Shocking Blue
Encyclopedia
Shocking Blue was a Dutch
rock
band
from The Hague
, the Netherlands
, formed in 1967. Their biggest hit
, "Venus", went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
in February 1970, and the band had sold 13.5 million discs
by 1973, but the group disbanded in 1974.
Later members were:
. The group had a minor hit in 1968 with "Lucy Brown is Back in Town". After Mariska Veres
took over the vocals, the group charted a world-wide hit with the song "Venus", which reached #1 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
in February 1970. Initially the disc was a big hit in the Netherlands
, where it reached #3 in the summer of 1969. It subsequently sold 350,000 copies in Germany
, and topped the U.S. chart for three weeks, becoming the Netherlands' first American #1 hit. It sold over one million copies there by January 1970, and received a gold disc
awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America
. Global sales exceeded five million copies. The song was based on “The Banjo Song” (1963) by The Big Three.
Other hits include "Send Me a Postcard" in 1968/69 and "Long and Lonesome Road" (often mistakenly named as "Long Lonesome Road") in 1969. Shocking Blue's songs also received quite a large amount of radio airplay on Dutch channels.
"Venus" was followed by "Mighty Joe" (flip-side "Wild Wind") in 1969 and "Never Marry a Railroad Man" (flip-side "Roll Engine Roll") in 1970, which both sold over a million records. Later songs - including "Hello Darkness" (1970), "Shocking You", "Blossom Lady" and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" (1971), "Inkpot", "Rock in the Sea" and "Eve and the Apple" (1972) and "Oh Lord" (1973) were successful in Europe
, Latin America
and Asia
, but failed to chart in the U.S..
In 1974 Mariska Veres left the group to start a solo
career until 1982. Her singles "Take Me High" (1975) and "Lovin' You" (1976) were mainly popular in the Netherlands, Belgium
and Germany. Other known singles were "Tell It Like It Is" (1975), Dusty Springfield's "Little By Little" (1976), and "Too Young" (1978). Most of these songs today are rare.
Nirvana
covered
the Shocking Blue song "Love Buzz
" as their debut single in 1988 and it also appeared on the re-release of their 1989 album Bleach
.
CDs
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
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...
, the Netherlands
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...
, formed in 1967. Their biggest hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "Venus", went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in February 1970, and the band had sold 13.5 million discs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by 1973, but the group disbanded in 1974.
Members
The initial line-up consisted of:- Robbie van LeeuwenRobbie van LeeuwenRobbie van Leeuwen is a Dutch musician who used to be the guitarist, sitarist, background vocalist and main songwriter for the Dutch bands The Motions, Shocking Blue and Galaxy-Lin. His most well-known compositions are Shocking Blue's most famous songs, Venus, which was an American no...
(guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
and backing vocals) - Fred de Wilde (vocals, 1967–1968)
- Klaasje van der Wal (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, 1967–1972) - Cor van der Beek (drums)
Later members were:
- Mariska VeresMariska VeresMariska Veres was a Dutch singer who was best known as the lead singer of the rock group Shocking Blue. Her appearance was striking, featuring kohl cosmetic-lined eyes, high cheekbones, and long jet black wig.-Family:...
(vocals, 1968–1974) - Leo van de Ketterij (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 1970–1971) - Martin van Wijk (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 1973–1974) - Henk Smitskamp (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, 1972–1974)
History
Shocking Blue was founded in 1967 by Robbie van LeeuwenRobbie van Leeuwen
Robbie van Leeuwen is a Dutch musician who used to be the guitarist, sitarist, background vocalist and main songwriter for the Dutch bands The Motions, Shocking Blue and Galaxy-Lin. His most well-known compositions are Shocking Blue's most famous songs, Venus, which was an American no...
. The group had a minor hit in 1968 with "Lucy Brown is Back in Town". After Mariska Veres
Mariska Veres
Mariska Veres was a Dutch singer who was best known as the lead singer of the rock group Shocking Blue. Her appearance was striking, featuring kohl cosmetic-lined eyes, high cheekbones, and long jet black wig.-Family:...
took over the vocals, the group charted a world-wide hit with the song "Venus", which reached #1 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in February 1970. Initially the disc was a big hit in the Netherlands
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...
, where it reached #3 in the summer of 1969. It subsequently sold 350,000 copies in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and topped the U.S. chart for three weeks, becoming the Netherlands' first American #1 hit. It sold over one million copies there by January 1970, and received a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. Global sales exceeded five million copies. The song was based on “The Banjo Song” (1963) by The Big Three.
Other hits include "Send Me a Postcard" in 1968/69 and "Long and Lonesome Road" (often mistakenly named as "Long Lonesome Road") in 1969. Shocking Blue's songs also received quite a large amount of radio airplay on Dutch channels.
"Venus" was followed by "Mighty Joe" (flip-side "Wild Wind") in 1969 and "Never Marry a Railroad Man" (flip-side "Roll Engine Roll") in 1970, which both sold over a million records. Later songs - including "Hello Darkness" (1970), "Shocking You", "Blossom Lady" and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" (1971), "Inkpot", "Rock in the Sea" and "Eve and the Apple" (1972) and "Oh Lord" (1973) were successful in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, but failed to chart in the U.S..
In 1974 Mariska Veres left the group to start a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career until 1982. Her singles "Take Me High" (1975) and "Lovin' You" (1976) were mainly popular in the Netherlands, 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...
and Germany. Other known singles were "Tell It Like It Is" (1975), Dusty Springfield's "Little By Little" (1976), and "Too Young" (1978). Most of these songs today are rare.
Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
the Shocking Blue song "Love Buzz
Love Buzz
-Shocking Blue:"Love Buzz" is a song written by Robbie van Leeuwen of Dutch rock band Shocking Blue.-Nirvana:The American grunge band Nirvana recorded a cover version of the song for its 1988 debut single, released on Sub Pop in the US. It was the first single in the Sub Pop Singles club. A...
" as their debut single in 1988 and it also appeared on the re-release of their 1989 album Bleach
Bleach (album)
Bleach is the debut album by the American rock band Nirvana, released in June 1989 through the independent record label Sub Pop. The main recording sessions took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989...
.
Albums
- 1968 Shocking Blue (Polydor) also known as "Beat With Us" (German title)
- 1969 At HomeAt Home (Shocking Blue album)At Home is an album by Shocking Blue, released in 1969. The album is best known for its hit single, "Venus".The song "Acka Raga" was later used as the theme song for the BBC1 quiz show Ask the Family.-LP version:Side 1...
(Pink Elephant) - 1970 Scorpio's DanceScorpio's DanceScorpio's Dance is an album by Shocking Blue, released in 1970.-Track listing:All songs by Robbie van Leeuwen unless otherwise noted.# "Scorpio's Dance "# "Alaska Country"# "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" # "Demon Lover"...
(Pink Elephant) also known as "Sally Was A Good Old Girl" (Japanese title) - 1971 Third AlbumThird Album (Shocking Blue album)Third Album is an album by Shocking Blue, released in 1971.-Track listing:All songs by Robbie van Leeuwen unless otherwise noted.# "Shocking You"# "Velvet Heaven"# "Love Sweet Love"# "I Saw Your Face" # "Simon Lee and the Gang"...
(AKA Shocking You, Pink Elephant) - 1972 InkpotInkpot (Shocking Blue album)Inkpot is a fifth album by Shocking Blue, released in 1972.- Side A :# I Ain't Never - 2:15# Navajo Tears - 2:38# Shadows - 2:27# Blue Jean - 2:33# Jambalaya - 2:25# Inkpot - 2:37- Side B :# Tobacco Road Inkpot is a fifth album by Shocking Blue, released in 1972.- Side A :# I Ain't Never (M....
(Pink Elephant) - The official music of Mark SixMark SixMark Six is a lottery betting organized by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.-The game:Mark Six is a lottery style game where players guess what numbers will be drawn out of a lottery machine. The lottery machine is a transparent plastic cylinder which contains colored balls numbered 1 to 49. The cylinder... - 1972 Live in Japan (Pink Elephant)
- 1972 Attila (Pink Elephant) also known as "Rock In The Sea" (Japanese title)
- 1972 Eve and the Apple (Same as "Attila" with one different track, Polydor)
- 1973 Dream on Dreamer (Polydor)
- 1973 Ham (Same as "Dream On Dreamer" with 3 different tracks, Pink Elephant)
- 1974 Good Times (Pink Elephant)
Singles
- 1967 "Love is in The Air" / "What You Gonna Do" (Polydor)
- 1968 "Lucy Brown is Back in Town" / "Fix Your Hair Darling" (Pink Elephant)
- 1968 "Send Me a Postcard" / "Harley Davidson" (Metronome)
- 1969 "Long and Lonesome Road" / "Fireball of Love" (Metronome)
- 1969 "Venus" / "Hot Sand" (Pink Elephant)
- 1969 "Mighty Joe" / "Wild Wind" (Metronome)
- 1969 "Scorpio's Dance" / "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" (promo)
- 1970 "Never Marry a Railroad Man" / "Roll Engine Roll" (Metronome)
- 1970 "Hello Darkness" / "Pickin' Tomatoes" (Metronome)
- 1971 "Shocking You" / "Waterloo" (Metronome)
- 1971 "Serenade" / "Sleepless at Midnight" (Buddah)
- 1971 "Blossom Lady" / "Is This a Dream" (Polydor)
- 1971 "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" / "I Like You" (Polydor)
- 1972 "Inkpot" / "Give My Love to The Sunrise" (Polydor)
- 1972 "Rock in the Sea" / "Broken Heart" (Polydor)
- 1972 "Eve and the Apple" / "When I was a Girl" (Polydor)
- 1973 "Let Me Carry Your Bag" / "I Saw You in June" (Polydor)
- 1973 "Oh Lord" / "In My Time of Dying" (Polydor)
- 1974 "This America" / "I Won't be Lonely Long" (Polydor)
- 1974 "Dream on Dreamer" / "Where The Pick-Nick Was" (Polydor)
- 1974 "Good Times" / "Come My Way" (Pink Elephant)
- 1975 "Gonna Sing My Song" / "Get It On" (Decca)
- 1980 "Louise" / "Venus" (promo)
- 1986 "The Jury and The Judge" / "I am Hanging on to Love (Polydor)
- 1994 "Body and Soul" / "Angel" (Red Bullet)
Compilations
LPs- 1969 Sensational Shocking Blue (Discofoon)
- 1971 Hello Darkness (Pink Elephant)
- 1972 The Shocking Blue Perfect Collection (Polydor)
- 1972 The Best of Shocking Blue (Pink Elephant)
- 1973 Shocking Blue's Best (Metronome)
- 1973 With love from... Shocking Blue (Capri)
- 1978 The Shocking Blue Double Deluxe (Polydor)
- 1980 Venus (Piccadilly)
- 1981 The Shocking Blue Greatest Hits (CNR)
- 1986 Best of Shocking Blue (CNR)
- 1986 Classics (21 Records)
CDs
- 1986 The Best of Shocking Blue (Victor)
- 1990 The Very Best of Shocking Blue (Red Bullet), (Arcade, 1993)
- 1990 Shocking Blue 20 Greatest Hits (Repertoire)
- 1994 A Portrait of Shocking Blue (Castle)
- 1995 Shocking Blue The Golden Hits (Red Bullet)
- 1997 Singles A's and B's (Repertoire)
- 1997 Shocking Blue Grand Collection (A.R.O.)
- 1998 Shocking You (Laserlight)
- 2000 Shocking Blue Golden Collection 2000 (Lighthouse)
- 2000 All Gold Of The World Shocking Blue (Mekkophone & Castle Communications)
- 2004 Shocking Blue Greatest Hits (Red Bullet)