Electric blue - Icehouse

Every time when I order something from far away - in this case, an American promotional cd-single by Cock Robin that I'd been after for some time - I try to look for singles that the seller might have. This particular seller didn't really have anything that I might fancy, but this item was nice and cheap enough to include with my order.

After a long wait, the package arrived this week, and it turns out to be a gorgeous blue vinyl single. I didn't actually know the track 'Electric blue' by Icehouse, but it is one of those Eighties tunes that goes down well. And so this is a nice addition to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7843
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 October 2025
Tracks: 'Electric blue' / 'Over my head' 

I'll keep on loving you - Princess

Although I have become hesitant to buy 12" singles of late, because a lot of them have been released on cd recently on the excellent series Now 12", there are some exceptions. This is a good example: it comes in a gatefold sleeve and contains three remixes of the song. 

Princess became famous because of her collaboration with producers Stock Aitken & Waterman, and that trio was famous for releasing multiple remixes of their hit singles. In this case, Funky Sisters, the New York DJ Cheese and Chad Jackson each contribute a remix, and it makes this disc an attractive purchase. I wasn't disappointed.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'I'll keep on loving you (Funky Sisters mix "Say Dub It")' / 'I'll keep on loving you (Cheese's "Keep on scratching it" mix)', 'I'll keep on loving you (Chad's "Scratch, Mix and Dub Mix")'

Never / These dreams - Heart

I have been buying a lot of singles by Heart recently, but 12" singles weren't on my radar yet. I was quite surprised to bump into one with an 'extended remix' of 'Never', one of the songs from the album Heart which was released in 1985. This 12" single (and the accompanying 7" single) was released in 1988, after the band was very successful with the song 'Alone'. 

The extended remix of 'Never' isn't very shocking - it simply adds a few more instrumental parts of the song - but it is a nice addition to my growing Heart collection.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Never (extended remix)', 'These dreams' / 'Never (remix)', 'These dreams (7" version)' 

For America - Red Box

After the release of the box set Anthology 1980-1990 last year, you might think that there's no reason to buy any Red Box vinyl from that period anymore. But this 10" single was too attractive to leave it in the store. 

It is packaged in a gatefold sleeve and comes with a free shaped 7" single of 'Lean on me'. 'For America' appears here in remixed form. Actually, this purchase made me wonder where the previous 10" single came from. And indeed, it was never released in a fully red sleeve. I was cheated in 2011! At least everything is good now.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'For America (Boys Own mix)' / 'Ain't got no... I got life', 'R 'n' A' // 'Lean on me' / 'Stinging bee'

Hero takes a fall - The Bangles

'Hero takes a fall' is an early single by the Bangles, taken from their debut album All over the place. I remember seeing the music video on television. I always thought it was a big hit, but it didn't even chart in the UK and Europe.

The B-side is a cover version of 'Where were you when I needed you' by The Grass Roots. The label of this single states that the song was taken from the album also, but that's incorrect; the track is recorded for this B-side. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7831
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Hero takes a fall' / 'Where were you when I needed you'

Michael Jackson medley - Ashaye

When Michael Jackson was at the peak of his career, several other artists tried to profit from his success as well. There was the Club House version of 'Billie Jean', of course, but also a lesser known Michael Jackson medley performed by Ashaye.

I never actually heard of this single, but apparently it was a minor success. In October 1983 it spent three weeks in the UK singles chart, peaking at number 45. Ashaye later teamed up with musicians/songwriters Robert Chandler, Nick Austin and Alex Palmer and under the new label V4 Visions more hits followed: 'What's This World Coming To' and the garage track 'Fantasy'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7829
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Michael Jackson medley' / 'Electricity' 

We belong - Pat Benatar

Picture discs are, of course, always interesting. So whenever there's a little box of picture discs, I go through it to see if I can grab anything. In this case, I managed to find a beautiful little picture disc of Pat Benatar's 'We belong'. I never saw this one before. I bought the original single in 1994. 

The song earned Benatar a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance alongside Linda Ronstadt, Tina Turner, Madonna, and Whitney Houston. It was awarded a gold certification in Canada for sales in excess of 50,000 units.

My collection: 7" single no. 7827
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 29 October 2025
Tracks: 'We belong' / 'Suburban king' 

Comment te dire adieu - Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston

Back in 1990, I bought 'Comment te dire adieu' cheaply, without a picture sleeve. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that copy had originally been inside a limited edition gatefold sleeve, because the exact same sort of black sleeve appears within this rather more attractive packaging. The inside of the gatefold sleeve shows the full lyrics of the song alongside another picture of the duo singing it.

June Miles-Kingston was a founding member of the Mo-dettes, which lasted from 1979 to 1982. She later became a session drummer and backing vocalist for a variety of British post-punk, new wave, and pop artists. In the Nineties she studied fine art at St. Martin's and filmmaking at the University of Sussex. Her film Dear Miss Bassey was awarded a prize at the London 'Shorts' Film Festival.

My collection: 7" single no. 7826
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 29 October 2025
Tracks: 'Comment te dire adieu' / 'Tell the world' 

Waterfront - Simple Minds

The last record shop I visited during my stay in Vienna was actually the first one I visited when I was in Vienna back in September 2017. In the meantime, the shop had moved to a different address, although their stock was still the same: clothing and records. Unfortunately I didn't find a lot of interesting singles this time, and I was actually afraid that I would have to leave the shop after searching for 20 minutes and finding nothing. That's always a bit embarrassing.

But fortunately there was some 'Record Store Day' stock in a corner, and that's where I found this picture disc single. I knew it existed, but I hadn't been able to find it yet. It was released back in 2015, and features one of the Simple Mind's better singles. It was a nice item to finish the week with.

My collection: 7" single no. 7825
Found: Record Bag, Vienna, 18 October 2025
Tracks: 'Waterfront' / 'Hunter and the hunted' 

Sunset people - Donna Summer

Here's another Donna Summer single that I already have, but in an Austrian pressing with a different sleeve. I think this sleeve is better, actually, but also the fact that this one only cost me 50 eurocents was a factor.

'Sunset people' was written by Harold Faltermeyer, together with Pete Belotte and Keith Forsey. The song was produced by Giorgio Moroder and Belotte.

My collection: 7" single no. 7818
Found: Wienyl, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Sunset people' / 'Our love' 

See that glow (NYC edit) - This Island Earth

After the 7" single and 12" single of 'See that glow', I thought I had all versions of the song by This Island Earth, so I was pretty surprised to find this single. I never knew it existed, and the last thing you would expect to find in an Austrian record store in a UK pressing of a single. It was actually the last thing I found there, coincidentally.

'See that glow' was originally released in 1984, but this remixed version was released three years later. It brings back great memories of what was essentially a one hit wonder.

My collection: 7" single no. 7817
Found: Lenny's Music Store, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'See that glow (NYC edit)' / 'Euroglow (edit)' 

Oh baby - Münchener Freiheit

According to Wikipedia, 'Oh baby' was the first single by Münchener Freiheit, released in 1984. In reality it was actually their fourth single, taken from their second album Licht, released in 1983. The single is notable for its slightly primitive pop sensibility; the track isn't as polished as their later work. 

'Oh baby' was, however, the first hit the band had. It reached number 23 in Germany in the year before 'Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut Nacht nicht ein', which became number 2 and a charttopper in Austria and Switzerland. Good things were ahead for the band, but how were they to know?

My collection: 7" single no. 7815
Found: Lenny's Music Store, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Oh baby' / 'Melancholie' 

Rise - PIL

'Rise' was written by John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) and Bill Laswell about apartheid in South Africa, specifically about Nelson Mandela as Lydon stated in a 2013 Glastonbury interview. Lydon also referred to alleged Royal Ulster Constabulary interrogation techniques, such as electric torture, in an MTV interview in 1987. The song contains the phrase 'may the road rise with you', which is a direct translation of the old Irish blessing "go n-éirí an bóthar leat" (usually translated as "may the road rise up to meet you"). The phrase "anger is an energy" became the title of Lydon's 2014 autobiography. 

It was one of the group's biggest commercial hits, peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. I remember being impressed with the song when it came out, but somehow I never bought the single. So finally, here it is, almost four decades later.

My collection: 7" single no. 7810
Found: Lenny's Music Store, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Rise' / 'Rise (instrumental)' 

Jones the rhythm - Grace Jones

Perhaps it's no wonder that I bought this single because the sleeve is much more interesting than the 'Jones the rhythm' single I bought in 2009. The picture is a crop from the album which this track is traken from: Slave to the rhythm, the experimental remix album released in 1985, circling around 'Slave to the rhythm', Grace Jones's hit single from that year.

'Jones the rhythm' was not a charting success, having been somewhat overshadowed by the huge success of the lead single, and partially due to lack of promotion.  

My collection: 7" single no. 7809
Found: Lenny's Music Store, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Jones the rhythm' / 'Junkyard' 

Master and servant - Depeche Mode

During the first few years of their career, Depeche Mode released many singles and the German record company released them on red vinyl for the first edition. I started buying them recently - 'Blasphemous rumours / Somebody' being the first one - and I was lucky enough to find another one in Vienna.

'Master and servant' is a rather blunt song that Depeche Mode would never play live again these days. In fact, a live album is released soon, and this track is missing once again. It's not a bad song, but I think Martin and Dave are a bit embarrassed by it now. Pretty red disc though.

My collection: 7" single no. 7808
Found: Lenny's Music Store, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Master and servant' / '(Set me free) Remotivate me' 

Ant rap - Adam and the Ants

'Ant rap' was written by Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni, the song was remixed from the version on the group's 1981 album Prince Charming. It entered the UK Singles Chart in December 1981 at number 9 before rising to a peak position of number three. While widely panned by critics, it was one of the earliest rap singles to chart in the UK.

Ant boasts of his success and his ability to dance, and calls out the anarchists of the music scene, affirming he was never concerned with receiving their "credibility". The song ended up being the band's penultimate single; in 1982 they only released 'Deutscher Girls' from the Jubilee soundtrack.

My collection: 7" single no. 7801
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025
Tracks: 'Ant rap' / 'Friends' 

The winner takes it all - Abba

The story of 'The winner takes it all' was told on this blog in 2008. I wanted to buy the single during a holiday in Vienna when I was just nine years old, but I was talked out of it. I bought the Dutch pressing of the single a few months later for half price. 

But the story continues! I bought the Austrian pressing last week, during my stay in Vienna. And so it all comes full circle, after 45 years. That's pretty impressive. Even more impressive: this is by far the most colourful version of the sleeve. The blue is deeper than on any other sleeve pressed in Europe.

A good example of this is the French edition, which I bought last year. Instead of the Polydor logo the Vogue logo appears in the bottom left corner, but the photographs look dull and greyish.

My collection: 7" single no. 7797 / no. 7377
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025 / Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'The winner takes it all' / 'Elaine' 

Fantastic day - Haircut One Hundred

Although I bought 'Fantastic day' back in 2009, I didn't know that there was also a picture disc edition. So I stand corrected! Of course, this picture disc contains a live version instead of the studio version, so it is a worthwhile addition to my collection in more ways.

'Fantastic day' peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart and a more modest number 85 in Australia.

My collection: 7" single no. 7794
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'Fantastic day (live)' / 'Ski club' 

The fool on the hill - Alice

Italian singer Alice has an impressive career in Italy, but because she records almost exclusively in Italian she never managed to build a career in the rest of Europe. Almost, because occasionally she includes an English language song in her albums. 

'The fool on the hill' is of course a cover version of the Beatles song, and it is reasonably well done. Of course there is always the Italian accent, and the music was a bit synthetic, but the melody stands strong. It's a lovely little single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7793
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'The fool on the hill' / 'Il vento caldo dell'estate' 

Dancing in the sheets - Shalamar

In 1983, Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel left Shalamar due to conflicts within the group as well as issues with their record company. They were replaced by Micki Free and Delisa Davis and continued by recording 'Dancing in the sheets' for the soundtrack of the movie Footloose. The single was released in 1984 and reached number 41 in the UK singles chart and number 17 in the US Billboard Hot 100. 

'Dancing in the sheets' was included on Shalamar's eighth album, Heartbreak, released before the end of 1984. Hewett departed the group in 1985 to begin a solo career. Sydney Justin took over as lead vocalist for Circumstantial Evidence (1987) and Wake Up (1990), Shalamar's final pair of albums before they disbanded. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7788
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025 
Tracks: 'Dancing in the sheets' / 'Dancing in the sheets (instrumental)'