Gruppo Sportivo
Encyclopedia
Gruppo Sportivo are a Dutch
pop
band, from The Hague
, formed in 1976, who enjoyed some measure of international success in the late 1970s and 1980s. The frontman of the band, and writer of the material, is Hans Vandenburg.
Their first single was "Out There In The Jungle" (Polydor
1976), but the height of their career came with the two albums Ten Mistakes (1977) and Back to '78 (1978). They came to popularity just after the height of punk rock
, but were regarded as more post-punk
, veering more towards the mainstream pop
. Their track "Dreamin'" off of Mistakes received much college radio airplay
in the US
. They were admired for their live performances, which had great humour and slapstick. Their most well-known song is "Beep Beep Love" (from the album Ten Mistakes), which enjoyed some success both in the UK
and US. The UK's Radio & Records voted them "Top Newcomer '78". In July 2006, the Japanese girl band, Puffy AmiYumi
, recorded a new version of "Tokyo", originally recorded by Gruppo Sportivo in 1978.
Gruppo Sportivo is still active and Vandenburg (aka Van DeFruits) is constantly working on new material.
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...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band, from The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, formed in 1976, who enjoyed some measure of international success in the late 1970s and 1980s. The frontman of the band, and writer of the material, is Hans Vandenburg.
Their first single was "Out There In The Jungle" (Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
1976), but the height of their career came with the two albums Ten Mistakes (1977) and Back to '78 (1978). They came to popularity just after the height of punk rock
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...
, but were regarded as more post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, veering more towards the mainstream pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Their track "Dreamin'" off of Mistakes received much college radio airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They were admired for their live performances, which had great humour and slapstick. Their most well-known song is "Beep Beep Love" (from the album Ten Mistakes), which enjoyed some success both in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and US. The UK's Radio & Records voted them "Top Newcomer '78". In July 2006, the Japanese girl band, Puffy AmiYumi
Puffy AmiYumi
or Puffy AmiYumi is a Japanese rock duo that is currently signed with Sony Music Japan. The group continues to go by the moniker of PUFFY in Japan, but in order to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs, it has adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi outside of Japan...
, recorded a new version of "Tokyo", originally recorded by Gruppo Sportivo in 1978.
Gruppo Sportivo is still active and Vandenburg (aka Van DeFruits) is constantly working on new material.
Original line-up
- Hans Vandenburg: guitar/vocals;
- Peter Calicher: Keyboards;
- Max Mollinger: Drums, Vocals;
- Eric Wehrmeyer, Bass;
- Josee van Iersel, Vocals
- Meike Touw: Vocals
Present line-up
- Hans Vandenburg: guitar/ vocals;
- Peter Calicher: keyboards/ vocals;
- Max Mollinger: drums;
- Joris Lutz: bass;
- Lies Schilp: vocals;
- Inge Bonthond: vocals
Gruppo Sportivo
- Rare Tracks - Polydor (1976/77)
- Ten Mistakes - Ariola (1977)
- Back to '78 - Ariola (1978)
- Mistakes - Sire (1979)
- More Mistakes (7") - Sire (1979)
- Buddy Odor is a Gas - Pye (1979)
- Copy Copy - Ariola (1980)
- Pop! Goes the Brain - Ariola (1981)
- Rhythm is a Constant Beat (12") - Ariola (1981)
- Design Moderne - Ariola (1982)
- Sombrero Times - Ariola (1984)
- Sucker of the Century - JAWS Records (1986)
- Back to 19 Mistakes - BMG/Ariola (1987/88)
- Young and Out - Dutch VAN [2 CD Box] (1992)
- Sing Sing - Dutch VAN (1993)
- Second Life - Amsterdamned Records (1997)
- Married With Singles - Pseudonym Records (2000)
- Topless 16 - Pias (2004)
- DVD Career Movies (2006)
- Rock Now, Roll Later! - Pias [2CD](2007)
- The Secret of Success - T2 Entertainment (2011)
Hans Vandenburg
- Buddy Odor is a Gas - Pye (1979)
- Hans Vandenburg's Commercial Break - VAN Records (1994)
- Shake Hands With Vandenburg - VAN Records (1996)
- Ouwe Hans Dierenpark - Uit Het Leven Gegrepen - VAN records (1998)
- Dierenpark - Sliptong - Suburban (2002)
- Dierenpark - Tot Ziens, Bedankt, Het Beste Van Dierenpark Live! - My First Step Records (2006)