Hooked on you - Bread

I bought a few Bread singles recently, and that's because for some reason I keep bumping into them. The soft rock stylings of this band never disappoint, even with songs I'm not that familiar with. And they had some classy sleeves too!

'Hooked on you' was written and composed by David Gates. It was the second single released from Bread's 1977 album Lost Without Your Love, and became their final charting hit, reaching number 60 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 48 in Canada.

My collection: 7" single no. 7697
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'Hooked on you' / 'Fly away' 

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do - Abba

After So long, this is the second picture disc released this year to be taken from the album Abba, originally released 50 years ago. It's another colourful photograph from that era, released to coincide with the re-release of the album on a 'half speed master 2LP' edition.

'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' was recorded on 21 February 1975 at Glen Studio, and was inspired by the European schlager music of the Fifties, as well as the saxophone sound of the 1950s American orchestra leader Billy Vaughn. The single reached number 38 in the UK singles chart, number 15 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7681
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' / 'Rock me'

Autobahn - Kraftwerk

The Kraftwerk album Autobahn celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and so it is very cool that I managed to buy the single of the same name exactly this year. I already own a UK copy, of course, but this German edition with a picture sleeve is the real deal!

Curiously this single advertises with the banner 'From the U.S. Top LP', but it is rather wellknown that Kraftwerk was always more successful outside of Germany than it was within the country. Hence the decision to record their albums both in German and English after this one. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7685
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'Autobahn' / 'Morgenspaziergang' 

So long - Abba

Abba released four new picture disc 7" singles of the songs associated with their self-titled album from 1975. Abba was their third album, and the first single to be taken from that album was 'So Long', a rockier track than usual from the quartet. The single was released in most of Europe and in Australia and New Zealand in November 1974. Spain and Japan followed suit in early 1975. 

The B-side of this picture disc, 'I've been waiting for you' was actually also released as a single back in 1975, but only in Australia and New Zealand. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7680
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'So long', 'I've been waiting for you' 

Seninle bir dakika - Semiha Yanki

The very first Turkish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest was 'Seninle bir dakika' in 1975. The song was performed by Semiha Yanki, who was born on 15 January 1958.

Despite a strong performance, Semiha got only three points (from Monaco) and came in last place. There were also problems with the scoreboard, and even these three points did not appear, causing the host Karin Falck to say: "Could we have three points on the Turkey?"

My collection: 7" single no. 7672
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'Seninle bir dakika' / 'Love is the name of the game'

Klop klop hallo - Willeke Alberti

Although I'm not particularly a fan of Willeke Alberti, a few singles have ended up in my collection, and that's all because of her connection with the Eurovision Song Contest. Like her father, Willy Alberti, Willeke covered a handful of Eurovision songs, and it's quite interesting to hear her versions because they come with translated lyrics. Translated into Dutch, that is.

And so, in 1970, 'Knock knock who's there' became 'Klop klop hallo' and 'All kinds of everything' became 'Duizenden dingetjes'. Both songs were from the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 (representing the UK and Ireland respectively) and they appear on this single from 1970. It's just a pity that this single was released on mono only. But it's a rare piece nonetheless: a copy without a picture sleeve commands at least 15 euro on Discogs!

My collection: 7" single no. 7665
Found: Easter market, Den Haag, 20 April 2025
Tracks: 'Klop klop hallo' / 'Duizenden dingetjes'

Bang-a-boomerang - Abba

Surprisingly, I didn't already have 'Bang-a-boomerang' on a 7" single, and even more surprisingly, 'S.O.S.' is on the B-side of this single. It is a French release on the Vogue label, with a very colourful sleeve.

The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and at one point had the working title 'Stop and listen to your heart'. The lyrics compare the "message of love" with the returning boomerangs which the Aboriginal Australians developed. The song was originally written for Svenne & Lotta, who competed in the Swedish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1975 with it. The duo had a big hit with it in Sweden. Abba then recorded the song and released it as a single in France and included it on their Greatest Hits album in November 1975. It was never released as a single in Scandinavia.

My collection: 7" single no. 7662
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Bang-a-boomerang' / 'S.O.S.'

Waterloo - Abba

What can I say about Abba's 'Waterloo' that hasn't been said already about a thousand times? Not much, I fear, and so I only need to explain why I bought this particular single. 

It's the Danish pressing of the single and it was released in 1974 in two different versions: with green lettering and red lettering. I'm not sure if I'm going to collect all versions of this single, because many different pressings exist, but this one was amusing and looked good too - and the price was right.

My collection: 7" single no. 7661
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Waterloo' / 'Watch out'

Amiga Quartett - Elton John

This EP features four hit singles by Elton John, and I was quite surprised to find that I didn't already have them on 7" singles - with the exception of 'Rocket man' of course.

Of the four songs, 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' is my favourite. The lyrics, written by Bernie Taupin, contain autobiographical elements, referring to his childhood on a farm in Lincolnshire. The song expresses a desire to get back to one's "roots", a common theme of Taupin's early lyrics. In 2014, Taupin reflected, "It's been said many times, but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a cinematic album. The lyrics to the title track do say that I want to leave Oz and get back to the farm. I think that's still my M.O. these days. I don't mind getting out there and doing what everybody else was doing, but I always had to have an escape hatch."  In 2020, he added, "I don't believe I was ever turning my back on success or saying I didn't want it. I just don't believe I was ever that naïve. I think I was just hoping that maybe there was a happy medium way to exist successfully in a more tranquil setting. My only naïveté, I guess, was believing I could do it so early on. I had to travel a long road and visit the school of hard knocks before I could come even close to achieving that goal."

My collection: 7" single no. 7659
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Rocket man', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' / 'Crocodile Rock', 'Daniel' 

Amiga Quartett - Middle of the road

This Amiga EP features two songs by Middle of the Road that I already had on two other singles: 'Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep' and 'Soley, soley', plus two I didn't already have.

'Tweedle dee, tweedle dum' was released as a single in 1971 and reached number 2 in the UK singles chart. In the Dutch Top 40 it got to number 7. 'Sacramento' is a song I remember well from my childhood - my brother and sister were particularly fond of Middle of the Road and they played their singles regularly when I was young. 'Sacramento' only reached number 23 in the UK singles chart but was a big hit in Europe: it got to number 1 in Belgium, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands!

My collection: 7" single no. 7657
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep', 'Soley, soley' / 'Tweedle dee, tweedle dum', 'Sacramento'

Enjoy yourself - The Jacksons

'Enjoy yourself' was released by the Jacksons in 1976. Featuring Michael and Jackie Jackson on lead vocals, it was the first single for the group since they departed from Motown earlier that year. The song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

It was the group's first song to officially feature new member Randy Jackson, who replaced Jermaine Jackson when he decided to stay at Motown after his brothers left. A music video, the Jacksons' first, was released in early 1977 to promote the single; it features the five Jackson brothers wearing white suits and dancing on a stage. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7651
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Enjoy yourself' / 'Style of life'

Take a chance on me - Abba

Collecting Abba singles has gone out of hand a bit. I used to want to have all the tracks, but now I am also drawn to strange versions from different countries. This one, for instance, was just too hard to resist. 

It's a Yugoslavian pressing of 'Take a chance on me', with, bizarrely, 'Thank you for the music' on the B-side. Official releases would never contain these two songs on one 7" single. As a bonus, this single has a beautiful sleeve too. You can see how I gladly shelled out a few euros for this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 7649
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Take a chance on me' / 'Thank you for the music'

Gerdundula - Status Quo

Those who know Status Quo from their late Seventies/early Eighties material will associate the band with long hair and just the slightest bit of headbanging. But their beginnings were quite different, as songs like 'Pictures of matchstick men' and 'Ice in the sun' have already proven on this blog.

My latest acquisition is 'Gerdundula', a 1970 single from the band. Confusingly, the song was written by Manston & James, which would lead someone to think that Marty Wilde was somehow involved, as he used the pseudonym Frere Manston at the time. However, in this instance it's the pseudonym for band mates Francis Rossi and Bob Young.

My collection: 7" single no. 7647
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Gerdundula' / 'Lakky Lady'

Auf Wiederseh'n in Monaco - Caline & Olivier Toussaint

'Les jardins de Monaco' was the Eurovision entry for Monaco in 1978. The song was performed by Caline and Olivier Toussaint, and their song was quite successful: it finished in fourth place.

There was enough reason to think that other countries would be interested in the song, and so the duo also recorded it in German. The lyrics were translated by Wolfgang Mürmann, a successful German composer, writer and producer who worked with many German and foreign artists during his lifetime.

My collection: 7" single no. 7644
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Auf Wiederseh'n in Monaco' / 'Alle die verliebt sind'

Greif' nicht nach den Sternen - Family Four

With 'Vita vidder' Family Four represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971. They were reasonably successful, reaching sixth place on the scoreboard.

And so, they decided to record a German version of their song as well. 'Greif' nicht nach den Sternen' was written by Catrin Toisy. The song was released with a colourful sleeve and another German song on the B-side. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7639
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Greif' nicht nach den Sternen' / 'Liebeslied'

Winter melody - Donna Summer

Although Donna Summer was wellknown for her sighing and groaning on 'Love to love you', she appears on the sleeve of this single in winter clothes. 'Winter melody' is a soul ballad. The song speaks of a woman struggling to come to terms with the fact that her relationship has ended. As with much of Summer's material at that time (particularly with songs found on her concept albums), the song played for a considerable amount of time (over six minutes), however, the song was edited for its release as a single. 

The single was taken from the album Four Seasons of Love, and the song represented the "winter" phase of this concept album. It reached number 43 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 27 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7620
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Winter melody' / 'Full of emptiness'

Twee hartjes en twee namen - Yvette Ravell & Ronny Temmer

In 1972 Serge & Christine Ghisoland represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'A la folie ou pas du tout'. They represented mainly the French speaking part of the country, as they were chosen by the Walloon broadcaster. In the Flemish part of the country, Yvette Ravell and Ronny Temmer stepped in and took it upon themselves to provide a translation with this single, 'Twee hartjes en twee namen' ('Two hearts and two names').

The B-side of this single is a cover version of 'Als her om de liefde gaat', the Dutch entry from that year. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7617
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 March 2025
Tracks: 'Twee hartjes en twee namen' / 'Als het om de liefde gaat'

Everything I own - Bread

David Gates wrote 'Everything I own', which was recorded by his band Bread in 1971. Although initial listeners may have interpreted it as a song about a broken relationship, David Gates revealed that it was written in memory of his father who died in 1963 before he achieved his success with Bread. David said: "My success would have been so special to him as he was my greatest influence. So I decided to write and record 'Everything I Own' about him. If you listen to the words, 'You sheltered me from harm, kept me warm, you gave my life to me, set me free', it says it all."

The single reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 32 in the UK singles chart. Surprisingly, the single didn't chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 7607
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 1 March 2025
Tracks: 'Everything I own' / 'I don't love you'

So long - Paunita Ionescu

When I order records online, sometimes there are such items that I just buy because they're cheap and interesting. And a disc like this is certainly that. For just 1 euro extra I got this rare gem. 

The Romanian singer Păunița Ionescu recorded a cover version of Abba's 'So long', and it appears on this EP with three tracks. Ionescu apparently had a musical background, as both her parents were opera singers. She started singing in the 70s with the band Catena (Latin for “chain”), a girl band. Finally, Păunița Ionescu opted for a solo career in 1974. She left Romania in 1990 but occasionally returns to her homeground.

My collection: 7" single no. 7614
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 March 2025.
Tracks: 'Don't tell me', 'Is everybody happy?' / 'So long'

Golden years - David Bowie

'Golden years' was the lead single from David Bowie's tenth studio album Station to Station (1976). Harry Maslin, who co-produced the track, recalled that the song was "cut and finished very fast. We knew it was absolutely right within ten days. But the rest of the album took forever." Like the majority of Station to Station, the song's elements were primarily built in the studio rather than written before.

The single was very successful, reaching number 10 in the US BIllboard Hot 100 chart, number 8 in the UK singles chart and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40. I thought I'd bought this single a long time ago, but apparently not. So I did.

My collection: 7" single no. 7610
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 1 March 2025
Tracks: 'Golden years' / 'Can you hear me'