Earth And Fire — Retrospective, Part 2
With only a year between their debut and this second album, the band, still a young group, took an ambitious step that turned out quite successful.
In part 2 of this Discography Reviewed series of articles on Dutch band Earth And Fire, we're now going to take a look at their sophomore album, Song Of The Marching Children from 1971. This chapter will also review a live recording that was never released officially but has been circulating among fans, plus a few more live performances that are out there.
Jerry van Kooten
Special thanks again to both Wouter Bessels and Christel van Capelleveen for fact-checking and proofreading this article and giving suggestions for improvement and different kinds of interesting information.
Earth And Fire — Song Of The Marching Children
Related non-album tracks: Invitation (3:50), Song Of The Marching Children (single version) (4:10), Storm And Thunder (single version) (4:51), Lost Forever (2:47), Memories (3:23), From The End Till The Beginning (4:56)
Jerry van Kooten
The Album
While their first album was primarily rooted in psychedelic rock, several songs showed signs of a more symphonic style. With their second album, released in October 1971, Earth And Fire went straight into symphonic rock. The step forward is big, and with the side-length title track pretty amazing.
But let's start at the beginning.
Opening the album is Carnaval Of The Animals, a song that will find recognition by being in the style of the first album. Recalling Jefferson Airplane but with intricate drum patterns mixed in a way that they are filling the soundscape at different levels, and guitar and organ wringing out their melodies. But after the first verse there is a break with mysterious melodies minor keys with angelic singing. Even though the first album had several songs taking unexpected turns already, the listener is gradually taken into different territories here.
Ebbtide does the same. This is another example where the band mix a positive message with darker atmospheres. The result is really touching. The added flute evokes both the first album vibe, while the multilayered melodies open up prepare for what's to come.
Passing the middle of side A, Storm And Thunder breaks further into pure symphonic rock. Its extended intro has an opening on organ, weaving some of the song's melodies with classical themes. The suspense of this section is palpable, haunting.
"We wanted to sustain the tones longer, make it sound symphonic. Chest Fever by The Band was a revelation for us, the start with that church organ. We wanted that, too! We then bought one of those things. A small thing really, but it made quite an impact when playing live. On the album version of Storm And Thunder, we really used this organ for an extended intro." -- Chris Koerts, in Earth and Fire. De biografie 1969-1983 by Fred and Dick Hermsen
It is moving towards the start of the main theme with organ and Mellotron, and then Jerney's vocals come in as well as other instruments, one by one. A lot of sounds and still open, excellently mixed and produced, this carefully crafted composition is building towards the title's promise. Accessible, beautiful, and epic at the same time. The Mellotron is almost prophesying what Genesis would sound like a little later. This is one of symphonic prog's early highlights for me.
The Mellotron on this album was the first Mellotron in record studios in the Netherlands. It was bought in 1968, very likely after the success of songs like Strawberry Fields and Nights In White Satin. The first time this Dutch copy was used was probably on Nacht en Ontij by Boudewijn de Groot, recorded and released in 1968. The Mellotron was available in the Phonogram studios and might have found its way onto more records recorded at Phonogram.
Gerard had heard the Mellotron on albums by King Crimson and Moody Blues and could not believe his luck when he encountered the one at Phonogram. The first time the band used it was on the B-side of the Invitation single: the short version of Song Of The Marching Children, released in February 1971.
The instrumental side closer In The Mountains recaptures several elements from the sounds previously, moving between the introspective and the epic. More guitar in this one, still all in service of the song. It is both a great ending to side A, and a good introduction to side B.
And that side B is the title track, of course. At 18:24, it is going through several movements: Theme Of The Marching Children (2:20) and Opening Of The Seal (1:12) are instrumental, Childhood (3:10), Affliction (1:30), Damnation (2:52), Purification (4:23), and finally the instrumental The March (3:05). Recognisable themes and melodies, a few of which are revisited later on.
It opens slowly with, mainly, the organ playing different melody lines that will come later in the song. The epic true opening (Opening Of The Seal) of the composition is where it shows what the band is heading for. A grand sound, lots of Mellotron, and a wide variety of keyboard sounds. Childhood has more song structure, featuring some melodies from the previous section. Kaagman's vocals soar over the driving music, making it sound more menacing. When the harmony vocals join in, it sounds even grander, all leading to the epic ending.
As in several other songs, during some of the instrumental passages, the band introduce some unexpected sounds or effects. Their will to experiment with sounds is a little undervalued, in my opinion. A staccato or bubbling effect on the organ, the short almost fanfare-like brass lines. I can only assume these sounds were made on the organ.
That little brass-sound section, by the way, in the middle of Damnation sounds both remarkably simple and subtle. After a few bars, the music slowly speeds up slightly as a break into the next section. That speeding up is such a trigger for me, every time I hear it. What a brilliant break.
In Earth and Fire. De biografie 1969-1983 by Fred and Dick Hermsen, it is said that Gerard was the one who came up with the childish trombone intermezzo. Although deceivingly simple, the part has no root note, which was an idea from Chris, as a reference to modern composers.
Another bolt of the epic theme before the pastoral Purification gives a breather as well as a look into a dark future. Beautiful acoustic guitar, perfectly recorded and mixed. The finesse and warmth really come across.
The guitar melody slowly changes to the main theme of Purification ("when will be the crack of doom?"). Mellotron and other keyboards slowing joining in along the way towards The March. No clear split between these, these two sections fade into each other. Several layers of keyboards, including the Mellotron of course, are joining in one by one over the march set by the drums. And they bow out again near the end until only the drums are left. Here, a fade-out is the only way to end, as the marching passes on into the distance or future.
The march itself has always intrigued me. Who comes up with a march in 5/4 time?! But here it is. It is probably safe to say that this is unique. Another testament to the band's ability to come with brilliant ideas and make them part of the whole without standing out too much. You need to pay at least some attention to notice.
When it's all over, I always need a bit of time. Not to recover or something, but because the feelings I get from listening to this suite ebb away slower than the music itself.
The band played this track live for several years. In later years it was abridged and rearranged to about 13 minutes. Many bands played shorter versions of long songs to give room for other songs in their set. I also heard a theory that they played a shorter version by removing the silent parts when the audience was a bit loud. That also makes sense, but ever since the band played the 13-minute version, no live recordings have the full version again. So a permanently abridged version sounds more likely.
A side-long epic. That is not a unique or even rare thing in prog. But let me add a little perspective. The album was released in October 1971. In the Netherlands. By that time, only a couple of side-long songs had been released: Soft Machine — Third (June 1970), Pink Floyd - Atom Hearth Mother (October 1970), King Crimson - Lizard (December 1970), Caravan - Nine Feet Underground (April 1971), and ELP - Tarkus (June 1971). Side-long epics by Focus, Magma, and Van Der Graaf Generator were released in the same month as Song Of The Marching Children, which were all before Meddle, Thick As A Brick, Close To The Edge, and Foxtrot.
(Filling an album side had happened before, with In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly from 1968 probably being the most famous example, but although I love that album too, the musical style is very different here and more importantly, I would not call it a "suite", as it contains a lot of jamming. I feel the same about Soft Machine's Third.)
So there were just not a lot of examples to get the idea from. With the band working on the album for several months, it's hard to think the two 1971 albums could have been an influence. The song was likely ready and finalised early 1971, so only those three 1970 albums (Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, and Crimson) could have been an influence or giving the idea. (There might have been a few more examples out there, but I could not think of any that would have an impact on Dutch soil at that time to be some kind of influence on the band.) Crimson and Soft Machine also operated in rather different styles. It's a bit of a guess, of course, it's hard to say what gave them the idea. But let's not forget this now we're putting this album under review here, in the history of progressive rock. It was a pretty special thing to do what they did at that time.
By the way, all the above examples are quite different in style, making each of them special, including Song Of The Marching Children.
Singles
Invitation was released as a single on 12 February 1971. Although closer to the release of the first album (September 1970) than the second album (October 1971), it shows the band was very active writing new material: it has the single version of the title track, Song Of The Marching Children. I therefore see Invitation belonging to the second album's non-album tracks.
Musically, the single A-side is closer to the first album. Psychedelic rock, slightly hippy lyrics. But you hear the structure of the song is already becoming more progressive being partly in 3/4, and the sound is more symphonic too. A good build-up towards the choruses, and a great, full ending section. To my ears, it just sits perfectly between the two albums.
The single version of the album's title track is not just an edit of the long suite. It was a separate recording comprising all the themes/sections of the suite, weaved together using a few different bridges. Several parts of the lyrics are different too. Since the single was released a considerable amount of time before the album, It appears to be an early version. I heard that Chris got permission from producer Haayen to expand it to a side-long suite.
The single version of the Storm And Thunder was released in September 1971, shortly before the album release. This version is an edit of the album version. The B-side is very interesting, as Lost Forever is a non-album track. Guitar-based, rocking, interesting drum patterns, and Kaagman singing lower and bluesy. Some nice breaks too. Untypical for the band but still a good track. It is more rock than any other tracks on the first two albums. Something else for a change? At under 3 minutes it is perfect for a single, but I do feel it is cut short a bit and would love to hear a longer version if there ever was one.
Six months after the album, another single was released, and it turned out to be a smashing one. The band's biggest hit so far and would only be surpassed by their disco hit Weekend several years later. Memories and its B-side From The End Till The Beginning are both non-album tracks. The band kept writing new material, even though it would take another year before the next album would be released. The band must have been pretty satisfied with this single, not just because of its success. Both songs were on the setlist for a long time, and Memories was played until the band called it quits.
Musically, Memories partly harks back to the first album. Several reissues of that first album include Memories as a bonus track, and it definitely does not feel out of place there. Chronologically more correct is the inclusion on a few LP releases of Song Of The Marching Children. (With its 33 minutes, adding the 3:23 is technically no problem.) It is a perfect single but also very interesting for prog fans. Epic outbursts, lots of Mellotron, wonderful melodies that bridge psychedelic and symphonic, and a lot of changes. The guitar solo is great and not flashy. Pity it fades out.
The B-side is even more symphonic and also experimental, a perfect fit for the album, to be honest. Kaagman's using her low voice and her high voice. Subtle guitar play over ever-present Mellotron gives off some Eloy vibes. When played live, this song was extended to 10 minutes. I guess the experimental parts were too much to have on the album. It is also a sign that the band, or at least the Koerts brothers as main composers, were very much into experimenting with sound and composition.
Cover
The cover art was done by Erik van der Weijden (using the spelling Erik van der Weyden). I don't know whether he did the black outside and font and wreath on the front, but he certainly created the painting on the inside of the gatefold sleeve. The paining portrays different parts of the song.
Inside of the gatefold, created by Erik van der Weijden.
Van der Weijden would also do the artwork for the next album, Atlantis. I tried to get in contact with him, but I never got a reply.
(By the way, this is not saxophone player Erik van der Weijden, who was born in 1968.)
The front cover itself is pretty iconic if you ask me. Simple, but also daring. It's as dark as the topic of the title track, with the lettering and the wreath referring to the song as well. I recognise the cover from a large distance. The importance of this cover is probably often underestimated.
Conclusion
This is a crucial album in the history of Dutch progressive rock, Dutch rock music in general, and progressive rock in general.
It is still relatively early in the history of prog when the band recorded the side-long suite. It shows the progress the band made from the first album, in this case towards symphonic rock, and the skills of the musicians and writers.
Remember the focus and energy that have gone into the mix, which is excellent. There are only strong tracks, and a great build-up in the order of songs, providing a fantastic listening experience that will make you wonder how all of that can happen in just 33 minutes. According to my taste, this is the best album they made. It's a classic, and it will always be a classic to me. Everyone just needs to know this album.
This was the band's first gold record. The success of the singles, especially Memories which in early 1972 was their first top 1 single, boosted sales. Not bad for a second album! Apparently more people agreed on its greatness.
Different Covers
There's some variation in the covers of the releases. I think it was the first German pressing that had a yellow background with red lettering. 
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After Memories became a big hit, Polydor in Germany released an LP titled Memories (Song Of The Marching Children), which was the original album plus Memories added as the very first track on side 1. It had a completely different cover. . This version was reissues in the late 1970s and again in the early 1980s with the same cover.
Several CDs rearranged the front cover so that the wreath and band name took up a larger part of the cover and was better visible, which was probably a good idea for the limited size of CD covers.
Different Versions And Mastering
This second album has been released in many versions , and although even more than the first one, the songs themselves are the same on all releases. Except for some bonus tracks here and there.
I have a copy of the original 1971 Polydor LP and a digital transfer of that one to compare to several other versions. Storm And Thunder is a good song to use as an example as it goes from really quiet to really powerful. I really like the original sound and mastering. The mix is clearly audible and the sound is just very good.
I have a compilation of this album with Atlantis on a single CD (Polydor 813 641-2, 1987 ). This one sounds surprisingly good! It's from the late 1980s, before the "loudness war" broke loose and ruined many re-releases. This mastering was also used on the Van Leest digipak . No audio compression, no unnecessary loudness or brightness, just right.
Then I found the Universal / Polydor 589 811-2 CD (2002) . The sound is OK when you listen to it, but something is missing, and that becomes clear when you compare it to other versions. The sound is dampened and could use some clarity. Looking at the spectogram, this is the version that "looks" the cleanest, meaning besides the music there is not a lot happening. It explains the cleanliness, probably caused by overactive noise reduction. It's where the details are — the silences, the air, the breathing, the vibrating of wood and strings. They are all dead now.
Regarding bonus tracks, I think the Universal / Polydor 2002 CD has an omission, although understandable. Lost Forever, Invitation, and Song Of The Marching Children (single version) are the three related non-album single tracks. I am perfectly fine with them leaving the single version of Storm And Thunder as that is just an edit of the album version (leaving off the first 48 seconds). But Memories and From The End Till The Beginning would have made things complete here. The idea might have been that these two songs have been used as bonus tracks on several other reissues already so easy to get.
Being a fan of Eclectic / Esoteric Records, I am not surprised they released a version with great mastering. The 2009 Esoteric CD shows a difference. It is a tiny bit louder than the two other releases, but nothing is lost. No unnecessary levels of compression have been applied, all the contrast is there to feel the album as it was intended. Sound-wise, this is as good as it gets.
What makes this release extra good is that they included all the related single tracks: Invitation / Song Of The Marching Children (single version), Storm And Thunder (single version) / Lost Forever, and Memories / From The End Till The Beginning. Another plus is that the cover has the best detail of the original cover, where other covers show the wreath around the band name blurred. The compact story in the booklet by Wouter Bessels is a good read, and the details in liner notes, credits and release details are excellent. This Esoteric release is my favourite release of this album and basically the only one I listen to.
Two other common ways to get this album are the Memories (Universal Music, 2017) box set and The First Five (Universal Music, 2019) box set. These were released with only two years apart, by the same record company, and they have a huge overlap on what is on offer. Big question mark that, clearly something about money.
For the bonus tracks around this album, Memories contains all six non-album tracks and version mentioned above, The First Five is missing Storm And Thunder (single version) and Invitation.
The difference in sound, however, is something else, and it is not good. The First Five and Memories versions sound muddy. According to my ears and analysis, both use the exact same mastering, which is just sloppy, really terrible. It sounds like there is a layer of cloth on the speakers, lacking clarity. It's lacking life, probably because careless noise reduction has been applied. These First Five and Memories version also have a limitation on the frequency and seems capped at 18 KHz where the others go way over the 20 KHz. A bit like MP3, but it can also be a result of sloppy noise reduction. Removing the high end leaves more of the low end, and that just results in a different sound. Why use an inferior mastering in 2017 and 2019 after two superior ones in 2002 and 2009? That is just being cheap.
The First Five has a thin booklet with a short history in Dutch by Robert Haagsma. The Memories box has the same story in Dutch but adds a lot more photos of a scrapbook with lots of old information.
From the versions of this album I could check, I would definitely recommend the Esoteric 2009 release. If you are only interested in getting a digital version and don't care about CD artwork, you cannot go wrong with the 1987 Polydor CD.
Live in Ijmuiden, 17 June 1972
While some bands play the songs live as they are on the album, other bands like to change things and improvise a lot. A live album tells a lot about a band. There has never been an official Earth And Fire live album. From the few live recordings out there, we know that Earth And Fire, in the early years, liked to improvise. I decided to describe a live recording here, a very interesting and important one, an important document in the band's history.
Self-made cover for the two-sources mix of the long version
It is not the earliest known recording of a full Earth And Fire show (which is a recording from Berlin, 28 August 1971), but this show from Ijmuiden is quite listenable, especially for its age.
The sound is not too distant. A little bass-heavy but the organ and especially guitar are very audible. The vocals are a bit lower in the "mix" (I doubt this is a desk recording so the mix is how you would have heard it in the venue). The amount of tape hiss is very decent for a tape this old. There are a few defects audible in the tape. Some tape fluttering (varying tape speed), a drop-out here and there, especially during the beginning. But overall very enjoyable. There are several breaks in the tape, between the songs. Was the one recording it trying to save tape?
instrumental Ruby Is The One Wild And Exciting Song Of The Marching Children Invitation In The Mountains Storm And Thunder She Has Funny Cars (Jefferson Airplane cover) instrumental jam From The End Till The Beginning Freak/Stone (instrumental jam) Memories
Lots of jamming here! The opening instrumental lasts 10 minutes, the instrumental jam further on is 13 minutes, and Freak/Stone is even 25 minutes. Wild And Exciting is also quite an extended version at 9 minutes.
The opening jam is very good. A lot of variation in sounds and tempo. The band sound like they know each other very well. I assume the foundation of this jam has been used at other gigs as well as it already has some structure that could easily be used in songs to write. The second part (after 4 minutes) reminds me a bit of Nektar in their A Tab In The Ocean era (an album which was not released yet), from the organ melodies as well as the guitar playing, which has some similarities with Roye Albrighton's style.
Singer Jerney Kaagman comes in with Ruby Is The One. Hearing this and the following Wild And Exciting prove how much a master Chris Koerts is on guitar. Wonderful and technical, but more important, tasteful playing. The latter ends in a wild guitar solo in the studio version. Here, that is the start of a jam that doubles the song's original duration. Chris continuing to solo over ever-changing speed and loudness shows what a tight unit this band was. Again, and how interesting to hear for a Nektar fan, some Nektar-style guitar riffing there, now in the also still unrecorded Sounds Like This style.
Song Of The Marching Children has a slightly longer intro compared to the studio version, and several instrumental sections are longer. It's great that on an audience recording like this you hear still the Mellotron when the guitar is leading. Details like that are the first things that get lost or not even picked up on audience recordings (due to venue sound) and old tapes (due to deterioration). Singer Kaagman is exceptional tonight. Every singer has bad and good nights, but when you can pull this off live, then you do have what it takes.
The short and silly fanfare part in the middle is made even sillier, showing the band don't take themselves too seriously, which is a good thing. The tempo speeding up right after that is even more powerful in this live version than on the album. One of many goosebumps moments. The march in 5/4 time is also a little heavier (especially the Mellotron) than on the album, which works better in a live setting. While the studio version fades out, the live version ends with the main theme, the epic blasts that start the heavy part of the song. A dazzling performance of a beautiful composition.
Invitation is close to the studio version. Groovy psychedelic rock with great contrast between the soft verses and epic choruses. Pixies, anyone?
Mellotron-heavy In The Mountains and Storm And Thunder follow. Especially during the latter, Gerard Koerts is improvising with the melodies, which is so good to hear.
Between the previous and next song, the sound quality changes and becomes a little darker, as if the microphone was placed a little farther away. Considering the duration of the recording, this could also be after a change of tapes.
This might be the last tour where they played a cover. Jefferson Airplane's She Has Funny Cars was reported to have been a regular one on the band's setlist (it's on the 1971 Berlin recording as well), and it is great to hear them play it. It must have been fun to play, although looking back at this old recording now, it does not really match the band's own material.
Next up is another instrumental jam. Quite heavy for the main part, with another starring role for Chris on guitar. Fast-paced rhythms send him flying. The second half is mostly an experiment with drum rhythms and Gerard Koerts on keyboards. I've seen this listed as De uil zat in de olmen Jam, after a Dutch children's song. I guess that part of the melodies reminded someone of this.
The melody of this Dutch children's song was used in a composition called Hans Brinker Symphony by studio project Holland, combining many musicians from several Dutch bands. The song appeared on the eponymous albums of Musicians Union Band.
. The formation Holland recorded one other track, Silverfleet (after another Dutch children's song) that was put on the B-side of the Hans Brinker Symphony single.
The sound changes again, now it becomes a bit clearer. Tape fluttering hints that this is likely the beginning of a tape, so another tape change could have been the reason.
The band are making some jokes during From The End Till The Beginning, both in the vocals and musically. This runs into the 25-minute instrumental jam Freak/Stone. The first part is heavy, with epic opening blasts as heard on the first album or the title track of the second album. A long and exciting organ solo follows over, again, changing rhythms. After the 4-minute, mark Chris takes over from Gerard and the song changes speed in an instance going even faster. Some more incredible guitar playing here. A slower part with the organ driving the speed and loudness of the song. This slowly grows when both guitar and Mellotron join in creating a wonderful amalgam of sounds and melodies.
Then the rhythm section and both keyboards and guitar play in such unison that this part must have been rehearsed or at least played several times. In a second, the band change to a slow bluesy section with such sensitive playing that shows how big the diversity in this band was. A drum solo follows, and we're going back to something in the style of the first part of the jam. For good measure, they are speeding it up even more towards the end with some insane playing by Chris. The closing section again must have been rehearsed, this tight playing is impossible when unrehearsed.
Seldom have I heard a 25-minute jam that was so entertaining and good from start to finish. (OK, a short drum solo is allowed.) What a shame this was never recorded properly. This is not just a very interesting bootleg recording showing what the band were about when playing live, it is a priceless document, a testament to how good the band was, with brothers Chris and Gerard Koerts at the helm without forgetting the rhythm section of Hans Ziech on bass and Ton van der Kleij on drums.
A fast-paced Memories closes off the gig. Kaagman's voice is getting a little tired here at the end of the gig, but nothing serious. Unfortunately the recording is cut off 3:17 into the song but since it is very likely that this was the encore we must have 99% of the gig. And what a gig it was. I hope everyone who attended or otherwise involved realises what a special event they witnessed.
The story goes that Freak/Stone started out as a jam and several themes were used in other jams (which is a way to write and develop songs, of course), so this actually got a title, although it never resulted in anything we know from the albums. Freak/Stone was listed as Schluusch (Parts 1 - 4) (spelling varies) on some bootlegs. Probably because someone in the band (most likely Chris) calls "schluß" to call an end to the jam and the bootleggers didn't know about the official title.
A shorter version of this show has been shared a couple of times through the years. 73 minutes, probably used for a CD bootleg, like the one on the Japanese Tachika label. (I am not sure since I don't have a copy of that and don't want it either.) An MP3 version of that bootleg seems to have been circulating until someone supposedly found a lossless version. But at some point, the full 1 hour and 48 minute recording was shared. What an amazing show.
Live: TopPop 1972
A few other live recordings from around this time are well-known among people collecting live recordings. Both are short, unfortunately, but very much worth listening to, and I'll start with the most interesting one and its story.
First, there is a recording of Song Of The Marching Children in a version of 23:47, about 5 minutes longer than the album version. It was said that his was recorded for a special of TV show called TopPop by Dutch broadcasting company AVRO, recorded at the Singer Theater (Dutch spelling) in Laren, Netherlands (now just "Singer Laren"). The date was unknown, although early to mid 1972 is a very safe bet considering the band's setlist at the time.
I had my doubts about this info at first. TopPop only ever had artists to playback to the music. It was said this was a TV special so could have been out of the ordinary for TopPop, but I could not find any reference to any broadcast of such a TV special in the Dutch broadcasting archives. Then it was mentioned the video tapes were lost, meaning they would not be in the archives.
When expanding the search criteria, I ran into the following photo from the Beeld en Geluidwiki.
6 July 1972, recording for a special of Top Pop.
Unknown photographer, owned by Beeld & Geluid, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
A translation of the info text: "Taken on 6 July 1972 for a special edition of TopPop. In this episode, Earth and Fire are central. The special was broadcast on 17 July 1972." Now that was very interesting and confirmed a lot! There actually was a special, it had actually been broadcast, and the recording shows that the song had been performed live. The fact that it is not listed in the archives probably means the video did get lost.
So now I have this listed as: Singer Theater, Laren, Netherlands, 1972-07-06. The recordings may have taken place on both the 6th and 7th.
Former roadie of the band Cees Roos has uploaded a video (audio-only) of this recording to YouTube. I have no clue on what the source for this recording is, so it could be the same source. Of course, YouTube quality is not as good. Let's hope the origins of this tape still exist as the performance is wonderful and even on the YouTube version it sounds great.
Richard Groothuizen was the video archivist for AVRO and later for Beeld & Geluid. He found a date for a re-broadcast: 16 July 1973. He mentions the video was thought to have gone lost (so it must have gone lost already in 1972 or 1973!), but a copy was found in England. So the re-broadcast of 1973 was based on a copy. Let's hope someone took better care of the copy than the original.
Live: Beat-Club 26 February 1972
Another live recording from around the second album that has been doing the rounds is the band's performance on German television, in the program Beat-Club on the ARD channel, recorded 26 February 1972. The broadcast is about 15 minutes long, although it is unknown whether this captures the complete performance. It was recorded in a TV studio so it was not a proper concert.
The songs played, as far as we know, were Memories (3:45), Song Of The Marching Children parts C and D (6:32), Storm And Thunder (4:03), followed by a brief jam (1:23).
The recording quality is OK, but not super. This might have been recorded off a TV broadcast. The songs are cut at the very beginning and end. The way part C of Marching cuts in makes me think the band played the parts A and B as well. Part D cuts off abruptly so it might have continued as well. The playing is very good, though, the band had been playing a lot and were really tight.
From the official Beat-Club channel on YouTube, the following show is a compilation of three Dutch bands in different musical styles (progressive, commercial, and blues). Storm And Thunder is first, and is followed by an interview (in German) with Hans Ziech and Jerney Kaagman:
The sound on the video is better than the recording I have so I hope to find a better-sounding copy one day.
The Beat-Club performance of Storm And Thunder was officially released on DVD: Greatest Hits (BR Music, 2004) and Hits Uit 40 Jaar Top 40 (Universal, 2004). At 4:50 it is incomplete but longer than on the TV compilation mentioned above. It might have been from a different broadcast, maybe this was the original TV broadcast. The video and audio quality are very good here.
Live: Swing In, 8 July 1972
On 8 July 1972, the band were featured in another German TV show: Swing In, which was broadcast on WDR. From the fragments that are out there, we know they at least played Memories, SOTMC, and Storm And Thunder for a live audience.
Memories (3:21) is included on the DVDs mentioned above. The music on the DVD however, is the studio version. The band most likely played live during the recording (instead of miming) and then the sound was replaced by the studio version. It could also be that the broadcast had the live version, but for the DVD, the studio version was used. It is clear they focused on Jerney to sync the audio and video, but the drums are a little out of sync here and there.
Around the same time, a promotional film was made about the band, while they were on tour in Germany. This film (19:28) includes two parts of the Swing In performance: part of SOTMC (6:47, starting at the beginning) and most of Storm And Thunder (6:42; it starts after the intro but I don't know if the situation brought them to skip the intro or whether it was cut off for the broadcast and / or DVD). The band are on a high here and the atmosphere seems dense. It must have been special to be attending.
SOTMC is played from the beginning (with an intro of about 1:08) and at 6:47, it looks like they end the song properly. It does not look and sound like they were cut off. Was this short version intentional for the broadcast?
The film has interviews in German with Jerney, manager Willem van Kooten, then Jerney and Hans, and some clips of the band and their tour bus.
(The DVDs contain many TopPop appearances, mostly mimed to the single or album versions. There are four official promo videos as well, so for a compilation DVD it is quite an interesting one.)
Other chapters in this series...
