In the winter of 1967, when reading the views off music connoisseurs the beatlemania was on its retour, the Outsiders were recording their debut album. It took them only one day to record the Live side which consists off songs recorded with a live audience. The  famous couple Gerard and Erik Bakker from the GTB studios were responsible for the technical part. It was the first time a dutch rock and roll band made an LP with a live audience. By the way the public only consisted off chosen diehard fans. The idea came from manager Van Setten. He believed that his protegees wouldn’t make enough impression with just a studio recording. One off the best songs in my opinion is Filthy Rich. From the LP, which is hard to find nowadays, about 20.000 copies were sold.

In ’67 the solocareer of Wally Tax was getting more serious, which gave some tensions in the group. Pressure was also mounting because of rising drug usage among some bandmembers. Inspide of the success of the band these things led to the replacement of Appie Rammers (guitarist) by Frank Beek from the Lads. One of the leading members, Ronnie Splinter, who composed most of their songs together with Wally Tax, was also considering to leave the band. He actually left in November’67. The success of Wallys solocareer literarily was getting to his head. Wearing long hair had always been one of the symbols off showing your beatnick roots.. The outsiders were even considered to by wearing the longest haircuts in the scene, although the singer off the NV group ’65 probably was the winner in this unofficial contest. His haircut measured 60 centimetres. As a publicity stunt Wally Tax cut his hair in a television program. He was sort of punished for this, because the bit which shows the hairloss was eventually left out off the broadcasted version.

Without Ronnie the played at the first Lowlands to Paradise festival in Utrecht. Despite the bandstruggles in december of ‘67 they were chosen as most popular beatband of the year 1967 by readers off Teenbeat magazine. At that time they had made a transfer to the much bigger recordcompany Polydor. The handfull of singles and the one LP CQ were less successful than expected. Al of them are worthwhile to search for. Especially the LP. But because this record sold a lot less copies than their first LP its very hard to find. Don’t be surprised if it will cost you about 200 euros. CQ was produces by the GTB studios. It was presented to the public at the Fantasio club on the 25 th off October 1968.

A few earlier noted developments which continued were putting more strains on the remaining members off the band, and eventually Tom Krabbedam had to leave the band as well. All these changes and the lack off returning success made the godfathers of the Amsterdam popscene in 1969 decide to call it quits.

From the ashes off the band a new band Tax Free emerged. Besides Wally Tax, the drummer off the Outsiders, Leendert Busch participated in this new project. In the eighties and nineties there were several comebacks off the Outsiders with different members. In is unclear if they will try again in the new millennium.