Remembering Gruppo Sportivo

Collecting vinyl recordings used to be my thing. However, my personality never kept me within the confines of the popular majority. I always sought out new and interesting bands or artists within all genres. One of these bands was the Dutch pop band known as Gruppo Sportivo. Their sound fit in with the new wave / post-punk music of their time. Nonetheless, there was something I found special about this band. They definitely didn't take themselves seriously, utilizing a comic approach to their music which brought a sense of "fun" to their sound. Their material was underlined by a great sense of melody.

The first album I bought was 1979's "Mistakes," which was actually a compilation of their first two albums. Much of their material was only available as an import. I actually heard "Beep Beep Love" on American radio and immediately fell in love with the song. I was drawn in from the lyrical start of "She landed on my roof, mad love from Venus. Flashing girl, out of space I'll never turn you off: future love." Off the same album was "I Shot My Manager," a parody of "I Shot The Sheriff."

Hans Vandenburg was the guitar-slinging front-man and primary writer. The lineup was completed by Max Mollinger (drums), Peter Calicher (keyboards), Eric Wehrmeyer (bass), with help from the Gruppettes (Josée van Iersel and Meike Touw) on vocals. The Gruppettes were a big contributing factor to their sound.

The other two albums that I was able to find were 1980's "Copy Copy" and 1981's "Pop! Goes The Brain." "Watch Your Boy" was a standout cut off the former album, while "A Girl Like You" helped elevate the latter one. From what I understand, they kept on recording into the next century with Hans being backed on occasion with studio musicians. I recently found out that there was a reunion in 2018, that coincided with the release of a new album entitled "Great."

Their current lineup consists of Vandenburg, Calicher and Mollinger, along with Tim Barning (bass), Inge Bonthond (vocals) and Lies Schilp (vocals). I recently found their music on Amazon, bringing back the fond memories of their infectious sound only hindered by the pops and hisses from the vinyl spins on my turntable.