The Valentines (rock band)
Encyclopedia
The Valentines were an Australia
n pop
band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott
, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC
; and Vince Lovegrove
, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls
.
groups The Spektors
and The Winstons. They capitalised on the success of both the former bands, plus the interest created by having two lead singers in Scott and Lovegrove. Inspired by The Rolling Stones
, The Beatles
, and local stars The Easybeats
, they enjoyed considerable local success and released a few singles.
In late 1967, The Valentines moved to Melbourne
in search of greater success, and soon toured other major cities. With a development towards the popular Bubblegum
sound late in 1968, the band became more in demand, particularly among teenage girls. However as the fashion for bubblegum music wore off, The Valentines struggled to retain their musical credibility despite a turn towards rock music
. With differing opinions within the band concerning musical direction, and a much-publicised drugs bust in September 1969, group stability began to suffer. Although they still had a strong fanbase in certain areas of the country, especially back home in Perth, The Valentines decided to disband amicably in August 1970.
Scott had built a strong reputation as a powerful vocalist and soon joined Fraternity
, and later AC/DC. Lovegrove found success as a music journalist, and guitarist Wyn Milson became a sound engineer.
Several albums and CDs have been released over the years compiling Valentines material.
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...
n pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band active from 1966–70, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with 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"...
; and Vince Lovegrove
Vince Lovegrove
Vincent "Vince" Lovegrove is an Australian journalist, music manager, television producer, AIDS awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines, sharing vocals with Bon Scott whom he later introduced to heavy rock group AC/DC...
, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
.
Band history
The band was formed in late 1966 with the amalgamation of PerthPerth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
groups The Spektors
The Spektors
The Spektors were an Australian rock 'n' roll band active in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, best known for their drummer and part-time lead singer, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC....
and The Winstons. They capitalised on the success of both the former bands, plus the interest created by having two lead singers in Scott and Lovegrove. Inspired by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and local stars The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
, they enjoyed considerable local success and released a few singles.
In late 1967, The Valentines moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in search of greater success, and soon toured other major cities. With a development towards the popular Bubblegum
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
sound late in 1968, the band became more in demand, particularly among teenage girls. However as the fashion for bubblegum music wore off, The Valentines struggled to retain their musical credibility despite a turn towards rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. With differing opinions within the band concerning musical direction, and a much-publicised drugs bust in September 1969, group stability began to suffer. Although they still had a strong fanbase in certain areas of the country, especially back home in Perth, The Valentines decided to disband amicably in August 1970.
Scott had built a strong reputation as a powerful vocalist and soon joined Fraternity
Fraternity (band)
Fraternity were an Australian rock band which formed in Sydney in 1970 and relocated to Adelaide in 1971. Former members include successive lead vocalists Bon Scott , John Swan , and his brother Jimmy Barnes...
, and later AC/DC. Lovegrove found success as a music journalist, and guitarist Wyn Milson became a sound engineer.
Personnel
- Bon ScottBon ScottRonald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Vince LovegroveVince LovegroveVincent "Vince" Lovegrove is an Australian journalist, music manager, television producer, AIDS awareness pioneer and musician. He was a member of 1960s rock 'n' roll band The Valentines, sharing vocals with Bon Scott whom he later introduced to heavy rock group AC/DC...
– vocals - Wyn Milson – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Ted Ward – guitar (1967–69), bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1969–70) - Bruce Abbott – bass guitar (1967–68)
- John Cooksey – bass guitar (1968–69)
- Graeme Greening – bass guitar (one gig 1969)
- Warwick Findlay – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1967–68) - Doug Lavery – drums (1968–69)
- Paddy Beach – drums (1969–70)
Singles
- "Everyday I Have to Cry"/"I Can't Dance with You" (MarriottSteve MarriottStephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...
/LaneRonnie LaneRonald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
) (5/1967) - "She Said" (VandaHarry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
/Young)/"To Know You Is to Love You" (SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
) (August 1967) - "I Can Hear the Raindrops"/"Why Me?" (February 1968)
- "Peculiar Hole in the Sky" (Vanda/Young)/"Love Makes Sweet Music" (AyersKevin AyersKevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
) (August 1968) - "My Old Man's a Groovy Old Man" (Vanda/Young)/"Ebeneezer" (February 1969)
- "Nick Nack Paddy Wack"/"Getting Better" (August 1969)
- "Juliette" (ScottBon ScottRonald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
)/"Hoochie Coochie Billy" (February 1970)
Albums
- The Valentines (1987 compilation) (reissued in 1988, entitled Seasons of Change: The Early Years 1967–72 and again in 1991, entitled Bon Scott – The Early Years 1967–1972)
Several albums and CDs have been released over the years compiling Valentines material.