"Distant smile" b/w "Don't know which way to go" by Cuby + Blizzards, Philips JF 333 902 (1967)

On 26 September 2011 Harry "Cuby" Muskee, singer of Cuby + Blizzards died at the age of 70, bringing to a close the history of the leading Dutch bluesband Cuby + Blizzards (C+B) who had emerged in 1966. This was their 7th single, released when the band had just broken up for the first time. Pianist Herman Brood (who started a successful solo career in 1976) had just been incarcerated for the possession of drugs during a musicians party, a drugs bust affecting four Dutch top groups at the time: apart from C+B The Motions (Gerard Romeijn and Jan Vennik), Q'65 (Jay Baar) and After Tea (Polle Eduard).
Singer Harry Muskee and guitarist Eelco Gelling had a falling out and decided to continue with separate bands. The A-side was a great original that remained in C+B setlist right up to the end. The B-side was covered from Buddy Guy and showcased Eelco Gelling's incredible guitar work, leading to interest from such luminaries as John Mayall and Van Morrison for this virtuoso guitarist. But Eelco tried to form his own group with bass player Jaap van Eik and the pair was coaxed into a reformed C+B when the band was awarded an Edison music award (like a Dutch Grammy) and Herman Brood was released from prison. Thus there are clips of C+B plugging this single with Dick Beekman replacing Hans Waterman (who's on the single) and Jaap van Eik standing in for original Blizzard Willy Middel on bass.
Rating: *****

"Another day another road" b/w "Feeling like a suitcase" by Cuby + Blizzards, Philips JF 333 856 (1967)

Although Herman Brood appeared on the picture sleeve of "Just for fun" this was the first C+B recording he played on. Brood dominated the A-side with his barrelhouse piano. Very short single, both songs are under the 2-minute mark. Eelco Gelling does some great solos on both sides and the B-side wouldn't have been out of place on their 1967 album "Groeten uit Grollo" (yes, at the time still with one "o" at the end).
Rating: ****

"Appleknockers Flophopuse" b/w "Because of illness" by Cuby + Blizzards, Philips JF 336 071 (1969)

The title song of their forthcoming album of the same name was the first single with Helmig van der Vegt on keyboards replacing Herman Brood. To this day guitarist Eelco Gelling claims this was "the beginning of the end" as the band with out of balance with three virtuoso instrumentalists from Blues Dimension in the band.
"Appleknockers Flophouse" is a slowed-down heavy rewrite of the band's first single "Stumble and fall" down to the key (C) and most of the chord changes. The B-side is an instrumental 12-bar, judging from the title recorded because singer Harry Muskee was too ill to record.
The sleeve was a portrait of Helmig pasted onto a publicity picture that originally had Herman Brood sitting down in the bottom. During this period Harry Muskee took to dyeing his hair black.
Rating: ***

"Nostalgic toilet" b/w "116A Queensway" by Cuby + Blizzards, Philips JF 334 650 (1968)

This was a strange single. It crept into the lower regions of the Dutch Top 40, probably on the strength of the B-side. It seems Alexis Korner lived at 116A Queensway in the Bayswater area in London, but when I went there in 1972 he didn't or at least: not anymore. The A-side had a melody I can't even remember up until this day. But Queensway had great guitar work from Eelco Gelling, the main attraction of C+B. Last thing the band recorded with Herman Brood on piano until his return for the Farewell concerts in 1973 and 1974.
Rating: ***

That day b/w The words I need by The Golden Earrings (Polydor International 421 023)

This band became world famous in the 1970s with Radar Love, by which time they'd dropped the s from their name. But in the 1960s they were quite an eclectic pop group. They started out with strong Beatles influences, from 1967 they seemed to be mainly influenced by The Who, but they also did excursions into folk rock (Daddy buy me a girl) and bubblegum (Dong dong diki diki dong). In the late 60s they changed to hard rock (the album Eight miles high) and continue to this day as the most successful and most enduring band of the 1960s wave.
This single was recorded in London and that was clear from the intro. This single sounded much better than most Dutch pop productions until then. This single reached #2 in the Top 40, only narrowly missing out on being the first Dutch band to reach the top of the charts. That fate was in store for the rather silly Dong dong diki diki dong in 1968.
Rating: ****

"As tears go by" b/w "I laugh at you" by 4PK (Fontana YF 278121)

I liked this version of the Rolling Stones hit very much. I think someone gave it tome for my 14th birthday. I later found out the PK stood for Peter Koelewijn, who had been the first Dutch rock & roll star with "Kom van dat dak af" and by 1965 was a record producer. Hearing it back now I can distinguish the rather peculiar pronunciation, but at the time this sounded quite good!
Rating: ** {courtesy mza-garage}