Ein Bisschen Frieden - Nicole

I dare say that no Eurovision Song Contest collection is complete without this maxi single. Although Nicole's 'Ein Bisschen Frieden' certainly isn't the best song ever to come from the Contest, it has become rather immortal, for instance because of the fact that the young girl spontaneously sang her winning song in several languages after securing the top spot in the Contest in 1982.

I already had Ein Bisschen Frieden, A little peace, La paix sur terre, Een beetje vrede, En smule fred and Un poco de paz on single, but this 12" single features a medley that strings all of them together - well, except the Danish version. But for all its polyglottal glory, the sleeve of this 12" single still spells the word 'Merci' wrong.

My collection: 12" single [unnamed]
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Ein Bisschen Frieden/A Little Peace/La paix sur terre/Een beetje vrede/Un poco de paz' / 'Thank you, merci, danke (German/English/French/Dutch version)'

Jennifer Jennings - Louis Neefs

Two years after Louis Neefs represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Ik heb zorgen', he returned with the song 'Jennifer Jennings' in 1969. Although the song was dedicated to a fictional girl, it turned out that there was an actual real-life Jennifer Jennings living in England. She contacted Louis Neefs and he invited her over to a concert, after which they kept in touch.

At the close of voting, 'Jennifer Jennings' received 10 points, and ended up in seventh place in a field of 16 competitors. This single was made in Italy, and considering its age it is in fine condition!

My collection: 7" single no. 6127
Found: Discogs.com, received June 21, 2019
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Jennifer Jennings' / 'Vanessa (I love you)'

Sing die Melodie - Johannes & Christin

Together with 'Nur noch Gefühl' I ordered another single from the Austrian seller I found online. It is this cover version of the Dutch entry for the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest: Harmony's ''t Is O.K.'. 

Johannes & Christin only released this one single together. Not much is known about Christin, but Johannes Prömmer had already released two singles in Austria in 1972. After this duet, he disappeared again, resurfacing in 1988 with one more single, 'Zigeuner'. And that's basically it. The Austrian music scene is not renowned for its big worldwide stars, but it is interesting that in this day and age some singers can remain so anonymous.

My collection: 7" single no. 6124
Found: Willhaben.at, received June 20, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Sing die Melodie' / 'Komm mit mir'

Nur noch Gefühl - Gary Lux

Collecting Eurovision Song Contest singles has become a little easier since buying online and worldwide has become more popular. Sites like Ebay and Discogs provide easy access to many singles that one would deem lost forever. But at the same time, some of those singles can become exceedingly expensive. Gary Lux's 'Nur noch Gefühl', for instance, commands a price of at least 20 euros.Which is why I was glad to find the Austrian version of Ebay in the shape of Willhaben. This is where I found this copy of the single for a fraction of the price.

'Nur noch Gefühl' was Austria's entry for the Contest in 1987. It wasn't a very successful entry: at the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing twentieth in a field of 22 competitors. It must have been a disappointment: two years earlier, Gary's song 'Kinder dieser Welt' reached a respectable eighth place.

My collection: 7" single no. 6123
Found: Willhaben.at, received June 20, 2019
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Nur noch Gefühl' / 'Don't turn around'

Heimweh auf grosser Fahrt - Freddy Quinn

Freddy Quinn was born as Franz Eugen Helmut Manfred Nidl on September 27, 1931 in Niederfladnitz, Austria. His popularity as a singer soared within the German-speaking world in the late 1950s and 1960s. Quinn's Irish family name comes from his Irish born salesman father, Johann Quinn. His mother, Edith Henriette Nidl, was an Austrian journalist.

He was "discovered" in St. Pauli, Hamburg, and was offered his first recording contract in 1954. Two years later he represented Germany at the first Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano, Switzerland with the atypical song, 'So geht das jede Nacht', about an unfaithful girlfriend who dates many men. He did not win, and the full results of the contest were never released so his placement is not known. This EP features four tracks by Freddy, and 'So geht das jede Nacht' is one of them.

My collection: 7" single no. 6122
Found: Ebay, received June 12, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Heimweh (Memories are made of this)', 'Sie hiess Mary-Ann (Sixteen Tons)' / 'Rosalie', 'So geht das jede Nacht'

Marcel - Heidi Brühl

And then, finally, I have found the Eurovision single I have been waiting for all my life. Who wouldn't love to have a Eurovision song dedicated to him- or herself? Well, back in 1963 - years before I was born - German singer Heidi Brühl performed the song 'Marcel', and it's a great one too: the song is sung from the perspective of a young woman telling her lover (the titular Marcel) that he is moving too quickly for her. She tells him that 'only a gentleman has a chance with me' and that he needs to respect that. The song ended up in ninth place out of 16 competitors.

Heidi didn't stop her involvement with Eurovision after this: in 1968 she recorded a cover version of that year's Spanish winning song, 'La la la'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6121
Found: Ebay, received June 11, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Marcel' / 'Das grosse Spiel'

Gleðibankinn - Icy

In 1986, Iceland made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song 'Gleðibankinn' was performed by the band Icy, consisting of Eiríkur Hauksson, Helga Möller and Pálmi Gunnarsson. During the national final, Gunnarsson performed the song alone, but Hauksson and Möller joined him before the official submission of the song.

The song, which is about the 'bank of fun' - happiness is stored in a bank, it can be withdrawn anytime one is feeling depressed - ended up in 16th place in a field of 20 competitors. For Hauksson this was not the end: in 1994 he joined Just 4 Fun, representing Norway with 'Mrs. Thompson'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6120
Found: Discogs.com, received June 11, 2019
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Gleðibankinn' / 'Bank of fun'

Primaballerina - Siw Malmkvist

Germany was one of a few countries that didn't win that year's Eurovision Song Contest - 1969 is the year that came up with four winners after all. 'Primaballerina' was performed by Siw Malmkvist, a Swedish singer who was popular in Sweden and Germany during the Sixties. 'Primaballerina' ended up in ninth place in a field of 16 competitors.

Malmkvist went on to have some 40 hits on Swedish radio chart Svensktoppen and 20 on the German singles chart, she has altogether recorded about 600 songs (and has made recordings in ten different languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, English, French, Italian and Spanish) throughout the past five decades, which makes her one of the most productive and successful Swedish female singers.

My collection: 7" single no. 6104
Found: eBay, received May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Primaballerina' / 'Mir fehlt der Knopf am Pyjama'

Für immer (Rock bottom) - Lynsey de Paul & Mike Moran

Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with 'Rock bottom'. Such was the popularity of the song that they decided to also record the song in German. 'Für immer' was only released in German-speaking territories.

As brave as their attempt was, the single did not chart. Which makes this single all the more interesting, because it wasn't pressed in huge quantities. It is therefore a great pleasure to have found a copy for a reasonable price.

My collection: 7" single no. 6105
Found: eBay, received March 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Für immer' / 'You shouldn't say that'

Einfach weg - Anita

Austria was represented at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest by Anita Spanner, born on December 22, 1960 in the Fürstenfeld District, Styria in Austria. As a virtual unknown she managed to win the national preselection with 'Einfach weg' as a clear winner. She was less successful in the Eurovision competition, as she ended up in the last of 19 places with only 5 points - 4 from Denmark and 1 from Ireland. Nonetheless the song topped the Austrian singles chart for two weeks that year.

Between 1987 and 1991 she released three more singles before fading away from the music business. She withdrew from the public eye to raise a family. She has recently returned to performing as a member of a seven-piece live band called Hit4You.

My collection: 7" single no. 6103
Found: eBay, received May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Einfach weg' / 'Einfach weg (instrumental)'

Boom boom boomerang - Schmetterlinge

Eurovision Song Contest fans always have to deal with criticism from other people. There are always comments about the music, the nonsensical lyrics, the show itself, the dreadful presenters, the boring intermezzo acts, sometimes even the organising country. But to Eurovision fans, all these elements are just part of the deal: in order to discover beautiful songs you'll have to deal with the odd nonsensical ones, just like when you listen to the radio.

The Austrian band Schmetterlinge have took the 'nonsensical lyrics' aspect to uncharted terrritories in 1977. What to make of a chorus that goes: 'Boom Boom Boomerang, Snadderydang / Kangaroo, Boogaloo, Didgeridoo / Ding dong, sing the song, hear the guitar twang / Kojak, hijack, me and you'? The performance is also memorable, as the band featured four male singers wearing cream suits and red shirts. During the performance, the men would turn their backs to the audience at various points, revealing a costume which looked like the front of a tuxedo, complete with a fake face. The song ended up in seventeenth place out of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6106
Found: eBay, received May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Boom boom boomerang' / 'Mr. Moneymaker's Musicshow'

Songfestival-successen - Various artists

I don't often post LP's on this blog, simply because I don't often buy them. And even the ones I did buy were not always that interesting for this blog. But here's an exception to that rule. 'Songfestival-successen' is a compilation album of Eurovision Song Contest songs, performed by various Dutch artists. The album presents twelve tracks in glorious mono sound.

Most of these tracks are familiar Dutch entries to the Contest, but there are a few interesting exceptions. 'Fernando en Filippo' is not performed by Milly Scott, who represented the Netherlands in 1966, but Conny van Bergen. There's also a cover version of 'Nous les amoureux', partly in Dutch, by Jan van der Most and a cover version of 'Non ho l'eta' by Sandra Reemer, also in Dutch ('Als jij maar wacht'). And finally, the songs 'Middellandse zee', 'Geweldig' and 'Niet voor mij 'were never performed on the Eurovision stage. 'Middellandse zee' was a hit for Anita Berry in 1962. Ronnie Tober reached second place in the Dutch national final for Eurovision with 'Geweldig' in 1965 and 'Niet voor mij' was performed at the Dutch national final for Eurovision in 1960. (Remarkably, Kauffeld ended up representing the Netherlands with the song 'Wat een dag' in 1961, but that song was never released on any record!)

My collection: LP [unnumbered]
Found: Marktplaats, received May 11, 2019
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Net als toen' (Corry Brokken), 'Katinka' (De Spelbrekers), 'Middellandse Zee' (Anita Berry), 'Geweldig' (Ronnie Tober), 'Niet voor mij' (Greetje Kauffeld), ''t Is genoeg' (Conny van den Bos) / 'Fernando en Filippo' (Conny van Bergen), 'Als jij maar wacht' (Sandra), 'Jij bent mijn leven' (Anneke Grönloh), 'Nous les amoureux' (Jan van der Most), 'Speeldoos' (Annie Palmen), ''n Beetje' (Teddy Scholten)

Eitt lag enn / One more song - Stjórnin

I only had one Icelandic entry to the Eurovision Song Contest on 7" vinyl so far - Stefan & Eyfi's 'Nina' - and, it must be said, it isn't easy to get hold of Icelandic singles for a reasonable price. But somehow I managed this time, when I won an auction on eBay recently.

Stjórnin represented Iceland in the 1990 edition of Eurovision with 'Eitt lag enn'. At the close of voting it was fourth in a field of 22 competitors, which made it Iceland's best placement in the contest so far at the time.

My collection: 7" single no. 6102
Found: eBay, received May 24, 2019
Cost: $10
Tracks: 'One more song' / 'Eitt lag enn'

Occhi di ragazza - Gianni Morandi

Italy was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 by Gianni Morandi, singing 'Occhi di ragazza' ('Eyes of a girl'). The breezy song is a ballad, with Morandi musing on the power of his lover's eyes. Initially, he describes them as windows into her soul and places where he can see their future. The song ends, however, on something of a pessimistic note, as he explains that these same eyes will one day fill with tears as their relationship ends. The song received 5 points, placing it eighth in a field of 12 competitors.

Gian Luigi Morandi was born in a little village called Monghidoro on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. His father Renato was active within the Italian Communist Party and Gianni used to help him sell the party newspapers. At an early age Morandi worked as a shoe-shiner, cobbler and as a candy vendor in the village's only cinema. His vocal abilities led him to a number of small gigs, some of which were during the Communist Party’s activities. His career took flight during the Sixties. He achieved national stardom with the song 'Fatti mandare dalla mamma', and remained Italy’s darling throughout that decade. He remains active in the Italian music scene until the present day. One of his most recent hits is a duet with Fabio Rovazzi, called 'Volare' - not the Domenico Modugno song!

My collection: 7" single no. 6100
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Occhi di ragazza' / 'T'amo con tutto il cuore'

Li´ per li´ / Piove...! - Teddy Reno

Released in 1959, this single features cover versions of two wellknown songs of that time: Li' per li' (also covered by Teddy Scholten and Willy Alberti that year) and 'Piove', the song made famous by Domenico Modugno when he represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Teddy Reno was born as Ferruccio Merk Ricordi in Trieste on July 11, 1926. The Italian singer and actor started his career in the Fifties and took part in several San Remo Music Festivals in Italy. In 1948 he founded one of Italy's first record companies, CGD (i.e. Compagnia Generale del Disco), which he later sold to Ladislao Sugar. In the 1960s he focused his career on discovering and producing new talents, mainly through the Festival degli sconosciuti (Festival of the Unknowns) which he created in 1961. Some or Reno's discoveries at the Festival include The Rokes, Dino and Rita Pavone, whom he married in 1968.

My collection: 7" single no. 6098
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Li' per li'' / 'Piove...!'

I love Paris / Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu) - The 'Go' Sound of the Kirby Stone Four

Domenico Modugno's 'Nel blu dipinto di blue' - better known as 'Volare' is one of the Eurovision Song Contest's best known songs ever, and it has been covered by many different artists including David Bowie and the Gypsy Kings. Collecting all those cover versions is not something I will attempt, but whenever I see a cheap one, I won't leave it behind.

And so I picked up this single by the Kirby Stone Four, apparently made in the Netherlands or Belgium. It wasn't even listed on Discogs.com yet, so that makes it rarer than most singles. As for this version, you will probably enjoy it. It's quite amazing to hear this kind of music sixty years after its original release.

My collection: 7" single no. 6097
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'I love Paris' / 'Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)'

Se piangi, se ridi - Bobby Solo

Collecting Eurovision singles is a confusing business, especially when there are so many different releases of the same song in different territories. I didn't realise that I already had this song on an EP I bought two years ago when I found this one.

So this is the Dutch release of 'Se piangi, se ridi', the song that represented Italy during the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Bobby Solo. This single presents two songs, as opposed to the Festival San Remo 65 EP that I bought in 2017.

My collection: 7" single no. 6095
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, March 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Se piangi, se ridi' / 'Saro' un illuso'

Romantica - Renato Rascel

While at Chelsea Records last week, I naturally checked out the Eurovision boxes, but there wasn't that much in there that I didn't already have. But to my surprise and amusement, there were a handful of old Eurovision singles in the 'Italian' section. One of the first I found was the 1960 entry 'Romantica', performed by Renato Rascel.

The song was first performed at the 1960 San Remo Festival, by Rascel and Italian singer Tony Dallara. Dallara's version was more powerful, but the slow, romantic version by Rascel made it to the Eurovision stage. The song ended up in eighth place in a field of 13 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6099
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Romantica' / 'Dimmelo con un fiore'

Non ho l'eta' per amarti - Patricia Carli

The song 'Non ho l'eta' is best known in the version by Gigliola Cinquetti, who won the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Italy. During the San Remo festival, which was organised in Italy almost two months before Eurovision, she sang the song together with Patricia Carli as per the rules of San Remo. Both Cinquetti and Carli released the song as a single, although only Cinquetti's version became an international hit.

Patricia Carli was born on March 12, 1938 in Taranto, a coastal city in southern Italy. She grew up in Belgium, where her parents had emigrated for work. After studying music and singing, she began performing in public and in a few years she became well known in Belgium and in France, where she performed at the prestigious Olympia music hall in Paris. She released dozens of singles during the Sixties, but only one album.

My collection: 7" single no. 6096
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta' per amarti' / 'Cosi' felice'

Det' lige det - Hot Eyes

Kirsten Siggard (born 7 September 1954 in Slagelse) and Søren Bundgaard (born 4 March 1956 in Glostrup) formed Hot Eyes and represented Denmark at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest for the first time - and certainly not the last time. 'Det' lige det' ended up in fourth place, in a field of 19 competitors.

This single presents both the Danish and the English version of the song. The song is sung from the perspective of a woman waiting for her lover to come to her. She tells him that his presence brightens the day considerably and that he shouldn't be afraid of loving her, as he appears to be.

My collection: 7" single no. 6078
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Det' lige det' / 'Waiting in the rain'