King without a crown - ABC

The third single from ABC's successful comeback album 'Alphabet street' was 'King without a crown'. Besides the single, 12" single and cd-single there were also some promo 12" singles doing the rounds. This one-sided disc was one of them. I scooped it up in a record shop in London, some time after its release. It's one of those moments when you know that you've bought something exclusive. The remix on this disc wasn't released commercially, and that makes it very worthwhile.

My collection: 12" single no. 131

Found: London, 1992

Cost: 5 pounds

Tracks: 'King without a crown (The Mendelsohn mix)'

Download: here

Be near me - ABC

ABC had reasonable success with this single, reaching no. 25 in the UK singles chart in the summer of 1985. 'Be near me' by ABC was released as a double single in a strictly limited edition. The second single contained remixes of two of ABC's biggest hits from 1982: 'Poison arrow' and 'The look of love'. Previously released as DJ remixes in the USA, those 12" singles were changing hands on the black market for vastly inflated prices - or so the sleeve of this double single claims - and so the record company decided to release them on this double single.

For some time, the - frankly wonderful - remix of 'Poison arrow' was played regularly on local radio in my hometown, and I started searching for this double single. I was overjoyed when I finally saw it and had the opportunity to buy it. I regarded it as a crown jewel in my record collection. In a way, I still do.

My collection: 7" single no. 350

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 14,95 guilders

Tracks: 'Be near me' / 'A to Z' // 'Poison arrow (US remix)' / 'The look of love (US remix)'

Download: here

Ocean blue - ABC

I have to admit that I missed the release of 'Ocean blue' when it happened and only found out about it some time after the fact. I bought the single via mailorder, and the 12" single just appeared out of nowhere in a shop some time after that.

ABC's album 'How to be a zillionaire' was not one of their most successful ones, even though the first single 'Be near me' broke the US market. The Ecstacy mix of that track on this 12" single is a bit tedious, though. The two versions of 'Ocean blue' are worthy of a spin or two; they're beautifully arranged tracks.

My collection: 12" single no. 117

Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, 1991

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Ocean blue (Atlantic mix)', 'Tower of London' / 'Be near me (Ecstacy mix)', 'Ocean blue (Pacific mix)'

Download: here

How to be a millionaire - ABC

After the glitzy kitschpop of 'Lexicon of love' and the harder edged rock of 'Beauty stab', ABC reinvented themselves as cartoon characters and released 1984's 'How to be a millionaire'. The accompanying video was a Hanna-Barbera style motion cartoon, presenting Martin Fry and Mark White in their new cartoon guise, plus the two new band members Fiona (a busty brunette) and David (a short bald guy).

It wasn't a big success chart-wise: it only reached no. 49 in the UK, and it didn't even chart in the Netherlands. It would take a while for them to have big hits again...

My collection: 7" single no. 1604

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'How to be a millionaire' / 'How to be a billionaire'

Download: here