Ted Albert
Encyclopedia
Edward 'Ted' Albert was an early pioneer in Australian independent record production and founder of Albert Productions
(part of Albert Music). In recognition of his contribution to the music industry, the Australasian Performing Right Association
established the annual 'Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music'.
was emerging into the music mainstream in the United States, Australia and Europe. The early 1960s heralded the arrival of the independent record producers Phil Spector
and Joe Meek
and later still Shel Talmy
. As artists in their own right, they had complete control of the creative process and shaped the bands recording sound. J. Albert & Son considered the opportunities presented by the Australia teenager consumer market.
In a letter dated June 1964 addressed to Alberts' New York based lawyer, Alex Albert wrote in part:
Albert Productions
was established as J. Albert & Son's A&R department for youth orientated music in late 1964 with Ted Albert as its first managing director. Department staff devoted themselves exclusively on signing and recording Australian artists. The pop group Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs
was the first signed to the Alberts label. The company lacked any dedicated record facilities however, J. Albert & Son owned and operated Radio Station 2UW and made these studios and a theatre available to Albert Productions for recording and audition purposes. Later still, Alberts contracted EMI
and its subsidiary Parlophone Records to handle record distribution.
In late 1964 Ted Albert was introduced by Mike Vaughn a mutual friend and band manager of the Easybeats. Vaughn arranged a private audition and a few days later signed the band to a recording contract. Ted Albert produced the early Easybeats records and even played on some recordings. "Ted had an intuitive gift for selecting material, finding the right sound and honing the 'feel' of a song, and his production skills were later highly praised by George Young".
In 1966, the Easybeat's manager, Mike Vaughan negotiated a five-year record distribution contract with United Artists Records
to handle the band's International releases. After arriving in London Ted Albert hired EMI's Abbey Road Studios
to record the band's next album though he was replaced by freelance producer Shel Talmy
to record their biggest hit "Friday On My Mind
". The single hit #1 in Australia, #6 in the UK, #16 in the United States.
was in Australia scouting for new talent and produced a few records for Alberts including 'Pasadena'. This song was written by former Easybeats's Vanda and Young
with lyrics by David Hemmings
. On its release, the single reached the Australian Top Ten for singer John Paul Young
.
At the time Vanda and Young
were still living in England but hearing of 'Pasadena's chart success returned to Sydney to establish Albert's new recording studios. In 1973 Alberts Studio opened its King Street Studio located in Sydney's Central Business District. The first project finished in the studio was Ted Mulry Gang's album 'Here We Are' and the hit single 'Jump in My Car'. Over several years Albert Studio became Sydney's preeminent recording studio dedicated to pop and rock music. From the mid to late 1970s onwards, Alberts recording artists, including pop artist William Shakespeare through to Rose Tattoo
, Heroes, Cheetah
, Choirboys
and internationally renowned band AC/DC
, achieved a string of Top 40 hits. These records were all produced in the Kings Street facility. In addition the studios were much in demand by rock bands such as Cold Chisel
, by blues music acts such as Graham Lowndes and for the recording of commercial radio jingles. The King Street studios were in use around the clock, seven days a week to meet heavy demand. and later still the facility expanded to three studios.
Ted Albert invested considerable sums of time and money equipping the recording facility with state-of-the-art recording technology. By one account Albert regularly bought the latest console or multi-track (technology) on the spot whilst on overseas business trips. For example in 1978 Albert Productions installed a MCI JH-500 series mixing console, reputedly Australia's first automated console acquired on one such trip.
In 1990 in recognition of his contribution to the local music industry, Ted Albert was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award at the annual ARIA
Awards. Tragically later that year he suffered a fatal heart attack and for his contributions to the local industry, the following year the Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) established the annual Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music.
In 1988 Albert and producer Tristan Miall established a film production company called M&A Productions (Miall & Albert) to pursue film ideas and opportunities in the music and dance genre. Ted Albert had attended Sydney's Wharf Theatre
to watch a stage play called 'Strictly Ballroom' written and directed by Baz Luhrmann
. Tristram Miall bought the film rights and commissioned Luhrman to write and direct the film adaption. Albert spent three years raising film finance. In November 1990 Albert suffered a fatal heart attack at home. His wife Antoinette (Popsey) Albert assumed the role of Executive Producer to see production to completion.
On its release 'Strictly Ballroom
' garnered critical acclaim and No.1 box office Australia film of 1992. The film launched Baz Luhrman's career in the Australian film industry. The film soundtrack featured the Vanda and Young penned tune 'Love Is In the Air', performed by John Paul Young. With the film's International success and the subsequent release of the new version of the song, the single peaked at number 2 on the Australian charts, and was a minor hit in the UK. It was subsequently awarded eight Australian Film Institute Awards
as well as the coveted Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes film festival
.
, Australia
, the second of three sons to parents Alexis Albert (1904–1996) and his wife Elsie née Lundgren. The family's music publishing empire, J Albert & Son, was founded by Edward's great grandfather Jacques Albert. Jacques Albert migrated to Australia from Russia in 1884 and established a clock, watch and occasional violin repair business in King St Sydney. Later with his son Frank, Jacques expanded the business and diversified into music publishing and sheet music retail. His son Frank also concluded music licensing arrangements with overseas publishers for Australia and New Zealand.
Ted Albert and his brothers, Tony (1939–2000) and Robert were raised in the family home 'Coolong' in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse
.
Away from the world of music Ted Albert was a dedicated sailor and helmsman. His family had a long standing association with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
. Albert raced the dragon class racing boat called 'Rawhiti', and he was a dual Prince Philip Cup winner, and twice successful defender of the Sayonara Cup. Apart from yacht racing, Ted also owned a 1969 40ft Halvorsen motorcruiser called "Colorado" (later renamed "Kookaburra") that could be seen plying the waters in and around Sydney Harbour.
Ted Albert is survived by his wife Antoinette (Popsy) Albert née Muir and daughters Emily and Anna.
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
(part of Albert Music). In recognition of his contribution to the music industry, the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
established the annual 'Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music'.
Independent record producer
Ted Albert joined the family music business, J. Albert & Son (now Albert Music) in the mid to late 1950s at a time when Rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
was emerging into the music mainstream in the United States, Australia and Europe. The early 1960s heralded the arrival of the independent record producers Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
and Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
and later still Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...
. As artists in their own right, they had complete control of the creative process and shaped the bands recording sound. J. Albert & Son considered the opportunities presented by the Australia teenager consumer market.
In a letter dated June 1964 addressed to Alberts' New York based lawyer, Alex Albert wrote in part:
"... the time is at hand for a real boom in local (Australian contemporary) compositions and recordings and we have therefore entered this field with much more drive than ever before. We have formed an Artists and repertoireA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
(A&R) department and have inaugurated a recording subsidiary we have called 'Albert Productions'."
Albert Productions
Albert Productions
Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent Australian record label to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1964 by Ted Albert, whose family owned and operated the Australian...
was established as J. Albert & Son's A&R department for youth orientated music in late 1964 with Ted Albert as its first managing director. Department staff devoted themselves exclusively on signing and recording Australian artists. The pop group Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs
Billy Thorpe
William Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...
was the first signed to the Alberts label. The company lacked any dedicated record facilities however, J. Albert & Son owned and operated Radio Station 2UW and made these studios and a theatre available to Albert Productions for recording and audition purposes. Later still, Alberts contracted EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and its subsidiary Parlophone Records to handle record distribution.
In late 1964 Ted Albert was introduced by Mike Vaughn a mutual friend and band manager of the Easybeats. Vaughn arranged a private audition and a few days later signed the band to a recording contract. Ted Albert produced the early Easybeats records and even played on some recordings. "Ted had an intuitive gift for selecting material, finding the right sound and honing the 'feel' of a song, and his production skills were later highly praised by George Young".
In 1966, the Easybeat's manager, Mike Vaughan negotiated a five-year record distribution contract with United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
to handle the band's International releases. After arriving in London Ted Albert hired EMI's Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
to record the band's next album though he was replaced by freelance producer Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...
to record their biggest hit "Friday On My Mind
Friday on My Mind
"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
". The single hit #1 in Australia, #6 in the UK, #16 in the United States.
Record entrepreneur
Ted Albert's major contribution to the Australian music industry came in the 1970s when he helped foster Australia's third wave of youth oriented music. Early in 1972 the English record producer Simon Napier-BellSimon Napier-Bell
Simon Napier-Bell has undertaken many jobs in the music industry, including bandboy, manager, producer, songwriter, journalist and author and gourmet...
was in Australia scouting for new talent and produced a few records for Alberts including 'Pasadena'. This song was written by former Easybeats's Vanda and Young
Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young are Harry Vanda , and George Young...
with lyrics by David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
. On its release, the single reached the Australian Top Ten for singer John Paul Young
John Paul Young
John Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
.
At the time Vanda and Young
Vanda & Young
Vanda & Young are Harry Vanda , and George Young...
were still living in England but hearing of 'Pasadena's chart success returned to Sydney to establish Albert's new recording studios. In 1973 Alberts Studio opened its King Street Studio located in Sydney's Central Business District. The first project finished in the studio was Ted Mulry Gang's album 'Here We Are' and the hit single 'Jump in My Car'. Over several years Albert Studio became Sydney's preeminent recording studio dedicated to pop and rock music. From the mid to late 1970s onwards, Alberts recording artists, including pop artist William Shakespeare through to Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo
Rose Tattoo is an Australian rock and roll band, now led by Angry Anderson, that was formed in Sydney in 1976. Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life"...
, Heroes, Cheetah
Cheetah (band)
Cheetah were an Australian rock band active between 1977 and 1982. The main members and vocalists were sisters Chrissie Hammond and Lyndsay Hammond . They had been session vocalists for many Australian artists including Jo Jo Zep, Jon English, Marc Hunter, Flash and the Pan and as a vocal duo...
, Choirboys
The Choirboys (band)
The Choirboys are an Australian hard rock band from Sydney formed in 1979 with mainstays Mark Gable on lead vocals and Ian Hulme on bass guitar and were later joined by drummer Paul Wheeler. Their hit "Run to Paradise" reached No. 3 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart in late 1987. The...
and internationally renowned band AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, achieved a string of Top 40 hits. These records were all produced in the Kings Street facility. In addition the studios were much in demand by rock bands such as Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
, by blues music acts such as Graham Lowndes and for the recording of commercial radio jingles. The King Street studios were in use around the clock, seven days a week to meet heavy demand. and later still the facility expanded to three studios.
Ted Albert invested considerable sums of time and money equipping the recording facility with state-of-the-art recording technology. By one account Albert regularly bought the latest console or multi-track (technology) on the spot whilst on overseas business trips. For example in 1978 Albert Productions installed a MCI JH-500 series mixing console, reputedly Australia's first automated console acquired on one such trip.
In 1990 in recognition of his contribution to the local music industry, Ted Albert was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award at the annual ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
Awards. Tragically later that year he suffered a fatal heart attack and for his contributions to the local industry, the following year the Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) established the annual Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music.
Film industry
The Wharf Theatre
The Wharf Theatre is a theatre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. This theatre is part of the Sydney Theatre Company and located on Pier 4/5 of the former Sydney port facility in Walsh Bay at Dawes Point.-History:...
to watch a stage play called 'Strictly Ballroom' written and directed by Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
. Tristram Miall bought the film rights and commissioned Luhrman to write and direct the film adaption. Albert spent three years raising film finance. In November 1990 Albert suffered a fatal heart attack at home. His wife Antoinette (Popsey) Albert assumed the role of Executive Producer to see production to completion.
On its release 'Strictly Ballroom
Strictly Ballroom
Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and produced by M&A Productions. The film is the first installment in The Red Curtain Trilogy, Luhrmann's trilogy of theatre-motif-related films; the follow-ups were Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
' garnered critical acclaim and No.1 box office Australia film of 1992. The film launched Baz Luhrman's career in the Australian film industry. The film soundtrack featured the Vanda and Young penned tune 'Love Is In the Air', performed by John Paul Young. With the film's International success and the subsequent release of the new version of the song, the single peaked at number 2 on the Australian charts, and was a minor hit in the UK. It was subsequently awarded eight Australian Film Institute Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
as well as the coveted Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes film festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
Personal life
Edward Albert was born in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the second of three sons to parents Alexis Albert (1904–1996) and his wife Elsie née Lundgren. The family's music publishing empire, J Albert & Son, was founded by Edward's great grandfather Jacques Albert. Jacques Albert migrated to Australia from Russia in 1884 and established a clock, watch and occasional violin repair business in King St Sydney. Later with his son Frank, Jacques expanded the business and diversified into music publishing and sheet music retail. His son Frank also concluded music licensing arrangements with overseas publishers for Australia and New Zealand.
Ted Albert and his brothers, Tony (1939–2000) and Robert were raised in the family home 'Coolong' in the eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse
Vaucluse, New South Wales
Vaucluse is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Vaucluse is located north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Council and the Municipality of Woollahra....
.
Away from the world of music Ted Albert was a dedicated sailor and helmsman. His family had a long standing association with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is a yacht club located in North Sydney, Australia in the suburb of Kirribilli.The squadron was originally founded in 1862...
. Albert raced the dragon class racing boat called 'Rawhiti', and he was a dual Prince Philip Cup winner, and twice successful defender of the Sayonara Cup. Apart from yacht racing, Ted also owned a 1969 40ft Halvorsen motorcruiser called "Colorado" (later renamed "Kookaburra") that could be seen plying the waters in and around Sydney Harbour.
Ted Albert is survived by his wife Antoinette (Popsy) Albert née Muir and daughters Emily and Anna.