Les Baroques had been playing around Baarn in the Netherlands since 1959, under various name such as The Modern Teenage Quartet and Hurricane Combo, but they remained unknown until 1965, when the core of guitarist Frank Muyser, organist Rene Krijnen, bassist Robin Muyser, guitarist Hans Van Embden, drummer Raymond Geytenbeek, and vocalist Gerard Schoenmakers (aka Gary O'Shannon) secured a record deal with Europhon Records and released their debut single 'Silky' in June 1965. The group stood out because unlike all other Dutch bands of that time, they sang in good English, which was partly due to Frank Muyser's English mother. Another thing that set them apart was their use of bassoon, which featured on their December 1965 single 'Such A Cad' . They also experimented with other musical instruments, such as the banjo, balalaika and harpsichord, and 1966 saw them release three singles on their new label Whamm Records, as well as appearing at the Grand Gala du Disque. In 1967, Ferdy Karmelk temporarily joined the group, playing guitar, while Michel van Dijk replaced O'Shannon, who started his own Gary O'Shannon Group. In 1969, after a considerable period of inactivity, the group was in imminent danger of breaking up, although they struggled on with new recruits Ferdy Karmelk, Bart Terlaak Jan Dankmeyer joining the three original members. When the group finally folded, remaining members Jan, Ferdy and Bart changed their name to Island. The career of the group can be neatly split into the O'Shannon-led period, and the post-O'Shannon years, with the difference in the vocals making them sound like two different bands. Their early work is generally regarded as their best, although tracks like 'Working On A Tsjing-Tsjang' and 'Bottle Party' do have their charm. By 1968 they had an impressive body of work behind them, and so they could have released an album had they managed to find a record company to fund it, but it never happened, and so this is what it might have sounded like if it had come to fruition.
Track listing
01 I'll Send You To The Moon
02 Such A Cad
03 I Know
04 Summerbeach
05 Working On A Tsjing-Tsjang
06 She's Mine
07 Indication
08 Dreammaker
09 Bottle Party
10 When You're Feeling Good
11 Pardon Me I Think I'm Falling
12 Bread
13 My Lost Love
14 Without Feeling Without Mind
