Biography. History of Shocking Blue Shocking Blue please for my wife

Shocking Blue is a Dutch rock band best known for their 1969 hit Venus. For a short time of its existence, the team became the most popular in its country, but never achieved wide popularity outside of it. The composition of the Shokin Blue group, its history and discography - later in this article.

Creation

The Dutch guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, already known in his homeland for his participation in The Motions, decided to form his own band. The names of the members of "Shokin Blue" in the original composition, in addition to Leuven:

• Fred de Wilde (vocals)
• Clasche van der Wal (bass)
• Cornelius van der Beek (drums)

Robbie himself took the place of the guitarist and acted as the author of all the songs, he also came up with the name for the newly minted ensemble - at first it sounded like "Electric Blue", according to a line from Eric Clapton's song Strange Brew, but then "electric blue" turned into "shocking" . This suited all the members of the group. In this composition, the musicians released two singles and one album. The photo below shows the cover of this album, which was called "Shokin Blue". It is interesting because you can see the original composition of the group on it.

The arrival of Mariska Veres

However, both the participants themselves and the manager understood that the Shocking Blue group was missing something. The lyrics are good, the arrangements too, but overall the music is mediocre. And so, in 1968, when he saw the performance of the aspiring singer Mariska Veres at one of the musical parties, the manager immediately realized what exactly the group lacked. This girl with gypsy, Hungarian, German and Russian roots had a truly unique vocal, and the manager suggested that she be included in the line-up instead of Fred de Wilde. It took the participants one listening session to immediately agree. Below is a photo of "Shokin Blue", taken during one of the first performances with the participation of Mariska.

With the arrival of the vocalist, the success of the group began to grow noticeably - in the new composition of "Shokin Blue" they released two fairly successful singles, and then the main hit of the group was born, by which it is recognized to this day.

Venus

This song, released as a single in 1969, was a musical cover version of the 1963 hit The Banjo song by The Big Three. The lyrics and new arrangement were composed by Robbie van Leeuwen. In Holland, the homeland of the musicians, the song took only the third line of the hit parade, but in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium it was in first place. In 1969, the group's second album, At Home, was released - and, of course, Venus was included in its track listing. This contributed to the high sales of At Home itself, as well as several subsequent singles and albums.

But the real success for the song (and, accordingly, the group) came in 1970, when the head of the American label Colossus, Jerry Ross, signed a contract with Shokin Blue to release an American single with the song Venus. He did not fail - the hit took first place in the main American Billboard 100 chart and did not leave the top of several other charts for several months. This year it again took first place in the charts in Switzerland and Belgium and second place in the charts in Austria, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands. You can see the performance of the most famous song "Shokin Blue" in the video below.

In Russia and the countries of the former USSR, the song is often called "Shizgara" - according to the sound of the line She "s got it, with which the chorus begins. This was also facilitated by the song of the domestic rock group "Mongol Shuudan", which recorded its version of the song in Russian, but with the original English refrain, called "Shizgara".

Further creativity and breakup

Despite the innovative sound of the melodies and the unique vocals in the subsequent compositions of "Shokin Blue", the band failed to repeat the success of the Venus song. In the style of the psychedelic ensembles of the time, Robbie van Leeuwen very successfully combined in his arrangements the sound of rhythm and blues guitar and Indian sitar, which he played himself. Some compositions of "Shokin Blue" were highly appreciated by the American group Jefferson Airplane, playing in a similar musical direction, but this did not affect their commercial success in any way.

From 1970 to 1971, another guitarist, Leo van der Ketterey, joined the band, and with this line-up the musicians managed to tour several countries, including South America, Japan, Indonesia and Hong Kong. The maximum sales of records at that time were noted in the Japanese and French music markets. But this success did not satisfy Leuven - his dream of big performances in the USA remained unrealizable. Growing on this basis, internal scandals between the members forced the bass player Clashe van der Wal to leave the group in 1971. He was replaced by Henk Smitskamp.

Finally, in 1973, founding member and songwriter Robbie van Leeuwen left Shokin Blue. He was replaced by Martin van Wijk, who also became a guitarist and songwriter. Under his leadership, in the last year of its existence, Shokin Blue turned from a psychedelic into a funk group. Finally, in 1974, Mariska Veres also left the band, deciding to take up solo work. On this, the existence of the most famous Dutch rock band ceased. The only member who went all the way "Shokin Blue" from creation to disintegration was drummer Cornelius van der Beek.

Reunification attempt

In 1979, Robbie van Leeuwen made an attempt to rejoin the band. He even prepared new material for recording, but none of the former members supported the idea of ​​resurrecting Shokin Blue. However, after only 4 years, in 1983, Mariska Veres turned to Leuven for permission to use the name of the former group for her new team. He agreed, but all the new Shokin Blue lineup did was one single and two gigs at the 1994 Back to the Sixties festival.

Discography

During the period of existence from 1967 to 1974, the Shokin Blue group released 11 music albums. In addition to the first two albums mentioned above, they were:

• Scorpio's Dance (1970).
• Third Album (1971).
• Inkpot (1972).
• Live in Japan (1972).
• Attila (1972).
• Eve and the Apple (1972).
• Dream on Dreamer (1973).
• Ham (1973).
• Good Times (1974).

The band was founded in 1967 by guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, a veteran of the famous Dutch rock band The Motions. The name "Shocking Blue" was inspired by Eric Clapton's Electric Blue lyrics from the song "Strange Brew". In addition to van Leeuwen, the band included drummer Cornelius van der Beek, bassist Klaasche van der Wal and vocalist Fred de Wilde. The band's second single "Lucy Brown Is Back in Town", which peaked at number 21 on the Dutch Top 40, was released on the Pink Elephant label. Once the band's manager was at a party where the Bumble Bees were performing with amazing vocalist Mariska Veres, and decided that she would be the perfect addition to Shocking Blue (Robbie would agree with him on the first audition). Mariska, whose father was a Hungarian gypsy and whose mother was German-born French-Russian, often sang with her father, who played the violin in a gypsy orchestra. Prior to being invited to Shocking Blue, she recorded a solo single called "Topkapi" and gained experience in various bands. She replaced Fred de Vilde, and, without a doubt, it was her vocals that became a magnet that attracted viewers and listeners; her ringing voice gave the music a distinct rhythm and blues sound. As Robbie said: "When Mariska came, everything immediately started spinning, and one of the first singles - Venus - became a great hit."
The group's next single "Mighty Joe" went to number one in Holland and, like its predecessor, was present on all the charts.
Shocking Blue successfully combined beat and rhythm and blues with the oriental sound of the Indian sitar.
Robbie didn't mind if the band included a few cover versions of old songs on the albums, as it was too much of a burden for him to write new material all the time. “We did everything ourselves, and radio station DJs would like to hear from us every time everything is completely new. But a large number of albums led to the fact that the group was forced to supplement them with cover versions. It was extremely difficult for me to write all the music and words alone.” For several months in 1970-1971 guitarist Leo van de Ketterey played with the band. Mariska, Robbie, Cornelius and Klache were together for three years: they toured the world, visiting such distant corners as Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and South America. Despite the fact that the group continued to release excellent and often groundbreaking singles and to take places in the European charts, Robbie van Leeuwen fell into a depression. He was depressed by the limited success of the group, as a result of which quarrels began to occur within Shocking Blue.
Klaasche left first, replaced in 1971 by Henk Smitskamp. In 1973, van Leeuwen himself left the group for a while, and Martin van Wijk, who had previously played in two Dutch bands, Fairy Tale and Jupiier, took his place. He became the leader of Shocking Blue, and the new material was already the result of his research, bringing some glam rock and funk to the music of Shocking Blue.
Without Robbie, Shocking Blue still held on, but in 1974 Mariska also left the group, who decided to start a solo career, and the team finally broke up. In 1975, the last single "Gonna Sing My Song" was released. In 1979, Robbie wanted to revive the group, even the song "Louise" was recorded. However, the song was not released and the reunion never took place. However, in late 1984, Shocking Blue reunited and played two shows at the Back-to-the-Sixties festival.

Robbie van Leeuwen - guitar, sitar, backing vocals (1967-1973)
Fred de Wilde - vocals (1967-1968)
Clasche van der Wal - bass guitar (1967-1971)
Kor van der Beek - drums (1967-1974)
Mariska Veres - vocals (1968-1974)
Leo van de Ketterey - guitar (1970-1971)
Martin van Wijk - guitar (1973-1974)
Henk Smitskamp - bass guitar (1971-1974)

The band was founded in 1967 by guitarist Robbie Van Lieven, a veteran of the famous Dutch rock band "Motion". The name "Shocking blue" was inspired by the Eric Clapton song "Electric Blue". In addition to Van Lieven, the band included drummer Cornelius van der Beek, bassist Claassier van der Waal and vocalist Fred De Wilde. The band's first single "Lucy Brown Is Back In Town", which peaked at number 21 on the Dutch Top 40, was released on the Pink Elephant label.

One day, the band's manager was at a party where the Bumble Bees were performing with the amazing vocalist Mariska Veres, and decided that she would be the perfect complement to "Shocking blue". Robbie was immediately taken with her vocal style, which is very different from other performers. Mariska, half Hungarian, half German, often sang with her father, who played the violin in a gypsy orchestra.

Prior to being invited to Shocking Blue, she recorded a solo single called "Topkapi" and gained experience in various bands. She replaced Wild and, without a doubt, it was her vocals that became a magnet that attracted viewers and listeners; her ringing voice gave the music a distinct rhythm and blues sound. As Robbie said: "When Mariska came in, everything immediately started spinning, and one of the first singles - "Venus" - became a great hit."

In the Netherlands, "Venus" peaked at number three, while also topping the charts in Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Germany. The recording attracted the attention of the newly founded American company Colossus. Label head Jerry Ross signed Shocking blue and was rewarded for his entrepreneurial spirit when Venus reached the top of the US charts in February 1970. It goes without saying that the band was extremely popular at home and had approximately fifty hits in the Dutch charts, while their records also sold well in France and Japan. The group's next single "Mighty Joe" went to number one in Holland and, like its predecessor, was present on all the charts.

"Never Marry a Railroad Man" also topped the Dutch charts; followed by "Hello Darkness", "Shocking You", "Long Lonesome Road", "Blossom Lady" and "Inkpot". "Shocking Blue" successfully combined beat and rhythm and blues with the oriental sound of the Indian sitar.

Robbie didn't mind if the band included a few cover versions of old songs on the albums, as it was too much of a burden for him to write new material all the time. "We did everything ourselves, and radio station DJs would like to hear everything completely new from us every time. But a large number of albums led to the fact that the group was forced to supplement them with cover versions. It was extremely difficult for me to write all the music and words alone ". For several months in 1970-1971 guitarist Leo Van De Ketteridge played with the band. Mariska, Robbie, Cornelius and Claassier were together for three years: they toured the world, visiting as far away as Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and South America. Despite the fact that the group continued to release excellent and often groundbreaking singles and to take places in the European charts, Robbie Van Lieven fell into depression. He was depressed by the limited success of the group, as a result of which quarrels began to occur within Shocking Blue.

Claassier left first, replaced in 1971 by Henk Smitskamp. In 1973, Van Lieven himself left the group for a while, and Martin van Wijk took his place. Without Robbie, "Shocking Blue" still held on, but in 1974 Mariska also left the group, who decided to start a solo career, and the team finally broke up.

In the mid-seventies, Robbie returned to the music industry with Galaxy Lyn, a group more folk and jazz oriented than Shocking Blue. He also became the producer of Mariska's solo single called "Too Young". Subsequently, Robbie released several hits at the studio "Mistral". The team disbanded in the early eighties, and in 1983 the guitarist moved from The Hague to Luxembourg, where he lived away from the music business. In 1996 he returned to Holland.

In 1979, Robbie wanted to revive the group, but for some reason this did not happen then. However, at the end of 1984, Shocking Blue reunited and played two shows at the Back-to-the-Sixties festival. They proved to be worthy of our memory: van Leuwen still keeps his style, and Mariska has one of the most wonderful female voices. And their interpretations of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" are as strong as their own.

In September 1993, Mariska Veres decided to breathe new life into "Shocking Blue". But none of the former musicians returned to the group. Robbie van Leeuwen allowed Mariska to keep the name "Shocking Blue" for her new band and even became the producer of the "Body & Soul" CD single released in 1994. The band performed at many festivals in the sixties and seventies, mostly in Germany.

This band was founded in 1967 by guitarist Robbie Van Lieven (b. October 29, 1944), a veteran of the famous Dutch rock band "The Motions". The name "Shocking Blue" was inspired by the song Eric Clapton"Electric Blue". In addition to Van Lieven, the starting line-up included drummer Cor Van Der Beek (b. April 8, 1948), bassist Klaasje Van Der Wahl (b. December 1, 1949) and vocalist Fred De Wilde. The first single, "Love Is In The Air", didn't make much of an impression, but the second, "Lucy Brown Is Back In Town", had already peaked at No. 21 on the Dutch Top 40. "Bumble Bees" with the amazing vocalist Mariska Veres (b. October 1, 1947) decided that she would be the perfect complement to "Shocking Blue". Robbie was immediately attracted to her vocal style, which was very different from other performers.

Mariska, half Hungarian, half German, often sang with her father, who played the violin in a gypsy orchestra. Before being invited to "Shocking Blue", she managed to record a solo single ("Topkapi") and gain experience in various groups. Veres took over from Wild and with her sonorous voice and good looks, she immediately became the center of attention, both audio and visual. As Robbie put it: "When Mariska came along, everything started spinning and one of the first singles (Venus) became a big hit."

In the Netherlands, "Venus" peaked at number three while topping the charts in Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Germany. The recording caught the attention of the newly founded American company Colossus. Label head Jerry Ross signed Shocking Blue and was rewarded for his entrepreneurial spirit when Venus topped the US charts in February 1970. It goes without saying that the band was extremely popular at home with around fifty hits in the Dutch charts, while their records also sold very well in France and Japan. The next single, "Mighty Joe", went to number one in the Netherlands and, like its predecessor, charted on numerous other charts.

The EP "Never Marry A Railroad Man" also topped the Dutch charts, followed by hits like "Hello Darkness", "Shocking You", "Long Lonesome Road", "Blossom Lady" and "Inkpot". In their work, "Shocking Blue" successfully combined beat and rhythm and blues with psychedelic and the sound of the Indian sitar. Full-lengths followed one after the other, so Robbie did not mind if the group included several covers on the albums, since constantly writing new material was too much work for him.

For several months in 1970-1971, guitarist Leo Van De Ketteridge played with the band. Mariska, Robbie, Kor and Klaasje were together for three years: they toured the world, visiting as far away as Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and South America. Despite the fact that the group continued to release excellent and often groundbreaking singles and to take places in the European charts, Robbie Van Lieven fell into depression. He was depressed by the limited success of the team, as a result of which quarrels began to occur within the "Shocking Blue". Klaasje left first, replaced in 1971 by Henk Smitskamp. In 1973, Van Lieven himself left the group for a while, and Martin van Wijk took his place.

Without Robbie, "Shocking Blue" still somehow held on, but in 1974 Mariska also left the group, who decided to start a solo career, and the team finally broke up. Attempts to revive the project were made in 1979 and 1984, but these reunions were short-lived. In the 90s, Mariska received permission from Robbie to use the name "Shocking Blue" and for several years toured under this sign with musicians who were not related to the original line-up. On December 2, 2006, Veres passed away from cancer.