Friday, April 04, 2025

La Fin de la Semaine Essay Question: Special “I Wanna Be Deported” Edition

Greetings from Amsterdam, everybody!

Beginning the second and final leg of our overseas vacation; France (specifically Paris) was a gas, and presumably the Netherlands will be as well (no pot jokes, thank you.)

Anyway, this brings us to today's business. To wit:

..and your favorite (or least favorite) post-Elvis continental European (NOT British) pop/rock/folk solo artiste or band is/are...???

Okay, here are my two faves.

That Shocking Blue live clip is new to me; it's nice to know lead singer Mariska Veres (aka the Roma Grace Slick) was as sexy onstage as she was on record.

As for The Sevens, they were known as, justifiably, the Rolling Stones of Switzerland, and that record was produced, brilliantly (love those gunshots, which were recorded live in the studio), by the pre-disco Giorgio Moroder.

Alrighty then - what would YOUR choices be? Discuss.

And have a great weekend, everybody. See you on Monday, when we will have, hopefully, made a safe return to the Land of the Tariffs!

28 comments:

getawaygoober said...

From way back in the day.... Aphrodite's Child.

steve simels said...

Early Vangelis, if memory serves.

Anonymous said...

No contest. Les Thugs.
C in California

Anonymous said...

Some favorites:
Tremolo Beer Gut
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Sigur Ros
Björn J:son Linda
Serge Gainsbourg
Scorpions

- Paul in DK

Anonymous said...

Try again: Björn J:son Lindh

Cleveland Jeff said...

I'm going with Can. I'd go for The Proclaimers and Del Amitri too if Scottish doesn't count as British (And if you ask the Scottish, I'm sure they'd agree).

Anonymous said...

Easy. That'd be Golden Earring.

This Dutch band kept the same 4 members over a nearly 50-year career, releasing 30-ish albums.

Alzo said...

Some recent faves:
The Hives (Sweden) dress like the Ventures and play like the Stooges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c735FKYKOQo
Do you like the Velvet Underground and fuzz tone? Then go check out The Limiñanas (France). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV_CszdsY7w
Fleur (Belgium) She's become a rocker- and she smokes (heh).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOUc93EN8LU
Dea Matrona (Northern Ireland) are beauties with great tunes.
Hinds (Spain) Rock girls with my fave single of '24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT_YGeERxWc
As for the 20th century, I've always had great affection for Nina Hagen (Germany) in all her reincarnations.
...and of course, the perpetrators of the greatest driving song ever, Golden Earring (Netherlands).

Dave Leonatti said...

Norway's Kings of Convenience. Very pleasant pop

Anonymous said...

Alzo, thanks for the tips; I downloaded the Hinds tune. Judging from your endorsements, I presume you're a fan of Opal (if you like Liminanas) and Thee Headcoatees (if you like Fleur).
C in California

Rob said...

I know that this might be blasphemous here but I'll just come out and say it - ABBA
rob

Allan Rosenberg said...

Italy's Belladonna - Till Death Do Us Part.

Captain Al

steve simels said...

Did you say ABBA? https://thefloormodels.bandcamp.com/track/s-o-s

Alzo said...

'Take a Chance on Me' is an all-time ear worm.

Alzo said...

If Scotland is in, I'll go with the Rezillos a/k/a Revillos. Super fun bad- so glad I got to see them.

Rob said...

I'll admit it, I did. I am a Britophile. T Rex, Wishbone Ash...are more my wheel house. Sorry but Continent wise not knowledgeable. 🥴

edward said...

Nico
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Nina Hagen

Guypinot said...

I like The Gurus from Barcelona just fine. Here's a track from their 2008 album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7kSph7kSMU

Rob said...

Steve, went to Band Camp/Floor Models but unaware of the ABBA catalog couldn't figure your cover - Hint ? rob

Rob said...

Steve just listened to Floor Your Love Rickenbacker was chiming.
Two songs- You won't have to tell me twice / Hearts In Her Eyes (could have been a Poco song.
Sorry to digress from thread
rob

MJConroy said...

I have to also vote for Golden Earring - a long and varied career.
I'd love to hear more from The Sinners. I only have their "Barbed Wire" on Children of Nuggets - that should have been a huge hit! Listen here: https://youtu.be/8UbtLgPBv6w?si=W1bifRRtV1im3cMA

Alzo said...

'Hearts in Her Eyes' is actually by Brit band the Records. The Searchers covered it and everybody thought it was theirs. It's as Jangle as it gets.

steve simels said...

What — no love for Finland’s Laika and the Cosmonauts?

mistah charley, sb, ma, phd, jsps said...

do the rokes count as "continental"? their career was in Italy, but they were brit expats - they relyricized bob lind's "cheryl's going home" as a protest song - translated title "it's not our fault"

from Wikipedia: The Rokes were a pop rock band formed in 1963 in Italy by English expatriates. Their most successful songs included "Piangi con Me", the original version of "Let's Live for Today", a US hit when re-recorded by The Grass Roots; and "Che Colpa Abbiamo Noi", an Italian language version of "Cheryl's Going Home" by Bob Lind.

Tinpot said...

Agree with most peoples' picks:
Shocking Blue, Golden Earring, etc, but also
Francoise Hardy, Focus, and most of all ... Les Rita Mitsouko ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zWlnzFXcKY
maybe the best video on Youtube

Anonymous said...

Kraftwerk from Germany are good. Check them out in Dolby Atmos surround sound on Apple Music or Tidal quite an experience. rs

M_Sharp said...

Two more one-hit wonders (at least in the US )- Focus and Kraftwerk.

cthulhu said...

Late to the party, but Denmark’s fantabulous Raveonettes are…fantastic faves! Love their shoegazey noise- and dream-pop, produced by the also fantabulous Richard Gottehrer (yes, that Richard Gottehrer). Plus Sharin Foo, right up there with Tina Weymouth as one of the best-looking bassists in rock plus serious talent (hey, Steve brought up sex appeal as an element with Mariska Veres!).

And as much as I love Shocking Blue and “Venus” (and the Bananarama girls did a fetching take on that one, but they’re Brits so out of the running for this competition), “Love Buzz” is the killer Shocking Blue song.