R. Black And The Rocking V’s - Down To The Last 500 (1968)

(Harry Vanda - George Young)
 Australia
Original released version
#30 Brisbane

Single on Sunshine that predates the Easybeats’ own release.

This Wollongong NSW band was known in full as Rev Black And ‘The Rockin’ Vickers’ but they adopted R. Black and the Rockin’ V’s apparently out of some late 60s squeamishness about disrespecting the clergy.

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British band with the same name
This is not the band from Blackpool UK called Rev Black and the Rockin’ Vickers (aka The Vicars, also as Rocking Vicars).

The Blackpool Vickers/Vicars are perhaps best remembered for I Go Ape (1964, as The Vicars) and for the presence of Ian Fraser Kilmister/Ian Willis, later known as Lemmy of Hawkwind and Motorhead.

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The Wollongong band of Down To The Last 500 featured David Rossall, a recent immigrant from the UK who had been a member of another Blackpool band, Bruce & The Spiders.

Terry Stacey, at his Aussie Vicars page [archived], argued convincingly that it was “a myth” that Rossall had been with the British Vickers/Vicars: Dave was definitely never a member of the UK Rockin’ Vickers although he apparently admired them a lot.

See also What’cha Gonna Do About It (1967).

Reference: Terry Stacey’s page devoted to the Australian Vicars was the definitive source on the band, including a detailed history and ground-breaking research into David Rossall’s supposed connection with the UK Vicars. [Now defunct. See archived version.]

Further reading: The Manchesterbeat website generously included a page on the Australian Rockin’ Vicars as well as the British band [archived pages].

Image: The Wollongong Vicars.