Satisfaction
Sharon Anne | Phoenix / Tucson, Arizona | 03/25/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
".
I initially only knew 'Venus' in the 1960s. I was travelling to Greece via Italy in 1971. By the time my plane landed, I quickly heard what I was missing. I lived in Greece during the early 1970s; their rock stations played Shocking Blue songs in heavy rotation. Likewise, music programming from BBC World Service and throughout Europe included their grand discography with steady airplay. I was satisfyingly thrilled with their styles. I picked up a few records when I travelled to the Nederlands where they were absolutely - obviously - top-of-the-charts. I returned 'home' saddened. How disappointing travelling cross-country during these years that U.S.A. markets still limit themselves to 'Venus'! Nothing changed during my absence - and since then. How disheartening hearing deejays and so-called musicologist experts deride them as a 'one hit wonder'. I knew better. I carried a secret that everyone is eventually learning on their own.It is a pleasant sense of satisfaction whenever I hear their music from my collection - as well as hear their music covered by other artists or used in movies and television. The Beatles are my number one band. Shocking Blue and Focus are two outstanding Dutch bands which clearly rival the Beatles for uniqueness, variety, and ingenuity. American radio stations neglected their audiences - they denied you the treat of both of them during their prime. Deny yourself no longer. You will be pleased with any Shocking Blue music.."
THE SHOCKING BLUE IS THE BEST UNPOPULAR DUTCH BAND EVER!!!!
Sharon Anne | 07/08/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"YOU'D BE A FOOL IF YOU DON'T CHECK THIS DISC OUT FOR IT'S FABULOUS YET DATED SOUNDS.... SITARS TO THE FORE AND A SUPER STRONG FEMALE VOICE THAT WILL CRUSH ANY CHICK AROUND TODAY. GOOD SONGWRITING AND INTERESTING COUNTRY/PSYCHEDELIC HYBRID GUITAR VAMPS. I LOVE EM!!!"
Shockingly good after all these years
Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 08/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Iam a huge fan of the new indie-rock scene (check out WOXY, the internet-only station, which is the best source in the country for indie-rock, bar none), but I love to go back to my roots as well, and growing up in Belgium, the Dutch band Shocking Blue was a huge influence on me. Here in the US, the band is known as the one-hit wonder of "Venus", but the fact is that they are so much better than that.
"The Best of Shocking Blue" (20 tracks; 60 min.) brings the (thankfully chronological) tale of Shocking Blue, mostly their singles, with a couple of choice album tracks. From the humble beginnings of 1968's "Lucy Brown in Back in Town", the band began an incredible 5 year run of hit after hit in many European countries, establishing themselves as the real "zeitgeist" of the era. Female lead singer Mariksa Veres (who had an uncanny resemblance to Grace Slick, both physically and vocally) and main composer whatshisname proved to be a magic formula for success, the main one of course being 1969's "Venus", but as this compilation proves, there were tons of other great songs: "Might Joe", "Never Marry a Railroad Man", "Hello Darkness", "Shocking You" (clever take on the band's name), etc. The best songs for me, though, are the latter day (1972) trifecta of "Inkpot", "Rock In the Sea" and "Eve and the Apple", all of them an outstanding reflection of the best of what the European "pop" sound was in those days, just outstanding (and of them hits).
In all, this is a superb collection. I bought this many years ago on one of my trips back to Belgium, and I couldn't believe my luck when I snapped this up. It brings back many memories of my early singles-collecting days, yes, when singles were an event....
"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1