Snoopy

Artist: Snoopy

LP: 7" single

Song: "It's All In the Bible"

[ listen ] 

Here's another one of the singles I was forced to purchase with my recent Discogs order from Europe so that my total order cost would be worthy of overseas shipping. According to Wikipedia, Snoopy was a short-lived Dutch disco duo formed in 1978, featuring Ethel Mezas and Florence Woerdings...until Florence left in 1979 and was replaced by Maureen Seedorf. In any case, Snoopy "ceased activities" in 1980, just two years after they had formed. "It's All In the Bible" was released in 1979, so one of those lovely ladies on the cover could still be Florence, or instead she might actually be Maureen. In any case, this song was a top-10 hit in both Belgium (peaked at no. 9) and The Netherlands (no. 10).

Lee Towers

Artist: Lee Towers

LP: A Christmas Song For You

Song: "A Christmas Song For You"

[ listen ]

Tonight I post a Christmas song for you. According to Wikipedia, Lee Towers (born in The Netherlands in 1946 with the name Leendert Huijzer) was discovered in 1975 when he became known as "The Singing Crane Mechanic" while working (repairing cranes, I assume?) on the docks of Rotterdam. I find this fascinating, but I am also rather jealous, as I have been impatiently waiting for 18 months to be discovered as "The Singing Mail-Carrier." Maybe I need to change my repertoire. I wonder what songs Leendert sang as a crane mechanic that led him to becoming discovered. Lee, if you're reading this, PLEASE TELL ME! I really could use some pointers. Tom Jones? Celine Dion? Lisa-Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force?

Anyway, Lee went on to become world-famous. This Christmas record was his second, released in 1976. It was not one of his most popular recordings, peaking only at #37 on the Dutch album charts. But Lee has had many hit records since then, and in 2019 he cut the ribbon on two residential high-rises that bear his name. I suppose this means they are officially known as "Lee Towers"...and, if Lee were ever to end up moving into the place, he would suddenly turn into a 1981 Gino Vannelli song. 

[ Lee Towers ]

Corry en de Rekels

Artist: Corry en de Rekels

LP: Corry en de Rekels

Song: "Ik Heb Op Jou Gewacht"
[ listen ]

Song: "Droomwals"
[ listen ]

You know how disappointing it is when you're at the used record store and you see "Free poster inside!" advertised on one of the LP covers, but then when you look inside there's no free poster? Well imagine how the opposite of disappointed I was when I opened this Corry en de Rekels LP and found a free poster inside, even though the cover never promised me a thing! 

I think this may be the 1970 debut album of this hit-making quintet from The Netherlands, though I don't see any of their hits included. Singer Corry Konings, who's cute as a button, left the group in 1972 to pursue a solo career. The quintet continued their hit-making ways as Hanny en de Rekels, with lead vocal duties taken over by a gal named...Hennie, actually. She's cute too, but more like a zipper. There's more about de Rekels and their ladies on Wikipedia in both English and Dutch.

[ Corry en de Rekels ]

Mouth & MacNeal

Artist: Mouth & MacNeal

LP: Mouth & MacNeal II

Song: "Hello-A" 
[ listen ]

Ever since I found their "How Do You Do" 45 at Omega Music in Dayton, Ohio back in 2011, I've been on the lookout for more vinyl by dynamic Dutch duo Mouth & MacNeal. This 1972 LP (not their second, as one might suppose) is one I came across at Golden Oldies here in Seattle a few weeks ago. I stuck "Hello-A" on the track list I compiled for my good friend Carrie's 40th birthday party last night and the song was a hit. Admittedly, "Hello-A," with its hand-claps and "ooh-aah, ooh-aah, ooh-aah" chorus is probably a little more me than it is she, but who doesn't love hand-claps? Read more about Big Mouth and Maggie MacNeal on Wikipedia here.

[ MacNeal & Mouth ]

Heintje Simons

Artist: Heintje Simons

LP: Ich Denk an Dich

Song: "Hey Mister"

[ listen ]

I've been gallivanting all over Europe these past few weeks, via my record collection, weeding out LPs from my overcrowded Italy, Germany, and "other" sections. Next, I'm off to France! This 1973 record by the sensational singing Dutch tot Heintje (by now an elderly 18-year-old) was one of the things I had to send off to boarding school to make more room. Like Loretta Lynn, Heintje was a coal miner's daughter—er, son—and the young singer's immense popularity and fame lifted his family from the depths of poverty. You can read more about Heintje Simons here, listen to another one of his songs from an earlier posting here, and I've still got several pre-'70s Heintje LPs on my shelves, so you'll probably be seeing him again real soon.

Gert & Hermien

Artist: Gert & Hermien

LP: Daarom Ben Ik Blij

Song: "Iedereen Is Zoekende"

[ listen ]

This 1974 record by Dutch duo Gert & Hermien is something I came across in the Everyday Music bargain bins a number of months ago. Gert Timmerman already had a moderately successful solo career when he married Hermien van der Weide in 1963 and asked her to join him at the microphone. As you can see here in English (and here in Dutch), the duo had a string of hits until they turned Christian in 1974, after which Hermien devoted her time to religious music and raising their kids. By reading here, here, and here, I've tried to piece together the incredible story of Gert & Hermien—which includes recurring bouts of Christianity, arguments with drugs and alcohol, a hit song titled "In the Mouth of Hell Night," stunts involving fan-filled stadiums, financial problems, accusations of incest, bitter divorce, and the daughters of Gert & Hermien appearing nude together in Playboy magazine!

[ Hermien van der Weide and her hair: July 25, 1943 — May 23, 2003 ]

 [ Gert Timmerman: born June 8, 1935 ]

Trio Hellenique

Artist: Trio Hellenique

LP: 7" single

Song: "Ni Nanai"

[ listen ]

This chirpy Greek trio relocated to Paris in 1960, then settled in The Netherlands in the mid-1960s. Their "Ni Nanai" single was a #17 hit on the Dutch charts back in 1965. I don't know about you, but "Ni Nanai" is giving me a pretty strong craving for some of this. You can read more about Trio Hellenique here.

Greenfield & Cook

Artist: Greenfield & Cook

LP: 7" single

Song: "A Day Begins"

[ listen ]

It's a typical January morning in Seattle—windy, rainy, cloudy, and coffee. A day begins. Actually named Groeneveld and Kok, Rink and Peter were in the band Hurricanes before forming a musical partnership called Popshop, after which they changed their name to Greenfield & Cook. They had several hits in The Netherlands, including this string-filled bit of loveliness from 1971, before parting ways in 1974. You can read about them here and see some of their album covers here and here. There's another neat picture of them here.

Jack Jersey

Artist: Jack Jersey

LP: 7" single

Song: "In the Still of the Night"

[ listen ]

Born in Bandung in the Dutch Indies in 1941 with the name Jack de Nijs, Mr. Jersey relocated to The Netherlands in 1951 and scored an English-language hit using the name Ruby Nash before switching his name to Jack Jersey instead. You can hear in his voice and see in his rhinestones that Jack was performing under the influence of Elvis Presley, but I'd have to say that Jack has probably one-upped even Elvis with his 1980 music video for "Sri Lanka, My Shangri-la" (see below). You can read about Jack de Nijs—aka. Ruby Nash—aka. Jack Jersey on the English translated Dutch Wikipedia site here, where you'll also find a link to the official Jack Jersey website.

Jack Jersey on YouTube:

[ "Sri Lanka, My Shangri-la" ]

[ Jack Jersey: July 18, 1941 — May 26, 1997 ]

Heintje

Artist: Heintje

LP: Best of All

Song: "Giddy Up My Pony"

[ listen ]

I just got back from Austin, Texas! It was my first time in the city, and I had lots of fun visiting friends, eating tacos, going to the Austin Film Festival...and of course I stumbled upon lots of neat records. I'll be posting some of those, but first I decided to try exorcising this nutty song about pony-riding, from Dutch child singer Heintje, since it's been stuck in my head for over a week. Born in Kerkrade in The Netherlands on August 12, 1955, Hendrik Nikolaas Theodoor Simons (aka. Heintje) became a superstar with his hit 1967 single "Mama" when he was just 12 years old. To counter the "goody-goody" mama's boy image he'd earned with his music career, Heintje threw his weight and considerable acting chops into films like "To Hell With School" and "Hurrah, the School Is Burning," which inspired waves of arson, vandalism and massive drop-outs at schools throughout West Germany. You can read more about Heintje here and go here to see a list of the young lad's film and TV appearances.

Die Blue Diamonds

Artist: Die Blue Diamonds

LP: 7" single
Song: "Ramona"
[ listen ]

Dutch-Indonesian brothers Ruud and Riem de Wolff formed The Blue Diamonds in 1949, shortly after moving to The Netherlands from Jakarta, Indonesia. Known as "The Dutch Everly Bothers," their version of "Ramona" peaked at #72 on the American Billboard Hot 100 singles charts in December of 1960. The song was evidently originally written for star Dolores Del Rio's promotional appearances for her film Ramona, which was released in 1928.