Les Baroques

Among the most peculiar yet accomplished Dutch groups of the mid-1960s, Les Baroques perpetually appeared disconnected from everyday reality. The band bore a French name, featured a vocalist using the clearly adopted stage name Gary O'Shannon (born Gerard Schoenaker), and fused R&B-inflected pop/rock with unexpected European folk elements alongside overly theatrical orchestral touches. Their standing rests primarily on the initial four singles plus the self-titled 1966 LP, all cut with O'Shannon prior to his departure from the lineup at the close of that year. In peak form, O'Shannon evoked a rawer, more unsettled take on Van Morrison, lending voice to material that shared the brooding, minor-key character common to much Dutch beat music of the era. Les Baroques pushed this atmosphere still further on tracks such as "Silky" and "Summer Beach," both marked by an ethereal glow and a sense of melancholy desolation. Elsewhere the group favored a grittier, R&B-rooted approach reminiscent of certain British contemporaries, particularly through incisive organ lines; "She's Mine" closely echoes Them's slower numbers, while "O, O, Baby Give Me That Show" stands as a solid Animals imitation.

"Such a Cad," an off-kilter punk-tinged track augmented by bassoon accents on several of their 45s, scored a major Dutch hit in 1966. Following one additional strong single, the characteristically enigmatic "I'll Send You to the Moon," O'Shannon departed for military duty. The band persisted through five further singles and a second LP fronted by Michael Van Dijk, yet the results differed markedly, even though the first two releases from this phase, "Working on a Tsing Tsang" and "Bottle Party," qualified as suitably eccentric pop efforts.