Doe Maar
Encyclopedia
Doe Maar was a Dutch
ska
band with punk
and reggae
influences. Their career ran from 1978 to 1984 and they were one of the most successful pop bands in Dutch
history. Doe Maar translates as Go Ahead or Just do it, a phrase mostly used in a deprecatory, sulky manner.
. Afterwards the 10-piece line-up was reduced to four; Ernst Jansz
(May 24, 1948; keyboards, sax, percussion), Jan Hendriks
(September 20, 1949; guitar), Carel Copier (drums) and Piet Dekker (bass). In 1979 they appeared on a sampler-album (Uitholling Overdwars) made up of new bands singing in Dutch. They also released their self-titled debut on Telstar
omitting the sampler-track Blozen (Blushing); the ska- and reggae-influences that later permeated their best known stuff were practically absent and the critics weren't impressed either.
"I fail to see how this lot will make a positive contribution to the future of Dutch music". Muziek Expres January 1980
Entering the new decade, Doe Maar hit the bubbling-under charts with the Caribbean
-/Indonesian
flavoured Ik Zou Het Willen Doen (I'd Like To Do It) and the album sold 2000 copies. But it wasn't enough; after a fallout between Ernst and Piet Dekker (with the latter sent packing) the band seriously considered splitting up, but not before finishing their spring tour. Joost Belinfante, a versatile musician/free spirit with whom Ernst used to be in CCC Inc and Slumberlandband, agreed to step in for the time being.
Having completed the tour, Doe Maar decided that it would be a waste to give up the band. They asked Henny Vrienten
(July 27, 1948), a professional musician/composer who previously collaborated with Ernst as backing musicians for singer-songwriter
Boudewijn de Groot
during the mid-1970s. Henny initially refused, feeling that Doe Maar wasn't the right move in anybody's career, but he got second thoughts and decided to join the band after all. Henny came right on time to contribute the remaining three tracks (and the ska-/reggae-influences) to the second album; 32 Jaar (about a lovestruck, shaky-legged 32-year-old), Smoorverliefd (Smitten) and De Laatste Keer (The Last Time). This song is about breaking up and starting over, a subject close to Henny's heart as he had recently split with his wife and stepsons. Joost Belinfante was also involved and delivered Nix Voor Jou (Not Your Type; one of Carel's two lead vocals) and crowd favourite to be Nederwiet. Where Henny plays the role of the observer
, Ernst's lyrics witness a left-engaged ladies' man being a stranger in his father's land (the Indonesia
-themed Ruma Saya) and having intimate moments with a girl whose heart belongs to someone else (Alice).
(still not convinced that Doe Maar had quality work to offer) postponed the album to March 1981 (post-carnival
). It was felt that the band's effort would not survive amidst bigger names during the end of year festivities.
However, Telstar
did start marketing the album and samples were sent to the radio stations. Due to an error, the DJs did not know that the record had not been released, and played the music on the radio.
Listeners immediately picked up on the song, 32 Jaar, although they struggled to remember the original name Sinds 1 Dag Of 2 (For a day or 2), until radio DJ Frits Spits renamed it to the current title.
'32 Jaar' reached No. 29 in the Top 40 and Doe Maar did a lot of gigging (although the attendance-figures still left a lot to be desired). Joost Belinfante regularly joined them on trombone and handpercussion, and sang a few tracks intended for his 1982 solo-album Fante (produced by Henny). The band received an encouragement award and released Smoorverliefd (Smitten) as the next single in September, but then fate struck...
Carel suffered from a fractured muscle which basically ended his career. Searching for a replacement they recruited Rene van Collem (1961), a seaside bartender who knew how to play a reggae-beat. He joined in time to record the third album of which the title track (Doris Day) was a complaint against TV boredom. The song initially had a reference to the legendary movie program host Simon van Collem till it transpired that he was in fact Rene's father. Henny's other efforts dealt with subjects such as unhappy marriages (Is Dit Alles), failure to quit cigarettes, junkfood and alcohol (OK) and desperately searching for a warm embrace (Radeloos). Ernst delivered songs about getting the cold shoulder (Situatie), sleeping with a 16-year-old (Belle Helene, featuring a sax-solo from the man himself) and dumping a girl for being overexperienced (De Eerste Keer). With Joost he co-wrote Nachtmerrie Op Hol (Nightmare On The Loose) about dreams of revisited exams.
Early 1982 Doe Maar were still playing to below-capacity crowds, but that all changed after the March release of Doris Day which made the top 10. Regular television appearances and sellout gigs all over the country mainly attended by teenagers. Ernst, Henny and Jan H. enjoyed the success, unlike Rene whose behavior was seen as a problem. Therefore the band decided to replace him with Jan Pijnenburg (1955). But again fate intervened; Jan P. had made one television-appearance in May when he broke practically all his bones in a car-crash. Rene came back while his successor spent the next six months recovering. He played his b(igg)est-ever gig at Pinkpop
on May 31 where the band (including Joost who still joined them from time to time) kicked off a sunny day. Offstage pics legendarily showed Ernst in his swimming trunks.
(New Dutch Wave) explosion; (relatively) young bands singing in their own language at a time when serious music fans snubbed it. In October Doe Maar made their second appearance at Flaterpop, an indoor-festival celebrating contemporary Dutch-language music and they headlined the first edition of the live-broadcast Veronica's Rocknight following English-language groups Vitesse and Golden Earring
. Birthday Boy Joost (October 8, 1946) was present to sing Nederwiet during the jam-session.
By the end of 1982 Doe Maar notched up their first number 1-hit with De Bom,a joint Ernst-/Henny-composition with the underlying message 'What's the point of making a career/doing your homework when the (atomic) bomb can drop at any moment?'
In January 1983 Jan P. was finally installed for the band's best-remembered line-up (although he spent a few more months walking on crutches). After a warm-up tour they taped a TV-special predominantly miming tracks off their yet-to-release fourth album (recorded with Rene) including their latest single Pa about a father-/son-dispute with the former mellowed out and the latter still carrying on regardless. Again it hit the top spot. The B-side, Nachtzuster (Nightnurse, written by Henny) became as equally popular, courtesy of its inclusion in the TV-special.
(for whom they opened at a 1981 radio-broadcast concert) would've been proud.
This decision backfired, as Doe Maar-mania grew even bigger. But it wasn't just them who had enough; headlining Pinkpop
on May 23 the band were targeted with apples for selling out to the teen-mags and turning the festival into a glorified children's matinee. Henny, who got one in his face, responded by saying "If you keep this up then there'll be a real Nightnurse on hand. We don't mind you lot throwing at us but we do mind that our fans get hurt. And another thing; if you really don't like it, then fuck off". Henny would later say that 'Applegate' "made us realise that we couldn't go on like this".
Lifting the publicity-ban in September, Doe Maar embarked on their first proper tour of Belgium
with a surprise-performance at Flaterpop (October 9) thrown in for good measure. Ernst released his debut novel Gideon's Droom about the immigration
of his Indonesian
father. Henny recorded his first Dutch-language solo-album (Geen Ballade; released in March 1984) with a little help from his friends. The entire Doe Maar line-up even appeared on closing instrumental Amstel Hotel 13:00.
In December the band flew to the Antilles
where Doe Maar-mania also reigned supreme. They played shows on Aruba
, Curaçao
and Sint Maarten In between they recorded a new single; Macho, released in January 1984, a resentment of lad culture
from the viewpoint of a man who grew up as part of an otherwise all-female offspring ("If I only was a woman, we'd be knitting together"). Because of its no. 12-peak and its 1960s-style video, Macho was dismissed as an artistic and commercial failure.
The B-side was Grote Broer, which translates as Big Brother. Coincidentally Ernst wrote a Happy New Year-message for Popfoto-magazine in which he expressed hope for a better outcome of 1984 than predicted in the book he once read
.
Shocked by the fans' responses Doe Maar pencilled in a farewell-concert at the Maaspoort in Den Bosch on April 14. Due to overwhelming interest a second one was added as a matinee. Both shows were broadcast live on radio and television. As on several occasions during the 'Virus'-tour, the band were augmented by second keyboard-player Jakob Klaasse and a horn-section featuring Joost. At the matinee, that didn't sell out, Herman Brood
and Belgian
musician Jean Blaute dropped by for the only live-performance of Als Je Wint (When You're A Winner). The big surprises though, were saved for the evening; all previous members appeared to revive the actual line-ups. During the second encore Joost took the front-stage for a special version of Nederwiet with lyrics about birds and fish. De Laatste Keer proved to be a fitting closer. Many fans were left in tears, fully aware that life would never be the same again.
The days of New Dutch Wave were soon drawing to a close. A few notable exceptions aside, bands were splitting up because they didn't want to go the same way as Doe Maar or briefly turned to English
material.
Henny refused to go on the road with his solo-album; he was scoring the 1985-released thriller De Prooi (The Prey) and producing albums for others. One of these acts was Dutch
-born, Belgian
-raised singer-turned-institution Raymond van het Groenewoud
. Habba (released at the end of 1984) is a fine example of what the fifth Doe Maar-album might have sounded like had they decided to take time off and start from scratch.
Ernst went back to the annual CCC Inc reunion gig and also turned his hand to producing; De Drie Heeren (featuring Joost), and indie-band Blue Murder. In 1985 he released his second novel; De Overkant (The Other Side) deals with the damage done by colonialism
on the Dutch Indies.
Jan. P. continued working with Henny, and Jan H. with Ernst. The increasingly hirsute Joost worked with both camps.
. The other ex-Doe Maar-members were also present with their current outfits, and at the end of the day the inevitable happened.
.
A follow-up for Geen Ballade was in the pipeline, and then in 1991 someone decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of 32 Jaar by re-releasing it. Doe Maar were back in the charts seven years after their split. A Best Of followed but the expected revival appeared to be non-existent. However, that November a much younger audience was exposed to the songwriting-talents of Ernst; the 12th annual album by children's choir Kinderen voor Kinderen
(who once coined the request to stop singing De Bom) included Verliefd Op De Meester, a song about a schoolgirl fancying her teacher.
in two versions, and called all Dads traitors. Second single Zonnebril saw him hiding behind sunglasses to play a different type of observer ("Looking up and down from breast to bum"). As with Geen Ballade the album got limited promotion; a few television appearances both live and playback (Countdown, where Jan P. mimed somebody else's drumming parts), and one acoustic solo gig the Vondelpark
in Amsterdam
.
club in Amsterdam to open for CCC Inc.'s 25th anniversary concert. Only a few took notice.
. Respect was mutual, Henny appeared to be a huge fan while Def P and his mates went on to sample De Bom.
By 1994 a new generation of pop groups emerged who dared to sing in their own language; most of these exponents were in their teens, or even had single figure-ages, when Doe Maar-mania had a grip on the nation. In this climate the farewell-concert was released on CD and VHS for exclusive sales at Free Record Shop
. In 1996 actor/presenter Tim Immers (1971) released an album of covers and originals, and charted with his version of the Doris Day-track Beter Bij Mij (Better Off With Me). Ernst, now a member of Boudewijn de Groot's new live-band, was offered to work with Immers but turned it down. "He's a nice bloke but he's got no talent".
to record a new version of 32 Jaar as a duet for the rock 'n roll junkie's 50th birthday-album. Early 1997 he collaborated with Def P again; the pair of them were interviewed for TMF
, and asked about the chances of "a Doe Maar-album with a hiphop-touch" Henny said "Somewhere next to zero". Fifteen years after Fante, Joost released his second solo-album (Als Een Rivier) which he recorded without his famous friends, although some tracks sounded like they did appear on it. In 1998 he teamed up with Ernst and Jan P. to take part in De Nederlied Connectie, an all-star band that toured the country with Dutch-language songs. Meanwhile Henny received an Outstanding Contribution Award for all his TV-/movie-soundtracks, and taped a cameo in children's movie Abeltje
as a vocal group member learning his own Smoorverliefd.
-style group who recently went mainstream with songs as Liefs Uit Londen en Wat Zou Je Doen. Their manager Frank van der Meijden used to be Doe Maar's and found himself matching past glories. In 1999 Blof embarked on a Doe Maar-covers-only tour as part of the successful Marlboro Flashback
-series. The real thing were invited to attend the show at the Amsterdam
Paradiso and quickly drew their conclusions. "That should've been us". At the end of October Henny joined Pascal Jakobsen and the boys on stage, but he had another surprise in store.
) and three shows at the Ahoy Rotterdam. Asked if they were doing it for the money, Ernst explained that "Money is a reason, but not the reason". Henny was always the most reluctant member to do a Doe Maar-reunion, but his teenage sons managed to persuade him. "Dad, you're a sissy if you let it pass". Annoyed by the question "How much will you earn ?" Henny responded with "Please Sir, do I ask you about your wages ?". Fifteen years after splitting up, Doe Maar became frontpage-news again, but now for the right reasons; they were going to close off this chapter properly, and finally taking that long-denied slice of the financial pie.
when he learned from the Reunion and felt surprised that they didn't ask him. Instead Rene did a My Drug Hell-interview for Nieuwe Revu
magazine in which he confessed to long-time heroin and cocain use as a way of dealing with the pressures of fame. "And in my naivety I couldn't tell them apart. Apparently that song (Heroine) was inspired by me; but it came too late to save me, cause by the time we recorded it I was well into my addiction". Now a drug-free vegetarian, Rene works as a graphic designer.
group dEUS sampled Da Da I Love You by German three-piece Trio
for their version of Pa, but permission came too late to have it included on the Dutch release. Only reggae-/rap-trio Postmen
, also signed to V2
, stayed close to the original with their version of De Bom. Rapper/funnyman Def Rhymz
lightened up this doom-laden track with some nonsense-lyrics. It was released on single and became a top 10-hit early 2000 (disappointed by the failure of their own subsequent material, frontman Anonymous Mis would later slag off his heroes' comeback).
Dutch dancemusic producer Jonathan Joosten sampled De bom for a dance version he called Tha Bomb. During a try-out concert prior to the reunion concerts he handed a demo to manager Frank van der Meijden. Original author Ernst approved the sample but the original record company and it's licensee at the time didn't. The song was pitched to radio 3FM were it was picked up by DJ Rob Stenders, just days prior to the reunion concerts started. After 2 weeks the song was placed on the stations playlist, while there was no record released. The official release of the song, released on Digidance label Paella, contains an interpolation of the sample replayed by studio musicians Bert Meulendijk (guitar), David de Marez Oyens (bass) and vocals by Johnny Kelvin and Addy van der Zwan. Rumour has there was a white label 12" record that did contain the original sample, which was spread amongst Dutch DJ's. Sales of the single dropped after recordshops noted the single was different than the version played on radio, but it did peak the Dutch Dance charts.
Two weeks into the recording sessions fate struck; Jan P. suffered from back problems and was replaced by Marc Stoop (drummer for New Dutch Wave-survivors VOF De Kunst) and Rene. Joost didn't contribute, his place was taken over by a professional percussionist, a multi-instrumentalist and a three-piece horn-section consisting of young musicians.
The trademark Doe Maar-sound was spiced up with influences such as triphop (courtesy of Henny whose late-1990s TV-scores sounded thus). As for the lyrics, Henny now sang about growing older (much to Ernst's annoyance); opening-song Alles Doet Het Nog (Everything Still Works) is about coming back in a world dominated by teenagers while the bigband-skanker Dansmuziek (to be adopted as the theme-tune of an I Love The 1980s-style programme) portrays a former King of the Dancefloor trapped in a fat man's body. De Bewoners Van Het Pand (Dear Occupants) is a note-of-eviction to the bored-to-death who wasted their once-in-a-lifetime chance to enjoy themselves, and featured a rap from Def P. Henny's observing nature catches up with him in the Middle-Eastern-flavoured De Droom, in which he dreams of facing The Truth's anger for not lending a hand during wartime "when people disappeared behind the killing moon". His closing title-track Klaar (Done) is best described as The Specials
taking the Nightboat To Sao Paolo.
Ernst was still the left-engaged ladies man but even his lyrics explored new territories; in Het Beste he decides that his fatherhood has become a failure, and in Overspel the ladies man has grown up to discover his potential for adultery (although not succumbing to it). The Beatles
que De Oorlog deals with inner-struggle while Bij Elkaar recalls Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
As a first Jan H. takes the lead in the UB 40-ish De Kater, a Henny-written song with a 'Let's drink our worries away and deal with the consequences later'-theme.
In February 2000 two singles were issued on the same day; Als Niet Als by Henny in with a rap from Antwerp-born Dutchman Brainpower
, and Ernst's anti-violence track Watje which sees the good man supplying a ragga
-style rap halfway.
Klaar was released in April 2000 and instantly went gold.
of the bone ; the show was rescheduled to July 5 while Henny finished the tour on painkillers. The finale took place two days later; someone decided to send a SM-dancer on stage during Nightnurse; the boys were not amused.
In November 2000 a live CD/DVD, Hees van Ahoy, was released. RTL
paired a TV-edit. Soon afterwards old ghosts came back to haunt Henny; the gossip press reported that he left his wife and kids to start over for the third time.
In 2007 they attended the premiere of Doe Maar: The Musical for which Henny did supervising work.
Against anyone's expectations Doe Maar announced a 2008 summer tour consisting of four club shows in June, a three-night residency at Rotterdam's Feijenoord Stadium on July 11, 12, and 13, and a performance at Belgium's brand new Werchter Boutique
-festival. Henny was quoted "This is not a reunion, we're back together" and there's even talk of a brand new studio-album.
|align=left|Doe Maar||1979||-||||||
|- align=center
|align=left|Skunk||1981||27-06-1981||1(3wk)||56||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doe de dub - Discodubversie||1982||-||||||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doris Day en andere stukken||1982||27-03-1982||1(3wk)||59||
|- align=center
|align=left|4us (Virus)||1983||26-03-1983||1(5wk)||21||
|- align=center
|align=left|Lijf aan lijf||1983||12-11-1983||22||14|| Live album
|- align=center
|align=left|5 Jaar Doe Maar, Het complete overzicht||1984||-|||||| Verzamelalbum / #5 in de TV LP Top 15
|- align=center
|align=left|'De beste van Doe Maar (LP)||1984||-|||||| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|De beste van Doe Maar (cd)||1987||-|||||| Verzamelalbum / #36 in de cd Top 40
|- align=center
|align=left|De beste||1991||01-06-1991||2||38|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Het complete hitoverzicht||1994||22-10-1994||39||11|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Het afscheidsconcert - Live in de Maaspoort 's Hertogenbosch||1995||-|||||| Live album (opgenomen 14-04-1984)
|- align=center
|align=left|Het allerbeste van Doe Maar||1999||13-11-1999||53||3|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Alles||1999||04-12-1999||5||38|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Klaar||2000||22-04-2000||1(5wk)||22||
|- align=center
|align=left|Hees van Ahoy||2000||18-11-2000||10||8|| Live album
|- align=center
|align=left|Hollands glorie||2004||-|||||| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Echt alles||2007||11-02-2007||12||24|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|De singles||2008||28-06-2008||9||14|| Verzamelalbum
|}
|align=left|Uitholling overdwars||1979||-|||||| Diverse Artiesten
|- align=center
|align=left|De gevestigde orde||1982||-|||||| Diverse Artiesten
|- align=center
|align=left|Een gebaar||1983||-|||||| Diverse Artiesten voor Amnesty International
|- align=center
|align=left|Trillend op mijn benen - Doe Maar Door Anderen||2000||29-01-2000||33||6||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doe Maar! De popmusical||2007||03-03-2007||26||12||
|}
Trillend op mijn benen is a tribute album
with: Bløf
, Postmen
feat. Def Rhymz
, Rowwen Hèze
, Skik, Trijntje Oosterhuis
, Caesar
, Prodigal Sons
, Grof Geschut, Daryll-Ann
, Abel, Heideroosjes
, Marcel de Groot, Bob Fosko and Osdorp Posse
.
Doe Maar! De Popmusical, with sub title 'Met de hits van Henny Vrienten en Ernst Jansz', contains songs from the musical sungen by: Daniël Boissevain, Kim-Lian van der Meij, Lenette van Dongen, Jan Rot, Annick Boer, Jan Elbertse, Dorien Haan and Bart Rijnink.
|align=left|Ik zou het willen doen||1979||09-02-1980||tip11||-||
|- align=center
|align=left|Sinds 1 dag of 2 (32 Jaar)||1980||13-06-1981||29||5||
|- align=center
|align=left|Smoorverliefd||1981||26-09-1981||tip12||-||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doris Day||1982||27-03-1982||9||9||
|- align=center
|align=left|Is dit alles||1982||12-06-1982||9||8||
|- align=center
|align=left|De bom||1982||06-11-1982||1(5wk)||13||
|- align=center
|align=left|Pa||1983||26-02-1983||1(2wk)||9|| Alarmschijf
|- align=center
|align=left|1 Nacht alleen||1983||04-06-1983||11||6||
|- align=center
|align=left|Macho||1984||04-02-1984||12||6|| Alarmschijf
|- align=center
|align=left|Sinds 1 dag of 2 (32 Jaar)||1991||01-06-1991||13||8||
|- align=center
|align=left|Als niet als||2000||08-04-2000||31||2|| met Brainpower
& Def P.
|- align=center
|align=left|Watje||2000||08-04-2000||9||8||
|- align=center
|align=left|De bom||2007||24-02-2007||tip19||-||
|}
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band with punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
influences. Their career ran from 1978 to 1984 and they were one of the most successful pop bands in Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
history. Doe Maar translates as Go Ahead or Just do it, a phrase mostly used in a deprecatory, sulky manner.
Early years
Doe Maar was formed in 1978 as the resident band of that year's Festival of FoolsFestival of Fools
The Festival of Fools is an annual Street Festival held in Belfast , usually during the May Bank Holiday weekend. It first started in 2004 and includes performances from around the world...
. Afterwards the 10-piece line-up was reduced to four; Ernst Jansz
Ernst Jansz
Ernst Gideon Jansz is one of the founding members and frontmen of Doe Maar. Doe Maar is a Dutch 1980s ska/reggae band, and is considered one of the most successful bands in Dutch pop history....
(May 24, 1948; keyboards, sax, percussion), Jan Hendriks
Jan Hendriks
Jan Hendriks was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films on screen and TV between 1950 and 1985.In 1952 he won the German Film Award as Best Male Newcomer...
(September 20, 1949; guitar), Carel Copier (drums) and Piet Dekker (bass). In 1979 they appeared on a sampler-album (Uitholling Overdwars) made up of new bands singing in Dutch. They also released their self-titled debut on Telstar
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites, including the first such satellite to relay television signals.The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962...
omitting the sampler-track Blozen (Blushing); the ska- and reggae-influences that later permeated their best known stuff were practically absent and the critics weren't impressed either.
"I fail to see how this lot will make a positive contribution to the future of Dutch music". Muziek Expres January 1980
Entering the new decade, Doe Maar hit the bubbling-under charts with the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
-/Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
flavoured Ik Zou Het Willen Doen (I'd Like To Do It) and the album sold 2000 copies. But it wasn't enough; after a fallout between Ernst and Piet Dekker (with the latter sent packing) the band seriously considered splitting up, but not before finishing their spring tour. Joost Belinfante, a versatile musician/free spirit with whom Ernst used to be in CCC Inc and Slumberlandband, agreed to step in for the time being.
Having completed the tour, Doe Maar decided that it would be a waste to give up the band. They asked Henny Vrienten
Henny Vrienten
Henny Vrienten is a Dutch composer of TV- and film-scores. He used to be the singer, songwriter and bass guitar player of the popular eighties ska pop band Doe Maar.-Early days:...
(July 27, 1948), a professional musician/composer who previously collaborated with Ernst as backing musicians for singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Boudewijn de Groot
Boudewijn de Groot
Boudewijn de Groot is a famous Dutch singer/songwriter. He is known for the songs "Welterusten Meneer de President" , "Land van Maas en Waal" , "Jimmy" and "Avond" among others...
during the mid-1970s. Henny initially refused, feeling that Doe Maar wasn't the right move in anybody's career, but he got second thoughts and decided to join the band after all. Henny came right on time to contribute the remaining three tracks (and the ska-/reggae-influences) to the second album; 32 Jaar (about a lovestruck, shaky-legged 32-year-old), Smoorverliefd (Smitten) and De Laatste Keer (The Last Time). This song is about breaking up and starting over, a subject close to Henny's heart as he had recently split with his wife and stepsons. Joost Belinfante was also involved and delivered Nix Voor Jou (Not Your Type; one of Carel's two lead vocals) and crowd favourite to be Nederwiet. Where Henny plays the role of the observer
Observation
Observation is either an activity of a living being, such as a human, consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during this activity...
, Ernst's lyrics witness a left-engaged ladies' man being a stranger in his father's land (the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
-themed Ruma Saya) and having intimate moments with a girl whose heart belongs to someone else (Alice).
Breakthrough
Skunk, packed in a Henny-designed green-/pink sleeve, was supposed to be released in December 1980, but TelstarTelstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites, including the first such satellite to relay television signals.The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962...
(still not convinced that Doe Maar had quality work to offer) postponed the album to March 1981 (post-carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
). It was felt that the band's effort would not survive amidst bigger names during the end of year festivities.
However, Telstar
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites, including the first such satellite to relay television signals.The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962...
did start marketing the album and samples were sent to the radio stations. Due to an error, the DJs did not know that the record had not been released, and played the music on the radio.
Listeners immediately picked up on the song, 32 Jaar, although they struggled to remember the original name Sinds 1 Dag Of 2 (For a day or 2), until radio DJ Frits Spits renamed it to the current title.
'32 Jaar' reached No. 29 in the Top 40 and Doe Maar did a lot of gigging (although the attendance-figures still left a lot to be desired). Joost Belinfante regularly joined them on trombone and handpercussion, and sang a few tracks intended for his 1982 solo-album Fante (produced by Henny). The band received an encouragement award and released Smoorverliefd (Smitten) as the next single in September, but then fate struck...
Carel suffered from a fractured muscle which basically ended his career. Searching for a replacement they recruited Rene van Collem (1961), a seaside bartender who knew how to play a reggae-beat. He joined in time to record the third album of which the title track (Doris Day) was a complaint against TV boredom. The song initially had a reference to the legendary movie program host Simon van Collem till it transpired that he was in fact Rene's father. Henny's other efforts dealt with subjects such as unhappy marriages (Is Dit Alles), failure to quit cigarettes, junkfood and alcohol (OK) and desperately searching for a warm embrace (Radeloos). Ernst delivered songs about getting the cold shoulder (Situatie), sleeping with a 16-year-old (Belle Helene, featuring a sax-solo from the man himself) and dumping a girl for being overexperienced (De Eerste Keer). With Joost he co-wrote Nachtmerrie Op Hol (Nightmare On The Loose) about dreams of revisited exams.
Early 1982 Doe Maar were still playing to below-capacity crowds, but that all changed after the March release of Doris Day which made the top 10. Regular television appearances and sellout gigs all over the country mainly attended by teenagers. Ernst, Henny and Jan H. enjoyed the success, unlike Rene whose behavior was seen as a problem. Therefore the band decided to replace him with Jan Pijnenburg (1955). But again fate intervened; Jan P. had made one television-appearance in May when he broke practically all his bones in a car-crash. Rene came back while his successor spent the next six months recovering. He played his b(igg)est-ever gig at Pinkpop
Pinkpop
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend...
on May 31 where the band (including Joost who still joined them from time to time) kicked off a sunny day. Offstage pics legendarily showed Ernst in his swimming trunks.
New Dutch Wave
Doe Maar's newfound success continued with Is Dit Alles (Is That All; a song that questions the perfect marriage) and gave rise to the NederpopNederpop
Nederpop is a Dutch term that was invented by the mid-1970s to describe the Dutch pop music scene of the 1960s and 1970s that was gaining worldwide attention, exemplified by bands such as Shocking Blue, Golden Earring and Focus....
(New Dutch Wave) explosion; (relatively) young bands singing in their own language at a time when serious music fans snubbed it. In October Doe Maar made their second appearance at Flaterpop, an indoor-festival celebrating contemporary Dutch-language music and they headlined the first edition of the live-broadcast Veronica's Rocknight following English-language groups Vitesse and Golden Earring
Golden Earring
Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...
. Birthday Boy Joost (October 8, 1946) was present to sing Nederwiet during the jam-session.
By the end of 1982 Doe Maar notched up their first number 1-hit with De Bom,a joint Ernst-/Henny-composition with the underlying message 'What's the point of making a career/doing your homework when the (atomic) bomb can drop at any moment?'
In January 1983 Jan P. was finally installed for the band's best-remembered line-up (although he spent a few more months walking on crutches). After a warm-up tour they taped a TV-special predominantly miming tracks off their yet-to-release fourth album (recorded with Rene) including their latest single Pa about a father-/son-dispute with the former mellowed out and the latter still carrying on regardless. Again it hit the top spot. The B-side, Nachtzuster (Nightnurse, written by Henny) became as equally popular, courtesy of its inclusion in the TV-special.
Overexposure
By this time the boys stopped enjoying their success; greedy businessmen selling green-/pink merchandising, overzealous fans taping their private moments, girls fainting at gigs in sports arenas and gossip press coverage were the order of the day. Shortly after the release of Virus (creatively spelt 4US) in March, Doe Maar announced a publicity-break; i.e., no interviews and radio- and television-appearances. Dexys Midnight RunnersDexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
(for whom they opened at a 1981 radio-broadcast concert) would've been proud.
This decision backfired, as Doe Maar-mania grew even bigger. But it wasn't just them who had enough; headlining Pinkpop
Pinkpop
Pinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend...
on May 23 the band were targeted with apples for selling out to the teen-mags and turning the festival into a glorified children's matinee. Henny, who got one in his face, responded by saying "If you keep this up then there'll be a real Nightnurse on hand. We don't mind you lot throwing at us but we do mind that our fans get hurt. And another thing; if you really don't like it, then fuck off". Henny would later say that 'Applegate' "made us realise that we couldn't go on like this".
Lifting the publicity-ban in September, Doe Maar embarked on their first proper tour of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
with a surprise-performance at Flaterpop (October 9) thrown in for good measure. Ernst released his debut novel Gideon's Droom about the immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
of his Indonesian
Indonesians
Indonesians may be:*any nation or ethnic group of Indonesia**see Demographics of Indonesia**see Overseas Indonesians**see Ethnic groups in Indonesia**see Native Indonesians...
father. Henny recorded his first Dutch-language solo-album (Geen Ballade; released in March 1984) with a little help from his friends. The entire Doe Maar line-up even appeared on closing instrumental Amstel Hotel 13:00.
In December the band flew to the Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
where Doe Maar-mania also reigned supreme. They played shows on Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and Sint Maarten In between they recorded a new single; Macho, released in January 1984, a resentment of lad culture
Lad culture
Lad culture is a subculture commonly associated with Britpop music of the 1990s."The image of the 'lad' or 'new lad' arose in the early 1990s as a generally middle-class figure espousing attitudes conventionally attributed to the working classes"...
from the viewpoint of a man who grew up as part of an otherwise all-female offspring ("If I only was a woman, we'd be knitting together"). Because of its no. 12-peak and its 1960s-style video, Macho was dismissed as an artistic and commercial failure.
The B-side was Grote Broer, which translates as Big Brother. Coincidentally Ernst wrote a Happy New Year-message for Popfoto-magazine in which he expressed hope for a better outcome of 1984 than predicted in the book he once read
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
.
Break-up
In February Doe Maar went into the studio to record their fifth album, but the vibe wasn't happening, and during a crisis meeting on the 13th they decided to call it a day. The split was officially announced three days later after a newspaper-leakout. The 8 O Clock News spoke of "weeping teenage-girls who couldn't believe that it was all over".Shocked by the fans' responses Doe Maar pencilled in a farewell-concert at the Maaspoort in Den Bosch on April 14. Due to overwhelming interest a second one was added as a matinee. Both shows were broadcast live on radio and television. As on several occasions during the 'Virus'-tour, the band were augmented by second keyboard-player Jakob Klaasse and a horn-section featuring Joost. At the matinee, that didn't sell out, Herman Brood
Herman Brood
Hermanus "Herman" Brood was a Dutch musician, painter and media personality. Initially a musician who achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and called "the Netherlands' greatest and only rock 'n' roll star," later in life he became a well-known painter.Known for his...
and Belgian
Demographics of Belgium
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Belgium, including ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population...
musician Jean Blaute dropped by for the only live-performance of Als Je Wint (When You're A Winner). The big surprises though, were saved for the evening; all previous members appeared to revive the actual line-ups. During the second encore Joost took the front-stage for a special version of Nederwiet with lyrics about birds and fish. De Laatste Keer proved to be a fitting closer. Many fans were left in tears, fully aware that life would never be the same again.
The days of New Dutch Wave were soon drawing to a close. A few notable exceptions aside, bands were splitting up because they didn't want to go the same way as Doe Maar or briefly turned to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
material.
Henny refused to go on the road with his solo-album; he was scoring the 1985-released thriller De Prooi (The Prey) and producing albums for others. One of these acts was Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-born, Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
-raised singer-turned-institution Raymond van het Groenewoud
Raymond van het Groenewoud
Raymond van het Groenewoud is one of the most popular Belgian music artists. He is of Dutch and Jewish descent and sings mostly in Flemish. His career started in 1973 and he has since scored many hits in Flanders and the Netherlands, in many different styles...
. Habba (released at the end of 1984) is a fine example of what the fifth Doe Maar-album might have sounded like had they decided to take time off and start from scratch.
Ernst went back to the annual CCC Inc reunion gig and also turned his hand to producing; De Drie Heeren (featuring Joost), and indie-band Blue Murder. In 1985 he released his second novel; De Overkant (The Other Side) deals with the damage done by colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
on the Dutch Indies.
Jan. P. continued working with Henny, and Jan H. with Ernst. The increasingly hirsute Joost worked with both camps.
Reunions
In 1986, Henny, Jan P. and Joost resurfaced in The Magnificent Seven, a collective that played ancient tunes like The Teddy Bear's Picknick. One of their early performances was at a benefit-concert for Radio FreedomRadio Freedom
Radio Freedom was the radio propaganda arm of the African National Congress during the anti-Apartheid struggle from the 1970s through the 1990s. While the broadcasts were from different radio stations , their station identifications all sported the trademark introduction familiar to many from the...
. The other ex-Doe Maar-members were also present with their current outfits, and at the end of the day the inevitable happened.
A song for the ladies
In 1987 Ernst and Jan H. got involved with female-fronted bands, both fictional (television series Switch) and real-life. (Midnight Hour and Rien Ne Va Plus). In 1990 Ernst wrote a song for Patty & Shift from the successful Spijkerhoek series. The actual season saw Patty facing the wrath of an obsessive, lesbian fan played by Switch-actress and Mrs. Jansz-to-be Jaloe Maat.News from the bassman
That same year Henny appeared in the low-budget-movie Let The Music Dance (starring a semi-retired Boudewijn de Groot) while The Magnificent Seven had their first and only album out. Henny also worked with Belgian singer-songwriter Jan De Wilde and recorded a duet with the lead singer of demissionary New Dutch Wave-survivors Frank Boeijen GroepFrank Boeijen
Frank Boeijen is a Dutch singer and guitarist. His best known songs are Kronenburg Park about a prostitute, Zwart Wit about the racial murder of Kerwin Duinmeijer in Amsterdam and Twee gezichten about a split personality...
.
A follow-up for Geen Ballade was in the pipeline, and then in 1991 someone decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of 32 Jaar by re-releasing it. Doe Maar were back in the charts seven years after their split. A Best Of followed but the expected revival appeared to be non-existent. However, that November a much younger audience was exposed to the songwriting-talents of Ernst; the 12th annual album by children's choir Kinderen voor Kinderen
Kinderen voor Kinderen
Kinderen voor Kinderen is a Dutch children's choir maintained by public broadcaster VARA. The name translates as "children for children".Since 1980 the choir has released one album of new children's songs each year, and is probably the only act from the 1980s with consecutive albums in the top 40...
(who once coined the request to stop singing De Bom) included Verliefd Op De Meester, a song about a schoolgirl fancying her teacher.
Songs from the heart
Early 1992 Henny finally released Mijn Hart Slaapt Nooit (My Sleepless Heart). Jan P. and Joost contributed, as well as prominent names from the Dutch Latin music scene. Thus the outcome was Doe Maar-meets-Magnificent Seven with a Caribbean twist. Henny used free-range pigs as a metaphore for racial inequality (Scharrelvarken, the first single), was happy not to fit in, mocked vanityVanity
In conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity, but...
in two versions, and called all Dads traitors. Second single Zonnebril saw him hiding behind sunglasses to play a different type of observer ("Looking up and down from breast to bum"). As with Geen Ballade the album got limited promotion; a few television appearances both live and playback (Countdown, where Jan P. mimed somebody else's drumming parts), and one acoustic solo gig the Vondelpark
Vondelpark
The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located in the stadsdeel Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened in 1865 and originally named the "Nieuwe Park", but later renamed to "Vondelpark", after the 17th...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
Secret reunion II
Meanwhile rumours abounded that Doe Maar would reunite for Veronica's annual Golden Oldie-festival; it didn't happen, but in December Ernst, Henny, Joost and the two Jans were on stage together at the MelkwegMelkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
club in Amsterdam to open for CCC Inc.'s 25th anniversary concert. Only a few took notice.
The new generation I
In 1993, the year that Ernst wrote another song for Kinderen voor Kinderen, Henny collaborated with pioneering Dutch-language rappers Osdorp PosseOsdorp Posse
Osdorp Posse was one of the first rap groups to produce rap music in Dutch language. ‘The Posse’ was formed in 1989 by Def-P , King , IJsblok and Seda...
. Respect was mutual, Henny appeared to be a huge fan while Def P and his mates went on to sample De Bom.
By 1994 a new generation of pop groups emerged who dared to sing in their own language; most of these exponents were in their teens, or even had single figure-ages, when Doe Maar-mania had a grip on the nation. In this climate the farewell-concert was released on CD and VHS for exclusive sales at Free Record Shop
Free Record Shop
Free Record Shop is a large Dutch retailer of home entertainment products, such as CDs, DVDs and video games, founded by Hans Breukhoven. Its first store opened on the October 15, 1971 in Schiedam, the Netherlands...
. In 1996 actor/presenter Tim Immers (1971) released an album of covers and originals, and charted with his version of the Doris Day-track Beter Bij Mij (Better Off With Me). Ernst, now a member of Boudewijn de Groot's new live-band, was offered to work with Immers but turned it down. "He's a nice bloke but he's got no talent".
Secret reunion III
Also in 1996 Henny went into the studio with the two Jans and Herman BroodHerman Brood
Hermanus "Herman" Brood was a Dutch musician, painter and media personality. Initially a musician who achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and called "the Netherlands' greatest and only rock 'n' roll star," later in life he became a well-known painter.Known for his...
to record a new version of 32 Jaar as a duet for the rock 'n roll junkie's 50th birthday-album. Early 1997 he collaborated with Def P again; the pair of them were interviewed for TMF
The Music Factory
The Music Factory is a pop music television channel that operates in Belgium .TMF previously operated channels in the Netherlands , the UK with TMF UK and Australia with . The brand is owned by MTV Networks International...
, and asked about the chances of "a Doe Maar-album with a hiphop-touch" Henny said "Somewhere next to zero". Fifteen years after Fante, Joost released his second solo-album (Als Een Rivier) which he recorded without his famous friends, although some tracks sounded like they did appear on it. In 1998 he teamed up with Ernst and Jan P. to take part in De Nederlied Connectie, an all-star band that toured the country with Dutch-language songs. Meanwhile Henny received an Outstanding Contribution Award for all his TV-/movie-soundtracks, and taped a cameo in children's movie Abeltje
Abeltje
For the 1998 film, see The Flying LiftboyAbeltje is a children's book by celebrated Dutch author Annie M. G. Schmidt, originally published in 1953 by De Arbeiderspers. It was one of Annie M. G. Schmidt's first children's books, and such an instant success that it was already in its fourth edition...
as a vocal group member learning his own Smoorverliefd.
The new generation II
Ernst collaborated with Blof, a Counting CrowsCounting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
-style group who recently went mainstream with songs as Liefs Uit Londen en Wat Zou Je Doen. Their manager Frank van der Meijden used to be Doe Maar's and found himself matching past glories. In 1999 Blof embarked on a Doe Maar-covers-only tour as part of the successful Marlboro Flashback
Marlboro
Marlboro is the name of various geographical locations, frequently named after the town of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England:United States*Marlboro, New York*Marlboro, Vermont*Marlboro, Virginia*Marlboro County, South Carolina; Ohio...
-series. The real thing were invited to attend the show at the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
Paradiso and quickly drew their conclusions. "That should've been us". At the end of October Henny joined Pascal Jakobsen and the boys on stage, but he had another surprise in store.
A nation cheers
November 1, 1999; Ernst, Henny and the two Jans held a press-conference at the National Pop Institution's HQ to announce a reunion for one last album (to be released on V2V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
) and three shows at the Ahoy Rotterdam. Asked if they were doing it for the money, Ernst explained that "Money is a reason, but not the reason". Henny was always the most reluctant member to do a Doe Maar-reunion, but his teenage sons managed to persuade him. "Dad, you're a sissy if you let it pass". Annoyed by the question "How much will you earn ?" Henny responded with "Please Sir, do I ask you about your wages ?". Fifteen years after splitting up, Doe Maar became frontpage-news again, but now for the right reasons; they were going to close off this chapter properly, and finally taking that long-denied slice of the financial pie.
Rene comes clean
After his departure Rene's career went in a commercially downward spiral. Early 1984 he joined funk-/disco-band Spargo whose biggest successes (and classic line-up) were in the past by then. Like Doe Maar, they didn't survive the year. In 1985 Rene continued with three-piece Powerplay who also had seen their best days with previous members. In an ultimate history repeats-moment he handed over the sticks to Jan P. By 1997 Rene drummed in several bands including the critically acclaimed Sjako. He was in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
when he learned from the Reunion and felt surprised that they didn't ask him. Instead Rene did a My Drug Hell-interview for Nieuwe Revu
Nieuwe Revu
The Nieuwe Revu is a weekly general interest magazine from The Netherlands, coming out on Wednesday and is written in Dutch.The magazine was an explicitly left winged in the seventies with a big focus on sex, sensation and socialism.-Editorial board:...
magazine in which he confessed to long-time heroin and cocain use as a way of dealing with the pressures of fame. "And in my naivety I couldn't tell them apart. Apparently that song (Heroine) was inspired by me; but it came too late to save me, cause by the time we recorded it I was well into my addiction". Now a drug-free vegetarian, Rene works as a graphic designer.
A shaky tribute
In preparation for fresh Doe Maar-tracks, a tribute-album was released. Trillend Op M'n Benen (Shaky Legs) featured covers stripped from the ska-/reggae-angle. The re-released 32 Jaar appeared in both Dutch and English (phonetically translated as Tastes Of Sweet Desire). BelgianBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
group dEUS sampled Da Da I Love You by German three-piece Trio
Trio (band)
Trio was a German band. It formed in the small German town of Großenkneten in 1980. The band is most noted for the song "Da da da, ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha" which was a hit in 30 countries worldwide. Trio was a product of the Neue Deutsche Welle...
for their version of Pa, but permission came too late to have it included on the Dutch release. Only reggae-/rap-trio Postmen
Postmen
Postmen was a reggae/hip hop band from the Netherlands. After their split up, former member The Anonymous Mis continued as Postman.The group was founded by The Anonymous Mis and G-Boah in 1993. They were influenced by Kool G Rap, Eric B & Rakim, Burning Spear and Bob Marley...
, also signed to V2
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
, stayed close to the original with their version of De Bom. Rapper/funnyman Def Rhymz
Def rhymz
Def Rhymz is a Dutch rapper. He is known for his sexist, funny raps. He was the first Dutch rapper ever to hit the number 1 spot on the Dutch charts, with two songs: Doekoe in 1999 and Schudden in 2001.- References :...
lightened up this doom-laden track with some nonsense-lyrics. It was released on single and became a top 10-hit early 2000 (disappointed by the failure of their own subsequent material, frontman Anonymous Mis would later slag off his heroes' comeback).
Dutch dancemusic producer Jonathan Joosten sampled De bom for a dance version he called Tha Bomb. During a try-out concert prior to the reunion concerts he handed a demo to manager Frank van der Meijden. Original author Ernst approved the sample but the original record company and it's licensee at the time didn't. The song was pitched to radio 3FM were it was picked up by DJ Rob Stenders, just days prior to the reunion concerts started. After 2 weeks the song was placed on the stations playlist, while there was no record released. The official release of the song, released on Digidance label Paella, contains an interpolation of the sample replayed by studio musicians Bert Meulendijk (guitar), David de Marez Oyens (bass) and vocals by Johnny Kelvin and Addy van der Zwan. Rumour has there was a white label 12" record that did contain the original sample, which was spread amongst Dutch DJ's. Sales of the single dropped after recordshops noted the single was different than the version played on radio, but it did peak the Dutch Dance charts.
Older & wiser
When Doe Maar entered the studio Ernst and Henny had 30 songs in their pockets, but because there was only so much time they had to cut it down to 18. A 'Making Of'-documentary saw the two frontmen competing for the lullaby-spot as a potential closer, but neither effort made the final cut.Two weeks into the recording sessions fate struck; Jan P. suffered from back problems and was replaced by Marc Stoop (drummer for New Dutch Wave-survivors VOF De Kunst) and Rene. Joost didn't contribute, his place was taken over by a professional percussionist, a multi-instrumentalist and a three-piece horn-section consisting of young musicians.
The trademark Doe Maar-sound was spiced up with influences such as triphop (courtesy of Henny whose late-1990s TV-scores sounded thus). As for the lyrics, Henny now sang about growing older (much to Ernst's annoyance); opening-song Alles Doet Het Nog (Everything Still Works) is about coming back in a world dominated by teenagers while the bigband-skanker Dansmuziek (to be adopted as the theme-tune of an I Love The 1980s-style programme) portrays a former King of the Dancefloor trapped in a fat man's body. De Bewoners Van Het Pand (Dear Occupants) is a note-of-eviction to the bored-to-death who wasted their once-in-a-lifetime chance to enjoy themselves, and featured a rap from Def P. Henny's observing nature catches up with him in the Middle-Eastern-flavoured De Droom, in which he dreams of facing The Truth's anger for not lending a hand during wartime "when people disappeared behind the killing moon". His closing title-track Klaar (Done) is best described as The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
taking the Nightboat To Sao Paolo.
Ernst was still the left-engaged ladies man but even his lyrics explored new territories; in Het Beste he decides that his fatherhood has become a failure, and in Overspel the ladies man has grown up to discover his potential for adultery (although not succumbing to it). The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
que De Oorlog deals with inner-struggle while Bij Elkaar recalls Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
As a first Jan H. takes the lead in the UB 40-ish De Kater, a Henny-written song with a 'Let's drink our worries away and deal with the consequences later'-theme.
In February 2000 two singles were issued on the same day; Als Niet Als by Henny in with a rap from Antwerp-born Dutchman Brainpower
Brainpower
Gertjan Mulder, professionally known as Brainpower, is a bi-lingual rapper, who writes, records and performs in both the English as well as the Dutch language. The Dutch audience mainly knows him as a Dutch language rapper. He was born in Belgium and grew up in the Netherlands. He started making...
, and Ernst's anti-violence track Watje which sees the good man supplying a ragga
Ragga
-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...
-style rap halfway.
Klaar was released in April 2000 and instantly went gold.
Hoarse throats
Due to overwhelming ticket demand the three reunion-concerts expanded up to a whole tour consisting of eight warm-up shows in both the Netherlands and Belgium, and a 16-night stint at the Ahoy interrupted for a one-off at the Antwerp Sports Palace; the same crew of extra musicians on Klaar joined them on stage, only Rene was not invited. The set was basically the same as during the 1983/84 shows but with a couple of the new tracks thrown in for good measure. The tour was a hit with both fans and critics, and everything went well till June 26 when Henny was rushed to hospital with meningitisMeningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
of the bone ; the show was rescheduled to July 5 while Henny finished the tour on painkillers. The finale took place two days later; someone decided to send a SM-dancer on stage during Nightnurse; the boys were not amused.
In November 2000 a live CD/DVD, Hees van Ahoy, was released. RTL
RTL 4
RTL 4 is a commercial television station in the Netherlands. It is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. The station has three sister tv channels: RTL 5, RTL 7 and RTL 8...
paired a TV-edit. Soon afterwards old ghosts came back to haunt Henny; the gossip press reported that he left his wife and kids to start over for the third time.
Over & done ?
Not entirely; Ernst, Henny and Jan H. reunited on Boudewijn de Groot's 2004-album Eiland in de Verte (Distant Island).In 2007 they attended the premiere of Doe Maar: The Musical for which Henny did supervising work.
Against anyone's expectations Doe Maar announced a 2008 summer tour consisting of four club shows in June, a three-night residency at Rotterdam's Feijenoord Stadium on July 11, 12, and 13, and a performance at Belgium's brand new Werchter Boutique
Werchter
Werchter is a small village in Belgium, belonging to the municipality of Rotselaar. It is site of the festival Rock Werchter. The origin of the place name is unknown but it's thought to be a watername.It is the birthplace of painter Cornelius Van Leemputten....
-festival. Henny was quoted "This is not a reunion, we're back together" and there's even talk of a brand new studio-album.
Albums
|- align=center|align=left|Doe Maar||1979||-||||||
|- align=center
|align=left|Skunk||1981||27-06-1981||1(3wk)||56||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doe de dub - Discodubversie||1982||-||||||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doris Day en andere stukken||1982||27-03-1982||1(3wk)||59||
|- align=center
|align=left|4us (Virus)||1983||26-03-1983||1(5wk)||21||
|- align=center
|align=left|Lijf aan lijf||1983||12-11-1983||22||14|| Live album
|- align=center
|align=left|5 Jaar Doe Maar, Het complete overzicht||1984||-|||||| Verzamelalbum / #5 in de TV LP Top 15
|- align=center
|align=left|'De beste van Doe Maar (LP)||1984||-|||||| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|De beste van Doe Maar (cd)||1987||-|||||| Verzamelalbum / #36 in de cd Top 40
|- align=center
|align=left|De beste||1991||01-06-1991||2||38|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Het complete hitoverzicht||1994||22-10-1994||39||11|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Het afscheidsconcert - Live in de Maaspoort 's Hertogenbosch||1995||-|||||| Live album (opgenomen 14-04-1984)
|- align=center
|align=left|Het allerbeste van Doe Maar||1999||13-11-1999||53||3|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Alles||1999||04-12-1999||5||38|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Klaar||2000||22-04-2000||1(5wk)||22||
|- align=center
|align=left|Hees van Ahoy||2000||18-11-2000||10||8|| Live album
|- align=center
|align=left|Hollands glorie||2004||-|||||| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|Echt alles||2007||11-02-2007||12||24|| Verzamelalbum
|- align=center
|align=left|De singles||2008||28-06-2008||9||14|| Verzamelalbum
|}
Other albums
|- align=center|align=left|Uitholling overdwars||1979||-|||||| Diverse Artiesten
|- align=center
|align=left|De gevestigde orde||1982||-|||||| Diverse Artiesten
|- align=center
|align=left|Een gebaar||1983||-|||||| Diverse Artiesten voor Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
|- align=center
|align=left|Trillend op mijn benen - Doe Maar Door Anderen||2000||29-01-2000||33||6||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doe Maar! De popmusical||2007||03-03-2007||26||12||
|}
Trillend op mijn benen is a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
with: Bløf
Bløf
BLØF is an award-winning four-piece Dutch rock band from Vlissingen, Zeeland, the Netherlands, which has become popular regionally and internationally for its music, its frequent collaborations with bands from other parts of the world, willingness to incorporate other genres into their "sound", and...
, Postmen
Postmen
Postmen was a reggae/hip hop band from the Netherlands. After their split up, former member The Anonymous Mis continued as Postman.The group was founded by The Anonymous Mis and G-Boah in 1993. They were influenced by Kool G Rap, Eric B & Rakim, Burning Spear and Bob Marley...
feat. Def Rhymz
Def rhymz
Def Rhymz is a Dutch rapper. He is known for his sexist, funny raps. He was the first Dutch rapper ever to hit the number 1 spot on the Dutch charts, with two songs: Doekoe in 1999 and Schudden in 2001.- References :...
, Rowwen Hèze
Rowwen Hèze
Rowwen Hèze is a band from the small village of America in the south of the Netherlands. They are one of the biggest bands singing in a northern dialect of Limburgish. The band was founded in 1985.-Music:...
, Skik, Trijntje Oosterhuis
Trijntje Oosterhuis
Judith Katrijntje "Trijntje" Oosterhuis is a Dutch pop and jazz singer.-Early life:Judith Katrijntje Oosterhuis was born on 5 February 1973, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands...
, Caesar
Caesar (band)
Caesar was an indie rock trio from Amsterdam consisting of Roald van Oosten, Marit de Loos and Sem Bakker. The band was founded in 1994. Caesar released four studio albums, plus one retrospective release in 2006, Before My Band Explodes....
, Prodigal Sons
Prodigal Sons
Prodigal Sons is an album by the Irish group The Dubliners. Produced by Bill Whelan, who later became famous for Riverdance, this album featured cellist Nigel Warren-Green as guest musician...
, Grof Geschut, Daryll-Ann
Daryll-Ann
Daryll-Ann was a Dutch rock band stemming from Ermelo, a small rural village in the east of the Netherlands. Between 1992 and 2004 the band released six studio albums, plus one live album. Daryll-Ann was the first signing of Dutch label Excelsior Recordings...
, Abel, Heideroosjes
Heideroosjes
Heideroosjes , is a punk rock band from Horst aan de Maas, Netherlands. The band is known for their energetic shows and songs with lyrics mostly in Dutch and English, and a few songs in German and Limburgs...
, Marcel de Groot, Bob Fosko and Osdorp Posse
Osdorp Posse
Osdorp Posse was one of the first rap groups to produce rap music in Dutch language. ‘The Posse’ was formed in 1989 by Def-P , King , IJsblok and Seda...
.
Doe Maar! De Popmusical, with sub title 'Met de hits van Henny Vrienten en Ernst Jansz', contains songs from the musical sungen by: Daniël Boissevain, Kim-Lian van der Meij, Lenette van Dongen, Jan Rot, Annick Boer, Jan Elbertse, Dorien Haan and Bart Rijnink.
Singles
|- align=center|align=left|Ik zou het willen doen||1979||09-02-1980||tip11||-||
|- align=center
|align=left|Sinds 1 dag of 2 (32 Jaar)||1980||13-06-1981||29||5||
|- align=center
|align=left|Smoorverliefd||1981||26-09-1981||tip12||-||
|- align=center
|align=left|Doris Day||1982||27-03-1982||9||9||
|- align=center
|align=left|Is dit alles||1982||12-06-1982||9||8||
|- align=center
|align=left|De bom||1982||06-11-1982||1(5wk)||13||
|- align=center
|align=left|Pa||1983||26-02-1983||1(2wk)||9|| Alarmschijf
|- align=center
|align=left|1 Nacht alleen||1983||04-06-1983||11||6||
|- align=center
|align=left|Macho||1984||04-02-1984||12||6|| Alarmschijf
|- align=center
|align=left|Sinds 1 dag of 2 (32 Jaar)||1991||01-06-1991||13||8||
|- align=center
|align=left|Als niet als||2000||08-04-2000||31||2|| met Brainpower
Brainpower
Gertjan Mulder, professionally known as Brainpower, is a bi-lingual rapper, who writes, records and performs in both the English as well as the Dutch language. The Dutch audience mainly knows him as a Dutch language rapper. He was born in Belgium and grew up in the Netherlands. He started making...
& Def P.
|- align=center
|align=left|Watje||2000||08-04-2000||9||8||
|- align=center
|align=left|De bom||2007||24-02-2007||tip19||-||
|}
External links
- The official Doe Maar website
- The unofficial Doe Maar website
- http://www.xs4all.nl/~pulp/doemaar/virus.htm is a discussion in Dutch of the band's history and especially of the album 4us .