◄◄ REWIND
In ‘07, AB enthusiastically launched a timeless series: ◄◄ REWIND. Central to this series are Belgian musicians who perform ‘their classic’ in its entirety. Simply call it a milestone in their career or go a little further: a key record for Belgian pop music. Often, but not always, we’re talking about albums that are etched into collective memory. Just call them anchor points in the landscape of Belgian music. So each season a number of performers play their complete ‘pièce de résistance’. Completely? That’s right, in the exact order that they want to tell their story now or wanted to tell it at the time of its success.
With ◄◄ REWIND AB also contributes to the activation of Belgium's musical heritage. Those who have already passed in review: ‘Royalty In Exile’ (The Scabs), ‘Gorky’ (by Gorki), ‘1981-1984’ (The Neon Judgement), ‘The Kids’ (The Kids) and also ‘Nooit Meer Drinken’ (Raymond Van Het Groenewoud).
During this 2010 edition it is the turn of GUIDO BELCANTO with his debut and tear-jerking classic ‘Op Zoek Naar Romantiek’ (from ’89) and also the absurd Dutch-language ‘Jonge Helden’ (from ’83) by ARBEID ADELT, especially reunited for the occasion!

◄◄ REWIND: Guido Belcanto plays 'Op zoek naar Romantiek' (1989)
Guido Belcanto (born Guy Versmissen) is quite simply a formidable crooner. Belcanto was the performer to take the singing of sentimental songs to a higher level in Flanders. Or as radio-maker Gust De Coster suggested in ‘Wit-lof from Belgium’: “Hij voorzag de charmezang van een nieuwe dimensie”. So it's not without reason that Belcanto is hailed as the ‘King of Flemish Song Sentiment’. In the seventies he played in ballroom orchestras, was a busker and variety-performer. In ‘78 he participated in the final of Humo’s Rock Rally with his band Speedy King and his Feetwarmers. He became better known with his band The Gigolo’s, with which he played 50's rock ’n roll. In ’89 he debuted under the pseudonym Guido Belcanto with ‘Op zoek naar romantiek’. Belcanto has already released ten albums, including ‘Plastic Rozen Verwelken Niet’ (from 1990) which is also generally considered a classic. His latest tour – ‘Balzaal der Gebroken Harten’ (with a Decap organ) was certainly one of his most successful tours of Flanders. In ‘06 he even wrote two books: ‘Man van lichte zeden’ and ‘Koning en clochard’.

'Op zoek naar Romantiek' was Belcanto’s debut (produced by Jean Blaute) from ’89. His first single ‘Droevig is deze wereld’ and afterwards ‘Op het zeildoek van de botsauto’s’ set a new standard for sentimental songs. Belcanto song what he wanted to say. He called a spade a spade or just described things as they were. What do you think of: “Iets warm en zacht glijdt uit mijn lichaam de wc-pot in” (“something warm and soft glides out of my body and into the toilet”) from the title song of the same name. Or “ik stond op en ging pissen in de lavabo” (“I stood up and took a piss in the sink”) from ‘Vannacht droomde ik dat ik beroemd was’. ‘Op zoek naar’… contains countless evergreens, like title song, ‘Op Het Zeildoek van de Botsauto’s’, ‘De Vrouw van de Bakker’ and ‘Je betekent Niets als Niemand om je geeft’.

Loved by the common people but – remarkably – also by rockers. Gust De Coster thinks the reason for this is that “Belcanto verpakte zijn melancholische ironie meesterlijk”. However, Belcanto has always been a stranger to his audience. “Te hip voor de goegemeente, te kitscherig voor de intello’s.” according to De Coster.

Belcanto himself certainly finds it an ‘infinite honour’ to appear in the ◄◄ REWIND series. “Ik zie het als een welverdiende beloning voor mijn niet aflatende inspanningen om het Vlaamse lied een nieuwe dimensie te geven en op een hoger niveau te plaatsen. Eindelijk ook een officiële waardering voor een artiest die niet meedraait in het commerciële en artificiële circus van hitparades en awards.”

On his own website, Belcanto decrees as follows: “Ik beschouw deze gebeurtenis als een soort FANDAG. Ik doe dit optreden in de eerste plaats om jullie te bedanken voor 25 jaar liefde. Dus, wees massaal op post, in feestkledij en goed humeur: het is UW feest.” It has been noted.

Afterwards, as ◄◄ REWIND tradition now dictates, GUIDO BELCANTO will be interrogated by Jan Delvaux (author of ‘Big In Belgium. Het Verhaal Van De Belgische Pop’) and Wouter Van Driessche.