Pop-Psych from Down Under)) and finally as an Easybeat A-side in ‘69 (but against the band’s will). Phew!

The definitive MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975 tells us that:

In September [1969] the [Easybeats] made a short European tour and then reluctantly accepted the offer of a five-week Australian tour. Unfortunately, it was a considerable come-down from the heady days of their ’67 tour; the group were worn out, disillusioned, and at odds with their management – they saw the tour as a last-ditch attempt to bail the group out of its mounting pool of debts. Again they were victims of bad timing, having reverted to ‘no frills’ hard rock, while most of Australia was preoccupied with the burgeoning progressive rock and soul scenes. The situation was further complicated by Parlophone’s unwelcome release of “Peculiar Hole In The Sky” as a single, presumably to cash in on the tour. Although a fine piece of work in its own right, it was released against the band’s wishes, since it had been made purely as a demo for The Valentines. It flopped, which was no surprise for a slice of pure psychedelia which was by then about 2 years old.

http://www.milesago.com/artists/easybeats.htm

The song reached #53 in Australia (Kent Music Report).

As to the Easybeats, Bruce Eder writes:

The Easybeats . . . met in Sydney . . . [but] lead singer Stevie Wright originally came from England . . . and bassist Dick Diamonde hailed from the Netherlands, as did guitarist Harry Vanda, while the others, guitarists George Young and drummer Gordon “Snowy” Fleet, were recent arrivals from Scotland and England . . . . [They were] a piece of authentic Brit-beat right in the heart of Sydney. . . . After honing their sound and building a name locally . . . in late 1964, the group was signed to [Ted] Albert Productions who, in turn, licensed their releases to Australian EMI’s Parlophone label. . . . Working from originals primarily written by Stevie Wright, by himself or in collaboration with George Young, the group’s early records . . . were highly derivative of the Liverpool sound . . . . [but] they were highly animated in the studio and on stage, they looked cool and rebellious, and they sang and played superbly. . . . [T]heir debut single [was] issued in March of 1965 . . . . “She’s So Fine,” their second . . . two months later, shot to number one in Australia and was one of the great records of its era . . . . Their debut album Easy, issued the following September . . . . [Their] attack on their instruments . . . coupled with Wright’s searing, powerful lead vocals, made them one of the best British rock & roll acts of the period and Easy one of the best of all British Invasion albums . . . . In Australia, they were the reigning kings of rock & roll . . . assembling a string of eight Top Ten chart hits in a year and a half . . . . Their second album, It’s 2 Easy, was a match for their first . . . whose only fault . . . was that it seemed a year out-of-date in style when it was released in 1966. . . . [They] could do no wrong by keeping their sound the same . . . . [but] George Young . . . had ideas for more complex and daring music. By mid-1966, the Wright/ Young songwriting team had become history, but in its place Vanda and Young began writing songs together. . . . In the fall of 1966, the Easybeats were ready to make the jump that no Australian rock & roll act had yet done successfully, and headed for England. In November of 1966 . . . the group scored its first U.K. hit with “Friday on My Mind[“, which] embodied all of the fierce kinetic energy of their Australian hits but . . . at a new level of sophistication . . . . It rose to the Top Ten . . . across Europe and much of the rest of the world, and reached the Top 20 in the United States . . . . The group spent seven months in England, writing new, more ambitious songs[, ] performing before new audiences, most notably in Germany . . . . [and] mov[ing] their base of operations to London . . . . Some of the songs were superb, but the[ir] . . . charmed existence . . . seemed to desert them in 1967-1968 — their single “Heaven and Hell” was banned from the radio in England for one suggestive line, and a six-month lag for a follow-up cost them momentum . . . . [But] the songs . . . were as good as anything being written in rock at the time. . . . By mid-1969, the band had receded to a mere shadow of itself, and their music had regressed to a form of good-time singalong music . . . . The band decided to call it quits following a return to Australia for one final tour . . . .

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-easybeats-mn0000145086#biography

As to the Valentines, MILESAGO tells us:

Perth pop group The Valentines was, for a brief period, one of the most popular bands in the country. Although they started out a energetic soul/R&B band, their best known image was associated with the so-called “bubblegum pop” phenomenon of 1968-70. But there was a wild side to the band which was evident in their live performances (and their off-stage carousing). . . . The Valentines formed in Perth in mid-1966, bringing together members of three leading local beat groups . . . . Playing a mixture of soul, R&B and mod covers, by the start of 1967 they were already Perth’s top group. A major drawcard was the double-vocal attack of dynamic frontmen Bon Scott and Vince Lovegrove, and within a few weeks of their live debut they were packing in crowds at their shows . . . . [T]heir local popularity came to the attention of Martin Clarke, who operated Perth’s only record label in the 1960’s, Clarion. The Valentines signed to Clarion in March 1967 and released their first single in May. . . . peaking at #5 on the Perth charts. The second single was a Beatlesque Vanda & Young composition, “She Said”, released in August ’67. . . . [and] ma[king] the lower reaches of the Perth Top 40. . . . The Valentines had become friends with The Easybeats, whom they supported when they toured Western Australia. Vanda and Young went on to write two more Singles specially for them. In early 1967 they won the Perth heats of the Hoadleys Battle of the Sounds and in July they flew to Melbourne to compete in the national finals, where they came in runners-up . . . . [T]hey moved to Australia’s pop Mecca [Melbourne] and they soon became a popular attraction on the booming local disco circuit. The third Clarion single, released in February 1968, was also their first original effort. . . . [L]oyal Perth fans boosted the record to number 30 on the local charts, but again it failed to chart in other cities. . . . In July they released their fourth and last single for Clarion . . . a faithful cover of The Easybeats’ . . . “Peculiar Hole In The Sky”. . . . never ma[king] it into the charts. . . . Their breakthrough finally came in 1969. . . . The “bubblegum” craze was by then in full swing . . . . The Valentines completely overhauled their stage act to include matching scarlet outfits, co-ordinated stage moves, exploding coloured smoke bombs and sparklers. On Valentines Day . . . they released their next single through Philips . . . and it went on to become their first Australia-wide Top 40 . . . . In July ’69 The Valentines had their second stab at the Hoadleys, but again they were runners-up . . . . In September they released their next single . . . and then took part in the historic Operation Starlift tour, which featured most of the leading acts of the day . . . . Needless to say The Valentines led the way in after-hours hijinks, with points being awarded for the most despicable acts. . . . As the bubblegum fad faded out, The Valentines . . . jettisoned the matching outfits and dinky tunes, and went for a more streetwise image, and a heavier sound . . . . The Valentines released their last single in March ’70 . . . . four months later . . . . the band split up. . . . Bon Scott went to Sydney where he joined Fraternity (1970-73) who enjoyed moderate success. After recuperating from a near-fatal motorbike accident in Adelaide he was invited to replace original AC/DC lead singer Dave Evans in late 1974.

http://www.milesago.com/artists/valentines.htm

Here are the Valentines:

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