Alquin
Nobody Can Wait Forever

An unknown name to most, which in the Netherlands in the mid-'70s had a great impact and brought this band overwhelming commercial success. Originating from the city of Delft (where the 1979 film Nosferatu was filmed), a group of students playing in a rhythm'n'blues band called Threshold Fear decided in 1971 to change their name to Alquin, in honor of the recreational space that served as a student recording hall called "Alcuin." Towards the end of 1971, they recorded their first single, "Saddlepain/Thank me not," which did not bring any success to the band, but still secured a contract with a local record company.

Alquin officially debuted in 1972 with the album Marks, a mix of jazz, classical music, and rock, and went on to play at the prestigious venue "Paradiso" in Amsterdam. However, their first moderate success came with the next year's album, Mountain Queen. Their appearance in 1973 at the Pinkpop Festival, which is still held every year for three days in Landgraaf, opened up several doors for them, like a tour supporting the Who in 1974.

The gateway to mega-success in the Netherlands and partly in England came with the recording in 1975 of seven stellar tracks that formed Alquin’s most well-known album, "Nobody Can Wait Forever" (in America, the album was mysteriously canceled a few days before its release).

The band was led by the charismatic Ferdinand Bakker, an eclectic guitarist with a rock-funky background, endowed with a refined touch and taste in stylistic choices, alongside keyboardist Dick Franssen, a Hammond organ enthusiast and admirer of Yes and Uriah Heep, and singer Michel van Dijk, known for his gravelly yet emotionally warm voice. They were accompanied by wind player Ronald Ottenhof (sax, flute), excellent bassist Hein Mars, and drummer Paul Weststrate, who in fact played only a couple of tracks (the album is dedicated to him), replaced by outstanding drummer-multi-instrumentalist Job Tarenskeen, already present in the band as a saxophonist, flutist, percussionist, and backing vocalist.

"Nobody Can Wait Forever" is an album that brings together a good number of influences, from funk to pop to hard rock, in which lighter atmospheres are flaunted, along with true granite riffs. Also brilliant is the production by Rodger Bain, who had already done so much for other bands like Black Sabbath, Budgie, and Barclay James Harvest, and on this record, indeed a certain maturity is noted compared to the previous albums, both in sound and in lyrics.

The sublime part of New Guinea Sunrise, with the Hawaiian intro Sunrise, flows into the funky of Wake Me Up, with a magical horn intervention at the end. Mr Widow is the most commercial song on the album, in a desperate attempt to compose a "hit," an excellent track with a moral about greed for money. Stranger is another fabulous track, in which Ferdinand Bakker best showcases his skills as a composer and guitarist, while Michel van Dijk performs wonders in the second part, You Might as Well Fall. Beautiful is the bass bridge played by Hein Mars. Darling Superstar, with its over seven minutes of duration, is rich in various influences from the '70s rock scene. Farewell Miss Barcelona is the light piece of the track that talks about summer loves in Spain. Wheelchair Groupie is the prodigy song of this album, which became very famous at the time, with a noteworthy vocal line. The album closes with Revolution's Eve, which starts with the Revolution's Theme, a first part with grandiose interludes of flute and sax, culminating in the second part of the song, Nobody Can Wait Forever, with a great finale filled with stunning guitar solos by Ferdinand Bakker.

Just as the band was voted the best Dutch group in 1977, after the success of the subsequent album "Best Kept Secrets" and the live "On Tour," Alquin broke up like a shooting star shattering against the atmosphere. There was a small parenthesis in 1995 and then finally, in 2003, an unexpected reunion with the full lineup, except for the bassist. A live DVD was released, where most of the tracks played live come from "Nobody Can Wait Forever," which is still in the hearts of many Dutch people today. Alquin were defined as the "band without a hit," as they achieved success without having a notable single track, but with "Nobody Can Wait Forever," they instead surpassed the charts, both with the entire album and with the song Wheelchair Groupie, which would become their first real successful single. Alquin is part of those forgotten treasures to rediscover: in 1975, for them, it was glory.