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Subject: Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two

Written By: Henk on 05/02/07 at 4:53 pm

Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two


http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/17/785141/The1970s.gif                        http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/2/17/785141/The1970s.gif

Click logo for numbers 01 - 20                                  Click logo for numbers 21 - 41





Here's some background information on the artists


01. Lucifer - House For Sale (1975, #4)
Four man band, lead singer Margriet Eshuis. This sad song about a nice young couple breaking up has become a classic. None of the follow ups could rival this success.

02. Lee Towers - You Never Walk Alone  (1976, #5)
The breakthrough for this former crane driver (born Leen Huyzer). I can't say I'm very fond of this version (nor any of his other songs). He's still performing, although his heydays have long gone (he hasn't had a real hit in over 20 years).

03. Teach In - Dear John  (1978, #5)
Some of you might know this band. They were the winners of the 1975 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (with "Ding-A-Dong"). I've only put this one in to emphasize how the mighty have fallen...

04. The Outsiders - Touch  (1966, #6) / Monkey On Your Back (1967, #4)
A five man band from Amsterdam, lead singer Wally Tax. They scored a total of 5 Top 10 hits in 1966/1967.

05. Nick MacKenzie - One Is One (1973, #2)
Not much to say about this singer. His real name is Nick van den Broeke, and prior to his solo career he was the lead singer of a band called Road.

06. Ekseption - Air  (1969, #2)/ The Fifth (1969, #3)/ Peace Planet (1971, #2)
Five piece prog rock band with their renderings of a few classical works. They had 6 other Top 40 hits.

07. Gruppo Sportivo - Hey Girl  (1978, #19)/ Disco Really Made It (1979, #11)
A six man band from The Hague. These may not have been the biggest of hits (compared to the other songs in this compilation), but I put them in because they're...well, different.

08. Spooky & Sue - Swinging On A Star (1974, #2)/ You Talk Too Much (1975, #7)
Spooky (real name: Iwan Groeneveld) was the former lead singer of the Swinging Soul Machine (see #33), Sue (Sue Chaloner) was a UK born singer who came to The Netherlands to play a leading part in the musical "Hair".

09. Full House - Standing On The Inside (1976, #2)
Not a real band, more of a project. This song (a cover version of a Neil Sedaka song) was their only Top 40 hit.

10. The Surfers - Windsurfing  (1978, #2)
A six piece band (members included Spooky - see #8 and #33), ridin' the waves (pun intended) of the then craze.
The follow ups ("Windsurfing Time Again" and "Girls On The Beach") didn't fare too well - for rather obvious reasons.

11. Kayak - Ruthless Queen  (1979, #6)
The band's biggest hit in Dutch Top 40. This was the follow up to "Want You To Be Mine".
The band started out as a symphonic rock band, but by the time of this release they'd gradually changed towards a more pop/rock sound. Band members included Max Werner.

12. Dutch Rhythm Steel & Show Band - January February (1977, #5)
This may sound vaguely familiar to you...
That's because it was a (minor) hit in UK for this band (renamed Trinidad Oil Company). The song is better known as the Calendar Song, but this is the original title.
And to think this wasn't even a real band in the first place...

13. Conquistador - Argentina (1978, #3)
An instrumental trio, with a tune specifically composed for the 1978 WC Football (Soccer) in Argentina.

14. Jack Jersey - Papa Was A Poor Man (1974, #5)
Indonesian born singer (real name Jack de Nijs), also known as Ruby Nash,  who scored a string of (modest) hits (23 in total) in the 1970s and 1980s. He managed to score only 4 Top 10 hits.

15. Sandy Coast - True Love That's A Wonder  (1971, #3)
Fairly popular five man band, with 12 (mostly moderate) Top 40 hits in the 1960s to 1980s.This tune is their biggest hit by far. Band split up in 1975, and briefly reunited in the 1980s.
One of the band members was Hans Vermeulen, who would later be the man to discover Anita Meyer (see #29).

16. Alexander Curly - I'll Never Drink Again (1972, #1)
Real name: Harm Breemer. He only had four Top 40 hits, but two of them reached #1 (the other one being in Dutch - that's why I didn't include it). He quit the music scene in the early 1980s.

17. Greenfield & Cook - Only Lies  (1971, #4)
Rink Groeneveld (Greenfield) and Peter Kok (Cook), with one of their three Top 10 hits. They had 4 more Top 40 hits, before the duo split up in 1977 (when Peter Kok moved to the U.S.).

18. Massada - Arumbai (1979, #2)
A seven (later increased to nine) man band. Most members were of Moluccan descent. They scored an additional five Top 40 hits, including a  #1 ("Sajang E"), but that was in the 1980s. Band split up in 1986.

19. Jackpot - Is Everybody Happy (1974, #6)
Four man band that scored a total of 6 Top 40 hits in The Netherlands (1973 - 1976).

20. Ferrari - Sweet Love (1976, #1)
If you're familiar with the George Baker Selection, especially their song "Morning Sky", you'll probably be as surprised as I am to know that this band has never been sued for plagiarism.
The five man band had 8 Top 40 hits in a seven year period.

21. Luv' - U O Me (1978, #3) / You're The Greatest Lover (1978, #1)
Three LUVely ladies who scored a total of 7 Top 10 hits, and 3 more that just missed the top 10 in three and a half  years time (1977 - 1980). After that, one of the ladies was replaced and they lost momentum.

22. Golden Earring - Weekend Love (1979, #3)
This band needs no introduction, I suppose. It's just one of the 22 Top 10 hits they had in the 1960s and 1970s.

23. Joey Dyser - 100 Years (1975, #1)
A one hit wonder, this lady (real name: Josje Duister), with a song that I think has international potential. I'm still surprised nobody has ever covered it.

24. Oscar Harris & the Twinkle Stars - Soldier's Prayer  (1971, #2)/ Try A Little Love (1970, #4)
There's music and music...and then there's Oscar Harris. For some reason, these two songs were Top 10 hits, whereas all other songs by this group didn't even make Top 20.
Oscar Harris went solo in the mid 1970s and scored one additional Top 10 hit in 1980.

25. The Motions - Wasted Words (1965, #3) / Why Don't You Take It (1966, #3)
A four man band, formed in 1964, disbanded in 1971, with 11 (moderate) Top 40 hits. These are two of their three Top 10 hits.

26. Hank The Knife & The Jets - Guitar King  (1975, #2)/ Stan The Gunman  (1975, #1)
Henk Bruysten (aka Hank The Knife), former member of  Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers (see #31), with a four man band. They had three more Top 40 hits.

27. Seemon & Marijke - I Saw You (1972, #2)
The only Top 40 hit for this duo (Simon Posthuma and Marijke Koger). Both were members of art collective The Fool, responsible for painting the "Apple" building in London and designing the sleeve of the "Sgt. Pepper's" album.

28. Euson - Both Sides Now (1971, #7)
Singer from the Dutch Antilles (full name: Julio B. Euson) with his only Top 10 hit. He scored an additional three Top 40 hits in 1973-1975, and moved to the U.S. in 1977.

29. Anita Meyer - The Alternative Way  (1976, #1)
The first of many hits by this talented singer, popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Still in business, although her most recent Top 40 hit dates back from 1993.

30. The Walkers - There's No More Corn On The Brasos (1971, #4) / My Darling Helena (1971, #4)
I don't know what to make of this band. These two songs (from the beginning of their career) were their biggest hits (yet I can't remember ever having heard either one before). In the mid-1970s they changed their line up as well as their style and name (to "The Press").

31. Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers - Do You Remember  (1977, #1)
In some form or other, this five man band had been around since 1971. This was their only #1 hit (band had had 8 Top 40 hits prior to this one), and it was followed by one more Top 10 hit (also a medley). After that it was over and out for the band.

32. Mistral - Starship 109 (1978, #9)
Shortlived, five piece studio project, including Robbie van Leeuwen, Mariska Veres (both Shocking Blue) and Rick van der Linden (Ekseption, see #6). They had two more Top 40 hits.

33. Swinging Soul Machine - Spooky's Day Off (1969, #2)
Six man soul band from Rotterdam, lead singer Iwan "Spooky" Groenendijk (who left the band in 1970 - see also #8). The title of this song is pretty self-explanatory.

34. André Moss - Ella  (1973, #4) / Rosita (1974, #9)
If you don't like the sound of the saxophone, skip this one. From 1973 to 1975, André Moss was fairly popular. He died in 1989.

35. Champagne - Rock And Roll Star (1976, #2) / Oh Me Oh My Goodbye (1977, #3)
Four piece group a la Abba. The resemblance in sound is uncanny (especially in a song like "Oh Me Oh My Goodbye"), but of course Champagne didn't even come close in popularity.
Their first hit was co-written by Wally Tax of The Outsiders (see #4). Apparently, the song was some sort of hit in U.S., but I can't find any evidence to back this up.

36. Cashmere - Love's What I Want (1979, #4)
Dutch duo (Peter Hollestelle and Jody Pijper) with their only hit single.
Jody Pijper is a popular backing vocalist, and has been so for the past 25 years.

37. Q65 - The Life I Live (1966, #5)
Five man blues/rock band, with their biggest hit. They managed to score five other Top 40 hits (including one Top 10 hit).

38. Tumbleweeds - Somewhere Between (1975, #2)
Six piece country group, who scored only three Top 40 hits. This one (their first) was also their biggest.

39. The Buffoons - My Girl Donna (1973, #4)
Another cover song in this compilation. The Buffoons were a 6 man group, who scored 9 Top 40 hits in total.

40. Dizzy Man's Band - The Show (1973, #5) / The Opera (1975, #2)
It's rock 'n' roll with a wink, and pretty successful too. This formation scored a total of 15 Top 40 hits (1970 - 1978). These two songs are probably their most memorable ones.

41. The Shoes - Na Na Na (1967, #6) / Osaka (1970, #6)
Don't ask me what the lead singer's singing, 'cause I haven't got a clue (I'm talking about "Na Na Na" here, of course). Still, both songs went to #6 in Dutch charts. They topped this only once ("Don't Cry For A Girl" went to #5). Twelve more songs made Top 40.
One of the band members (Theo van Es) went solo in 1978 and had a hit album in U.S. ("Bad Bad Boy") as Theo Vaness.

Subject: Re: Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two

Written By: whistledog on 05/02/07 at 8:09 pm

Alot of good ones in here Henk :)  I especially enjoyed ...

06. Ekseption - Air
13. Conquistador - Argentina
17. Greenfield & Cook - Only Lies
21. Luv' - U O Me / You're The Greatest Lover
28. Euson - Both Sides Now
31. Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers - Do You Remember
39. The Buffoons - My Girl Donna (Ritchie Valens, watch out!)


Apart from Golden Earring, who had two Top 40 hits with 'Radar Love' and 'Twilight Zone', two of these artists were minor one hit wonders here in Canada ...

Luv hit #95 with 'Trojan Horse' (June 1979)
Kayak hit #63 with 'I Want You to Be Mine' (July 1978)

Subject: Re: Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two

Written By: Henk on 05/03/07 at 12:08 am


Alot of good ones in here Henk :)  I especially enjoyed ...

06. Ekseption - Air
13. Conquistador - Argentina
17. Greenfield & Cook - Only Lies
21. Luv' - U O Me / You're The Greatest Lover
28. Euson - Both Sides Now
31. Long Tall Ernie & The Shakers - Do You Remember
39. The Buffoons - My Girl Donna (Ritchie Valens, watch out!)


These songs/tunes are definitely worth listening (apart from Luv', maybe...). :)

The Ritchie Valens version hit #9 in 1964 (a double A-side with "La Bamba").



Apart from Golden Earring, who had two Top 40 hits with 'Radar Love' and 'Twilight Zone', two of these artists were minor one hit wonders here in Canada ...

Luv hit #95 with 'Trojan Horse' (June 1979)
Kayak hit #63 with 'I Want You to Be Mine' (July 1978)


"Trojan Horse" was another #1 hit for Luv' in The Netherlands, but the Kayak song was not one of the band's biggest successes. It only reached #30.

Subject: Re: Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two

Written By: Henk on 05/14/07 at 12:22 am

Bumping this one, just in case...

Subject: Re: Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two

Written By: Henk on 05/19/07 at 1:31 am


Bumping this one, just in case...


Appears as though this has been just another waste of time and space...


Do you people have any idea just how much time I've spent in creating this topic?  ??? It's very discouraging to not even get some sort of recognition for that. You don't have to like the songs I've posted - just let me know you've been listening.

Subject: Re: Dutch Top 40 in the 1970s (and 1960s) - Part Two

Written By: whistledog on 05/19/07 at 1:49 am

Don't get too discouraged Henk.  I get the same little responses when I do ones like these of Canadian hits, but I keep making them cause whether or not anyone responds, you never know.  Plus, it's always fun making threads like these isn't it? :)

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