Venus is the biggest hit of the Dutch band Shocking Blue. More than 40 years have passed since the release of the track. During this time, many events have happened, including the group experienced a major loss - the brilliant soloist Mariska Veres passed away.
After the death of the woman, the rest of the Shocking Blue group also decided to leave the stage. Without Mariska, the group has lost its identity. The team had several attempts to return to the stage, but, unfortunately, they were not married with success.
The history of the creation and composition of the group Shocking Blue
Robbie van Leeuwen, a gifted musician and author of almost all the band's catchy hits, stands at the origins of the band. It was Robbie who led the process of creating and establishing the Shocking Blue group.
In the 1960s, Robbie van Leeuwen was in such bands as: The Atmospheres, The Ricochets, Motions. In the mid-1960s, his search for "himself" ended with the fact that he decided to create his own team.
The first pancake turned out to be lumpy - he called his group Six Young Riders. Unfortunately, this project turned out to be a "failure" and lasted less than a year. The band was replaced by Shocking Blue.
The first lineup, in addition to Robbie himself, included:
- bassist Claszevan der Wal;
- drummer Cornelius van der Beek;
- vocalist Fred de Wilde.
In this composition, the musicians released several tracks: "Love is in the air" and "Lucy Brown is back in town." Moreover, within a few months the guys prepared their debut album. And here an important event took place in the formation of the Shocking Blue group - an acquaintance with Mariska Veres.
The appearance of the singer, as often happens, was unexpected, but timely. The band's manager saw Veresh singing as part of the Bumble Bees. He invited the beauty to audition. Just then, the vocalist of the Shocking Blue group went to serve in the army, so the band needed a voice.
A little later, the musicians noted that it was with the advent of Mariska Veres that the group began to develop. After the girl performed the musical composition "Venus", she immediately became a hit.
In this composition, the group spent 7 years. It was this composition that music critics preferred to call "golden". Claché was then replaced by Henk Smitskamp and van Leeuwen by Leo van de Ketterey and Martin van Wijk.
The creative path and music of the group Shocking Blue
The legendary composition Venus was performed in 1969. The song made an incredible impression on music lovers. Having just appeared in the music world, the track confidently took a leading position in the charts of five countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Germany). In addition, the song attracted Colossus, and already in 1970 conquered the United States of America, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and acquiring "gold" status. It was the "bomb".
The popularity of the new group, creating in the rock genre, increased by leaps and bounds. Albums Mighty Joe and Never Marry a Railroad Man sold several million copies. It was a success.
Music lovers were waiting for the band with concerts in almost every corner of the planet. The discography was replenished, video clips were shot, the Shocking Blue group in the 1970s was at the top of the musical Olympus.
It seemed to fans that the group's star would never fade. But only the participants themselves knew that the mood within the team was not the best. Robbie fell into a severe depression. Increasingly, the soloists of the team swore and sorted out the relationship.
At the time of the breakup of the Shocking Blue group, the group's discography included more than 10 albums. The musicians failed to maintain a creative atmosphere, so the group soon began to "split".
The collapse of the Shocking Blue team
The bass player was the first to leave the band. Then Robbie himself shared information about his departure with fans. In 1979, he had attempts to revive the group, but, unfortunately, they were not successful.
In 1974, after the presentation of the Good Times collection containing a cover version of the song Beggin Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Mariska left the group. The singer is tired of the atmosphere of misunderstanding. She decided to realize herself as a solo singer. Thus, in 1974 the group ceased to exist.
In 1979, the musicians joined forces to write the musical composition Louise, in the 1980 Olympics for a joint performance. Four more years later, they released new tracks, even organized a number of concerts.
In the early 1990s, Mariska Veres received permission to use the name. She gathered new members and presented the group's latest single, Shocking Blue.
By 2020, only one member of the legendary band, Robbie van Leeuwen, has survived. The band's drummer died in 1998, the vocalist in 2006, and the bass player in 2018.
Interesting facts about the band Shocking Blue
- Mariska Veresh recorded solo singles in the style of the Dutch beat before the group.
- Many forget that the debut album Shocking Blue was recorded without Mariska Veres, with vocalist Fred de Wilde. And before that, the performer sang and played in Hu & The Hilltops.
- After the collapse of the Shocking Blue group, their own projects were created. For Robbie van Leeuwen, it was Galaxy Lin and Mistral, who released three singles, with different vocalists on each: Sylvia van Asten, Mariska Veres and Marian Schattelein.
- The brainchild of guitarist and composer Martin van Wijk was the Lemming band. The musician managed to record only one collection of hard / glam rock with Halloween-themed tracks.
- Leo van de Ketterey founded the L&C Band in 1980 with his wife Cindy Tamo. The guys released a compilation Optimistic Man with melodic soft rock.
