Review:

on 2011-07-26 CharlesMartel Said:

When Blue Oyster Cult sang "Don't Fear the Reaper" it was banned in some quarters because it was (wrongly) believed to be promoting suicide. Yet when Dutch rockers Golden Earring came out with this a few years beforehand, nobody batted an eyelid. Yet this was about a guy driving to meet his dead lover with the implication that everything is going to end in tragedy.

This is pretty much a rock classic. It is so recognisable that there can be few music fans over the age of 40 who do not know this track. Right from the start of that bass line you know you are in for a treat, and the song then provides pretty much the standard template for how to do rock. There can be few songs which, when it comes on the radio or the playlist in the car, have not resulted in putting the top down (or at least the windows) and putting the foot on the accelerator as the tempo increases.

Golden Earring were well-known on the continent but this was their only UK hit. The band had been around since the early days of psychedelia but it is for this classic that they will be best remembered.
Rating: 8/10