Dolly Dots
Denny Crane
period. end of sentence.
I'm Beantown's all time greatest lawyer...
A-#1, top of the list, King of the hill, top of the heap.
Never lost a case. Never will.
Women love me
and I love them.
We make whoopee.
It's the American way.
In case you just arrived from another planet, my BFF Alan Shore
and I are stars of the David E. Kelley TV series Boston Illegal Legal.
We will also be co-hosting the new Shady's Place radio series
Letch Dance
with Alan Shore
showcasing the hoofing honeys on Top Of The Pops
and other Euro music TV shows of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
In today's sneak preview, I am participating in the June 1
Battle Of The Bands blog hop. You will be entertained by
four Dutch all-female pop groups of the 1970s and 80s.
Vote for the girl group you like best. Simple as that.
"My Angel is the Centerfold"
CONTESTANT #1
CENTERFOLD
The first Dutch girl group in today's competition is Centerfold,
a pop trio that had a string of hits in The Netherlands
during the mid to late 80s.
Their first single, "Bad Boy," was accompanied by a spicy
photoshoot for the Dutch Playboy Magazine in 1984.
The ladies performed their song nude on the popular TV-show TopPop.
Before long, their sex kitten image made Centerfold a household name.
Say hello to Centerfold as they do four songs for you, beginning
with a 1988 appearance in Spain performing-- "The Goodbye."
"The Goodbye" - Centerfold (1988 perf. in Spain)
"Radar Love" - Golden Earring cover by Centerfold
(Dec. 1986/Jan. 1987, highest chart pos. #11 Belgium/#14 Netherlands)
"Intimate Climate" - Centerfold
(Apr./May 1987, highest chart pos. #36 Netherlands)
"Dictator" - Centerfold
(Mar./Apr. 1986, highest chart pos. #3 Netherlands Dance,
#6 Netherlands/#19 Belgium)
"I Got You Babe"
(in the Coat Check Room
of a Restaurant)
CONTESTANT #2
BABE
Act #2 in my contest is Babe, a Dutch girl-pop band
of the 70s and 80s that specialized in bubblegum pop.
I think Babe sounded a lot like ABBA, and at times like
Phil Spector's girl group of the 60s, The Ronettes.
Here's an interesting piece of trivia. Although Babe was very popular
in The Netherlands, stats show that the group had the most Top 40
hits without ever placing a single in the top 10 on the chart.
Listen now for the sound of ABBA and The Ronettes on these four Babe songs,
beginning with a single released in the fall of 1982-- "Together In Love Again!"
"Together In Love Again" - Babe
(Oct./Nov. 1982, perf. on TopPop)
"Explosive" - Babe (Mar/Apr. 1983)
"Please Me, Please Do" - Babe
(first single, May/June 1979)
"Tell Him" - Babe
(last single, Exciters cover, June/July 1985)
"You sho nuff the dizzle
and dats fo shizzle."
CONTESTANT #3
FRIZZLE SIZZLE
Act #3 in my band battle is Frizzle Sizzle,
a Dutch teenage girl group of the 80s.
Frizzle Sizzle was selected to represent the Netherlands
in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1986.
Soon after, the group found success with their recordings of English language songs.
Here's a fine one released as a single that same year-- "Never Give Up!"
"Never Give Up" - Frizzle Sizzle
(Apr./May 1986)
"Dots not all, folks.
Hello, Dolly!"
CONTESTANT #4
DOLLY DOTS
The final contestants in my all-Dutch, all-female
Battle of the Bands are The Dolly Dots.
From 1979 to 1988 the dance-pop sextet (I like the sound of that)
scored a large number of hits throughout Europe.
Here are The Dolly Dots performing their very first single released
in 1979, a top 5 hit on the charts in The Netherlands
and Belgium-- "(Tell It All About) Boys!"
"(Tell It All About) Boys" - Dolly Dots
(June/July 1979, highest chart pos. #4 Netherlands/#5 Belgium)
Okay, which Dutch girl pop group do you like most?
VOTE NOW!
And stay tuned for the launch of my new
Shady's Place/S-P-M-M radio series
Letch Dance
with Alan Shore
coming in 2023!
In case you're wondering, I dated all three Centerfold women.
I was engaged to all three Babes.
I married and divorced all of the Frizzle Sizzle gals.
...and I'm still married to all 6 Dolly Dots...
one for every night of the week.
That leaves a day off to rest, drink brandy and smoke
cigars with Alan... and maybe have a sleepover.
Life is good.
God bless America!
DENNY
CRANE.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThis is a battle chock full of music content. I wasn't expecting four bands in your round. All of these 70s and 80s all female groups pull me back in time. A day when girls liked being girls. They had the look and the sound. You did an exceptional job pulling together four new-to-me Dutch bands. I liked all four. I don't know if sharing more songs for the first two groups contributes to the reason I like them the best of the four. I may have to sample more of the second two bands when I get a chance. In this round, I just need to figure out which of the first two I like more than the other. Over all, in my opinion Centerfold nudges Babe out barely but I certainly enjoyed them and yes, I did pick up traces of The Ronettes and ABBA in their singing style. Thanks for the introduction to so much fabulous, fun girls from the past!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for being the Early Bird again this week, dear friend!
I'm delighted that you appreciated my mock Battle of the Bands and like all four Dutch girl groups introduced by powerhouse lawyer Denny Crane of Boston Legal.
The reason why I included four songs by the first two acts and only one song apiece for the last two acts is simple. In my search of YouTube, I was looking for videos that met my quality standards, performance vids with the best possible sound and picture, and songs sung in English rather than Dutch. I was only able to find one song for Frizzle Sizzle and one for Dolly Dots that met those requirements. Since this is merely an exhibition round, the uneven playing field isn't that important.
Like you, I had a hard time deciding which group I like best. They are all great in my book. In the end, I think I like Babe the most because they have that ABBA-esque sound combined with a retro 60s sound reminiscent of U.S. girl groups like The Ronettes. I can't fault your vote for Centerfold because they were prolific and terrific. Their lead singer, Laura Fygi, went on to a successful solo career as a well respected jazz singer. She has released recordings in English, Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Yessum, like you, I knew nothing about these Dutch girl groups of the 70s and 80s until I did my homework. Turns out, there were several other notable girl groups recording and performing in The Netherlands during that period. To keep this pretend band battle from becoming insanely long, I whittled it down to the four groups that I think are best known and best represented on YouTube.
Thank you again for joining the fun, dear friend Cathy. Enjoy the rest of your week and the merry month of June!
Tom,
DeleteI'm glad your Internet quest and studies produced some true talent in your mock BOTB. The 70s & 80s has a signature sound, a sound that really reels you back to the "good old days". If the world stands another 100 years I don't think they'll ever get music as good as it was from that era. I'm not surprised to read Laura Fygi went on to have a successful solo career. She has very sultry sound which is perfect for the jazz genre. Thanks for tuning my ears in tune to these new girl bands, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for returning to follow-up, dear friend. In Denny's fake band battle, the tally now stands as follows:
BABE - 5 VOTES
CENTERFOLD - 4 VOTES
FRIZZLE SIZZLE - 1 VOTE
DOLLY DOTS - O VOTES
I agree. I can't imagine music ever again being as great as it was from the 1950s through the 80s. They truly were the "good old days" and, the way things are going, I fear we'll never get them back.
Yessum, Laura was the real deal, and proved it by becoming a successful solo artist. Your description of her vocals as sultry is accurate. That's why the Centerfold group had a sound that was different from that of Babe and the other two groups represented here. Babe's vocals, like ABBA's, were light and bouncy and fun, while Centerfold had more of a sexy, soulful, R&B style, in my opinion.
I am always happy to introduce your ears to new artists and songs. Stay tuned for more lawyer fun coming up tomorrow morning in my next post. Have a wonderful week, dear friend Cathy!
Well, once again you've outdone yourself. So many great tunes to take me back to that other time and so many other places. I've already listened to three oldies, but oh so goodies! I'll have to return to listen to more.
ReplyDeleteAnd who couldn't have fun following Captain Kirk's adventures all the way to Denny Crane and company? What a career, heh? This guy even went up in "real" space ship. Gotta hand it to him.
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place for another month of fun, dear friend!
Yessum, this batch of songs by Dutch girl groups features two covers of well known hits. Centerfold did a great cover of "Radar Love," the 1973/74 hit by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring. For their last single in 1985, the Babe group covered "Tell Him," a hit in early 1963 for the U.S. R&B/pop group The Exciters.
I'm glad you enjoyed Denny Crane's appearance on my blog today. Denny will be back soon along with Alan Shore for the launch of their SPMM series Letch Dance. Yessum, William Shatner has had a great career that took him from serious dramatic actor to space cadet to The Practice & Boston Legal to being the spokesperson for Priceline and actual space travel. Amazing!
Thanks again for dropping in, dear friend Cheryl-Lee. Have a wonderful June and come see me again soon!
Definitely easy on the eyes! Radar Love is always a good song to cover. White Lion did it way back when.
ReplyDeleteHi, Alex!
DeleteI apologize, good buddy. I just now found your comment sorted to my spam folder. I don't know why that happened after cruising along for years without any problems. I'm glad you appreciated Centerfold's cover of "Radar love." I dig it, too.
Thanks again for dropping by, good buddy Alex!
I got you Babe. These bubblegum gals made a name for themselves even though not in the U. S. Of A. You may know I will go for Babe because they do sound like ABBA. I thought their voices were really good and, aside from twirling around, no gimmicks like singing naked. It was fu to.listen to the bubblegum gals of the 70s and 80s. Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for being a Day One Doozy, dear friend! I thank you and Denny Crane thanks you.
I will record your imaginary vote for Babe in my imaginary BOTB. Yessum, I am aware that you are a big ABBA fan, and I'm pleased that you agree with me that Babe sounded like the Swedish pop group. I like them, too. FYI - Denny Crane was engaged to all three members of the group!
The video of Centerfold performing nude on Top Pop is on YouTube. For your convenience I have the link right here. Click at the 1:50 mark and you will see that the segment was presented in good taste compared to a lot of the stuff we've seen in music videos in the years since:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=581uBHwvW5w
I'm glad you were able to pick a favorite from Denny Crane's lineup. Thanks again for dropping in on the first day. Enjoy the rest of your week and, once again, happy birthday to you, dear friend BB!
I'm not sure I knew a single song covered here other than Radar Love!! Some of these girls definitely have that 80s look. ;) -Kelly and Pat (woof)
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly & Pat! (WOOF WOOF WOOF!)
DeleteThanks for popping over to see what that rascal Denny Crane is up to, dear friend!
Like you, I am not familiar with any of these songs except the two covers of major hits - "Radar Love" and "Tell Him." The latter, most famously recorded by The Exciters, is on Billboard's list of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. The song was originally written as "Tell Her" and was recorded with that title by Dean Parrish in 1966 and Kenny Loggins in 1989. In 1974, "Tell Him" was covered by the British glam rock band Hello and by Bette Midler in 2014. The Exciters original is found on the soundtracks of several movies including The Big Chill, My Best Friend's Wedding and 10 Cloverfield Lane, the latter starring one of my favorite scream queens Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Thanks again for attending Denny Crane's sneak preview party, dear friend Kelly. Enjoy the rest of your week!
They were all good in their own way, and I thought all were worthy representatives of my favorite Low Country. As for my favorite, I'll go with Centerfold: I just liked their style and their music choices. Great battle, and as they say in he Netherlands, "alstublieft!"
ReplyDeleteHi, John!
DeleteIt's great to see you, good buddy! This special feature promoting the new Shady's Place series Letch Dance with Alan Shore, featuring co-host Denny Crane, is simply an exhibition match. It is not actually part of the Battle of the Bands hop. That said, I certainly am interested in knowing which of these four acts friends like you favor. With your vote in my mock contest, Centerfold pulls into a tie with Babe. Did you notice that Centerfold's first song,"The Goodbye," contains a sample of the Ray Charles biggie "Hit The Road, Jack"? As I explained to our mutual friend Cathy (above) Centerfold's lead zinger, Laura Fygi, went on to great success as a solo artist, a jazz singer, and released albums in several different languages. You get a sense of Laura's capability as a jazz vocalist on the Centerfold song "Intimate Climate."
I'm glad you agree that the ladies in these Dutch groups were talented singers and dancers. The songs they sang in the 80s were catchy and fun. These vintage performances that originated in a foreign land all those years ago are refreshing to my eyes and ears today. They offer welcome comfort and relief from the bleak, troubled 2020s world we find ourselves living in.
Thanks again for dropping in, John. Enjoy the rest of your week. I hope to see you again soon, good buddy!
I love it when you have contests! Okay, like you, I like Centerfold and Babe the best. I'm giving my vote to Centerfold because of the lead singer's voice. It is full and deeper than Babe's. I liked both these bands songs especially, Intimate Climate, and Together in Love Again.
ReplyDeleteBabe does sound like Abba, which I love. The last two bands were really good too. Fizzle Sizzle was a cute, young group and Dolly Dots' song brought me straight back to being a teenage girl who could only think about boys. I wish I had been a studious, serious student who wanted to do something important in the world. But no, I just wanted a boy, a husband and then babies! Lol. Thanks for the fun.
Hi, Belle!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you, dear friend! Thanks for coming over to meet lawyer legend Denny Crane and evaluate the four Dutch girl groups in his Battle of the Bands parody.
With your vote, Centerfold forges into the lead, with Babe in second place. Perhaps if I had found additional HQ/HD videos of Frizzle Sizzle and Dolly Dots, they would be getting some votes, but I could not find any that suited me.
Yessum, as I have mentioned in other replies, there is ample talent on display in these groups. They were not just a bunch of pretty women jiggling around on stage. They sang well, produced sweet harmony and their songs are fun and uplifting, their enthusiasm infectious. Now more than ever, I believe, the world needs music of this kind.
I'm glad you singled out Centerfold lead vocalist Laura Fygi. She's the real deal, and proved it by becoming a successful solo jazz singer and recording artist, highly respected in The Netherlands and elsewhere. If you watch the clip of the Centerfold women performing nude on TopPop, you might agree that it was classy and tastefully done, a far cry from the vulgar antics we have seen many times in videos and live stage performances in the years since. To view the segment, follow this link below and click at the 1:50 mark of the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=581uBHwvW5w
I especially appreciated Centerfold's dance-rock cover of "Radar Love." Their song "Dictator" brings to mind the style of Sheena Easton's 80s hits and her collaboration with Prince.
Turning to the Babe group, their "Together In Love Again" song has a retro 60s sound reminiscent of U.S. girl groups of the 60s. "Explosive" sounds like ABBA covering a song by The Ronettes "Please Me Please Do" is another song performed in the style of ABBA, a catchy ditty with an irresistible melody. Babe's cover of The Exciters' hit "Tell Him" has a rock guitar interlude that I appreciated.
"Never Give Up" by Frizzle Sizzle offers more of that delightful ABBA sound. That's probably why I (Denny) included them in this contest.
"(Tell It All About) Boys" by Dolly Dots is yet another cute, fun song that captures the essence of ABBA and reveals the influence of American girl groups of the 60s.
Don't sell yourself short, Belle. You are important to the world, a positive role model, powerful and influential, even though you might not realize it. Simply put, you are superstar in my book. You know that's how I have always regarded you.
Thank you again for taking time to experience the performances of these vintage late 70s and 80s Dutch girl groups. I hope all is well on your side of the screen, and that includes all members of your wonderful family. Have a nice Thursday and a safe and happy weekend, dear friend Belle!
Hi Tom, this is Belle. Had to sign in as anonymous. I want to thank you for your kind words about me. I was moved that you see me in that way. You are a thoughtful and considerate friend. I'm very glad to have you for my "brother" in this life.
DeleteGod bless you, Belle. Thank you for writing these words. I do see you that way, and I am equally thankful to have you as the greatest of friends and the sister I never had. Have a safe and happy week, dear Belle!
DeleteShady!
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with any of these bands - they're new to me! I agree, Babe sounds just like ABBA. I couldn't believe it. I enjoy ABBA and I enjoyed the songs you posted.
However, Centerfold has to be my choice. I love their style, their music, and content. I think I will have to check out even more videos. I want to check out more music by all of these artists.
We now have Netflix, and I can't wait to check out series that you have suggested. Have you ever watched "Dating on the Spectrum"? Someone at the County recommended it to me.
Happy Thankful Thursday, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for coming to see what legal eagle Denny Crane cooked up for you, dear friend!
I didn't know about any of these Dutch girl groups until a few months ago when I came across Centerfold on YouTube. From there, I discovered the other three acts represented in this post, along with several other Dutch girl groups that I needed to leave out for the sake of "brevity." I'm glad you can hear ABBA in the singing of Babe. I also hear the ABBA sound and influence in contestants #3 and 4 - Frizzle Sizzle and Dolly Dots. I'm pleased that you enjoyed the song lineup. It wasn't easy to find videos with good sound quality and picture, but I managed to find these 10. Your vote for group #1, Centerfold, puts them into a solid lead. Those ladies had talent and charisma to spare. Thanks for voting!
I'm thrilled that you now have Netflix. The first show that I recommend you and Tommy watching together is Ozark starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. Hands down, it is my favorite TV series of any genre - ever! Thanks for tipping me off about Love On The Spectrum, the Aussie reality TV show that follows people on the autism spectrum as they explore the dating world. I watched the trailer and it got me interested.
Thanks again for your visit and kind comments, dear friend JM. Happy TT to you and Tommy!
Hi Shady,
DeleteWith Pride under way, I think I am going to add this playlist to my Pride playlist. :) I hope you will do a post with some Pride favourites.
I will definitely check out Ozark. I think Tommy already watches it with his dad. He really likes it.
Happy Monday, dear friend!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThe big headline at this moment is how glad I am that you and Tommy were not in the vicinity of that shooting massacre on South Street. I am sick at heart that these events keep unfolding day by day across the country. America is becoming a shooting gallery.
Yessum, these songs are a good fit for your Pride month playlist. I'll have a new batch of songs for you to consider in tomorrow's post featuring more lawyer fun. I hope you will catch up on Ozark. It's a superior series with a super strong cast.
Thanks for returning to chat, dear friend JM, and have a wonderful week ahead!
Hey there friend Shady - a couple days late to the party but I've been pretty sick for the past week. Just a really bad cold, not the other "C" (I home tested twice to be sure). Still not 100% but much better. Babe definitely has that Abba sound. I think I prefer them the best. I haven't heard of any of them before. Totally 80's with that hair. Boston Legal is on my watch list. I do remember watching the Practice back when I watched TV regularly. Hope you and the Mrs. have a wonderful weekend dear Shady. I have a table to sell my cards and things on Sunday in our town's Community Day. Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteHi, Janet!
DeleteI'm pleased to see you, dear friend! Thanks for dropping in for this sneak peek at Letch Dance with Alan Shore.
I'm sorry to learn that you've been "poorly," as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, would say on Downton Abbey. Thank goodness you didn't come down with the dreaded "C." Mrs. Shady's daughter and her husband both tested positive a few weeks ago and were pretty sick, but have since recovered, thank goodness.
I'm happy to know that Denny Crane introduced you to four new music groups today and a bunch of new songs. Your vote for the ABBAesque sound and style of Babe matches mine, but they still trail Centerfold 4-3 in the vote tally. It's all good, because this is simply an exhibition round. It is in no way affiliated with the actual Battle of the Bands blog hop.
If you watched The Practice, then you remember Alan Shore and Denny Crane being introduced in the last couple of seasons, setting the stage for the spin-off, Boston Legal. The latter series is a hoot, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Yessum, I hope you make lots of sales this weekend at Community Day. I look forward to a follow-up report. Thanks again for coming to Denny Crane's party. Please give my buddy Benny some lubbins and have a wonderful weekend, dear friend Janet!
Well, it's a bit hard to compare one-song groups with several-songs groups. Let's just say my favorite individual song is the one by Dolly Dots, but as a whole I'm most impressed with Babe. I like their sound.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for coming by and exercising your right to vote in Denny Crane's Battle of the Bands, good buddy!
Your vote for Babe brings the hard fought contest to an even-steven 4-4 tie. I promise transparency during the mandatory recount. Every hanging chad, fat chad and pregnant chad will be evaluated individually.
Thanks again for your visit and vote, good buddy Kirk!
I really should watch Boston Legal at some point. It's probably on Netflix. I love William Shatner and James Spader. I loved James Spader in The Blacklist. That's probably the best role he's ever had in my opinion. Although I loved him in the movie, Wolf with Jack Nicholson.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Centerfold but I didn't really care for them.
I've never heard Babe either but they are just ok for me until I heard Please Do. They sound like ABBA. I liked that song.
I hadn't heard Dolly Dots before but I didn't really care for them.
Frizzle Sizzle is another new one for me but I liked them the best.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteThanks for checking out Denny Crane's bogus band battle, dear friend!
A few nights ago, Mrs. Shady and I finished watching the entire Boston Legal series for the third or fourth time. It is currently running on Hulu, if you subscribe to that service. IMDB doesn't say anything about it being available on Netflix, but you can rent or buy the series on Amazon. It's a hoot, but you should first watch The Practice which introduces the characters Alan Shore and Denny Crane. I think you might have told me you already did watch The Practice. If you enjoyed that, you will love Boston Legal. It's outrageous.
I too watched and enjoyed Spader in The Blacklist along with the movies Pretty In Pink, Less Than Zero, Critical Care and others. He's at his twisted best in Secretary and Crash, the latter being about thrill seekers who make whoopee while riding in speeding vehicles knowing they are about to crash and get injured. Shady sez: "Different strokes for different folks." :)
Thanks for listening to all four acts in Denny's contest. Glad you liked the ABBA sound of Babe. Your vote for Frizzle Sizzle puts then on the board and in contention. If I suddenly get four new followers and they all vote for Frizzle Sizzle, they could pull off a surprize win! :)
Thanks again for your visit, comment and vote, dear friend Mary. I wish you and my buddy Falcor a safe and happy weekend!
Good evening Shady! I'm catching up on blogs and I left the best for last! I knew it would take me a bit to listen to these groups and also to enjoy the 80's vibe! I will not just vote for the one band I liked best but also for the best dressed of the 80's! You know I enjoy all that hair and clothes! So I give Centerfold the big thumbs up for hair and costume but I'm going with Babe for the Abba sound bar. I really didn't like the last two at all for some reason. Anyway, it's June and the weather has been really nice this weekend. I'm behind in blogging and I'll fill in the blanks on my page tomorrow as I'm heading to bed since I'm now working again and tomorrow will be here early for me! I hope all is well with you and your family and you have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteI'm up late tonight myself and very happy that you made it over in time to vote in Denny Crane's band battle. Thanks for coming, dear friend!
Yessum, I imagine you were like a kid in a candy store looking at all these flashy styles of the disco 70s and new wave 80s. As you can see, I found an abundance of colorful record picture sleeves for all four acts and decided to include them in the post.
My goodness, I didn't think it would be possible but, with your vote (and mine), Babe has now forged into the lead 5-4 over Centerfold, with Frizzle Sizzle trailing far behind at 1 vote and Dolly Dots with goose egg.
I'm happy to know you've enjoyed good weather up there. Ours has been good, too - good and hot!!! :) I look forward to reading your latest post tamale. I hope my sweetie Annabelle is AOK and loving her life at The Pines. I wish you a safe and satisfying work week with ample leisure time mixed in.
Thank again for joining the fun, dear friend YaYa!
I wasn't actively looking around for anything 'Dutch Dollies'-related, but, much to my delight, I just happened to stumble upon this, which completely blew me away. I thought I knew my Dutch Girl Groups, but Centerfold and Frizzle Sizzle are new to me. For quite some time I had my eye variously over the English Channel in France and over the North Sea in The Netherlands for their respective Pop scenes of the late 1960s through to the early 1980s, generally of a female nature, but then, around the middle of the 2010s my eyes were taken over the former Iron Curtain to see the wonders coming out of Communist world. At a post from back in late August last year at my Blog, 'Girls Of The Golden East', inspired by the 'Girl Group' of four that landed the Gold for The Netherlands that brought the curtain down on the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, I made reference to the Dutch Girl Group scene at the following post.
ReplyDeletehttps://girlsofthegoldeneast.wordpress.com/2023/08/28/its-the-28th-its-a-bank-holiday-monday-so/
As you will note the Girl Group from the classic era of the early 1960s that most immediately springs to mind in Babe's Spectoresque 'Explosive' is not The Ronettes, but The Crystals, as in 'Then He Kissed Me', especially in the closing bars of the song. You will also spy a couple of Dutch Girl Groups that appear to be missing from your poll - first, Luv', then Doris D and The Pins, led by the startlingly good Dutch-speaking Brit, Debbie Jenner.
I'm torn on my faves of those nominated in this post of yours. I have a lot of time for Babe's 'Explosive' and the B-Side thereto, 'Shocking' and the earlier Greek-flavoured 'Never Listen To The Bouzouki Player', but I also do for Dolly Dots' song not mentioned here, 'Leila The Queen Of Sheba', in tribute to the relatively recently deceased Gina Lollobrigida, of course, as immortally featured in that favourite book of mine, Harry & Michael Medved's 'The Fifty Worst Movies Of All Time', thanks to her portrayal of the Queen of Sheba in the "Only once in three thousand years anything like 'Solomon And Sheba'", to which the Medveds remark, "Thank goodness!"
I should definitely check out Luv''s 'Trojan Horse' and 'Czech' out its Czech-language cover by Bezinky, the title literally translated to Czech, as 'Trójský kůň'. It's a pity that, unlike Luv', Bezinky couldn't arrange a pipe band like the Queen Beatrix Band of Hilversum, since I think that makes 'Trojan Horse' - the Low Countries meets the Highlands, as it were.
Hi, Christopher!
DeleteI was delighted to find your comment in my "holding for approval" folder and wasted no time getting it published. Thanks for going into such depth expanding on what I did here and informing us about several more essential artists of the genre..
This post was not by any means intended to be a complete list or a ranking of Dutch girl groups. It is a mock Battle of the Bands designed as a vehicle to promote the Alan Shore - Denny Crane blog series I will be running here at Shady's Place. To fill the post, I simply searched for songs that appealed to me and performance videos that have clean enough audio and video to make them worth showing.
Thanks again for contributing so much new information to the discussion. I'll be visiting your site next, so please look for my additional comments there.
I really appreciate you for taking an interest in Shady's Place and hope you will come back and see us again. Take care, Christopher!
Thanks for passing this for posting so promptly and for your kind remarks. I feel truly privileged to have found such a well-packaged and entertainingly presented Blog. It really is First Class, with Honours - erm, sorry, 'Honors' ;-) You may well have been alerted to my split comment on your 'Year of the Dell Rat' post, to which I also just had to comment - one of your replies, to 'Janet', did mention the Czech Republic, after all, which is like 'WOW!!!' to me! Indeed, when my comment was immediately published I thought to myself, "Does that mean that my original comment was passed and I've been recognised as 'not spam'?" Take care yourself, Shady!
DeleteHi again, Christopher!
DeleteThanks for continuing our thread, my friend, and especially for the kind words about my blog in general. I'm sure the more you browse through my 5+ years of posts, the more you will understand that Shady's Place is intended to be 99% entertainment and 1% serious journalism.
Let me explain how my blog settings work. Any comment submitted to a post two weeks or more after the publication date is automatically sorted to my moderation bin. At the same time, I receive an email notification that allows me to publish or delete the comment. Since your comment on my latest post comes only a few days after the post started running, your comment was published immediately. Sometimes, however, a comment that is perfectly valid is mistakenly transported to my spam bin. I need to keep checking that folder to locate and publish such comments. I am telling you this in case, at some point in the future, you try to comment on a current post and your comment disappears. Rest assured that I will eventually find it in spam and allow it to be published. Be advised that it might take a day or two for me to remember to check the spam folder, so please be patient.
I want to make sure you know that I left a comment on your blog post several hours ago. My comment has not yet appeared, leading me to believe that my comment shared a similar fate. It was either sorted to moderation or to your spam folder. Would you please check on that?
Thank you again for your interest and kind comments, Christopher!
Thanks for the in-depth analysis of the way your commenting is functioning. It does appear to be a rather convoluted story and it's easy to see how some comments either go missing or never make it to the intended destination in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI certainly did a bit of a double-take on Centerfold's 'The Goodbye' as a bit of 'Hit The Road Jack' was inserted - via two ways, the first being that it is a regular thing for me to be invited onto the stage to join Godfrey's Grit 'n' Soul Band whenever they play the song, my usually playing the tambourine and the second being that I know of a performance of a Czech-language cover on a New Year's Eve show of 1987, entitled 'Už to víme' ('We Already Know That') by the person born four days after you and the one one month plus one day after her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRR5qWF4TQA
I quite enjoyed the video of Centerfold's cover of Golden Earring's classic. On the subject of that person born four days after you, the idea of hot women materialising at a teenage boy's house is touched upon in 'Dívka na koštěti', where, after flying away from witches' world to the real world as an owl, Saxana re-materialises as herself as she fetches up in our main male protagonist's bedroom. I have the original on the West German-made various artists LP, '20 Original Top Hits' from 1973, which I picked up at my local Mind charity shop as it had the original on which Jitka Zelenková's 'Ve stínu na pláži' ('In The Shade On The Beach')...
https://girlsofthegoldeneast.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/and-now-from-slany-its/
...was based - Donna Hightower's 'This World Today Is A Mess'.
Of course, I have the right surname for an interest in Dutch Girl Groups!
https://fontsinuse.com/uses/39517/the-bentleys-when-you-say-tell-me-tell-me-sin
Hi, Christopher!
DeleteI enjoyed the foreign language versions of "Hit The Road Jack," "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" and "Cabaret" in addition to the other songs with which I am not familiar. I searched YouTube, but was unable to find either of the songs on that single by Bentleys aka The Bentley Sisters. The scan of the pic sleeve from your private collection reveals them to be among the cutest women on the 1960s/70s pop scene.
Cheers, Christopher!
That's good that you enjoyed all those interpretations of those classic tunes. The Bentleys aren't on YouTube as that, but they are very much as 'Bentley Sisters', with the utterly brilliant 'San Antonio', from the days when artists and acts were very fond of singing of places with Hispanic names, such as Middle Of The Road's 'Sacramento'. The music came from a chap called David Swinford, but don't be misled by the English-sounding name. Like the Bentley Sisters were really the Oorthuysen Sisters, David Swinford was really Roland Heck. Thanks for the compliments on the Oorthuysens. I'm especially taken with Winny/Winnie at the front. There's something about when the hem of a skirt or dress drops away or out at the back to reveal a nice bit of...well ;-)
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhBKNGxsPg
I said over at the 'Austin Powers' post that I'd be back with you over here continuing with what I know of Jamelia. It comes back to me that she has been involved with the cause of homelessness, as has Peggy March, whom you will see featured at this 'Girls Of The Golden East' Blog post - which will seriously blow your mind! - re-visiting something that came to my mind after re-discovering a somewhat sad-looking Airfix Savoia-Marchetti SM 79 Italian trimotor bomber I'd made up in childhood in my attic around 2010, then doing some looking-around on the Web - as one does! - and discovering the strange tale of American-born airmen serving in Mussolini's air force and trying to link it in with Middle Of The Road and their Italian connections. There's even a bit inspired by the local athlete, Fiona May from the Derby suburb of Littleover, who became Italian and wore the blue strip of Italy for most of her long-jumping career. She played the role of an African woman in a small town in Italy in a TV drama entitled 'Butta la luna' ('Aim For The Moon') and also won the Italian reality show, 'Ballando con le stelle' ('Dancing With The Stars').
https://girlsofthegoldeneast.wordpress.com/2016/10/16/out-of-my-head/
As Peggy March has quite a following on the Northern Soul scene she has developed quite an attachment to the North and Midlands and I heard once that she was a patron of a shelter in Wolverhampton, of all places, to connect with such an international star as she is. It reminds me sort of of Chris Norman, the Lead Singer of Smokie/Smokey.The band had a large following in what was East Germany and, while the Cold War was still very much on, he reached over the Iron Curtain to be a patron of a children's hospital somewhere in the south of the country.
Returning to 'The Radio Operators' Trilogy I just had to shoehorn a Dutch Girl Group into the action! What would Denny Crane have made of Sweet Letters?