The Cats (Dutch band)

Last updated
The Cats
The Cats - Nederland Muziekland 1 april 1983 - 2.png
The Cats performing on Nederland Muziekland on 1 April 1983
Background information
Also known asThe Mystic Four
The Blue Cats
Origin Volendam, the Netherlands
Genres Rock (palingsound)
Years active1964 (1964)–1985
Labels EMI
Past members

The Cats were a Dutch rock band formed in Volendam in 1964.

Contents

They were active (with a few interruptions) from 1964 until 1985 and had their most successful period from 1968 until 1975.

Of the many hits the band had at home and abroad, the biggest one is "One Way Wind", which was released in 38 countries and a top ten number in several of them, of which it was a number one in Switzerland. In Germany it sold more than a million copies. The song has been covered by some 150 other artists. The number was written by Arnold Muhren, bass-player and chief composer.

Further band members were Cees Veerman (vocals/guitar/percussion) and Piet Veerman (vocals/guitar), Theo Klouwer (drums), and Jaap Schilder (guitar) and Piet Keizer (guitar; for three years).

Career

1960s

The band began life as two separate duos: Cees Veerman (6 October 1943 - 15 March 2014) and Arnold Muhren (born 28 January 1944) who started in a skiffle band; and cousins Piet Veerman (born 1 March 1943) and Jaap Schilder (born 9 January 1943) who modelled themselves after the Everly Brothers. The duos merged and became The Mystic Four, with Cees and Piet Veerman on vocals and guitar, Schilder on guitar (and piano), and Muhren on bass. By 1965 they changed their name to The Blue Cats, a reference to the colour of their suits and Cees' nickname, Poes (Dutch for 'cat'). Dropping the 'Blue' from their name in 1966 they recruited drummer Theo Klouwer (30 June 1947 – 8 February 2001).

The Cats borrowed money from Jan Buys, who was later to become their manager, and recorded their first singles that immediately entered the charts. Singing in English thanks to a songwriting duo from England, the group sounded British. Cees initially performed the majority of the lead vocals but that was to change by 1968 when the band recorded a cover version of Studio Six' "Times Were When"; Piet felt that this song suited his voice better and Cees agreed. Arnold's lyrics and Piet's sad voice appeared to be a match made in heaven, spawning five Top 10 hits in the next two years including "Lea" [1] (dedicated to a faithful fan who died in a car accident), "Why?", [2] "Scarlet Ribbons" [3] and "Marian". [4]

1970s

The Cats, TopPop television program, 1974. The Cats - TopPop 1974 3.png
The Cats, TopPop television program, 1974.

Their international popularity began to grow. By spring 1970 the Cats toured Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles and played one show on 4 April 1970 in Guyana. A tour of Indonesia followed early 1971.

"Don't Waste Your Time" broke a string of Top 10 chart dominations, but the next single, "One Way Wind", became The Cats' biggest ever hit. In Germany it reached Number One chart position and in 1972 the band responded by releasing Katzenspiele (Cat's Play), featuring their hits rerecorded in German.

By now, the band were very popular and had a busy touring schedule, which began to take its toll Cees contracted voice problems. Crew member Piet Keizer replaced him temporarily. In 1974 the Cats released The Love in Your Eyes , an album recorded at the Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles by session musicians, with the Cats members only laying down vocals. Cees Veerman said about those sessions, "'Be My Day' topped the charts, which was a great thing, but the rest of that pre-baked stuff should've been chucked into the ocean near Malibu".[ citation needed ]

Their Malibu sojourn did not stop The Cats from using the same team of musicians for the follow-up record Hard To Be Friends, although this time the vocals were recorded at home. "Come Sunday" charted late 1974, shortly after Cees had left the band to take another break. The title track, on which Jaap Schilder sang falsetto ad-libs, followed early 1975. As the band didn't tour during this period, the two Veermans and Schilder had time to release solo-albums that were a departure from the Cats-sound. By public demand The Cats returned to the stage for a number of dates to promote their 1975 Christnas-album. The hits continued but didn't capture former glories and not everyone was always available for TV-shows. When The Cats were booked to appear on chart-show Rock Planet in 1978 to playback "She Was Too Young" it was almost a solo-performance by Cees. By the end of 1979 The Cats decided to disband. A farewell-single (a reissue of the 1972 track "End of the Show") charted as late as April 1980.

Solo careers

In 1976, Cees Veerman released a solo album called "Another Side of Me", which spawned the single "Sailor, Sail On (Dreamer, Dream On)". [5]

After a brief Cats-reunion Piet Veerman had a solo-hit in 1987 with "Sailing Home". Subsequent singles did reasonably well and he kept touring with a set of solo material and Cats' classics, often using backing tapes. In 1995, Piet guested on a bilingual duet version of "One Way Wind" with Flemish singer Dana Winner titled "Westenwind". Piet sang in English and Winner sang in Dutch.

2000s

On 23 March 2006, The Cats were made Members of the Order of Orange-Nassau. [6] The same year the group had a reunion to record a single for inclusion on a best of album. It went gold.

Cees Veerman performed with the Cats Aglow Band who both supported and backed Willy DeVille at the latter's Amsterdam Carré Theatre show on 7 July 2008. He moved to Indonesia where he died at the age of 70 on 15 March 2014. [7]

Discography

Golden Dog (His Master's Voice) for one million sales of the single One Way Wind in Germany Gouden Hond alias His Master's Voice.jpg
Golden Dog (His Master's Voice) for one million sales of the single One Way Wind in Germany

Albums

YearAlbumPeakCertification (NED)
1967Cats as Cats Can
1968CatsGold
1969Colour Us Gold1Gold
1970Take Me with You1(2wk)Gold
1971Cats Aglow3Gold
1972Signed by The Cats3Gold
1973Home8Gold
1974 The Love in Your Eyes 1Gold
1975Hard to Be Friends40
1975We Wish You a Merry Christmas22
1976Homerun19
1978Like the Old DaysPlatinum
1983Third Life8Gold
1985Flyin' High24
1994Shine On38
Live albums:
1984Live33
Compilation albums with new tracks included
1983Het beste van The CatsIncludes 1 new track
1994The Rest of...Compilation and new tracks
2006Those Were the Days2Gold, includes 2 new tracks
2014Complete30
2014Collected2
Compilation albums:
1969?Songs We Sang
1970Portrait4Gold
1970Where Have I Been Wrong
1971The Cats
1972Times Were When12Gold
1972One Way Wind
1972Vaya con Dios
1973The best of The Cats
197410 Jaar2Gold
1974Story presenteert The Cats op hun best3Gold
1977Let's Go Together
197920 Golden Hits14Platinum
1979The End of the Show
1983The Story Of10Platinum
1983Collection
1984Het complete hitalbum
1985De mooiste van The Cats
1985Girls Only
1988Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 230
1992Love Cats14
1994Gold22
1998The Very Best Of - Highlights32
2002Greatest Hits3
2008Hollandse sterrencollectie
2008The Cats 1002
2010Alle 40 goed
2011Trying to Explain - Cats Only19
2012Best of (3 CD set)

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positions
NED
Dutch
Top 40

[8]
NED
Top 30/100

[9]
BEL
(Fl)

[10]
GER
[11]
SWI
[12]
AUT
[13]
US
(AC)
[14]
1965"Juke-box"-------
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"-------
"Ave Maria no morro"-------
1966"What a Crazy Life"1416-----
1967"Vive l'amour"26------
"Sure He's a Cat"128-----
"What's the World Coming To"27------
1968"Turn Around and Start Again"1414-----
"Times Were When"22-----
"Lea"116----
1969"Why"118----
"Scarlet Ribbons"3218----
"Marian"118----
1970"Magical Mystery Morning"4314----
"Where Have I Been Wrong"119----
1971"Don't Waste Your Time"119-----
"One Way Wind"33441--
1972"Let's Dance"2223212-
"Vaya con Dios"332----
"There Has Been a Time"331634---
"Du bist mein Zuhaus"---36---
1973"Maribaja"67-----
"Rock 'n' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)"331948---
1974"Be my Day"1114-1618
"Come Sunday"652646---
1975"Hard to Be Friends"1513-----
"Like a Spanish Song"91015----
"Silent Night"1821-----
1976"We Should Be Together"1613-----
"Romance"25Tip-----
1977"Save the Last Dance for Me"661148---
"Cindy"1821-----
"Lucky Star"TipTip-----
1978"She Was Too Young"242721----
1980"The End of the Show"5720----
1982"La diligence"11518----
1983"Stay in My Life"2017-----
"Love Is a Golden Ring"151119----
1984"Lovers Don't Talk"3735-----
"Second Pair of Eyes"-Tip-----
"A Love like Yours"-Tip-----
1985"She's So in Love"3127-----
"Hooray for Michael"TipTip-----
1994"Poppy"-------
2006"The Best Years of My Life"Tip10-----
"Those Were the Days"-63-----

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squeeze (band)</span> British rock band

Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles "Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction", and "Labelled with Love" were top-ten chart hits. Though not as commercially successful in the United States, Squeeze had American hits with "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", and "Hourglass", and were considered a part of the Second British Invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edam-Volendam</span> Municipality in North Holland, Netherlands

Edam-Volendam is a municipality in the northwest Netherlands, in the province of North Holland, primarily consisting of the towns of Edam and Volendam. It is situated on the western shore of the Markermeer, just north of Waterland. In 2021, it had a population of 36,268.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Earring</span> Dutch rock band

Golden Earring was a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as The Tornados. They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to number one on the Dutch chart, reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, and went to number thirteen on the United States chart, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. During their career they had nearly 30 top-ten singles on the Dutch charts and released 25 studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Baker (Dutch singer)</span> Musical artist

Johannes "Hans" Bouwens, known as George Baker, is a Dutch singer and songwriter who, with his band George Baker Selection, scored three international hits; "Little Green Bag" (1969), "Paloma Blanca" (1975) and "Santa Lucia by Night" (1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. P. Arnold</span> American singer (born 1946)

Patricia Ann Cole, known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo career. Arnold enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom with her singles "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1967) and "Angel of the Morning" (1968).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool for Cats (song)</span> 1979 single by Squeeze

"Cool for Cats" is a song by English rock band Squeeze, released as the second single from their album of the same name. The song features a rare lead vocal performance from cockney-accented Squeeze lyricist Chris Difford, one of the only two occasions he sang lead on a Squeeze single A-side. The song, slightly edited from the album track, peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1979, making "Cool for Cats" one of the band's biggest hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BZN</span> Dutch pop music group

BZN was a Dutch pop group that had a string of hits from 1966 to 2007 on. BZN recorded mostly in English and French, but also had success with material in Dutch and German.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moneytalks</span> 1990 single by AC/DC

"Moneytalks" is a song written by Malcolm and Angus Young and produced by Bruce Fairbairn for the hard rock band AC/DC. Originally released on 24 September 1990 on the album The Razors Edge, it was later released as a single that year. A live version of the song recorded on the band's 1990–1991 Razors Edge World Tour appeared on AC/DC's 1992 live album, Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's a Hard Life</span> 1984 single by Queen

"It's a Hard Life" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was featured on their 1984 album The Works, and it was the third single from that album. In 1991 it was included in the band’s second compilation album Greatest Hits II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shandi (song)</span> 1980 single by Kiss

"Shandi" is a hit single by American hard rock band Kiss. Released on their 1980 album, Unmasked, the song was popular in Australia, where it reached number five on the Australian charts. The song would prove to be a hit in other countries as well, making the top ten in three other countries. "Shandi" peaked at number 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do It Again (Steely Dan song)</span> 1972 single by Steely Dan

"Do It Again" is a 1972 song composed and performed by American rock group Steely Dan, who released it as a single from their debut album Can't Buy a Thrill as its opening track. The single version differed from the album version, shortening the intro and outro and omitting the organ solo.

VideoKids were a 1980s Euro disco duo from the Netherlands, formed in 1984 and consisting of Peter Slaghuis (1961-1991) and Bianca Bonelli (1964-1995). The band's members also had solo careers on their own, such as Peter being a famous DJ and remixer, and Bianca having a solo single called "Je Veux L'amour ". They released two albums, The Invasion of the Spacepeckers in 1984 and On Satellite in 1985. All of their songs were produced and written by Catapult musicians Aart Mol, Cees Bergman, Elmer Veerhoff, Erwin van Prehn and Geertjan Hessing, and recorded at Cat Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Smit (singer)</span> Musical artist

Jan Smit is a Dutch singer, television host, and actor. Smit mostly sings songs in the Dutch language, in a genre known as palingsound. In addition to his solo career, in 2015 Smit joined the schlager trio KLUBBB3, and in 2017 The Toppers. As a TV presenter, he has worked on programs like the Beste Zangers and Sterren Muziekfeest op het Plein Since 1999, Smit has been serving as an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Keizer (singer)</span> Dutch singer and composer

Jan Keizer is a Dutch singer and composer, best known as one of the singers of the popband BZN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zen (Dutch band)</span>

Zen was a Dutch rock band, founded by Siegfried 'Siebe' de Jong and Dirk van der Ploeg in 1965. Van der Ploeg was the songwriter for the band, but the band underwent numerous changes in its line-up in its existence. The hippie-oriented one hit wonder band hit the top spot on the Dutch Top 40 singles chart in January 1969, with their version of the theme song from the musical Hair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strange Brew (song)</span> 1967 single by Cream

"Strange Brew" is a song by the British rock band Cream. First released as a single in June 1967 in the UK and US, it was later added to their second studio album Disraeli Gears. The song features Eric Clapton on lead vocals rather than the usual lead by Jack Bruce. The single peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart in July of that same year. In the UK, it was the last Cream single to be released by Reaction Records.

"Arms of Mary" is a song written by Iain Sutherland and performed by Sutherland Brothers and Quiver. It was a 1976 international hit single for the band; the Glasgow Herald in its obituary for Iain Sutherland described "Arms of Mary" as "a plaintive and radio-friendly folk-rock ballad in which the narrator reminisces over the woman he first made love to."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piet Veerman</span> Dutch pop musician (born 1943)

Piet Veerman is a Dutch pop musician. From 1964 to 1985 he was a guitarist and singer for The Cats, and since 1968 the lead singer for all the singles of this band. He released a first solo album in 1975 but started his solo career definitely in 1987 after The Cats broke up for the last time. During his career, Veerman received more than thirty gold records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anny Schilder</span> Dutch singer

Anny Schilder is a Dutch pop singer, and was the lead singer of BZN from 1976 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palingsound</span>

Palingsound is the unique musical sound attributed to a subgenre of Dutch pop music called palingpop. 'Palingsound' is also frequently used as a synonym for the genre palingpop as a whole. The term references the origin of many of the artists making music this way, the (eel) fisherman's town of Volendam. Palingsound refers to a smooth melodic and sometimes sentimental sound, with close vocal harmonies, combined with matching arrangements and a studio mixing style.

References

  1. "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 47, 1968" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  2. "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 12, 1969" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  3. "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 36, 1969" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  4. "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 51, 1969" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  5. "Cees Veerman". Discogs . Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  6. "The Cats benoemd tot Ridder Orde van Oranje Nassau". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  7. ""Cat" Cees Veerman overleden - NOS Nieuws". Nos.nl. 2011-12-05. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  8. "The Cats". Top 40.
  9. "The Cats". Dutchcharts.nl.
  10. "The Cats". Ultratop.be.
  11. "The Cats". Offizielle Deutsche Charts.
  12. "The Cats". hitparade.ch.
  13. "The Cats". Austrian Charts.
  14. "The Cats > Adult Contemporary". Billboard.