Showing posts with label Eurovision Song Contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eurovision Song Contest. Show all posts

Saturday 25 January 2020

If there is one thing that's forever - Nino de Angelo

Nino de Angelo represented Germany during the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest with a song written by Dieter Bohlen and Joachim Horn-Bernges, entitled 'Flieger'. Despite the star quality of both Bohlen (one half of Modern Talking) and Nino de Angelo, the song ended up in 14th place in a field of 22 competitors.

The song was also recorded in English as 'If there is one thing that's forever'. Dieter Bohlen made this version without the help of Horn-Bernges, so presumably Bohlen had more faith in his own capabilities when it came to writing songs in English.

My collection: 7" single no. 6245
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, January 24, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'If there is one thing that's forever' / 'Flieger'

T'en vas pas - Esther Ofarim

Exactly eight months after my last visit to Antwerp's Chelsea Records, I went there again. It's an amazing record store, stacked up to the ceilings with boxes of singles and albums. As usual, I checked out the Eurovision boxes first, and to my delight I found a copy of Esther Ofarim's 'T'en vas pas' within the first two minutes.

Almost three hours later, when the time had come to check out, the shop owner looked at the single and said this was a lovely single, and hard to find. I agreed - I actually bought one online a few months ago but although the sleeve was lovely it contained the wrong single ('Non je regrette rien' by Edith Piaf, to be exact). 'A rewarding visit then', he concluded. And I couldn't agree more.

Ofarim represented Switzerland in 1963 with this song. At the close of the voting, the song had received 40 points, placing 2nd in a field of 16 competitors. The winner that year? 'Dansevise' - admittedly a more legendary Eurovision song.

My collection: 7" single no. 6243
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, January 24, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'T'en vas pas' / 'La cité de mon coeur'

Dear Mr. Jones - Tommy Körberg

Back in 2014, I bought 'Judy min vän' by Tommy Körberg. I already wrote back then that there was also an English version of the single. It took me some time, but I have finally bought a copy of that one.

Featuring an entirely different photograph, but a similar layout, this single was released in Sweden. On the back of the sleeve we learn that Tom has released an album featuring cover versions of 'Jezamine' (the amazing Marty Wilde composition) and 'Nights in white satin'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6242
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Dear mr. Jones' / 'Bird you must fly'

Det blir alltid värre framat natten - Björn Skifs

Two months ago, I bought 'When the night comes', the English version of 'Det blir alltid värre framat natten'. It was only a matter of time, of course, until I would get the original Swedish version as well - so here it is.

As you can see, the sleeve is virtually the same as the English version, however this single is made in Sweden and not in Germany like the other one. I ordered this single along with a few others from Norway.

My collection: 7" single no. 6241
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Det blir alltid värre framat natten' / 'Part time love'

Dag efter dag - Chips

I already owned 'Day after day', the English version of this single, but as a Eurovision collector it was worth picking up the original Swedish version of the single as well. This single presents the original Swedish version 'Dag efter dag' along with a B-side called 'Här kommer solen' ('Here comes the sun'), which is not, as you might expect, a cover of the Beatles song.

Chips was founded by Kikki Danielsson and Lasse Holm in 1979.In 1980 they released their self-titled debut album, followed by 'Having a party' in 1982. This album included the two versions of 'Dag efter dag': in English and in Swedish. That album sold over 100.000 copies in Sweden. They toured the northern parts of Europe and had a successful 1982. However, the group split in 1983, due to limited success outside Sweden and Norway, and also because both members had solo careers.

My collection: 7" single no. 6239
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dag efter dag' / 'Här kommer solen'

Saturday 18 January 2020

I will follow starlight - Katri Helena

Long before Katri Helena appeared on the Eurovision stage with the immortal 'Tule luo', she represented Finland in 1979 with the song 'Katson sineen taivaan'. She had actually participated in the Finnish national finals in 1969, 1972 and 1978, but this song made an impression and she went on to Israel with this song. 'Katson sineen taivaan' ended up in 14th place in a field of 19 competitors.

This single presents the English version of the song. 'I will follow starlight' was translated by Paul Fagerlund. The sleeve of this single isn't without its flaws - but for a rare single like this I am not complaining.

My collection: 7" single no. 6232
Found: Discogs.com, received January 7, 2020
Tracks: 'I will follow starlight' / 'Spring is around the corner'

Nao sejas mau para mim - Dora

Back in 1986, Portugal was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by Dora Maria Reis Dias de Jesus, who was born in Lisbon on May 20, 1966. Singing 'Nao sejas mau para mim', she won the national final in Portugal and went on to Bergen in Norway to end up in 14th place in a field of
competitors.

After this, she returned to Eurovision one more time with Voltarei. In the 1990's she went to live in Brazil, but returned in 2001. Some appearances in television programmes followed, and an appearance in the Portuguese edition in Playboy magazine in 2013. Apparently she started working at McDonald's in 2014, having had enough of the world of media and entertainment.

My collection: 7" single no. 6229
Found: Discogs.com, received January 4, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Nao sejas mau para mim' / 'He's hurtin' me'

Sunday 29 December 2019

Puppet on a string - Teddy Mertens

During the 1960's, Teddy Mertens released a string of singles with trumpet-based instrumentals. Among them was a cover of 'Non ho l'eta', the winning song of the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, and this one: 'Puppet on a string', which was the winning song in 1967. The B-side of the single is 'Il doit faire beau lá bas', the French entry of that year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Teddy Mertens also released a few albums with "his orchestra", but faded back into anonymity at the end of the decade. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6226
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, December 28, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Puppet on a string' / 'Il doit faire beau lá bas'

Saturday 28 December 2019

Songfestival Londen 1960 - Festival Orchestra

The 1960 Eurovision Song Festival took place in London, with artists from thirteen different European countries. Thirty million viewers watched France win this time with the song 'Tom Pillibi'.

This EP features four songs from the contest: 'Wat een geluk', 'Romantica', 'Tom Pillibi' and 'Looking high high high', the entries from the Netherlands, Italy, France and the UK respectively. The songs were performed by uncredited vocalists with the Festival Orchestra conducted by Harry S. Owens. The single turns up regularly when you hunt for Eurovision singles, but never at a decent price. Until today, that is.

My collection: 7" single no. 6225
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, December 28, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Wat een geluk', 'Romantica' / 'Tom Pillibi', 'Looking high high high'

Sunday 15 December 2019

Casanova - Anita Skorgan

Anita Skorgan was born on November 13, 1958 in Gothenburg, Sweden. She first appeared on the Eurovision stage in 1977 with the song 'Casanova'. The song was written by Svein Strugstad and Dag Nordtømme and participated in NRK's semi-final for Central Norway ahead of the Norsk Melodi Grand Prix 1977. In the radio broadcast semi-final, the song was performed by Supergruppa, a specially composed group of professional musicians. 'Casanova' won the semi-final and became one of six songs in the Norwegian final at NRK Marienlyst in Oslo on February 19, 1977.

When Skorgan performed the song on the 1977 edition of the Eurovion Song Contest, she finished on 15th place in a field of 18 competitors. She would return to the Eurovision stage as a solo performer once more, and once with her later husband Jahn Teigen, and then twice as a backing singer.

The B-side of this single contains an amusing cover of Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' in Norwegian, entitled 'Marie'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6220
Found: Discogs.com, received December 14, 2019
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Casanova' / 'Marie (Jolene)'

Comme on s'aime - Peter McLane & Anne-Marie Godart

Peter McLane, real name Vincent Reichenauer, was born in 1945 and became a French singer at the start of the Seventies. He was asked to represent Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972, together with Anne-Marie Godart. She had a little more experience as a singer: she started out singing duets with Pascal Sevran in 1966, and released her first album two years later.

Their song 'Comme on s'aime' was performed right after 'Härliga sommardag', but was even less successful than that song, ending on 16th place out of 18 competitors. Both Peter McLane and Anne-Marie Godart released a few more singles during the Seventies, but then faded back into anonymity.

My collection: 7" single no. 6219
Found: Discogs.com, received December 14, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Comme on s'aime' / 'Oublie-moi'

Härliga sommardag - Family Four

You may remember that in March I bought a copy of 'Vita vidder' by Family Four, the group that represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971. Well, the year after they returned with another song: 'Härliga Sommardag'. And I found this single online this month, which means that I managed to buy all the Family Four singles I'll ever own within one year.

When you look at the video of their performance, you'll agree that this is typical Seventies fare, innocent and a little twee. The song is about a lovely summer's day, with the band describing a beautiful day of summer which inspires people to make ballads and songs. The song didn't impress much: it finished on 13th place in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6218
Found: Discogs.com, received December 14, 2019
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Härliga sommardag' / 'Mr. Bojangles'

Saturday 7 December 2019

Djambo Djambo - Peter, Sue & Marc

Peter, Sue and Marc represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest on four occasions, each time singing in a different language. Their 1976 entry 'Djambo Djambo' was sung in English.

The song received 91 points, placing 4th in a field of 18 competitors. This is quite amazing, as like all their other Eurovision songs, this track is largely forgettable.

My collection: 7" single no. 6191
Found: Discogs.com, received November 14, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Djambo Djambo' / 'Moby Dick'

Tuesday 3 December 2019

When the night comes - Björn Skifs

Björn Skifs was featured on this blog five years ago when I bought Fångad i en dröm, the song he performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. It was his second Eurovision performance: in 1978 he took to the Eurovision stage with 'Det blir alltid värre framåt natten'. It was released as a single both in Swedish and in English - and this single features the English version.

Skifs actually intended to cause controversy by singing in English, which could have disqualified him from the contest (since the rules of the contest stipulated that singers should perform in their native languages at the time). Although he decided to perform the song in Swedish he forgot some of the words during the performance, replacing them with gibberish. At the close of voting, it had received 26 points, placing 14th in a field of 20 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6211
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'When the nights comes' / 'Don't stop now'

Saturday 30 November 2019

Tvoj dječak je tužan - Krunoslav Slabinac

Krunoslav "Kićo" Slabinac was born on March 28, 1944 in Osijek, Yugoslavia (now Croatia). During the 1960s Slabinac was a member of several rock 'n' roll bands. He then went solo and moved to Zagreb.

In 1971 he was selected to represent Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tvoj dječak je tužan' ('Your boy is sad'). The song was not particularly successful, ending in 14th place in a field of 18 competitors. Slabinac's song "Zbog jedne divne žene" was a huge hit in his country, which solidified his status as a singer. However, later on in the decade, legal troubles and time spent abroad set back his career. After his return from the United States, Slabinac focused on folk music.

My collection: 7" single no. 6209
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Tvoj dječak je tužan' / 'I gori nego ja'

Saturday 23 November 2019

Di dai, di dai dai - MFO

Mazhar Alanson, Fuat Güner and Özkan Uğur represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest back when Turkey was still participating in the annual event. Their first of two attempts at eternal fame on the Eurovision stage took place in 1985 with the song 'Di dai, di dai dai'. The song title is sometimes written with the phrase 'Aşık oldum', which means 'I fell in love'.

The single was released in the Netherlands by Dureco Benelux, although I don't recall this to ever appear in any record shop I visited back then. These days the single has become quite a collectors item, fetching around 40 euros for a decent copy online. Which explains that I was rather pleased to get this for less.

My collection: 7" single no. 6208
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 15 euro
Tracks: 'Di dai, di dai dai' / 'Di dai, di dai dai (Aşık oldum) (Turkish version)'

Wednesday 20 November 2019

Eloise - Arvingarna

One of the best ever Swedish contributions to the Eurovision Song Contest in my opinion - and there have been many - is 1993's 'Eloise' by Arvingarna. This Swedish 'dansband' was formed in 1989 by Casper Janebrink, Lars Larsson, Kim Carlsson and Tommy Carlsson. Their name Arvingarna ('The heirs') refers to the fact that their parents were also active in 'dansbands'.Their song finished in seventh place in a field of 25 competitors.

This vinyl single is a bit of a rarity, as the 7" single format was rapidly disappearing all over Europe in 1993. I was rather glad to find this copy, as online it fetches a minimum of 20 euros.

My collection: 7" single no. 6207
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Eloise' / 'De' e' bara jag'

A chacun sa chanson - Line et Willy

Line Van Menen and Claude Boillod called themselves Line et Willy and became famous after winning the Palmarès des Chansons with 'Le vent' and the Rose d'Or d'Antibes with 'Pourquoi pas nous?' in 1966. They had some success with several singles for the AZ label.

In 1968, they represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'A chacun sa chanson'. They finished in seventh place in a field of 17 competitors. This copy of the EP comes with the B-side label on both sides, which I guess makes it a rarity of sorts.

After the separation of the couple, Line began a solo career and performed in concerts until recently. Willy died on December 20, 2018 in the village of Peypin where he resided since the 90s.

My collection: 7" single no. 6205
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'A chacun sa chanson', 'De l'automne a l'automne' / 'Demain, il y aura demain', 'Tout l'or du monde'

Tuesday 19 November 2019

Genghis Khan - Genghis Khan

So, I have the single 'Dschinghis Khan' by the German band Dschinghis Khan, and I have the English version of the song, 'Genghis Khan', also by Dschinghis Khan. But this German release, both the band and the song are called Genghis Khan - but it is the German version of the song playing on the record, i.e. 'Dschinghis Khan'.

I love the fact that this Eurovision song in German was released in Japan, a country where German is probably as exotic a language as Korean is over here. It's a great addition to my ever growing Eurovision collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6196
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Genghis Khan' [i.e. 'Dschinghis Khan'] / 'Desert land'

Thursday 14 November 2019

På en gammal bänk - Siw Malmkvist

Although the sleeve of this single simply credits the song 'På en gammal bänk' to Siw, the label clears up the mystery: yes, this is Siw Malmkvist, the Swedish singer who was popular both in Sweden and in Germany. In 1969 she participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Primaballerina', but this single proves that she was still interested in the Contest two years later: 'På en gammal bänk' is a Swedish version of 'Un arbre, un banc, une rue', with which Severine won the Contest that year.

What's more, the B-side, 'Ett Rött Äpple' is a Swedish version of 'Pomme pomme pomme', another Eurovision song from that year. No wonder, then, that this single had to end up in my collection. Even if the sleeve isn't in the best of conditions...

My collection: 7" single no. 6190
Found: Discogs.com, received November 12, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'På en gammal bänk' / '
Ett Rött Äpple'
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Advertising