Genre: rock
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: The Golden Earrings
Company: Capitol
Catalog: ST-11315
Year: 1967
Country/State: Holland
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: minor ring wear; mid-1970s reissue
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5783
Price: $15.00
Blame domestic ignorance on my part. I was 16 and had never heard of Golden Earring until 1976 when I moved to Belgium with my family. Once there a friend of mine (hi Mark) introduced me to these Dutch rockers. I was instantly enthralled by them. Not that I didn't love American and English rock, rather there was something totally different and almost exotic about these guys. To this day I still can't put my finger on that magical quality.
This one has kind of a convoluted history. The majority of the material was originally released in Holland as the griup's second studio set - 1967's "Winter-Harvest" (yes the album was recorded during the 1966-67 winter rmonths).
Polydor catalog 736 068
Capitol Records apparently decided the band had some potential in the States, repackaging the set as the cleverly-titled "The Golden Earrings" (Capitol catalog number ST-2823). Great to see the company spending so much money on artwork. As far as I can tell, other than the alternative sleeve, the only real difference was Capitol electing to shorten the domestic release by dropping two of the songs: 'Another Man In Town' and 'Happy and Young Together'. (This is a mid-1970s reissue of the original Capitol release.)
For anyone accustomed to the 'Radar Love' Golden Earring, this mid-1960s collection is liable to come as a major shock and not necessarily a pleasant surprise. Mind you, I'm a gigantic fan of mid-1960s English rock so I liked the results, but if your tastes didn't lean in that direction, there was a good chance this album wouldn't do a great deal for you. Their second studio LP saw the band working as a quartet featuring drummer Jaap Eggermont, multi-instrumentalist Rinus Gerritsen, guitarist George Kooymans, and singer Franz Krassenburg. With Gerritsen and Kooymans credited with penning all of the material, there wasn't a great deal of originality on this set, rather the pair used it as an opportunity to showcase their UK influences (love the mop-top hairdos). While Krassenburg's vocals were occasionally marred by his heavy Dutch accent (check out 'Impeccable Girl'), that really wasn't a major issue since the group's enthusiasm was apparent and more than compensated for the other minor flaw.
- 'Smoking Cigarettes' opened the album with one of the set's stronger rockers. Yeah, Krassenburg's accent was a bit on the heavy side, but a strong melody and catchy chorus more than made up for that shortcoming. rating: *** stars
- 'In My House' made absolutely no attempt to hide the band's infatuation with Mersybeat bands. A keyboard propelled rocker, this one could have given folks like the Dave Clark Five and Herman's hermits a major run for their money. Great pounding rocker with a fantastsic electric keyboard solo that was very commercial. Easy to see why Polydor tapped as a Dutch single. rating: **** stars
- If 'Don't Wanna Lose That Girl' didn't scream Beatles fixation, I don't know what would. Again, not a shred of originality, but with killer harmony vocals like this, who cared ... Besides, how could you not smile when hearing a lyric that included a reference to a 9 pm curfew? rating: **** stars
- For years I thought they were singing 'vagabond girl' - not even close since the title was 'Impeccable Girl'. Nice pounding pop-rocker that would have sounded good on mid-1960s radio. rating: **** stars
- Whereas most of these songs were pretty straightforward pop and rock numbers, 'Tears and Lies' underscored the fact these guys were capable of getting art. Featuring a neo-classical piano and acoustic guitar arrangement, the stark ballad was actually one of the stand out performances. rating: **** stars
- Opening up and propelled throughout by a nice fuzz guitar solo, 'You've Go the Intention To Hurt Me' was easily the hardest rocking number on the album. Great tune and my only complaint was the fact lead singer sounded like he was being recorded in a toilet, or echo chamber. rating: ***** stars
- Side two started with a nifty slice of Dutch blue-eyed soul. Catchy and uplifting song that was bound to make the listener smile. Great horn charts too boot. rating: ***** stars
- Propelled by a harpsichord, 'You Break My Heart' was a fragile ballad that sounded like they'd been listening to more than their share of Beatles material. rating: *** stars
- One of the album's best rockers, 'Baby Don't Make Me Nervous' sported a killer Kooymans guitar solo and an equally nice organ break from Gerritsen. Unlike most of the album, this one had a slightly ominous feel to it. Simply great. rating: ***** stars
- Back to breezy pop, 'Call Me' was quite commercial in a throwaway, mid-1960s fashion. Yeah, definitely had a Herman's Hermits kind of feel. rating: ** stars
- Yeah the lyric was somewhat lost on me, but 'Lionel the Miser' offered up a dazzling slice of mid-1960s folk-rock. Kicked along by chiming guitars and what sounded like an acoustic bass, Dylan and The Byrds would have been pleased with the performance. rating: ***** stars
- Perhaps the most overtly commercial song on the album, 'There Will Be a Tomorrow' would have been a perfect vehicle for any number of American or English pop-psych outfits - not hard to imagine The Association, or even Peter and Gordon having scored a massive hit with this one. That's not to imply the original wasn't good. Also love the raunchy guitar on this one rating: ***** stars
In Holland "Winter-Harvest" was tapped for a single in the form of:
- 1967's 'In My House' b/w 'Smoking Cigarettes' (Polydor catalog number S-1223)
Bottom line is this was a great album and you're left with the sneaky suspicion that had these guys been British (or American), the LP would have been a monster seller. Far more accomplished and impressive than the stuff releases my most of the Mersybeat 'B' team. Worth looking for given you can still find it on the cheap.
"The Golden Earrings" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Smoking Cigarettes (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:17
2.) In My House (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 3:57
3.) Don't Wanna Lose That Girl (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:15
4.) Impeccable Girl (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:13
5.) Tears and Lies (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 1:56
6.) You've Go the Intention To Hurt Me (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 3:09
(side 2)
1.) Dream (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:38
2.) You Break My Heart (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 1:58
3.) Baby Don't Make Me Nervous (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:24
4.) Call Me (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:15
5.) Lionel the Miser (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:27
6.) There Will Be a Tomorrow (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:18
In case anyone was interested, here's the original "Winter-Harvest" track listing. Note the two additional songs missing from the US release.
(side 1)
1.) Another Man In Town (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) -
2.) Smoking Cigarettes (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:17
3.) In My House (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 3:57
4.) Don't Wanna Lose That Girl (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:15
5.) Impeccable Girl (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:13
6.) Tears and Lies (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 1:56
7.) You've Go the Intention To Hurt Me (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 3:09
(side 2)
1.) Dream (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:38
2.) You Break My Heart (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 1:58
3.) Baby Don't Make Me Nervous (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:24
4.) Call Me (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:15
5.) Happy and Young Together (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) -
6.) Lionel the Miser (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:27
7.) There Will Be a Tomorrow (M Gerritsen - George Kooymans) - 2:18
