Photo: Joost Evers / Anefo / CC0
Our Top 10 Shocking Blue songs takes a look at a rock band formed in the late 1960s in The Netherlands who are known for their big hit entitled “Venus.” The group originally formed in the city of Hauge. The group had great success in their native Dutch county but not much success in the United States outside of their smash hit “Venus.” The band was rather short lived having formed in 1967 and breaking up in 1974. Their music and image defines 1960s psychedelic rock. The group’s original lineup of musicians included Robbie van Leeuwen, Fred de Wilde, Klaasje van der Wal and Cor van der Beek. In 1968, vocalist Mariska Veres was asked to join the group. That turned out to be a wise decision as Mariska Veres’ vocals and style helped propel the band to the next level of stardom fueled by the hit song “Venus.”
The story of Socking Blue is not well known in the United States and neither is their catalog of music. The band was ahead of their time from a video perspective as the group filmed videos for many of their songs. Mariska Veres had such a powerful presence in front of the camera. Younger people in the States are always looking for old bands to discover, We think this is a great band for everyone of all ages to discover who are unfamiliar with their songs. It’s worth the time to check out all these great videos. below.
# 10 – Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
We open up our top 10 Shocking Blue songs list with a great track entitled “Out Of Sight, Out of Mine.” The song was released as a single in 1971. It was a top 10 hit in The Netherlands, Norway and Belgium. The video is simple, and a bit eerie. We love it!
# 9 – Send Me A Postcard
Just a few seconds into this song and you will realize how great this band was. Not sure why this group never made it that big in the United States. They do sound a little like Jefferson Airplane on this track until the psychedelic keyboard sound jumps on in. A very cool tune and even though the video is a bit out of sync, it’s still an enjoyable view and listen.
# 8 – Blossom Lady
Continuing with our top 10 Shocking Blue songs list we turn to their single entitled “Blossom Lady.” The song was released as a single in 1971. The song failed to chart in the United States. However, it was a big hit in the Netherlands as it peaked at number two in the country. The song also hit number three in Belgium.
# 7 – Hello Darkness
The great Shocking Blue song “Hello Darkness,” was released as a single in 1970. It would later appear as a bonus track on the band’s third album entitled Scorpio’s Dance when it was released on CD. Once again the song was nowhere to be found in the United States but was indeed a big hit in the Netherlands where it reached the number four spot on the Netherlands music charts.
# 6 – Mighty Joe
Ask any Shocking Blue fan to name a few of their favorite Shocking Blue songs and chances are “Mighty Joe,” would be one of them. “Mighty Joe,” was one of the most popular Shocking Blue songs ever released. One of the reasons the song was so popular was because it served as the follow up single to “Venus.” It was the second highest charting Shocking Blue song in the United States as it peaked at number forty three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song hit number two in the Netherlands. The song was released in 1969.
# 5 – Daemon Lover
“Daemon Lover,” is the first Shocking Blue song to appear on this list that was not released as a single. The song defines the term “deep album track.” This was a great one. “Daemon Lover,” was released on the band’s third album entitled Scorpio’s Dance. The album was released in 1970. The song “Daemon Lover” at six minutes long, stood as the longest track on the LP. Don’t miss the great video below. This one will mesmerize you.
# 4 – Long And Lonesome Road
“Long and Lonesome Road,” was a stand alone single release by Shocking Blue in 1969. It was the first Shocking Blue song to break the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It was also the single that was released just before “Venus,” became a worldwide hit. The song became a top 10 hit in France and a top 20 hit in the Netherlands. The song would later appear as a bonus track on the band’s CD release of their second album entitled At Home.
# 3 – Never Marry a Railroad Man
When you take a listen to this next great track, you are going to shake your head and wonder how you’ve never heard this song. “Never Marry A Railroad Man,” was released in 1970 as a stand alone single. It later appeared on the CD issue of the Shocking Blue album entitled Third Album. (It was actually their fourth). Interestingly,“Never Marry A Railroad Man,” turned out to be their highest charting song in their native home of the Netherlands where it hit number one. It also hit number one in France.
# 2 – Love Buzz
“Love Buzz ,” is an interesting song in the band’s catalog. It was never released as a single, yet it remains on of their most enduring songs. One of the main reasons this song has become such a song of interest is because it was recorded by Nirvana in 1988 and issued as the first single release ever on Sub Pop Records.
# 1 – Venus
We close out our top 10 Shocking Blue songs list with the song that everyone knows. Obviously this was the band’s biggest hit. The song was released during the summer of 1969 in the band’s home country of The Netherlands. It was not an immediate hit although it did hit number five that summer in their native Dutch county. Seven months later, the single hit number one in the United States. In the end, it would hit number one in nine different countries making it one of the most successful singles of the 1960s.
