Before there was AC/DC… there was Marcus Hook Roll Band

Unlike most legendary partnerships (think Hall & Oates, Cagney & Lacey, Ant & Dec) Vanda & Young have used a variety of names: in the 60s, they were the mainstays of The Easybeats. A decade later, they became Flash and the Pan.

Somewhere in-between, they operated as Haffey’s Whiskey Sour, Moondance, Paintbox, Band of Hope and Grapefruit.

But rock’n’roll will surely thank them most for their 1973 recordings as the Marcus Hook Roll Band, which took place during July and August in Sydney. The sessions introduced Angus and Malcolm Young to the studio and to Grand-dad bourbon whiskey, imported by producer Alan “Wally” Waller and the inspiration for the album’s title.

“The sessions were great fun” says engineer Richard Lush, “fuelled with plenty of Old Grand-Dad bourbon. Angus Young drank milk.”

The album received a limited release and has been out-of-print for years, but is to be reissued with two previously unreleased tracks and three rarities. This week’s exclusive track, Ape Man, hints at the bawdy path to fame later followed by the younger Youngs.

[](https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/149505635?secret_token=s-Na4aj)

Tales Of Old Grand Daddy is out today.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.