Day4Covers #27 : Second Hand Songs by The Easybeats

 

The Easybeats became one of the first rock bands to release an album with original songs penned by an Australian ensemble after the release of Easy (1965). Even though vocalist Stevie Wright and guitarist George Young penned the lyrics to all the songs in the band’s debut album and the majority of the next albums, The Easybeats covered some songs, originally released by other artists first.

 

In today’s compilation you’ll find eight cover songs, plus one written by  Williams & McPherson and as a bonus track a version of their song “St. Louis” covered by Warhouse.

Enjoy if you like.

 

 

Monday's Song : The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind (1966)

 

Monday evening, but still Monday and as today's song says, I have Friday on my mind. This song was co-written by Easybeats guitarists George Young and Harry Vanda, who were the primary songwriters in the group (Young is the older brother of Malcolm and Angus Young from AC/DC). 

This song has quite a buildup. After the opening cymbal crash, it’s just a staccato guitar for the next 20 seconds underscoring Stevie Wright's vocal where he runs through the days of the week, explaining why Monday-Thursday don't excite him. The bass finally comes in as he gets closer to the weekend. Finally, 30 seconds into the song, we hit Friday and the drums come in to play. This energy carries into the chorus, where we hear about the plans for the weekend. But then it's back to Monday, and we do the "five-day drag once more." This time, however, the tempo is faster and he's even more optimistic, knowing that his time will come. The second chorus is even more energetic and repeats to close out the song. All of this is packed into 2:47, making it one of the more distinctive and energetic hits of the era.

Friday Rocks with AC/DC

 

This Friday we plug in the amplifiers, because I think that we all need a little noise sometimes and as AC/DC say: “Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution”

So many songs and so much energy cannot be limited to one compilation, but I chose songs, spelling "Friday Rocks" with their initial letters and added some more, with the word “rock” in the title.

With the eternal "schoolboy" Angus Young at the forefront and the voices of the late Bon Scott or Brian Johnson, AC/DC has been pursuing a music career that does not seem to stop and they supply the rock fans with a necessary source of power and energy, for almost five decades now.