Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Tee Set - Ma Belle Amie

Name: Tee Set
Album: Ma Belle Amie
Year: 1970
Style: Oldies, Baroque Pop
Similar Bands: Box Tops, Kinks, Tom Jones, Association
"One-Word" Review: Wispy Jovial Pop
Based Out Of: Delft, Netherlands
Label: Colossus Record Corp.
Cover, Back, Record
Inner Gatefold, Record
Ma Belle Amie (1970)
  1. Ma Belle Amie 3:10 (single)
  2. What Can I Do 1:55
  3. Walk On By My Door 2:27
  4. I Don't Want to Know 2:10
  5. Charmaine 3:23
  6. Finally In Love Again 3:20 /
  7. If You Do Believe in Love 2:47 (single)
  8. Since i Lost Your Love 2:17
  9. Long Ago 2:41
  10. Here in My House 3:05
  11. Bring a Little Sunshine 2:45
  12. Magic Lantern 4:30
Album Rating (1-10): 8.0

Members & Other Bands:
  • Peter Tetteroo - Vox, Producer (Tinus Plotseling, Defenders, The Shats, The Delft Blues, Musicians Union Band)
  • Franklin Madjid - Bass (James Mean)
  • Joop Blom - Drums
  • Dill Bennink - Guitar (Black Albinos)
  • Hans Van Eijck - Organ, Guitar, Composer, Arranger (Rattles, Spencer Davis Group, After Tee, Abdul Hassan Orch, Jumping Pop-In, Carmen Sars, Lee Towers, Musicians Union Band, Bart Kaell, Helmut Lotti)
  • David Krieger - Art Direction
  • Cover Art - Tim Lewis
  • Jerry Ross - American Representative
Unknown-ness: I never heard of the Tee Set. No date on the record, but it felt like a 60's psych band, which can really be hit or miss...original or packaged to piggy backed to mimic and rip off another band. But even those bands are not always terrible. So it was a gamble of quality, but i am pretty sure it is going to be wispy psych pop.

Album Review: With an undertone of blues on occasion, this is an upbeat collection of sunny pop reminds me an awful lot of the Box Tops, but occasionally spills over from a band effort into lounge/vocalist production ala Tom Jones ("Magic Lantern" & "If You Do Believe In Love"). But the more bluesy stuff, like "What Can I Do" is really good. And part of the verse and piano work of "Finally In Love Again" reminds me of Elvis Costello's lighter work.
They are a Dutch band, and broke out in the US with this record and title track reaching #5 on the Billboard chart. They lasted about 10 years, 1966 - 1975, with occasional reunions. They were the first Dutch band to start their own record label (Tee-Set Records). "She Likes Weeds" was a hit in NZ, but because it was suspected to be a drug reference (it was not: was a reference to 1965's Michael Caine film "The Ipcress File") it was banned in the US. Singer Tetteroo passed away from liver cancer in 2002 (55).

Stand Out Track: What Can I Do

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