Excerpts from Bye Bye Birdie, vol. 3 - Various artists

In 1961 the musical Bye Bye Birdie opened in London's West End, after its Broadway debut a year earlier. The role of the titular Conrad Birdie was played by Marty Wilde. Together with Chita Rivera, Peter Marshall and others the story revolved around a popular singer going off to the Army and its effect on a group of teenagers in a small town in Ohio. There were obvious parallels to Elvis Presley being drafted to go to Germany in 1957. The name of the rockstar, 'Conrad Birdie', was word play on the name of the then-popular Conway Twitty.

The EP presents five songs from the musical, two of which were performed by Marty Wilde: 'One last kiss' together with the ensemble, and 'A lot of livin' to do' with Sylvia Tysick and a group of teenagers. With its big band sound, the tracks border on jazz at times.

My collection: 7" single no. 7747
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 August 2025
Tracks: 'Hymn for a Sunday evening', 'One last kiss' / 'What did I ever see in him?', 'A lot of livin' to do', 'Kids' 

Alla andra får varann - Inger Berggren

Although Siw Malmkvist performed 'Alla andra får varann' for Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960, she never recorded it in the studio. And so, no single of this song by her exists. Fortunately the song was recorded by two other artists. I bought the version by Östen Warnerbring last year, and this year it's Inger Berggren's version that ended up in my collection.

Inger is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest, of course: in 1962 she would go on the represent Sweden herself with 'Sol och vår', which I bought twice.

My collection: 7" single no. 7739
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2025
Tracks: 'Alla andra får varann', 'Underbar så underbar' / 'Concert d'amour', 'Zigenare' 

Love is blue - Marcello Minerbi & his orchestra

There are many versions of 'L'amour est bleu', the song with which Vicky Leandros appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. And a sizeable portion of those cover versions is instrumental-only. The Sixties were a great time for orchestras. Famously, Paul Mauriat made it to number 1 the US Billboard Hot 100 with his instrumental cover, and many other orchestras followed, hoping to have similar success.

Marcello Minerbi was born on 7 August 1928 in Genoa (Italy) and became the leader of the vocal trio Marcello's Ferial, which formed in 1962. They were very popular in Italy until they broke up in 1968. Meanwhile, Minerbi formed his orchestra, recording theme songs and hits of the day in his style. His version of 'Love is blue' was a nice find during my singles hunt in Darmstadt - and also the last one.

My collection: 7" single no. 7738
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025 
Tracks: 'Love is blue' / 'From your side'

Yester-me, yester-you, yesterday - Stevie Wonder

In 1966 Chris Clark recorded 'Yester-me, yester-you, yesterday', a song written by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells. Stevie Wonder recorded the song a year later, but the single was released in 1969, when he was going through some vocal problems and was required to wait before recording a song. Motown decided to release some tracks that were recorded earlier, and so his version of the song saw the light in September 1969. 

It was a big success: the single reached number 7 in the US BIllboard Hot 100 and number 2 in the UK singles chart, making it at that time, Wonder's biggest UK hit.

I found this disc during the annual family holiday while going through some singles in a record store in Darmstadt. That record store was a highlight of the week for me. Oddly, because I went to that same shop in 2018 and found exactly nothing!

My collection: 7" single no. 7733
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Yester-me, yester-you, yesterday' / 'I'd be a fool right now'

L'amour est bleu - Vicky

Almost ten years ago I bought my first copy of Vicky Leandros's 'L'amour est bleu'. Why it didn't end up on this blog back then, I don't really know. It is an interesting enough EP, because it announces all the tracks in Spanish, but they are actually sung in French.

Two of these tracks are familiar, because they are also on other releases of the song, but the B-side is populated by two more songs. Vicky didn't win the contest on this occasion, but she would do so half a decade later, when she performed 'Après toi'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5704
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 21 November 2015
Tracks: 'L'amour est bleu', 'Le soleil a quitté ma maison' / 'Le tour du monde', 'Les amoureux' 

Do it again a little bit slower - Jon & Robin and the In Crowd

Just four weeks ago I posted a version of 'Do it again, a little bit slower' by Herman & Dorothy, and here I am with the original version! Let's just say that an online search always pays off. 

Jon & Robin and the In Crowd recorded the song in 1967. Jon Abdnor Junior and Javonne "Robin" Braga teamed up with the In Crowd, which consisted of Bobby Rambo (guitar, percussion), Jim Glaves (keyboards), Pete Molino (guitar), James Anderson (bass) and Rex Ludwick. The single reached number 18 in the USA and number 9 in Canada. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7705
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 July 2025
Tracks: 'Do it again, a little bit slower' / 'If I need someone - it's you'

Love is blue - Vicky Leandros

I have my share of copies of Vicky Leandros's 1967 Eurovision entry for Luxembourg: in French (two, no, three different copies), German, and English. But there are actually two different versions of the song in English, and this is the other one. 

'Love is blue' has the same lyrics as 'Colours of love', but the musical accompaniment is quite different. You can hear it during the first verse already: 'Colours of love' features a piano accompaniment which is absent on 'Love is blue'. 

Initially I bought this single because I didn't have this sleeve - which is quite pretty - but in doing so I actually found a different version of this Eurovision classic. And that's always a treat. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7690
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025 
Tracks: 'Love is blue' / 'Dance with me until tomorrow'

It ain't easy / Give up your guns - Ritty McGarrety

You'd be forgiven if you've never heard of Ritty McGarrety - I hadn't either. It was purely by chance that I saw this single and decided to buy it, based on one of the titles on this sleeve. 'Give up your guns' was originally recorded by the Buoys, and I absolutely love that song. So I was quite curious what this person had made of it. 

It turns out that Ritty was actually named Ritty van Straalen. He was a Dutch drummer, best known for his years with the succesful Utrecht-based band, Continental Uptight Band. He released a couple of solo singles and 'Give up your guns' was one of them, scraping into the Tipparade, just outside of the Dutch Top 40. Quite why the song appears on this 'maxi single' remains unknown, although the record company probably wanted to profit from its near-hit status. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7693
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'It ain't easy' / 'Give up your guns', 'Please, look back'

A little bit slower (Do it again) - Herman & Dorothy

One of the singles Ricky Wilde recorded when he was a teenager was 'Do it again, a little bit slower'. It was obviously a cover version, but I'm having a hard time finding the original. This single by Herman & Dorothy predates Ricky's version by five or six year, but it is only one version of the many released back in 1967. 

The original version was actually performed by Jon & Robin and The In Crowd; a version that will undoubtedly pop up on this blog at some point. But meanwhile, this version by Herman & Dorothy is amusing as well, especially with the ending actually slowing down. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7695
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'A little bit slower (Do it again)' / 'Charing Cross' 

Wichita lineman - Glen Campbell

Somehow I can vaguely recall hearing this song on the radio when I was much younger. It's one of those songs that you fail to identify until many years later. I think I really 'got into' this song when it was performed by Glenn Gregory during some live concert in London which I attended maybe ten years ago.

Glen Campbell recorded the song back in 1968 and it reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. I stumbled on a copy by chance, and remembering the song almost instantly after having forgotten all about it once again, I snapped it up.

My collection: 7" single no. 7684
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 15 June 2025
Tracks: 'Wichita lineman' / 'Back in the race' 

Karusell - Kirsti Sparboe

Kirsti Sparboe (born on 7 December 1946) was just 18 years old when she represented Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Karusell', a song that was written by Jolly Kramer-Johansen. He composed music for several Norwegian films, including De vergeløse from 1939, Bastard from 1940, Tørres Snørtevold from 1940, Den farlige leken from 1942, and Bustenskjold from 1958. 

The song ended up in 13th place in a field of 18 competitors. It didn't deter her from trying again: in 1967 she participated again with 'Dukkemann' (I'm still searching for that single!) and in 1969 she tried for the third and last time with 'Oj, oj, oj, så glad jeg skal bli'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7678
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 May 2025
Tracks: "Karusell' / 'Med lokk og lur'

Muistojeni laulu - Laila Halme

Laila Sinikka Halme was born on 4 March 1934. She represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963 with 'Muistojeni laulu'. The song did not receive any points and ended up in joint last place with the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

In 1987 she hosted the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, together with Lasse Mårtenson. Halme continued to sing and also tried her hand at acting in a handful of Finnish films. She passed away on 28 November 2021, aged 87.

My collection: 7" single no. 7666
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 April 2025
Tracks: 'Muistojeni laulu' / 'Olen mikä olen'

Summer is over - Frank Ifield

Frank Ifield was an English-born Australian easy listening and country music singer known for his yodeling vocal style. His family emigrated to Australia in 1946. He returned to the UK in 1959 and in 1962 he had a major success with the song 'I remember you'. Throughout the Sixties he had a succession of hits which were mainly revivals of American country songs. 

This particular single features a version of 'Summer is over', a song made famous by Dusty Springfield. Her version was often used on Radio Veronica, during its broadcasts from a ship in the North Sea. This version is slightly less romantic, but it is still a stunningly beautiful melody. I bought my copy at the record fair last week, but it benefited from a little cleaning. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7652
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Summer is over' / 'True love ways'

Vse rože sveta - Lado Leskovar

Lado Leskovar was born as Vladimir Leskovar in Ljubljana on 23 March 1942. He began his music career in the early Sixties. In 1967 he represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Vse rože sveta' ('All the flowers in the world'), finishing in eighth place.

Although he tried to further his singing career, he ended up working for Radio Televizija Slovenija. During the parliamentary elections in Slovenia in 2008 he was a candidate for the party Zares. Ten years later (2018) he ran for a seat in the National Assembly under the auspices of the Desus party.

An unexpected bonus on this EP is 'Jokal bom na dežju', a Slovenian version of the Everly Brothers song, 'Crying in the rain'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7664
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 April 2025
Tracks: 'Vse rože sveta', 'Orly' / 'Potraži me u predgradu', 'Jokal bom na dežju'

Sag ihr, ich lass' sie grüssen - Richard Adam

Udo Jürgens represented Austria in 1965 with the song 'Sag ihr, ich lass' sie grüssen'. It reached fourth place in the competition, which inspired some artists to record their own versions of the song.

One of them was Richard Adam, a Czech singer who was born in Prague on 14 November 1930. He started his music career during World War II as a drummer in his brother's band, who was two years older. He achieved his greatest fame and popularity at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s. He also established himself abroad, and was very popular in the GDR and the Soviet Union. With the onset of normalization after 1968, he also faced a wave of bans, ostracisms, and political persecution. He has recorded approximately 330 songs, of which 250 were for the Czechoslovak Radio and 80 for the Supraphon publishing group. His most successful song was the song Tina Marie, which sold over one million records in the USSR alone. He sang on tour until he was eighty. He passed away on 14 October 2017.

My collection: 7" single no. 7654
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Sag ihr, ich lass' sie grüssen' / 'Herr Schmidt, Herr Schmidt'

Bonne nuit, ma chérie - Fred Frohberg

'Bonne nuit, ma chérie' by Wyn Hoop was the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960. It is a relatively unknown German Eurovision song, although it finished in fourth place. Very few cover versions of the song exist.

Perhaps the most interesting one was recorded by Fred Frohberg for the East German label Amiga. The label ceased to exist when Germany reunited after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, but it released a lot of singles during its existence. I'd never seen this old label layout before, and so I was quite glad to buy this single - it's a precious piece of history in many ways!

My collection: 7" single no. 7653
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Bonne nuit, ma chérie' / 'Einer wird bei dir bleiben'

Romantica - Aurelio Fierro

Whenever a single sleeve promises 'San Remo' in big letters it's time to be on my guard, because this could be one of the many cover versions of early Italian Eurovision entries. And indeed, in this case, Aurelio Fierro performs a version of Renato Rascel's 'Romantica'.

Aurelio Fierro (13 September 1923 – 11 March 2005) was an Italian actor and singer, specialising in songs in the Neapolitan dialect. His first big hit was with 'Scapricciatiello' in 1954. His best-known songs are probably 'Guaglione', recorded in 1956, and 'A pizza', from the Naples song festival of 1966.

My collection: 7" single no. 7650
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Libero', 'Vento, pioggia e scarpe rotte' / 'Romantica', 'Il mare'

Playboy - Ann Christine

'Playboy' was Finland's song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966. The candidates for the Finnish qualifier were selected from an open competition, to which about 200 compositions were received. Playboy's composer Ossi Runne had just been chosen to succeed George De Godzinsky as the conductor of Yleisradio, but in the Finnish qualifier on 22 January 1966, Godzinsky was still conducting the orchestra. The qualifying vote was in two stages and the top three from the first round advanced to the second round. The 12-member jury scored Playboy by far the best and 21-year-old Ann-Christine Nyström was able to go to the international competition. 

Shortly before going on stage, Ann-Christine became worried and asked Ossi: "What if I forget the lyrics?", to which Ossi replied comfortingly: "Don't worry, no one understands them". Finland's seven points were enough for tenth place.

I was actually holding out for a copy with a picture sleeve, until the friendly seller told me that the Finnish version of the song was never released in a picture sleeve at all! This copy remains the only Finnish recording of the single and even though the center has been dinked, I am very happy to have this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 7645
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Playboy' (Ann Christine) / 'Peini sana' (Danny)

Nous aurons demain - Franca di Rienzo

Franca di Rienzo got the honour to represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. Her song was 'Nous aurons demain', written by Géo Voumard and Émile Gardaz, the same team that created 'Refrain', the winning song of the first edition of the Contest.

This EP presents first and foremost Franca's version of the year's winning song 'Nous les amoureux'. Not that Franca did so bad: her own song finished in third place. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7641
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Nous les amoureux', 'Depuis qu'tu m'aimes' / 'Nous aurons demain', 'Lettre a Pinocchio'

Kun kello käy - Kristina Hautala

'Kun kello käy' was the Finnish entry for the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest in London, performed by Kristina Hautala. It was composed by Esko Linnavalli and written by Juha Vainio. The song finished in joint last place with one point.

The 1968 Eurovision Song Contest was the first to be recorded in colour and was broadcast in colour in those countries where colour television had already been introduced. A completely new kind of attention was now paid to the performance outfits of each contestant, and Kristina Hautala's lime green mini dress already received a lot of attention in the Finnish press in advance. Unfortunately the bad placing for the song meant that the typical Finns' "from great hopes to great disappointment" attitude towards Eurovision began that year.

In 1970 Hautala left her longtime label Scandia and debuted on EMI-Columbia with 'Kop kop, ken lie?', a Finnish cover of 'Knock, Knock Who's There?', which proved to be her last evident release as a career recording artist. In 1972 she returned to her native Stockholm to attend university, subsequently working as a psychologist and art therapist. She making a one-off return to singing in 2003 with the album Hetki tää, a collaboration with the Matti Viita-aho Group. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7638
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Kun kello käy' / 'Kielletyt käskyt'