Mac Taple, Eindhoven Rocks!
The name Mac Taple always brings back memories, good memories of the heydays of rockabilly revival in Holland in the late 70s and early 80s. It seems as if they were always around, giving a good show and breaking up the house in local bars and dance halls or in the Rocking Rebels clubhouse. The clubhouse was nothing more than a wooden shelter in de middle of a parking lot in downtown Eindhoven, but it had atmosphere, and there was always good rocking tonight, especially when Mac Taple was playing. Their repertoire was a mix of well known covers, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens, Johnny Otis, and a dozen of selfpenned songs, which are all classics now in the Dutch rock 'n' roll scene. And they always played "Dixie" at least twice. And the crowd would be yelling along with the song, fists raised in the air "I Wish I Was In Dixie, Hooray, Hooray".
The band had a change in their line-up in 1982, two guitarists were replaced, but they just kept on rockin' like ever before. I remember a concert on September 4th, 1983, when Chuck Berry was gonna play in the Philips Centre (POC) in Eindhoven. Mac Taple was the support act, and they started their usual set at about eight PM. I think Chuck Berry was supposed to play at around nine, but an hour after that, Chuck hadn't arrived yet, and the crowd was getting quite displeased. It turned out that Chuck was held up at Amsterdam Airport, because the Mercedes 230 they arranged for him to drive to Eindhoven wasn't good enough for him. He wanted a type 280 SE, which he felt was more appropriate for a star of his calibre. Since there was no sight of Chuck at about 10, Mac Taple came back on for another set, trying to keep the audience happy. They started playing all the well known Chuck Berry hits, one after another, and we all just loved it! When Chuck finally arrived at about 11 PM, he couldn't follow Mac Taple's set, not by a long shot. He was the star, he was a part of history, but Mac Taple had rock 'n' roll and they stole the show, literally.
In 1984 they released their selfpenned "Rockin' Rebels Keep On Dancin'", a song about the Eindhoven rock 'n' roll club, the Rocking Rebels, and maybe this was their only shot at stardom. Although it was a local hit, and they even filmed a video clip with a fabulous dance show that was broadcasted on national TV, they never hit the charts. Their 1985 live album gives a good impression of their wild stage show, starting off with the best version of "Reveille Rock" you've ever heard. I can't remember exactly when the gang disbanded, maybe they just kind of faded away, but they haven't been heard of since the mid-eighties. Jan van Riet's name pops up again in 1989, when he he joins the 60s group "The Gunners" with their comeback. One thing is for certain, they were a gang that rocked like no other and whenever Mac Taple was around, the crowd would have a ball. And it was no coincidence that Johnny Olenn wrote the song "Eindhoven Rocks" after a tour of Holland, because it was Mac Taple who kept Eindhoven rocking! 2005: Mac Taple is doing gigs again on a regular basis. Although a little
On September 3, 2005 Mac Taple played top of the bill in Waalre 2007: Mac Taple released a DVD "Live in Concert" ->> READ MORE
Mac Taple discography: Guest starring on their debut album: Story & Live Photographs by The BlackCat, ©1982-2005 |
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