What if - Coldplay

'What if' is a track from Coldplay's third album 'X&Y'. It was released as a single to radio stations in France and the French speaking regions in Belgium and Switzerland. A cd-single was only released commercially in Belgium, whereas this 7" vinyl single is originally part of the Coldplay Singles box set. (I managed to buy a separate single from a dealer who was apparently splitting up his box set.)

This single features the Tom Lord-Alge mix of 'What if', which differs from the album version.

My collection: 7" single no. 3496
Found: eBay.com, received December 23, 2008
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'What if' / 'How you see the world (live)'

Set the fire to the third bar - Snow Patrol

'Set the fire to the third bar' was the third single taken from Snow Patrol's fourth album 'Eyes open'. It features guest vocals from Martha Wainwright, a Canadian-American folk-rock singer/songwriter. The lyric of the song is about a couple separated by a great distance and their longing to be together again. After their long journey to meet each they would settle down in front of an electric bar fire, hence the title, 'Set the fire to the third bar'.

The single reached number 18 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Irish chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3580
Found: eBay, received February 2009
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Set the fire to the third bar' / 'Chasing cars (live)'

John the revelator / Lilian - Depeche Mode

The last of three Depeche Mode singles, and indeed the last single I bought in London on August 5. 'John the revelator' and 'Lilian' were two tracks from the band's 2005 album 'Playing the angel', released as a double A-side. On the 7" there were two remixes not available on any other (commercial) format. It was the first double A-side from Depeche Mode since 1984's 'Blasphemous Rumours/Somebody'.

The single became another number 1 hit for the band in Denmark, reaching number 18 in the UK singles chart. This picture disc 7" single is a numbered limited edition; this is number 2162.

This concludes my chronological listing of every single I bought in London on August 5. I hope you enjoyed looking in my heavy bag - without you having to carry it back to the airport and back home!

My collection: 7" single no. 3991
Found: Sister Ray, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 6 pounds
Tracks: 'John the revelator (UNKLE dub)' / 'Lilian (Robag Wruhme slomoschen kikker)'

Suffer well - Depeche Mode

'Suffer well' was the third single from Depeched Mode's 2005 album 'Playing the angel'. It was released in March 2006. It is the first Depeche Mode single whose lyrics are written by David Gahan. It is also the first Depeche Mode single that's not written by Martin Gore since 'Just can't get enough' in 1981, which was written by Vince Clarke. Finally, this is the first Depeche Mode single ever to be co-written with non-members of the band (Andrew Phillpott and Christian Eigner wrote the music).

The single reached number 1 in Denmark and went top 10 in Finland, Italy and Spain. In the UK, the single peaked at number 12. This picture disc 7" single was released as a numbered limited edition; this is number 3477.

My collection: 7" single no. 3990
Found: Sister Ray, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 6 pounds
Tracks: 'Suffer well (Metope vocal remix)' / 'The darkest star (Monolake remix)'

Precious - Depeche Mode

Although the meaning of almost all of Depeche Mode's songs are not revealed because Martin Gore prefers people to find their own meanings for each song, he made an exception with 'Precious', explaining that the song is written about his children and what they must have been going through when he was getting a divorce from their mother.

Released as the first single from their 2005 album 'Playing the angel', it was a number 1 hit in four countries, peaking at number 4 in the UK singles chart and number 11 in the Dutch Top 40. This picture disc 7" single was released as a numbered limited edition; this is number 4535.

My collection: 7" single no. 3989
Found: Sister Ray, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 6 pounds
Tracks: 'Precious (album version)' / 'Precious (Michael Mayer Ambient mix)'

Paris is burning - Ladyhawke

'Paris is burning' was the second single by Ladyhawke, taken from her debut self-titled album. Originally this track reached number 61 in the UK singles chart, however when it was re-released in March 2009 as a digital download and limited 7" vinyl, it improved on this chart placing and peaked at number 47.

What's a bit strange about this 7" single, is that it doesn't contain any 'regular' version of the track, just a remix and a French language version.

My collection: 7" single no. 3988
Found: Sister Ray, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Paris is burning (Peaches remix)' / 'Paris s'enflamme'

Poupée de cire, poupée de son - Arcade Fire

Officially this is a double A-side single split evenly between the bands Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem, but I have to say that I think Arcade Fire's cover version of 'Poupée de cire poupée de son' is the superior track here.

Arcade Fire played this song, originally performed by France Gall, during their 2007 tour in support of their second album 'Neon Bible' and recorded a studio version especially for this limited edition 7" single. LCD Soundsystem's 'No love lost' is a cover of a New Order track.

My collection: 7" single no. 3987
Found: Sister Ray, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 12 pounds
Tracks: 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son' (Arcade fire) / 'No love lost' (LCD Soundsystem)

Chasing pavements - Adele

The last stop in my tour around London (bar the obligatory visit to HMV, but I haven't bought a 7" single there in a long time!) was Sister Ray in Berwick Street. Almost closed last year, I was happy to hear that the shop was saved, and even happier to see that they still stocked an attractive amount of 7" singles. I ended up buying 10 pieces, most of them recent ones, such as this one.

Adele's 'Chasing pavements' was released in January 2008 as her second single. The song refers to an incident that occurred at 6am one day after a fight with a former boyfriend during which Adele was running down the street alone. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3982
Found: Sister Ray, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Chasing pavements' / 'That's it, I quit, I'm moving on'

Just dance - Lady Gaga

This is the debut single by Lady Gaga, released in April 2008. 'Just dance' was co-written by Lady Gaga herself, and she commented: 'I was very hungover. I wrote the song in about 10 minutes with [producer] RedOne. And it was my first time being in a Hollywood studio. Very pristine, big huge room with giant speakers.' Not surprising that the lyric of the song is about being intoxicated at a party.

So it's a bit vacuous, this song. Usually, pop songs are. The single still ended up a number 1 hit in the UK, USA and Ireland. The single initially didn't chart in the Netherlands, but when re-released in January 2009, it still reached number 1.

My collection: 7" single no. 3981
Found: Record Exchange, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Just dance' / 'Just dance (HCCR's Bambosa main mix)'

In my arms - Kylie Minogue

I was really surprised when I saw this single in the racks of the Music & Video Exchange in London. I wasn't aware this single was even released on 7" vinyl, and it was an even more pleasant surprise when I saw that it was pressed on pink vinyl. Obviously, this one was a keeper.

'In my arms' was a single from Kylie's latest album 'X', released in February 2008. It reached number 15 in the UK singles chart and number 20 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3969
Found: Record Exchange, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'In my arms' / 'Can't get you out of my head (Greg Kurstin remix)'

Is it any wonder? - Keane

Since this single is also included in the box set for 'Atlantic', I've got two copies of it. But originally I bought this single soon after it came out in 2006. The song was written about the war in Iraq. Tim Rice-Oxley explained: 'It's probably the one song that most expresses our dismay and confusion about what it means to be a British citizen, in terms of what our society's contributing to the world at large. It's very hard to make sense of why Britain feels it needs to sign up with George Bush's attacks on Iraq and the whole Afghanistan thing. It feels like there's a whole lot of trouble brewing up over Iran, and you just don't know where it's going to end. On a personal level, for people of our age, it's really unsettling...'

The single peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart. It reached number 7 in the Dutch Top 40 during an amazing 17 week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 3438
Found: HMV, London, June 19, 2006
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Is it any wonder?' / 'Let it slide'

Atlantic - Keane

'Atlantic' is a track from Keane's second album 'Under the iron sea', released in 2006. This one-sided vinyl 7" single was released in a numbered limited edition of 1000 copies (this is number 34) in a boxed set together with the first single taken from that album, 'Is it any wonder'. 'Atlantic' was promoted with a music video before the album was released, but it wasn't released as a single commercially.

My collection: 7" single no. 3489
Found: eBay.co.uk, received December 20, 2008
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Atlantic'

Stay the night - Ghosts

I've had one single of 'Stay the night' for some time now, but since there were two different versions, I was still looking for the other one. Last week, I managed to find it in an online shop, and I ordered it along with a few other recent singles. When I received the package, it contained the single in the version I already had! But one e-mail sufficed to correct this error. So many thanks to the online shop.

This version of the single was pressed on light blue vinyl and contains two nice tracks. The B-side is an interesting instrumental track.

My collection: 7" single no. 3905
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 27, 2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Stay the night' / 'Dark at 4'

Dusk till dawn - Ladyhawke

'Dusk till dawn' is another single by New Zealand pop artist Ladyhawke. Pressed on heavy white vinyl, it is a beautiful collectors item. The track itself is not as catchy as 'My delirium', but it's still a slice of modern synthpop.

Released in the autumn of 2008, the single peaked at number 78 in the UK singles chart, but did not chart in other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 3904
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24 ,2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Dusk till dawn' / 'Danny and Jenny'

Lifesaver - Emiliana Torrini

Emiliana Torrini's 2005 album 'Fisherman's woman' was woven through with the memory of her boyfriend, who was killed in a car accident in the early Noughties. It is evident in the two tracks on this single, the first one to be lifted from the album: 'Lifesaver' and 'Serenade': two slightly melancholy tracks which are, like most of the album, acoustically-based.

This single release is a special item as well: not only does it come in a numbered limited edition (this is number 96 of 1250 copies), but it has a signed inner sleeve and the resealable plastic sleeve contains a small leaf that is part of the artwork. Here's hoping the leaf won't disintegrate before I die.

My collection: 7" single no. 3900
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24, 2009
Cost: 9 euro
Tracks: 'Lifesaver' / 'Serenade'

Heartstopper - Emiliana Torrini

Emiliana Torrini was born on May 16, 1977 in Kópavogur, Iceland, where she went to opera school. Between 1994 and 1996 she released three albums in her native country. International recognition followed when Roland Orzabal from Tears for fears produced her first international album 'Love in the time of science'.

She followed up the album with the more acoustically based 'Fisherman's woman' in 2005. 'Heartstopper' was the second single from that album, which, like the first single 'Sunnyroad', did not chart. Too beautiful, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 3901
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24, 2009
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Heartstopper (Radiofied version)' / 'Thinking out loud (Extended Horn section version)'

Hometown glory - Adele

I heard this song on a television series (I'm not saying which) and found out what it was because I remembered some of the lyrics. These days with Google, it ain't hard. Adele's 'Hometown glory' is a great piano-based track, with the voice of Adele not distracting too much from the beautiful music.

Adele wrote 'Hometown glory' when she was just 16 years old. She was born on May 5, 1988 in Enfield, North London and released her debut album '19' in 2008. The single reached number 19 in the UK singles chart, after flopping on its initial release in 2007.

My collection: 7" single no. 3617
Found: La La Land, April 2009
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Hometown glory' / 'Fool that I am (live)'

The racing rats - Editors

'The racing rats' was the third single taken from the Editors' album 'An end has a start'. In the UK, the single was released, unusually, on one cd-single and two different 7" singles. This is the second one, featuring a demo version of the track and a new B-side track.

'The racing rats' reached number 26 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3899
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24, 2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'The racing rats (original demo)' / 'A thousand pieces'

My delirium - Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke was born as Philippa "Pip" Brown in Wellington, New Zealand. During her childhood various illnesses and allergies kept her in and out of the hospital. In 2008 she debuted with her self-titled album, from which several singles have been taken.

Her biggest hit so far is 'My delirium', a catchy synthpop anthem which led to comparisons with Kim Wilde in various media. The single peaked at number 33 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in Australia. This picture disc edition comes on extremely heavy vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 3903
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24, 2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'My delirium' / 'My delirium (Toddla T& Ross Orton Remix)'

Shame for you - Lily Allen

'Shame for you', a double A-side with 'Alfie', was the fourth single taken from Lily Allen's debut album 'Alright, still', released in 2007. The vocal melody is loosely based on a horn line of a Jackie Mittoo song titled "Loving You" off the album "Evening Time". The single did not come with a music video, but it was released on 7" vinyl.

I was aware of this release, but it was always exceedingly expensive to get a hold of. Now I ordered it online together with some other recent singles (soon on this blog), the price was more reasonable.

My collection: 7" single no. 3902
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24, 2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Shame for you' / 'Alfie'