In The Land Of FREE we still Keep on Rockin'

It's Not Dark Yet

Plain and Fancy

Music gives soul to universe, wings to mind, flight to imagination, charm to sadness, and life to everything.

Plato

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

rep>>> Wally Tax - Love In (1967 holland, fabulous orchestrated jazzy folk tunes, 2011 edition)



Wally has sung. Wally has sung very well, with his whole personality. Mysteriously, he hits something deep within. Bert Paige has written the arrangements. Bert has written very well. He feels exactly what it's all about, as though he were no more than 18. And what an expert! Albert Kos has engineered. Albert has engineered very well. He knows the technical possibilities and uses them. You look and he has done it already, precisely in the right mood. It's terrific to work with such men. Thanks, lads!' – 
by Tony Vos, producer

In the summer of 1967, at the height of The Outsiders' success in Holland, Wally Tax decided to record a solo album. Far from containing the heavy R’n’ B that his band specialized in. Love In showcased a softer side to the singer, consisting of string-laden ballads with birdsong between the tracks. Its title was inspired by an American-inspired Love-In that had taken place in Amsterdam's Vondelpark earlier in the year, attracting 40,000 people, and it was produced by saxophonist Tony Vos, who also worked with Cuby and The Buzzards, Ekseption and other local acts.  Tax later commented: "I am a romantic, and I love the orchestra; I loved recording those romantic songs." 

The LP was released in Holland that September, and on the 30th the American trade publication Billboard announced: 'Phonogram has released an LP by Wally Tax, the lead singer with The Outsiders, who signed for Philips last year. The album is selling well in Holland and Belgium and a single from the LP, Let's Forget What I Said, entered the Dutch Top 20 this week. The album will be released in Germany by Philips.' The German issue, which appeared in October, had some slight differences to the Dutch issue: its sleeve was laminated, Tax's name on the front was in purple and not red, and the notes on the back cover were by the writer Heike Doutine, and not TV producer Rob Touber (whose contribution to the Dutch issue Tax was unhappy with). 

Sales were mediocre, but Tax - who passed away in 2005 - stood by the album in subsequent years, stating in 1987 "I loved doing these songs. They had been in my heart for such a long time when Philips said "You can do 'em". I loved it (still proud of 'em). The other Outsiders were opposed, but since I never let somebody tell me what to do, I told them to play with me or go f*ck themselves."
CD Liner-notes


Tracks
1. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me - 2:33
2. Let's Forget What I Said - 3:33
3. The Dream - 2:38
4. I'M Not Important to You - 2:22
5. Last Night - 2:03
6. You Didn't Call Me - 2:48
7. I'Ve Been Too Good to You - 2:53
8. Feeling So Fine - 2:26
9. I'M Not to Blame - 2:59
10.Standing at the Crossroads - 2:41
11.Can't Forget About You - 2:56
12.The Games We Play - 2:37
All songs by Wally Tax

*Wally Tax - Vocals, Guitar

With The Outsiders
1965-68  The Outsiders - Thinking About Today Their Complete Works (2013 remaster)
1968  The Outsiders - CQ (remaster and expanded)
1967-94 The Outsiders - Singles A's And B's
With Tax Free
1970  Tax Free - Tax Free

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rep>>> Tax Free - Tax Free (1970 holland, jazzy folk rock masterpiece, by Wally Tax "The Outsiders" frontman with guests John Cale from V.U. and Richard Davis from "Astral Weeks" fame)



The short-lived Tax Free consisted of Wally Tax (vocals), David Oliphanr (guitar), Jody Purpora (vocals, guitar) and Leendert Busch (drums). Tax and Busch had both been members of legendary Dutch band The Outsiders, who'd broken up in mid-1969. They soon befriended the British-born Oliphant and the US-born Purpora in Amsterdam and - together with Ray Gordel - began to jam in a studio beneath a railway bridge, though they had to play in the dead of night to avoid the noise of passing trams. 

With management in place, in the spring of 1970 they travelled to New York, where they stayed in the infamous Chelsea Hotel. Having secured a record deal through contacts at Radio Luxemburg, they returned to NY that September (without Gordell) and set about taping an album at Jimi Hendrix's recently completed Electric Lady studio. The producer was Lewis Merenstein, who was also their co-manager (with Marty Thau). Merenstein is best known for his production of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, an album with which Tax Free shares a certain introspective, jazz-tinged vibe. 

The influence of Tim Hardin (with whom Tax was personally acquainted) can also be detected. Merenstein had also worked with John Cale on his Vintage Violence album, and Cale contributed some viola to the Tax Free recordings, alongside other session heavyweights such as string bassist Richard Davis (who'd featured prominently on Astral Weeks). 

The sessions weren't smooth, however. Tax later complained that 'Lewis was going through a difficult divorce. Therefore he wasn't a very smooth coordinator. Sometimes he was late or didn't turn up at all.' An even worse portent was the death of Hendrix during the sessions, which overshadowed the atmosphere. Tax Free was released in March 1970. 

The original promo material boasted that it 'epitomizes the tender, intimate cool of an Amsterdam cellar, the impressionistic, mystic Dutch sky, the mellow, hazy sounds of sadness and joy. It's light, easy and quietly relaxing,' but few copies were sold, and the band was quickly lost in the shuffle. 

The band returned to Holland, and had split up by the summer, propelled by what Tax considered to be hypochondria from the sickly Purpora. Somewhat surprisingly, Billboard announced that September that 'Polydor plans to reissue the Tax Free LP due to heavy airplay and the review action it has received in the past six months.' Unfortunately, nothing changed second time around.
CD Liner Notes


Tracks
1. Yiva (Jody W. Purpora) - 5:23
2. Along the Shadowed Quay (Jody W. Purpora) - 3:56
3. The Great Lie - 5:00
4. Day Revealed Your Face - 2:51
5. Ginny - 4:52
6. Amsterdam  -4:58
7. My Lady Truth 4:19
8. Evening - 3:42
9. Back by the Quinnipiac - 6:24

Tax Free
*Wladimir "Wally" Tax - Vocals
*David J.L. Oliphanr - Guitar
*Jody W. Purpora - Vocals, Keyboards
*Leendert H.M. Busch - Drums
with
*Jerry Spaulding - Saxophone
*Ron Johnsen - Vibes
*John Cale - Electric Viola
*Richard Davis - Bass

with The Outsiders