Over ten years ago I ran a parallel blog to this one, dedicated to sharing some of the best pop/rock hit singles of the seventies made by Dutch acts. That blog has long gone the way of the dodo, but I'm reviving it for the new lay-out of my art blog. There will be a number of posts, each containing twelve songs by different acts, in chronological order within one post. I will also be restricting myself in three aspects: no songs that were huge hits in the UK and/or USA, maximum four songs total for each act spread out over the various posts, and each song scores at least a 4/6 on the Artrockometer. The illustrations will be the original singles covers if I can find them, and each song description will end with a little symbol that links to the corresponding YouTube video (if available). The image above is by Rudy van der Veen and is in the public domain. OK... enjoy!
House of the King by Focus (1970)
Focus are a Dutch progressive rock band formed in Amsterdam in 1969 by keyboardist, vocalist, and flutist Thijs van Leer. They enjoyed international success with their hit singles Hocus Pocus and Sylvia. From 1970 until 1974, they scored six top40 hits, including the aforementioned songs. House of the King was their first hit, peaking at #14.
Nathalie by George Baker Selection (1971)
The George Baker Selection was a pop group from the Zaanstad region, formed around lead singer George Baker (real name Hans Bouwens). Their 1969 debut single Little Green Bag was a hit in many countries, including the USA. Paloma Blanca from 1975 did even better. In the period 1969-1999 they charted with 28 songs in the Dutch top40, including 16 top 10 hits, and three number ones. As I'm not really interested in most of their hits, their appearance in these blog posts will be limited. I do like Nathalie, a love song that topped at number 11.
Easy, Boy (And We All Prayed Together) by Greenfield and Cook (1973)
Greenfield and Cook (a translation of their real family names: Rink Groenveld en Peter Kok) were a duo from The Hague that was also known as the Dutch Simon and Garfunkel. They scored seven top40 hits (three of them making the top ten) in the period 1971-1973. Easy, Boy (with a guest appearance by Patricia Paay) was their last top ten hit, reaching number 8.
Arizona by The Buffoons (1973)
The Buffoons were a close harmony pop group from Enschede (my town of birth). In the period 1967-1973 they scored nine hits in the Dutch Top40, three of them reaching the top 10. Arizona was not one of the three, as it peaked at #15. It is a personal favourite of mine, not just for this band, but for the Dutch chart hits of the seventies.
Fly Away by Teach-In (1974)
Teach-In were another pop group from Enschede. They scored twelve Top40 hits between 1974 and 1979, half of them making the top ten. Internationally they are best known for winning the Eurovision Song Festival in 1975. Fly Away was their first hit, and a big one to start with, reaching the #5 spot.
Be My Day by The Cats (1974)
The Cats were one of the most successful pop groups from the Netherlands. They hail from the tiny fishing village of Volendam near Amsterdam, and inspired so many others from there to start a band, that the name Palingsound (Eel Sound) was coined for this particular style of radio-friendly music by groups from Volendam. From 1966 until 1985 they scored 36 hits in the Dutch top40, five of them reaching #1. Be My Day was one of those five.
Ce Soir by Golden Earring (1975)
Golden Earring (originally The Golden Earrings) were a rock band from the Hague. Their music was mainly melodious rock with progressive tendencies. They were one of the most successful Dutch bands, scoring international hits with Radar Love (1973) and Twilight Zone (1982). Their successes in the Netherlands were astonishing: 47 top40 hits from 1965 until 2005, 22 of which made the top10, and five the number one spot. Ce Soir is one of my favourite hits of this band. It reached #5 in the charts.
Somewhere Between by The Tumbleweeds (1975)
The Tumbleweeds were a country & western band from Kaatsheuvel. They profited from a brief increased popularity of the genre in the mid seventies in the Netherlands, scoring three top40 hits in the period 1975-1976. Somewhere Between, a cover of the Merle Haggard song, was by far their greatest hit, reaching #2 in the charts.
Wings of an Eagle by The Classics (1976)
The Classics were a Dutch pop group from Stramproy (Limburg). With their middle of the road pop sound, they scored eight top40 hits in the period 1972-1976. Wings of an Eagle was their final hit, and my favourite of the band - it peaked at #15.
Selfpity by Lucifer (1976)
Lucifer were a pop group from Zaandam, led by singer/keyboard player Margriet Eshuijs. They had four top40 hits between 1975 and 1977. Their last hit Selfpity, a powerful ballad, topped at #15.
Do You Remember by Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers (1977)
Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers were a rock and roll band from Arnhem, led by Arnie Treffers. From 1973 until 1978 they scored ten top40 hits, including one that went to the #1 spot - this one. A rock and roll medley in a style that would later be used (with world wide success) by Stars on 45.
Wet Day in September by Pussycat (1978)
Pussycat were a country pop group from the south of Limburg, formed around three singing sisters. With their debut single Mississippi from 1975 they scored an international hit, hitting the #1 position in many European countries, including the UK. All in all they charted with 15 songs in the Dutch top 40 in the period 1975-1983, including seven top ten hits, of which Mississippi and My Broken Souvenirs made #1. Wet Day in September topped at #7, and is one of my two favourite songs from the band.
Copyright statement: posting lower quality single covers is deemed fair use.
