The Cats (Dutch band)

The Cats
The Cats performing on Nederland Muziekland on 1 April 1983
Background information
Also known asThe Mystic Four
The Blue Cats
OriginVolendam, the Netherlands
GenresRock (palingsound)
Years active1964 (1964)–1985
LabelsEMI
Past members

The Cats were a Dutch rock band formed in Volendam in 1964.

They were active (with a few interruptions) from 1964 until 1985 and had their most successful period from 1968 until 1975.

Of the many hits the band had at home and abroad, the biggest one is "One Way Wind", which was released in 38 countries and a top ten number in several of them, of which it was a number one in Switzerland. In Germany it sold more than a million copies. The song has been covered by some 150 other artists. The number was written by Arnold Muhren, bass-player and chief composer.

Further band members were Cees Veerman (vocals/guitar/percussion) and Piet Veerman (vocals/guitar), Theo Klouwer (drums), and Jaap Schilder (guitar) and Piet Keizer (guitar; for three years).

Career

[edit]

1960s

[edit]

The band began life as two separate duos: Cees Veerman (6 October 1943 - 15 March 2014) and Arnold Muhren (born 28 January 1944) who started in a skiffle band; and cousins Piet Veerman (born 1 March 1943) and Jaap Schilder (born 9 January 1943) who modelled themselves after the Everly Brothers. The duos merged and became The Mystic Four, with Cees and Piet Veerman on vocals and guitar, Schilder on guitar (and piano), and Muhren on bass. By 1965 they changed their name to The Blue Cats, a reference to the colour of their suits and Cees' nickname, Poes (Dutch for 'cat'). Dropping the 'Blue' from their name in 1966 they recruited drummer Theo Klouwer (30 June 1947 – 8 February 2001).

The Cats borrowed money from Jan Buys, who was later to become their manager, and recorded their first singles that immediately entered the charts. Singing in English thanks to a songwriting duo from England, the group sounded British. Cees initially performed the majority of the lead vocals but that was to change by 1968 when the band recorded a cover version of Studio Six' "Times Were When"; Piet felt that this song suited his voice better and Cees agreed. Arnold's lyrics and Piet's sad voice appeared to be a match made in heaven, spawning five Top 10 hits in the next two years including "Lea"[1] (dedicated to a faithful fan who died in a car accident), "Why?",[2] "Scarlet Ribbons"[3] and "Marian".[4]

1970s

[edit]
The Cats, TopPop television program, 1974.

Their international popularity began to grow. By spring 1970 the Cats toured Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles and played one show on 4 April 1970 in Guyana. A tour of Indonesia followed early 1971.

"Don't Waste Your Time" broke a string of Top 10 chart dominations, but the next single, "One Way Wind", became The Cats' biggest ever hit. In Germany it reached Number One chart position and in 1972 the band responded by releasing Katzenspiele (Cat's Play), featuring their hits rerecorded in German.

By now, the band were very popular and had a busy touring schedule, which began to take its toll Cees contracted voice problems. Crew member Piet Keizer replaced him temporarily. In 1974 the Cats released The Love in Your Eyes, an album recorded at the Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles by session musicians, with the Cats members only laying down vocals. Cees Veerman said about those sessions, "'Be My Day' topped the charts, which was a great thing, but the rest of that pre-baked stuff should've been chucked into the ocean near Malibu".[citation needed]

Their Malibu sojourn did not stop The Cats from using the same team of musicians for the follow-up record Hard To Be Friends, although this time the vocals were recorded at home. "Come Sunday" charted late 1974, shortly after Cees had left the band to take another break. The title track, on which Jaap Schilder sang falsetto ad-libs, followed early 1975. As the band didn't tour during this period, the two Veermans and Schilder had time to release solo-albums that were a departure from the Cats-sound. By public demand The Cats returned to the stage for a number of dates to promote their 1975 Christnas-album. The hits continued but didn't capture former glories and not everyone was always available for TV-shows. When The Cats were booked to appear on chart-show Rock Planet in 1978 to playback "She Was Too Young" it was almost a solo-performance by Cees. By the end of 1979 The Cats decided to disband. A farewell-single (a reissue of the 1972 track "End of the Show") charted as late as April 1980.

Solo careers

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In 1976, Cees Veerman released a solo album called "Another Side of Me", which spawned the single "Sailor, Sail On (Dreamer, Dream On)".[5]

After a brief Cats-reunion Piet Veerman had a solo-hit in 1987 with "Sailing Home". Subsequent singles did reasonably well and he kept touring with a set of solo material and Cats' classics, often using backing tapes. In 1995, Piet guested on a bilingual duet version of "One Way Wind" with Flemish singer Dana Winner titled "Westenwind". Piet sang in English and Winner sang in Dutch.

2000s

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On 23 March 2006, The Cats were made Members of the Order of Orange-Nassau.[6] The same year the group had a reunion to record a single for inclusion on a best of album. It went gold.

Cees Veerman performed with the Cats Aglow Band who both supported and backed Willy DeVille at the latter's Amsterdam Carré Theatre show on 7 July 2008. He moved to Indonesia where he died at the age of 70 on 15 March 2014.[7]

Discography

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Golden Dog (His Master's Voice) for one million sales of the single One Way Wind in Germany

Albums

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Year Album Peak Certification (NED)
1967 Cats as Cats Can
1968 Cats Gold
1969 Colour Us Gold 1 Gold
1970 Take Me with You 1(2wk) Gold
1971 Cats Aglow 3 Gold
1972 Signed by The Cats 3 Gold
1973 Home 8 Gold
1974 The Love in Your Eyes 1 Gold
1975 Hard to Be Friends 40
1975 We Wish You a Merry Christmas 22
1976 Homerun 19
1978 Like the Old Days Platinum
1983 Third Life 8 Gold
1985 Flyin' High 24
1994 Shine On 38
Live albums:
1984 Live 33
Compilation albums with new tracks included
1983 Het beste van The Cats Includes 1 new track
1994 The Rest of... Compilation and new tracks
2006 Those Were the Days 2 Gold, includes 2 new tracks
2014 Complete 30
2014 Collected 2
Compilation albums:
1969? Songs We Sang
1970 Portrait 4 Gold
1970 Where Have I Been Wrong
1971 The Cats
1972 Times Were When 12 Gold
1972 One Way Wind
1972 Vaya con Dios
1973 The best of The Cats
1974 10 Jaar 2 Gold
1974 Story presenteert The Cats op hun best 3 Gold
1977 Let's Go Together
1979 20 Golden Hits 14 Platinum
1979 The End of the Show
1983 The Story Of 10 Platinum
1983 Collection
1984 Het complete hitalbum
1985 De mooiste van The Cats
1985 Girls Only
1988 Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2 30
1992 Love Cats 14
1994 Gold 22
1998 The Very Best Of - Highlights 32
2002 Greatest Hits 3
2008 Hollandse sterrencollectie
2008 The Cats 100 2
2010 Alle 40 goed
2011 Trying to Explain - Cats Only 19
2012 Best of (3 CD set)

Singles

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Year Title Peak chart positions
NED
Dutch
Top 40

[8]
NED
Top 30/100

[9]
BEL
(Fl)

[10]
GER
[11]
SWI
[12]
AUT
[13]
US
(AC)
[14]
1965 "Juke-box" - - - - - - -
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - - - - - - -
"Ave Maria no morro" - - - - - - -
1966 "What a Crazy Life" 14 16 - - - - -
1967 "Vive l'amour" 26 - - - - - -
"Sure He's a Cat" 12 8 - - - - -
"What's the World Coming To" 27 - - - - - -
1968 "Turn Around and Start Again" 14 14 - - - - -
"Times Were When" 2 2 - - - - -
"Lea" 1 1 6 - - - -
1969 "Why" 1 1 8 - - - -
"Scarlet Ribbons" 3 2 18 - - - -
"Marian" 1 1 8 - - - -
1970 "Magical Mystery Morning" 4 3 14 - - - -
"Where Have I Been Wrong" 1 1 9 - - - -
1971 "Don't Waste Your Time" 11 9 - - - - -
"One Way Wind" 3 3 4 4 1 - -
1972 "Let's Dance" 2 2 2 3 2 12 -
"Vaya con Dios" 3 3 2 - - - -
"There Has Been a Time" 3 3 16 34 - - -
"Du bist mein Zuhaus" - - - 36 - - -
1973 "Maribaja" 6 7 - - - - -
"Rock 'n' Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" 3 3 19 48 - - -
1974 "Be my Day" 1 1 1 4 - 16 18
"Come Sunday" 6 5 26 46 - - -
1975 "Hard to Be Friends" 15 13 - - - - -
"Like a Spanish Song" 9 10 15 - - - -
"Silent Night" 18 21 - - - - -
1976 "We Should Be Together" 16 13 - - - - -
"Romance" 25 Tip - - - - -
1977 "Save the Last Dance for Me" 6 6 11 48 - - -
"Cindy" 18 21 - - - - -
"Lucky Star" Tip Tip - - - - -
1978 "She Was Too Young" 24 27 21 - - - -
1980 "The End of the Show" 5 7 20 - - - -
1982 "La diligence" 11 5 18 - - - -
1983 "Stay in My Life" 20 17 - - - - -
"Love Is a Golden Ring" 15 11 19 - - - -
1984 "Lovers Don't Talk" 37 35 - - - - -
"Second Pair of Eyes" - Tip - - - - -
"A Love like Yours" - Tip - - - - -
1985 "She's So in Love" 31 27 - - - - -
"Hooray for Michael" Tip Tip - - - - -
1994 "Poppy" - - - - - - -
2006 "The Best Years of My Life" Tip 10 - - - - -
"Those Were the Days" - 63 - - - - -

References

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  1. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 47, 1968" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  2. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 12, 1969" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  3. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 36, 1969" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  4. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 - week 51, 1969" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  5. ^ "Cees Veerman". Discogs. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  6. ^ "The Cats benoemd tot Ridder Orde van Oranje Nassau". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  7. ^ ""Cat" Cees Veerman overleden - NOS Nieuws". Nos.nl. 2011-12-05. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  8. ^ "The Cats". Top 40.
  9. ^ "The Cats". Dutchcharts.nl.
  10. ^ "The Cats". Ultratop.be.
  11. ^ "The Cats". Offizielle Deutsche Charts.
  12. ^ "The Cats". hitparade.ch.
  13. ^ "The Cats". Austrian Charts.
  14. ^ "The Cats > Adult Contemporary". Billboard.
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