SHOCKING BLUE - Beat With Us [1968] Japan / FLAC

Shocking Blue is the debut studio album by the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue. It was released in 1968 on Polydor. In Germany, the record was released in 1970 under the title Beat With Us. This was the last album with Fred de Wilde on lead vocal. Mariska Veres replaced de Wilde in the band's next album, At Home.

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1. Love Is In The Air (2:41) 

2. Ooh Wee There's Music In Me (2:36) 

3. What You Gonna Do (2:20)

 4. Whisky Don't Wash My Brains (1:03) 

5. Little Maggie (2:51) 

6. Jail My Second Home (2:28)

 7. What's Wrong Bertha (2:29) 

8. League Of Angels (2:08) 

9. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boog (2:03) 

10. That's Allright (2:27) 

11. Crazy Drunken Man Dreams (2:55)

 12. Beggerman (2:34)

 13. Hold Me, Hug Me, Rock Me (2:03) 

14. Where My Baby's Gone (5:05) 

Fred de Wilde - lead vocals

Robbie van Leeuwen - guitar, backing vocals

Klaasje van der Wal - bass

Cor van der Beek - drums

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SHOCKING BLUE - Scorpion's Dance (Japan) [1970] FLAC

Shocking Blue's second album was partly recorded in New York and continues the band's exploration of Americana and country music, although its style is firmly rooted in rock. "Alaska Country" is one of the most obvious references to America, but "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" is a cover of an early-'60s country hit by songwriter Hank Cochran; Shocking Blue's rendition chugs along in a rock groove that reveals the source of its material with a touch of banjo. As always, the focal point is the inimitable voice of Mariska Veres, but songwriter/guitarist Robby VanLeeuwen shows no sign of a sophomore slump. There isn't an obvious hit single candidate like the previous album's "Venus," but Scorpio's Dance makes up for it with solid consistency. "Daemon Lover" is moody and mesmerizing, and the title track is a spaghetti western soundtrack in search of a film (the cover photo, appropriately enough, was shot in a cactus field). "I Love Voodoo Music" is colored with bongos and jungle sound effects, while "Water Boy" sees the return of VanLeeuwen's sitar. It's a diverse collection of songs that reveals the group's artistic growth but, in America at least, saw no chart action.

Tracks

1. Scorpio's Dance (First Movement) - 0:38

2. Alaska Country - 3:52

3. Sally Was A Good Old Girl (Harlan, Howard) - 3:29

4. Daemon Lover - 6:04

5. Scorpio's Dance - 3:44

6. Little Cooling Planet - 4:05

7. I Love Voodoo Music - 4:02

8. Seven Is A Number In Magic - 2:59

9. Keep It If You Want It - 2:55

10.Water Boy - 2:38

11.Send Me A Postcard - 3:06

12.Mighty Joe - 3:19

13.Hello Darkness - 2:56

14.Pickin' Tomatoes - 3:22

15.Keep It If You Want It - 2:54

16.Sally Was A Good Old Girl (Harlan, Howard) - 3:26

All songs by Robbie Van Leeuwen except where noted

Shocking Blue

*Mariska Veres - Vocals

*Robbie van Leeuwen - Guitar, Vocals

*Cor van der Beek - Drums

*Klaasje van der Wal - Bass Guitar

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SHOCKING BLUE - At Home [1969] Netherlands / FLAC

American listeners tend to remember Shocking Blue as the one-hit wonder behind the chart-topper "Venus," a melting pot of rock rhythms, country guitar licks, organ riffs, and Mariska Veres' heavily accented vocals. Sounding something like a cross between "96 Tears" and "Sugar, Sugar," "Venus" was not entirely representative of the group's first album, At Home. Like their fellow countrymen Golden Earring, Shocking Blue purveyed a mild strain of psychedelic rock, but leaned more toward country and folk music than bubblegum. Guitarist and principal songwriter Robby Van Leeuwen was already preoccupied with Americana at this early stage, from "Harley Davidson" and "California Here I Come" to a surprising rendition of the folk song "Boll Weevil" that sets the traditional lyrics to music reminiscent of the Easybeats' "Good Times." (The group's country music fixation would manifest itself more overtly on later albums). Van Leeuwen's sitar is pictured on the album cover and dominates the instrumental "Acka Raga," but, thankfully, is not overused. "Mighty Joe" and "Never Marry a Railroad Man" were minor U.S. chart hits that few people remember, but "Love Buzz" gained a measure of fame decades later when Nirvana covered it. Veres has great presence -- like a gypsy incarnation of Grace Slick -- but Van Leeuwen's English-language lyrics can be awkward at times. On "Venus," all the components clicked perfectly into place, but there is much more to Shocking Blue than their biggest hit.

Track List:

1. Boll Weevil [02:43]

2. I'll Write Your Name Through The Fire [02:59]

3. Acka Raga [03:08]

4. Love Machine [03:21]

5. I'm A Woman [03:03]

6. Venus [03:08]

7. California Here I Come [03:17]

8. Poor Boy [02:28]

9. Long And Lonesome Road [02:50]

10. Love Buzz [03:46]

11. The Butterfly And I [04:05]

12. Harley Davidson [02:41]

13. Fireball Of Love [03:04]

14. Hot Sand [02:41]

15. Wild Wind [02:12]

Total Time: 00:45:19

Cor v. d. Beek, 

Klaasje v. d. Wal, 

Mariska Veres, 

Robby van Leeuwen

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