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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

George Kooymans - Jojo (1971 dutch, fabulous smooth rock, from Golden Earring's guitarist)



George Kooymans was the guitarist and co-founder of Golden Earring, the longest-lived and most successful rock group the Netherlands ever produced. Kooymans was born on March 11, 1948, in The Hague, and co-founded an instrumental rock 'n' roll combo, the Tornados, with childhood friend and bassist Rinus Gerritsen in 1961. Not long afterward, a British group of the same name had an international hit with "Telstar," and Kooymans and Gerritsen changed the band's name to the Golden Earrings, after a Peggy Lee song. In 1965, having adopted a British beat style, they became the first Dutch rock group to record a full-length album, Just Earrings, and landed their first hit in their home country, the Top Ten "Please Go" (co-written by Kooymans and Gerritsen). 

Three years later, they scored their first Dutch number one with "Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong," and followed it with another chart-topper, the Kooymans-penned epic "Just a Little Bit of Peace in My Heart." In 1970, Kooymans branched out into songwriting for other groups, penning Earth & Fire's Dutch hit "Seasons." Meanwhile, his main band shortened its name to Golden Earring and set about revamping its sound to keep up with the times, eventually settling on a straightforward, hard-rocking brand of AOR. Kooymans (like lead singer Barry Hay) made a brief detour into solo recording in 1971, cutting an album called Jojo that was released on Polydor. 

Hay and Kooymans co-wrote much of Golden Earring's material, including the international smash "Radar Love," which broke them in America in 1974 and remains an album rock radio staple. Golden Earring's overseas momentum slowed as quickly as it had picked up, but they continued to record prolifically in their home country. Punk and new wave forced them to retool their sound once again, and they returned to international prominence in 1982 with the album Cut and the U.S. Top Ten hit "Twilight Zone," a Kooymans composition that had actually been planned as a solo release at first. 

Golden Earring returned to a major label in 1990 and recorded a string of successful albums and singles that lasted right up into the new millennium. In 1995, Kooymans and Hay discovered female rock singer Anouk, and wrote material for her 1997 debut album, Together Alone, which made her a star in the Netherlands. Golden Earring celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2001, and Kooymans reached the Dutch charts in 2010 with On Location, recorded as part of a duo with American singer Frank Carillo. 
by Steve Huey
Tracks
1. South Side Lady - 3:03
2. Day And Night - 4:12
3. Lay It On Me - 3:02
4. For Gail - 3:57
5. Lovin' And Hurtin - 2:37
6. Low Rider - 5:58
7. We're Just Marking Time (G. Kooymans, B. Birkman) - 3:34
8. A Drifter's Love - 3:58
9. Spending All My Time With You (G. Kooymans, B. Birkman) - 2:03
10.Don't Be Lonely - 3:34
All songs by George Kooymans except where stated

Musicians
*George Kooymans - Guitar, Vocals
*Jan Hollestelle - Bass
*Hans Hollestelle - Guitar
*Louis Debij - Drums
*Frans Doolaard - Steel Guitar
*Paul Natte - Organ
*Cesar Zuiderwijk - Backing Vocals
*Eelco Gelling - Guitar
*Helmig Van Der Vegt - Piano
*Rinus Gerritsen - Organ
*Bertus Borgers - Sax

with Golden Earring
1966  Winter-Harvest
1968-69  Miracle Mirror
1969  On The Double
1972  Together
1973  Moontan

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Barry Hay - Only Parrots, Frogs And Angels (1972 dutch, great prog folk rock with blues drops, from Golden Earring vocalist)



Barry Hay is the lead vocalist of Golden Earring, one of the most popular Dutch rock bands of the 20th century. In addition to his decades of output with Golden Earring, he released solo albums from time to time. Born August 16, 1948, in Faizabad, India, he moved to the Netherlands at age ten. In 1967 he joined the lineup of Golden Earring (then known as the Golden Earrings), a Dutch rock band based in the Hague that had been founded in 1961 and that had made its recording debut in 1965. 

The Hay-fronted lineup experienced decades of international success. The band evolved stylistically with the changing times, most notably progressing from psychedelic rock during the late '60s to hard rock in the 1970s. Best known stateside for their 1973 rock radio classic "Radar Love" and their 1982 early MTV staple "Twilight Zone," Golden Earring were one of the first European rock bands to tour the United States and did so repeatedly over the years. 

While only moderately popular internationally, the band scored several chart-topping hits in the Netherlands: "Dong Dong Diki Diki Dong" (1968), "Back Home" (1970), "Radar Love" (1973), "Twilight Zone" (1982), and "When the Lady Smiles" (1984). As a solo artist, Hay released full-length albums including Only Parrots, Frogs & Angels (1972), Victory of Bad Taste (1987), and The Big Band Theory (2008).

Among these solo album efforts, Victory of Bad Taste spawned the minor hit single "Draggin' the Line," while The Big Band Theory, featuring the Metropole Big Band, was the most successful from a commercial standpoint, reaching number two on the Dutch albums chart. 
by Jason Birchmeier
Tracks
1. Xeña - 8:41
2. Sometimes Three Times - 6:15
3. Oh Lordy I'm Gonna Try - 5:01
4. Roll Another Rock - 4:44
5. I Want To Be With You - 5:43
6. Did You Really Mean It? - 4:40
7. Once Upon A Time - 6:36
8. March-Xeña - 0:45
All song by Barry Hay

Musicians
*Barry Hay - Vocals, Guitar, Sax
*Jan Hollestelle - Bass
*Hans Hollestelle - Guitar
*Louis Debij - Drums
*Frank Van Der Kloot - Guitar
*Ron Westerbeek - Organ
*Herman Van Veen - Violin, Vocals
*Patricia Paay - Vocals
*Robert-Jan Stips - Keyboards, Electronic Effects
*Jose Van Iersel - Vocals
*Gonnie Van Dijk - Vocals
*Cesar Zuiderwijk - Bongos
*Dick Vennik - Sax
*Snowflake Strings - Strings
*Harry Van Hoof - Organ, Harpsychord

with Golden Earring
1968-69  Miracle Mirror
1969  On The Double
1972  Together
1973  Moontan

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