AC\/DC\u2019s earliest recordings with founding vocalist Dave Evans have remained one of Australian rock\u2019s great unknowns for more than half a century. While fans have long debated the extent of Evans\u2019 contribution before Bon Scott\u2019s arrival in late 1974, very little has ever been formally confirmed-until now.<\/p>\n
Watch the new Noise11 Dave Evans interview with news about Rabbit as well<\/p>\n
In a new interview with Noise11, Dave Evans has finally clarified exactly what was recorded in those formative months of AC\/DC\u2019s existence. According to Evans, five tracks were completed for what would have become the band\u2019s debut album, before the group changed direction and re-recorded material with incoming vocalist Bon Scott.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had five songs down for the first album,\u201d Evans tells Noise11. \u201c\u2018Little Lover\u2019, \u2018Rock And Roll Singer\u2019, \u2018Soul Stripper\u2019, plus the two singles \u2018Can I Sit Next To You Girl\u2019 and \u2018Rockin\u2019 In The Parlour\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those two singles, released in 1974, stand as the only officially issued recordings featuring Evans as AC\/DC\u2019s frontman, marking the true beginning of the band that would go on to become one of the biggest rock acts in the world.<\/p>\n
Evans also reveals that the band was preparing to record a sixth track, \u2018Baby Please Don\u2019t Go\u2019, a song that later became part of the band\u2019s early Bon Scott era repertoire. \u201cI used to perform it with Angus on my shoulders,\u201d Evans says. \u201cBon Scott copied that after joining. When Bon came in, he re-recorded those songs and rewrote some lyrics to material I had co-written.\u201d<\/p>\n
The original Dave Evans recordings-if they still exist-have never surfaced. \u201cI don\u2019t know if the original recordings are still around,\u201d Evans admits.<\/p>\n
Beyond the recorded material, Evans confirms that three additional original songs existed in AC\/DC\u2019s earliest setlists but were never taken into the studio. Those songs were \u2018Stay For A While\u2019, \u2018Old Bay Road\u2019, and \u2018Midnight Rock\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, they were all unrecorded,\u201d Evans says. \u201cMalcolm Young wrote Stay For A While and Old Bay Road. I wrote Midnight Rock.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only surviving evidence of these tracks appears on the extremely rare double live album In The Beginning, a bootleg-style release sourced from a rough live recording made at a Kings Cross pub during a rehearsal with new rhythm section members. The tape was later salvaged and issued without the band\u2019s involvement, but it remains the earliest known live AC\/DC recording.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real historical snapshot,\u201d Evans says.<\/p>\n
Listeners who can track down the elusive release will hear the following performances:<\/p>\n
Soul Stripper
No Particular Place To Go
Stay For A While
Carol
It\u2019s All Over Now
Jumpin\u2019 Jack Flash
Rock & Roll Singer
Blue Suede Shoes \/ Shake Rattle & Roll \/ Tutti Frutti
Rockin\u2019 In The Parlour
Bye Bye Johnny
Lucille
All Right Now
Baby Please Don\u2019t Go
Honky Tonk Women<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/release\/7053836-ACDC-In-The-Beginning<\/a><\/p>\n Among these performances is AC\/DC\u2019s unreleased early version of \u2018Stay For A While\u2019, sung by Evans, now viewable online.<\/p>\n As Evans continues to tour internationally and maintain a devoted following, the interest in AC\/DC\u2019s earliest era grows each year. With 2024 marking 50 years since the Evans-fronted AC\/DC lineup toured Australia\u2019s east coast pub circuit, renewed attention has been placed on the band\u2019s origins and the material that paved the way for one of rock\u2019s greatest careers.<\/p>\n Whether the original Evans-era studio recordings will ever emerge remains uncertain, but the singer\u2019s recollections offer the clearest picture yet of AC\/DC\u2019s earliest creative steps. For historians, collectors, and diehard fans, these rediscovered details shed new light on the band that rewrote the rules of Australian hard rock.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, \u2018Defenders of Rock\u2019 was released on CD and digitally on October 31<\/p>\n Get it here:<\/p>\n https:\/\/rabbit.lnk.to\/defendersofrock<\/a> Be the first to see NOISE11.com\u2019s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first\u2014Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Visit Noise11.com<\/a><\/p>\n Follow Noise11.com on social media: Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook \u2013 Comment on the news of the day<\/a><\/p>\n X (Twitter)<\/a><\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n
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Bluesky<\/a><\/p>\n