Sara - Circus Custers / Achter de wolken schijnt de zon - Johan Verminnen

When the men from the Dutch group Het Goede Doel decided to record an album with different Dutch and Belgian artists, choosing a different artist for every track, deciding the best single from that album wasn't a very easy task.

The record company finally decided to release two tracks from the album on two one-sided singles in one bundle. As luck would have it, the two songs were exact counterparts of one another: 'Sara' is a sad tale of two people having a baby which turns out to have Down syndrome, whereas 'Achter de wolken schijnt de zon' ('Every cloud has a silver lining') is an optimistic tale of people who don't let themselves be brought down by life's negative twists and turns. The package did not become a hit, however.

My collection: 7" single no. 694
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, December 3, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Sara' (Circus Custers) // 'Achter de wolken schijnt de zon' (Johan Verminnen)

Ik dans dus ik besta - Het Goede Doel

Sometimes, when you're buying records, you find something you didn't know about. It's these nice surprises that makes all the record hunting so worthwhile. This 12" single is a very good example: there aren't that many extended remixes of Dutch songs, certainly from circa 1986.

And yet, here it is: a remix version of 'Ik dans dus ik besta' ('I dance, therefore I am') by the Dutch group Het Goede Doel. And it is quite a rare version: as far as I know it has never been released on cd. Finding this 12" single was a very nice surprise.

My collection: 12" single no. 524
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ik dans dus ik besta (Special maxi version)' / 'Ik dans dus ik besta (instrumental)'

Eeuwige kerst - Annie Schilder, Koor Kinderen voor Kinderen, Het Goede Doel

'Eeuwige kerst' ('Eternal Christmas') could be considered the Dutch version of Band Aid, released in December 1984. Dutch singer Annie Schilder, Het Goede Doel and the children's choir Kinderen voor Kinderen collaborated on this Christmas track. It reached number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.

On May 1, 1984, Dutch broadcaster VARA organised a radio programme entitled Losprijs to raise money for Doctors without borders, on the occasion of them starting a branch in the Netherlands. Highlights of that programme were included on the lengthy B-side of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3767
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Eeuwige kerst' / 'Hoogtepunten uit Losprijs'

Sinterklaas wie kent hem niet - Henk en Henk

On a blog with an international readership, it's hard to explain Dutch music sometimes. And today is even more difficult, as we celebrate St. Nicolas day in the Netherlands today. Sinterklaas, as he is called in the Netherlands, brings presents to good little children and punishment for those children who have not behaved themselves.

Henk Westbroek and Henk Temming from the Dutch band Het Goede Doel recorded 'Sinterklaas wie kent hem niet' ('Sinterklaas, who doesn't know him?') in 1982. It was released under the name of Henk & Henk to avoid confusion with the regular releases by the band. It became a seasonal hit in December 1982, peaking at number 24 in the Dutch Top 40. The B-side is a Christmas song, to add to the seasonal joy.

My collection: 7" single no. 3763
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Sinterklaas, wie kent hem niet?' / 'Het hoort met Kerstmis ook te sneeuwen'

Net zo lief gefortuneerd - Het Goede Doel

Roughly translated the chorus of this song starts with the words 'I'd rather be well off / preferably a millionaire'. The song is taken from the band' 1984 album 'Tempo doeloe', and as mentioned before on this blog, the singles taken from that album didn't do exactly well as most people were turning away from Dutch language music in the Netherlands after the most popular band 'Doe maar' disbanded.

My collection: 7" single no. 2858
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 21, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Net zo lief gefortuneerd' / 'De plaat sloeg af en het gesprek viel stil'

Geboren voor het geluk - Het Goede Doel

Taken from their 1984 album 'Tempo Doeloe', 'Geboren voor het geluk' was an ill-fated single. Despite the humorous lyric and the strong music, the Dutch audience was no longer interested in the group, it seemed.

'Geboren voor het geluk' ('Born to be lucky') is about a man who is always unlucky (falling off the stairs, a wife who is unfaithful to him) but consolates himself with the statement that things could always be worse. As often with the band, it's hard to tell if this is meant to be taken at face value, or more cynical.

My collection: 7" single no. 2857
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 21, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Geboren voor het geluk' / 'Sous-chef'

Brood en spelen - Het Goede Doel

'Brood en spelen' ('Bread and games') was an unsuccessful single release from het Goede Doel's 1984 album 'Tempo Doeloe'. The story behind this one was an unfortunate one: the band made a deal with successful Dutch DJ Frits Spits to give him the premiere of this single on the radio. Then the record company suddenly released a different track from the album without the band knowing, and the DJ as a result refused to play their singles at all. Furthermore, Dutch language music was losing its popularity in the Netherlands as a result of the most popular band, Doe Maar, breaking up.

The B-side of this single is a German version of the band's song 'Alleen' ('Alone'). The band recorded a whole album's worth of German material, but when it was released in January 1985, the German record company decided not to promote it. The band was in a bit of trouble.

My collection: 7"single no. 3765
Found: Marktplaat.nl. received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Brood en spelen' / 'Allein'

België - Het Goede Doel

Most people in the Netherlands remember the song 'België' ('Belgium') by het Goede Doel. The song asks that eternal question: 'Where can I go? / I can't go to Germany / They are so stern / Where can I go? / I can't go to China / They act so scary there'. An English version actually exists, it was released as 'Luxembourg' in 1984. However, that one lost a lot of its edge in translation.

'België' was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. The track was also quite lengthy, clocking in at 6'20.

My collection: 7" single no. 3766
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'België' / 'Vechten'

Nooduitgang (live) - Het Goede Doel

Het Goede Doel released a live version of their song 'Nooduitgang' ('Emergency exit') in 1987. Their album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar' and its associated singles sold rather well, but the release of a live album was imminent, and so this single was released to promote it. Band member Sander van Herk wrote a piece on the history of the band in 2001 in a booklet for a 4cd box set and confessed that the track on the single was played live, but the audience participation was mixed in.

The record buying public was unaware of this, and the single reached number 25 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3769
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Nooduitgang (live)' / 'The sonic ranger rides again'

In 't leven - Het Goede Doel

'In 't leven' ('In life') was the debut single of Het Goede Doel, a Dutch band formed by Henk Temming and Henk Westbroek. The lyric of the song described a one night stand, initiated by a woman who was interested in love nor money. The singer finds himself smelling the sweat of her body when he's eating a sandwich a few days later.

The single did not chart in the Dutch Top 40, despite repeated airplay in 1982, when it was released. Things turned out alright for the band: they would have a dozen hit singles during the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 3761
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'In 't leven' / 'Alleen'

Als ik de bouw van Arnold Schwarzenegger had - Het Goede Doel

'Als ik de bouw van Arnold Schwarzenegger had' ('If I was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger') was a new single by het Goede Doel to coincide with the release of a compilation album in 1991. It was the last single by the band before they broke up. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit.

Having acquired a stack of singles by this band a few weeks ago (some of which have already featured on this blog), this was the only one still missing from my collection. It was great to finally get this one - even if I didn't know it was released on 7" vinyl! I wonder if the bodybuilding Californian politician knows about this song. I bet he'd feel flattered to be mentioned to be in a Dutch track.

My collection: 7" single no. 3861
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Als ik de bouw van Arnold Schwarzenegger had' / 'De muren zijn te dun'

Uit vrije wil - Het Goede Doel

In 1988, the Dutch government launched an advertising campaign to stimulate the use of condoms. This was in the time when Aids was a relatively new phenomenon and safe sex was considered to be the only way to avoid an almost certain death. The campaign used the image of a bee and a flower, which was considered, shortly thereafter, a stupid move.

Be that as it may, the song 'Uit vrije wil' ('Free will') by Het Goede Doel tied in to the campaign, and was essentially a song about safe sex. The single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 635
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Uit vrije wil' / 'Uit vrije wil (instrumentaal)'

Vriendschap - Het Goede Doel

The central theme of the song 'Vriendschap' ('Friendship') is made clear by the first sentence of the refrain: 'Eenmaal trek je de conclusie / Vriendschap is een illusie' ('Once you'll draw the conclusion / Friendship is an illusion'). This single by the Dutch band Het Goede Doel was one I played a lot after I was unsuccessful in conquering the heart of a female friend I had in highschool. She not only told me she wasn't interested in any romantic relationship, she also kept her distance for months. What a great friend she was.

The single was released in January 1983 and reached the number 4 position in the Dutch Top 40, just like their previous release, 'België'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3764
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009

Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Vriendschap' / 'Anders dan iedereen'

Zwijgen - Het Goede Doel

Released as the third single from the band's 1986 album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar', het Goede Doel scored the biggest hit from this album with 'Zwijgen'. The single peaked at number 17 in the Dutch Top 40 in the autumn of 1986.

In the song, the protagonist says that he could say that he loves a woman, and everything he wants to do with her, but 'it's better to stay silent'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3768

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Zwijgen' / 'Atoombom'

Alles geprobeerd - Het Goede Doel

'Alles geprobeerd' ('Tried everything') was one of my favourite tracks of 1986. Even if you don't understand Dutch, you should be able to appreciate the lengthy musical piece at the second half of this track. At 6 minutes and 22 seconds, this was another long single by het Goede Doel, taken from their album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar'.

The band usually performed this track with an even longer instrumental piece, which caused the track to last for anything between 10 and 20 minutes.

My collection: 7" single no. 447

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, August 9, 1986

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Alles geprobeerd' / 'Alles geprobeerd (instrumentaal)'

Speciale aanbieding - Het Goede Doel and VOF de Kunst

In 1988, Het Goede Doel made the album 'Iedereen is anders' ('Everyone is different'), collaborating with different Dutch artists for every track on the album. This resulted in a rather interesting album. The songs of Henk Temming and Henk Westbroek proved to be well executed by Het Goede Doel themselves, but the vocals were from various other artists such as Marco Bakker, Herman van Veen, Ramses Shaffy and Richenel. Rene Froger's career was unfortunately helped with this album too; he scored his first number 1 hit with 'Alles kan een mens gelukkig maken', after a series of flops. But hey, shit happens.

This single, 'Speciale aanbieding' ('Special discount') was performed with VOF de Kunst, which at that point was a band solely represented by singer Nol Havens. The song was not a success, because it didn't chart. But the instrumental version of the track was a nice extra goodie.

My collection: 7" single no. 810

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, May 6, 1989

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Speciale aanbieding' / 'Speciale aanbieding (instrumentale versie)'

Gijzelaar - Het Goede Doel

'Gijzelaar' ('Hostage') was Het Goede Doel's first chart hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 28 in September 1982. The single was controversial with some broadcasters, because of the lyric of the song: 'I wish I was a hostage / Then dinner would always be ready / I would never have to do the dishes / and I could always play cards'.

The single appeared on the band's debut album 'België', which was released in November 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 3762

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009

Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Gijzelaar' / 'Gijzelaar (instrumentaal)'

Niemand weet dat jij bestaat - Het Goede Doel

Although I pretty much kept up to date with the releases by het Goede Doel, I completely missed the release of this single. Presumably, 'Niemand weet dat jij bestaat' ('No-one knows that you exist') was released in early 1990 as the third and last single from their 1989 album 'Souvenir'. The single did not chart.

I only found out about this release because I bought a stack of Goede Doel singles from a private seller. I completed my collection of this group all at once!

My collection: 7" single no. 3770

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Niemand weet dat jij bestaat' / 'Niemand weet dat jij bestaat (instrumental)'

Hou van mij - Het Goede Doel

'Hou van mij' ('Love me') was the sixth single by Het Goede Doel, released in April 1983. The single was notable for lasting for almost 6 minutes, making it another lengthy track in the tradition of the band's biggest hit 'Belgie', released just months earlier.

The single reached number 29 in the Dutch Top 40, the group's lowest chart placing since their singles started charting.

My collection: 7" single no. 3751

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, May 27, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Hou van mij' / 'Iets van gevoel'

Franse auto - Het Goede Doel

'Franse auto' was the fourth single from Het Goede Doel's 1986 album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar'. Even though the album brought forth several hit singles, this is not one of them. It didn't reach the Dutch charts at all.

The lyrics were probably a bit too eccentric for the audience: 'You're exactly like a French car / when the motor still wants to run the exterior is already rotten'. Oh well, there's always the instrumental version...

My collection: 7" single no. 520

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Franse auto' / 'Franse auto (instrumentaal)'