22mm MATT LAMINATION w/ BRONZE FOIL & SPOT UV

The images in It’s a Long Way: From

Acca-Dacca to Zappa capture what

many believe to be the Golden Age

of Australian music, the years from

1969 to 1979.

As chief photographer for music

magazine Go-Set, Philip Morris was in

the best possible position to photograph

the many stars of the day, including such

local heroes as AC/DC, Billy Thorpe, the

Angels and Johnny O’Keefe, along with

international visitors like the Rolling

Stones, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Wings and

T-Rex. And Philip was able to document

these legendary performers from close

range, with the type of all-areas access

that is unheard of today.

It’s a Long Way: From Acca-Dacca to

Zappa is a remarkable document of an

era in music and popular culture that

we’re likely never to witness again.

Born in rural New South Wales, Philip

Morris started his career behind the

lens in Sydney at the age of 15. In the

late 1960s, he became a contributing

photographer for Australia’s first national

pop publication, Go-Set. Philip quickly found

himself shooting the same musicians who up

until recently he’d admired as a fan, everyone

from Billy Thorpe to Johnny O’Keefe and

AC/DC. He shot AC/DC’s first-ever

professional session and continued to

photograph the band for several years.

Philip also shot virtually every international

superstar who came to Oz, including Led

Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, the

Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Yes, the Jackson

5 and numerous others, always displaying his

distinctive sense of intimacy and spontaneity.

Philip has contributed to every major

publication in Australia and has also shot

award-winning album covers for the Angels,

Midnight Oil and Marcia Hines. A highly

acclaimed exhibition of his work was shown at

the Proud Galleries in London and at Sydney’s

Blender Gallery. Philip’s work also featured

prominently in the Melbourne Art Centre’s

AC/DC Family Jewels exhibit.

It’s a Long Way: From Acca-Dacca to Zappa

is Philip’s first photographic memoir. Philip

lives in Sydney with his two adult daughters.

From AccA-DAccA to ZAppA

A photogrAphic memoir

by AustrAliA’s premier

rock AnD roll photogrApher

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PHOTOGRAPHICVisit our website

www.echopublishing.com.au

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IT’S A LONG WAYthe photography of philip morris

from acca-Dacca to Zappa

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STARTING OUTvi

ALberTS’ HOUSe OF HITSInside Vanda and Young’s Music Factory

1

FrOM THe MAINSTreAM TO THe UNDerGrOUNDBilly Thorpe’s Amazing Journey

13

LeD ZeppeLIN 1972Bluespower Comes Down Under

21

AC/DC’S DIrTY DeeDSFrom High Voltage to the Truth about Rosie

35

bANDS ON THe rUNAt Work and Play with Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones,

Deep Purple, Free, Elton John and Rod Stewart and the Faces65

THe WILD ONeFast Times with JO’K

99

SUperSTArS TO ONe-HIT WONDerSIn Concert with Lou Reed, Zappa, Bette Midler, XTC, T. Rex — and the Jackson 5

109

pUNkS, HUNkS AND MAverICkSMarc Hunter, Lobby Loyde, Midnight Oil, Tully, Taman Shud and Mental As Anything

125

pOp STArS AND GOLDeN bOYSLife Behind the Hits with JPY, Zoot, TMG, Skyhooks, Sherbet,

Stevie Wright, Hush, Olivia Newton-John — and Norman Gunston145

A LONG LINeThe Angels Through the Years

169

GOING UNDerGrOUNDWeird Scenes from the Counterculture

181

HIGH TIMeS AND HIppIe DreAMSOurimbah ’70 and Sunbury ’74

197

CONTeNTS

Echo Publishing12 Northumberland Street, South MelbourneVictoria 3205 Australiawww.echopublishing.com.au

Part of the Bonnier Publishing Group www.bonnierpublishing.com

Copyright © Philip Morris, 2015All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

First published 2015

Printed in China

Cover and page design by Luke Causby, Blue Cork

Front cover: Ourimbah Festival, 1970; Back cover (clockwise): Angus Young, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, Frank Zappa, Peter Garrett, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entryMorris, Philip, author.It’s a long way : the photography of Philip Morris – fromAcca-Dacca to Zappa / Philip Morris.ISBN: 9781760067410 (hardback)Rock musicians – Pictorial works.Rock music – Pictorial works.Rock musicians – Portraits.781.66

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSA heartfelt thanks to:

Henry Morris, my grandfather, who introduced me to photography by processing film in the laundry at home; Stephen

MacLean; Arthur Dignam; David Elfick; Greg Quill; Donnie Sutherland; Celia Adams; Patrick Jones (many thanks for

the photos on pages vii and page 83); Fifa Riccobonno; Martin Fabinyi; Jane Cameron; Larry McGrath; Paul Lenton;

Sue Kernahan; Tali Udovich from the Blender Gallery; Daryl Braithwaite; Rick Brewster; Peter Garrett; Lynn Gladstone;

Roger Davies; Sebastian Chase; Bob King; Julia Taylor; Luke Causby; Ella Morris; Erin Morris; Pat Morris; my mum,

May Morris; and my sister, Hellen Morris.

A special thanks to Jeff Apter for helping me to put this project together and for transforming my ramblings into readable

form. To anyone who I may have accidentally forgotten to mention, please accept my apologies — and my thanks for

everything you have done for me along the way.

For more information on this book, see www.itsalongway.com.au

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In 1969 I was working in

Sydney as an assistant to fashion

photographer Alan Nye, but I

was keen to start getting my own

assignments. One Saturday night

I was at a disco with a mate,

watching Doug Parkinson play.

At the end of his set, as the crowd

started thinning out, I overheard

a conversation between two girls

at the next table, who worked for

Go-Set magazine. They said that

photographer Grant Mudford,

who shot for Go-Set, was leaving

to go overseas. They were worried

there’d be no one to replace him.

I introduced myself. ‘I’d like to

apply for the job,’ I told them.

One of the women, Cleo, told

me to contact the editor, David

Elfick, which I did the next

morning. At 10 a.m. I shuffled

into their offices clutching my

folder of photos of skinny blonde

models wearing very short skirts.

David seemed impressed; I started

work with Go-Set the following

Saturday and continued working

with them for much of the next

decade.

Saturday night was always a big

event at Go-Set. Cleo and Go-Set

reporter Jeff James would be in

the front of the magazine’s van

and I’d be up the back with all my

gear. We’d head out to places like

the Hornsby Police Boys Club,

where Cleo and Jeff would get up

on stage before the band – usually

someone like Hush – handing

out mags and cans of Coke to the

audience. Then they’d choose one

lucky punter to win an album; my

job was to take their photo, which

would appear in the next issue.

Things progressed rapidly

for me. I went from snapping

winner’s portraits to standing

side-stage – sometimes on stage –

photographing such superstars

as Led Zeppelin (their 1972 show

was a career highlight), the Rolling

Stones, Elton John, Yes, BB King,

T. Rex and Frank Zappa, as well as

shooting local stars Billy Thorpe

and Johnny O’Keefe.

With the help of my colleague

Ian Meldrum (before he was

‘Molly’), I was also able to

document many press conferences

and record company functions,

such as the Rolling Stones’

reception before their 1973 Oz

tour. I had my own page in Go-Set

called ‘Scene Around’, which gave

me a place for my photos from

S TA R T I N G O U T

events such as the opening of

Martin Sharp’s legendary Yellow

House, the opening party for Jesus

Christ Superstar and airport press

conferences with Lou Reed, the

Bee Gees and Pink Floyd. I’d also

capture the excitement of the fans

waiting to greet them.

I became close friends with JO’K

and JPY – and when Status Quo

toured I swapped my collection

of denim-studded shirts for their

tour shirts. I loved the music,

the creative side, and the talent

involved in producing all these

unique sounds. I also admired the

way UK and American bands led

the way in the rock fashion stakes.

The UK band Yes were very stylish

for the time, with their high boots

and big-sleeved satin shirts. Local

bands like the Easybeats, who’d

recently returned from overseas,

brought back with them a cool

look. It didn’t take the local groups

long to catch on to the emerging

glam look: Sherbet, Hush,

Skyhooks, JPY and even AC/DC

took to glam in a big way. Led

Zeppelin were different: they took

the tight jean look even tighter and

also wore loose-fitting, Eastern-

style shirts.

These were exciting times; to be

able to document these emerging

trends in music and fashion was

such a blast. Not so long before

I’d been a face in the crowd at

their concerts, now I was working

alongside these legends. It was a

huge buzz, a real thrill, a time in

my life I’ll never forget.

Me with camera at Led ZeppelinSYDNEY SHOWGROUND1972

PATRICK JONES

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ALberTS’HOUSe OF HITS

INSIDE VANDA AND YOUNG’S MUSIC FACTORY

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Previous page:Harry Vanda and George Young, former Easybeats and master record producersALBERTS’ STUDIOSEARLY 1970s

In January 1976 I received a call

from Fifa Riccobono, who worked

at Alberts in Sydney. Fifa asked if I

could take photos of AC/DC, who

were recording their third album,

Dirty Deeds, at the Alberts Studio

in Sydney’s King Street. She also

requested that I not use the shots

in Go-Set; this was an exclusive,

closed-doors recording session.

The photos were for Alberts and

the band. I agreed; I was excited

about getting some fly-on-the-wall

shots of a group that was starting

to become big.

I arrived alone, just me and my

gear. I set up my lights, which I

bounced off the ceiling to create

a more natural effect, and keep

the mood dark. George Young,

formerly of the Easybeats, who

was co-producing the record, was

at the console, adjusting levels

while listening to a take. Malcolm,

George’s younger brother, the

band’s rhythm guitarist, sat

slumped over his Gretsch guitar.

It was a gift from Harry Vanda,

who was producing the album

with George. Angus Young, lead

guitarist, leaned against an amp,

cigarette in hand, yawning. It had

already been a long session.

Singer Bon Scott, whom I’d

met and shot during his days with

the hippie band Fraternity, was

sitting at a piano, headphones on,

screaming into a microphone.

Phil Rudd was by himself in a

soundproof room, surrounded by

the biggest set of drums I’d ever

seen in my life.

During the shoot, the three

Young brothers, George, Malcolm

and Angus, shared a piano stool,

a brotherly moment I captured

on film. Later on, Malcolm was

seated, strumming his guitar,

while Harry loomed over him,

checking every note he played.

Then it was time for a final take,

which was the signal for me to

leave. They wanted no distractions.

As I walked to the goods lift

I spotted Bon, surrounded by

lyric sheets. They were spread all

around him, some scrunched up –

clearly rejects. He was pulling at

his hair and cursing the lyric that

just wouldn’t come. At least not yet.

‘Cheers, Bon,’ I said as I entered

the lift, hoping I’d have some

good shots from a session that

was occasionally light-hearted but

quite intense, too. I’m still using

those shots almost 40 years on.

THE YOUNG BROTHERS

The three Young brothersALBERTS’ STUDIOS

EARLY 1970s

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Vanda and YoungALBERTS’ STUDIOSEARLY 1970s

Opposite:Harry Vanda and Malcolm Young

ALBERTS’ STUDIOS1976

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Opposite:Harry with Malcolm and John Paul Young in the backgroundSYDNEY OPERA HOUSE1975

Stevie Wright, along with Harry, George and Malcolm Young.SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 1975

Stevie Wright, George Young, Harry Vanda and John Paul Young during a video shootPADDINGTON1976

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Vanda and Young in the studio with John Paul Young. Together they produced such hits as ‘Yesterday’s Hero’ and ‘Love is in the Air’ ALBERTS’ STUDIOS1975

Harry with John Paul Young and Arthur Dignam in the backgroundALBERTS’ STUDIOS1975

George Young and Harry Vanda at mixing deskALBERTS’ STUDIOS1975

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Ted Albert (centre) with Ted Mulry (right) and Dal Myles, Mulry’s manager, presenting a gold record for ‘Falling in Love Again’ALBERTS’ OFFICES1971

Fifa Riccobono and Chris Gilbey from Alberts Music,

signing Graham LowndesALBERTS’ OFFICES

1973

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