Gimme some love - Gina G

Earlier this year I bought the promotional 10" single of Gina G's 'Gimme some love' and when I wrote the entry about it on this blog I discovered there was also a 7" single of that song. It took me a while to find a good (and cheap!) copy of that single, but here we are.

This 7" single presents the album version and the Eurobeat mix of the song, and as you can hear they are very similar. The CD-singles presented more remixes of the song, and they were all collected in an impressive little box set released by Cherry Red last year.

My collection: 7" single no. 8351
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Gimme some love' / 'Gimme some love (Eurobeat mix)' 

Mana mana - M.O.B.

Piero Umiliani wrote and recorded 'Mah-na mah-na', but the best known version was recorded by The Muppets. That wasn't the end of the song, however: many different cover versions exist, recorded by, amongst others, Hot Butter, Cake and Carlos Perón. 

This version by M.O.B. went unnoticed by most, because the title underwent a change: this version is called 'Mana mana' and includes some rapping and a steady Nineties beat. It was their only release.

My collection: 7" single no. 8338
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Mana mana' / 'Perfect move' 

Sing Conny Sing - Conny Froboess

Conny Froboess represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Zwei kleine Italiener' in 1962. Her career went on until 1967, when she married theatre director Hellmuth Matiasek. Instead, she focused on a career as an actress. Between 2013 and 2021 she appeared in the Ostwind series of movies.

Meanwhile, 1992 saw the released of 'Sing Conny Sing', a curious Nineties-style remix/medley of her biggest hits. Among them was, of course, 'Zwei kleine Italiener', and so this single ended up in my collection - even if this remix is a slightly embarrassing piece.

My collection: 7" single no. 8329
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Sing Conny Sing' / 'My dear Conny (instrumental)' 

We close our eyes '93 - Go West

When Go West released a greatest hits album (Aces and Kings - The best of Go West) in 1993, it seemed like a good idea to release a remixed version of their successful debut single 'We close our eyes'. Tom Lord Alge was commissioned to do the job, but unfortunately the remix didn't do much to distinguish it from the original version. 

The single was only a minor success in the UK, where it reached number 40 in the charts, and I wasn't awware of this release until last month! It's a nice curio, but unfortunately nothing really special.

My collection: 7" single no. 8301
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 May 2026
Tracks: 'We close our eyes 93' / 'Tell me' 

Let it go? - Midge Ure

While I never knew this one existed, 'Let it go?' is the last single by Midge Ure that was also released on 7" vinyl. And then it was released in Germany only, back in 1992. The single was taken from his 1991 album Pure, which also featured 'Cold, cold heart' and 'I see hope in the morning light'. Of course, by 1992 record companies had decided they wanted to kill vinyl releases - something they seem to be regretting three decades later, because everything is about vinyl these days (although, regrettably, 7" singles are still quite rare).

'Let it go?' is a bit long for a single: at six minutes it barely fits on the disc, and the fidelity on this one is a bit questionable, to be honest. Still, it's a nice little thing to have.

My collection: 7" single no. 8295
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Let it go?' / 'Dear God (live)' 

Gimme some love - Gina G

After Gina G represented the United Kingdom with 'Ooh aah... Just a little bit' she released an album called Fresh, from which several singles were released. Most of them didn't appear on vinyl, however, which makes this particular 10" single a bit of a rarity. 

'Gimme some love' was released as the final single from the album on 25 August 1997. This one-sided promotional 10" single features one of the remixes of the song, created by Hysteric Ego. While writing this piece I found out a 7" single also exists, so who knows... you might see it on this blog soon!

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 March 2026
Tracks: 'Gimme some love (Hysteric Ego "Raaah" mix)'

A little rain must fall - Fra Lippo Lippi

I've been listening to Fra Lippo Lippi a lot recently. It was caused by the fact that I rediscovered the album Light and Shade, which I've had for many decades now. I remember I wasn't impressed by that album at first, because it sounded very different from their peak album Songs, which I bought back in the late Eighties.

Anyway, it made me wonder if there were any singles by the band that I didn't have already. As it turns out, there was this obscure single, released in 1989. It was taken from The colour album, which was the band's fifth studio album. It was released for promotion only in Germany, hence the generic sleeve and the 'Ariola Single Facts' included in it. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7932
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 February 2026
Tracks: 'A little rain must fall' / 'You bring me joy' 

The hit combination - Level 42

Level 42 was very popular during the Eighties, but in the Nineties that popularity seemed to elude them. Their ninth album Guaranteed (1991) didn't score as well as its predecessors, and so the record company tried to reverse their fortunes. A greatest hits album wasn't going to do that, because Level Best was just two years old at that point, and so they went for the next best thing: a remix album. The Remixes was released on 20 July 1992.

Besides remixes of their biggest hits, taken from various 12" singles, there was also a medley mix titled 'The hit combination', created by Ben Liebrand. That remix was released as a single as well. The full version appeared on the B-side, whereas an edit appeared on the A-side of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7916
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'The hit combination (edit)' / 'The hit combination (full version)'

Thank you for the music - Abba

After about a decade of people sort of resenting Abba (God knows why) the Swedish band had their revenge when the compilation album Abba Gold came out in 1992. The album sold millions.

Quite unique for this compilation album, consisting of old Abba hits, was that a handful of singles were released from it. The first one was 'Dancing queen', the second one was 'Voulez-vous' and the third one was this one: 'Thank you for the music'. I had to search for a long time to find one! This single was released near the end of 1992, and so 'Happy new year' ended up on the B-side. The 'Promo only - Not for resale' sticker on the front sleeve makes this copy a little bit more special.

My collection: 7" single no. 7901
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 December 2025
Tracks: 'Thank you for the music' / 'Happy new year'

Aan de stroom - Erik van Neygen & Sanne

Erik Filip Van Neygen was born in Anderlecht (Belgium) on 1 May 1951. He started his career with the  skiffle group Motten Drizzle, which he founded together with his classmate Johan Verminnen. In 1975 he recorded his first solo single.

Since 1989 he primarily worked with singer Sanne, with whom he also had a relationship. Their 1992 single 'Aan de stroom' is a Flemish version of the 1975 Eurovision entry from Yugoslavia, 'Dan ljubezni'. It's quite unusual for such an obscure song to resurface after 17 years, but there you go!

My collection: 7" single no. 7858
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 15 November 2025 
Tracks: 'Aan de stroom' / 'Allemaal cinema'

Phased - All About Eve

After All About Eve signed to MCA Records, incredibly, the releases on various formats kept coming, but they weren't as exciting as before. The 'Phased' EP was their first release on the new label, but the 10" single contained the same tracks as the 7" single, cassette single and the cd-single. It was a proper EP, but there were no real surprises unfortunately.

The only surprise, if one might call it that, was that the 10" single was pressed on blue vinyl. Obviously the music has stood the test of time.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: HMV, London, 1992
Tracks: 'Phased', 'Mine' / 'Infrared (instrumental)', 'Ascent/descent'

Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus - Egon Egemann

Two singles by Egon Egemann made it into my collection until now: 'A song goes out around the world', featuring the English and German version and 'A song goes out around the world' with an instrumental version on the B-side. But the original version is of course this Swiss pressing, featuring 'Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus' on the A-side and the English version on the B-side.

The song was of course the Swiss entry of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990. Egon Egemann made 11th place with it.

My collection: 7" single no. 7803
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025
Tracks: 'Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus' / 'A song goes out around the world' 

Love is in the air (Ballroom mix) - John Paul Young

John Paul Young released 'Love is in the air' in 1978, and it became such a big hit that people still remembered it throughout the Eighties. Then in 1992, when the movie Strictly Ballroom was made, a new mix of the song was created just for the soundtrack. And thus the 'Ballroom mix' of this song came to be. This new version reached number 3 in the Australian singles chart. 

Apparently there was also a 12" single featuring an eight minute 'Strictly Dance Mix'. Maybe that's just a little bit too much. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7800
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025
Tracks: 'Love is in the air (Ballroom mix)' (John Paul Young) / 'Scott & Fran's Paso Doble' (David Hirschfelder & The Bogo Pogo Orchestra) 

Liebe auf den ersten Blick - Münchener Freiheit

As shown on this sleeve, 'Liebe auf den ersten Blick' was the title song of the TV show of the same name. The song was the last big hit for the German band Münchener Freiheit in 1992, after they had international success during most of the Eighties. It reached number 16 in the German singles chart and number 31 in Switzerland.

The band still exists, in a different lineup, and is currently touring Germany. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7799
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025
Tracks: 'Liebe auf den ersten Blick' / 'Lass mir den Traum' 

Strange way - All About Eve

Those limited editions kept coming when All About Eve released their third album, Touched by Jesus. There was no 10" single for the lead single, but when they released 'Strange way', there it was again. I was lucky enough to buy number 5111 of the limited edition of 10,000 copies (still an impressive number by today's standards) and found a photo card inside, advertising the fanclub which I never joined.

Musically this disc was a little underwhelming, since two tracks were taken from the album and the third one was also included on other formats. As far as All About Eve's 10" singles go, this was probably the least interesting of the lot. Still, it's a keeper.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered] 
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, 1991
Tracks: 'Strange way' / 'Share it with me', 'Drawn to earth'

Ascension day - Talk Talk

After three very successful albums with EMI Records, the band Talk Talk delivered their fourth, Spirit of Eden to baffled record company executives and enthusiastic critics. Decades later the album is appreciated as their masterpiece, but it meant the end of their recording contract with EMI.

The fifth album, Laughing Stock, was released on the Verve label and took the approach of Spirit of Eden to another level. For decades I couldn't get into that album myself, until I read Mark Hollis's biography A perfect silence last year. I played the album numerous times and finally heard the beauty of that unstructured music with those unintelligible lyrics. 

However, I never thought that there was actually a 7" single taken from that album! And in fact, there was no commercial 7" release. All that happened in 1991 was this promotional 7" single from Spain, featuring the second track from the album with a fade out ending. It is a unique release from a unique band. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7758
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 September 2025
Tracks: 'Ascension day' / 'Ascension day' 

Ljubim te pesmama - Extra Nena

Although I bought a copy of 'Ljubim te pesmama' four years ago, it always bugged me that I didn't have a copy of the four track EP, featuring all language versions of the song. When the opportunity came up recently, I didn't hesitate of course!

Extra Nena was Yugoslavia's last ever Eurovision artist, even if by 1992 the country was already in big trouble. In fact, only Serbia and Montenegro competed that year in the national final. Slovenia had already proclaimed its independence in June 1991. It was the starting point for several armed conflicts, particularly in Croatia and later in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Anyway, 'Ljubim te pesmama' was recorded in Serbian, English, French and Italian, and all versions appear on this EP. Extra Nena (real name: Snežana Berić) continued her career as a singer, actress and writer of children's books well into the new century.

My collection: 7" single no. 7676
Found: Discogs.com, received 1 May 2025
Tracks: 'Ljubim te pesmama', 'We can't have our love anymore' / 'Je t'embrasse par mes chansons', 'Ti bacio con ogni canzone'

I anixi - Sofia Vossou

Some Eurovision songs become legendary for different persons and for different reasons. I loved 'I anixi' ever since I first heard it, which was during one of those preview shows I guess, because I was already familiar with it before it was played in Rome during the evening of the Contest. Those who saw that performance will remember that a solo went horribly wrong, thanks to a member of the orchestra who was flown in at the last minute without having had any rehearsals. (But that we didn't know, as innocent viewers.)

Getting this single has been a problem, because its worth has soared in recent years. Fortunately I was able to find this one together with the original press map for an altogether reasonable price, which is quite amazing. 'I anixi' didn't get the placing it deserved in my opinion, but I'm glad I finally have it on disc.

My collection: 7" single no. 7674
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'I anixi' / 'Tell me'

Lass mich dein Pirat sein (remix '91) - Nena

Although 'Engel der Nacht' was Nena's last single as a band, the record company decided to release a compilation album called Nena, die Band in 1991. In order to promote that album, this remix of 'Lass mich dein Pirat sein' was released as a single.

The remix does respect the original version of the song, fortunately, but adds some elements in order to make it sound a little more contemporary. Jens Kuphal was responsible for the additional programming, postproduction and mix.

My collection: 7" single no. 7663
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Lass mich dein Pirat sein (remix '91)' / 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht (live version)'

Hallo - Hallo - Lonnie Devantier

Lonnie Devantier was born on 28 November 1972. When she was just 17 years old, she represented Denmark at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Hallo - Hallo'. The imaginative title was written by John Hatting, Torben Lendager and Keld Heick. Fortunately the music was catchy and uplifting, almost making up for that inane simplicity. The song finished in eighth place in a field of 22 competitors.

The single is a rare one: it wasn't released commercially and it didn't even come with a picture sleeve. Online you can find a copy of the single for almost 200 euro - fortunately I found my copy for a lot less.
Lonnie continued her music career with one album (Nu' det min tur) in 1991, and then turned her attention to other things. She came back in 2008 as Lonnie Kjer.

My collection: 7" single no. 7643
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Hallo - Hallo' / 'Hallo - Hallo'