GEO
Celebrating a career starting in the sixties and spanning decades
Older than 40? Good chance you have seen Geo live at many of his concerts in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties. Geo Dijkhuis – or simply GEO – has been performing live gigs around the Netherlands for decades. From the famous Eksit and Parkzicht in Rotterdam, to the Gigant in Apeldoorn he has performed in allmost all of them. For decades he has played with various musicians which are mentioned on this page or via the website links. Geo Dijkhuis is a recording artist with many singles and albums to his name, some produced as a solo artist and some with his own GEO band. (see picture – live at de Gigant, Apeldoorn in 1981).
GEO – The Voice, The Band, The Legacy
Some bands leave behind hit records. Others leave behind memories. GEO managed to do both.
For decades, George “Geo” Dijkhuis has been one of Dutch rock and pop’s most distinctive voices, performing across the Netherlands with a remarkable line-up of musicians and building a catalogue that deserves a special place in Dutch music history. From Rotterdam club stages to national record releases, GEO brought together talent, musicianship and a passion for live performance that still resonates today.
What makes the GEO story unique is not only the songs, the records or the performances. It is the impressive collection of musicians who passed through the band. Several would go on to become respected names in the Dutch music scene, while others were already established session players before joining GEO’s musical adventure. Looking back, GEO became a meeting place for accomplished musicians from Rotterdam, The Hague, Deventer and beyond.
GEO Band Live at Parkzicht
On July 21, 1985, the GEO band delivered unforgettable performances at Rotterdam’s Parkzicht for the Music Box TV Roadshow. Watch an excerpt of the performance, featuring fragments of “Whiskey On The Rocks” and “What Am I To do Without You.” These tracks belong to a larger body of songs performed that evening which, unfortunately, were never officially released. The Music Box presenters included Simon Potter and Martin Buchanan. This rare Rotterdam recording perfectly captured the dynamics of this unique 7-man GEO band formation. Full band lineup listed below.
DISCOGRAPHY
Studio Albums
2023 • Roll (Remastered Edition by STM)
The GEO Band
Originally released in 1981, Roll was revisited in 2023 with a new remastered edition by STM. The release brings one of GEO’s two albums back into focus, preserving the character of the original recording while giving it a renewed presence for today’s listeners.
The remastered edition is an important part of GEO’s recorded legacy, connecting the original 1981 release with a new generation of listeners more than four decades later.
Standout track:
- Roll
1981 • Roll
The GEO Band
GEO became the GEO band with four permanent members Tjeerd van Zanen (Guitar), Peter Hoogerbrugge (Bass) and Peter Kunst (Drums). After a live gig in the Gigant in Apeldoorn in february 1981 the 4-man band signed a contract for a new album with Bert Vegter, owner of Pure Gold Records (sub-label of CBS). It let to Roll, the second album released in GEO’s recorded album catalogues. It belongs to a particularly active period in his live performance and recording career, alongside a series of singles released around the same time. More than forty years later, the album was revisited in the 2023 STM remastered edition.
Standout track:
- Roll
1979 • Isn’t It Time To Change
GEO
In 1976 GEO went solo and started recording singles that would later feature on his first solo album titled “Isn’t It Time To Change“. Produced by Eddy Ouwens the album was released in 1979 through CNR Records. It featured well known Dutch musicians of the time including Mac Sell (guitar), Paul Vink (keyboard) and Jan Hollestelle (bass), Ton op’t Hoff (drums). Isn’t It Time To Change is the first of GEO’s two albums and an important release from his late-1970s recording period. The album sits at the heart of the transition between GEO’s earlier work and the recordings that followed at the beginning of the 1980s. A Remastered version is available on Spotify.
The title track, Isn’t It Time To Change, was also released as a single in 1977, making it one of the most clearly identifiable recordings from this period of GEO’s career.
Standout track:
- Isn’t It Time To Change
Singles
1981 • Higher
The GEO Band
Higher (Pure Gold 1550), released in 1981, belongs to the same productive period as the Roll album. The standalone release adds another dimension to GEO’s recorded output at the beginning of the 1980s. Unfortunately Higher is not available on streaming sites. The B-side made the album.
Tracks:
- A-Side: Higher
- B-Side: I Know
1981 • She Don’t Need Me
The GEO Band
She Don’t Need Me (Pure Gold 1078) is another 1981 GEO band release from the period surrounding the Roll album and it was added to the Roll Album. Its emotionally direct title gives the release a distinctly personal character.
Tracks:
- A-Side: She Don’t Need Me
- B-Side: Do The Roll
1981 • It’s Raining In My Heart
The GEO Band
Released in 1981, It’s Raining In My Heart (A&R ANRA 1480) adds a reflective and emotional entry to GEO’s early-1980s catalogue. It forms part of the run of recordings surrounding this particularly active period. Unfortunately not available on streaming sites.
Tracks:
- A-Side: It’s Raining In My Heart
- B-Side: Raining
1980 • Chanson
The GEO Band
Released as the first GEO band single in 1980, Chanson (CNR 141 680) captures the distinctive energy of GEO’s early-1980s catalogue. Backed by the dynamic B-side C’est Rock, it forms a vital part of the run of recordings surrounding this particularly active period. Unfortunately the single is not available on streaming sites.
Tracks:
- A-Side: Chanson
- B-Side: C’est Rock
1978 • My World Is Empty Without You
GEO
Individual songs from the album sessions were released as standalone 7″ singles before the full Isn’t It Time To Change album compiled them. My World Is Empty Without you arrived in 1978, continuing the rollout of early sessions recorded with producer Eddy Ouwens.
Tracks:
- A-Side: My World Is Empty Without You
- B-Side: We Both Grow Old
1978 • That’s the Kind of Love I’ve Got For You
GEO
Individual songs from the album sessions were released as standalone 7″ singles before the full Isn’t It Time To Change album compiled them. That’s the Kind of Love arrived in 1978, continuing the rollout of early sessions recorded with producer Eddy Ouwens.
Tracks:
- A-Side: That’s the Kind of Love
- B-Side: Racingcars And Moviestars
1977 • Isn’t It Time To Change
GEO
Individual songs from the album sessions were released as standalone 7″ singles before the full Isn’t It Time To Change album compiled them. This crucial 1977 release delivered the defining title track Isn’t It Time To Change alongside the standalone entry You And Me.
Tracks:
- A-Side: Isn’t It Time To Change
- B-Side: Singing My Blues Away
1976 • Hurry Boy
GEO
Individual songs from the album sessions were released as standalone 7″ singles before the full Isn’t It Time To Change album compiled them. As the very first look into these studio sessions, Hurry Boy came out in 1976 to kick off the solo recording period.
Tracks:
- A-Side: Hurry Boy
- B-Side: Every Wrong Or Right
The GEO Line-up 1979 – 1987
The story of GEO’s line-ups is a journey that went full circle—a continuous evolution of musical talent that shaped the band’s identity from their very first notes.
GEO started his career in the 1960ties as lead singer with well known Dutch bands such as Horizon and Backyard. With the band Sympathy he has released multiple singles through BASF Records. After that he went solo in 1976 resulting in the release of his first LP album, Isn’t It Time To Change. To bring this vision to life, the stellar group of seasoned studio musicians who recoded the album hit the road for the initial promotional tour. This studio-driven foundation quickly ignited a desire for a more permanent bond, resulting in the formation of a new rock-solid, four-man core line-up that defined the band’s signature raw energy throughout the early eighties.
By the mid-eighties, the band expanded into a powerhouse seven-piece ensemble, drawing in some of the finest musicians in the country, such as Hans Eijkenaar, Michel van Schie. As the nation’s premier rhythm tandem, Eijkenaar and Van Schie went on to anchor historic rock records for Anouk, drive the live backing band for The Voice of Holland, and play on well over 600 combined albums as legendary session masters. Meanwhile, guitarist Tjeerd van Zanen forged an equally illustrious path as a prolific songwriter and producer, penning multiple hits for the Eurovision Song Contest and crafting hit records for massive Dutch pop icons like Maan and Ilse DeLange.
While this definitive line-up created incredible songs and delivered unforgettable live performances, their work was never formally tracked for a studio album; only raw, energetic demos exist of this era today. Now, decades later, Shoot The Moon (STM) is considering opening the vaults to finally release several of these rare, legendary demo tracks.
Explore the shifting eras and the exceptional musicians who defined the sound of GEO below:
1983 – 1987 Line-up
THE GEO BAND as pictured:
- George Dijkhuis – Lead Vocals
- Tjeerd van Zanen – Guitar
- Michel van Schie – Bass
- Hans Eijkenaar – Drums
- Martin Verdonk – Percussion
- Koen van Baal – Keyboard
- Wilfried Roest – Keyboard
1980 – 1983 Line-up
The first GEO band AS PICTURED:
- George Dijkhuis – Lead Vocals
- Tjeerd van Zanen – Guitar
- Peter Hoogerbrugge – Bass
- Peter Kunst – Drums (1980-1981)
- Hans Greeve – Drums (1981-1982)
1979 Studio & Touring Line-up
Featured on the album “Isn’t It Time To Change” & initial promotional tour:
- George Dijkhuis – Lead Vocals
- Mac Sell – Guitar
- Paul Vink – Keyboard
- Jan Hollestelle – Bass
- Ton op ‘t Hoff – Drums
Note: Tjeerd van Zanen was sometimes on stage as a guest guitarist during this period, and subsequently put together the permanent GEO band that followed.
More than five decades of music, friendship and memorable performances.
Few Dutch singers can point to a career that spans so many eras of popular music. From the beat boom of the sixties, through seventies pop, eighties rock and modern digital rediscovery, Geo Dijkhuis has remained a constant presence.
Just as importantly, GEO became a magnet for talented musicians. Looking through the various line-ups is like reading a who’s who of respected Dutch rock and session players. The project offered a platform where strong songs, musicianship and live performance came together.
For longtime fans, GEO represents more than a band. It represents a period when musicians honed their craft night after night on Dutch stages, building reputations through performance rather than hype. The records remain, but so do the stories, the friendships and the memories.
And that is why GEO continues to matter.
