0:00:02 > 0:00:05- Roll sound! - MUSIC STARTS, SCREAMING
0:00:05 > 0:00:08This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11SOFT GUITAR MUSIC A long time ago...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13ROCK MUSIC ..and a long way from Europe,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15came a wild, colonial sound.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18IMITATING FAST BEATS
0:00:18 > 0:00:20CROWD SHOUTS, SWEARING IS BLEEPED
0:00:20 > 0:00:23That is nothing short of an obscenity!
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It was a sound of rebellion and good times.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29And soon, the whole world was listening.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31This is going to be our next big band!
0:00:31 > 0:00:33You just feel it.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35They were a machine!
0:00:35 > 0:00:38- # Love is in the air! # - The music of a generation.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41And it all came from the one small Australian studio...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- Albert's.- Albert's.- Albert's again.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..which would create the uncompromising sound of AC/DC...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Will you change your style much?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52We ain't going to change for nobody!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55SONG SNIPPETS, SCREAMING AND SHOUTING
0:00:55 > 0:00:58- # Thunderstruck! # - It was a bond of blood.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00The sound of thunder.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03The Albert sound.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Behind one of the most powerful sounds in rock and roll is
0:01:19 > 0:01:24an unlikely partnership between two very different European families,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28who forged a bond after emigrating to Australia.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32The well-to-do Alberts, and the working class Youngs,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36who would become the driving force behind AC/DC.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Together, they would create The Easybeats, Rose Tattoo,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43The Angels and AC/DC, to name a few.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47And the prolific songwriting and producing team
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Harry Vanda and George Young.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54This is their story.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57And, God forbid, it starts in Switzerland.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03The Alberts hailed from the tidy little town of Fribourg.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Jacques Albert emigrated with his family
0:02:05 > 0:02:09to Sydney, Australia, in 1884.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12With a passion for music and a flair for business,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16he and successive Albert generations built a lucrative musical empire.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20All the boys were passionate about music. They all loved it,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22they talked music, they had a language of their own.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Great-grandson Ted Albert had a dream -
0:02:26 > 0:02:29to create a new sound in rock and roll.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33For Teddy, I think it was what made him get up in the morning, really.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35You know, he really loved it.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Music was just a very big part of his life.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43From his first board meeting, at age 25,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46he took the company into a radical new direction.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49"Board minutes - Mr Ted Albert said
0:02:49 > 0:02:52"he would like the company to begin to sign original artists and
0:02:52 > 0:02:57"produce records aimed at capturing a new rock-and-roll audience."
0:02:58 > 0:03:02What he didn't know was that another musical family had just
0:03:02 > 0:03:06landed in Sydney and their stories were about to intertwine.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13They came from the streets of Cranhill,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15a hard outer suburb of Glasgow.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Three of the greatest guitarists and songwriters in rock
0:03:20 > 0:03:21from the one family.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27George, Malcolm and Angus Young.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It was a tough place to grow up,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36but the Youngs never forgot where they came from.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42You've got to remember, at this time, Glasgow has the coal industry,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44has the shipyards,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47the air is thick and black.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52And it's into this, er, that atmosphere that the young family
0:03:52 > 0:03:55kind of thrives, in many ways,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58because they're tough and there's a lot of them.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03You know, there really is that clan mentality. Blood is everything.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10William and Margaret Young put eight children onto those mean streets.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Music ran in their blood.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Each brother I had,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17kind of, would show you little bits of, you know, music,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19or what they liked.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Even my oldest brother Stevie was trying to put me behind the piano,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25trying to show me, "No, you do it like this,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28"with these fingers, you play this way," you know.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Britain was in the grip of a youth revolution.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40But Mr and Mrs Young had other things on their minds.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46The Big Freeze of 1963 was the worst winter on record.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48The snow was 8ft deep.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57At the same time, an ad appeared on the telly,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59offering a different life.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- NARRATOR:- Come over to the sunny side now.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Australia - a great place for families.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09You could be on your way to a sunnier future in the New Year.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12The ad tipped the balance.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14The Youngs opted for Australia.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The Cranhill school yearbook records the day they left.
0:05:20 > 0:05:2415 of the Youngs left Scotland, bound for Botany Bay.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30For kids that were tuned into rock and roll, it would
0:05:30 > 0:05:33feel like they had been dropped onto a different planet.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Seven-year-old Angus promptly vomited on arrival.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40So, we get off the plane in Sydney, I looked around and said to my wife,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43"There's not a soul in this country knows me. It's a weird feeling.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45"No friends, no-one."
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Drummer "Snowy" Fleet arrived from Liverpool
0:05:50 > 0:05:53with his wife and daughter around the same time.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55I got on a bus and my missus is going,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58"Oh, look at the Palm trees! Aren't they nice?"
0:05:58 > 0:06:00You know, it was all beautiful, but as we drove out of the city...
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- ANIMALS CALL - ..and started to get in the Bush,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05we didn't know where we were, and, er, all I could hear were
0:06:05 > 0:06:08all these things making noises - crickets and God knows what -
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I thought, "We're in the jungle!" It was that bad.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18In the sweltering heat of Villawood migrant hostel,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22the fifth son - 16-year-old George Young - took to jamming
0:06:22 > 0:06:24with the other musical refugees,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27his heart set on forming a rock-and-roll band.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33He met a brilliant lead guitarist from Holland, called Harry Vanda,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and they started writing songs together.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38It was the beginning of a lifelong partnership.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The Australia they had landed in was ripe for rebellion.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49A third of the country was under 20.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Kids everywhere were ready to explode.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55# I can't get no satisfaction! #
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- All they needed was a soundtrack. - Take one!
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Albert's was the last company you'd expect
0:07:02 > 0:07:04to deliver the music of this new generation.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Fifa Riccobono was just 16 when she started as a secretary.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13One day, she would run the company.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15All of this was so alien to me.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20And they had all these beautiful old paintings of, like, er,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Frank Albert and his father, Jacques, the founder.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29And they used to just be behind you in the accounts department
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and they'd be just staring at you
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and it was this really eerie feeling that you were being looked at.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38FAST SINGING, AUDIENCE SCREAMS
0:07:38 > 0:07:40The first Albert's-produced rock-and-roll single,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43by Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, went to number one.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51It was a cover version and now, Ted began looking for original music.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Out at the migrant hostel,
0:07:56 > 0:08:01that new sound Ted was searching for was coming together.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04George and Harry found other 16-year-old urchins from Europe,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07including the cheeky singer Stevie Wright.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Now all they needed was a drummer.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16He put a note under my door.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20It said, "You're from Liverpool, I believe you play the drums."
0:08:20 > 0:08:22They played me the music that they were used to.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I said, "How about some of the stuff I was listening to in Liverpool?"
0:08:25 > 0:08:30And I brought all my records out, played them, and George went, "Yes!"
0:08:30 > 0:08:31He loved the beat, George.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37They called themselves The Easybeats and, within months,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41they were playing big gigs, like Surf City in Kings Cross.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50- Telephone for you.- Thank you.- Hello? That's our manager!- Oh, yes...
0:08:50 > 0:08:54They hired a real estate agent for a manager in 1964.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Mike Vaughan had one priceless connection...
0:08:59 > 0:09:01We've just made ourselves a good deal.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02..he knew Ted Albert.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The Easybeats were invited down to Radio 2UW Theatre
0:09:09 > 0:09:11to audition for Mr Albert.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13We were told to be on our best behaviour,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16because this was a gentleman that was coming to see us.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Not the sort of bloke that you swear in front of, you know what I mean?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Well not, at least, the first meeting, you know!
0:09:22 > 0:09:26And, for us, it was like a proper performance in front of Ted.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30I mean, everything hung on it, as far as we were concerned, you know.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35It was a meeting of two clans - for the Youngs and the Alberts.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Ted was down on his hands and knees tinkering with microphones
0:09:38 > 0:09:40and just doing all sorts of things,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42playing with the music, and George really clocked that.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54There was a special chemistry at work.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57A band who could ignite the fire,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00teamed with a producer who could fan the flames.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Ted Albert was convinced popular music sounded too soft
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and he produced The Easybeats loud.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13He said, "I want to play you something.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16"Can you tell me honestly what you think about it?"
0:10:16 > 0:10:20And this song came out, through these huge speakers.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22MUSIC: Sorry by The Easybeats
0:10:22 > 0:10:23CROCKERY RATTLES
0:10:23 > 0:10:25The whole office shook!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30And he said, "What do you think?"
0:10:30 > 0:10:32I said, "Ted...
0:10:32 > 0:10:36"You and I both know that we've just listened to an absolute
0:10:36 > 0:10:40certain number one hit record.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42And this big smile came out of his face.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45And it was Sorry by The Easybeats.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48# ..with a girl named Fleur
0:10:48 > 0:10:51# Then I just remembered
0:10:51 > 0:10:53# Had a date with her
0:10:53 > 0:10:55# Sorry, sorry
0:10:55 > 0:10:57# Sorry... #
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Sorry was the first Australian single recorded with feedback,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03before the Beatles or the Stones.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06FEEDBACK WHINES
0:11:14 > 0:11:16George Young and Harry Vanda
0:11:16 > 0:11:20had hit on a raw R&B sound with The Easybeats,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22that would reach its zenith in AC/DC.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27SONG ENDS, CHEERING
0:11:27 > 0:11:30They had a very good sound, they had a kind of unique singing,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33between him and Harry, you know, and Harry was probably doing
0:11:33 > 0:11:38a bit like what I do, the same as Malcolm, you know.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41You know, George had that very hard rhythm and, you know,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Harry provided, you know, the highlights, the kind of colour.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46One!
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Two!
0:11:49 > 0:11:51It set the standard of Albert's music.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55It was the soundtrack young Australia had been waiting for.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Easyfever began.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00We done a show in Perth.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01We had 8,000 kids at the airport,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05and it was like that no matter where we want in Austria. Hotels!
0:12:05 > 0:12:08You'd go into your hotel after a show and you'd open a cupboard door
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and six chicks'd fall out, and it was all of that.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Stephen had... Someone posted herself to Stephen in a box.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17# Yeah, she's so fine! #
0:12:20 > 0:12:23A magazine published where the Young family lived,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25causing a house invasion.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- SCREAMING - # Give you lovin' all the time! #
0:12:30 > 0:12:32For ten-year-old Angus,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35it was his first encounter with rock-and-roll stardom.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37I just saw all these people.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41I saw police, cos they kind of barricaded it off.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45And, er, I was trying to explain to a policeman, I'm saying, you know,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48"I live there. Can I get in my house?"
0:12:48 > 0:12:52And the policeman says, "Yeah, they're all saying that, fella!"
0:12:52 > 0:12:55MUSIC: Good Times by The Easybeats
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The Easybeats were ready to take on the world.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Ted agreed to back them.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02# Everybody shake
0:13:02 > 0:13:05# Everybody groove... #
0:13:05 > 0:13:07He scored them a contract with United Artists
0:13:07 > 0:13:11to record at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19The boys had a ticket to ride.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21They were poised on the edge of greatness.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24In the pop business, particularly in the '60s,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27the Holy Grail was to make it in the swinging London
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and, of course, George being as he is, the leader of the group,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and his incredible desire to always go further,
0:13:35 > 0:13:36that's where we're going to go.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38# ..I'm gonna put a call to you... #
0:13:40 > 0:13:42The music revolution George Young
0:13:42 > 0:13:46had been plucked from two years earlier was still in full swing.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50I mean, it must have been hard for them to come into that
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and to sort of suddenly be on the scene,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57because we had grown up in the London scene,
0:13:57 > 0:13:58grown up very quickly.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04You know, I could literally fall out of my door
0:14:04 > 0:14:07and go and see Ike and Tina Turner.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I think I was sweated on by Tina Turner.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We were there in the capital of, you know, the swinging '60s,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18where all the big stars were, etc,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20and we were competing with these people.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- GEORGE:- 'We were expected to write a hit song.'
0:14:26 > 0:14:29So, Harry and I, we locked ourselves in this room
0:14:29 > 0:14:33for three, four months, to write a hit song.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38The sessions began with hotshot producer Shel Talmy,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40who had worked with The Kinks and The Who.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43George took his gear down and played all the tapes
0:14:43 > 0:14:47and the guy going only, "Nah, nah. Have you got anything else?"
0:14:47 > 0:14:50So George said, "I've got this little riff I'm working on."
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Three, four...
0:14:52 > 0:14:56HE PLAYS THE OPENING RIFF TO Friday On My Mind by The Easybeats
0:14:56 > 0:14:57Just a riff, nothing else.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01No lyrics, just the riff and he went, "I like that.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05"Go away and finish it and bring it back and let me hear it finished."
0:15:05 > 0:15:08George and Harry were struggling to nail it,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12so they went to the pictures. The pre-feature was a short
0:15:12 > 0:15:16about an a cappella group called The Swingle Singers.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19# Doo-doo, doo-ba-doo Doo-doo, ba-doo-ba-doo-doo!
0:15:19 > 0:15:21# Doo-doo, doo-ba-doo Doo-doo, ba-doo-ba-doo-doo! #
0:15:21 > 0:15:23# Doo-doo, doo-doo! Doo-doo, doo-doo! #
0:15:23 > 0:15:26All this stuff! And George went, "Wow!" We went back
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and that's where the "doo-doos" come from. George had nailed it.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32MUSIC: Friday On My Mind by The Easybeats
0:15:32 > 0:15:34# Monday morning feels so bad
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- # Everybody seems to nag me... # - 'Went back to see this guy'
0:15:41 > 0:15:44And said, "What do you think of this?"
0:15:44 > 0:15:47He went, "Beautiful. Let's record it."
0:15:47 > 0:15:50# ..even my old man looks good
0:15:50 > 0:15:52# Doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo Doo-doo, doo-doo, doo!
0:15:52 > 0:15:54# Wednesday just don't go
0:15:54 > 0:15:56# Thursday goes too slow
0:15:56 > 0:16:00# I've got Friday on my mind! #
0:16:02 > 0:16:07The killer guitar riff, the working class lyrics
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and a singer discharging a casual air of rebellion
0:16:10 > 0:16:12would become staples of the Albert sound.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- # She looks fine tonight - Doo-doo, doo, doo!
0:16:14 > 0:16:18# She is out of sight to me... #
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Friday On My Mind became a favourite song
0:16:20 > 0:16:23for young David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26It gave The Easybeats a round-the-world ticket to fame.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29# ..Gonna have fun in my city! #
0:16:29 > 0:16:32On the jukebox at Max's Kansas City in New York,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Lou Reed played The Easybeats every night.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38# She looks fine tonight... #
0:16:38 > 0:16:41It just fell together like... like a dream, you know.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42That doesn't happen every day.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- # Tonight - I'll spend my bread
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- # Tonight - I'll lose my head... #
0:16:48 > 0:16:52News of the band's success was music to Ted Albert's ears.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54He was already laying plans
0:16:54 > 0:16:58for George's younger brothers Angus and Malcolm.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00When he visited the family home one day,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03he heard something that caught his attention.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06My father would say, "Ooh, the head of their record company's coming.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10"You'd better all behave," you know, so you'd be very kind of quiet
0:17:10 > 0:17:14and, you know, and Ted was quite a tall man and we're all very small,
0:17:14 > 0:17:18so we were all kind of looking at him like this, you know.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24And, er, he said, "I heard some guitar playing," and my father said,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29"Aye, that's the two boys who'll be playing away," you know, so...
0:17:29 > 0:17:34And Ted said to my dad, "If they ever want to do something,
0:17:34 > 0:17:35"send them to me."
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Back in London,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44The Easybeats set their minds to what comes after Friday.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- JAMMING - Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Listen.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Try and get... Try and get a more jangly effect.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Very Heaven-ish. It doesn't sound like Heaven.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58But as they struggled to find a new popular sound,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00the band lost its way.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02# Heaven
0:18:02 > 0:18:05# Is in your eyes
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- # The moment... # - HE LAUGHS
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- HE DRONES:- Not singing like that!
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Try and make it... You know, try and make it sound beautiful, you know.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18'Their heart was in writing simple'
0:18:18 > 0:18:21rock-and-roll R&B-based songs.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And the... the kind of classic mistake
0:18:25 > 0:18:30that most bands make, er, is, as the rest of the world changes,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33you change your music. I mean, The Beatles were obviously
0:18:33 > 0:18:37becoming more complex and so, everyone, I guess, thought,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40"Well, maybe we should show that we can do the same thing."
0:18:40 > 0:18:44MUSIC: Hello, How Are You by The Easybeats
0:18:44 > 0:18:48We gave them "Hello, How Are You" which was, like, you know, was...
0:18:48 > 0:18:50a soggy bloody ballad!
0:18:52 > 0:18:55By this time, nobody knew who the damned Easybeats were, you know!
0:18:55 > 0:18:58And then, there was Jimi Hendrix, doing his thing and all this,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01so, you know, we were toast.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07# Hello! How are you? #
0:19:07 > 0:19:11The Easybeats disbanded as a new decade began.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The '70s would be about the next generation.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Harry made sure they would continue what he and George had started,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22handing down his beloved Gretsch Firebird
0:19:22 > 0:19:24to George's younger brother, Malcolm.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27He was such a hot little player, so I thought,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30"Well, he deserves a good guitar," so here it is.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Best investment I ever made!
0:19:33 > 0:19:35What can I say?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38If I'd known it, I would've given him more than one.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43George and Harry kicked on in London,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46trying their hand at being songwriters for hire.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53It was the beginning of a legendary songwriting producing partnership.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57We were getting a lot of experience as writers by being
0:19:57 > 0:20:00the all-rounders that it did make us.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02We got to a point where, you know,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04"Oh, you want a jazz song? Sure. Here's your jazz song."
0:20:04 > 0:20:08"Oh, you want a really gooey ballad? Sure, here's..." You know.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10"Oh, you want a rock song?" Bang! You know.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12We got really good at that.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17They were sending the songs back to Ted Albert,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20who was matching them with singers and bands.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23# Some men are groovy Some are a drag... #
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Perth band The Valentines
0:20:27 > 0:20:31had a hit with Vanda & Young's My Old Man's A Groovy Old Man.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34# ..Hip, hip, hip, yeah!
0:20:34 > 0:20:36# My old man's a groovy old man... #
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Look closely and you may recognise
0:20:39 > 0:20:43future AC/DC frontman Bon Scott on backing vocals.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48# Aa-a-a-a-a-a-ah!
0:20:48 > 0:20:50# My old man's a groovy old man
0:20:50 > 0:20:53# Gets himself in a hell of a jam
0:20:53 > 0:20:56# My old man's a groovy old man Chooga, chooga, chooga... #
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The next talent that Ted found was
0:20:59 > 0:21:02a young sheet metal worker called John Paul Young,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06who would become the voice of many Vanda & Young's pop hits.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11- His first song was a demo called Pasadena.- He gave me the demo
0:21:11 > 0:21:13and he said, "I don't want to hear that other guy singing,"
0:21:13 > 0:21:16which happened to be George Young, so I had to put the vocal
0:21:16 > 0:21:20exactly on top and, right at the end actually, George is there singing,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23so, in actual fact, my first single was a duet.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28# And there ain't no time at all... #
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Vanda & Young became so good at churning out hits
0:21:31 > 0:21:35that Ted Albert realised he needed them back.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37He actually wanted to go in business with us.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41So, he was thinking, "So can I get these guys back to Australia?"
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Well, he made us an offer we couldn't refuse!
0:21:43 > 0:21:45HE LAUGHS
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It was a handshake deal.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52No lawyers, no signatures, just a shared understanding.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55George and Harry returned to Sydney in 1973
0:21:55 > 0:21:59with their studio tans and the production nous to match.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02# 12 o'clock You climb your stairs... #
0:22:02 > 0:22:06They would run the new Albert Studio, find and produce talent
0:22:06 > 0:22:09and split the profits equally with Ted.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13They would later say it was like falling into a gold mine.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15You work during the night, don't you?
0:22:15 > 0:22:17LAUGHTER
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Well, um...
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- Not through choice. - Not through choice.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24What time do you usually start?
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Midnight.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29'Harry and George had seen it all.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:31They knew the highest of the highs and lowest of the lows
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and they set about doing it in a different way.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36They'd learned from some of their mistakes
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and they developed this model, with Ted Albert and Albert's.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42As a continuation of what The Easybeats could've been,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45they were going to produce something that really was something
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and, ultimately, of course, that was Acca Dacca!
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Australia had changed a lot in their absence.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59The hippy wave had rolled in and then out.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02All that was left was an endless recession
0:23:02 > 0:23:05and a lot of young people who were over the bullshit.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13A tough new generation was hungry for its sound.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15SHOUTING
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Albert's would lead the charge.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20CHEERING
0:23:20 > 0:23:24It all started in the grotty, sticky pubs of the suburbs.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31We played at the White Horse Inn,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36in Victoria, and there was guys bashing their head on the...
0:23:36 > 0:23:38on the edge of the stage.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41I saw one guy bite the corner out of a jug.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43GLASS CRUNCHES
0:23:47 > 0:23:51The only language this crowd understood was volume.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53LOUD GUITAR PLAYING
0:23:55 > 0:23:59George and Harry sensed an opportunity.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03When we first heard the rock bands in Australia,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07I heard some stuff on the radio and I thought,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09"That's not very good, is it?" It all sounded
0:24:09 > 0:24:13squashed and horrible, you know what I mean? Like no life in it!
0:24:13 > 0:24:18Then we went around to clubs and the pub and, all of a sudden,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21"That's not the same bands that's on record," you know!
0:24:21 > 0:24:24I mean, these guys were great, rocking their arses off!
0:24:24 > 0:24:28And I said, "Well, that's how you've got to record these guys!"
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It became their mission to capture that raw guitar sound on record.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36MUSIC: Black Eyed Bruiser by Stevie Wright
0:24:36 > 0:24:38CHEERING, RAW GUITAR RIFF
0:24:40 > 0:24:43They found their legendary guitar sound on a song produced
0:24:43 > 0:24:47for former Easybeats frontman, Little Stevie Wright,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49called Black Eyed Bruiser.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57It was like George's guitar from The Easybeats, but harder, tougher.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02It now had a primal urgency, goading the listener to take it on!
0:25:02 > 0:25:05GUITAR RIFF CONTINUES
0:25:05 > 0:25:07It was George's younger brother Malcolm
0:25:07 > 0:25:11who stepped up to play rhythm on the recording.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14He was the raw sound of things to come.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Malcolm was very gifted.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21He was just a confident, solid, solid player of guitar.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27SCREAMING
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- # They call me- The black-eyed! Black-eyed!- Yeah!
0:25:31 > 0:25:36- # Black-eyed!- They call me the black-eyed bruiser... #
0:25:42 > 0:25:45George Young knew his little brothers Malcolm and Angus
0:25:45 > 0:25:48had something special that Albert's could nurture.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Still just teenagers, they'd already cut their teeth on the pub circuit,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58with their new band AC/DC.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01George always talked to me and Mal, we were his kid brothers...
0:26:01 > 0:26:06Still does, you know! He still talks to you like you're...
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Well, he says it himself. He goes, "Jeez, I...
0:26:09 > 0:26:11"I always think of you as 15."
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- So... - LAUGHTER
0:26:15 > 0:26:16"Aw, thanks!"
0:26:16 > 0:26:23Ted Albert had been watching the boys, too, and signed AC/DC in 1974.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26In the next year, they went through two drummers,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29three bass players and three managers.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32But it was the new singer, wild man Bon Scott,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34that really got the motor running.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Hello, this is Bon from AC/DC.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40At 28, Bon was working as a roadie in Adelaide
0:26:40 > 0:26:43when AC/DC rolled into town.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45They just find him hugely entertaining,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49cos he didn't give a shit, but REALLY didn't give!
0:26:49 > 0:26:54And they invite Bon to come on and kind of audition
0:26:54 > 0:26:58and, famously, Bon did a gram of coke, drank a bottle of whisky,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00put his wife's knickers on his head,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and just ran around the stage like a lunatic
0:27:03 > 0:27:05and entertained the hell out of the audience!
0:27:07 > 0:27:12George Young described Bon as a toilet wall poet.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15His bawdy lyrics would become the perfect foil
0:27:15 > 0:27:18for the fierce guitar sound of the Youngs.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20He was filthy, but he was funny.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28With Bon onboard, George and Harry took AC/DC
0:27:28 > 0:27:31straight from their pub performances to the studio
0:27:31 > 0:27:34to capture that live pub energy.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38But you just had to give them a chance to perform, you know,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41give them a chance to do it, instead of, you know, saying,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43"The needle must not go into the red."
0:27:46 > 0:27:50So, that's how this so-called "pub sound" came about.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Because that's what it sounded like in the pub.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55It helped that George was their older brother.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Malcolm and Angus would have to run their songs by him.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02The rule was, if he could play the riff on the piano,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05and it could be memorably simple, then they could record it.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Working with George and Harry, you know,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13everything seems to be in his head for a lot of the times, you know.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17And, er, of course, he'll take something you've got, he'll go,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20"Well, let's hear what you've got," and you play him your song
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and he'll go, "Well, let's try this that way."
0:28:24 > 0:28:27You know, and he's already crafting away in his head,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29then he'll go, "No, let's change it."
0:28:29 > 0:28:33and I'll go, "Wait a minute, sounds good, sounds great,"
0:28:33 > 0:28:36and he'll go, "No, we'll just try this."
0:28:36 > 0:28:40So, he seemed to just create things in his head.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Between them, they hit on a landmark sound
0:28:43 > 0:28:45that would one day take on the world.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49MUSIC: High Voltage by AC/DC
0:28:56 > 0:29:00# Well, you ask me 'bout the clothes I wear... #
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Wow, Bon's cheeky
0:29:02 > 0:29:04and he's trouble and I want to be his mate.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08# ..Ask me why I grow my hair... #
0:29:08 > 0:29:09It's organic rock and roll.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12You don't think about it.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14You just feel it.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18# ..I dig doin' one-night stands and you wanna see me... #
0:29:18 > 0:29:21That was the first thing I know, I know - put on the school suit
0:29:21 > 0:29:24and, if I keep moving, you know,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26maybe no-one will notice me!
0:29:29 > 0:29:32# High voltage
0:29:32 > 0:29:34# Rock and roll! #
0:29:36 > 0:29:40For an audience sick of hard times, here was the cure.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Suburban young Australia at full roar.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46The Albert sound would speak for them.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49One of the things that's notable about the whole Albert stable,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53in those days, was we all had what they call
0:29:53 > 0:29:55the Australian pub rock sound -
0:29:55 > 0:30:00that big, fat robust guitar sound.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03And it was very, very difficult to get
0:30:03 > 0:30:06the intensity of that onto tape.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10George and Harry were magicians at that.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12# Bang bang
0:30:12 > 0:30:13# Shot full of love
0:30:13 > 0:30:16# Bang bang, bang bang
0:30:16 > 0:30:17# Bang bang... #
0:30:17 > 0:30:20When rock-and-roll sister act Cheetah signed with Albert's,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22it was straight to work.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27There was no ceremony when we actually signed the deal with Ted.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29And then we were scuttled
0:30:29 > 0:30:32straight downstairs to where George was waiting
0:30:32 > 0:30:35with a little keyboard in a pretty small room.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37And we just got straight into it.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41He said, "Sing this," and we went straight into a few tunes.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45So, I think he was probably sort of testing our guns, vocally,
0:30:45 > 0:30:46to see what we had there.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50# I had the feeling he was trying to find
0:30:50 > 0:30:53# Something, someone some peace of mind
0:30:53 > 0:30:56# But when the morning came
0:30:56 > 0:31:00# It didn't matter how he played the game
0:31:00 > 0:31:01# Bang bang... #
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Looking after them was Fifa Riccobono,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08by the mid-'70s, head of the Albert stable of artists,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10the toughest woman in rock.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15She could be ruthless and a piranha when she needed to be.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18And yet, she'd be standing there behind one of these,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21holding a brush and a comb and lip-gloss, you know,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23sticking it down her boot.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25We were all really protective of each other,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28that was the whole family atmosphere.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Outside was the rest of the world, but we were family.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35At the head of the family was Ted Albert,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39whose leadership the troops believed in 100%.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Ted was instrumental in a lot of areas.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46And being a very solid character...
0:31:47 > 0:31:50..he didn't seem to be a person
0:31:50 > 0:31:53who crumbled under cannon fire, you know what I mean.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58There was a siege mentality about the band, certainly.
0:31:58 > 0:31:59I think that was...
0:31:59 > 0:32:02coming down the line from Angus and Malcolm.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04And, indirectly, George.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06You had to be on the team 250%
0:32:06 > 0:32:08or you wouldn't be in the team at all.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14AC/DC toured relentlessly,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17playing any place that would have them.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20From town halls to tin sheds,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23they battled the hard-drinking Australian audiences
0:32:23 > 0:32:26with sheer sonic assault.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30People would be throwing bottles or they'd be winking at the girls
0:32:30 > 0:32:33and the girls' boyfriends would get all pissed off.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37There were car chases. It was the Wild West.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43They had a rock-solid conviction
0:32:43 > 0:32:46that every gig was leading them to greatness.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52It inspired an anthem which became their call to arms.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53# Ridin' down the highway
0:32:55 > 0:32:57# Goin' to a show
0:32:58 > 0:33:01# Stop in all the byways
0:33:02 > 0:33:04# Playin' rock and roll
0:33:05 > 0:33:08# Gettin' robbed, gettin' stoned
0:33:08 > 0:33:12# Gettin' beat up, broken bones
0:33:12 > 0:33:15# Gettin' had, gettin' took
0:33:17 > 0:33:19# I tell you, folks It's harder than it looks
0:33:19 > 0:33:25# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock-and-roll
0:33:26 > 0:33:31# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock-and-roll... #
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Soon they'd conquered every beer barn in the country.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Just like the Easybeats a decade before,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53it was time to take on London.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Here we are at the airport to say farewell to AC/DC.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03Are you going over confident that you can take on an English market?
0:34:03 > 0:34:04Yeah, we are confident.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08We're not overconfident, but we are very confident.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Ted Albert was confident, too.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13He had to be.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17He was digging deep to bankroll the campaign.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock-and-roll... #
0:34:23 > 0:34:26It can only happen on Countdown.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27Come home with me.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33With AC/DC taking Oz Rock to London,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36Ted Albert decided to change gears.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40It was time to dust off George and Harry as pop stars.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43# The morning was cold and lonely
0:34:43 > 0:34:46# City lights, old and grey... #
0:34:46 > 0:34:49The song was called Hey, St Peter.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52And immediately Ted was already like,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54"Hey, baby, you know, get on to this.
0:34:54 > 0:34:55"What are you going to do with it?"
0:34:55 > 0:34:58And he said, "We don't know, we can't find anybody to do this.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00He said, "Why don't you do it yourself?"
0:35:00 > 0:35:03# I said, hey, hey, hey, St Peter
0:35:04 > 0:35:07# I got a tale to tell... #
0:35:07 > 0:35:12Hey, St Peter unexpectedly shot to the top of the charts around Europe.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14# ..It really feels like Hell
0:35:14 > 0:35:18# It really feels like Hell... #
0:35:18 > 0:35:21The Hey St Peter single was pretty big in Europe, too,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- in Germany or somewhere? - Yeah, it did quite well over there.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26I think it's still knocking around the charts in some countries.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Holland, Belgium, France all those places.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34The B-side, Walking In The Rain,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37became an even bigger worldwide hit for Grace Jones.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42So, there were two number ones straightaway,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45which probably would never have seen the light of day
0:35:45 > 0:35:47if it hadn't been for Ted again, you know.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54They were more than just a flash in the pan.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Because next it was time to create the new music genre.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01George and Harry's love of drum loops
0:36:01 > 0:36:03was taking them in a new direction.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07The studio at Albert's, you'd look on the wall and there'd be
0:36:07 > 0:36:11three or four nails with all these lengths of tape hanging off.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14They'd be all the different drummers they had.
0:36:15 > 0:36:16# Oh, babe
0:36:17 > 0:36:20# You left me standing in the rain
0:36:22 > 0:36:24# While you were sitting down to dinner... #
0:36:24 > 0:36:26George would often play the drums
0:36:26 > 0:36:28and Harry recorded him, creating a tape loop.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Drummers were a big frustration for George and Harry.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Because, in those days, it was very hard to get a drummer to play
0:36:35 > 0:36:38a straight beat, you know, no fills.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40It was like trying to get blood out of a stone,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43asking a drummer to sit there - just play that beat for four minutes.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45They'd go...
0:36:45 > 0:36:48"No, no, no. Not duh-duh-duh."
0:36:49 > 0:36:52"But I feel like going... duh-duh-duh." Yeah.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55# While he was getting close... #
0:36:55 > 0:36:59They were making tailor-made hits for the Albert's artists.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02It wasn't unusual to walk in and see George and Harry
0:37:02 > 0:37:04with tape hanging around their neck
0:37:04 > 0:37:07that they'd cut pieces, cos they used to splice everything, take something out,
0:37:07 > 0:37:11but they'd never throw anything out till they were sure they didn't need it any more.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14So, you'd have little bits of China pencil on something
0:37:14 > 0:37:17and they'd be looking at pieces to stick back on.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19And you'd end up with tape all over the place,
0:37:19 > 0:37:22but they knew exactly what they were doing.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24# Oh, babe... #
0:37:25 > 0:37:29The world hadn't been expecting disco from Australia.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32# Oh, babe
0:37:33 > 0:37:36# You left me standing in the rain... #
0:37:36 > 0:37:38It took Europe by surprise.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40In 1978, John Paul Young
0:37:40 > 0:37:44climbed the charts in Belgium, France, Holland and Germany
0:37:44 > 0:37:46with Standing In The Rain.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47# Standing in the rain... #
0:37:50 > 0:37:52On the other side of the Channel,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54the war cry of the Albert's rock sound
0:37:54 > 0:37:57was now engaged in the battle for Britain.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02# Now they want anarchy... #
0:38:02 > 0:38:05By the time AC/DC arrived in London,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08the whole landscape of the music business
0:38:08 > 0:38:11has already begun to change.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Punk rockers come in, it's the new sensation in London.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19- # This is the sound - This is the sound of the suburbs
0:38:21 > 0:38:23# This is the sound... #
0:38:23 > 0:38:26As critics fawned over the Sex Pistols and The Clash,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30AC/DC were mocked as wallaby rockers.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34But the lesson of the Easybeats have been -
0:38:34 > 0:38:37hold your nerve and don't change for anyone.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40A lot of bands start to change
0:38:40 > 0:38:42because they think the world's changing around them
0:38:42 > 0:38:47and so they should try and keep up cos people are going to stop
0:38:47 > 0:38:51liking who they are, so they've got to try and follow the trends.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Big, big, big mistake... as shown by AC/DC.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59Their brand compass is rock solid in one direction,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02does not deviate by a centimetre.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03The people that come to see us,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07we just give them the show we give the Australian people.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10And they took on to us without publicity.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12The publicity caught up to us, not us to them.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Are you rich though, are you making the bread?
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Yes. Sure are.
0:39:19 > 0:39:20I just bought Big Ben.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25They started out in a tiny dive in Hammersmith called the Red Cow.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31And the first set, the usual two men and a dog were there.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34But by the second set, the place was packed.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39In the height of the punk movement, it was such an unlikely thing,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and Angus was incredible.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47And I think Malcolm will go down as one of the great rhythm players
0:39:47 > 0:39:49of any band of any era.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51They were a machine, they were...
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Even back then, they were machine.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57And Bon Scott had a magic to him
0:39:57 > 0:40:00that you can't put your finger on it, he was just natural.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I hate the use the phrase the X factor, but he had it.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08He had just charisma just oozing out of him.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Every band has got a rider.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13The rider is the promoter, supplies the backstage with
0:40:13 > 0:40:16whisky, wine, beer, sandwiches, whatever.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20So, when you have your guests, nobody has to pay for anything.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24So, there was a knock on the door and I'd turn around and there's Bon.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26I say, "Hey, mate, can I come on in?"
0:40:26 > 0:40:28He says, "Yeah, sure, man, come on in."
0:40:28 > 0:40:31And the thing that was really cool about Bon is
0:40:31 > 0:40:32he brought his own bottle...
0:40:32 > 0:40:34and he brought his own glass.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49The gigs got bigger and wilder, and as punk rock wilted,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53they returned to Glasgow, the city that had birthed them
0:40:53 > 0:40:55and literally shook the foundations.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57# In the beginning
0:40:57 > 0:41:00# Back in 1955
0:41:00 > 0:41:03# Man didn't know 'bout a rock-and-roll show... #
0:41:03 > 0:41:07We did a couple of nights in Glasgow that were just insane.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11Because Glasgow Apollo had this reputation
0:41:11 > 0:41:12for just being a crazy gig.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15And the balcony was designed in such a way that it moved,
0:41:15 > 0:41:19like aeroplane wings, they've got to be able to move.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21And this balcony would shift 18 inches.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24# Let there be rock... #
0:41:25 > 0:41:28And I remember the balcony was moving so much
0:41:28 > 0:41:30that I ran back into the corridor
0:41:30 > 0:41:32and said, "This is going to collapse."
0:41:45 > 0:41:49When it was time for an album, the boys always came home to Albert's.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58George and Harry would produce their first six albums,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02using the formula of recording the intensity of the band raw and live.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07It amazed me that Angus did all the sound stuff in the studio.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10And it was deafening.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Just deafening.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21At the end of that take, his headphones flew off his head
0:42:21 > 0:42:24and he was on the floor spinning around.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26And, you know, the amp had smoke coming out of it
0:42:26 > 0:42:28and that would be the end of the take.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37In this Sydney studio,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40a seismic shift in music was taking place.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44A distinct sound, produced by migrant kids made good.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48One day, the great guitar bands of the world,
0:42:48 > 0:42:53from Guns'N'Roses and Metallica to the Foo Fighters would wonder
0:42:53 > 0:42:56how the Albert's guitar sound was created.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59It came down to being fearless.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Next, Ted Albert sang Rose Tattoo.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06I'm bleeding up here for you, you've got to give me something, yeah.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Come on.
0:43:08 > 0:43:13We used to think that our volume was sonic exploration, actually,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16that we were communicating with the gods, that we were trying to
0:43:16 > 0:43:20create a conduit that took people,
0:43:20 > 0:43:23dare I say, transcendentally...
0:43:24 > 0:43:26..into another place.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35And it's the intensity that we tried to capture on tape.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39They may have traded the grog for green tea these days,
0:43:39 > 0:43:43but back then, record labels wouldn't even meet with Rose Tattoo,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45let alone sign them.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49George and Harry went to Ted and said,
0:43:49 > 0:43:55"We've found this really eccentric, different bunch of people."
0:43:55 > 0:44:00And...I think Ted knew better than to judge us by what we look like,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03to say, "OK, I'm listening, I'm not looking."
0:44:04 > 0:44:07And what I'm hearing, that related to him.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10He said, "I love your sound. I love what you do."
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Albert's took the risk and signed the Tatts.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19George and Harry knew there was the makings
0:44:19 > 0:44:22of at least one great song, and got to work.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25# 30 days in the county jail... #
0:44:25 > 0:44:29We realised that there was a process going on in the studio.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31And it was quite magical.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34And I remember George sitting there with his guitar with Mick,
0:44:34 > 0:44:36and they were just jamming.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39And then, all of a sudden...
0:44:39 > 0:44:43# Da-da-da-da-dah Da-da-da-da-dah... #
0:44:43 > 0:44:47And that's almost a John Lee Hooker hook.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50All of a sudden, Bad Boy went from being like...
0:44:50 > 0:44:53kerchunk, kerchunk, kerchunk, kerchunk...
0:44:53 > 0:44:56into this...swinging like...
0:44:56 > 0:44:58zap-bap-bap...
0:44:58 > 0:45:00And it had the hook.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02# I'm a bad boy... #
0:45:02 > 0:45:05Bad Boy For Love would become a hard rock classic.
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Albert's, Vander & Young, AC/DC set a standard
0:45:12 > 0:45:15for the way that Australians approached their rock-and-roll.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19The way we...we do it...here.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Rose Tattoo, Albert's again.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26And they were riding the wave and taking us with them,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29you know, singing about us.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32# Bad boy for love
0:45:33 > 0:45:36# Yeah, I'm a bad boy... #
0:45:36 > 0:45:39The Albert's rock sound was established.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44But a golden age of pop was also beckoning.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48George and Harry's Flash And The Pan
0:45:48 > 0:45:50was building a strong international following
0:45:50 > 0:45:53and predicting the sounds of '80s quirk pop.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56# Wonder why it's getting cold at night
0:45:57 > 0:45:59# Must be getting old
0:46:00 > 0:46:04# Looks like I'm going to have to wait a while
0:46:04 > 0:46:06# What the hell, I'm bored... #
0:46:08 > 0:46:11At the same time, John Paul Young was charting in Europe
0:46:11 > 0:46:14and needed a follow-up hit.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17I mean, thank God for Standing In The Rain because it gave us
0:46:17 > 0:46:20a direction, even though it was only a B-side.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22You know, but because the Germans liked it,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25it gave everybody a bit of a pointer.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27Oh, so this is the way we should go.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34Quite often an idea would lie around for God knows how long
0:46:34 > 0:46:37because we couldn't somehow finish it or fake it
0:46:37 > 0:46:41or whatever was needed, you know.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Love Is In The Air was an example of that.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48When George came up with that melody, it climbed to the chorus.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52The idea that had lain around for years suddenly came to life.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54# Dun-dun-dun-dun, da-da-da... #
0:46:54 > 0:46:58You know. Ah, yes, of course, love is in the air.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05# Love is in the air
0:47:07 > 0:47:09# Love is in the air
0:47:10 > 0:47:13# Oh... #
0:47:13 > 0:47:16# Oh-oh-oh... #
0:47:16 > 0:47:19George said to me, "I've tried putting words in there,
0:47:19 > 0:47:22"I don't know, I don't think it suits.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25"Just do something, just dum-di-dum something."
0:47:25 > 0:47:27So, that's where that came from.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34George said, "Take all the mixes up to Ted. And play 'em to Ted.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37"And let him choose."
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Well, he got to hear all the stuff we did.
0:47:40 > 0:47:46You know? And...he'd be going through things like, you know...
0:47:47 > 0:47:50"I like that one." So, you knew straightaway.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55I remember when he heard Love Is In The Air, he was like...
0:47:55 > 0:47:58He was beside himself.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00And...I can see why, too.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09Love Is In The Air would be Vander & Young's greatest pop success,
0:48:09 > 0:48:11and for many, their most memorable.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16It's been covered more than 300 times.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20# But it's something that I must believe in
0:48:20 > 0:48:24# And it's there when I call out your name... #
0:48:24 > 0:48:27But not even Shirley Bassey in the Bahamas could nail it
0:48:27 > 0:48:30like John Paul Young.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32# Love is in the air
0:48:33 > 0:48:36# Love is in the air... #
0:48:38 > 0:48:42From tattooed bad boys to baby-faced balladeers,
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Albert's was riding a wave of success.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52AC/DC had landed on American shores,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54ready for the same hand-to-hand combat
0:48:54 > 0:48:57they'd been through in Australia and Europe.
0:49:00 > 0:49:05July of 1978, I go to see them at Oaklands, Day On The Green.
0:49:05 > 0:49:0860,000, 70,000 people, I can't remember exactly.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11They're the opening act for Aerosmith.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Unbelievable.
0:49:13 > 0:49:14The most amazing show.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18We got out there at about 10 o'clock in the morning and they killed it.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20And the crowd just went nuts.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27At the time, Aerosmith was the biggest band in America,
0:49:27 > 0:49:31with rock-god front man Steven Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Do I love Steven? Yeah.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37But, you know, honestly, Joe Perry can't stand up to Angus.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Sorry, Joe, but it's the truth.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43So, that's going to hurt, but you know, probably he'll hate me,
0:49:43 > 0:49:45but he hates me already, so it doesn't really matter.
0:49:45 > 0:49:50The truth is that Angus is fucking amazing. That's all I can tell you.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55He is of the people, for the people, by the people.
0:49:55 > 0:50:01Just like Abe Lincoln said it, he gives it 100% high energy.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Perfect name, AC/DC, electric.
0:50:04 > 0:50:10By 1978, word of AC/DC's power as a live act was spreading.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14It got the attention of Atlantic Records' young new president
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Jerry Greenberg.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20When you see a crowd reaction and you see a band live like that,
0:50:20 > 0:50:24let's just say the light bulb went off in my head and I got it.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26I said, "This could be our next big band."
0:50:28 > 0:50:30Greenberg's plan was simple.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32Get AC/DC on radio.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36I just knew that if we had made the right record,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39if we could get the right record made, with these guys,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41they were going to be enormous.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43Bon was working on a song
0:50:43 > 0:50:46about the relentless hard graft of touring America.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49What Angus called the "highway to hell".
0:51:01 > 0:51:06Highway To Hell was the single that woke American radio up to AC/DC.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12# Livin' easy, lovin' free
0:51:12 > 0:51:16# Season ticket on a one way ride... #
0:51:16 > 0:51:19I'd just got a new stereo system in my office, right.
0:51:21 > 0:51:22I turned it up as loud as I could,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25I actually cracked the window in my office.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Oh, my God, what a record that was...
0:51:30 > 0:51:34But cracking the airwaves didn't mean a break from touring.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39The AC/DC juggernaut was now rocking at top speed.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42And the rock-and-roll life was taking its toll on Bon Scott.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46On the surface, all his dreams are suddenly coming true.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50Highway To Hell has become a platinum album in America.
0:51:50 > 0:51:55It's just taken AC/DC to exactly where they wanted to go,
0:51:55 > 0:52:01and the very next album is going to be the big one, the really big one.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07In January 1980, the boys were working on what would become
0:52:07 > 0:52:12the Back In Black album when Bon called Fifa at Albert's.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15He told he was excited, he'd heard all the riffs
0:52:15 > 0:52:18that Malcolm and Angus were coming up with for the new album
0:52:18 > 0:52:21and he couldn't wait to get into the studio.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24He just said, "This is going to be a big one.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26"Some of their ideas are amazing."
0:52:31 > 0:52:33It was the last time she heard Bon's voice.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41- RADIO:- 'Lead singer of the rock group AC/DC was found dead
0:52:41 > 0:52:43'last night in a parked car in South London.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46'Scotland Yard said the body of Bon Scott was discovered by a friend
0:52:46 > 0:52:48'who'd left him in the car hours earlier
0:52:48 > 0:52:51'to sober up after a day's drinking.'
0:52:52 > 0:52:57I was in the office when George and Harry came in and told me
0:52:57 > 0:53:00that they'd heard about Bon.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05He loved the whole Albert family. He used to call it his family.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07And I got really...
0:53:07 > 0:53:10He became a really close friend of mine over the years
0:53:10 > 0:53:13and I was only looking at some letters...
0:53:13 > 0:53:15I've got about 20 letters that I've kept over the years,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19and one of his last lines was, "I always smile when I think of you."
0:53:19 > 0:53:21And I thought, that's exactly how I feel about him.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27The Young brothers thought Bon's death could be the end of AC/DC.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Atlantic pushed hard for the band to keep going.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35But Ted Albert told the boys he would support them,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37whatever they decided to do.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41At the funeral, Bon's dad Chick encouraged Malcolm and Angus
0:53:41 > 0:53:44to find another singer and keep going.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46And so another chapter began.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50It was just something they just all sat down
0:53:50 > 0:53:52and said, let's just do something.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Cos otherwise they were just going to peter out, I suppose.
0:53:55 > 0:53:56And they just said,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59"Let's just go and rehearse some singers and see what happens."
0:53:59 > 0:54:05They had always had great musical intuition, but no-one expected
0:54:05 > 0:54:10them to go with a singer from 1970s Top Of The Pops band Geordie.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13It was just a strange day, you know. I was downstairs playing pool,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16and now, I'm upstairs with all these singers.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19One of our crew guys was downstairs playing with him
0:54:19 > 0:54:22and had said to him, "What are you doing here anyhow?"
0:54:22 > 0:54:26He said, "I was told to come here to audition,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28"you know, for the band AC/DC."
0:54:28 > 0:54:31He said, "It's upstairs," you know?
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Hello, this is Brian Johnson from AC/DC
0:54:34 > 0:54:37and you're watching Countdown '81 right across Australia.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40- See you, mate. See you, sport. - HE LAUGHS
0:54:40 > 0:54:44I had said to Malcolm after we'd heard him sing, I said,
0:54:44 > 0:54:48"He'll be able to hit those high notes."
0:54:49 > 0:54:54And so... And he did, he hit those high notes.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01Brian Johnson became part of the family, making Back In Black.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05Then came the tour.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08It was time to face the home fans
0:55:08 > 0:55:11where the long way to the top had started.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14BELL RINGS
0:55:15 > 0:55:18When I saw them at Sydney Showgrounds,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20the first gig with Brian out front,
0:55:20 > 0:55:24the way they handled that... handled that gig
0:55:24 > 0:55:28and handled the transition between the two singers,
0:55:28 > 0:55:31man, I don't think any band sounded any better.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46Back In Black did what Malcolm Young had set out to achieve from day one.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50It made AC/DC the biggest rock-and-roll band on earth.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54# Back in black I hit the sack
0:55:54 > 0:55:57# I've been too long I'm glad to be back, yes, I am
0:55:57 > 0:55:59# Let loose from the noose
0:55:59 > 0:56:01# That's kept me hanging about... #
0:56:01 > 0:56:05Malcolm just knew what he wanted from that band
0:56:05 > 0:56:08or what he wanted to achieve with the band.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10And he never veered from that.
0:56:13 > 0:56:18He and Angus started it, and then with Bon, you know,
0:56:18 > 0:56:21it just took off, and then with Brian coming in,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24it's just been an amazing journey.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27# Hey, hey, hey I'm back in black
0:56:27 > 0:56:30# Yes, I'm back in black... #
0:56:31 > 0:56:34It was the ultimate triumph for Ted Albert,
0:56:34 > 0:56:36who had focused his life's work
0:56:36 > 0:56:40on building a musical family around the people he believed in.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42He put his money behind us,
0:56:42 > 0:56:46he took a big risk and he never put pressure on us at all.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48He was a real player.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53We've worked with other record companies since then
0:56:53 > 0:56:56in different countries and everything else,
0:56:56 > 0:56:58but I don't think we've ever met anyone
0:56:58 > 0:57:01who was so genuine and honest
0:57:01 > 0:57:04and you could trust as a person.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06And we certainly owe Ted a lot
0:57:06 > 0:57:09because we may not have been here today
0:57:09 > 0:57:12if it wasn't for a guy like Ted.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15CHEERING
0:57:15 > 0:57:16It cut both ways.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21Ted Albert's dream started with the Easybeats.
0:57:22 > 0:57:2615 years later, AC/DC ruled the world.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31# You've been thunderstruck... #
0:57:31 > 0:57:35In 1990, as AC/DC toured The Razors Edge album,
0:57:35 > 0:57:40Ted sat down to write one of his regular letters to Malcolm.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44"Dear Mal, I'm completely blown away by the new album. I love it.
0:57:44 > 0:57:49"In fact, I had subwoofers installed in my car in honour of it.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53"Congratulations on songs, sounds and performances.
0:57:53 > 0:57:54"Thanks for our long association
0:57:54 > 0:57:58"and the success that you have bought to my company.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00"My very best, Ted Albert."
0:58:02 > 0:58:03# Thunderstruck
0:58:03 > 0:58:06# Thunderstruck... #
0:58:06 > 0:58:13A week later, Ted Albert died suddenly of a heart attack, aged 53.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Ted's legacy is many things to many people,
0:58:19 > 0:58:23but his most important legacy, I think, in the music field,
0:58:23 > 0:58:25is what he did for rock and roll
0:58:25 > 0:58:29and giving Australian rock and roll respectability worldwide.
0:58:36 > 0:58:39# Countrymen, friends Lend me your ears
0:58:39 > 0:58:42# I'll tell you a tale of 15 years
0:58:42 > 0:58:45# I'm an old man who's all forlorn
0:58:45 > 0:58:48# I want to see the city where I was born
0:58:48 > 0:58:52# Show me the way to St Louis
0:58:52 > 0:58:54# Show me the way... #