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Home , Billy Thorpe, Get that Jive, Harry Vanda, Johnny Young, John Paul Young

MUSIC WEEK, JULY 22, 1978

C O D r n mn n

DRAGON AC/DC Dragon arrived in Ausiralia from AC/DC STARTED out on New Adjourning to 's Albert New Zealand in May 1975 full of Years Eve 1973 in a little club Studios, accompanied by Harry ambition and expectation. For the called Chequers Sydney. After Vanda and George Young AC/DC first year they did little but starve; several line-up changes they built put together the fourth — until ARC producer Peter up a strong following on the rough the third UK release through Dawkins caught their act in a tiny pub circuit. Let There Be Sydney wine bar. On that night he After louring steadily Rock. was accompanied by the visiting for two years and earning a double March/April '77 AC/pC President of CBS International platinum award for "TNT" returned to England for a second Dick Asher. AC/DC left for the UK 15 months lour, followed by a second tour of After signing with CBS, Dragon ago — virtually an unknown Europe, this time with Black released one flop single and then quantity, but it wasn't long before Sabbath in May. The first tour of hit home strongly with the follow the group had won over the the United States co-incided with English rock 'n' roll constituency the release of their second US up This Time, a national charter. with its high-powered stage act. album Let There Be Rock. To co- A debut album (though there had During a highly successful incide with the album's release in been two in N.Z.) was issued in residency at 's Marquee Europe AC/DC embarked on its February 1977 along with a third Club, AC/DC broke their own first-ever head-lining assault single Get That Jive, and even attendance record several times. throughout Europe and their third bigger national hit. Dales all over Europe followed major tour of the UK in In July 1977, over 1,000 with equally ecstatic reaction. September/October. After only delegates attended the CBS After an extremely eventful two weeks of release in (he UK, Let Records convention in London. European tour with Ritchie There Be Rock jumped to No. 42 Just one hour after Blackmore's Rainbow, AC/DC in the Music Week album chart product presentation, Dragon was (Nov 5). AC/DC is currently on its secured for the world by Portrait returned home In late 1976 for a Records, and Sunshine album triumphant Australian tour. second US lour. (relit led DRAGON) was released in America in February, 1978.

Australian talent invad by GLENN BAKER dozen noble nosedivers — like The and, later, Marty Kristin and Peter BACK IN the mid-Sixties the Twilights, The Groove, Normie Doyle to the New Scekes, among mere mention of an Australian Rowe, , The La De many others. recording or artist in an overseas Das, Procession, Master's Another lemmings rush publication would result in huge Apprentices, . occurred around 1971-72 when the banner headlines across our Axiom, Lloyd's World and aroma of Woodstock-type success newspaper pages, proclaiming a Mississippi. wafted into local nostrils. This "brcakthru" on the world scene. If we had looked carefully lime the target was primarily Our top talents were firmly enough we might have realised that America but the result was no convinced of their undiscovered those few who cracked it "over different — Daddy Cool, The world class, and each coming year there" were offering something Flying Circus, Fanny Adams, was to be the "one"; the year that different. Rolf carried wobble Kahvas Jute, & the the eyes of Europe and America boards. Frank Ificid introduced a Aztecs . . . They all plummeted would be turned toward them. Strine strain to ballads, The after an initial promising burst. Unfortunately the inherent Seekers popularised barbershop Two young stars, who left inferiority complex of most harmony when the world thought largely unnoticed, did eventually Australians toward their own it had died and our blessed succeed in doing what the culture was enough to negate gave the UK a classic aggressive groups had been unable positive effects of this sincere lesson in screamingly intense to. First Rick Springfield found his ambition. working class rock & roll (Friday way into the US Top 5 and the When found success On My Mind). There were some cover of 16 Magazine with Speak in England during the mid-Sixties, other individuals who managed to to the Sky and a little later sweet they waved a green flag for other infiltrate the beat curtain erected Olivia Newton-John began to shift aspiring stars. But in the stampede just off Dover — John Farrer vast numbers of country-style to mother England that followed, made his way into Marvin Welch & all over America. there was a sad imbalance in the Farrer, Phil Jones Led Then in 1974 a powerful shot in hits and flops. Quintessancc, Trevor Lucas to (he arm came with the freak US For every Seekers, Frank I field, Fotheringay, Terry Britten to Cliff Top 5 hit of Sister Janet Mead's Helen Rcddy, Rolf Harris, Richard's side, Mick Rogers & The Lord's Prayer on A&M — the Easybeats, , Tin Tin and Craig Collinge to Manfred Mann, very first American Gold Single Joan Sutherland, there were a Leith Corbet! to The Pink Fairies for an Australian record.

BORN IN , in 1953, John migrated to Australia in 1956 with his family. While playing in an amateur band he was heard by Simon Napier Bell who was looking for a singer to record the single Pasadena. -V He thought John was a natural, so he did the recording and the result was a national No. 8 hit. John was spoiled by the director of who asked If* him to join the cast. So, for two years, John played the role of Annas. In April '75 John became known by his full name, John Paul Young and released Yesterday's Hero, a hit in both Australia and the U.S., where it reached Top 40 on the major trade charts. Over the next two years John was responsible for another five local lop- five singles. The first foreign market to break for John on a targe scale was South Africa where he has had four consecutive number one hits. An early 1978 tour there resulted in Bea lie manic type street riots. Euro/English penetration began with the recent Standing in the Rain, which hit Top five in , Holland and a string of other countries, and has been cemented with Love is in the A ir, a Top 3 dazzler in the UK and most of Europe. Both were written and produced by the legendary Vanda & Young. THE SEEKERS: brought afresh sound to the world Now, the U.S. assault which should have commenced in 1975 with pop market and established it so well that others I HE EASYBEATS, Australia's favourite cock Yesterday's Hero, is about to he launched with the North American issue ha ve been copying il e ver sin ce. group and world ambassadors during the Sixties. If of Love is in the Air. Next to Little River Band. John is Australia's the group were and George Young (see hottest music export. story, right), now responsible for over 1,000 records many of which have been world hits. PAGE 24