Label: Repertoire Records (Germany), REP 4619-WP
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock
Country: The Hague, Netherlands
Time: 78:37
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 534 Mb
Although
glibly labelled by many as one-hit wonders - albeit international ones,
due to the US chart-topping success of 'Venus' - Shocking Blue have
recently had their music rediscovered and reassessed by critics and
public alike.
Though the band reached the peak of their commercial
success at the start of the Seventies, their origins lay further back in
the diverse, exciting and woefully ignored Dutch scene of the
mid-Sixties.
The Dutch beat boom started when Johnny Kendall and the
Heralds' version of 'St James' Infirmary' charted in late 1964. Prior to
that, most of the home- grown acts to find success had either been
wholesome teen stars or guitar instrumental acts in the style of the
Shadows.
Many of the leading lights of the beat boom got their start
in these guitar groups. In several instances, the groups themselves
evolved and changed styles: ZZ and the Maskers dropped the leader's name
for several singles and backed Chubby Checker when he was based in the
country (after marrying the Netherlands' representative in a Miss World
contest!)
While major cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam all had
bands of note, the Hague was undoubtedly the Netherlands' musical
hotbed. Almost everything was covered, from cultural outlaws such as
Q65, through beat groups such as The Hunters (Focus star Jan Akkerman's
first major act) through many pop acts the Sandy Coast and Golden
Earring (who at this time could be compared with the Hollies). But one
band alone captured the style and energy of British Mod acts like the
Small Faces and the Action: that was the Motions.
Robbie van Leeuwen,
guitarist, songwriter and effectively leader of Shocking Blue, had
previously held a similar position in the Motions in their early hit
making phase. Those hits included 'It's Gone', 'Wasted Words' (a paean
to Dr. Martin Luther King), 'Every Step I Take' and 'Everything That's
Mine' the latter one of the finest slices of Mod/Art Pop produced
anywhere in the world.
The Shocking Blue story effectively started
when Van Leeuwen left the Motions in 1967 due to conflicts with lead
singer Rudy Bennett. He recruited members from other Hague bands for his
new group: the line-up for the first Shocking Blue singles, up to and
including the first hit, 'Lucy Brown Is Back In Town', was Van Leeuwen
(guitar), Fred de Wilde (vocals), Klaasje van de Waal (bass) and Cor van
Beek (drums). The single charted well, things were about to change.
About
the same time as Lucy Brown's release, fellow Hague band Golden Earring
had hit the jackpot with the pure bubblegum of 'Dong Dong Di Ki Di Gi
Dong'. A band was hired to play at the party they held to celebrate
their first Number 1; named the Bumble Bees, they were fronted by a
strong and striking female vocalist. Shocking Blue's manager and
publisher both attended the party, and both felt certain this singer
would be ideal for their band. The woman in question was Mariska Veres.
The
new line-ups' first single, 'Send Me A Postcard', was a runaway success
in the Netherlands, while the follow-up 'Long Lonesome Road', also made
the domestic Top 20. But it was the third single with Veres that would
seal the band's fate. 'Venus' made Number 3 in Holland, but
significantly topped the charts in several countries, including Belgium,
France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
The record came to the attention
of a newly formed American record label, Colossus. The label's head
Jerry Ross signed Shocking Blue for the States and was rewarded when
'Venus' hit the top there in February 1970. Ross also signed two other
Dutch acts, the Tee Set (formed by former After Tea singer Peter
Tetteroo) and the George Baker Selection: the Tee Set's 'Ma Belle Amie'
also rose high in the US charts to Number 5, while Baker's biggest hit
for Colossus, 'Little Green Bag', was later used on the soundtrack of
the 90s film "Reservoir Dogs".
Shocking Blue's follow-up to 'Venus',
'Mighty Joe', made Number 1 in Holland and charted almost everywhere its
predecessor had. But the international success 'Venus' had appeared to
herald failed to materialise. Although the band was still releasing
excellent and often innovative singles and still charting in Europe, Van
Leeuwen was dissatisfied and increasingly frustrated by the limits of
Shocking Blue's chart success. When mainland European bands once again
returned in vogue on the back of ABBA's Eurovision victory, the band
failed to capitalise and eventually split.
Mariska Veres continued as
a solo singer, Van Leeuwen producing her on songs like 'Too Young' and
'Loving You' (both included as bonus tracks on this compilation), he
also enjoyed local success in the mid-Seventies with a group, Galaxy
Lin.
(full version: alexgitlin.com/shocking.htm)
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