Finch (1974–1978) was a Dutch

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

rock group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

that continued to be known internationally years after their final concert on 14 November 1978 at the

World Forum Convention Center The World Forum (originally known as Nederlands Congresgebouw and formerly Nederlands Congres Centrum and World Forum Convention Center) is a concert venue and convention centre in The Hague, Netherlands, near the buildings of the Internatio ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

History

Finch was established by bass player Peter Vink (Vink meaning

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

in Dutch) and drummer Beer Klaasse. Guitarist and composer Joop van Nimwegen, who had worked with Vink in the Dutch formation Q65, soon joined. For lack of a good singer, Finch decided to build a repertoire of instrumental rock. Keyboardist Paul Vink joined, but was soon replaced by Cleem Determeijer, then a student at the Rotterdam Academy of Music. The first album, ''Glory Of The Inner Force'', was published in Finch's native Netherlands, as well as by ATCO/Atlantic in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. On both sides of the ocean the album received positive reviews. The second album, ''Beyond Expression'', became a Record of the Week on

Radio Veronica Radio Veronica was an offshore radio station that began broadcasting in 1960, and broadcast offshore for over fourteen years. It was set up by independent radio, TV and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales ...

, a popular Dutch seaborn station. Finch started to make a name for itself and began to attract crowds to their concerts in the Netherlands,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Determeijer wanted to concentrate on his piano studies and was replaced by Ad Wammes. Beer Klaasse was replaced by Hans Bosboom, as Klaasse was busy with his own business in leather goods. A third album, ''Galleons Of Passion'' was published in the Netherlands and the UK, after which Hans Bosboom left, citing personal circumstances, and was replaced by Fred van Vloten. The frequent personal changes in the rock group made it impossible to continue. In 1978 the partnership was discontinued when Joop van Nimwegen decided to quit. A posthumous live album, called ''The Making of Galleons of Passion/ Stage '76'', containing demos, unreleased takes, and live material was released in 1999. Finch's albums continue to attract the interest of those who enjoy early

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

. Joop van Nimwegen has played in the pit orchestra of many Dutch stage musicals over the years. In 2012 Ad Wammes recreated his old pre-Finch band Montoya with Henk Hager (ex-

Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

) as vocalist / bass player. Fred van Vloten died in 2008.

Discography

Albums

* ''Glory Of The Inner Force'' (1975), Negram (Netherlands) + ATCO/Atlantic (USA) * ''Beyond Expression'' (1976), Negram (Netherlands) * ''Galleons Of Passion'' (1977), Bubble (Netherlands) + Rockburgh ( UK) * ''The Making Of... Galleons Of Passion/ Stage '76'' (1999), Pseudonym Records (Netherlands)

Singles

* "Colossus" (1975), Negram (Netherlands)

Compilations

* "Mythology" (2013), Pseudonym (Netherlands) - Glory Of The Inner Force / Colossus / Beyond Expression / Galleons Of Passion / The Making Of... Galleons Of Passion + live tracks

References

External links

* Finch pages in Allmusic*
Finch page at the Prog Archives database
*

*
Personal website of Ad Wammes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finch (Dutch band) Dutch progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1974 Musical groups disestablished in 1978 Musical groups from Rotterdam Musical groups from The Hague