Ballare stretti - Sergio Dalma

Sergio Dalma represented Spain with 'Bailar pegados' in 1991. By that time, recording songs in other languages had become less fashionable (it was pretty common especially in the Sixties and Seventies), but he decided to record his song in Italian as well. This version was entitled 'Ballare stretti'. 

There are a few releases of this song. The commercially-released version fetches some amazing amounts these days, but this Italian promo, amazingly, was quite cheap. There's also the added bonus of a track by a certain Federico Vassallo on the other side of this single, and it is a nice contrast to the rather downbeat ballad by Sergio.

My collection: 7" single no. 6454
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2021
Cost: €5.50
Tracks: 'Siamo qua' (Federico Vassallo) / 'Ballare stretti' (Sergio Dalma)

Let's go crazy - Tajči

Tajči, a.k.a. Tatjana Matejaš, was born on 1 July 1970 in Zagreb, Croatia. She represented Yugoslavia in 1990 with the song 'Hajde da ludujemo'. This 12" single features three remixes of the song, of which two are in English, and called 'Let's go crazy'. Presenting herself as a Balkan version of Marilyn Monroe, she certainly made an impression on the European juries, who awarded her 81 points, which gave her a 7th place in the competition.

Since 1992 Tatjana lives in the USA, where she has since taken up citizenship and residence.She continued to release albums, although they are certainly not all in the upbeat style of this disc.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 September 2021
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Hajde Da Ludujemo (Party Extended)', 'Let's Go... (Jack Mix D.J. Got Crazy)' / 'Let's Go Crazy (Total Madness)', 'Moj Mali Je Opasan / Let's Twist Again'

Für den Frieden der Welt - Petra Frey

It was 1994, and Austria decided to send an old-fashioned schlager song to the Eurovision Song Contest. Petra Frey, who was born on 27 June 1978, was chosen to do the job, after releasing her debut album 'Bloß Träume im Kopf' the year before. The song didn't do too well: it ended up in 17th place in a field of 25 competitors.

At the time, the vinyl 7" single was becoming very nearly extinct, and so 'Für den Frieden der Welt' was one of only a handful of Eurovision songs that were released on this format.

My collection: 7" single no. 6433
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Für den Frieden der Welt' / 'Wenn ich je mein Herz verliere'

Don't ever cry - Put

When Yugoslavia fell apart in a wave of violence, the separate provinces were quick to enter into Eurovision separately. In 1992, Yugoslavia was still there (represented by Extra Nena), a year later we had Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia all competing side by side.

Croatia was represented by Put, a group put together by Vivien Galletta, Angela Jeličić, Melita Sedić, Naim Ajra, Petar Cucak Migliaccio and Olja Desic.Their song 'Don't ever cry' was a rather sentimental tune, pleading for peace and ending with the line 'Don't ever cry, my Croatian sky'. It was a kind of nationalism that hadn't really been seen on the Eurovision stage before - but several Eastern European countries would follow in these footsteps in the following years and decades. In the English version, the line in the chorus suddenly changes from 'Don't ever cry' to 'Why should we cry?'. I wonder why.

My collection: 7" single no. 6423
Found: Bea Records, received 3 August 2021
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Don't ever cry (original version)' / 'Don't ever cry (English version)'

Summer is over - Aylin Vatankoş

It would be nice to see Turkey back in Eurovision, because they usually managed to enter with remarkable songs. That said, it would be nice if Turkey wasn't led by a maniac, but let's not go into politics here. 'Yaz Bitti' was Turkey's song for the 1992 edition and it's a relatively traditional ballad. 

Aylin Vatankoş was born in 1970 in Izmir and studied music in Istanbul. She represented her country in 1992 and ended up in 19th place in a field of 23 competitors. Her music career continued after this adventure: she released two albums, in 1995 and 2010. 

This single was released by the Belgian record company Madierpo, which specialized in releasing Eurovision songs throughout the 1990's. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6391
Found: Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'Summer is over' / 'Yaz bitti'

S.O.S. - Helen Patroklou

Two songs from the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest really made a big impression on me, and they were not the two songs that were competing for the win that year. Instead, I focused on the two Greek songs: 'I Anixi' by Sophia Vossou and 'S.O.S.' by Helen Patroklou. Both singles aren't exactly easy to get, but I finally managed to get at least the latter. 

Patroklou was born in Nicosia in 1968. She began her musical career studying guitar and piano when she was just ten years old. She completed her musical studies in Vienna and Cyprus and received her music diploma in 1989. The song 'S.O.S.' earned her ninth place in the Eurovision Song Contest that year, out of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6390
Found:  Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'S.O.S. (Greek version)' / 'S.O.S. (English version)'

Tell me - Dulce

Dulce José Silva Pontes was born on 8 April 1969 in Montijo, near Lisbon. She trained as a pianist, and started a career in singing after entering a competition in her hometown at the age of 18. She soon became an actress on Portuguese television and theatre. In 1991 she won the national music festival with her song 'Lusitana Paixão', which led her to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest. She finished 8th in the competition, which is to date the fourth-best finish for a Portuguese performer

Dulce Pontes started her career as a mainstream pop artist, but over the years she has evolved to become a world music singer. She blends traditional fado with contemporary styles and searches out new forms of musical expression. Her career continues to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 6389
Found: Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'Tell me' / 'Lusitana Paixão'

 

Shine - Five Star

Like many other acts, Five Star had trouble maintaining their success when the Eighties ended and the Nineties began. House and techno music were ruining the charts and pop stars were not as popular as before, audiences opting for anonymous acts and DJ's instead. Having said that, in the case of Five Star their material was becoming a bit bland too. Having made exciting pop hits in the mid-Eighties and a more aggressive style during their Another Weekend phase, 'Shine' (1991) sounded slightly bland.

As a result, 'Shine' did not chart and the accompanying album didn't either. It took them four years to return into the UK charts, although '(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons' and 'I Give You Give' would only reach number 84 and 83 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 6375
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 May 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Shine' / 'Feelings'

Happy Birthday Captain Columbus - The Philistines Jr.

Adam Pierce, Leon Dewan, Peter Katis and Tarquin Katis formed the Philistines Jr. and released this short history lesson on music in 1992. The 7" single was pressed on red vinyl, but also contained a novely: the B-side contains two tracks. To hear them, you need to use the Balance knob on your amplifier. You guessed it: I had to do a little cutting and pasting in order to provide neat-ish sound files. Neat-ish, because the channels are actually leaking. I bought this single, obviously, for yet another cover version of 'Kids in America', but you can hear the other track, 'I'll Stop The World And Melt With You' in the background - and vice versa. It's a shame because the guitar solo at the end of 'Kids In America' is actually quite nice, and creative too. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6342
Found: Discogs.com, recevied 13 January 2021
Cost: 1,5 pound
Tracks: 'Happy Birthday Captain Columbus' / 'Kids in America' & 'I'll Stop The World And Melt With You'

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey's high-pitched warble may be appealing to some, but personally I've given up on her decades ago when her vocal excesses became increasingly annoying. One song escaped this madness over time, the Christmas classic 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'. I didn't really like this song at first but it gradually grew on me, much like Wham's 'Last Christmas' which I felt was a bit too fluffy for my taste when it came out. 

This is the fate of Christmas songs: they are re-released annually and played on the radio incessantly. Some will annoy you ('Merry Xmas Everybody' by Slade comes to my mind) and others will never go out of style. When 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' was re-released last year, there was also a 7" single in a pop-up gatefold sleeve. I received it in January this year, too late to post it on this blog. But I'm glad this single now fits the annual tradition of a Christmas song on this blog at Christmas - because this is actually the one and only Christmas single that I can post on here; I didn't buy any others. 

 

My collection: 7" single no. 6228
Found: Mariah Carey European webstore, 2 January 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' / 'Sugar Plum Fairy Introlude', 'Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (Anniversary Mix)'

The bell - Mike Oldfield

Although I have followed Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells' outings quite closely, this is one 7" single I never knew existed. I did buy all the CD-singles that were released at the time of his 'Tubular Bells II' album, but I only found the Sentinel 7" single in London when it was released. The 7" single for Tattoo was a recent catch, and it was back in May that I also spotted that 'The Bell' was released in this format. But I had to wait for one to become available.

This finally happened last month, and of course I snapped it up. In the absence of record fairs, online sales are all there is, but I am quite happy to pay for postage when an item is on my wish list. I think I have all the 'Tubular Bells II' 7" singles now... which makes me happy.

My collection: 7" single no. 6326
Found: Discogs.com, received September 26, 2018
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'The bell (MC Viv Stanshall)' / 'Sentinel Restructure (Trance mix)'

Call my name - OMD

I was quite surprised to find that I never actually bought this OMD single. I was under the impression that I had them all - but 'Call my name' was hardly one of their most successful releases. It was released as the fourth and last single from the album 'Sugar tax', the first album that was released in OMD's "wilderness years", when co-founder Paul Humphreys left the band, unhappy with the band's commercial orientation. 

Andy McCluskey went on alone but the three albums he released couldn't really compare with the artistic highlights that OMD released before. 'Call my name' only made it to number 50 in the UK singles chart and number 28 in Germany, but failed to reach the charts everywhere else.

My collection: 7" single no. 6325
Found: Discogs.com, received September 24, 2020
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Call my name' / 'Walk tall'

I don't know why I love you (but I love you) - B.E.F. featuring Green Gartside

Martyn Ware and Ian Craig-Marsh from Heaven 17 didn't have enough work on their hands, so they devoted part of their time to the 'side project' British Electric Foundation, a.k.a. B.E.F. As B.E.F. they released - so far - three albums called 'Music of quality and distinction', on which they recorded cover versions of wellknown songs using the vocals of various guest performers.

This single takes two tracks from the second volume of these albums, with guest vocalists Green Gartside (core member of Scritti Politti) and Billy Preston. They perform songs originally recorded by Stevie Wonder and The Beatles respectively. Purists will hate these versions, but I find them very enjoyable indeed.

My collection: 7" single no. 6300
Found: Discogs.com, received June 27, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'I don't know why I love you (but I love you)' (feat. Green Gartside) / 'In my life' (feat. Billy Preston)

Tubular bells - Plutonic

'Tubular bells' remains Mike Oldfield's best known piece of work, even if it was the first album he ever recorded. Since its release, many people have gone into the studio to replicate his piece. There are orchestral versions, pieces for classical guitars and of course techno versions.

Plutonic recorded this techno version of 'Tubular bells' in 1990. It is fairly repetitive, and a good indication of where music was heading at the time. Constructed entirely on synths and sequencers, some would argue that musicality was nowhere to be seen. Still, the track does have a nice groove and uses the best known theme from Oldfield's original. I would rate this version as 'average'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6301
Found: Discogs.com, received June 27, 2020
Cost: 1,5 euro
Tracks: 'Tubular bells' / 'Amen'

Dancing in the city (Summer '92 remixes) - Marshall, Hain

'Who comes up with these things?' is a question I ask myself sometimes when I hear remixes of great old songs. Take for instance this 'Summer 92' take on Marshall & Hain's 'Dancing in the city'. Steve Proctor may have had a good time creating this (as evidenced on the title of the B-side: it's certainly self-indulgent but not a pleasure to listen to!) but the song suffers.

I must say that I am a fan of the British duo but these remixes don't really do them justice. One has to wonder what would have happened if they'd stayed together longer. Their music would certainly have been a joy to listen to with more eighties influences. As it stands, Kit Hain now lives in the USA and has become an author of novels, whereas Julian Marshall is a songwriter, composer, teacher, lecturer, mentor and musician.

My collection: 7" single no. 6288
Found: Discogs.com, received May 27, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dancing in the city (Summer '92 remix)' / 'Dancing in the city (Steve's self-indulgent trumpet mix)'

Summer kisses winter tears - Julee Cruise

Julee Cruise became a big star for a moment when she rode the wave of the phenomenon that was 'Twin Peaks' in the early 1990's. Her music was produced by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, giving the single 'Falling' the same mysterious atmosphere as the legendary TV series. When the series ended, Cruise had already been forgotten by most people.

But she still released one more interesting single: 'Summer kisses winter tears' was recorded for the motion picture 'Until the end of the world' and still produced by Lynch and Badalamenti. It's a short but engaging track, which I've had on CD for decades now. I was glad to find this 7" vinyl version.

My collection: 7" single no. 6282
Found: Discogs.com, received May 14, 2020
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Summer kisses winter tears' / 'Falling'

Tattoo - Mike Oldfield

I guess I should save this single for December because of its seasonal B-side, but heck, this is Mike Oldfield and this is Tubular Bells, so I couldn't really wait that long. 'Tattoo' was released in 1992 and charted in - you guessed it - December of that year, peaking at number 33 in the UK singles chart.

It was one of three single releases taken from his album 'Tubular Bells II', a different take on his classic 1970's album. Years later, he would also make 'Millennium Bells' and 'Tubular Bells III', and we're all still waiting for 'Tubular Bells IV', which is rumoured to be an interactive thing. We can't wait.

My collection: 7" single no. 6280
Found: Discogs.com, received May 12, 2020
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Tattoo (edit)' / 'Silent night'

Brandenburger Tor - Ketil Stokkans Pop Band

The Eurovision Song Contest suffered a bit after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Suddenly songs about freedom and happiness ran rampant, and every country wanted to profit from the glee that suddenly engulfed Europe. This is how we got 'Keine Mauern mehr', 'Frei zu leben' and the terrible winner of 1990, 'Insieme'.

Even Norway went along: they sent in Ketil Stokkan with the shameless song, dedicated to that famous Norwegian landmark 'Brandenburger Tor'. But at least, this was a rather funny song. At least, it sounded funny because Norwegian is hard to understand, so the only surviving lyric for foreign ears was that very title. It didn't help matters much: at the close of voting, Ketil ended up in a shared last place in a field of 22 competitors. The single, meanwhile, is incredibly rare, so I was glad to get my hands on a copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 6278
Found: Discogs.com, received April 23, 2020
Tracks: 'Brandenburger Tor (Norsk version)' / 'Brandenburger Tor (English version)'

Kids in America - Lawnmower Deth

I was familiar, of course, with the cover version of 'Kids in America' by Lawnmower Deth, released in 1991. I bought the cd single somewhere in the 1990's and even bought the album 'Billy' with the same track on it. This 7" single, however, is a recent discovery. For all this time I believed the track was never released on this format. So when I spotted it online recently, I got hold of it rather quickly, thanks to a Belgian seller.

It is amusing to note that this version is Kim Wilde's own favourite, and she went on to record 'F U Kristmas' with the band a few years ago, as well as performing live with them. Their loud music is offset by the fact that they don't really take themselves very seriously.

My collection: 7" single no. 6277
Found: Discogs.com, received April 18, 2020
Cost: 8 euro
Tracks: 'Kids in America' / 'Bone yank blisters'

Frank Boeijen - Twee gezichten

The last few vinyl singles by Frank Boeijen have become rare oddities. Released in 1992, this is one of them. 'Twee gezichten' ('Two faces') was released in Belgium in an edition of a few thousand copies, and they're almost impossible to get hold of nowadays.

I actually own the Dutch pressing of this single, but this one is special for the fact that it has a different sleeve and a live cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne' in Dutch. Frank's version was recorded for the Dutch TV programme Rotland, broadcast a few months before the release of this single. Confusingly, that track also appears on the B-side of the Dutch single 'Ze geeft om mij'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6276
Found: Discogs.com, received April 8, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Twee gezichten' / 'Suzanne (live)'