Nits is a Dutch pop group which was founded in 1974 . The core of the band consists of singer and songwriter David Halverson, Rob Kloet (percussion) and Robert Jan Stips (keyboards).
The band was very popular especially in the 80 's (then as The Nits). The group scored hits with songs like Nescio, In The Dutch Mountains and j.o.s. Days. Afterwards it took commercial success. Though harvesting the Nits in both at home and abroad still praise with their records and performances.
Content[]
- 2 1983-1991
- 3 1992-1996
- 4 1996-2003
- 5 2003-2012
- 6 Crew
- Studio 7
- 8 discography
- 9 external link
- 10 see also
1974-1982[Edit][]
Henk Hofstede and Alex Roelofs, students at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, founded in 1974 together with Michiel Peters and Rob Kloet The Nits on. the first concert was on 12 december that year, during a student party in De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam. To a performance at EAR's first Dutch Groups Presentation in Amsterdam's Paradiso, on 25 October 1975, they held a recording contract on. At Burdorf Booking-a sublabel of Dureco-they were allowed to record a single in 1976. Yes Or No was released in 1977. They came with it, but because the single in Toppopalmost not available there was just no top-40-listing in.
The album was released in a limited edition In september 1978 The Nits. The band performed more and more often on and with the song Tutti Ragazzi did the Group participated in the EAR-LP rock hard & swinging. The Hague manager Aad Link was charmed by the band and were looking for with producer Robert Jan Stips contact record company CBS, later Sony. The Nits were ransomed and signed a contract.
At the end of 1979, the album Tent out. Tutti Ragazzi, that in another version even though on the debut album was, was the first hit single. New Flat (1980) the successor abroad was warmly welcomed. That was for the band reason to go touring in West-Germany.
After the release of the LP Work, Alex Roelofs in 1981, stepped from the group. He had enough of traveling. His place was taken by producer and keyboard player Robert Jan Stips, previously played at Super sister, Golden Earring, Sweet d'Buster and Transister.
1983-1991[Edit][]
Omskappeared In March 1983. The single Nescio, on which singer Mathilde Santing is told, came in the top-10. This meant the final break-through of The Nits. The Group received an Edison. In the same year came the mini album Km out. The band once again took out the charts, now with Sketches of Spain.
With the help of Jaap Eggermont, producer of Stars on 45, Adieu Sweet Bahnhof (1984) was included. Michiel Peters then stepped singer/guitarist from the band. The musicians life gave birth to him anymore. In 1986 the album Henk. Bass player John Gabriel trad shortly afterwards to join the band.
In The Dutch Mountains (1987) was recorded live in the private yard-studio in Amsterdam. The title track became a hit. Also the number j.o.s. Days came in the top-40. The Nits received another Edison. In 1988 the mini album Hatappeared. With The song The Dream, they reached the top 40. In March 1989, entered The Nits on Rossia-Theatre in Moscow. Upon your return, for the third time in Netherlands they received an Edison award. In addition, they got the BV pop award.
At the end of 1989 the album Urk. It contained 29 livesongs, recorded in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Moscow in the winter of 1988-1989. For the first time in the history of the Dutch pop were a triple-LP sold more than 100,000 copies. The band received a Golden Harp of the Conamus Foundation. The next album by the Nits-from that moment without the prefix The-was Giant Normal Dwarf. To do this, they got a Edison. Joke Geraets left because of a muscle disorder forced the group.
1992-1996[Edit][]
In 1992 came the cd Ting from. The single Soap Bubble Box was about three weeks in the charts. On the album worked the Nits with a limited set of instruments: cymbals, timpani and piano, sometimes supplemented with cello and violin. Martin B (ex-Gruppo Sportivo) and Peter Meuris (ex-Tapes, ex-Mathilde Santing Ensemble) were guest musicians. Subsequently, she became a member of the band.
Also in 1992, assisted by Hofstede and Robert Jan Stips composed Kloet, Hjuvithe piece, a rhapsody in time. It was performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, broadcast on tv and released on cd. In 1994 appeared Da Da Da, the first Nits-album that was released in the United States.
At the end of 1994 and early 1995 the Nits on with Freek de Jonge in the Nieuwe de la Mar Theater and Carré. Under the name Frits , they released many songs by Neerlands Hoop. Of In The Dutch Mountains was a Dutch song created: thanks to the dikes. That is also the title of the cd that appeared in 1995.
After the release in 1995 of the first Nits compilation album Nest (in limited edition also available with an album full of rare and unreleased recordings, Quest, and the video compilation Vest) followed an extensive European tour. The Nits on 24 August 1996 gave a mini concert on the Uitmarkt in Amsterdam. The gig, which was broadcast live on tv, is the last of Robert Jan Stips with the group. Stips decided to continue alone.Also he accompanied entertained Freek de Jonge.
1996-2003[Edit][]
With Stips left also Baker and Peter Meuris the band. Hofstede and Kloet decided to go ahead and were working on a new album in 1997 , which appeared in early 1998 with the name Netherlands Alankomaat, ' "(" low countries ") in Finnish. During the tour were Ham and Kago assisted by Arwen Linnemann (bass and vocals) and ' Titia ' Laetitia van Krieken (keyboards and vocals). They performed later joined the band. After the disappointing sales of the cd the Nits in the autumn of 1999 announced their departure in to record company Sony/Columbia. They stepped on to the smaller Play It Again Sam (PIAS).
The cd was released In May 2000 Wool. The album was generally well received. Widely was spoken of a ' new beginning '. What especially stood out were the influences of soul and jazz and probing texts about the death of a fan, the attack on Rob Scholte and mortality in General. Among other things the singer Leona Philippo is to hear on Wool. In september 2000, the Nits with Junkie XL and Arling & Cameron for two performances to the Japanese capital Tokyo. This on the occasion of four hundred years of continuous relations between Netherlands and Japan. Later that year the group with the fans celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Nits (the first Nits-Convention).
Early 2003 appeared the cd If you feel what I feel. Proceeds went to BOSK, an organization for people with a physical handicap. The album contains English songs, some of which are written by Henk Hofstede and performed by the Nits and guests such as Freek de Jonge and Frank Boeijen. The solo album appeared by end of June 2003 The portable House of Henk Hofstede. The songs on the cd are based on video installation Portable House, that Hambleton made for the Biennale in the Musée d'Art Contemporaine in Lyon (2001).
2003-2012[Edit][]
[1][2]Robert Jan Stips[3][4]Rob Kloet
In the context of the 30th anniversary of the band Robert Jan Stips initially temporarily returned back at the Nits. The keyboardist collaborated on the album 1974 and went along on tour. Arwen Lampard left the tour to itself pass away because of the birth of her first child just before the tour, they also no longer returned back in the band. Titia van Krieken decided to leave the group in the summer of 2004, while Robert Jan Stips decided to stay with the band. Henk Hofstede made at the end of 2004 and early 2005 a solo tour, where he mainly played songs from the cd portable House.
On 20 March 2005, for the second time a Stairway to Heaven in Nitsfandag held in Utrecht. Fans played songs from the Nits and the Nits itself occurred, including ex-members of the group. Kevin Hearn of the Canadian group Barenaked Ladies played the song Cabins with it, one of his favorite Nitsnummers. In september 2005, the band played a concert together with the Residentie Orchestra with new arrangements of old hits and more obscure songs. After this, the band did three living room concerts where they among other things brought together with some new songs more famous work, everything flat and acoustic. The Group was after a trip to PIAS returned at Sony and in October 2005 a new album by the Nits, titled Les Nuits. The core of the album is formed by three numbers on the murder of Theo van Gogh , which took place in the street where singer Henk Hofstede lives. The Nits, now as a trio, started in October with a tour of theatres in the Netherlands. She also did Finland, Belgium, Switzerland and London for the first time.
In January 2006, a live album called Normal Sunday Live from the concerts that gave some Nitsleden with the band of the Swiss composer Simon Ho and members of the Finnish traditional folk group Värttinä. Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and the former Nitsleden Arwen Linnemann, Laetitia of sour cherries and Vera van der Poel were part of the group that was renamed to Ho Orchestra. The cd, recorded in Basel and Nitsnummers in February 2005, contains six songs by Simon Ho and Värttinä.
End 2006 ended the pop temple Paradiso in Amsterdam, Les Nuits Tour after include a duo tour with the rock band Uriah Heep by Germany. In early 2007 the band members worked on some solo projects. Half way through the year started the recordings of the new, uptempo album Doing The Dishes, which was released on 21 January 2008 .Helped by very good sales of the album on iTunes (with three additional songs) obtained the album a top 10 listing in the Mega Album Top 100. As usual, the album was followed by a tour that persisted until 2009 . Around Christmas 2008 came a book out, called TRUCE Diaries. A Swiss Publisher asked the band to keep a diary and artistic contributions to the book. The result is a collection of diary excerpts and sketches of the three band members and an interview with Ham, as well as a cd with very rough demos of the Doing the Dishes-sessions. In October 2009 the cd Strawberry Wood. The album contains 12 songs, of which some of the very productive Doing the Dishes-sessions come. The tour follows on the album lasts until 2010.
In 2011 the band in her own studio in the yard, but also Loves (the Utrecht studio Kyteman's) and in Castel Burio in Piedmont (Italy), on a new album. The album Malpensa appears on 9 March 2012 and contains among other things the songs Man On A Wire (over the Frenchman Philippe Petit who in 1974 between the Twin Towers koorddanste), the Cohenesque Love Locks and the seven-minute Bath Governments and its Effects on Town and Country, on which also Colin Benders (Kyteman) consider. The album was very well received by the press and the public. Dutch music magazine OOR calls Malpensa an album ' which after listening several times to notice how strong the melodies are and how addictive the album is ', and calls it ' the provisional peak in a resurrection that with Doing The Dishes (2008) was deployed to end with ' ', the Nits have a large Plate added to their impressive oeuvre '.Around the release date of Malpensa was Stips off by a serious infection on his hand. As a result, he could not only months on tour to promote the album. He was until the summer of 2012 temporarily replaced by former Nitslid Laetitia by cherries. At one of the last gigs for the summer weather Stips took place behind the keys for a number of songs. After the summer returns Stips again fully back for the remainder of the tour.A special single-version comes from the end of 2012 by Bad Government and its Effects on Town and Country. It is a remix of Perquisite with a guest contribution by Injun Kid (Voicst) and again Colin Benders Kyteman 's.
Crew[Edit][]
In addition to the core members of the Nits-Hofstede, Kloet and Stips-also make the brothers Paul and Tom Telman officially part of the band. Paul Telman has been around since the creation of the band responsible for the sound during the concerts and recordings in the studio. Tom Telman added approximately three years later joined the band as a roadie and later became responsible for the light and video projections during concerts. Tom Telman is the webmaster of the band's website.
The manager of the band, Aad Link, came in 1981 together with Robert Jan Stips joined the band. They have a past that goes back to the Super sister-period. When Stips left the band between 1996 and 2003, was also Left involvement with the band reduced to arrange foreign tours, where his contacts were very useful. He returned as a full manager back then also Stips rejoined the band.
Studio[Edit][]
Since the mid-1980s the band hires a former gym of the municipality of Amsterdam. Initially this was a practice room, but later it was there (own) recording equipment installed and were almost all albums since then included in what the Yard-studio was going to be called (to the location to the mill yard). Although the commune ever had informed that the location is not guaranteed, the band used the space still in 2007 .
The yard is a very small building with a small entrance hall, a spacious floor where can be practiced and can be included and where podiaconstructies can be built and tested. There is a separate area for drums. The recording equipment and a listening room are provided on a deck overlooking the recording floor. There is also a narrow kitchen, which also serves as an Office, and an attic where many old instruments and stage objects are stored.
The yard is basically only used by the Nits, already have some other bands there also called rehearsed or recorded (including the dyke).
Discography[Edit][]
Albums[Edit][]
| Album (s) with any charts in the
the Dutch Album Top 100 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Nits | 1978 | - | If The Nits | ||
| Tent | 1979 | - | If The Nits | ||
| New flat | 1980 | - | If The Nits | ||
| Work | 1981 | - | If The Nits | ||
| Omsk | 1983 | 02-04-1983 | 8 | 9 | If The Nits |
| Km | 1983 | 03-12-1983 | 19 | 10 | If The Nits |
| Adieu sweet bahnhof | 1984 | 13-10-1984 | 27 | 5 | If The Nits |
| Henk | 1986 | 07-06-1986 | 45 | 10 | If The Nits |
| In the Dutch mountains | 1987 | 31-10-1987 | 9 | 27 | If The Nits |
| Hat | 1988 | 19-11-1988 | 11 | 30 | If The Nits |
| Urk | 1989 | 28-10-1989 | 2 | 29 | Live Album |
| Giant normal dwarf | 1990 | 20-10-1990 | 13 | 11 | |
| Ting | 1992 | 03-10-1992 | 14 | 12 | |
| Hjuvi | 1992 | - | with Radio Symphony Orchestra | ||
| Da da da | 1994 | 16-04-1994 | 27 | 8 | |
| Thanks to the dykes | 1995 | 25-03-1995 | 19 | 17 | as Frits with Freek de Jonge |
| Nest | 1995 | 28-10-1995 | 34 | 14 | Compilation album |
| Quest | 1995 | - | B-sides | ||
| In concert | 1996 | - | Promotional live album | ||
| Alankomaat | 1998 | 21-03-1998 | 42 | 8 | |
| Nits hits | 2000 | - | Compilation album | ||
| Wool | 2000 | - | |||
| Double Gold | 2001 | - | Compilation album | ||
| Nits 1974 | 2003 | 22-11-2003 | 95 | 1 | |
| Les nuits | 24-10-2005 | 31-10-2005 | 63 | 8 | |
| Doing the dishes | 21-01-2008 | 26-01-2008 | 8 | 9 | |
| Truce diaries | 2008 | - | Demo at book | ||
| Strawberry wood | 16-10-2009 | 24-10-2009 | 11 | 5 | |
| Malpensa | 09-03-2012 | 17-03-2012 | 45 | 5 |
| Album (s) with chart positions in
the Flemish Ultratop 200 albums |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nest | 1995 | 11-11-1995 | 48 | 1 | Compilation album |
Singles[Edit][]
| Single (s) with any charts in the
the Dutch Top 40 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | 1977 | 12-03-1977 | tip7 | - | If The Nits |
| Tutti ragazzi | 1980 | 23-02-1980 | 31 | 3 | If The Nits/
No. 22 in the Single Top 100 |
| Red tape | 1982 | 20-02-1982 | 24 | 4 | If The Nits/
No. 39 in the Single Top 100 |
| Nescio | 1983 | 26-03-1983 | 8 | 8 | If The Nits/
No. 10 in the Single Top 100 |
| Sketches of Spain | 1983 | 10-12-1983 | 24 | 4 | If The Nits/
No. 28 in the Single Top 100 |
| In the Dutch mountains | 1987 | 24-10-1987 | 14 | 8 | If The Nits/
No. 21 in the Single Top 100 |
| J.o.s. days | 1988 | 06-02-1988 | 23 | 5 | If The Nits/
No. 20 in the Single Top 100 |
| The panorama man | 1988 | - | If The Nits/
No. 88 in the Single Top 100 | ||
| The dream | 1988 | 03-12-1988 | 26 | 5 | If The Nits/
No. 28 in the Single Top 100 |
| The train | 1989 | 18-02-1989 | tip6 | - | If The Nits/
No. 34 in the Single Top 100 |
| Adieu sweet bahnhof (Live) | 1989 | 18-11-1989 | 26 | 5 | No. 28 in the Single Top 100 |
| Home before dark (Live) | 1990 | 17-03-1990 | tip13 | - | No. 50 in the Single Top 100 |
| Radio shoes | 1990 | 06-10-1990 | tip3 | - | No. 31 in the Single Top 100 |
| Giant normal dwarf | 1990 | 15-12-1990 | tip17 | - | No. 71 in the Single Top 100 |
| Long forgotten story | 1991 | - | No. 73 in the Single Top 100 | ||
| Soap bubble box | 1992 | 10-10-1992 | 37 | 3 | No. 40 in the Single Top 100 |
| Thanks to the dykes (In the Dutch mountains) | 1994 | 15-04-1995 | tip6 | - | as Frits with Freek de Jonge |
| The flowers | 01-2008 | - | No. 88 in the Single Top 100 |
| Single (s) with chart positions
in the Flemish Ultratop 50 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes or no | 1977 | - | If The Nits/
No. 25 in the Radio 2 Top 30 | ||
| Nescio | 1983 | - | If The Nits/
No. 14 in the Radio 2 Top 30 | ||
| In the Dutch mountains | 1987 | - | If The Nits/
No. 30 in the Radio 2 Top 30 |
Radio 2 Top 2000[Edit][]
| Number (s) with markings
in the Radio 2 Top 2000 |
' 99 | ' 00 | ' 01 | ' 02 | ' 03 | ' 04 | ' 05 | ' 06 | ' 07 | ' 08 | ' 09 | ' 10 | ' 11 | ' 12 | ' 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In the Dutch mountains | 437 | 363 | 390 | 636 | 250 | 483 | 486 | 458 | 697 | 477 | 408 | 316 | 493 | 494 | 588 |
| Nescio | 340 | 211 | 352 | 436 | 311 | 558 | 513 | 635 | 815 | 560 | 738 | 625 | 711 | 747 | 891 |