At Home | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 30 September 1969 | |||
Recorded | 1969 | |||
Studio | Sound Push Studios, Blaricum, Netherlands | |||
Genre | Psychedelic rock, pop rock, blues rock, folk rock | |||
Length | 30:30 (Original) 36:21 (Reissue) | |||
Label | Pink Elephant | |||
Producer | Shocking Blue | |||
Shocking Blue chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Rolling Stone | (favorable) [2] |
PopMatters | (favorable) [3] |
At Home is the second studio album by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released in 1969 on the Pink Elephant label. It is their first album to feature Mariska Veres, the group's signature frontwoman and lead singer.
The album is the group's first record with singer Mariska Veres. Robbie van Leeuwen acquired Veres in an attempt to ape the form of the female-fronted Jefferson Airplane. With Veres's notable vocal performance and stunning looks, the band finally had an adequate frontwoman. [4]
At Home was a mixture of influences ranging from pop rock to psychedelic rock. There is also early evidence of their interest in Americana, with tracks like "California Here I Come" and "Harley Davidson". [5]
The hit single "Venus" was omitted from the original Dutch pressings of the album, but was appended to the international versions both as an opening or closing track to the side one. Singles "Long and Lonesome Road" and "Mighty Joe" were also featured on several versions of the album.
At Home was repackaged for the American market as a self titled album rearranging tracklisting, omitting "I'll Write Your Name Through the Fire" and including singles of that period.
Since the first reissue of At Home in 1989 "Venus" and "Long and Lonesome Road" were constantly present on the main tracklistings, both on CD and LP. Additional CD bonus tracks were the b-sides of that period.
The John Mayer version of the song "Acka Raga" was used as the theme song for the BBC1 quiz show Ask the Family .
The track "Love Buzz" gained notoriety when it was covered by grunge band Nirvana.
All songs were written by Robbie van Leeuwen, except for "Acka Raga" by John Mayer.
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [6] | 30 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [7] | 6 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [8] | 30 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [9] | 13 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Netherlands (NVPI) [10] | Gold | 25,000 [10] |
Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band formed in The Hague in 1967. They were part of the Nederbeat movement in the Netherlands. The band had a string of hit songs during the counterculture movement of the 1960s and early 1970s, including "Send Me a Postcard" and "Venus", which became their biggest hit and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and many other countries during 1969 and 1970. The band sold 13 million records by 1973 but disbanded in 1974. Together with Golden Earring, they are considered the most successful Nederbeat band, because they had their best hits charted abroad and especially in the United States.
"Venus" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released as a single in the Netherlands in the summer of 1969. Written by Robbie van Leeuwen, the song topped the charts in nine countries.
"Love Buzz" is a song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue. It was written by Robbie van Leeuwen and first released on the group's 1969 album At Home. The original song is notable for its psychedelic rock style and its extensive use of the sitar, played by Leeuwen.
"Stars on 45" is a song medley issued in January 1981 by Dutch studio group Stars on 45. In some countries, including the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, the band was credited as 'Starsound' and only the medley itself was named "Stars on 45".
The A-Files: Alien Songs is a 1998 music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by Sony Wonder. The album's concept parodied the Fox TV series The X-Files.
Maria Elisabeth Ender, better known as Mariska Veres, was a Dutch singer who was best known as the lead singer of the rock group Shocking Blue. She was known for her sultry voice, eccentric performances, and her striking appearance which featured kohl-rimmed eyes, high cheekbones and long, jet-black hair, which was actually a wig.
The Capitol Years is a 1998 box set by the American singer Frank Sinatra.
Nederbeat is a genre of rock music that began with the Dutch rock boom in the mid-1960s influenced by British beat groups and rock bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Much like British freakbeat, it is essentially the Dutch counterpart to American garage rock. Among the best-known Nederbeat groups are the Golden Earring, The Motions, The Outsiders and Shocking Blue.
Robbie van Leeuwen is a Dutch musician who was a guitarist, sitarist, background vocalist and main songwriter for multiple Dutch bands, including The Motions and Shocking Blue, with whom he recorded the worldwide hit "Venus". In 1967, he played guitar on the only single ever released by "The Six Young Riders" titled "Let the Circle Be Unbroken". As of January 2023, he is the only surviving member of Shocking Blue's best known four-piece lineup.
Scorpio's Dance is the third album by the rock band Shocking Blue. It was released in 1970 on Pink Elephant Records. The album was released under the title Sally Was a Good Old Girl in Japan.
Third Album is an album by Shocking Blue, released in 1971. Despite the title, it the group's fourth overall, but their third with singer Mariska Veres.
Shocking Blue is the debut studio album by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released in November 1967 on Polydor. This was the only album by the band with Fred de Wilde on lead vocals. Mariska Veres replaced de Wilde in the band's next album, At Home.
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Inkpot is the fifth studio album by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released in 1972.
Good Times is the eighth and final studio album by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, released in 1974. The album is the first and only album recorded without the founding member, primary songwriter and guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, who was replaced by Martin van Wijk.
"Send Me a Postcard" is a song written by Robbie van Leeuwen, and recorded by Shocking Blue in 1968.
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The Motions were a Dutch band from The Hague founded in 1964 and active until 1970. The lead singer was Rudy Bennett, with Robbie van Leeuwen on guitar, Henk Smitskamp on bass guitar, and Sieb Warner on drums. They were the first Nederbeat band to achieve chart success.
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