Whatever. Thru the years (and decades) I've always been fascinated by the abilty of the Dutch to make such authentic-sounding and internationally-appealing pop/rock - yet unique in its own way. From the unforgettable late '60s riffage of Shocking Blue's "Venus" to Diesel's equally exceptional, yet not nearly as renowned, late'70s/early '80s sounds of "Sausalito Summernight".
And although I prefer to focus on my era of expertise - in short; the '70s - as far as I know, the Dutch might very well still be doing it right.
So, as one sometimes does, I decided to make a list. Not a Top 5 - or even a Top 10 - but a Top 11 of Nederpop artists of the past and their crowning moments. In MY opinion. And I can not stress that last sentiment heavily enough.
Already it's been pointed out to me that key artists such as BZN, Earth & Fire and The Cats are all absent from said list. So sorry, but I am just not familiar enough with them!
Furthermore, in some folks' opinion I probably leave out Bonnie St. Claire & Unit Gloria's musical manifesto "Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet", as well as George Baker Selection's ultimate holiday hit "(Una) Paloma Blanca". But sorry again; I just ain't too keen on 'em!
However, feel free to set me (and anyone else interested) straight via the liberal and ever so open-minded comment system here below.
But without any further adiue, here's my Top 11, in a pretty much chronological order...
SUNNY FOUR/"Goodie Good Ice Cream Man" (1969)
Shamefully, I was only introduced to this bona-fide Bubblegum classic via a "rather recent" cover version. The Andersons!'s (featuring the wonderfully versatile Robbie Rist) killer rendition of this obscure Nedergum classic on Not Lame's excellent "Rigth to Chews" Bubblegum tribute CD from 2002 very nearly even equals the original.
And, admittedly, I know absolutely NOTHING else about the original. I am only TOLD (by the dubious "authority" that is YouTube) that it is Dutch, but it appears to be the sole release by the ever mysterious Sunny Four.
Arranger/producer Carl Maduri seems to have worked in the U.S. both before and after - if it is, in fact, the same person.
THE SHOCKING BLUE/"Venus" (1969) & "Never Marry a Railroad Man" (1970).
OK, "Venus" definitely needs no introduction. SHOCKingly though, it is perhaps a lesser known fact that the song borrowed heavily (and that's not an understatement) from the Big Three's (featuring the future "Mama" Cass Elliott) 1963 folk hit "The Banjo Song (Oh! Suzanna)"....
However, my other favourite Shocking Blue song is somewhat less well-known. "Never Marry a Railroad Man" from 1970 nonetheless built upon the true and tested formula of "Venus", although it's somewhat more "original" in another sense of the word....if you know what I mean.
GEORGE BAKER SELECTION/"Little Green Bag" (1969)
Initially, a merely moderate hit internationally ( #21 in the U.S.; didn't chart in the U.K.). But via Quentin Tarantino's 1992 brakthrough film "Reservoir Dogs" it eventually enjoyed the resurgence it truly deserved.
And puzzlingly enough, it sounded nothing at all like anything the so-called George Baker would ever attempt again.
Born Johannes Bouwens (also known as Hans Bouwens), he took up the more internationally-friendly name of George Baker in the late '60s after a brief stint with the Dutch band Soul Invention, which then evolved into the George Baker Selection.
Mid '70s success was secured as the sunny-sounding "Paloma Blanca" (also known as "Una Paloma Blanca") became a worldwide hit.
Since then, our "George" has had a Euro hit or two and still enjoyes some success on the oldies circuit in the continent.
FOCUS/"Hocus Pocus" (1972) & "Sylvia" (1973)
And now for something completely different...
The yodelling Prog-rockers Focus lead by flutist extraordinaire Thijs Van Leer and guitarist Jan Akkerman, these guys made at least two bona-fide Nederprog classics in 1972's "Hocus Pocus" and the following year's "Sylvia".
MOUTH & MAcNEAL/"How Do You Do" (1972) & "I See a Star" (1974)
What adjectives can one muster up about the unusual pairing of Willem Duyn (AKA Mouth) and Sjoukje van't Spijker (Alias Maggie MacNeal), masterminded by producer Hans van Hemert, who later also put together Dutch disco act Luv? Perhaps predictably, the beauty and the beast certainly springs to mind.
The once-heard-never-to-be-forgotten "How Do You Do" went on to become their biggest hit, reaching the U.S. Top 10 and selling approx. 2 million worldwide.
In 1974 they represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest with "I See a Star", but finished "only" third. However, this was the very year when ABBA won with "Waterloo", so the competition was most certainly somewhat stiffer than usually.
Well, shortly after the '74 ESC the pair split-up and went their seperate ways.
Both did continue in the music business and Sjoukie has done so, mostly, under her real name.
Duyn, meanwhile, kept trading in on his Mouth & MacNeal fame with other partners but tragically died of a heart attack in 2004 at the age of 67.
BONNIE St. CLAIRE & UNIT GLORIA/"Voulez-vous (Yes I do, I Love You)" (1974)
The brainchild of Peter Koelewijn, yet another '60s/'70s Dutch songwriter/producer, who originally discovered blonde singer Cornelia Swart (AKA Bonnie St. Claire) in the late '60s, and recorded her successfully solo before teaming her up with the backing band Unit Gloria.
In 1972 their greatest hit, "Clap Your Hands and Stamp Your Feet", was released to a worldwide acclaim and regional cover versions bonanza. "The Dutch Suzi Quatro" had arrived.
However, in my humble opinion, their greatest moment came in 1974 with "Voulez-vous". Hmmm... Yes, please.
GOLDEN EARRING/"Radar Love" (1974) & "Twilight Zone" (1982)
Remarkably, formed in the early '60s and still active today, Golden Earring along with the Rolling Stones and a handful of others, at 50+, is one of the world's oldest surviving Rock bands.
A wordwide hit in 1974, "Radar Love" is arguably their magnum opus. A "Heavy Rock" classic on a pair with Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" and Fogath's "Slow Ride", it's a rock-solid classic of the genre.
Eight years later, Golden Earring again made a mark, this time on the MTV generation with their memorable music video to the hunting "Twilight Zone"...
TEACH-IN/"Dinge-Dong/Ding-A-Dong" (1975)
Another Eurovision Song Contest entry, though this time a winner, this song is just plain silly! But silly fun. "Dinge-Dong", the original Dutch-language version is way better than the obligated English version which became a big hit all over Europe.
Regrettfully, later on in the decade, this group was churning out dreadful disco-fare such as "Dear John" - a John Travolta tribute no less. C'est la vie.
PUSSYCAT/"Mississippi" (1976)
A convincing C&W pastiche from Amsterdam of all places just goes to show, once more, the Dutch pop people's ability to adapt.
It SHOULD've been a worldwide hit but settled for a sizeable Euro smash (#1 in the U.K., no less).
Fronted by a trio of singing sisters, one of whom, Tonny Willé - the lead, still today performs as Pussycat in Oldie festivals around Europe - Germany in particular (the pic below was taken by yours truly at one such occasion, in Essen Germany in December 2008).
CHAMPAGNE/"Rock & Roll Star" (1976) & "Oh Me, Oh My, Goodbye" (1977)
"She was just seventeen, if you know what I mean". How can that intro ever go wrong?
That, combined with the Guys'n'Dolls/The Great Gatsby image of those people and the winning mid-to-late '70s contemporary pop/disco sounds not unsimilar to ABBA, they somehow could not fail.
Their debut single and biggest hit, "Rock & Roll Star" wasn't as good as the second one, "Oh me, Oh My, Goodbye", though, but check out this unashamedly ABBA-esque promo clip.
I could never even dream to better this bio written on Champagne already, so that'll do nicely.
DIESEL/"Sausalito Summernight" (1979) & "Down in the Silvermine" (1979)
A bunch of seasoned Nederpop veterans (Kayak) sporting an uncertain image, they somehow cracked the U.S. Top 40 in 1981 with "Sausalito Summernight", a song they'd had a hit with in their native Netherlands two years previously...
Undeniably a pretty unique piece of music for the early '80s, today it still stands out as something that should've been much bigger and better known.
"Down in the Silvermine", another single from their original 1979 Dutch debut album, is most memorable in its resemblance to Slade's 1984 hit "Run Run Away". Well, just judge for yourself...
And there it is: The Golden Age of Nederpop/Glam/Gum/Prog...as far as I'm concerned. Again and always, feel free to challenge my opinion and show me the error of my ways and/or introduce me to something I am not aware of...
