Shocking Blue

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's-Gravenhage, Netherlands (1967 – 1974)

Shocking Blue were a Dutch rock band from The Hague that existed from 1967 to 1974. They had a hit world-wide with the song “Venus,” which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970. The song was immediately covered at the year of its release by Greek pop band Olympians, with entirely different lyrics in Greek and retitled as “Το Κορίτσι Του Μάη” (To koritsi tou Mai - The girl of May). It was later part of the Stars on 45 Medley (which put it at #1 in 1981), and covered by British girl band Bananarama in the 1980s (1986) and Japanese singer Yoko Nagayama (also in 1986).

Nirvana covered the song Love Buzz for their debut album Bleach in 1989, and it was released as their first single. The British Group The Prodigy also sampled Love Buzz for their song ‘Phoenix’ on their 2004 album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.

Before the breakthrough of “Venus,” the group had two minor hits in 1969: “Long Lonesome Road” and “Send me a postcard.” The flip-side of “Venus” was also heavily plugged on Dutch radio (“Hot Sand”). In 1970 two more hits followed: “Mighty Joe” and “Never Marry a Railroad Man” (flip-side “roll engine roll”) - which almost provoked a strike by workers on the London Underground when it was proposed to display posters advertising the single in the Underground stations. In 1971 “Hello Darkness,” “Shocking You” and “Blossom Lady.” In 1972 “Inkpot,” “Out of Sight Out of Mind” and “Eve and the Apple,” and in 1973 “Rock in the sea” - just to name the big hits. In 1974 female singer Mariska Veres left the group to start a solo-career. She had a hit, “Take me high” that same year.

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Popular tags: classic rock, rock, 60s, 70s, dutch  See more

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