VideoKids

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
VideoKids
Origin
Euro disco
Years active1984-1988
LabelsBreak Records, Replay Records, Cat Music & More
Past membersVideoKids
Peter Slaghuis
Bianca Bonelli
Session members
Cees Bergman
Geertjan Hessing
Anita Crooks
Sylvia Crooks

VideoKids were a 1980s

Euro disco duo from the Netherlands, formed in 1984 and consisting of Peter Slaghuis (1961-1991) and Bianca Bonelli (1964-1995). The band's members also had solo careers on their own, such as Peter being a famous DJ and remixer, and Bianca having a solo single called "Je Veux L'amour (Follow Me)".[1][2] They released two albums, The Invasion of the Spacepeckers in 1984 and On Satellite in 1985. All of their songs were produced and written by Catapult musicians Aart Mol, Cees Bergman, Elmer Veerhoff, Erwin van Prehn and Geertjan Hessing (under the aliases "Adams & Fleisner" and "Tony Acardi"), and recorded at Cat Music.[3]

The most notable aspect of the band is the fact that they were very popular yet short-lived. They also had an animated mascot named Tico Tac, a "spacepecker" who wore a yellow space suit and white space helmet, and had a wood drill on his backside functioning like an insect stinger. He also had the same laugh as Woody Woodpecker as his trademark, and was featured in the band's music videos for "Woodpeckers from Space" and "Do the Rap" along with the real band members, so for that reason they were almost considered a virtual group. In 1985, The Invasion of the Spacepeckers was released at the Midem music festival, and went on to sell 1.1 million copies.[4] VideoKids received the Buma Export Award for their international success with the album.[5]

The songs "La Bamba" (from their album, The Invasion of the Spacepeckers), "Tico Tac" (from their album, On Satellite) and "Witch Doctor" were the only cover versions they did, originally by Ritchie Valens, synth-pop group Polysix (also produced by Cat Music) and Ross Bagdasarian, respectively.

History

Beginnings

Hilversum 3, and at the same time received part of the royalties. The quintet also formed Rubberen Robbie in 1978, their vehicle for parody and carnival songs, sung in their native Dutch language. Around that time, the members were all living together in the same apartment and recording music there. However, the neighbours constantly complained about the terrible noise, so in September 1979, they had to find another place to record their music. They went to Rijnsaterwoude and formed a recording studio and production company named Cat Music, where they recorded as The Monotones, scoring a hit in Germany and the Netherlands with the song "Mono" on 15 December 1979. Seven days later on 23 December 1979, they gave their farewell gig as Catapult in the "Feest Paleis" in Beervelde.[6][7][3][8][9][10]

In the 1980s, the members wrote songs for Leidsche rock band Tower and

lip-synced to songs sung by Bergman, Hessing and session singers in live performances. These included disco group Fantastique, synth-pop groups Gazuzu and Polysix, electronic trio Digital Emotion, breakbeat group Master Genius, X-Ray Connection, Dr. Groove, Blanc De Blanc, Joanne Daniëls, hip hop groups Comfort & Joy and Party Freaks, and Eurobeat quartet Twiggy Bop. They also, along with Aad Klaris, wrote and produced "Talkin 'Bout Rambo" by Linda Snoeij, under the stage name "L-Vira", and wrote and produced two albums for hard rock band Picture: Every Story Needs Another Picture and Marathon. Many of their dance and Italo disco records were released by Dutch labels such as Dureco Benelux and Boni Records (through their sublabel Break Records), which was founded by and named after Van den Bosch and Jan van Nieuwkoop in 1982. Van den Bosch exported Cat Music's records to America, where they were sold as special imports.[6][11][7][3][8][9]

Music career

In 1983, Cat Music wrote and produced "Let's Break" by Master Genius, a medley of songs done in an 80's megamix style. One of the many sounds included in the song was the laugh of Woody Woodpecker, provided by Hessing. The voice was recorded at a slow speed, and then played back at double speed using a studio tape recorder.[12][3][13] Van den Bosch's children, who were big fans of Woody and always wanted to hear him on the record, asked their father if he could produce a record based on the character.[13][14] Upon learning this, Cat Music decided to write, produce and record a song about Woody, named "Woodpeckers from Space", a 5-minute synth-pop cover of "The Woody Woodpecker Song" by George Tibbles and Ramey Idriss. The song tells the story of a man waking up at night and hearing a "funny cry". The laugh comes from Woody, who makes a sudden appearance, wearing a space suit and holding a laser gun, and hypnotizes the perplexed man, telling him to take him to the hippest spot in town to do the "Woodpecker Boogie and Rap". The man takes him there, and Woody tells everyone to do the "Woodpecker Boogie and Rap", and they do so, snapping, clapping and rapping along with the woodpecker, and having fun. The main vocals were performed by Bergman, with Hessing singing as Woody. The female vocals and two of Woody's laughs were done by Anita and Sylvia Crooks of The Internationals.[3][8]

Giving their new project the name "VideoKids" and recording and producing some more tracks in full, Cat Music hired and asked two good-looking young people,

Universal Studios, a new character named Tico Tac, a "spacepecker", was created as the group's mascot and used in place of Woody. Tico was named after the song of the same name by Polysix, and designed by Dirk Arend, who was occasionally doing cover artwork designs for Boni Records and Break Records under the pseudonym "Fruut" at the time. He originally had pink skin and yellow eyes alien and wore a light blue helmet, blue overalls with yellow braces, and grey shoes. After Arend handed in the design to Toonder Studio's, they produced Tico's scenes in the video, redesigning him to have human-coloured skin and white eyes, and wear a yellow jumpsuit, white helmet and white gloves, with a wood drill on his bottom functioning like an insect stinger. The animation was done by Bjørn Frank Jensen, while Frits Godhelp did the colouring. The backgrounds were drawn, painted and photographed by Harrie Geelen, who composited the animations of Tico over them and the live-action footage. Jensen also drew a promotional comic strip named Tico Tac: Spacepecker, in which Tico meets a man who invites him into his house. He enters the house, poking holes in the stairs with his drill. Inside, Tico hops around the house, poking holes in the floor, wall and ceiling, vocalizing and laughing. The man decides to tame Tico and make him "more presentable" by taping his mouth shut and tying his drill to a plunger.[18][19][20][2]

Cat Music licensed "Woodpeckers from Space" to

Ultratop 50 Flanders between 13 October 1984 and 17 November 1984.[21][22][23] Slaghuis would later use "Woodpeckers from Space" in the seventh installment in his "Disco Breaks" bootleg series,[24] and he and Bonelli would release their debut album, The Invasion of the Spacepeckers. The album also contained a large "Happy Birthday" calendar, in which children could write birthday wishes to their friends. By 1985, "Woodpeckers from Space" was an international hit, peaking in 72nd place in the United Kingdom,[25] 6th in Switzerland,[26] 4th in Germany,[21] 2nd in Portugal,[27] and 1st in Norway and Spain.[28][27][29] Boni Records began promoting The Invasion of the Spacepeckers by airing the song's music video on music television channels,[30] and VideoKids began their tour around Europe, doing live shows and concerts, complete with clips of Tico from the video, displayed either manually or through a video projection screen.[2] The album was released at the Midem music festival, going on to sell 1.1 million copies,[4] and the band won the Buma Export Award for their international success with the album.[5] "Woodpeckers from Space" and their other songs, such as "Do the Rap" and "La Bamba", were played quite often on radio stations at the time, and covered and included on several best-of albums and compilations. A cover version was made by the South African band Café Society, staying on the South African Top 20 for 22 weeks from June to November, of which 7 were held at the No. 1 position from August to October.[31]

During their popularity, VideoKids released "Do the Rap" as a single, which only peaked in 9th place in the Dutch Top 40 on 18 May 1985.[32][33] The single also included "Happy Birthday" (from "Cartooney Tunes") and "Skyrider", and featured Tico Tac: Spacepecker on its back cover. A music video for "Do the Rap" was filmed, in which Slaghuis, Bonelli and Tico (who reuses some animations from "Woodpeckers from Space") are at a party, dancing and singing along to a record player playing the song. At one point Tico plays around with a ball in a Star Trek pinball machine, and accidentally falls on top of the record player, temporarily stopping the song. He then suggests that they do it again. Eventually, Tico falls on the record player again and says, "That's all, folks! Goodbye!", ending the video. Following "Do the Rap" was the release of VideoKids' second album, On Satellite, in which the music sounded somewhat different, becoming generally more strict with the addition of some bass guitar, though still containing its usual twinkly synthesizers. The first song of the album, "Satellite", would later be released individually as the band's third single, with its music video reusing footage from "Do the Rap's" music video. Slaghuis and Bonelli split up after the production of the album and single, with the former leaving to continue remixing. In 1986, Boni Records promoted On Satellite for release at the Midem music festival.[4] Unlike The Invasion of the Spacepeckers, this album was unsuccessful, as were the band's other singles, "Do the Rap" and "Satellite". Boni Records would later release a 12" remix of "Woodpeckers from Space" that year.

In 1988, Cat Music recorded VideoKids' fourth and last single, "Witch Doctor" (also known as "Witch Doctor/Tico Strikes Again"), a cover of the song of the same name by Ross Bagdasarian, which also included "Tico's Day Off". They released the single under the name "Replay Records" due to Boni Records' closure the previous year, and like "Do the Rap", "La Bamba", On Satellite and "Satellite", it failed to hit the charts, making VideoKids a one-hit wonder with "Woodpeckers from Space".

In 1999, "Woodpeckers from Space" was included in the compilation album Cat Nuggets, released by Red Bullet.

LP records in March.[38][39][40] In October 2023, "Woodpeckers from Space" was released as part of the compilation album Adams & Fleisner: The Ultimate Collection by i Venti d'Azzurro Records.[41][42]

Personal lives

Slaghuis died in a car accident on September 5, 1991, and Bonelli died a few years later in 1994-1995.[3]

Legacy

"Woodpeckers from Space" has been covered and remixed several times by other artists throughout history, such as

Cirez D in 2004,[48] and Kidz Hitz Party 2: Back To School in 2007.[49] It was also featured in the Pingu episode, "Pingu Helps with Incubating", although it has been replaced by David Hasselhoff's
"Pingu-Dance" in its newer version.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

  1. ^ a b ""VideoKids" and the Aliens". Facebook. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The VideoKids and their Space Woodpecker". Facebook. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Сеанс массового диско-разоблачения" (in Russian). Звуки.Ру. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Special Dutch "Island" At Midem". Billboard. 1986-01-25.
  5. ^ a b "Conamus Jaarverslag 2003" (PDF) (in Dutch). 2004. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  6. ^ a b "Catapult". Alexgitlin.com. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  7. ^ a b c "Cat Music". Cat Music & More B.V. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d "Cees Bergman: 35 jaar Cat Music in een paar platendozen". Frank Veldkamp. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Catapult (incl. The Surfers & the Monotones) - Golden Years Of Dutch Pop Music". Written in Music. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Aart Mol - Owner - Cat Music". LinkedIn. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Picture". Truemetalfan.org. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  12. ^ "Master Genius - Let's Break". YouTube. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  13. ^ a b c "Radio Stad Den Haag - Sundaynight Live (Adams & Fleisner) (Nov. 05, 2023)". YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  14. ^ "The story behind "Hithouse - Jack To The Sound Of The Underground" by Jerry Beke". YouTube. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Joanne Daniëls – After The Rainbow (1984, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1984. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Digital Emotion – Outside In The Dark (1985, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Bianca Bonelli – Je Veux L'Amour (Follow Me) (1985, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1984. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Dirk Arend". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Bjørn Frank Jensen". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Frits Godhelp". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – VideoKids – Woodpeckers from Space". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Video Kids – Woodpeckers from Space". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  23. Ultratop 50
    . Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Peter Slaghuis – Disco Breaks 7 (1984, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1984. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  25. ^ "WOODPECKERS FROM SPACE – VIDEO KIDS". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  26. Swiss Singles Chart
    . Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  27. ^ a b "M&M-1985-03-25" (PDF). 1985. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  28. ^ "VideoKids – Woodpeckers From Space". VG-lista. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  29. ISBN 84-8048-639-2
    .
  30. ^ "Dutch Attendance". Billboard. 1985-01-26.
  31. ^ a b "Café Society – Woodpeckers From Space (1985, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  32. ^ "Video Kids – Do the Rap". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  33. ^ "Video Kids – Do The Rap". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  34. ^ "Various – Cat Nuggets (1999, CD)". Discogs. 2004. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  35. ^ "Various – Club Hits Of The 80's (2004, Box Set)". Discogs. 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Cees Bergman - Owner - Cat Music & More". LinkedIn. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  37. ^ "Video Kids – The Invasion Of The Spacepeckers (2014, Clear, Vinyl)". Discogs. 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  38. ^ "Video Kids". Maschina Records. 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  39. ^ "CD: Video Kids — «The Invasion Of The Spacepeckers» (1984/2024) [2CD Expanded Edition]". Maschina Records. 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Video Kids – The Invasion Of The Spacepeckers (2024, CD)". Discogs. 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  41. ^ "i Venti d'Azzurro Records". i Venti d'Azzurro Records. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  42. ^ "Adams & Fleisner – The Ultimate Collection (2023, CD)". Discogs. 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  43. ^ "Doctor Pecker – Woodpeckers From Space (1986, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1986. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  44. ^ "Die Schlümpfe – Klipp Klapp (1995, CD)". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  45. ^ "V-Kid – Woodpeckers From Space (1999, CD)". Discogs. 1999. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Evelyn – I Wanna Dance (2001, CD)". Discogs. 28 May 2001. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  47. ^ "Spritneybears – Woodpeckers From Space (2003, CD)". Discogs. 14 April 2003. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  48. ^ "Cirez D - Hoodpecker (Original Mix) [MOUSE001]". YouTube. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  49. ^ "Various – Kidz Hitz Party 2 - Back To School (2007, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 27 February 2022.

External links

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