Q'65 - Singles & Oddities 1965-1969 [A Prof. Stoned Compilation]
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*********************** Part I: Singles & Oddities: Mono Versions ************************
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01. You're The Victor
02. And Your Kind
03. The Life I Live
04. Cry In The Night
05. I Despise You
06. Ann
07. From Above
08. I Was Young
09. World Of Birds
10. It Came To Me
11. So High I've Been, So Down I Must Fall
12. Where Is The Key
13. Ain't That Loving You Baby
14. Ramblin' On My Mind
15. No Place To Go
16. 80% O
17. Sundance
18. Feel Her Still (demo)
19. Ann (alt. mix)
20. From Above (alt. take)
Bonus:
21. Ridin' On A Slow Train (2002 remix)
22. Fairy Tales Of Truth (2002 remix)
All Tracks in Mono except 21-22 are Stereo.
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************************ Part II: Singles & Oddities: Stereo Versions *************************
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01. I Despise You
02. Ann
03. From Above (alt. take)
04. I Was Young
05. World Of Birds
06. So High I've Been, So Down I Must Fall
07. Where Is The Key
08. Ain't That Loving You Baby
09. Ramblin' On My Mind
10. No Place To Go
11. 80% O
12. Sundance (1969 LP mix)
13. Voluntary Peacemaker (1969 LP mix)
14. Ridin' On A Slow Train (1969 LP mix)
15. Fairy Tales Of Truth (1969 LP mix)
16. Medusa
17. Feel Her Still (demo)
18. I Was Young (alt. mix)
Bonus:
19. It Came To Me (1969 LP mix)
All Tracks in Stereo except 19 which is the mono mix with an added guitar overdub to create a stereo effect.
(N.B.: the first two singles do not exist in stereo. Some vocal/percussion parts were recorded directly to the mono master and thus are not present on the 3-track tape.)
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Q'65 (1965-1967):
Willem Bieler: Vocals, Harmonica, Percussion
Frank Nuyens: Guitars, Mandolin, Harmonica, Saxes
Joop Roelofs: Guitars
Jay Baar: Drums, Percussion, Piano, Lyricist
Peter Vink: Bass
The tracks "Sundance", "Voluntary Peacemaker" "Ridin' On A Slow Train", "Fairy Tales Of Truth" & "Medusa" were recorded in early 1968 by Circus; the successor to Q'65. These recordings were left in various stages of completion. Producer Hans van Hemert revisited the first 4 songs in 1969 to include them on the 'new' Q65 LP "Revival". Van Hemert took the liberty to re-do the lead vocals on "Voluntary Peacemaker" himself and drafted Wim Bieler back into the studio to record vocals for "Fairy Tales Of Truth". The track "Medusa" had been intended to be the lead track of a Circus single in 1968 but ended up remaining unreleased until 1993. So for these songs, the line-up is:
Frank Nuyens: Guitars, Bass
Jay Baar: Drums, Percussion, Piano, Lyricist, Vocals on "Ridin' On A Slow Train"
Frank Verhoef: Bass, Guitars, Vocals on "Medusa"
Marco Klein: Piano, Organ, Banjo
Willem Bieler: Vocals on "Fairy Tales Of Truth"
Hans van Hemert: Vocals "Voluntary Peacemaker"
Paul Natte: Mellotron on "Fairy Tales Of Truth"
Producer: Hans van Hemert except p1t01-02: Peter Koelewijn
Recording Engineer: Jan Audier except p1t01-02: Jos Ditmars
Location: Phonogram Studio, Honingstraat, Hilversum (NL) using a Philips-made 3-track tape machine
Mixed by Jan Audier / Albert Kos (p2t12-15 & some of the stereo mixes) / Martijn Spierenburg (p1t18,21-22 & p2t17)
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Sources:
- Singles A's & B's (2CD, Comp) Hunter Music HM 13952 Netherlands 2002 > p1t02,05-09,11-22 p2t16-18
- Revolution (CD, Album, RE) Decca 834 483-2 Netherlands 1988 > p1t01,03 p2t01-03,05,07
- Revival (CD, Album, Ltd, RE, RM) Pseudonym CDP 1048 DD Netherlands 1997 p1t10 p2t08-15
- Greatest Hits (LP, Comp) Decca 6454 409 Netherlands 1972 [EX] > p1t04, p2t04,06
- Revival (LP, Album) Decca XBY 846 515 Netherlands 1969 [EX] p2t19
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Vinyl Recorded & Mastered using:
- Technics 1210mk2
- Jelco SA-750D Tonearm
- Audio Technica AT33PTG MC
- Pro-Ject Tube Box SE-2 (using a matched pair of Genalex Gold Lion tubes)
- RME ADI-2 A/D Interface @ 24/96
- Audition 3.0 (editing, manual clean up)
- Click Repair 3.9.9 (light automatic click setting)
Transfers & Restoration by Prof. Stoned
Note:
Many compilations of the band's Decca period have been released over the years but nearly all of them are poorly compiled and/or mastered badly. This compilation attempts to rectify this by staying as close to the sound of the original tapes as one can get without having access to them. It also puts all the stereo and mono mixes together in one place for the first time ever (apart from the album 'Revolution' which you can get in mono and stereo elsewhere on my blog). All the tracks from "Singles A's & B's" were adjusted with one EQ setting to get rid of the exaggerated low-end. The other sources were used pretty much as-is, apart from a few small individual alterations.
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Once again, I need to let the world know that Q65 in its original incarnation (early 1965 - late 1967) was simply one of the best things that ever happened in the history of Dutch rock music. Apart for guitarist Frank Nuyens, none of the members had a musical background but within 9 months after the formation (and without the interference of a professional manager), the group had a record on the national charts. "You're the Victor" had been recorded during an audition for Decca and was duly released by the company who did not even bother to inform the group. It was an instant classic. No other Dutch band had yet produced something so ferocious yet catchy.
The band quickly upped their game with their second single, which produced their most enduring song "The Life I Live". It had been quickly written as the B-side to the equally impressive "Cry in the Night" but the sides were swapped at the last moment at the suggestion of a radio deejay. A third track ("Feel her Still") recorded during this session was re-discovered in the 90s, before finally being released in 2002.
The second single became the band's biggest hit and the go-ahead was given for a full-length record. With a sympathetic producer’s team assisting them in the studio (Hans van Hemert & engineer Jan Audier, both at the same age as the band members), the sessions were reasonably relaxed and even allowed for some experimentation. After the success of their debut LP 'Revolution', more singles and an EP followed. And all of them showing the band evolving quickly and being musically adventurous. More than the LP, the band's brilliance is best demonstrated by their 1966-1967 45s. A comparison to the works of the Stones & the Pretty Things from this same era certainly does reflect favorably upon the little band from The Hague.
But like all good things, the Q'65 burned out quickly and brightly. By late 1967, the boys had drifted apart from each other and future plans that did not involve the band were made. Frank Nuyens and Jay Baar started Circus, a psychedelic outfit not unlike the early Pink Floyd for which they opened a couple times in 1968. This too, however, was not a long-term project and an ample year and various personnel changes later the band had ceased to exist.
Q'65 still owed a second album to Decca, so in the spring of 1969 their producer Hans van Hemert set to work on completing it. He took what he thought were the best single tracks for side A and finished off a few Circus demo's for side B (but labeled them Q'65). The resulting album "Revival' was released in the summer and sold poorly due to the group's waned popularity.
Later that year, Q'65 reformed with a different drummer and made more records. However, you can safely stay away from those; the magic was no longer there. Today, the band is best remembered for their 1966-67 output and is still much-loved here in the Netherlands but also among a small worldwide audience of garage/beat lovers.
P.S. (May 2020)
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Who were they?
Willem (Wim) Bieler (b.1947 d.2000): Raucous, magnetic, unpredictable. Life-long rockstar and family man. Bieler's devil-may-care attitude was a big part of what set the Q apart from all the other Dutch beat bands. He was asked to join the band on the premise of his charisma, long hair and dancing skills but soon proved to be a natural frontman (though he was often mocked for his thick Dutch-English accent). He became a blue-collar worker after the Q's second demise in 1971 but kept the band going off-and-on until his untimely death. Bieler had a serious heart condition from early on in life but this never stopped him from enjoying his rock 'n' roll lifestyle. He survived two heart attacks before succumbing to a third one at his doctor's office waiting room... He left two sons, a wife, an ex-wife and his mother behind.
Frank Nuyens (b.1944): Quiet, sensitive, musical catalyst. Nuyens was the first to be asked by Joop to join the band in 1965. He became the group's main songwriter. Frank started the psychedelic band Circus with Jay Baar in early 1968 (only to leave after of couple of months) and then did some producers work for the Dutch division of Decca. After leaving the reformed Q65 in 1971, he made a solo album as Rainman (now collectable) and also played with Cuby + Blizzards for a while in the mid-70s. He was a hard-drug junkie for more than three decades who vacated in Greece but ultimately turned out to be one of the group's last two survivors (and living in the Netherlands again).
Joop Roelofs (b.1944 d.2018): Founder, spokesman, street smart. The guitarist with the chainsaw sound. When Joop started the band, he could barely play guitar. This is why he asked Frank Nuyens, who had a musical background, to join him. His ambition and drive without a doubt are what made the band successful in the first place. Apart from being the rhythm (and sometimes lead) guitarist, he also handled the band's managing in the early days and again later on. He was the only Q member who led a (mostly) drug- and alcohol-free life. He was married for more than 50 years and had three sons.
Jay Baar (b.1948? d.1990): Enigmatic, moody, visionary. Illegally adopted by an unmarried couple in 1948 with help from a befriended cop. It is assumed Jay's real parents were gypsies from eastern Europe who died during or shortly after the war. His official birthdate was set to the day he was adopted but he may have been 2 or 3 years old at that point already. Jay was unaware of his whereabouts until he had to sign up for a passport at the age of 18. During his years with the band, he was a creative force who wrote all the lyrics and sometimes also contributed music. After the failure of Circus, his musical career stagnated and he became a full-time heroin junkie up until his death. He died from cancer and pneumonia on his houseboat in Amsterdam in 1990.
Peter Vink (b.1949): Headstrong, erratic, ambitious. The course of his life was forever changed at age 15, when Wim Bieler not so much invited as ordered him and his friend Jay to join a new band. Like Joop, Peter had no real musical experience but he improved quickly and along with Bieler, he became one of the two wild men on stage. After the Q, he founded the symphonic rock band Finch, known for their complex instrumental pieces. He remains active as a professional musician to this day, mostly in the melodic metal and symfo genres. For a long time, he held a grudge against some of his former bandmates but seemed to have soften his stance the last fifteen years.
Hans van Hemert (b.1945): Son of an important figure in the Dutch TV world. Joined Decca/Phonogram at 18 as a warehouse worker, where he got fired after two months. This resulted in a 'promotion' to staff producer, no doubt due to the influence of his famous father. Q65 was one of his first jobs as a producer but soon other 'freaky' acts such as Ro-D-Ys and the great Group 1850 followed. He went on to be very successful in the 70s and 80s with writing and producing uber-commercial euro pop and is probably best known for Mouth and Macneal's global hit "How Do You do" from 1971. Nowadays, van Hemert is retired and very wealthy.
Jan Audier (b.1939): After being a tape machine operator for one year, he got his break as a recording engineer on the Q65's second session (The life I live/Cry in the Night) because none of the other engineers at Phonogram Studio wanted to work with the scary loud group. Audier built his own compressor/limiter in 1965 which was secretly used in the making of the early Q records (the strict hierarchy at Phonogram did not allow any untested or unfamiliar equipment in the studio). Within the next three years, he evolved to being an in-demand engineer in the pop/rock field and he left the Phonogram studio in 1969 to work at Soundpush Studio. Today, he's retired and still likes to work on vintage recording equipment.
