Customer Reviews

Scorpio's Dance

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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I initially only knew 'Venus' in the 1960s.

I was travelling to Greece via Italy in 1971. By the time my plane landed, I quickly heard what I was missing. I lived in Greece during the early 1970s; their rock stations played Shocking Blue songs in heavy rotation. Likewise, music programming from BBC World Service and throughout Europe included their grand discography with steady airplay. I was satisfyingly thrilled with their styles.

I picked up a few records when I travelled to the Nederlands where they were absolutely - obviously - top-of-the-charts.

I returned 'home' saddened. How disappointing travelling cross-country during these years that U.S.A. markets still limit themselves to 'Venus'! Nothing changed during my absence - and since then. How disheartening hearing deejays and so-called musicologist experts deride them as a 'one hit wonder'. I knew better. I carried a secret that everyone is eventually learning on their own.

It is a pleasant sense of satisfaction whenever I hear their music from my collection - as well as hear their music covered by other artists or used in movies and television.

The Beatles are my number one band. Shocking Blue and Focus are two outstanding Dutch bands which clearly rival the Beatles for uniqueness, variety, and ingenuity. American radio stations neglected their audiences - they denied you the treat of both of them during their prime.

Deny yourself no longer. You will be pleased with any Shocking Blue music.

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This is a fantastic album! Until about a month ago all I knew of Shocking Blue was Venus - I bought the 20 Greatest Hits and loved every one so decided to explore the albums - and wasn't disappointed. One of the other reviewers suggested that people from about 45-55 would love the group - well I'm 28 so I wouldn't let that statement put off younger buyers. (Pop fans/rock fans/fans of late 60's-70's music/fans of female vocalists/indie fans - everyone! They were good enough for Kurt Cobain/Nirvana to cover...) There's quite a wide range of styles here from the instrumental Scorpio's Dance, toe-tapping (in a good way) Sally Was A Good Old Girl to the epic Daemon Lover. To be fair there isn't a bad track on this album. The singing is great (not all upbeat songs either - Mariska's voice is superb and carries a lot of different styles) and the music, the tunes really hook you in. Some of the lyrics clank a little in places but this just endears the group more I find. Their later material would seem to be more poppy (it's great too) but this album (I believe) is the one after At Home (which featured Venus) and they are still quite rocky. The final 5 tracks of the album can't be faulted Little Cooling Planet, I Love Voodoo Music, Seven Is A Number In Magic, Keep It If You Want It (which also appears as a B-side on the A-side/B-side collection) and Water Boy are all totally different styles but as catchy as anything. All of these songs would work really well in a film soundtrack - especially as films often seem to continually use the same old same old 60's/70's classics. The Bonus tracks are all singles/B-sides with Hello Darkness and especially Send Me a Postcard being two of the songs that made me realise just how much I really liked them. I can't enthuse enough about this group - they are really fabulous! BUY NOW - BUY EVERYTHING THEY EVER DID - I'M CERTAINLY GOING TO! :)

When I was very young by 1970, I had the opportunity to heard and eventually dance «Demon Lover», which I consider one of the masterpieces of 70's rock music. I became easily a fanatic of Shocking Blue but running time, life circumstances made me lost contact with this group. To find this CD was to me like coming back to past. There were all those old songs, in original, excellent versions (very clean sound), picking and taken me up to almost forgiven reminiscenses. I strongly recommend this CD, specially the unforgettable melodies of «Demon Lover», «Scorpio's Dance», «I Love Voodoo Music» and «Water boy».
I invite you to have an appointment with your best memories and with this delightful collection of rock music.

Well what can i say, if you're somewhere between 45 and 55 you'll love them. There sound are almost unik. When i say almost, i mean it this way. Take " Middle of the road " throw five pounds more rock into it, and the result will be " Shocking blue ". The only difference between them was, Shocking blue wrote all their music themselves, and they did it wery vell. But listen to it, and you will love them too.

The title track of this album is a brief instrumental opening which leads into the rocker Alaska Country, and then Sally Was A Good Old Girl--to the psychelia of Daemon Lover and Mandocello influenced Scorpio's Dance. They get funky on Little Cooling Planet. However, the most seductive of the numbers on this album is I Love Voodoo Music.(...)A great album--one that I've only seen on vinyl once. It's a must to have.

incredible voice (mariska veres), and songs, composed by robbie van leeuwen, u must listen this unknown dutch group from late 60's and early 70's. ¨Alaska country¨, ¨i love woodo music¨, and the incredible, great, dark ¨daemon Lover¨, are just a part of incredible songs.
if u want more of the best shocking blue, just take ¨at home¨, and ¨third album

Shocking Blue created a substantial quantity of material, much of which is better than the famous "Venus". The gem on this album is the haunting "Daemon Lover". The pleasant "Water Boy" is notable for featuring a sitar. There are a variety of musical styles here ("Sally Was A Good Old Girl" is country, for instance) and this adds to the impression that the musical quality is uneven. Several songs (including "Little Cooling Planet" and "Seven Is A Number In Magic") have unusual rhythms that dominate the other aspects of the music. Generally, like all of Shocking Blue's music, this CD has a peculiar charm stemming from many sources, one of which is that much European rock sounds akilter to American ears.

"Scorpio's Dance" from 1970 was Shocking Blue's third album. It contunues the 1960's rocking approach of their breakthrough album "At Home", which contained the the smash-hit "Venus". This album does not have any hits of that calibre, but it does have some catchy rocking songs.

Most notably are the songs "Alaska Country" and "Sally was a Good Old Girl". The standout song though, I think is the ballad "Demon Lover", which demonstrates that the songwriting of Robby Van Leeuwen was both varied and strong.

Compared to other Shocking Blue albums this one may not belong among the very best - a handful of the songs are not really that memorable. Fortunately all 4 bonus-tracks are very strong. Three hit singles "Send Me a Postcard", "Mighty Joe" and "Hello Darkness" are Shocking Blues at their best. Also the upbeat B-side "Picking Tomatoes" is great. So with the 4 bonus tracks, the CD easily deserves the five stars.

What I like about Shocking Blues are the catchy tunes, the great slighly raw and polished sounds of the guitars and of course the charming vocals from Mariska Veres. You easily forgive her a couple of pronunciation problems along the way.

First time I knew shocking blue in 1977 when I was 8 years old. My favourite songs are Demons lover, 7 is a number in magic, I follow the sun, acka raga. I was very happy to find shocking blue CD's, because many years I've tried to find used casettes, but unfortunately It's hard to find. Finally I found those albums in Amazon and I've bought some cd's from amazon.com . Great thanks to amazon for bringing me back to my childhood.

It is hard to say, whether Shocking Blue got the very base of their sound from Jefferson Airplane - inreality the 2 bands are uterrly different, and hardly criss cross at any genre. However one cannot help comparing the 2 altos - one, very gounded vibrating by Slick, and another just a sensual escapade of Veres. Between the two, i feel that Veres' voice is somewhat warmer, and closer to my heart. Perhaps, because she sings more about love, than drugs?