Hard Road | ||||
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Released | April 5, 1974 | |||
Recorded | 1973 | |||
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Stevie Wright chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hard Road | ||||
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Hard Road is the debut solo album from Australian singer Stevie Wright. The album's first single "Evie (Part 1)" was hugely successful and the title track was later covered on Rod Stewart's 1974 album Smiler . The album itself reach #2 on the Australian albums charts in 1974 was the 16th highest selling album in Australia that year. The compact disc is currently out-of-print and has become quite rare. A digital edition was available on iTunes as of June,2014.
In 1973,Harry Vanda and George Young returned to Australia after a period working in London paying off debts incurred while working as the Easybeats. They renewed their partnership with Albert Productions and as in-house producers began assembling a roster of artists for the label,among them their former Easybeats bandmate Stevie Wright. [1] [2] [3]
Work soon commenced on an album with Wright,with Vanda and Young assembling a backing group that included themselves,pianist Warren Morgan of The Aztecs,and Malcolm Young,George's younger brother and the rhythm guitarist for AC/DC,on guitar. [4] Wright wrote six songs for the album,while Vanda and Young wrote the remainder,including the title track and the three part "Evie".
There are four different album covers for the album:The original Australian release,the Polydor release,the Atco release and the Australian compact disc reissue cover (which also serves as the artwork for the digital edition).
Hard Road was scheduled to be re-released worldwide on high-quality,180 g vinyl for maximum dynamic and authenticity,April 19,2014 through Albert Productions (Alberts). Renowned mastering expert Don Bartley converted the original analogue tapes to new vinyl masters,on vintage and retooled analogue gear.
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] | 2 |
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] | 16 |
The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit,with the 1966 single "Friday on My Mind",as well as one of the few in Australia to foreground their original material.
Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg,better known as his stage name Harry Vanda,is a Dutch Australian musician,songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easybeats who with fellow member George Young formed the 1970s and 1980s songwriting and record production duo Vanda &Young.
George Redburn Young was an Australian musician,songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands the Easybeats and Flash and the Pan,and was one-half of the songwriting and production duo Vanda &Young with his long-time musical collaborator Harry Vanda.
Stephen Carlton Wright was an Australian singer,songwriter,and musician. Called Australia's first international pop star,he is best known for being the lead singer of the Easybeats,who are widely regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s.
Flash and the Pan were an Australian new wave musical group formed in 1976 by Harry Vanda and George Young,both former members of the Easybeats,who formed a production and songwriting team known as Vanda &Young. The group's first chart success was their 1976 debut single,"Hey,St. Peter",which reached number five in the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The next single,"Down Among the Dead Men",peaked at number four in Australia in 1978. For international release,it was re-titled "And the Band Played On".
"Shake Your Foundations" is a song and single by Australian hard rock band AC/DC,written by Angus and Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson.
"Evie" is a rock song performed by Australian singer and former frontman of the Easybeats,Stevie Wright. It was written by Harry Vanda and George Young and released as a single in 1974. It has been suggested that it is the first 11-minute song to chart at #1 anywhere in the world.
Prodigal Son is the eighth studio album released by The Saints. It was released in 1988.
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It's 2 Easy is the second studio album by Australian rock band the Easybeats. Released on 24 March 1966,the album featured four hit singles;"Wedding Ring","Sad and Lonely and Blue","Women " and "Come And See Her".
Volume 3 is a studio album by the Australian rock band The Easybeats,released on 3 November 1966. It was the third and final album from the group recorded in Australia before relocating to England.
The Best of The Easybeats + Pretty Girl is the first compilation album by The Easybeats featuring a selection of songs recorded by the group between 1965 and 1966. The album was originally released in Australia and New Zealand under the Parlophone label under the then current licensing arrangement by the band's production company Albert Productions.
Friends is the sixth and final studio album by Australian rock band the Easybeats. It was released in early 1970 as part of the group's new recording contract with Polydor Records. It would be the only album Polydor released of the band as they broke up before its release.
Absolute Anthology 1965 to 1969 is a compilation album by Australian rock band The Easybeats,released on November 17,1980. The album was compiled by Australian rock journalist Glenn A. Baker. It features singles,EP,album tracks,unreleased studio &demo recordings and other rarities spanning the group's recording career. It reached #37 on the Australian albums charts. This album was re-released in 1986 on compact disc.
Vanda &Young were an Australian songwriting and producing duo composed of Harry Vanda and George Young. They performed as members of 1960s Australian rock group the Easybeats where Vanda was their lead guitarist and backing singer and Young was their rhythm guitarist and backing singer. Vanda &Young co-wrote most of the Easybeats' later hits including their international hit "Friday on My Mind" and they were the record producers for the group from 1967. Young was the older brother of Malcolm and Angus Young of the hard rock band AC/DC and also the record producer behind several of the band's biggest albums.
"Who'll Be the One" is a song written by Harry Vanda and George Young. It was originally recorded by the Australian rock group the Easybeats in 1967. The song was a follow-up to their successful single "Friday On My Mind". The single was a flop in the U.K.,but it reached #12 on the Go-Set charts in Australia
"The Music Goes 'Round My Head" is a 1967 song and single by Australian rock group The Easybeats,which was written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda.
Black Eyed Bruiser is the second studio album from Australian singer Stevie Wright. The album was not as commercially successful as its predecessor Hard Road and would be the Wright's final album released with production team Vanda and Young and record label Albert Productions.
"St. Louis" is a song by Australian rock group the Easybeats,which was released in June 1969. It was co-written by its members Harry Vanda and George Young and recorded as their first single after signing to Polydor Records.
"Come and See Her" is a song written by Stevie Wright and George Young. It was released as the sixth single for their Australian rock group the Easybeats in April 1966,which reached No. 3 on the Australian charts. It was the group's debut single in the United Kingdom,issued on the United Artists Records in July.