| Hard Road | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Stevie Wright |
| Cover: | hardroadcover1.jpg |
| Released: | April 5, 1974 |
| Recorded: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | Black Eyed Bruiser |
| Next Year: | 1975 |
Hard Road is the debut solo album from Australian singer Stevie Wright. The album's first single, "Evie (Part 1)", was hugely successful and the title track was later covered on Rod Stewart's 1974 album Smiler. The album itself reached #2 on the Australian album charts in 1974 and was the 16th-highest-selling album in Australia that year. The compact disc is currently out-of-print and has become quite rare. A digital edition was available on iTunes as of June, 2014.
In 1973, Harry Vanda and George Young returned to Australia after a period working in London paying off debts incurred while working as the Easybeats. They renewed their partnership with Albert Productions and as in-house producers began assembling a roster of artists for the label, among them their former Easybeats bandmate Stevie Wright.[1] [2] [3]
Work soon commenced on an album with Wright, with Vanda and Young assembling a backing group that included themselves, pianist Warren Morgan of The Aztecs, and Malcolm Young, George's younger brother and the rhythm guitarist for AC/DC, on guitar.[4] Wright wrote six songs for the album, while Vanda and Young wrote the remainder, including the title track and the three-part "Evie".
There are four different album covers for the album: The original Australian release, the Polydor release, the Atco release and the Australian compact disc reissue cover (which also serves as the artwork for the digital edition).
Hard Road was scheduled to be re-released worldwide on high-quality, 180 g vinyl for maximum authenticity, April 19, 2014 through Albert Productions. Renowned mastering expert Don Bartley converted the original analogue tapes to new vinyl masters, on vintage and retooled analogue gear.