Afghanistan (Negram Years 1970-71)

Biography

Q65 was a Dutch psychedelic, garage rock, beat group formed in 1965, that is often considered one of the more prominent bands associated with the Nederbeat rock wave that took place in the Netherlands in the 1960s. In early 1965 guitarists Joop Roelofs and Frank Nuyens joined with singer Willem Bieler to start the band. The line-up was completed with the addition of drummer Jay Baar, formerly of Leadbelly's Limited, and bass player Peter Vink. The band was inspired by rhythm and blues tradition...

Q65 was a Dutch psychedelic, garage rock, beat group formed in 1965, that is often considered one of the more prominent bands associated with the Nederbeat rock wave that took place in the Netherlands in the 1960s.

In early 1965 guitarists Joop Roelofs and Frank Nuyens joined with singer Willem Bieler to start the band. The line-up was completed with the addition of drummer Jay Baar, formerly of Leadbelly's Limited, and bass player Peter Vink. The band was inspired by rhythm and blues traditionals and the songs of Robert Johnson and Willie Dixon, as well as new bands, such as The Kinks, The Animals and The Rolling Stones. They started performing publicly in the Spring of 1965, and later that year, would start using the name, Q65. During a concert at skating ring De Eenhoorn, they met producer Peter Koelewijn. Very impressed by their show, he invited them to an audition at the Phonogram studio, where they recorded two of their own songs; "And Your Kind" and "You're The Victor". Koelewijn decided to release them on vinyl.

In January 1966, their debut single "You're The Victor" was released and later peaked at #11 on the Dutch Top 40. Then Hans van Hemert replaced Koelewijn. Two other singles reached the Dutch charts the same year; "The Life I Live" (#5) and "I Despise You" (#19). Under Van Hemert's guidance their first album entitled Revolution was released later that year by Decca Records, and became a hit, selling 35,000 in the Netherlands. In 1967, they hit the charts again with the singles "From Above" (#13) and "World of birds" (#8). Due to drug problems and military service duties of singer Wim Bieler, Q65 disbanded in 1968.

Q65 reformed in 1970, with Beer Klaasse on drums, and signed to Negram Records, staying together for several years. Their LPs of the early 70s, Afghanistan and We Are Gonna Make It had a more psychedelic orientation. Q65's line-up changed throughout the early 1970s. Nuyens exited in 1971 to join Baar in a band called Rainman, while Q65 continued with a new line-up, featuring John Frederikz on vocals and Joop van Nimwegen on guitar. Wim Bieler left to form a band called Dambuster. Johnny Frederiksz was brought in as lead singer, but by then the band had changed their name to Kjoe.

The original Q65 reunited in 1980 and toured throughout that year. The group continued with various different lineups in the mid-1980s. Drummer Jay Baar died in 1990, but a version of the band, with Wim Bieler as leader, continued playing into the 1990s. Singer Willem Bieler died in 2000. Bass player Dick Schulte Nordholt died in 2006. Guitarist Joop Roelofs died in 2018.

Discography

Singles
You're The Victor / And Your Kind : Decca AT10189 (1966)
The Life I Live / Cry In The Night : Decca AT10210 (1966)
The Life I Live / Ann : Philips 6817052 (1966)
I Despise You / Ann : Decca AT101248 (1966)
From Above / I Was Young : Decca AT10248 (1967)
World Of Birds / It Came To Me : Decca AT10263 (1967)
World Of Birds / Ain't That Lovin' You Babe : Decca AT10263 (1967)
So High I've Been So Down I Must Fall / Where Is The Key : Decca AT10286 (1968)
Ann / Sour Wine : Decca AT10336 (1968)
Sundance / World Of Birds : Decca AT10383 (1968)
Don't Let Me Fall / Crumblin' : Negram NG172 (1970)
Don't Let Me Fall / Crumblin' : Hansa 14588 AT [German pressing]
Sexy Legs / There Was A Day : Negram NG196 (1970)
Sexy Legs / There Was A Day : Cardinal 3121
Sexy Legs / We Are Happy : Hansa 14804 AT [German pressing]
Love Is Such A Good Thing / Night : Negram NG220 (1971)
I Just Can't Wait / We're Gonna Make It : Negram NG230 (1971)
Fighting Is Easy / Country Girl : Polydor 2050181 (1971)
Hoonana / Troubles (Kjoe) : Polydor 2050181 (1972)
Lady Of Love / Fighting Is Easy (Wim Bieler & Dambuster) : Polydor 2050338 (1974)
Mean Woman / Think It Over : CNR (1980) [unreleased]
Let's Roll / Are You Home : Jaws 5517 (1988)

EPs
Kjoe Bloes (4 tracks) : Decca BU70025 (1967)
Sexy Legs (4 tracks) : I Go Ape (1989)

Albums
Revolution (Decca QL625363, 1966)
Revival (Decca XBY846515, 1969)
Afghanistan (Negram NELP075, 1970)
We're Gonna Make It (Negram ELS914, 1971)
Trinity (Mohican MH001/Munich, 1997)
Revolution (Re-issue, Rotation/Universal, 2002)

Compilations
Complete Collection 1966-1969 (PolyGram, 1998)
The Life I Live (Rotataion/PolyGram, 1998)
Alle 13 Haags (Pink Records, 2001)
Singles A's and B's (Hunter Music, 2002)



Q65 was a Dutch rockband formed in The Hague in early 1965. Before Q65, Peter Vink (bass) and Jay Baar (drums) played in another blues band called Leadbelly's Limited. In The Hague there were many Indonesian Dutch bands that played instrumental numbers in the 1950s. Their mysterious sound also influenced Q65. In the middle of 1965, they had some live gigs and were called the "Dutch Pretty Things" because of their Ugly sound.

But Peter Vink said, "We were influenced by R&B, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding... not Pretty Things".

They released their first single You're the Victor in February of 1966. It was frantic R&B punk with strange vocals and a harp. It was #11 on the charts and stayed there for 13 weeks.

Their second single was The Life I Live where they established their sound. Then they were asked to play at clubs in London but were unable to get work permits; therefore, they only appeared at press and photo sessions.

At the Scheveningen shore when they got back home,30,000 fans were waiting for them. 'Kjoe' had to run away to escape the enthusiastic fans. They had a gig at the pier which went well and garnered them a top 10 hit.

In 1966 they released their first album Revolution (they chose the title because they felt it was a "revolutionary" album for them) which also included a fourteen minute version of Sonny Boy Williamson's Bring It Home along with other Blues and R&B covers. The album also had the killer original tunes, I got Nightmares and Sour Wine.

This fab R&B punk album sold 35,000 copies. They joined The Small Faces, Spencer Davis Group, The Kinks, and The Pretty Things in Holland. In 1967 they released Kjoe Blues EP, including 3 blues covers and a original 80%O (it was an acid instrumental song about 80% Opium).
They were into soft drag and their sound changed. Their lyrics had mysterious double meanings. In 1968 Wim was drafted into the Army which marked the end of Q65. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.