LOST TREASURES

LES BAROQUES

“LES BAROQUES”

By Peter Marston

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Les Baroques are an odd band. Though their name is French, the band is actually Dutch. And while their singles leaned toward baroque folk-pop (their most successful single, “Such a Cad,” recalls Sonny Bono’s “Laugh at Me,” but with a prominent bassoon part), their self-titled debut album is mostly bluesy garage rock. Its peculiar pedigree is a good part of its charm. In much the same way that it is fascinating to see how The Beatles’ attempts to emulate American rock ’n’ roll and soul resulted in something entirely  unique, Les Baroques’ version of American R&B is something―if not nearly as revolutionary―quite appealing.

The story of Les Baroques goes all the way back to 1959, shortly after American rock ’n’ roll hit the continent. Five or six similarly inspired Dutch boys (the exact membership of the band at this point is not documented) started up a beat group called The Modern Teenage Quartet. A name change to The Hurricane Combo, and a few more years working the local dance circuit, brought the band up to the British Invasion, when another name change—to Les Baroques—and forays into original material led to a contract with Europhon for two singles. The first was “Silky” (b/w “My Lost Love”), released in 1965 and the second was “Such a Cad” (b/w “Summer Beach”). “Such a Cad,” though nearly as weird as The Elastik Band’s “Spazz,” was a moderate hit and plans were set for an album. At this point the line-up was Frank Muyser and Hans van Embden on guitars, Rene Krijnen on piano and organ, Robin Muyser on bass, Raymond Geytenbeek on drums and Gary O’Shannon on vocals (O’Shannon was a pseudonym for Gerald Schoenmakers). Their self-titled debut, Les Baroques, was released on Whamm in 1966.

The album consists of material that is right at the intersection of blues, British Beat, and pop. O’Shannon’s vocals are really the focal point here—powerful, bluesy and presaging some elements of psychedelia and punk. Though most commonly compared to Van Morrison’s work in Them, Eric Burdon’s work in the early Animals is another good reference point. Either way, O’Shannon has a compelling voice and one that is fully capable of carrying the album. The opening track is “I Was Wrong,” a simple garage rocker that alternates raga-based verses with choruses that move from plaintive to strident. “Real Love” is a downbeat lovelorn ballad that prominently—perhaps excessively—features an electric guitar run through a volume pedal along with some curious brass lines. The entire effect is very similar to The Glitterhouse. “Troubles” features a vocal performance that is so breathy that it is nearly a whisper, building tension without release throughout. “Too Long” reminds me of a cross between the Animals and The Nashville Teens, though the song itself is rather slight. “O, O Baby, Give Me That Show,” on the other hand, is one of the strongest songs on the album, again recalling the British Beat boom, but this time with a great bluesy chorus. “My Destiny” leans a bit more toward pop, but is still very much a beaty blues. “Too Shy to Say Hello” features piano rather than organ supporting another soulful, bluesy vocal from O’Shannon. The closer, “Girls Enough,” is another strong garage rocker, punctuated with simple but energetic guitar breakdowns.

The album was well-received, but then O’Shannon was called up for military service which broke whatever momentum the band had behind it (O’Shannon would later front the plainly named Gary O’Shannon Group). O’Shannon was replaced by Michel van Dijk, and Les Baroques carried on for a few more singles and a follow-up LP (Barbarians with Love), but the group never really eclipsed their work with O’Shannon . More line-up changes followed and by 1969, with no original members remaining, the group folded with some of the newer personnel reemerging as Island (though that band, too, would dissolve with a completely different line-up in 1971).

Les Baroques has never been reissued and is very difficult to find on the original vinyl. There have been two releases of the complete recordings of Les Baroques, in 1995 on Patio (titled Such a Cad: The Complete Story of Les Baroques) and in 2002 on Hunter (titled The Complete Collection). Both are virtually impossible to find—I have, in fact, never even seen a copy of either and the lone used copy of the Hunter release is currently being offered for $260 on amazon. This is one to find posted on a blog or through a file-sharing site. It’s out there, so get Googling!

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Pop Pioneer and “Lost Treasures” writer, Peter Marston is the leader of long-running power pop band, Shplang, whose most recent album, “My Big Three Wheeler” has been described as “the Beatles meet Zappa in pop-psych Sumo match.”  Peter has a new project in 2015 under the name MARSTON.   They will have a track on the upcoming “Power Pop Planet – Volume 5” compilation due in June, 2015.

You check it out at this link:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/shplang

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LINKS:

Wikipedia:  https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Baroques

All Music Guide:  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-baroques-mn0000253480/biography  and review:  http://www.allmusic.com/album/les-baroques-mw0000958791

From the Rising Storm blog:  http://therisingstorm.net/les-baroques-les-baroques/

Cool blog post:  http://oldmans-doors.blogspot.com/2013/04/les-baroques-2002-complete-collection-2.html

VIDEOS:

SHE’S SUCH A CAD:

SHE’S MINE:

I KNOW THAT YOU’LL BE MINE: