First part of Easybeats tele-series draws 468,000, while Easyfever tour gets prepped for lift-off

In a night dominated by sports and news, the first part of The Easybeats’ ABC-TV series Friday On My Mind yesterday drew 468,000 overnight metro viewers.

It set the stage for next month’s star-studded Easyfever tribute tour.

Part One of Friday On My Mind began with ‘Land Of Make Believe’ in the background, as Australia’s ads in the UK and Europe promised would-be migrants a paradise where it never rained and the sun shone 24 hours of the day.

The five teenagers arrived with their families to constant rain, hostile Australian bruisers, dreary day jobs and life in a crappy migrant hostel. George Young’s mother found a snake in the house.

They hated Australia and some of their parents wanted to immediately return to their homelands.

Part One set the stage for why the five turned to music, rehearsing in the hostel’s communal wash-house to forget the bleakness of life outside.

Deftly written, I was impossible for the viewer not to champion them – from early false starts and self-doubt, to when they started to write their own songs and develop a sound that was neither American nor British.

As with all bands, The Easybeats just needed people, no matter how unlikely, who believed in them.

In their case, it was a real estate agent Mike Vaughn who became their manager and besuited polite record producer Ted Albert who convinced his old established publishing firm to take a chance on recording the new sound.

Then came the #1 hits and the screaming girls invading their homes and hiding in their cupboards.

In all this madness we saw the two younger boys, Malcolm and Angus, watching carefully and taking mental notes.

The first part finished as The Easybeats landed an overseas record deal and were set to try their luck internationally with a move to London.

But three of the five didn’t want to go citing family and girlfriend issues.

The fairy tale rise seemed about to end. But in all this madness, George Young was seen testing a new riff. It was the one that eventually became ‘Friday On My Mind’.

ABC-TV rescreened Blood+ Thunder: The Sounds of Alberts immediately after.

It was about the merger of the Albert and Young families, and how they would go on to sell millions of records.

The Youngs’ background gives them a steeliness which makes them determined to get somewhere as George rules the Easybeats and Malcolm does the same with AC/DC.

As the music world says goodbye to George (belatedly), and to Malcolm tomorrow in Sydney, both shows are an apt reminder of all the complexities that drove them to success.

The ratings success of Friday On My Mind also casts the spotlight on the Easyfever tour.

It sees Chris Cheney, Phil Jamieson, Kram, Tex Perkins and Tim Rogers pay homage to hits made famous by the Easybeats as well as by Stevie Wright.

Empire Touring has the tour landing at:

Thursday, December 14 –  Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul

Friday, December 15 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Saturday, December 16 – Eaton’s Hill Hotel, Brisbane

Tuesday, December 19 – The Forum, Melbourne