The Bintangs are a Dutch rhythm and blues band. Founded in 1961 in

Beverwijk Beverwijk () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast. A ...

as an

indorock Indorock is a musical genre that originated in the 1950s in the Netherlands. It is a fusion of Indonesian and Western music, with roots in Kroncong (traditional Portuguese-Indonesian fusion music). The genre was invented by Indo repatriates in th ...

band, they soon began playing a rougher, rhythm and blues-inflected style. The band had a four-year hiatus in the 1980s but reunited and are still active. The band has gone through many members (in 1985 they were in their 33rd lineup), with Frank Kraaijeveld (bass and vocals) as a constant element. They scored one hit, in 1970, and though commercial success has eluded them nationally and internationally they remain a popular live act.

Formation and success

The Bintangs (after the

Bahasa Indonesia Indonesian ( ) is the official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standardized variety of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia is t ...

word for "star") were established in 1961 as an

band, performing covers at live venues in

. The original lineup was Frank and Arti Kraaijeveld on bass and guitar, respectively (both performed vocals), Meine Fernhout on guitar, and Jimmy Jansen on drums. Frank, in a 1985 interview, mentioned how impressed he was when he first saw the

Tielman Brothers The Tielman Brothers was the first Dutch-Indonesian band to successfully venture into the international music scene in the 1950s. They were one of the pioneers of rock and roll in The Netherlands, and are credited with releasing the first Dutch ...

play, and soon the band began mixing in R&B influences, in part inspired by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

and in part to differentiate their sound from that of the many bands playing in the vein of

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

. In 1965 they recorded their first single, on Muziek Express,

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

's "You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover" (another song that was made famous by

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

and was also written by him, "I'm a Man", was the B-side), with Henk van Besu on drums, Jan Wijte on rhythm guitar, and Will Nimitsz on vocals and mouth harp. A loyal fanbase had, by the mid-sixties, risked life and limb to paint the band's name on a

gas holder A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressu ...

in Beverwijk. By 1969 they had opened for The Rolling Stones and

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

and released several further singles (three with Muziek Express). In 1969 they signed with

Phonogram Records Phonogram Incorporated was started in 1970 as a successor to Philips Phonographic Industries, a unit of the Grammophon-Philips Group (GPG), a joint venture of Philips N.V. of the Netherlands and Siemens A.G. of Germany. Phonogram was the name ...

, with whom they released their first album, ''Blues on the Ceiling''. Their greatest hits, "Ridin' on the L & N" and "Travelling in the U.S.A., were released in 1969 and 1970, respectively. By this time, the band had a steel guitar player as well, Rob van Donselaar. An album, ''Travelling in the U.S.A.'', was released in 1970 by Phonogram, and while another single from that album, "He Didn't Wanna Go Home", did not do as well as expected (though it did chart in the Netherlands), album sales were reported to be strong. In a 1970 interview with ''

De Telegraaf ''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, '' de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...

'' the band characterized itself as "playing from the heart" and announced another single, "Lion Tamer". By 1969 Arti was not as active with the band, and in 1972 he and Frank created their own short-lived band, the Circus Kraaijeveld, which lasted "for a single and a half", according to Arti in a 1977 interview. Though Fernhout and Jansen continued the Bintangs, in 1973 they released only one recording, the album ''Hey Dupes''. The album's title song was released as a single, with little success. By this time the band had two saxophone players; it consisted of Rob Kruisman on tenor saxophone and vocals; Aad Hooft on drums; Rob van Donselaar on guitar, steel guitar, and vocals; Rob ten Bokum on guitar; Ronald Krom on bass; and Charles van der Steeg on tenor saxophone. Manager Henk Penseel mused that commercial success eluded the band since their old hits were still well-known but that their old "Rolling Stones sound" was gone, and audiences had not grown familiar with the new direction the band had taken. In 1974 Frank returned, without Arti. Three other men joined the band: singer Gus Pleines, guitarist Jack van Schie, and drummer Harry Schierbeek. The following year they released another album, ''Genuine Bull'', and guitarist Jaap (Japie) Castricum joined. Regarding ''Genuine Bull'', producer Steve Verocca was quoted as saying that, after 20 years as a producer, he "heard ... a new approach to rock & roll" during the sessions.

Later years

The next several years saw the Bintangs release several albums and singles, some recorded in the United Kingdom. In 1977 Arti Kraaijeveld had returned to the Netherlands after a period in Los Angeles, where he recorded an album for Shelter Records. He released ''Ram Man'', containing mostly older material Arti wrote during a hiatus from the band; it was recorded in three days in Brussels, and released on a small label, New Entry. By the time the Bintangs performed for the celebration of the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...

's 366th birthday in 1979, they were the oldest surviving Dutch band. A 1981 commemorative compilation album, ''Still Going Strong'', was released on

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

, but achieved no commercial success. Despite lack of success nationally and internationally, the band, as one newspaper wrote, had a loyal fanbase within the Netherlands, which made "every performance a memorable event". Jaap van Eggermont produced the 1985 single "Rosemary Nymphet", but it received no radioplay. Ultimately, in 1985, they gave a farewell concert at Paradiso in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. The recording of this concert was released as an album, ''Bye Bye''. During the following two years Frank Kraaijeveld established his own band, in collaboration with Cees Brouwer. Pleines and van Schie, meanwhile, toured under the name 14all (read "one for all"). In 1988

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

rereleased two Bintangs albums, ''Travelling in the USA'' (1970) and ''Ridin' with the Bintangs'' (1972), under the title ''Original Tapes''. The Bintangs reunited the following year, with Gus Pleines, Frank Kaaijeveld, Jack van Schie, Jan Wijte and Cees Brouwer. Although initially intent on doing a concert in each of the 12

provinces of the Netherlands There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands (), representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The most populous prov ...

, this lineup lasted 13 years; Frank Kraaijeveld described his experience outside the Bintangs as "unsatisfying". Covering the reunion, ''

Het Vrije Volk ''Het Vrije Volk'' was a Dutch social-democratic daily newspaper. It was the successor, after World War II, of the socialist daily '' Het Volk''. The paper appeared legally 1 March 1945 in Eindhoven. From 28 January 1946, all subdivisions of the ...

'' described the Bintangs as "the most underrated live band from Netherlands" while Jacob Haagsma of the ''

Leeuwarder Courant The ''Leeuwarder Courant'' is the oldest daily newspaper in the Netherlands. Founded by Abraham Ferwerda, it first appeared in 1752. The ''Leeuwarder Courant'' was the first paper in the Dutch province Friesland and its capital Leeuwarden. It is ...

'' wrote "it's good that the Bintangs came back to us". For their 40th anniversary in 2001, the Bintangs held a series of concerts. Venues included the Donkey Shot in

Heemskerk Heemskerk () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located in the Kennemerland region. Local government As of March 2022, the municipal council of Heemskerk consists of 25 seats, which are divide ...

, the

Patronaat Patronaat is one of the 10 largest alternative pop music halls in the Netherlands and was established in 1984. It is located at the Zijlsingel in Haarlem, near the city center. In 2003 the old building was replaced with a brand new concert hall, ...

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, and the Kennemer Theater in Beverwijk. In 2003, after Brouwer's death, Burt van der Meij was selected as drummer. By the following year, however, amidst friction within the group, he left the group with van Schie and Pleines. Brothers Maarten(guitar) and Gerben Ibelings (drums) joined the band in 2004, and the following year former

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This catc ...

Dagomar Jansen was given a permanent role singing backing vocals and performing the harmonica. in 2017 a new line up. Guitarist Marco Nicola and drummer Burt van der Meij replaced Gerben and Maarten Ibelings. The new line up Bintangs released in 2021 a brand new album "These Hands". In the year 2021, Bintangs the oldest playing, recording band from The Netherlands. Sixty! 60 years of pure rhythm and blues!! The album "These Hands" Volkskrant september 2021 **** NRC ***

Style

Pim Oets, in a 1970 article for ''Het Vrije Volk'', compared Pleines' vocals to those of

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

; Jagger's Rolling Stones influenced the Bintangs, and the bands have often been compared. The Bintangs' early repertoire included multiple songs by

Discography

Albums

, - , Align="Left", ''Blues on the Ceiling'', , 1969, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Travelling in the U.S.A.'', , 1970, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Ridin' with the Bintangs'', , 1972, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Genuine Bull'', , 1975, , 10-05-1975, , 26, , 5, , , - , Align="Left", ''Bintangs'', , 1979, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Night-Fighter'', , 1979, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Mickey Finn'', , 1980, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Still Going Strong'', , 1981, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Rockfield Beauties'', , 1982, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Livetime'', , 1983, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Bye Bye – Live in Paradiso'', , 1985, , -, , , , , ,

Live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, - , Align="Left", ''Original Tapes – Travellin' in the Usa + Ridin' with the Bintangs'', , 1988, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Live-File'', , 1988, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Alright Alright'', , 1991, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Ruby Red Hot'', , 1994, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Dynamite Night'', , 1996, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''The Bintangs'', , 1999, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Genuine Bull'', , 1999, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''La Femme Sans Tête'', , 2002, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''The Complete Collection – the Early Years '63-'73 '', , 2003, , -, , , , , ,

Compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, - , Align="Left", ''Doc'', , 2006, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Fire and Iron'', , 2009, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Night-Fighter + Mickey Finn'', , 2010, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", ''Fifty/Fifty (50 Years of Dutch Rockhistory)'', , 2011, , -, , , , , ,

Singles

, - , Align="Left", "You Can't Judge a Book By Looking At the Cover", , 1965, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Walking the Boogie", , 1966, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Splendid Sight", , 1966, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Pileworks", , 1967, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Please Do Listen", , 1967, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Smokestack Lightning", , 1969, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Ridin' on the L & N", , 1969, , 08-11-1969, , 12, , 9, , Number 11 in the

Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...

, - , Align="Left", "Travelling in the U.S.A.", , 1970, , 31-01-1970, , 9, , 9, , Number 10 in the Single Top 100 , - , Align="Left", "He Didn't Wanna Go Home", , 1970, , 27-06-1970, , 35, , 2, , Number 29 in the Single Top 100 , - , Align="Left", "Liontamer", , 1970, , 19-09-1970, , Tip10, , -, , , - , Align="Left", "I'm on My Own Again", , 1971, , 15-05-1971, , 32, , 4, , , - , Align="Left", "The Bride", , 1971, , 11-12-1971, , Tip16, , -, , , - , Align="Left", "You Got Love", , 1972, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "We're Gonna Make It", , 1972, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Hey Dupes", , 1973, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Wait", , 1974, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Open and Busted", , 1975, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Big Black Tank", , 1978, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Snake in the Grass", , 1979, , 09-06-1979, , Tip14, , -, , , - , Align="Left", "Let Me Pass", , 1979, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Rock the Socks Out of Your Shoes", , 1980, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Air Travel", , 1981, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Rosemary Nymphet", , 1982, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "It's All in My Room", , 1982, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Bayou Woman", , 1982, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "I Wanna Be Your Cigarette", , 1983, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Rhythm & Blues: Everything (Is Gonna Be Everything)", , 1987, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Alright Alright", , 1991, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Put It in a Dark Place", , 1991, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "I Wish It Would Rain", , 1994, , -, , , , , , , - , Align="Left", "Rhythm of Your Heartbeat", , 1995, , -, , , , , ,

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1961 Musical groups from North Holland Dutch rock music groups 1961 establishments in the Netherlands