Biography
The Q 65 possessed enough raw musical talent to merit recognition on par with the Pretty Things and the Yardbirds. Recorded proof shows the Dutch quintet could have matched either outfit or the Animals with ease while also incorporating some of the more rural blues leanings heard in the Downliners Sect. Still, the Q 65 stayed among Europe’s most closely guarded star-level secrets for over three decades. Formed in February 1965 in The Hague—then nicknamed “the Liverpool of the Netherlands” for its thriving music scene that dated back to the late 1950s—the lineup comprised Frank Nuyens on guitar, vocals, sax, flute, and harmonica, Willem Bieler handling vocals and harmonica, Peter Vink on bass, Joop Roelofs on guitar, and Jay Baar on drums. Earlier, Vink and Baar had performed in the blues outfit Leadbelly’s Limited before joining Nuyens, Bieler, and Roelofs. Although the members cited American soul acts such as Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding as primary inspirations, their performances aligned more closely in style and energy with the Pretty Things, the Downliners Sect, and the Yardbirds. Late in 1965 they signed with Phonogram, a Philips Records division, and appeared on the Decca imprint. Their debut single, “You’re the Victor,” arrived in February 1966—an urgent, punk-inflected blues-rock track driven by a Bo Diddley rhythm, raspy screams, and fierce playing that contrasted sharply with their stated soul influences. It climbed to number 11 in Holland and remained on the charts for 13 weeks; the B-side, the original “And Your Kind,” offered a slower, somewhat more soul-tinged blues-rock approach with gritty guitar. By May 1966, now backed by a full-time manager, they issued the follow-up “The Life I Live,” a soulful piece that built with almost bolero-like tension. Phonogram attempted to break the group in England through a misguided publicity stunt that involved crossing by boat and landing in a rubber raft, yet work permits were never obtained, so the band could only pose for photos and interviews before returning home. Met by 30,000 fans at Scheveningen, they performed an impromptu pier concert and scored another Dutch Top Ten hit. Their first album, Revolution, appeared later in 1966 and showcased powerful blues-rock, including a snarling take on Willie Dixon’s “Down in the Bottom,” a crunchy acoustic-guitar-driven version of Dixon’s “Spoonful” featuring vocals reminiscent of Howlin’ Wolf, a funky reading of Allen Toussaint’s “Get Out of My Life, Woman,” several competitive originals, and a gripping 14-minute rendition of Sonny Boy Williamson II’s “Bring It on Home.” The LP moved 3,500 copies in the Netherlands, enough to secure support slots with the Small Faces, the Spencer Davis Group, the Kinks, and the Pretty Things on Dutch tours. No full-length releases followed in 1967, though the extended-play single Q Blues performed well domestically. Tracks from this phase reached a creative peak—“Ain’t That Lovin’ You Babe” stands as a garage-punk classic equal to the finest American examples of the era, while their arrangement of “Ramblin’ on My Mind” surges with ferocious drive. The band stood out by weaving saxophones and even an ocarina—rare in rock outside the Troggs—into country and Chicago blues textures. They continued as a blues-rock unit through most of 1967, shifting toward psychedelia late in the year around the time Bieler entered military service, closing their classic era. Nuyens, Baar, and Roelofs then joined Herman Brood on piano and vocals plus Henk Smitskamp on vocals and bass to form a more psychedelic project that evolved into Circus, active in various lineups throughout 1968. Vink moved to Big Wheel, whose roster included future Focus member Cyril Havermanns. A second album, Revival, surfaced in 1969 comprising singles and later recordings; the material remained intense, if less immediately accessible, and the group might have reached wider audiences had the original lineup stayed together. They still delivered strong performances even when experimenting, and the blues they played leaned psychedelic rather than traditional. At that point they might have rivaled bands such as the Creation, yet the Q 65 disbanded. They regrouped in 1970 with Beer Klaasse on drums, signed to Negram Records, and lasted one year, releasing the slightly more psychedelic Afghanistan and We Are Gonna Make It. Early in the 1970s Nuyens left to join Baar in Rainman while the Q 65 carried on with John Frederikz on vocals and Joop van Nimwegan on guitar. The original members reunited in 1980 for touring and continued in shifting configurations through the mid-1980s. Baar died in 1990, but a version fronted by Bieler persisted into the 1990s. Although Dutch acts such as Ekseption—Holland’s counterpart to the Nice—gained modest exposure in England and America during the early 1970s, and Focus briefly topped charts in 1973, the Q 65 arrived slightly too soon for substantial international attention, despite being fully comparable to many better-known British bands of their time.
Albums
