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'

Annorstädes vals - Ingvar Wixell

Some would argue that the Eurovision Song Contest was "much better in the early days", and their eyes would fill with a nostalgic look. Indeed it's hard to imagine that a country like Sweden would send in a celebrated tenor to sing a classically oriented jazz song like 'Annorstädes vals' these days. But times have changed, and so has the music that people want to see on the TV screen.

Sweden didn't actually send in 'Annorstädes vals' back in 1965 either: they opted for the English translation called 'Absent friend'. This was a kind of protest against the fact that Carmela Corren had sung 'Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder' partly in English in 1963, because Austria should have stuck to their country's own language (as was the unwritten rule back then). The protest worked; the unwritten rule became a written rule and countries had to stick to their official languages from 1966 onwards. 

There is, of course, a single of 'Absent friend' as well, but so far I've only seen that one for thrice the price I paid for this one. And this one was already a bit on the expensive side.

My collection: 7" single no. 7628
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 April 2025
Tracks: 'Annorstädes vals', 'Förtrollad stad' / 'Stilla och tyst', 'Kommer var'

Puppet on a string - Al Hirt

Back in the Sixties and Seventies, trumpet players had a good time. They had an instrument that was very popular with casual record buyers and instrumental versions of big hits were all the rage. Bert Kaempfert made a nice living releasing album upon album with such tracks. Lesser gods like Piet Knarren and Eddie Calvert didn't have any money problems either.

I must confess I'd never heard of Al Hirt before, but it turns out he did very well for himself too. He received 21 Grammy nominations during his lifetime, including winning the Grammy award in 1964 for his version of 'Java'. This single features his version of the Eurovision classic 'Puppet on a string', and of course I bought it. It was only 1 euro after all.

My collection: 7" single no. 7611
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 1 March 2025
Tracks: 'Puppet on a string' / 'Big honey'

 

Llámame - Victor Balaguer

This single spent a long time on my wantlist, and when I ordered it online I didn't pay enough attention to the description, otherwise I would have known that I would receive this single in a record company sleeve instead of the picture sleeve. Oh well, at least it is the original record company sleeve.

'Llámame' was the song performed by Victor Balaguer for Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962. It was a rather traditional Spanish-style song, which was not out of the ordinary at the Contest around that time. It wasn't a very successful song: it finished in shared last place (with Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria) with zero points. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7587
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 February 2025
Tracks: 'Llámame', 'Serenata' / 'Leccion de Twist', 'Dile tu'

Ice in the sun - Status Quo

Although I already had a single featuring 'Ice in the sun' on the B-side of 'Pictures of matchstick men' on an unsightly 'old gold' release, I always wanted to have the original single as well - but for a fair price. When I finally saw one I snapped it up. 

'Ice in the sun' was written by Marty Wilde, of course, together with Ronnie Scott. They created many songs during the Sixties, but this was one of the better known ones. 'Ice in the sun', reached number 8 in the UK and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7565
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Ice in the sun' / 'When my mind is not live'

Crying in the rain - Everly Brothers

'Crying in the rain' was composed by Carole King with lyrics by Howard Greenfield, originally recorded by American duo the Everly Brothers. Their version was released as a single in December 1961, peaking at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1962.

The song was a collaboration between Greenfield and King, both of whom worked for music publisher Aldon Music at the time. On a whim, two Aldon songwriting partnerships decided to switch partners for a day; King's regular lyricist and then-husband Gerry Goffin partnered with Greenfield's frequent collaborator Jack Keller, leaving King and Greenfield to pair up.

For younger listeners, the song is best known in a version by A-ha.

My collection: 7" single no. 7570
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Track: 'Crying in the rain' / 'That's old fashioned (That's the way love should be)'

I just don't know what to do with myself - Dusty Springfield

'I just don't know what to do with myself' is a song written by Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. The song was first recorded by Chuck Jackson in 1962. The song was recorded by Dusty Springfield and it reached number 3 on the UK singles chart in 1964. 

Production was credited to Philips Records owner Johnny Franz - although Springfield later stated her solo Philips tracks were self-produced - and arranged by Ivor Raymonde who conducted his orchestra. Springfield, whose first solo recordings had included covers of the Bacharach/David compositions 'Anyone who had a heart' and 'Wishin' and hopin'' - had brought back 'I just don't know what to do with myself' from an overnight trip to New York City where she met up with Bacharach in February 1964. Two years later, the song was also recorded by Dionne Warwick.

My collection: 7" single no. 7567
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'I just don't know what to do with myself' / 'My colouring book'

Zijn eigen wonder - Willeke Alberti

Dutch singer Willeke Alberti had profited from the Eurovision Song Contest before, having recorded 'Uno per tutte' with her father Willy in 1963. Six years later she went at it on her own, recording a version of Frida Boccara's moving chanson 'Un jour, un enfant' - but in a Dutch translation.

Cees Nooteboom provided the lyrics for this song. The Dutch novelist, poet and journalist used to write lyrics for his then-partner Liesbeth List, but later made a name for himself as a writer. The book 'Rituelen' became an international success and he was even mentioned recently as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7572
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Zijn eigen wonder' / 'Happy, happy, happy'.

Pictures of matchstick men - Status Quo

Although I already had 'Pictures of matchstick men' in my collection, it was an unsightly 'old gold' release, without a picture sleeve. Fortunately I now own an original release of that song, courtesy of a seller who didn't charge a ridiculous price for it.

According to Francis Rossi, who wrote the song: 'I wrote it on the bog. I'd gone there, not for the usual reasons... but to get away from the wife and mother-in-law. I used to go into this narrow frizzing toilet and sit there for hours, until they finally went out. I got three quarters of the song finished in that khazi. The rest I finished in the lounge.' So basically we know where the song was written, but not what it's about.

My collection: 7" single no. 7564
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Pictures of matchstick men' / 'Gentleman Jim's sidewalk cafe'

As tears go by - Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull passed away recently, on 30 January. I bought her debut single just 11 days earlier and I really wanted to post this single earlier but I just didn't have the time. So here it is, still: quite a bit of history in this 61 year old disc. The song was written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Marianne Faithfull recorded and released it as a single in the United Kingdom in 1964. Her song peaked at number 9 on both the UK and Irish singles charts. 

It was actually Marianne's re-recording from 1987 which made me quite fond of the song. It adds a layer of nostalgia which is abent on this early recording. Marianne actually said it herself: "Forty is the age to sing it, not seventeen".

My collection: 7" single no. 7566
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'As tears go by' / 'Greensleeves'

Es war keine so wunderbar wie du - Cliff Richard und die Shadows

Back in 1964 Cliff Richard had a hit with 'I could easily fall in love with you'. It isn't easy to find a good copy of a single that old, but I managed it five years ago.

And then, here's the German version of that same song, in the same unscathed condition! In this case, the song is credited to 'Cliff Richard und die Shadows'. I can't find out whether this version was a hit in Germany, but I would assume it was. It is a great version.

My collection: 7" single no. 7534
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Es war keine so wunderbar wie du' / 'Es könnte schon morgen sein'