Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Great Lost Singles of the '70s (An Occasional Series)

I posted this a couple of years ago in the context of something else, but having just listened to it for the first time in a while and being totally blown away, I suspect you won't begrudge me posting it again.

From 1973, please enjoy Easybeats auteurs Harry Vanda and George Young -- doing business as the Marcus Hook Roll Band -- and perhaps the greatest rock record almost nobody has ever heard.

The incomparable "Natural Man."





Seriously -- if a hookier, funnier, and more kick ass couple of minutes have ever been committed to magnetic tape, I for one have never encountered them.

And if you're wondering why this wasn't a hit, perhaps the mispelling of Vanda might indicate just how big a priority this was to the braniacs at Capitol Records at the time.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

To all Powerpop readers, if you are not familiar with this track download it. It is a shining example of how good rook and roll can be. You will enjoy it! Must of us will be shaking our asses to it.

I play it frequently on my radio show, in fact now I'll play it today.

Allan Rosenberg "Lost at Sea" Area24Radio.com

Steve: You should continue highlighting Vanda-Young, Easybeats and Stevie Wright music until everyone gets it. They will!

J. Loslo said...

I picked up this track (possibly here) a few years back & since then have grabbed every Marcus Hook Roll Band track I could get my hands on, which amounts to 13 tracks & which may be the entirety of their recorded output for all I know. You can find much of it on Youtube. Good stuff.

Unknown said...

Here's a six-minute history of Vanda and Young:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OelF_QTHsGw

It's from episode 5 of Love Is In The Air, a documentary series about the history of Australian pop that was shown on TV here (i.e., Australia) in 2005.