Grapefruit Alexander

Alexander Young born in Glasgow Scotland, known as George Alexander since signing up as songwriter with Apple Music Publishing Ltd. London at 94 Baker Street, by Terry Doran managing director of Apple and friend of Brian Epstein and the BEATLES (later manager of Grapefruit), during summer 1967. The song writing contract was based on the strength of the song LULLABYE FOR A LAZY DAY, liked by the BEATLES and namely by JOHN LENNON .
LULLABYE FOR A LAZY DAY
According to Perry and the Swettenhams, the backing track of the song was produced and engineered by Lennon and McCartney at Advision. Spencer Davis who also attented the session, said McCartney handled most of the duties and thinks Paul sang in the background as well. This explains why the tape of this song was found in John Lennon personal possessions after he was killed in New York. "It's supposedly a finished performance. Lennon's voice is etheral and high-pitched over a slow tempo. Backing vocals consist of wordless falsetto voices".(Musician" April 1988).
There are more than five versions recorded.
Alexander, being the older brother of guitar players/songwriters Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC and rhythm guitar player/songwriter George Young of “The Easybeats”, "Paintbox", “Flash and The Pan” etc. and producer of AC/DC, John Paul Young etc, stayed behind in Germany Hamburg STAR CLUB, backing and touring with Brenda Lee, Emile Ford, Barry St. John and Tony Sheridan etc. with the Scottish group “The Bobby Patrick BIG SIX” as saxophone player, when just about everybody of the family emigrated to Australia.
He started his song writing career as Alexander Young in cooperation with singer and songwriter TONY SHERIDAN and other songwriters back in Hamburg during the time. After the group split up in Hamburg 1966 Alexander returned to the UK looking for a deal as songwriter. After signing up to Apple Publishing, he was introduced by Terry Doran (friend of Brian Epstein and the Beatles, later manager of Grapefruit) to the brothers Pete (lead guitar) and Geoff (drums) Swettenham and John Perry (rythm guitar) former members of “Tony Rivers & The Castaways” managed by Brian Epstein’s NEMS Enterprises, with the intention to form a group to get his songwriting known to a wider public.
The group “Grapefruit” actually came together as Swettenham recalls: “ John Perry bumped into Terry Doran at the Speakeasy Club one night, Terry mentioned that he wanted to get a band together for this guy he signed to Apple Publishing,“ John said “he was trying to form a band“, so Terry said ,”Great , we’ll get together.” ("Those Were The Days", by Stefan Granados)
In 1968, on January 17th, the group was launched by the BEATLES with a press conference held at The Hanover Grand's Banqueting Rooms, named by JOHN LENNON as GRAPEFRUIT with the first single DEAR DELILAH. It went to number 21 in the UK single chart in February 1968. PAUL McCARTNEY directed a promo film (never released) for the single ELEVATOR, at the Albert Memorial Statue. The BEATLES namely JOHN LENNON, PAUL McCARTNEY and GEORGE HARRISON attended and helped in their recording sessions for the singles (producer Grapefruit on the first singles), because they didn’t have a producer or a record deal at the time. According to Mark Lewisohn, a noted authority on The Beatles, both Lennon and McCartney acted as ucredited executive producers of Around Grapefruit and Lullabye. The first released LP containing all the singles was produced by Grapefruit themselves with the help of the Beatles even if Terry Melcher is mentioned as the producer on EMI, down to the deal between Apple Publishing and specially Derek Taylor. The final mixing was done by Terry Melchior.
The second LP of Grapefruit “DEEP WATER” was produced by Terry Melcher in LA without Pete Swettenham.
Alexander wrote most of the songs recorded by Grapefruit, so even after the group split up late 1969, entitled to keep the name of Grapefruit, after an agreement with the members of the group he released Sha- Sha, Universal Party etc. with his brother George and Harry Vanda, a Friday Music Production. George Alexander wrote more than 150 songs.(M.Y)