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The Cats

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Cats was a Dutch pop group from Volendam, formed in 1964. The band was, with a few interruptions, active until 1985 and had its most successful period from 1968 to 1975. It arose from two duos: Cees Veerman and Arnold Mühren, who began in a skiffle band, and the cousins Piet Veerman and Jaap Schilder, who modelled themselves on the Everly Brothers. Together they became The Mystic Four, later The Blue Cats, after the colour of their suits and Cees's nickname Poes (Puss). From 1966 they were called The Cats, with Theo Klouwer as drummer. They sang in English, on songs by an English songwriting duo, and sounded British.

Music and breakthrough

In 1968 the group recorded Times Were When, a cover of Studio Six. Piet Veerman took over more of the lead vocals, and together with the lyrics of the bassist Arnold Mühren his sad voice made a good combination. In two years that produced five top 10 hits, including Lea, Why?, Scarlet Ribbons and Marian. The biggest success was One Way Wind, written by Mühren, which was released in 38 countries and sold more than a million copies in Germany. In 1972 Katzenspiele appeared, with their hits in German. In 1974 came the album The Love in Your Eyes, recorded in Los Angeles with session musicians.

Influence

The Cats made melodic, melancholy pop music with four-part vocals and a soft, somewhat wistful tone. As a Dutch group they were unusually successful abroad, and the band is regarded as an example of the Volendam sound.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to One Way Wind and notice Piet Veerman's sad voice and the slowly rolling chorus, which sounds almost like a lullaby.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists