The Golden Years of Dutch Prog
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=121773
Printed Date: April 15 2025 at 10:36
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Topic: The Golden Years of Dutch Prog
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Subject: The Golden Years of Dutch Prog
Date Posted: December 11 2019 at 11:17
I promised DutchProg fan sometime ago that I'd set up a Dutch Prog Blog, so here it is.  Although the Focus might fall inevitably on one very well-known Dutch Prog band, they are just one of several bands from the classic 1970's Dutch Prog era. Here's a few more:-ALQUIN (Jazz-Rock) EARTH & FIRE (Symphonic Prog) EKSEPTION (Eclectic Prog) FINCH (Symphonic Prog) FOCUS (Symphonic Prog) GOLDEN EARRING (Heavy Prog) GROUP 1850 (Psychedelic/Space Rock) KAYAK (Crossover Prog) SHOCKING BLUE (Proto Prog) SOLUTION (Jazz-Rock) SUPERSISTER (Canterbury Scene) TRACE (Symphonic Prog) As you can see, that's quite a mixture in the list above, covering almost every prog genre. Feel free to post your classic Dutch Prog songs, albums, concerts, documentaries, or whatever below, or if you just want to have a general chit-chat about the classic years of Dutch Prog, then that would be great too. You might even come up with some classic Dutch Prog bands that I hadn't even thought of before.
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Replies:
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: December 11 2019 at 13:09
| Big fan of Supersister, Kayak and Focus but you missed Finch and Trace!!! |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 11 2019 at 14:30
Thanks!  I can soon put that right. I'll add them to my list. I also included Shocking Blue in the list, although they aren't currently on Prog Archives because they're not considered psychedelic enough. I submitted them recently for the Proto Prog section, but they were rejected.
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miamiscot wrote:Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: December 11 2019 at 16:42
| Great bands, with an excelkent variety of music. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 11 2019 at 17:02
There are so many great bands on that list that it's hard to know where to start, although I'm sure I'll find something on YouTube. Earth & Fire are my favourite band on the list, so I might start with them.
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Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 01:42
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Perhaps include Jan Akkerman (solo) as well? The fusion sides of Profile, Tabernake and albums like Jan Akkerman (st), Aranjuez and Montreux are all highly recommended. ------------- I'm guitarist and songwriter for the prog-related band Mother Bass. Find us at http://www.motherbass.com. I also enter stages throughout the Netherlands performing my poetry. |
Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 01:51
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My recommendations for starting with these bands are: ALQUIN (Jazz-Rockn & Symphonic) - Mountain Queen, then Marks EARTH & FIRE (Symphonic Prog) - Song of the Marching Children, then Atlantis FINCH (Symphonic Prog) - Glory of the Inner Force, then second album FOCUS (Symphonic Prog) - Moving Waves, Hamburger Concerto, Third, First, Ship of Memories. GOLDEN EARRING (Heavy Prog) - Eight Miles High GROUP 1850 (Psychedelic/Space Rock) - debut (if you like obscure music) KAYAK (Crossover Prog) - Second, The Last Encore (my favorite), Royal Bed Bouncer, Phantom of the Night (great pop album). I also listen frequently to their later albums like Close to the Fire, Nightvision, Merlin, Nostradamus. SOLUTION (Jazz-Rock) - Cordon Blue SUPERSISTER (Canterbury Scene) - First three in that order. TRACE (Symphonic Prog) - debut (very ELP-esque) ------------- I'm guitarist and songwriter for the prog-related band Mother Bass. Find us at http://www.motherbass.com. I also enter stages throughout the Netherlands performing my poetry. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 02:30
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^^ Thanks for the recommendations! So far, I have The Golden Years of Dutch Pop Music 2-CD compilations by Earth & Fire, Group 1850, Kayak, Shocking Blue & Solution, but I'm looking forward to checking out the studio albums too.
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 06:27
you evil cheat   Could've affed the prog folk band Flairck in there, though.
good recs about each band - though not a fan of Kayak. (though I'd avoid the classical rip-off Ekseption-Trace >> the in-understandable love of the Dutch for Andre Rieu always amazes me) |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 07:30
Yes, I confess, I shockingly sneaked Shocking Blue into my Dutch prog list, even though they'd already been rejected by ProgArchives. I was hoping no one would notice.
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Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 08:21
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I love the song King Bird by Trace. It's IMO one of the best Dutch prog tracks ever made. ------------- 
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 12 2019 at 08:37
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^^ I'd never heard of the band Trace or the song "King Bird" before posting this blog, so I'm learning something new already.
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Posted By: judahbenkenobi
Date Posted: December 13 2019 at 17:21
I first heard Trace's "King Bird" a couple of weeks ago and was mesmerized by it. Problem is finding something from them all the way here in my forgotten corner of the world 
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Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: December 13 2019 at 19:20
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Definitely need to add Flairck! How 'bout Brainbox? ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 13 2019 at 20:06
How in the world do you consider Shocking Blue proto-prog? I bought the box set which has every album and every single and i've listened to everything they've done and nothing is remotely prog. In fact what i hear more is how they were a huge influence on the pop that ABBA would make in the later 70s. I do like the band but prog? No way!! -------------  https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 13 2019 at 20:12
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Here's a few more lesser known acts also from the 70s: (prog and crossover) MR ALBERT SHOW COSMIC DEALER AFTER TEA PUGH'S PLACE HET PANDORRA ENSEMBLE BONFIRE AVALANCHE SPIN MIRROR LADY LAKE PANTHEON MACHINE THIRD EYE LIGHT KRACQ FLYTE CRYPTO only if you want to dig deeper ;) ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 14 2019 at 01:02
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^^ Thanks! The only band I'd previously heard of on your list is After Tea, although I didn't know they were Dutch.
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: December 14 2019 at 03:41
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This Clog Prog Blog is a nice bandwagon to jump. The real essentials from the period in my book are: ALQUIN - The Mountain Queen (best Dutch album ever in my book) EARTH & FIRE - singles rather than albums, but Song of the Marching Children is pretty good FOCUS - Focus II, Hamburger Concerto GOLDEN EARRING - Seven Tears (the last three tracks are absolutely Heavy Prog) KAYAK - See See the Sun SUPERSISTER - To the Highest Bidder And let's not forget the self-titled 1970 album of MACHINE (I suggested this band almost nine years ago, but it went nowhere). This track has the most beautiful intro I've ever heard: ------------- 
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Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 14 2019 at 04:07
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I myself forgot to mention Cargo's sole album from 1972. Very nice twin-guitar oriented heavy prog album. Well recorded too. Listeners of proto-prog can indeed also dig into Cosmic Dealer's album. Not very prog, but the the Cuby's Blues compilation of the blues-rock group Cuby & the Blizzards is also highly recommended. Doomy blues songs like 'Somebody Will Know Someday' and 'Window Of My Eyes' are essential for a Dutch sixties/seventies collection. Flairc is indeed a very high-level acoustic instrumental (chamber) folk group. Perhaps the best multi-instrumentalist group we have. The fusion albums of Spin sounded quite lackluster to me, but they are professional and well-recorded. ------------- I'm guitarist and songwriter for the prog-related band Mother Bass. Find us at http://www.motherbass.com. I also enter stages throughout the Netherlands performing my poetry. |
Posted By: friso
Date Posted: December 14 2019 at 04:14
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Folk rock related I could also recommend the Frysian band Irolt with their 'Kattekwea' album. Also very well produced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJ5EyVrTEc ------------- I'm guitarist and songwriter for the prog-related band Mother Bass. Find us at http://www.motherbass.com. I also enter stages throughout the Netherlands performing my poetry. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: December 14 2019 at 05:46
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^^ Thanks for all the great recommendations everyone. I'm almost tempted to change the title of my thread to "The Clog Prog Blog"
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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 14 2019 at 06:29
Still more! GAMMA MARAKESH WAVE SUSTAIN SAGA (a different one) PAT COOL BRAINBOX GALAXY-LIN WILD HAVANA THOMAS FLINTER FONTESA WAREHOUSE UNIT GLORIA OTGER DICE THE FULL MOON BAND PLASTIC PEOPLE THE GROUP TON SCHERPENZEEL I still haven't heard that CARGO album. Been on my list for years. Gotta check it out soon. ------------- https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
Posted By: Octopus II
Date Posted: July 11 2024 at 07:54
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The Earth And Fire album 'Song Of The Marching Children' is fantastic!
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Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: July 11 2024 at 08:03
I'd completely forgotten about this old blog, but thanks for reminding me. All of the artists featured here are now on my updated Classic Dutch Prog & Neo Prog blog, including Earth & Fire and where the Focus is currently on Jan Akkerman's huge back catalogue of solo albums. http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=125555&PID=6144794#6144794" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=125555&PID=6144794#6144794
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