Flash Back Friday: The Australian pop-rock band Zoot famously covered The Beatles’ song “Eleanor Rigby” in a heavy rock style.
This Zoot lineup included future international solo star Rick Springfield on guitar, alongside Beeb Birtles (later of Little River Band) on bass, Darryl Cotton on lead vocals, and Rick Brewer on drums.
Unleashed December 1970, this rendition became Zoot’s most breakthrough single, reaching #4 on the Australian singles charts in March 1971 and holding strong in the Top 40 for twenty weeks. (It was issued on EMI’s Columbia label, backed with “Turn Your Head.”)
The track’s crunching guitars and dramatic vocal delivery gave the Beatles’ chamber-pop classic a glam-rock edge—one that foreshadowed Springfield’s later solo firepower and Birtles’ melodic touch in Little River Band.
Fun fact: Zoot’s “Eleanor Rigby” has since been cited as one of the earliest examples of a mainstream rock band reimagining a Beatles track with proto-metal flair.
Play it below!
Quick Fact Box
- Release date: December 1970
- Label/distributor: EMI Columbia (Australia)
- Formats/variants: 7-inch single, B-side “Turn Your Head”
- Collaborators/producers: Produced by Howard Gable
- Tour/on-sale: Zoot toured nationally in support through early 1971
Zoot’s “Eleanor Rigby” flipped the Beatles into hard rock history. Springfield, Birtles, Cotton, Brewer—each left their mark. Drop your thoughts below.
