Horsell Common and the Heat Ray - Jeff Wayne

I didn't know this single existed. It was released in 1981, when Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' album was edited into a single LP and released as 'Highlights from The War of the Worlds'. The single featured an edited version of 'Horsell Common and the Heat Ray', with an extra sprinkling of 'Ulla's here and there.

Oddly enough, this is an instrumental track and anyone could have foreseen that this wouldn't be a hit. But perhaps record company executives were more optimistic back then, I don't know. It is a nice addition to my ever growing collection of 'War of the Worlds' singles anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 5986
Found: Vinyl Tap, received February 1, 2019
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Horsell Common and the Heat Ray' / 'Dead London'

Que mas quisiera yo - Massiel

Spanish singer Massiel won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968 with the song 'La la la'. It was a much-criticised win, which 40 years later was revealed to be fraudulent. Whatever the facts, 'La la la' remains a curiosity: in a contest that has given us many 'la's through the years, this song probably used that two letter word the most.

I didn't know until recently that a live version of the song existed and was put on a B-side of a single. In 1985, Massiel, who was still a performing artist in Spain after all those years, released 'Que mas quisiera yo', with 'La la la' in a live version on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 5979
Found: Discogs.com, received January 4, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Que mas quisiera yo' / 'La la la (live)'

Dame! Dame! Dame! - Abba

Abba was a successful band, but while they were having success in Europe and beyond, they also achieved quite a bit in the Spanish-speaking world. They translated some of their songs and released them as a single in those countries as well.

Obviously, since these singles were never released around these parts, I never actually bought them. Since I recently completed my collection of 'normal' Abba singles, these rarities have started to catch my eye. I recently acquired two Spanish Abba singles, and this the first of them: 'Dame! Dame! Dame!' is the Spanish version of 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!'. Although it is not among their most successful singles, it has always been one of my own favourites, and hearing it in Spanish is something special.

My collection: 7" single no. 5978
Found: Discogs.com, received January 4, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dame! Dame! Dame!' / 'The king has lost his crown'

We'll be dancing - Time Bandits

The 12" single of 'We'll be dancing' treats the listener to three versions of the song. All three remixes were made by Rutger Kroese, which causes the 12" single to become a bit repetitive.

Having posted a lot of Time Bandits 12" singles on this blog recently, I can't help but being surprised that none of these have ever appeared on CD or even on those streaming services that seem so popular these days. It just goes to prove that nothing beats a good record collection: you get to own the music you like instead of relying on incomplete online collections.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 August 2017
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'We'll be dancing (club remix)' / 'We'll be dancing (dub remix)', 'We'll be dancing (reprise)'

Only a fool - Time Bandits

There have been some Time Bandits 12" singles on this blog recently, but it appears I forgot to post a few. So here goes: I bought 'Only a fool' last year as part of a stack of Time Bandits 12" singles. I bought the 7" single in 2010, despite not knowing the song too well.

This 12" single contains an extended remix with a beautiful instrumental intro. It is an improvement on the single version, I think.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, July 14, 2017
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Only a fool (extended remix)' / '1 2 3'

I'm not afraid - Black

I couldn't let the year pass without sparing a thought for Colin Vearncombe, the sole member of the band Black, who tragically died in January 2016. My collection of his records is pretty complete, but once in a while I still find a version I don't have yet.

Like this Japanese single of 'I'm not afraid'. I love Japanese singles for their beautiful appearance (a vinyl single in a record company sleeve with an insert that usually contains some Japanese translation of the lyrics). Curiously, there are no Japanese 7" singles of 'Sweetest smile' and 'Wonderful life', so this single appears to be a one-off.

My collection: 7" single no. 5948
Found: Recordsale.de website, received November 3, 2018
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'I'm not afraid' / 'Have it your own way'

Go for it! - Risqué

Risqué's 1984 single 'Go for it' was produced by Sander Bos and Ben Liebrand. I bought the 7" single in 2009, and almost a decade later I found a cheap copy of the 12" single.

It features two remixes of the track: the long version and the dance version. There are many similarities between the two, but then they were presumably both created by the same remixer. The track times on the sleeve are incorrect: the remixes clock in at 7 minutes and 6 minutes and 50 seconds respectively.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received December 22, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Go for it! (Long version)' / 'Go for it! (Dance version)'

Shine for tomorrow - Gili & Galit

The 1989 Eurovision Song Contest became immortal for me because I managed to find a CD featuring almost all of the songs from that year, and I played it almost constantly during that year. Those songs have become a firm part of my memory and I would be very happy to find all the singles that were released.

To prove that it's not the easiest task, I have seen some of them online for ridiculous prices. This Israeli entry commands prices of at least 14 euros these days, so I was very lucky to find a copy for less recently. 'Shine for tomorrow' is a reasonably good song, marred only by the young boy who probably only competed for his 'cute factor', not for his ability to sing well.

My collection: 7" single no. 5968
Found: Discogs.com, received December 7, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Shine for tomorrow' / 'Derech ha'melech'

O Supermarkt - Rudolf de Robot

The joke will be lost on those who can't understand Dutch, but this song is as ridiculous as the title sounds: 'O Supermarkt' ('O Supermarket') is a parody of the Laurie Anderson song 'O Superman'. While that is a truly magnificent song, it is almost too easy to make fun of the repeating 'ah ah ah' sound in it.In this parody, Rudolf the Robot goes into the supermarket to search for chicken soup. Of course it is hard to find, like anything in any supermarket. And then of course the battery runs low... To fully appreciate the joke, you'll have to learn Dutch.

I knew about this song almost immediately after it came out, but never came across a cheap enough copy. Until yesterday.

My collection: 7" single no. 5976
Found: Top 2000 café, Circus, Den Haag
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'O Supermarkt' / 'Mag ik even uw aandacht?'

Without you - David Bowie

In my mind, only three singles were ever taken from David Bowie's 1983 album 'Let's Dance': the title track, 'China Girl' and 'Modern Love'. And then I saw this single yesterday: 'Without you'. The sleeve looked vaguely familiar - because of the Keith Haring artwork I bet - but otherwise I have no recollection of this ever being released.

Sure enough, the single only charted in the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching a lowly number 73. Both the A- and B-side appear on the album. And unusually, the guitar riff on 'Criminal World' sounds a lot like the one in Dutch band Frank Boeijen Groep's 'Doe iets'. Or was it the other way around? Probably...

My collection: 7" single no. 5975
Found: Top 2000 café, Circus, Den Haag
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Without you' / 'Criminal world'

The angels cry - Agnetha Fältskog

My second find in the circus tent yesterday was this single by Agnetha Fältskog. I have always had an interest in Abba and, slighly less important, its individual members. 'The angels cry' was written by Justin Hayward and released in 1985 as a single from Agnetha's solo album 'Eyes of a woman', the follow-up to the more successful solo album 'Wrap your arms around me'.

I was shocked to find out that the single is for sale online for prices upwards of 86 UK pounds. It is a nice single, but it doesn't warrant such a high price. That said, if someone offers me a 100 euros for this one, it may not be in my collection for long...

My collection: 7" single no. 5973
Found: Top 2000 café, Circus, Den Haag
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'The angels cry' / 'We move as one'

You're hurting me - Dora

In 1986, Portugal was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by Dora Maria Reis Dias de Jesus (born 1966), simply called Dora for the occasion. She sang the song 'Não sejas mau para mim', written by Guilherme Inês, Zé Da Ponte and Luís Manuel de Oliveira Fernandes. The song finished in 14th place in a field of 20 competitors.

For this single release, the song was translated by Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey and called 'You're hurting me'. It was released in several European countries but without any chart success.

My collection: 7" single no. 5962
Found: Discogs.com, received December 7, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'You're hurting me' / 'This will be the last time'

Send me an angel 88 version - Real Life

The Australian band Real Life became one of the shooting stars of the year 1984 when they released 'Send me an angel'. In Germany they reached number 1 in the singles charts, and stayed there for four weeks.

In 1988, the band released a remixed version of the track. The single appeared on translucent red vinyl, making it more interesting for the record buying public. Still, this single didn't chart in Germany. The remix did fairly well in Australia and the USA, reaching number 51 and 26 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 5953
Found: Discogs.com, received November 14, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Send me an angel 88 version' / 'Send me an angel (Cloud nine mix)'

Don't talk to me about love - Altered Images

Another band I've seen live at the beginning of this century, was Altered Images. Actually, it was only Clare Grogan because the rest of the band didn't participate in the Here & Now tours that went around the UK arenas back then.

Of course, I already owned 'Don't talk to me about love': I bought the 7" single in 1989 and the 12" single about a decade after that. I didn't know about this picture disc, so it was a nice surprise to find this one. It was even nicer that I thought it cost 3 euros - all the other picture discs seemed to cost that much - and was charged only 1 euro.

My collection: 7" single no. 5940
Found: Come Back, Mannheim, September 13, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Don't talk to me about love' / 'Last goodbye'

Pleasure boys - Visage

The early Eighties were full of colourful pop artists, and Steve Strange was among them. I had the pleasure of seeing him live on stage at the beginning of this century when he was touring with a pack of Eighties artists, and this song was on the set. I never bought the single, because it didn't cross my path and I almost forgot about it.

But, behold: suddenly I found this great UK pressing in a German second hand store while on my way from Darmstadt where I attended a conference, to home. My short visit to Mannheim suddenly became worthwhile.

My collection: 7" single no. 5939
Found: Come Back, Mannheim, September 13, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Pleasure boys' / 'The anvil'

Infected - The The

For many years I have procrastinated buying this single by The The. 'Infected' was originally released in a sleeve that was deemed too smutty for the general public, and so it was retracted. Only part of the artwork appeared on the subsequent editions.

When I started frequenting record fairs (25 years ago), I saw the original sleeve many times, but I never bought it. I regret that now, because of course it can't be found anymore. So I finally caved and bought this copy. It's cheap and in great condition. It will do for now, until I do find that other one. Meanwhile, 'Infected' remains a great track, of course. The B-side sounds a bit like a discarded Tears for Fears B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 5931
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Infected' / 'Disturbed'

Belly dance - Amina

Before Amina represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991, she already had a little career of her own. The album 'Yalil' was released in 1989, and featured the single 'Belly dance'. The single was remixed by Paul Oakenfold, who was already a big name in dance circles.

After Eurovision, Amina released one more album in 1992 before disappearing from the scene, only to reappear with another album in 1999. Her success remained limited to France.

My collection: 7" single no. 5928
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Belly dance (Oakenfold edit)' / 'Belly dance'

Always something there to remind me - Naked Eyes

Record companies can be strange, especially when different strategies are employed in different territories. In the UK, EMI released Naked Eyes' 'Always something there to remind me' in a perfectly great picture sleeve featuring a photograph of the band, but somehow EMI in Germany decided to use the same design while omitting the photograph. I thought the difference was weird enough to make me want to have this version as well.

Of course, the songs remain the same, so this is mainly an opportunity for me to repost the tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 5927
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Always something there to remind me' / 'Pit stop'

Dallas - Frank Barber Orchestra

Regular readers of this blog will know that I already posted a version of the 'Dallas' theme two years ago, in a version by the Bobby Patrick Band and the original version by Jerrold Immel. The single here also claims to contain the original version, and despite being quite sure that it wasn't, I was still curious enough to buy this piece.

Sure enough, this single has a decent version of the 'Dallas' theme, but not the original. The B-side features a version of the theme from 'Knots Landing', a 'Dallas' spinoff that I never had the chance to see myself. Perhaps if it is released on DVD someday.

My collection: 7" single no. 5926
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dallas' / 'Knots Landing'

The two of us - Earth & Fire

Released in April 1983, 'The two of us' was the last single by Earth & Fire to reach the Dutch Top 40. The band had a lot of hits since 1970, but by 1983, their time was up. They only reached number 32 with this single, and not long after this, they broke up.

There was a brief reunion before the end of the decade, with the single French word for love as a result, but that reunion was short-lived. Later on, singer and frontwoman Jerney Kaagman made a career out of being a jury at inane television talent shows like 'Idols'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5925
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'The two of us' / 'Love is to give away'