Bon Scott

The Valentines got together around the middle of 1966. Their initial linup was Bon Scott and Vince Lovegrove sharing vocal duties, Ted Ward on rythym guitar, Bruce Abbott on bass guitar, Wyn Milson on lead guitar, and drummer Warrick Findlay. In Scott and Lovegrove they had two dynamic focal points and within just weeks of their live debut they had crowds flocking to their shows at such venues as Canterbury Court and the Swanbourne Surf Livesaving Club (affectionately known as the Swanbourne Stomp).

It didn't take long for their popularity to come to the notice of Martin Clarke who operated Perth's only record label in the 1960's, Clarion. The Valentines were duly signed to Clarion in March 1967 and released their first single a couple of months later, still less than a year since they formed. That single comprised of Arthur Alexander's "Everyday I Have To Cry" backed with "I Can't Dance With You", a song from one of England's fastest rising groups of the time, the Small Faces. The record, naturally enough, sold very well in Perth, reaching the Top 5.



Single No.2 was released in August 1967. The top side was a Stevie Wright/George Young (Easybeats) composition entitled "She Said". Although similar in some ways to areas that the Beatles were then exploring, the single failed to capture the record buying public's imagination and only made the lower end of the Perth charts.



Nevertheless the 3rd single for Clarion was released in February 1968. "I Can Hear The Raindrops" and "Why Me?" were both Lovegrove/Ward compositions. Promoted as a double A side release the record made number 30 on the Perth charts but once again failed to chart elsewhere.



Despite a report in April 1968 that the Valentines were to join the Sunshine label, this move never eventuated. Their fourth and final single for Clarion was released some three months later, and once again it was a composition from the Easybeats camp. "Peculiar Hole In The Sky" was written by Harry Vanda and George Young and produced on Martin Clarke's behalf by Paul Aulton. The flip side "Love Makes Sweet Music" was origially the only single ever released by avant-guarde British The Soft Machine. It was brought to the Valentine's attention by Stan Rofe, the doyed of Melbourne disk jockeys in the latter half of the 1960's.



Represented on this disc are those four singles as well as a previously unreleased track, "Sooky, Sooky". In 1970 they broke up. After changes in line-up Bon went on to Fraternity and later to AC/DC. Vince worked as a writer for pop music weekly before moving on to become a contributor to a current affairs television programme. More recently he was manager of the Divinyls before parting company with them in 1986.



In their heyday the Valentines were dismissed as being blatantly "Bubblegum", a label they were quick to dismiss.



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