Group 1850

Group Eighteen Fifty emerged in the Netherlands as one of the more accomplished and distinctive rock outfits on the Continent during the closing years of the 1960s, even if their work registered barely at all among listeners in English-speaking countries. The ensemble began in the middle of the decade as a fairly standard beat group before shifting, by 1967, toward increasingly psychedelic and unconventional territory. Their English-language material from this period stands out for its stylistic range, moving between brooding, slow-moving sections anchored by guttural vocals and brighter, idealistic stretches built around airy vocal blends. In broad terms the band fused the exploratory approach of the early Mothers of Invention—whom they opened for at a 1967 Dutch show—with the atmospheric inclinations of Pink Floyd, yet without a comparable vein of humor. While the compositions hold interest and feature memorable hooks, and the words themselves aim high even when their meaning stays opaque, sustained focus can prove difficult across an entire record or within the longer pieces. Their albums from the late 1960s continue to command respect among dedicated collectors of psychedelic and progressive music.