André Van der Veken, born in the Belgian city of Ninove on
19 January 1949, has had a long a varied career in the world of pop.
He first recorded under the name Andy Free, issuing a number
of 45s in both Belgium and Holland during the first half of the 1970s,
including Mama (Philips, 1971) and Ik Kon Mijn Ogen Niet Geloven
(I Could Not Believe My Eyes, BASF, 1974). In 1978, as André Van Der Veken, he
released his first full-length album Maar Zo Is't (That’s How It Is). He
then moved on to a successful career as a songwriter and producer, principally
with the group Dance Reaction, who issued three 45s – including the oddly
titled Shanks Mare Honey and Honey Puppy Is My Name between 1981
and 1983. He continued to work throughout the 80s and 90s, with duo Leeva and
Andy (guess which one he was?), D.J. Arséne, and he co-wrote both sides of the
comeback single for the 60s Belgian pop band The Paramounts. In 1996 Dance
Reaction’s big Euro hit, Disco Train was remixed and re-released.
Over the years he has worked with a number of Dutch and
Flemish artists, including Jimmy Frey, Jo Vally, Willy Sommers and Laura Lynn,
under such names as Dré Van der Veken, André Domien and Remien. But the
pseudonym we’re most interested in here is Waylon, which he used for the
one-off 1979 single Crème de la Crème/The Sparrow.
Crème de la Crème was the only disc Andy/André issued
as Waylon, but what a record it is. A hellish mashup of Sylvester and Boney M,
this ridiculously brilliant slice of disco buffoonery was released in Belgium,
Holland, France, Germany and Portugal but failed to chart in any of those
countries, despite being issued in both 7” and 12” formats, the latter
available in both yellow and white vinyl. Over the years it has developed its
own cult following, and quite rightly so. It’s a very special record.
After playing the songs on The World's Worst Records Radio Show and discussing them with listeners and fellow presenters there I decided to track down Dré Van der Veken, and was honoured when he
kindly agreed to talk about the single with me.
The biggest surprise was the discovery that Waylon, the young
man who appears on the sleeve of the 45, does not actually sing on the disc. “We
only had the song and a nice boy who could not sing,” Dré admits. “So, I was
required - poor me! - to perform the song myself. It was a laugh, believe me. We
thought that the record would never make it to the market.”
When asked about the voice he used on the disc, Dré candidly
admitted that “I think it was a combination of wine and too much time in the
studio. Things like that happened a lot, although those times are over now.
Showbiz has changed; there’s no more money for crazy things and I am getting older.
Although I’m still a little crazy!
“There was never going to be a follow up to the Waylon
single: it was a joke. The real Waylon went off and married his boyfriend.”
In 2013 Dré released
his second full-length album, Tussen Hoogtes en Laagtes (Between the
Highs and Lows), which he describes as an “active creation between man and
machine ... and my cat Johnny”. The album was “recorded in the bedroom, where I
operate all the keys and synths myself, sometimes just with two fingers… It had
to sound the way I heard it in my head and maybe I succeeded. The arrangements
and sounds, perhaps not flawless, are primarily a bed for the lyrics. These are
rather dark in nature, although I do not consider myself a pessimist but rather
a pessimistic optimist and bon vivant.”
He's nonplussed about the curiosity that surrounds Crème de
la Crème. “I'm surprised people are still interested in the Waylon thing,”
he admits. “Copies now sell for more than 30 euro, and I never saw a penny of
it,” he laughs. “Maybe I have to open a bottle of wine (or more than one), compose
a follow-up and find someone who can’t sing again… what you think?”
Check out both songs below. My huge thanks to Dré Van der
Veken for taking the time to talk to me. You can check out his more recent
music, as well as tracks from his 1978 album Maar Zo Is't, at his
website: www.drevanderveken.com
Download Creme HERE
Download Sparrow HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment