Single on Decca, with original English lyrics, by Dutch band from Nijmegen (1962-1970). Co-charted in the Netherlands with the original by The Easybeats.

Instrumental version on album Jigsaw, aka Shadows’ 67.

Italian-language version of Friday On My Mind (La follia - "madness") by guitar and sax rock group of the 1960s ("The Rebels").

Other writer credits for lyricist Giulio Rapetti [Mogol] include the Italian originals of I (Who Have Nothing) (Ben E. King, Normie Rowe), (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice (Amen Corner, Toby Jugg) and Help Yourself (Tom Jones).

Single on Apex by beat band from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. For a while at the height of Beatlemania they dyed their moptops blonde and were known as Les Tetes Blanches. The title is a fair translation of Friday On My Mind: "Friday obsesses me".

Single on Platina, B-side of Secret Room, by Mersey-style band from Gothenburg, Sweden.

c.1967

Popular West German psychedelic band formed in 1961 as The Magic Stompers in Steinatal, west-central Germany. By 1964 they had taken on beat music and become The Petards. They broke up in 1972 after releasing five albums and fourteen singles. They also recorded under the aliases of Zonk and Flitter Mouse.

Further reading (all in German): 1. The Petards (fansite). 2. The Petards official site. 3. The Petards entry at de.wikipedia.

On EP Vremuri ("Old Times") by covers and original band combining Western rock with traditional folk sounds, formed in Timisoara in 1962.

c.1970

On Music For Radio, Television and Films, an LP of library music (ready made theme and background music) in United Artists' Recorded Music Library series. Personnel included Roger Dean, ex-John Mayall's Bluesbreakers guitarist.

Vernon Joynson, in The Tapestry of Delights, confirms that this is the same trumpeter-vocalist Bobby Patrick of Bobby Patrick's Big Six, a band that also included Roger Dean. Alex Young, saxophonist brother of the Easybeats' George Young, was also in The Big Six, but he was not part of Flash-back.

Single on United Artists by progressive band from Munich. Only the B-side, Kids Hunting, was on Missing Link's 1972 album Evergreen, but Friday On my Mind appears as a bonus track on the CD reissue.

Not to be confused with Australian 60s band The Missing Links.

Further reading (in German): Review of Evergreen at German progrock site Babyblauen Seiten.

On Pinups, David Bowie’s tribute to the songs of the 60s. (See also Everything's Alright.)

On album One Of Those Dreams. John Kincade was the name adopted by John Knowles after he was recruited to front a touring version of songwriter John Carter's studio band Kincade (Dreams Are Ten a Penny, 1973, a hit in parts of Europe and Australia).

Single on Beserkley (the label’s first) by power pop band formed 1966 who had previously released two albums for major label A&M 1971-72. Also on Earth Quake's album Rockin' The World and on compilation Beserkley Chartbusters Vol. 1.

Beserkley was an independent label formed in Berkeley, California by Matthew King Kaufman, manager of Earth Quake. Other label artists included Jonathan Richman (who played on this Earth Quake track) and the Modern Lovers, The Rubinoos, and Greg Kihn.

Instrumental version on album Flute Power by flautist in the jazz-Latin-ambient area with electronic back-up, based in Stuttgart, Germany.

Single on RCA (UK) by Australian singer Peter Doyle, by this time working in the UK. This was his first single after leaving the New Seekers, produced by David Mackay and Tarney & Spencer.

For Peter Doyle's Australian career see, for example, Peter Doyle - Stupidity, Grandma's Tonic - Hi Hi Hazel and The Virgil Brothers - Temptation 'Bout To Get Me.

On EP Summer Of Love on MCA label by punk/new wave band managed and produced by Simon Napier-Bell.

On Five Live Kursaals, final album by eclectic pub rock band of the mid- to late-70s whose members went on to Eddie & The Hot Rods (Graeme Douglas) and The Records (Will Birch and John Wicks).

From album Come To LA by German disco group formed 1978.
This was a #2 hit in South Africa.

Further reading: Chilly entry at Wikipedia. Thanks to Terry Stacey.

On A&M album Breaking All The Rules (1981), also on Shows The Way (1998)

British singer-guitarist from Kent Peter Frampton (b.1950) had been in The Herd and then in Humble Pie with Steve Marriott. He embarked on a solo career which led to brief superstardom in the 70s with his best-selling albums Frampton Comes Alive! (1976) and I’m In You (1977).

On 2003 album Vanguards Special - The Vanguards 1963-2003, live track recorded 1982 by Norwegian band active throughout the 60s.

12” single on Allegiance by Southern Californian pop-rock band produced by Richie Wise, also on The Curves’ second album.

Further reading: MySpace page of Curves guitarist Tom Boxwell. 

Released in two versions on 7” and 12” singles. Mod band from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, active throughout the 1980s, released nine singles and two albums. Not to be confused with numerous other bands called The Gents.

On Wild Frontier, album by distinguished Irish blues-rock guitarist and composer. Among the bands Gary Moore has played with on tour and in the studio is Thin Lizzy, whose frontman Phil Lynott was in Moore's early band Skid Row for a time.

Further reading: Biography and album review at All Music Guide.

Single on Avenue. Deadpan version by deadpan comedian, a persona of Jack Levi.

c. 1989
Single produced by Serge Mazeres, mixed by Herve Volme & Gabri, arranged by Mario Santangeli.

Instrumental version on album Dingdingding on Null Vier Null label. Tätärä is a big, brassy, theatrical street band from Hamburg.

Further reading: 1. Tätärä's website and MySpace page. 2. Alternative Bands 101 at RelevantMusic.org.

On album Stompede by German post-ska band.

On solo album In My Own Way on One Way label by Alice Cooper’s guitarist-keyboardist.

On album Little Victories by New York classic rock band.

Theme song for Nine Network’s Friday Night Football, recorded by two well-known Australian artists, chart-topping pop singer-songwriter Vanessa Amorosi and major country music star Lee Kernaghan.

CD single on Trauma by Sydney rock band, also on album Remote Controller. Also heard on the soundtrack of US film A Walk To Remember (2002).

On album Forever Young by Belgian singer-songwriter (b. 1948), previously with Purple Bus, Octopus and Soulsister.

On album Ghetto Blaster by London punk-rock-indie band led by Frankie Flame.

Further reading: Official site at Superyob.com.

CD single on Spectre.  This seems to some kind of spin-off from the 2000 film Coyote Ugly, though the soundtrack offers no clues.

On 1000 Years of Popular Music, CD-DVD concert recording of the songs of the millennium chosen and performed by British folk legend.

Track by Sydney singer-songwriter-actor on the album Easy Fever: A tribute to the Easybeats and Stevie Wright (various artists, October 2008).

Harry Vanda commented on Ben Lee's version to The Weekend Australian's Iain Shedden:

I thought Ben did the smart thing. He even put a beat into the song. The original Friday On My Mind... you try and dance to that and you fall over your feet...

And on composing the song:

You don't think at the time that 'this is rather clever', but when you dissect it years later you realise it is rather clever. I liked to squeeze a chorus in A into an E minor verse. That worked, but I can assure you it wasn't as calculated as that.

Reference: Iain Shedden, "Sounds of Then", The Weekend Australian, 27-28 September 2008