Showing posts with label 2010s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010s. Show all posts

Sunday 28 January 2024

Heroes (live) - David Bowie

'Heroes' is undoubtedly one of the highlights of David Bowie's genre, perhaps bridging the gap between lovers of 'Seventies Bowie' and 'Eighties Bowie'. This particular single seems to be an unofficial released by Reel to Reel Records, featuring two different live versions of the track.

The first recording was made live at Montreal Forum on 13 July 1983, the second was recorded live at the Tokyo Dome, 16 May 1990. The two don't sound very different really, but it's a nice item for fans nonetheless. The added attraction of it being a picture disc drew me in - after all, there have been quite a few picture disc releases of Bowie during the last decade.

My collection: 7" single no. 7116
Found: Sounds, Delft, 27 January 2024
Tracks: 'Heroes (live at Montreal Forum, Montreal, Canada, 13th July 1983)' / 'Heroes (live at Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan, 16 May 1990)'

Sunday 10 December 2023

Pianos, strings and some other things - Jeff Wayne

Recently Jeff Wayne announced another live tour of his 'War of the worlds' epic, planned for 2025. It's both impressive and a little sad that the entire career of the man has become synonymous with this one double album, originally released in 1978 - a whopping 45 years ago. 

Another example of his enduring obsession with the project is this Record Store Day release from 2019. 'Pianos, strings and some other things' is, and I am being irreverent here, an elevator music adaptation of four of the tracks from that very same album, 'War of the worlds'. After remix albums and a 'new generation' version this was the latest new take on the music. Well, at least the tracks are very well done, I have to admit. So I am still glad I managed to pick up a copy of this 12" single.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 26 August 2023
Tracks: 'The eve of the war', 'Forever autumn' / 'The red weed', 'Brave new world'

Saturday 18 November 2023

Zero gravity - Kate Miller-Heidke

'Zero gravity' could be described as a pop-opera song. Kate Miller-Heidke wrote the song following her experience with post-natal depression after the birth of her son, Ernie, and how she felt "weightless" as she recovered. In an interview with broadcaster SBS, Miller-Heidke said she has always known of Eurovision, but became more invested since Australia became involved. She said "I think what I love about Eurovision is the permission to go a bit bonkers and I love how it embraces all different genres and different levels of experimental music and performance. I love how theatrical it is."

Theatrical is a way to describe her performance: it was over the top, with the singer swaying about on high poles, before a background of stars. The Cirque du Soleil-inspired performance made the song very popular with viewers. Still, it finished in ninth place.

A blue vinyl single was released in 2020 in an edition of 284 copies. My copy is number 188.

My collection: 7" single no. 7078
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Zero gravity' / 'Zero gravity (acoustic)'

Friday 28 April 2023

Don't give in - Snow Patrol

Sometimes when you wait long enough records become affordable. Take for instance this 10" single from Snow Patrol, released on Record Store Day in 2018. It features only two tracks, but it was pressed on off black colour recycled vinyl in commemoration of International World Earth Day 2018. Hence the price target of almost 20 euros. 

However, during the last record fair I visited, a stack of these records were on sale for only 5 euros. Obviously that was what I was waiting for. I like Snow Patrol, but not so much that I am willing to shell out 20 euros for two tracks. 5 euros? Better.

My collection: 10" single [unnumberd]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 22 April 2023
Tracks: 'Don't give in' / 'Life on earth'

Friday 13 January 2023

Here again - Mighty high

Few will have missed the resurgence of Kate Bush last year, because she went number 1 in several countries with 'Running Up That Hill', all because of a certain Netflix series. But Kate Bush has always been around, ever since she debuted with 'Wuthering Heights' in 1978 and the follow-up single 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes'. 

It is that latter song that has been remixed by Mighty High some time around 2010. I bought the 12" single, which was released unofficially, last year, but for some reason it didn't appear on this blog yet. As I am rectifying that, it's a good chance to listen to this interesting version of a classic song.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 June 2022
Tracks: 'Here again (vocal mix)' / 'Here again (dub mix)'

Saturday 24 September 2022

Verona - Koit Toome & Laura

It's always nice when Eurovision songs are released on 7" or CD-single. Somehow, a 12" release is always a bit of a pain - especially when a song is released on 12" only. This was the case with one of the best entries in the Eurovision Song Contest of 2017 - 'Verona' by Koit Toome and Laura from Estonia. For a long time, this 12" single was only available for premium prices, and sad to say, the price hasn't really dropped in the years that followed.

Still, this particular 12" single was worth obtaining, because it offers six different versions of the song. I can't help but wonder why this was not released on a CD-single as well, but we know by now that record companies are not interested in consumer preferences. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 September 2022
Tracks: 'Verona (radio version), 'Verona (Italian version)', 'Verona (Moon Taxi remix)' / 'Verona (Eurovision 2017 version)', 'Verona (club remix)', 'Verona (1985 version)'

Saturday 25 December 2021

Christmas lights - Coldplay

'Christmas Lights' was originally released on 1 December 2020 as a digital download single. According to lead singer Chris Martin, it was written in December 2008. This blue vinyl 7" single was released ten years later to mark the song's tenth anniversary. The band's version of 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas' was recorded during a live session for BBC Radio 1. Another physical release happened this year: single was re-released on black recycled vinyl.  

The cover of the single was designed by Yu Matsuoka Pol, a Japanese artist who was born in 1978 and lives and works in Brussels (Belgium).

My collection: 7" single no. 6487
Found: Amazon, received 21 October 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Christmas lights' / 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas'



Thursday 9 December 2021

Arcade - Duncan Laurence

Two weeks ago it was Black Friday, and for some reason this prompted various record companies to release limited edition records on vinyl. My recent purchase of 'No time to die' was one of them, and this 10" single is another one. 

This disc presents four different versions of Duncan Laurence's triumphant Eurovision song 'Arcade' - the one that gave him victory two years ago. Besides the two versions already on the 7" single, this disc presents a duet version with a certain Fletcher (no, I'd never heard of her either, but it appears she is an American singer/songwriter) and a remix by Sam Feldt (who the hell...?). 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Tracks: 'Arcade', 'Arcade (acoustic version)' / 'Arcade (feat. Fletcher)', 'Arcade (Sam Feldt remix)'

Friday 27 August 2021

Party for everybody - Buranovskie Babushki

The Buranovksie Babushki formed in the 1970s in Buranovo, a small rural locality in the Udmurt Republic of Russia. They became famous when they participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 (although they also tried to represent Russia in 2010, when they ended up in third place). In 2010, the group started a fund for the rebuilding of Trinity Church in Buranovo and all of the group's income is donated into this fund. The Trinity Church was originally built, of stone, in 1865, but was closed on 19 September 1939 by the Soviet administration and demolished. The present wooden church is in poor condition. The church was finally opened and consecrated on June 20, 2016.

Meanwhile, 'Party for everybody' became a cult classic, best known for the fairly ridiculous stage act involving six elderly women and an oven in which they were baking cookies. This picture disc 12" single features no less than 10 versions of the song, with remixes by various Russian DJ's. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 August 2021
Cost: $10
Tracks: 'Party For Everybody (Original Version)', 'Party For Everybody (Official Eurovision 2012 DJ Slon Party Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (DJ Karas Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (Music People Deejays Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (T.V.M. Remix (Radio Cut))' / 'Party For Everybody (Ed Mortel & Michel Nekoz Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (KJ AIGer Remix) (DFM Version)', 'Party For Everybody (DJ Smash Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (DJ Sanya_JC Remix)', '    Party For Everybody (Doberman Remix (Radio Edit))'

 

Wednesday 5 May 2021

Soldi - Mahmood

Alessandro Mahmood represented Italy during the 2019 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Born in Milan to an Italian mother from Sardinia and an Egyptian father, he was raised around Gratosoglio, a district of Milan.When he was five years old, his parents divorced and he was subsequently raised by his mother.

Mahmood revealed he started writing the song while hanging out with some friends. Its lyrics explore Mahmood's relationship with his father. It depicts a lying, contradictory and unreliable father, whose main priority is money instead of his own family. Mahmood explained that the song's lyrics "evoke a memory" and that "there's a lot of anger" in it. This was reflected during his performance: he looked angry throughout his appearance on the Eurovision stage, which surprisingly didn't affect the score: he finished in second place during the Eurovision final. 

This 7" single was sold together with the album 'Gioventù Bruciata' in Italy. Both the CD and this single feature two versions of the song 'Soldi'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6374
Found: Amazon Germany, received 24 April 2021
Cost: 20 euro (CD + single)
Tracks: 'Soldi' / 'Soldi (feat. Gue Pequeno)'

Monday 21 December 2020

60's World - Marty Wilde featuring Kim Wilde

2020 was a historic year for Marty Wilde. Not only did he release a new studio album, it also reached the UK albums chart. This made him the first British singer to have a hit in every decade since the 1950's. Earlier this month he was also the first British artist to receive a vaccination against the Covid-19 virus. 

All these feats aside, one would almost forget the most amazing feat of all: releasing a 7" single together with his daughter Kim Wilde for the first time! '60's World' was released at the beginning of December - available only in combination with the vinyl double LP for 'Running Together'. The single features two tracks from the album: '60's World' (the duet with Kim) and 'Rockabilly Dreams', one of the most engaging tracks on the album. The fact that the sleeve was signed by Marty and Kim makes this a true collector's item for anyone who ordered this beauty.

My collection: 7" single no. 6332 
Found: MartyWilde.com website (UK), received December 20, 2020
Tracks: '60's World' / 'Rockabilly Dreams'

Saturday 14 November 2020

Magic - Kylie Minogue

...and so the next entry in this blog is another Kylie single. 'Magic' was released as the second single from her 'Disco' album and it is pressed on orange vinyl. The single version of the track is half a minute shorter than the album version. 

While the album 'Disco' has reached number 1 in the UK albums chart, this single has only reached number 53 in the UK singles chart. In fact, Kylie hasn't had a top 10 hit in the UK since her collaboration with a certain Taio Cruz in 2011. This is odd, because I think she is still one of the most successful female singers in pop history. I guess the singles chart is full of weird stuff these days. But hey, I'm too old to listen to any top 40 anyway. I'd rather listen to this.

My collection: 7" single no. 6330
Found: Townsend Music, received November 14, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Magic' / 'Till you love somebody'

Say something - Kylie Minogue

I haven't bought a lot of singles recently, and that's mostly down to the amount of new albums and box sets that I have added to my collection. I can only spend my budget once - which is also why I had some doubts about buying this single. It was offered online via the official website of Kylie, and while the promise of a red vinyl single was very tempting, the price was just a bit too steep, especially with added postage. But fortunately the next single was waiting in the wings, so buying both of them for the same amount of postage didn't make it as expensive a purchase.

Kylie's new album is called 'Disco' and that is probably the best description of her new tracks. As far as pop tracks go, this is a very decent effort, and if you ask me, certainly more alluring than her previous album which I personally felt to be a little disappointing. Extra points for including an inner sleeve that lists all the credits for each track; a stunning design for a beautiful see-through red vinyl single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6329
Found: Townsend Music, received November 14, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Say something' / 'Say something (acoustic)'

Sunday 18 October 2020

No time to die - Billie Eilish

James Bond fans have not had a good year. Originally planned for April, the 25th Bond movie 'No time to die' was rescheduled to October because of the covid pandemic. And when this pandemic did not seem to come to an end, the movie was rescheduled again, until April next year. My guess is that in March we will hear that 'No time to die' will again be rescheduled. But we'll see.

But there was more to be depressed about. The theme song for the movie was recorded by Billie Eilish. For some, usually younger, people this was something to get excited about, but personally I had hoped for someone better. This song was my first encounter with miss Eilish but my conclusion is that she has definite problems articulating her words. Who remembers the excitement of 'Goldfinger', 'Live and let die', 'A view to a kill' and even 'Skyfall'? Well, listen to this and you will probably feel like locking yourself up in a dark room. Even Hans Zimmer's orchestral arrangement can't save this track. It is an addition to my collection of James Bond theme song singles, but not one I am particularly impressed by. Well, at least the vinyl is a curios shade of marbled grey.

My collection: 7" single no. 6328
Found: HHV, Germany, received October 8, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'No time to die' / 'No time to die (instrumental)'

Radar love - Golden Earring

I haven't got many singles by the Golden Earring because basically I find their music a bit boring. Much like the Rolling Stones, they have been making the same kind of music since they started, and it doesn't really appeal to me. 

However, 'Radar Love' is one of those tracks that has become a classic and when I used to listen to the Top 100 of all times this one was always played somewhere in the last hour of the show. The song was a hit in the USA, which I guess is a feat for a Dutch band. I never bought the single, though, probably because I never came across a good copy. That changed recently, as the single was released for this year's Record Store Day, and so I bumped into this one in a real shop. Yellow vinyl, a limited edition of 2500 copies....? I couldn't resist. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6327
Found: Paagman, Den Haag, October 3, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Radar love (UK single version)' / 'Radar love (Moontan LP version)'

Friday 25 September 2020

We can't stop what's coming - The The

After the successful albums from the 1980's and 1990's, The The suddenly disappeared from the radar... or so it seemed. Matt Johnson, who basically is The The, continued recording music, but his soundtracks released on the Cinéola label were for a much more limited audience.

For 2017's Record Store Day, after premiering the song on a Radio Cineola broadcast, the The released a new 7" record called "We Can't Stop What's Coming", collaborating once again with Johnny Marr. The single was originally released with an etched side. This single is the white vinyl single that appeared shortly thereafter - also with just one track on it. I had to wait until the price came down a bit... and fortunately it did.

My collection: 7" single no. 6324
Found: Discogs.com, received September 24, 2020
Cost: 6 pounds
Tracks: 'We can't stop what's coming'

Wednesday 29 July 2020

Bring me to life (Synthesis) - Evanescence

Evanescence's exercise of fusing their hardrock tracks with a symphonic orchestra on the album 'Synthesis' has created one of the best albums of recent years, in my opinion. This picture disc single was released in a limited edition of 499 copies (one might wonder where number 500 went), distributed with the German rock magazine Sonic Seducer.

When I ordered that magazine last year it came with a cd-single, but for some reason the online shop recently carried a version that also included this picture disc 7". Oh well, I had to buy it - albeit grudgingly.

My collection: 7" single no. 6309
Found: Sonic Seducer webshop, received July 29, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Bring me to life (Synthesis)' / 'Bring me to life (Synthesis) (instrumental)'

You'll always find me in the kitchen at parties - Jona Lewie

During holidays I make a point of visiting local record shops, which this year was a bit of a challenge since the small town of Dahn in Germany didn't have any and I only had a few hours to visit the inner city of Worms, where one record shop was located. But I did get there, so I had a chance to check it out.

Unfortunately the shop only had one box of 7" singles, and they were all Record Store Day releases too. You know, Record Store Day is the annual event that causes record companies to release horribly expensive items that are unavailable to the real fans of artists who are then forced to buy the items at inflated prices via Ebay. What's left in shops are usually the discs that only a few people are after. And so it was in this case. However, I did find one copy of this single, pressed on green vinyl for Record Store Day 2016. It is a re-edition of Jona Lewie's single from 1980. Interestingly, the B-side of this edition is 'Hallelujah Europa', which was released as a single in 1978.

My collection: 7" single no. 6307
Found: Heaven Records, Worms (Germany)
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'You'll always find me in the kitches at parties' / 'Hallelujah Europa'

Sunday 16 February 2020

Be my next ex-girlfriend - La muñeca de sal & Anthony Reynolds

La muñeca de sal is a Spanish band, which formed during the 1990's, releasing their debut album 'Ultra-Realidad' in 1997. Welsh singer Anthony Reynolds joined them on this EP with the appealing title 'Be my next ex-girlfriend', released in 2010.

The pull of this EP was a cover version of Colin Vearncombe a.k.a. Black's 'Wonderful life', but rather surprisingly, it is the weakest track of this three track EP. Probably because the execution of this perfect song is a bit shoddy for my taste. The instrumental 'Luto', however, is beautifully atmospheric and the A-side track, 'Be my next ex-girlfriend', is a solid pop song. Sometimes singles can surprise you.

My collection: 7" single no. 6260
Found: Discogs.com, received February 13, 2020
Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Be my next ex-girlfriend' / 'Wonderful life', 'Luto'

I feel for you - Prince

Utter the words 'I feel for you', and most people who are into Eighties music will immediately respond with the name Chaka Khan. For it was her who made the song immortal, with the stuttering 'Ch-ch-chaka khan' intro provided by rapper Melle Mel, and its funky sound effects. But the song was written by Prince - and not only that, he recorded the song on his eponymous second album, released in October 1979.

Prince passed away in 2016, and since then, his famous 'vault' has been used to release several albums and singles. This single is the most recent release, pressed on purple vinyl (how appropriate) and presenting for the first time a demo he recorded for the song. It is an interesting release, because you can clearly hear that it was recorded on cassette and it runs for over four minutes, longer than the eventual album version. The fact that the sleeve is pretty beautiful too makes this an interesting package for Prince fans and music lovers everywhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 6257
Found: Prince website, received February 5, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'I feel for you (acoustic demo)' / 'I feel for you'
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