Les Baroques

One of the strangest and best Dutch bands of the mid-'60s, Les Baroques always seemed out of sync with the real world. They had a French name, a lead singer with an obviously anglicized pseudonym (Gary O'Shannon, real name Gerard Schoenaker), and played R&B-tinged pop/rock with odd streaks of European folk tunes and corny orchestral arrangements. Their reputation hinges chiefly upon their first four singles and self-titled 1966 LP, all recorded with O'Shannon before the singer left the group at the end of 1966. At his best, O'Shannon could sound like a less polished, neurotic ...