Brainbox is an Amsterdam-based group founded in 1968 by Pierre van der Linden, Kaz Lux and Jan Akkerman. Their big hits came just a year later: ‘Down Man’ and ‘Summertime’.
The eponymous debut album from 1969 contains songs like Dark Rose and Sea of Delight. Down Man became a modest hit in the United States. In the Netherlands, Brainbox had several hit singles including Between Alpha and Omega, Doomsday Train, The Smile (Old Friends Have a Right to) and Summertime.
After the promising debut album, both Akkerman and Van der Linden left shortly after to form the band Focus together with Thijs van Leer. New guitarist was Herman Meyer, who was later joined by Rudy de Queljoe (ex-Dragonfly), and drummer Frans Smit came over from De Maskers. Meyer was replaced by John Schuursma after two singles. Despite the changes, Brainbox remained very popular nationwide. After Kaz Lux left in 1971, replaced by singer Michel van Dijk, the group disbanded in 1972 due to declining success.
The many lineup changes never brought back the distinctive Brainbox sound of the early days. Between 1982 and 1984, the group performed a few times in a more or less original lineup.
In 2012, Jan Akkerman toured with the old Brainbox repertoire under the name My Brainbox, with Bert Heerink (ex-Vandenberg) as singer.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Brainbox has two entries:
Sunday Morning Classic
On 13 August 2023, the men of Brainbox took the stage with their eponymous debut album from 1969 at our Sunday Morning Classic.
In April 2018, readers of the Dutch monthly magazine Lust for Life voted the album Brainbox as the fourth best album of the Low Countries. I must say that I find this one of the better albums released by Dutch bands around 1969. Very inventive, melodic, almost un-Dutch in its quality. A beautiful representation of the time. Kaz Lux's voice is of international class. Although the band did not become as well known as some of their contemporaries, their debut album is still considered an important work in Dutch rock history.
You wonder why this peak only lasted one album. Why this gathered talent did not release dozens of classics under the name Brainbox.
Source: NPO Photo: public domain and LP cover
