As a teen, I can remember fondly my fascination with the so-called British Invasion – Cream, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Animals – and, of course, the quality American groups like Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Doors.
So when a hit called “Venus” arrived on the U.S. Top 40 charts in 1969/1970, going Gold with millions of copies sold and quickly peaking at No. 1, I took little notice. There was so much else out there.
The female singer was good, for sure, but the song was quite mellow, a refined studio version. Plus the band was from the Netherlands, and, in America, relatively unknown, other than the song, “Venus.” I had always thought of the group as a one-hit wonder.
Not long ago, I was trolling through old YouTube performances of bands from the sixties, as I’m apt to do when I can’t sleep. Truly live videos are hard to find because, back then, most renditions were lip-synced, some horribly, to the studio versions.
When I came accross “Venus,” though, the performance was rare, stone-cold live in 1970 in Paris. I was blown away by the band’s chops, especially vocalist Mariska Veres. Raw on stage, this charismatic woman has been called the European equivalent of the Airplane’s great Grace Slick, not only in style but looks.
When I googled Mariska, a bunch of references came up, but mostly to actress Mariska Hargitay, detective Olivia Benson on the long-running series, “Law And Order SVU.” I continued to scroll down, eventually finding mentions of Mariska. What an interesting person she was!
In addition to my adventure beat at Forbes, I write about classic rock, and have interviewed many of the players from that era, including Grace (link below). I was hoping to chat with Mariska, who would be 76 now, but found sadly that she had passed in 2006 from gallbladder cancer.
Of the Shocking Blue band members, in fact, only one is still alive – Robbie van Leeuwen, the lead guitarist and main songwriter. He had penned “Venus,” and one wonders if the tune may have been written in part about Mariska, who, in many ways, personified an unreachable goddess. But van Leeuwen is extremely shy, and grants few interviews these days.
Mariska on stage was a sultry beauty, like Grace, and sang powerfully, moving in such a way where, like Grace, you couldn’t take your eyes off of her. But in real life, unlike Grace, she said in interviews that she was like “holy Mary.” Instead of partying with the band while touring the world, she sat in her hotel room alone watching movies. As for drinking and drugs, forget it. It was tea and lemonade, she says, and, when in her native country of the Netherlands, quiet evenings with her parents.
Mariska spoke only Dutch, so she had to memorize Shocking Blue’s songs in English. A tidbit: In “Venus,” the opening lyric was misspelled when she memorized it from the song sheet. It was supposed to read, “a goddess on a mountain top.” Mariska sang it as written, which was, “a godness on a mountain top.” When Bananarama butchered the tune in 1986, the lyric was corrected.
Surprisingly, Mariska wore a wig, too, to cover her naturally curly hair. She recalled a time where fans in Japan tried to cut her hair, only to find that it was a wig. She said many fans tried to touch her, too, so she developed a way of pinching them when they tried.
If you like classic rock, I encourage you to seek out Shocking Blue, if you haven’t already. You might be shocked at what you find (pun intended). Gems unknown in America like, “Send Me A Postcard,” “Never Marry A Railroad Man” and “Daemon Lover” – even covers of Airplane’s “Somebody To Love” and “White Rabbit” – will get your attention.
Perhaps Shocking Blue’s best LP is the band live in Japan, recorded at the Kosei Nenkin Hall in 1971. The sound system and acoustics there were top-notch, and do the group justice in showcasing their talents.
RIP Mariska. You were a special talent among the talented. You would be eagerly welcomed today, given the state of modern Top 40 “rock and roll.” If nothing else, you should have been, and still should be, inducted, posthumously, into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Your band has been eligible since, what, 1993? Unconscionable. But then so is the omission of Jethro Tull.