The next installment in of my series of classic Dutch rock of the 70's features Group 1850. The band started out in 1964 in The Hague, calling themselves The Klits, but were renamed Group 1850 in 1966 when their debut single, 'Misty Night' / 'Look Around', appeared on the tiny Yep label. Though few copies were pressed, it established them as one of The Netherlands' most original bands and they soon signed to Philips. More singles ensued, all in a highly psychedelic vein, and by the time they released their debut album 'Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth' in late 1968 they had a reputation of being one of the best European acid-rock bands. The label pushed the boat out on promoting the disc, with the Dutch version having a sleeve with a 3-D image on the cover, and coming with a pair of 3-D glasses. The album didn't do as well outside The Netherlands as it did in their home country, and Philips dropped them soon afterwards. Their next album, 'Paradise Now', appeared on the Dutch Discofoon label in 1969 and was only marginally less acid-influenced than its predecessor. The band disbanded soon afterwards, but was sporadically active through the 1970's, releasing the odd single, and this post collects all of their non-albums singles and b-sides from that single in 1966 through to their last effort in 1971. While Earth & Fire were a superb Dutch progressive rock band, and Q65 were a great garage/r'n'b outfit, Group 1850 were one of the best 70's acid-rock bands around, and they all deserve a re-assessment of their official output, so do check out their original albums if you can track them down.
Track listing
01 Misty Night (single 1966)02 Look Around (b-side of 'Misty Night')03 Mother No-Head (single 1967)04 Ever, Ever Green (b-side of 'Mother No-Head')05 I Know (La Pensee) (b-side of 'I Want More')06 I Want More (Fingertips) (single 1967)07 Zero (single 1968)08 Frozen Mind (b-side of 'Zero')09 We Love Life (Like We Love You) (single 1968)10 Don't Let It Be (We Have To Do It Now) (single 1970)11 Sun Is Coming (So We're Calling You) (b-side of 'Don't Let It Be')12 Fire (single 1971)13 Have You Ever Heard (b-side of 'Fire')
