L-Imhabba - Helen & Joseph

When Malta started participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in the early 1970's, they insisted on performing in Maltese. This didn't necessarily prove to be a success formula, as these first two entries ended up in last place. Helen & Joseph's 'L-Imhabba' ('Love') was Malta's second unsuccessful attempt after 'Marija L-Maltija'. 

In an effort to make the difficult Maltese language a little more accessible to all the viewers, a word in Italian, Spanish, German and English was included in the chorus: “L-imhabba hi bacio, beso, Küsse / Haz li 'l qalbek tmiss u li jsejhulha "kiss" / L-imhabba hi bewsa helwa zokkor / Li jimbuttawha x-xottejn waqt li jinghalqu l-ghajnejn”. You can see it doesn't really help.

My collection: 7" single no. 6921
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 March 2023
Tracks: 'L-Imhabba' / 'Gonna be a fun day'

A-ba-ni-bi - Grupo Música

The Portuguese Grupo Música released their last single in 1978, featuring covers of 'A-ba-ni-bi', the Israeli winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest that year, originally performed by Izhar Cohen, and 'Det blir alltid värre framåt natten', the Swedish entry originally performed by Björn Skifs. 

Grupo Música remains as anonymous as the sleeve of this single looks, and after 1978 no futher singles were released. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6920
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2023
Tracks: 'A-ba-ni-bi' / 'Quando a noite vem'

A ave e a infancia - Grupo Música

Grupo Música is another one of those anonymous acts who were busy recording covers of Eurovision songs. This single is their first release, I think, featuring the winning song of the 1977 edition, 'L'oiseau et l'enfant'. In Portuguese that becomes 'A ave e a infancia'. The B-side is a cover of 'Mathema Solfege', the Greek song which ended up in fifth place that year. 

According to Discogs, António Sala is the only identified member of Grupo Música. It's always a bit of a mystery who else was involved in this recording, although producer Correia Martins at least gets a mention on the back sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 6919
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2023
Tracks: 'A ave e a infancia' / 'Licao de Solfejo'

Guarda os teus beijos para mim - Acetato

There's some more Portuguese covers of Eurovision songs in the batch of singles I received recently. This one was released in 1976 and features the number 1 and 2 of that year's competition: 'Save your kisses for me' (UK) and '1, 2, 3' (France). In Portuguese, that would be 'Guarda os teus beijos para mim' and 'Um dois tres'. 

The tracks were recorded by Acetato, an anonymous act who released nothing else, just this one single. As a result, the names of the four members of Acetato, pictured on the back sleeve, remain unknown.

My collection: 7" single no. 6918
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2023
Tracks: 'Guarda os teus beijos para mim' / 'Um dois tres'

Djingis Khan - Vikingarna

The song 'Dschinghis Khan' by the band of the same name was a big success in 1979. So much so, that several acts recorded cover versions of the song. This blog already featured versions by 5 Carat and Marco Polo, and here's another one: by the Swedish act Vikingarna.

Vikingarna were formed in 1958 in Arvika as Ji-Coo and the Vikings, a rock-and-roll and skiffle group. By the 1973, the band had changed both line-up and style several times, and settled on the new Swedish sound: dansband. The band released their first album that same year and their second the year after, before securing a record deal with Mariann Records in 1975. In 1975 they released "Kramgoa Låtar 1", the first album in a series of more than twenty records. After that, the band released a new album on a yearly basis, whilst touring between recording sessions. In 1992, after the release of "Kramgoa Låtar 20", the band went on hiatus, but returned in 1995 for new albums. In December 2003, they announced their retirement, and played their final concert on July 7, 2004 in Arvika to a record audience. By then, the band had sold more than 11 million records. 

Their version of 'Dschinghis Khan' is very much comparable to the original version even if it is sung in a lower key, but the real surprise is the B-side: a beautiful orchestral version of John Denver's classic 'Annie's song'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6913
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 March 2023
Tracks: 'Djingis Khan' / 'Annie's song (instrumental)'

Wir glauben an Morgen - Karina

I bought the 7" single 'En un mundo nuevo' 13 years ago, the Spanish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1971. The song was quite successful, ending up in second place.

I didn't know back then that Karina also recorded her song in English, French, German and Italian. It's not easy to find all these versions, but the German version is now mine. I didn't notice this before, but the song seems oddly inspired by Marty Wilde's 'Abergavenny' - just listen to the last part of this song. And that doesn't seem far-fetched; Karina actually recorded a version of that song as 'La fiesta' in 1968.

My collection: 7" single no. 6907
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2023
Tracks: 'Wir glauben an Morgen' / 'En un mundo nuevo'

So long - Abba

Do I really need more Abba singles? Well, no, not really, but some covers are just too beautiful to resist. This copy of 'So long' was made in France and they gave it a colourful sleeve that was much more stylish than the boring German one.

I remember that, as a child, I thought this song was pure hardrock. Not much later I got into the 'disco-rock' of Kiss, and a few years later again I discovered that hardrock was actually quite a bit harder. And louder. But 'So long' is, to me at least, still Abba's big hardrock moment.

My collection: 7" single no. 6892
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 4 March 2023
Tracks: 'So long' / 'I've been waiting for you'

A whiter shade of pale - Procol Harum

An old, familiar song like 'A whiter shade of pale' is an essential part of any music collection. I've had a single for many decades, but it was a slightly embarrassing reissue from the 1980's. 

This single is also a reissue, but from 1974. And best of all, it features a credible picture sleeve and the B-side 'A salty dog', which is another fabulous track from the band. It being on sale for just half a euro, I couldn't resist.

My collection: 7" single no. 6884
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 4 March 2023
Tracks: 'A whiter shade of pale' / 'A salty dog'

Chiquitita - Abba / Too much heaven - Bee Gees

This single is a nice curiosity, since it features two big hits from the year 1979: Abba's 'Chiquitita' and 'Too much heaven' by the Bee Gees. Both tracks feature on the album 'Music for Unicef concert: a gift of song', which was released in 1979. It was the album that accompanied the benefit concert of popular music held in the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on 9 January 1979. It was intended to raise money for UNICEF world hunger programs and to mark the beginning of the International Year of the Child. The concert was the idea of impresario Robert Stigwood, the Bee Gees, and David Frost, who originally conceived it as an annual event. Not all of the performances were truly live, with ABBA lip-synching their new song 'Chiquitita' and the Bee Gees lip-synching their song 'Too Much Heaven'. It's kindof ironic that these two songs were chosen for a single release.

The concert raised less than one million dollars at the time for UNICEF, although this figure did not include longer-term royalties from the songs and repeat performances. (The Bee Gees' song 'Too much heaven', for example, earned more than seven million dollars for UNICEF as of 2003). 

My collection: 7" single no. 6881
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 March 2023
Tracks: 'Chiquitita' (Abba) / 'Too much heaven' (Bee Gees)

Ring! RIng! - Klaus & Servants

Even before Abba reached worldwide fame, they were quite successful in Sweden. They participated in the Swedish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with 'Ring! Ring!', and although this song did not win, it inspired quite a few Scandinavian acts to cover the song.

Klaus & Servants was a Danish pop band, established in 1965 in Præstø by Klaus Strand-Holm. They made their recording debut as The Servants in 1968 with two unsuccessful singles. From 1971 the band was marketed as Klaus & Servants, and the national break-through came same year with the single 'Bank tre gange' that reached number 1 on the Danish chart. 'Ring! Ring!' was released in May 1973, just two months after the song was performed at the Swedish national final.

My collection: 7" single no. 6876
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 February 2023
Tracks: 'Ring! Ring!' / 'Har du glemt?'

Slaughter on 10th avenue - Los Valentinos

Los Valentinos was a Danish group who made a name for themselves with instrumental numbers between 1974 and 2000. In the band's heyday from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, the group recorded 10 albums.

One of their first releases was this single, 'Slaughter on 10th avenue'. What makes this single interesting for me is the B-side: it's a version of the Marty Wilde composition 'Polaris', which he created for a group called The Boys - which was a pseudonym for the Wildcats. And the Wildcats, of course, were the band who supported Marty, much like the Shadows did for Cliff Richard. I haven't found a copy of The Boys' version yet, but at least I have this cover version now.

My collection: 7" single no. 6875
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 February 2023
Tracks: 'Slaughter on 10th avenue' / 'Polaris'

Marlene - Dominique Dussault

The song 'Marlène' was a tribute to Marlène Dietrich, and the words included references to the movie ‘The Blue Angel’, which featured the song ‘Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss Auf Liebe Eingestellt’, a sentence that is also paraphrased – in German – in this song.

The song was performed by Dominique Dussault, who was just 16 years old at the time. When she was much younger, she spent five years in hospital. That’s when she started singing. According to legend, it’s also where she was discovered. At the Eurovision Song Contest, she finished in eighth place. 

I have searched for this single for the longest time, because it's the last one I needed to complete my collection of Monegasque Eurovision entries. Their first, 'Mon ami Pierrot' by Jacques Pills, was never released on record, unfortunately. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6871
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 February 2023
Tracks: 'Marlène' / 'Marlène (instrumental)'

Musik - Marianne Mendt

Marianne Mendt was born on 29 September 1945. She trained as a jazz singer and actress and toured as a singer and bass player, with group the Internationals, around Europe. In 1971 she represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Musik'. Performed as the first song of the evening, it was the first time that Austria was represented with a song in a Viennese dialect. At the end of voting 'Musik' could only manage 16th place of the 18 competing entries.

Mendt remains an active performer, regularly appearing at concerts and jazz festivals in Austria. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6867
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 February 2023
Tracks: 'Musik' / 'I hob di...'

Let's stick together - Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry's 'Let's stick together' is one of those songs that probably everybody knows. It's very familiar and a radio favourite ever since its release. I always felt it was an unremarkable song compared to a lot of material from the second half of the Seventies and the first half of the Eighties, but the taste of the general public and DJ's in particular has always been a mystery to me anyway. It's a nice song, but not stunning or anything.

The single reached number 4 in the UK singles chart and number 5 in the Dutch Top 40. Ferry actually re-released the track in remixed form in 1988. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6866
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 18 February 2023
Tracks: 'Let's stick together' / 'Sea breeze'

Baby I'm a want you - Bread

You could argue that I already owned Bread's 'Baby I'm a want you' on this Original Oldies single, but there's nothing quite like the real thing, and the real thing in this case is a single from 1971. It's a great little Dutch pressing with adverts for other artists on the back sleeve, including the Doors' last album with Jim Morrison, 'L.A. Woman'. I've always felt that Bread was a kind of laidback Doors band, so it feels appropriate.

The B-side of this single is called 'Truckin'', and it's a song that leans towards country territory and quite different from the songs that this band became famous for. I got to buy this single - and the three that will follow on this blog - because I really wanted to scour a real life record shop again, and this shop is the closest to my home.

My collection: 7" single no. 6863
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 18 February 2023
Tracks: 'Baby I'm a want you' / 'Truckin''

Swinging on a star - Spooky & Sue

This single is a throwback to my earliest childhood, when I first started getting interested in pop music in the wake of my sister's singles collection. She would play records for me and I would enjoy most of them. This is how I discovered a lot of music in the Seventies, along with the weekly TV programme Toppop of course. 

The Dutch duo Spooky & Sue - consisting of the Aruban male singer Iwan Groeneveld and British female singer Sue Chaloner - enjoyed their biggest hit in 1974 with the song 'Swinging on a star'; it peaked at number 2 and stayed up there for a full month. The duo continued until 1977, after which they both pursued solo careers.

My collection: 7" single no. 6859
Found: Plato, Leiden, 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'Swinging on a star' / 'Ain't it good'

Wake up - Ian Dury & the Blockheads

A visit to a real record shop is always a pleasure, especially when they've got a good selection of 7" singles to look around in. I was quite surprised to see this single, because I knew the title but I suddenly realized that I didn't own it yet. 

'Wake up (and make love with me)' starts with the immortal line "I come awake / with the gift for womankind", which, as most men will testify, is an accurate description of those early moments of the day. Amazingly, the single wasn't a hit in the UK, but it did make number 25 in the Dutch Top 40. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6858
Found: Plato, Leiden, 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'Wake up' / 'Blockheads'

Madrugada - Duarte Mendes

José Henrique Duarte Mendes (born 7 August 1947) is a Portuguese former captain and singer. He participated in Festival da Canção in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973 but he did not win until 1975 when he performed 'Madrugada', written by José Luís Tinoco, about the Colonial War and 1974's Carnation Revolution. He finished in 16th place with 16 points (a surprising 12 points from Turkey) in a field of 19 performers. 

I ordered the single from a Portuguese seller, but he informed me that the wrong disc was inside the sleeve. As a consolation he would send me the sleeve for free. All I had to do next was buy the disc - and fortunately a cheap one without the sleeve was on offer by another seller. And so the set has become complete after all!

My collection: 7" single no. 6857
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January (sleeve) & 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'Madrugada'  / 'Entre Espanha e o mar'

Portugal no coração - Gemini

Although the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 was performed by Os Amigos, the song was performed twice during the Portuguese national final - seven songs were performed by 14 performers. 

The other performers of 'Portugal no coração' were Gemini. They ended up in sixth place, and so didn't get the ticket to represent their country. They would be more lucky the next year, when they won the national final with the song 'Dai li dou'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6853
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January 2023
Tracks: 'Portugal no coração' / 'Cantiga de namorar'

Let's all chant - Michael Zager Band

I bought the single 'Let's all chant' a long, long time ago. This was when I was no longer sick of the track - because it had been played repeatedly in and after 1978. Almost three decades later and I find myself buying the 12" single, because I have to admit it's as infectious a disco track as they come. It's not hard to imagine radio DJ's having a good time while playing this. 

This 12" version does what all good extended versions should do: add to the track and not take out any relevant stuff, like remixers started doing towards the end of the 1980's. This is seven minutes of 'Let's all chant' - the way you like it.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2023
Tracks: 'Let's all chant [extended]' / 'Traffic jam [extended]', 'Traffic jam (dub mix)'