Jean Martin went to EMI in London. At the time, EMI was not only the biggest and most famous of all record companies in the world, but also the most prestigious, considering the artists they represented. The greatest pop groups of all times were there to be found:
The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, The Shadows, Joe Cocker…. to mention but a few.
Loaded with the demo tapes of the group, Jean Martin made quite an impression to David Mackay, a producer at EMI who had just arrived from Australia, and Jean convinced David to come to Brussels, the capital of Belgium, to see the Wallace Collection perform on stage.
The meeting took place in a club that was hot, and this resulted in a first contract.
In essence, Raymond Vincent composed the titles that made the repertoire of the band, while the texts were delivered by Sylvain Vanholme and David Mackay.
Singing was assured either by drummer Freddy Nieuland (specialised in vocals), or by guitar player Sylvain Vanholme.
When the group was ready, it started to perform at different venues in London, for instance at the famous Marquee. Very quickly they made an overall good impression, quite remarkable for a band coming from the continent then.
The quality of the six musicians (who, by the way, never made appeal to any studio resident musicians and who played altogether not less than twenty different instruments) gained them the reputation of journalists and professionals in the business, of being the best European group right after The Beatles.
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Jean Martin went to EMI in London. At the time, EMI was not only the biggest and most famous of all record companies in the world, but also the most prestigious, considering the artists they represented. The greatest pop groups of all times were there to be found: