March 17, 2008

Ain't no lover like me in town


Warning: people with an allergy for mainstream music are adviced to stop reading now. I can't be held responsible for any damage done by being exposed to some actual hit(ooh, dirty word!)songs.

Sunday June 26, 2005, The Hague. A huge middle aged lady walks onstage at the free festival Parkpop, and then towards the microphone. Nothing to get too excited about, it seems. I get ready to walk away to get another beer, when I hear a familiar guitar riff. Then the lady starts singing:



"A goddess on a mountain top
Was burning like a silver flame
A summit of beauty and love
And Venus was her name…"


That voice! Despite the incredible physical changes that voice is still as pretty as it was in 1969, when 'Venus' climbed the charts. There's something about Mariska Veres' voice that I can't resist. No matter how often I hear 'Love buzz', 'Send me a postcard' or even the overplayed 'Venus', I fall in love a little bit.

Shocking Blue were pretty big in their home-country The Netherlands in the late 60s and early 70s. Plenty of top 10 hits, two of which reached the number one spot here ('Mighty Joe' and 'Never marry a railroad man'. Suprisingly, not 'Venus'). It's just those three songs mentioned above though that work that magic for me.

Mariska Veres died December 2, 2006.

Shocking Blue were a very average rock band on most occasions. I will adore them forever for these three little miracles:

Download
(Mediafire)
1. Shocking Blue - Send me a postcard
2. Shocking Blue - Venus
3. Shocking Blue - Love buzz

3 comments:

Marianthi said...

<3 <3 <3

Dennis said...

Aw, for me? Or for Shocking Blue? ;)

Marianthi said...

Both!