Vanda & Young


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. The "Guitar George" and "Harry" who are mentioned in the Dire Straits hit song "Sultans of Swing" are George Young and Harry Vanda.
After the Easybeats disbanded in 1969, Vanda & Young were songwriters and producers for their own projects such as the Marcus Hook Roll Band, Paintbox and Haffey's Whiskey Sour, Flash and the Pan, and for other acts including producing early albums for AC/DC; they were staff producers for Albert Productions from 1973. In 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association acknowledged the iconic status of Vanda & Young when they were inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame; in 2005 the Easybeats were also inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association surveyed 100 music industry personalities for the APRA Top Ten Best Australian Songs of All Time where "Friday on My Mind" was declared No. 1. Their song for John Paul Young, "Love Is in the Air", was declared the 'Most played Australian song overseas' by APRA following its use on the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom.

1964–1969: The Easybeats

The Vandenbergs and Youngs migrated to Australia in 1963; both families were initially housed at the Villawood Migrant Hostel in Sydney. At the hostel five migrants formed the Easybeats: Stevie Wright, Dick Diamonde, Gordon Fleet, Vanda and Young. Wright was their initial lyricist with Young composing the music as Vanda's grasp of English was insufficient. They were signed by EMI/Parlophone Records with Ted Albert producing their early recordings. By 1966 Vanda & Young had begun their writing partnership; together they penned the Easybeats' late 1960s recordings including "Friday on My Mind" which reached No. 1 on the Australian singles charts in 1966 and "Good Times". The Easybeats became Australia's most popular and successful 1960s group. They travelled to the UK on 10 July 1966 where "Friday on My Mind" was produced by Shel Talmy in November. They toured Australia in May 1967 and the USA in August to promote their later singles and albums. At this time Vanda & Young were producing their recordings; by late 1969 the group returned to Australia and disbanded.

1970–1973: Based in UK

Vanda & Young returned to the UK and continued their writing and performing partnership. They recorded tracks under various names: Paintbox "Get Ready For Love", Tramp "Vietnam Rose" and Eddie Avana "Children" all on Youngblood Records; Moondance "Lazy River", Grapefruit "Sha-Sha", Haffy's Whiskey Sour "Shot in the Head" and Band of Hope "Working Class People". Grapefruit had included Young's elder brother Alex Young. In 1972 Vanda & Young formed Marcus Hook Roll Band and recorded the singles "Natural Man", "Louisiana Lady" and "Can't Stand the Heat" in London's Abbey Road Studio during 1973 using Ian Campbell on bass, Freddie Smith on drums and Alex Young on saxophone. These tracks would later appear on the album Tales of Old Grand-Daddy released in 1974 on EMI.

1973–1978: Return to Australia and AC/DC

Vanda & Young returned to Australia in 1973 and were reunited with Ted Albert, who had established Albert Productions under EMI Records. Recently formed AC/DC's band members, and George Young's brothers, Malcolm and Angus Young joined the Marcus Hook Roll Band project on guitars to complete Tales of Old Grand-Daddy with John Proud on drums. In late 1974 Vanda & Young produced AC/DC's single "Can I Sit Next to You Girl". They also produced early albums for AC/DC including High Voltage and TNT, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, Powerage and If You Want Blood You've Got It. As house producers for Albert Productions record label, they also wrote for and/or produced many Australian chart-topping acts including Stevie Wright with the no. 1 single "Evie", Ted Mulry, Rose Tattoo, Cheetah, William Shakespeare, Mark Williams, and the Angels. Vanda & Young also wrote and produced several hits for John Paul Young including "Standing in the Rain", "I Hate the Music", "Love Is in the Air" and "Yesterday's Hero", which was also a cover version hit when recorded by Bay City Rollers.

1977–1992: Flash and the Pan

Vanda & Young recorded several Australian hit singles under the studio-only pseudonym of Flash and the Pan, including "Hey St. Peter" and "Down Among the Dead Men". They had more success in Europe with hits "Waiting for a Train", "Midnight Man", "Early Morning Wake Up Call", and "Ayla", from the number 1 albums Headlines, Early Morning Wake Up Call and Nights in France. Singer-model-actress Grace Jones, in 1981, recorded a cover version of their song "Walking in the Rain".

1992–current

Vanda & Young helped compose rock artist Meat Loaf's "Runnin' for the Red Light ", which was released in 1995 as the third single from the album Welcome to the Neighborhood. While the single failed to meet expectations, the parent album itself did well, hitting #17 on the Billboard 200.
Young produced AC/DC's 2000 album Stiff Upper Lip. Released by East West Records, it proved an international success, being RIAA certified as platinum in the United States.
Vanda left his longtime partnership with Albert Productions in 2005 and started Flashpoint Music as a private recording studio. Young died on 22 October 2017.

Vanda & Young songs

This is a selected list of songs co-written by Vanda & Young: