Yes she was a woman - Mariska Veres (1947 – 2006).
Both tunes mentioned above were big hits in the U.S. c.1970.
I remember hearing them both all the time on the local top 40 AM station, KHJ in Los Angeles.
I always loved the guitar playing on Venus!

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-10 08:12 by Hairball.

I heard Vanity Fair's "Early in the Morning" a couple of days ago on some online radio station. I remember both of their hits. I also always knew Shocking Blue had a female lead singer; she never sounded like a guy to me.

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Hairball
Yes she was a woman - Mariska Veres (1947 – 2006).
Both tunes mentioned above were big hits in the U.S. c.1970.
I remember hearing them both all the time on the local top 40 AM station, KHJ in Los Angeles.
I always loved the guitar playing on Venus!

You seem to have a good eye for guitars, what type of guitar Robbie van Leeuwen was using in the Venus video. Interesting, nobody received credit for the keyboard work in the song yet it was a big part of the sound.

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marianna
I heard Vanity Fair's "Early in the Morning" a couple of days ago on some online radio station. I remember both of their hits. I also always knew Shocking Blue had a female lead singer; she never sounded like a guy to me.

I never knew it until tonight. I guess the 60's and early 70's pop bands had a lot of high pitched singing like the Hollies.

Plus the fact she's singing "I'm your Venus."

I bought both of these singles back in the day. I was certainly aware of the Shocking Blue singer being female as they appeared on Top Of The Pops. The B side of Venus was called Hot Sand and it was a superb track.

I've seen that wonderfull, goodlooking girl at the end of 1970 in my home village in Belgium.

First time I heard "Julia" (Pavlov's Dog) thought Janis Joplin was singing,despite the fact that the song had been released 5 years after she died... "Oh, it must be an older Janis song, I'm sure she is singing", thought. I was 14 then...

Venus reached nr1 in the American Billboard Hot 100 in 7 February 1970.
Robbie van Leeuwen wrote the song as well Love Buzz covered by Nirvana, Robbie played guitar and sitar and Mariska was great for vocals and shining on stage.

Danelectro longhorn guitar by the looks of it

Hey The Sicilan - even better than Venus is this great rocker from Shocking Blue.

Mariska veres was one sexy girl. Shocking blue was a dutch, famous band. Good music !
jeroen

The Hague was in the 60s for The Netherlands a very important town when it comes to pop music.
We use the expression "Haagse beat" for the wave of bands coming from this city.
The Golden Earrings (later Golden Earring), Q65, Tee Set and Shockin' Blue all came
from the same quarters in The Hague (Zuiderparkbuurt), a lower middle class era.

Here's a couple of songs from the Haagse Beat groups.

Q65- The life I live




The Golden Earrings - Sound of a screaming day




Tee set - She likes weeds




Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-10 12:01 by marcovandereijk.

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marcovandereijk
The Hague was in the 60s for The Netherlands a very important town when it comes to pop music.
We use the expression "Haagse beat" for the wave of bands coming from this city.
The Golden Earrings (later Golden Earring), Q65, Tee Set and Shockin' Blue all came
from the same quarters in The Hague (Zuiderparkbuurt), a lower middle class era.

Here's a couple of songs from the Haagse Beat groups.

Q65- The life I live




The Golden Earrings - Sound of a screaming day




Tee set - She likes weeds

All great bands. For some lesser known Dutch (psychedelic) rock in general I'd add the magnificent Earth & Fire, Sandy Coast as well as The Outsiders, and Group 1850. Well worth checking out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-10 13:16 by Silver Dagger.

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Silver Dagger

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marcovandereijk
The Hague was in the 60s for The Netherlands a very important town when it comes to pop music.
We use the expression "Haagse beat" for the wave of bands coming from this city.
The Golden Earrings (later Golden Earring), Q65, Tee Set and Shockin' Blue all came
from the same quarters in The Hague (Zuiderparkbuurt), a lower middle class era.

Here's a couple of songs from the Haagse Beat groups.

Q65- The life I live




The Golden Earrings - Sound of a screaming day




Tee set - She likes weeds

All great bands. For some lesser known Dutch (psychedelic) rock in general I'd add the magnificent Earth & Fire, Sandy Coast as well as The Outsiders, Sandy Coast and Group 1850. Well worth checking out.

thanks for posting some more great Dutch bands and would like to add Cuby and the Blizzards, Shocking Blue covered as well Paint It Black.

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The Sicilian
While on a little 70's kick, I just watched this video by Shocking Blue and was shocked to see that the singer is a woman. It is a woman right? I can't believe that after all these years I thought it was a man singing. Was anyone else fooled?

Yes! You have blown my mind for the first--but certainly not the last--time in 2017! Holy cannolis!

As for comments to the effect that she is singing "I'm your Venus" etc. I thought the male narrator was just sort of quoting her, or having the female character sort of "step in" at those times. It never created an cognitive dissonance for me.

But this...gadzooks - what a cool surprise.

-swiss

Yes, and "Hot Sand" rocked too.
That is funny that you though it was a guy. That happened to me once in the 80's with a song I loved for a while called "Invisible" by Alison Moyet. I didn't know her, and I liked th song but I was kind of embarrassed by it because I thought it was that same guy who would sing "Sarah" real high and annoying.

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Palace Revolution 2000
Yes, and "Hot Sand" rocked too.
That is funny that you though it was a guy. That happened to me once in the 80's with a song I loved for a while called "Invisible" by Alison Moyet. I didn't know her, and I liked th song but I was kind of embarrassed by it because I thought it was that same guy who would sing "Sarah" real high and annoying.

I wish there were an emoji of a smiley laughing his head off. This is the closest:

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The Sicilian
Interesting, nobody received credit for the keyboard work in the song yet it was a big part of the sound.

I think Cees Schrama plays the organ on Venus. He played a lot of studio sessions in
The Hague at the time.
Here's Cees with his own (short lived) band Casey and the Pressure Group:





Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

I have both Venus & Hitchin a Ride on 45's....

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detroitken
I have both Venus & Hitchin a Ride on 45's....

45's? What's this thing you call 45's...

Always loved Venus and must admit I did not know he was a she.


Here is Mariska Veres's obit: [www.nytimes.com]

I was 16 living in north New Jersey when Venus was in heavy rotation on New York's WABC. I thought it was hilarious when my Mom became outraged at the lyrics. She thought it was "I'm your fetus". True story.

HBK

Later covered by Bananarama

What a Shame the videos in this thread can't be played.

A few years back it was revealed on dutch tv that the music of Venus was plagiarism.

Here is a video about it:

video: [youtu.be]

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Elmo Lewis
Later covered by Bananarama

Or Ram A Banana as we called them!

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Elmo Lewis
Later covered by Bananarama

And by Claw Boys Claw.

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Elmo Lewis
Later covered by Bananarama

And with that cover for the second time number one in the US

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RipThisBone
What a Shame the videos in this thread can't be played.

A few years back it was revealed on dutch tv that the music of Venus was plagiarism.

Here is a video about it:

video: [youtu.be]

Yeah, blatant, but still, cracking single!

I love their At Home album!