Radio's on - Promises

I remember the song 'Radio's on' by Promises best for a home-made remix of Queen's 'Radio gaga' which was played on Dutch radio in 1984. The intro consisted of several radio-inspired song snippets, seemingly played while someone was dialing the radio.

The song was never a hit, unlike Baby it's you, which I bought in 1989. Yep, 27 years apart - that surely must be some kind of record, right?

My collection: 7" single no. 5843
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Radio's on' / 'Toby jug'

Listen to the song

Genghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan

Such was the success of the song 'Dschinghis Khan' at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, that the German band decided to also record an English version of their song. 'Genghis Khan' was released in Germany - as this German pressing proves - but there were also singles made in the UK, Italy, France, Spain and, yes, even Australia and Brazil.

Whether the track was a hit in any of these territories, I don't know. I am however glad to have found a copy of this single, because the English lyrics betray even more clearly what the song is about.

My collection: 7" single no. 5856
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, June 3, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Genghis Khan' / 'Desert land'

Listen to the song

Just what I needed - The Cars

'Just What I Needed', like many other tracks on The Cars' debut album, originated as a demo tape recorded by the band in 1977. It was released as a single, after the band signed to Elektra records, in 1978. It was the lead single of the band's self-titled debut album. The song peaked at number 27 in the US and number 17 in the UK.

Kim Wilde recorded a cover version of this track on her 2011 album 'Snapshots', which should explain why I was hunting for this single in the first place. Having found a picture disc, I'm rather satisfied.

My collection: 7" single no. 5839
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 28, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Just what I needed' / 'I'm in touch with your world'

Listen to the song

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

Some songs are classics that everyone should own. This blog is littered with them, of course, but there are some tracks that defy criticism. Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition' is one such tracks.

Released on October 24, 1972, it was the lead single for Wonder's 'Talking book' album and topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the USA, peaking at number 10 and 11 in the Netherlands and the UK respectively. I've owned this song on CD for years already, but it's nice to finally add a 7" single to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 5837
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Superstition' / 'You've got it bad girl'

Listen to the song

Ding-a-dong - Teach In

Some singles are rather rare, and as a result, record dealers at record fairs are usually tempted to ask a high price for them. Then there are records that are not so rare, but associated to a certain event - let's say, the Eurovision Song Contest - and that's also a reason ask a minimum of 10 euros for the disc. And this one is a good example.

I found this copy in a mass of singles from a German dealer, all priced at a measly 1 euro each. Obviously, I bought it right away. Then, 10 minutes later and a few metres away, I saw another copy of this single, in a row of singles especially labeled 'Eurovision'. The price: 10 euros. And no, it didn't look any better than this one. You can imagine that I had a happy moment then and there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5832
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 16, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'Hey hello'

Listen to the song

Jag är en astronaut - Anne Mette Torp

Child star Anne Mette Torp from Hønefoss (Norway) had a great year in 1973, when she shot to fame with a cover version of Ricky Wilde's 'I am an astronaut'. The song was translated into Norwegian by Elvind Torp (presumably her father) as 'Jeg er en astronaut'. She also recorded a Swedish version, 'Jag är en astronaut', translated by Rolf Lönberg, which appears on this single.

In 1974, she released her debut (and only) LP 'Abra Ka Dabra', which did not include this song, but rather original songs, but also meant for children. After her singing career she took up ballet, and now runs the Ringerike Ballet School in Hønefoss.

My collection: 7" single no. 5823
Found: Discogs.com, received February 5, 2016
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Jag är en astronaut' / 'Jag skulle önska'

Listen to the song

You are everything - Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross

It's not a bad idea, sometimes, to let your biggest stars record a duet together. That's what must have gone through the executive minds at Motown Records in the early Seventies, when Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross got together to record 'You are everything'. This song was written by the Stylistics in 1971, but when this golden duo recorded their version, it became a massive hit around the world - although it was never released as a single in the USA, oddly enough.

It reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 13 in the Netherlands. You can still hear this song regularly on the radio.

My collection: 7" single no. 5818
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 16, 2016
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'You are everything' / 'Include me in your life'

Listen to the song

Alles und noch viel mehr - Manuela

Another example of Manuela's practice of recording German versions of Eurovision songs is this single: 'Alles und noch viel mehr', a version of Dana's winning song for Ireland in the 1970 Contest. The single reached number 26 in the German singles chart.

Manuela, born as Doris Inge Wegener, died on February 13, 2001. Ten years later, a road was named after her: the Manuelaweg in Berlin-Kladow.

My collection: 7" single no. 5810
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2015
Cost: 0.8 euro
Tracks: 'Alles und noch viel mehr' / 'Sei wieder gut'

Listen to the song

Der schwarze Mann auf dem Dach - Manuela

The popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest was perhaps even bigger in the Seventies than it is now. The winning songs were often big hits everywhere in Europe and even songs that didn't win made an impact.

German singer Manuela made a career out of recording German-language versions of Eurovision songs. This single is an example: 'Der schwarze Mann auf dem Dach' is the German version of Clodagh Rodgers' 'Jack in the box', the 1971 Eurovision entry from the United Kingdom.

My collection: 7" single no. 5809
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2015
Cost: 0,8 euro
Tracks: 'Der schwarze Mann auf dem Dach' / 'Dich vergessen kann ich nie'

Listen to the song

The Shang-a-lang song - Ruby Pearl and the Dreamboats

Marty Wilde wrote some catchy songs, verging on the naff sometimes. The title 'Shang-a-lang song' alone will have some people shudder. It doesn't exactly suggest a very 'deep' lyric, but it is still a pop song that will not leave your head once you've heard it.

It was released by Ruby Pearl and the Dreamboats on April 12, 1974, but never managed to reach the charts in the UK. As far as I know, this is the only single this band ever released. The song was also picked up that same year by French singer Sylvie Vartan, who had French lyrics written for her by Gilles Thibault.

My collection: 7" single no. 5793
Found: Discogs.com, received August 13, 2015
Cost: £ 2
Tracks: 'The Shang-a-lang song' / 'Holding you'

Listen to the song

Rub my tummy - Zenda Jacks

I've recently started buying songs that were written by Marty Wilde. Between his own career in the early Sixties and his daughter's career in the Eighties, he's been quite prolific. I have been able to find a few songs that were written by him, others are unavailable or too expensive, but I am pretty sure there's dozens more out there. (I'm always willing to receive donations by the way...)

One of my recent finds has been this single by Zenda Jacks, 'The goddess of rock'. The song 'Rub my tummy' is rather typical for the glam rock age: loud, proud and noisy. After her rather brief solo career, Zenda joined the trio Silver Convention, who represented Germany in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Telegram'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5792
Found: Discogs.com, received August 13, 2015
Cost: £ 2
Tracks: 'Rub my tummy' / 'Party queen'

Listen to the song

Sobran las palabras - Braulio

Braulio García was born in 1946 in Santa María de Guía de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. He began his career in music in 1971, debuting in a local festival with a song called 'Mi Amigo El Pastor'. In 1976 he represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Sobran las palabras' ('Words are unnecessary'). He placed 16th in a field of 18 contestants.

Over the years he also participated in some other song festivals: three times at the Benidorm International Song Festival (1973, 1975 and 1981); at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in 1979, where he won the main prize; or at the Yamaha Music Festival in 1982. He has written songs for, amongst others, other Spanish Eurovision singers José Vélez and Massiel.

My collection: 7" single no. 5783
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received April 24, 2015
Cost: 1,5 euro
Tracks: 'Sobran las palabras' / 'A ti que hoy despiertas a la vida'

Listen to the song

Goeiemorgen morgen - Nicole & Hugo

When I bought this single (along with a few others) the shop owner looked at the sleeve and said 'This is one of Belgium's finest Eurovision entries ever, isn't it?'. I could tell he meant what he said and it wasn't what I expected to hear. Eurovision is often met with ridicule, but the ridicule reserved for Nicole & Hugo's later entry Baby Baby was a especially harsh kind of ridicule.

It has to be said, however, that 'Goeiemorgen morgen' ('Good morning, morning') has a beautiful melody and the duo did a very decent performance of the song - considering the Seventies context of course. It's a shame, then, that they ended up on 14th place in a field of 18 competitors when they competed in the Contest in 1971.

My collection: 7" single no. 5780
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Goeiemorgen, morgen' / 'Er gaat altijd een trein'

Listen to the song

Waterloo - Abba

'Here he goes again', you sigh, reading the title of this item. But I have to confess that I never bought an original 7" single of Abba's famous Eurovision song 'Waterloo'. Yes, I do have the 2014 re-release and even the 2004 re-release, but the original single somehow never reached my record collection.

I corrected that mistake in part recently, when I bought the German and French pressings of the 1974 single. Of course there are some more versions to collect, and they will certainly appear on this blog when I get them, but I refuse to pay more than 1 or 2 euro for this single, which complicates matters somewhat. If I'd bought this single in the Eighties I would have paid far less as they were sold in every second hand shop in the world, but these days you have to rely on record fairs and everyone knows that the name Abba almost guarantees big sales numbers. Except for people like me, who aren't necessarily an avid fan of the band, but still want to get their hands on these old singles. Somehow, somewhere someone will hand over an old copy of this famous song for less than 'too much'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5778 / no. 5791
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015 / Discogs.com, received August 13, 2015
Cost: 1 euro / 2 euro
Tracks: 'Waterloo' / 'Watch out'

Listen to the track

Popcorn - Mister K

You'd almost forget, through all these Eurovision postings, that I have several other sub-collections within my record collection. And this is an addition to one of them: the many versions of 'Popcorn', the instrumental tune composed by Gershon Kingsley.

This single comes from the Czech Republic, where I ordered a few CD-singles, but this 7" single was a nice addition with almost no extra shipping costs. This version was actually released all over Europe, but this is my first 'Made in Czechoslovakia' single - and it is likely to be my last as well, because I don't know too many places to get such pressings. Mister K seems to be a certain Mathias Camison, a French guy who remains active in music to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 5787
Found: Discogs.com, received May 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Popcorn' / 'Synthetic sister No. 1'

Listen to the song

Waterloo - Abba

Abba have released ten albums during their career - give or take a few - and literally hundreds of compilation albums. No excuse is too weird to release yet another picking of their classic tracks. Forget the love songs compilations, jubilee albums, greatest hits, best album tracks and even the box sets though: here's the real deal: another re-release of their classic Eurovision single 'Waterloo'.

This time, it's a picture disc released exactly 40 years after they won the Eurovision Song Contest with THAT song. I was hesitant to buy it because, well, I already have the song a few times - but this really is a pretty record. It's just so damn irritating that fans of Abba have to buy the same songs over and over and over again. Fortunately, I'm not an Abba fan in that sense of the word.

My collection: 7" single no. 5781
Found: Amazon.co.uk, received April 24, 2015
Cost: £ 5
Tracks: 'Waterloo (Swedish version)' / 'Waterloo (English version)'

Listen to the song

Adam en Eva - De Strangers

The Belgian band De Strangers are best known for their covers of Eurovision songs - on this blog anyway. I have bought quite a few of them on a previous visit to Chelsea Records in Antwerp, so when I went back in April this year, I found a handful more and I got them all. Sometimes I wonder why, but it's a collection of rare cover versions that you won't easily find anywhere else I guess.

This single features two Eurovision songs from 1977 with new Antwerp dialect lyrics by the band: 'L'oiseau et l'enfant', the year's winner, and 'A million in 1 2 3', the year's Belgian entry. Quite why these songs are suddenly about Adam and Eve and expensive coffee respectively is beyond me, but there you go.

My collection: 7" single no. 5774
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Adam en Eva' / 'Dure koffie'

Listen to the song / Listen to the B-side

Waterloo - Gerd Michaelis-chor

Abba's legendary Eurovision song 'Waterloo' has been covered by various bands such as Bananarama and Doctor & the Medics, but this single features a cover by a East German choir - and that's a different kettle of fish.

Released on the state-owned Amiga label, the Gerd Michaelis-chor was famous for their performances of Schlagers, but they also recorded cover versions that were popular in 'Western Europe'. This was the time of the iron curtain, when people in Eastern Germany were not supposed to listen to just any old thing, after all.

My collection: 7" single no. 5770
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Waterloo' / 'I'm a train'

Listen to the song

Second hand company - Peter, Sue & Marc

With Trödler & Co., Peter, Sue & Marc were hopeful to gain the number one spot at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest. In fact, they were so optimistic that they decided to record an English version of their song, this 'Second hand company' which was even released in Sweden (as this pressing testifies). Like on the German version, they were suppported by Pfuri, Gorps & Kniri, names so insane that you couldn't make them up.

Although the sleeve design is a bit different you can spot the very same photograph at the center of it. There isn't much more I can say about this single really, you'd have to hear it to believe it. I guess I bought it for its curiosity value.

My collection: 7" single no. 5765
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Second hand company' / 'Coconut juice'

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Meine kleine Welt - Waterloo & Robinson

We're still stuck in the Eurovision Song Contest and in the Seventies on this blog. It is usually a pleasure but it becomes a bit of a hard slog when you listen to this 1976 entry from Austria by Waterloo & Robinson. Six years ago I wrote about My little world, which was the English version of this song, 'Meine kleine Welt'.

Although the song was performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest, it was originally written and performed in German for the national finals in Austria. Until 2007 the duo remained together, but then they decided to focus entirely on solo projects. I haven't heard any of their songs except the ones on this single, and that's enough for me, to be honest.

My collection: 7" single no. 5764
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Meine kleine Welt' / 'Superstar'

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