Karma Chameleon - Culture Club

Culture Club were at the height of their popularity when they released 'Karma Chameleon'. It was a number one hit all over Europe, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. According to the band's frontman Boy George, 'The song is about the terrible fear of alienation that people have, the fear of standing up for one thing. It's about trying to suck up to everybody. Basically, if you aren't true, if you don't act like you feel, then you get Karma-justice, that's nature's way of paying you back.'

I didn't buy the single at the time of its release, in 1983, because it was continually played on radio and television. It made me hate the song. Now, more than a quarter of a century later, I can hear it again. And the price was right, of course...

My collection: 7" single no. 3586

Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 3, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Karma Chameleon' / 'That's the way'

Een beetje van dit - Vulcano

The national finals for the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands were pretty exciting. There were five acts competing for the honour to represent the country during the year's Contest in Germany. While Vulcano was the audience favourite, the honour went to Bernadette in the end. She sang 'Sing me a song' and ended up being seventh.

Vulcano, who came second by only one point in the national final, subsequently had a hit in the Netherlands with their song, 'Een beetje van dit'. The single included the Dutch and English version of the song. The single peaked at number 7 in the Dutch Top 40. Bernadette, meanwhile, only made it to number 28.

My collection: 7" single no. 3584

Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 3, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Een beetje van dit' / 'Rhythm in a heartbeat'

Baby talks dirty - The Knack

Doug Fieger, Berton Averre, Prescott Niles and Bruce Gary formed the Knack in 1978. They hit it big almost immediately with their single 'My Sharona' (1979), which became a chart hit in various countries.

'Baby talks dirty', taken from their second album '...But the little girls understand', sounded a lot like that big hit. No wonder, then, that it didn't become a hit: the audiences had heard the trick before and critics slammed the single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3589

Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 3, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Baby talks dirty' / 'End of the game'

Face the face - Pete Townshend

'Face the face' was taken from Pete Townshend's 1985 solo album 'White City: a novel'. The title refers to a story (called a "novel" in the album title) that accompanies the album, and which takes place in a low-income housing estate in the West London area of White City, near where Townshend grew up. The story tells of cultural conflict, racial tension and youthful hopes and dreams in the Sixties.

'Face the face' did not chart in the UK, but it peaked at number 9 in the Dutch Top 40 in early 1986. It was his only solo hit in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3587

Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 3, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Face the face' / 'Hiding out'

Download: Album 'White City: a novel', including both tracks

Broken wings - Mr. Mister

A couple of weeks ago, when I visited my friend Puck, he showed me a 12" single he'd bought. It was Mr. Mister's 'Broken wings', which according to the sleeve contained an extended version of that track. I was interested to hear it, but alas, he didn't have a record player to let me hear it. I had no choice but to wait. I thought I might bump into this record myself anyway, and if it was cheap enough, I would buy it.

So today I had a chance to visit a newly opened Kringloop shop in Den Haag - a shop where second hand goods are sold for next to nothing. I went straight to the records corner and found... this 12" single. I was happy! Then I heard the track. Well, it's about eight seconds longer than the cd version I have of this track. And even that may be attributed to the fact that it was pressed on vinyl (cd's usually fade out a little earlier, especially in the Eighties). I don't know what the record company was thinking. Or better still, I did know: false promises always lead to sales.

My collection: 12" single no. 488
Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Broken wings (extended version)' / 'Uniform of youth', 'Welcome to the real world'

Das Blech - Spliff

Herwig Mitteregger, Reinhold Heil, Manfred Praker, Bernhard Potschka and Alf Klimek were already playing together when Nina Hagen 'adopted' them as her band. They recorded two albums together as the Nina Hagen Band before continuing as Spliff when Hagen went solo.

'Das Blech' was the only single to have some sort of success outside of non-German speaking countries. It barely missed the Dutch Top 40, but was often played on the radio at the time.

My collection: 7" single no. 203

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1984

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Das Blech' / 'Tag für Tag'

Europeennes - Cocktail Chic

In 1986, France was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest by a group of four women who called themselves Cocktail Chic. They were Catherine Bonnevay, Francine Chanterau, Martine Latorre and Dominique Poulain. Written by George and Michel Costa, 'Europeennes' was about travelling to various European destinations, living a carefree lifestyle. The song must have been an attempt to appeal to the international juries, but ironically, most of the destinations were pronounced in French and thus couldn't be made out by most of those international juries.

With 20 countries (and acts) in the Contest, the French delegation only made it to 17th position in the Contest. Personally, I wasn't so impressed with the song either. I can recall I named them 'Cocktail Shit' at the time. But when I came across the single a decade later, I still couldn't resist buying it, if only for its rarity value. The cheap Eighties production is a bonus.

My collection: 7" single no. 3148

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 23, 1999

Cost: 4 guilders

Tracks: 'Europeennes' / 'Europeennes (English version)'

You spin me 'round (like a record) - Dead or Alive

'You spin me 'round (like a record)' was taken from Dead or Alive's 1985 album 'Youthquake'. When it was released, it was a slow starter in the UK: it lingered outside the singles top 40 for two months. After this long period, it still rose into the top 10 and then even made number 1. The single also was a top 3 hit in Australia and Italy, peaking at number 6 in the Netherlands.

Dead or Alive was formed around singer Peter Burns, who attracted attention with his eccentric image, which was often compared to then-popular Culture Club frontman Boy George. The single was the first UK number one hit for the Stock/Aitken/Waterman production trio. At the time of its release, one of the band members was Wayne Hussey, who would go on to work with the Sisters of Mercy, and then form The Mission.

My collection: 7" single no. 272

Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'You spin me 'round (like a record)' / 'Misty circles'

Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band

The Steve Miller Band has received some criticism for this song. True, 'Abra, abracadabra / I wanna reach out and grab ya' isn't one of those lyrics you have to praise for its eloquence, but it's still a good pop song. Selling the way it did (a number one hit in America, peaking at number 2 in the UK and number 18 in the Netherlands) the audiences in various countries certainly made up their own minds.

A quarter of a century later it still sounds pretty credible. If kids were still listening to music, they would buy this I'm sure.

My collection: 7" single no. 3038

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 1, 1998

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Abracadabra' / 'Never say no'

The second time around - Shalamar

Producer and booking agent Dick Griffey put together Shalamar after the first single 'Uptown festival' (1977), performed by session singers, was a hit in America. Vocalists Jody Watley, Jeffrey Daniel and Howard Hewett were brought together in 1978. Their first international hit in this line-up was 'Take that to the bank'. They followed this up in 1979 with 'The second time around', which peaked at number 45 in the UK singles chart and number 28 in the Dutch Top 40.

A young Jody Watley was part of Shalamar. In 1984 she left the group to pursue a successful solo career.

My collection: 7" single no. 2043

Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, October 30, 1993

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The second time around' / 'Leave it all up to love'

Walk into the wind - Vegas

'Walk into the wind' was the third single taken from the album 'Vegas' by the duo of the same name. Terry Hall and David A. Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) worked together on this album, which failed to make any chart impact. The singles fared comparatively better, although 'Walk into the wind', the last single of the three, only made it to number 65 in the UK singles chart.

I discovered Vegas thanks to the album, which I bought on impulse. Subsequently I bought all of their 7" and cd-singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 2692

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, July 3, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Walk into the wind' / 'Wise guy'

Download: Album 'Vegas', including both tracks

The party's over - Sandra Reemer

After Teach-In won the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Ding-a-dong', the 1976 edition was organised in Den Haag, the Netherlands. Sandra Reemer was chosen to perform that year's song, which was written in English for the first time. 'The party's over' proved to be a reasonable success, finishing on ninth place in the Contest.

It was not the first time for Sandra: in 1972 she'd already sung 'Als het om de liefde gaat' together with Dries Holten as 'Sandra & Andres'. In 1979 she would return to the Contest, singing 'Colorado'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3279

Found: February 9, 2001

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The party's over' / 'Mrs. Lonely'

Saskatchewan - Red Box

Besides the 7" single 'Saskatchewan' there was also a 12" single. The buyer got his money's worth, because he didn't just get an extended remix, but also an alternative 7" mix.

I got this 12" single from a friend, who wanted to get rid of it and had heard about my newfound obsession for Red Box releases. I didn't have much at that time (just the LP 'Heart of the sun' and a single or two), so I was very surprised when I heard the strange versions of 'Saskatchewan' on this disc. It was one of the nicest gifts I'd had in a while.

My collection: 12" single no. 224

Found: Beverwijk, 1992 (present)

Cost: nothing

Tracks: 'Saskatchewan (Crew's testing mix)' / 'Speeches', 'Saskatchewan (Alternative 7" mix)'

Radioactivity - Kraftwerk

The original single of 'Radioactivity' was released in 1976. In 1991, Kraftwerk released the album 'The mix', which contained remixed versions of some of their most popular tracks. The album included a remix of 'Radioactivity'. For the single, 'Radioactivity' was remixed by François Kevorkian and William Orbit.

The single peaked at number 43 in the UK singles chart. The album 'The mix', Kraftwerk's first since 1986's 'Electric cafe', did even better: it peaked at number 15 in the UK albums chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2332
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Radioactivity (François Kevorkian 7" remix)' / 'Radioactivity (William Orbit 7" mix)'

Radio Africa - Latin Quarter

Latin Quarter formed in the early Eighties. The line-up changed through the years, but in their 1986 heyday it was Steve Skaith, Richard Wright, Michael Jones, Greg Harewood, Yona Dunsford, Carole Douet, Martin Lascelles and Dave Charles.

Their biggest hit was 'Radio Africa' (1985), which was shown regularly on music television channels like Sky Channel and Music Box during that time. It peaked at number 19 in the UK singles chart in February 1986. It reached the Dutch Top 40 a couple of months earlier, peaking at number 37 in October 1985.

My collection: 7" single no. 2530
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Radio Africa' / 'Voices inside'

Time after time - Cyndi Lauper

After all the craziness of 'Girls just wanna have fun', Cyndi Lauper's next single 'Time after time' made be breathe a sigh of relief. Indeed, the woman was capable of making a beautiful song as well. She was rewarded with a number 1 in America, while the single peaked at number 3 in the UK and number 5 in the Netherlands.

Lauper co-wrote 'Time after time' with Rob Hyman of The Hooters. She indicated much of the lyrics were written about occurrences in the studio and her life at the time. The line 'the second hand unwinds' referred to producer Rick Chertoff's watch which was winding backwards.

Lauper re-recorded the song in 2005 as an acoustic version, together with Sarah McLachlan. It was included on Lauper's album 'The body acoustic'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1017

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 60p

Tracks: 'Time after time' / 'I'll kiss you'

Download: Album 'She's so unusual', including both tracks (password: mobetterpop.blogspot.com)

I eat cannibals - Toto Coelo

Toto Coelo had a very short career in pop business, this single being their only hit. Released in August 1982, 'I eat cannibals' peaked at number 8 in the UK singles chart. The single was followed by 'Dracula's Tango (Sucker For Your Love)', which only made it to number 53.

An album was issued containing both singles, together with a selection of unreleased tracks in 1983 titled 'Man o' War'. This album flopped. Following this, Anita Mahadervan and Sheen Doran left the group. In 1985 the remaining three members released two singles under the Toto Coelo name. Neither of those singles ('Girl's night out' and 'Gimme some lovin") was a success.

My collection: 7" single no. 3169

Found: Record Exchange, London, January 18, 2000

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'I eat cannibals (part 1)' / 'I eat cannibals (part 2)'

Download: here

Wonderwall - Mike Flowers pops

Mike Roberts founded the Mike Flowers Pops, a British easy listening band, known for lounge music covers of both older and contemporary pop music. They first came to prominence in 1995 when they released a cover version of Oasis's hit song 'Wonderwall'. DJ Chris Evans heard the song and made it 'single of the week' on his Radio 1 Breakfast show, telling listeners that this was the original version of the song. The single was released while the Oasis original was still in the charts. It peaked at number two in the UK Singles chart.

Oasis had previously refused to let other novelty acts parody the song, but were said to have enjoyed Flowers' tape so much that they allowed the group to cut it.

My collection: 7" single no. 2658

Found: HMV, London, June 29, 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Wonderwall' / 'Son of God', 'Theme from Memory Man'

Download: here

Generation sex - The Divine Comedy

After the 7" single for 'Becoming more like Alfie', subsequent singles 'The frog princess' and 'Everybody knows (except you)' weren't released on 7" vinyl. So maybe it was all over? Well, no, because the first single from The Divine Comedy's 1998 album 'Fin de siècle' was released on the format again. What's more: it contained an exclusive track, not released on other formats.

'Generation sex' was the opening track of said album and features narration by presenter and columnist Katie Puckrik. It reached number 19 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3041

Found: Mail order, UK, received November 14, 1998

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Generation sex' / 'Postcard to Rosie'

Mixed-up world - Timex social club

Gregory Thomas, Marcus Thompson, Kevin Moore, Michael Marshall, Craig Samuel, Darrien Cleage and Alex Hill formed the Timex social club in 1982. They released their debut album 'Rumours' in 1986. Their first single, 'Vicious rumours' peaked at number 13 in the UK, number 8 in America and number 3 in the Netherlands.

The follow-up single, 'Mixed-up world' only charted in the Netherlands, peaking at number 11. Soon afterward, their producer Jay King replaced them with a new band that he formed, an R&B group called Club Nouveau. After five years of being together, the Timex Social Club broke up.

My collection: 7" single no. 519

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Mixed-up world' / 'Only you'

Download: here

The hostage - Donna Summer

Donna Summer was born as LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948. Prior to her introduction to the music industry, she was a gospel singer. Aged eighteen, Gaines left home and school to audition for a role in the cast of the Broadway musical 'Hair'. She didn't get the part, but was offered the European Tour when the show moved to Germany. She settled in Munich and also performed with the Viennese Folk Opera and the pop band Munich Machine. She released two singles, 'Sally go round the roses' (1971) and 'If you walkin' alone' (1972), before she met and married Austrian actor Helmut Sommer.

She took on the stage name Donna Summer and signed a contract with the Dutch record company Groovy. Her debut album 'Lady of the night' spawned two singles: the title track and 'The hostage'. This single became a number 1 hit in Belgium and reached number 2 in the Netherlands. The song was performed on an absurdist television show in the Netherlands (see it here), which must have helped its popularity somewhat.

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My collection: 7" single no. 2623

Found: Den Haag, March 2, 1996

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The hostage' / 'Let's work together now'

Fine line - Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney released the album 'Chaos and creation in the backyard' in 2005. At the time, he was happily married with Heather Mills (that didn't last long...). Shortly before the release of the album, the first single 'Fine line' was released. It reached number 20 in the UK singles chart. The B-side of the 7" single was an otherwise unreleased track, 'Growing up falling down'.

I bought this single as a present for someone, but when I listened to it at home I decided that I wanted to keep it myself. Somehow it was never administrated as my own, so now, three years later, it has become my most recent acquisition - at least in my singles catalogue.

My collection: 7" single no. 3583

Found: HMV, London, November 8, 2005

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Fine line' / 'Growing up falling down'

Extracts from the forthcoming album - Strawberry Switchblade

This promotional clear flexi disc, housed in a four page booklet, was released in the autumn of 1984 to promote the forthcoming self-titled debut album by Strawberry Switchblade. The back of the booklet contains this promotional text:

Strawberry Switchblade, as the name may suggest, are a walking contradition. Small, frail, yet visually striking, the apparent prettiness of their songs belies the harsh reality of the lyrics. Like Macbeth's weird sisters the two seem to have sprung from the dark mists of Celtic faery. Their quiet, haunting ballads are sung in the best harmony voices since the Mamas and the Papas.

Inside you will find a flexi-disc that features extracts from the girl's debut album 'Strawberry Switchblade' with an introduction by Janice Long. Listen to it and you will realise that this is an album you must own.

My collection: 7" single no. 3000

Found: Geest, Den Haag, June 20, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Extracts from the forthcoming album 'Strawberry Switchblade'

Mind adventures - Des'ree

The title track from Des'ree's debut album 'Mind adventures' was released as her second single in March 1992. It wasn't as big a hit as 'Feel so high', peaking just at number 43 in the UK singles chart. It didn't even chart at all in the Netherlands.

By that time, I'd heard the whole album and despite a few throwaway tracks, I thought the choise of singles was pretty good. No wonder, then, that I ended up buying all the singles drawn from the album. The 7" vinyl contains an alternative 7" mix that wasn't ever released on cd as far as I know.

My collection: 7" single no. 1620
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 18, 1992
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Mind adventures' / 'Mind adventures (Alternative 7" mix)'

Take it back - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd released their last studio album 'The Division Bell' in 1994. The first single drawn from that album was 'Take it back'. While most apparently a love song, it can also be interpreted to be about Mother Nature, and how man abuses the earth. This latter interpretation gains some credibility from the video, which seems to have been made with the issue very much in mind. David Gilmour remained typically vague about the subject: 'It's got really nothing to do with my personal life, believe it or not. But I'm not going to tell you what it is about. You're gonna have to work that out for yourself. I had an idea for a song about a specific subject that came from a book I was reading, but I'm not going to tell you what the subject is or what the book is.'

Backing vocals on this track were performed by three famous ladies: Sam Brown, Durga McBroom (from Blue Pearl) and Carol Kenyon (who performed vocals for a.o. Heaven 17, Mike Oldfield and Paul Hardcastle). The single was released as a limited edition on see-through red vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2122

Found: Fame, Amsterdam, July 15, 1994

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Take it back' / 'Astronomy domine (live)'

Hey Matthew - Karel Fialka

Karel Fialka was born in Bengal, India, to a Czech father and a Scottish mother. In 1980 he started out as a poet and musician. In 1980 he had a minor hit with 'The eyes have it', which reached number 54 in the UK singles chart. In 1987, he released 'Hey Matthew'. In the song's lyric, a father questions his child on what he sees on TV and what he wants to be when he grows up. The single peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart, but never charted in the Netherlands.

To me, it was unclear what the song wanted to say. It almost suggests that the child is seeing too much horrible things on television, but never really does this. The melody appealed to me, though, so when I saw it in the bargain bin, I snapped up this disc.

My collection: 7" single no. 640

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 9, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Hey Matthew' / 'The things I saw'

Questionnaire - Chas Jankel

'When you answer all these questions / on a postcard if you please' -- it's not the kind of lyric anyone would write these days. Questionnaires have all been abandoned to the web - and otherwise no-one ever takes the time to fill them in with a pen and send them off to the address it came from.

It was an unusual song anyway, Chas Jankel's 'Questionnaire': the sound of a wailing siren on feverish party music - and then a lyric full of questions. I loved the track when it was on the radio in 1981 and so I was happy to get the single in 1993.

My collection: 7" single no. 1910

Found: Plaatboef, Leiden, May 19, 1993

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Questionnaire' / 'Boy'

Hollow horse - Icicle Works

After the release of their self-titled debut album the Icicle Works struggled to match their initial commercial success. As a live band they did secure a loyal fan base in the UK and abroad. In September 1984 the band issued the single 'Hollow Horse', which continued to be a live favourite, but failed to reach the UK singles chart.

I bought this single recently on the assumption that it would be an interesting song, because I knew the band. The song turns out to have the same soaring quality as 'Love is a wonderful colour', but is less memorable. Still, a very nice single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3476

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, December 11, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Hollow horse' / 'The atheist'

Burning bush (Testify) - Savage progress

Savage Progress started off when Rik Kenton and Glynnis Thomas met one another in 1982. They recruited Ned Morant, Carol Isaacs and Andrew Edge. In 1984 they released their debut album 'Celebration', which contained the three singles that were released subsequently: 'My soul unwraps tonight', 'Heart begin to beat' and 'Burning bush'.

I got to know 'Burning bush' because of the video, which was played often on television, and as a track on a compilation double LP which I bought in 1985. I bought this single, a limited edition housed in a posterbag, in 2001.

My collection: 7" single no. 3363

Found: Record fair, 2001

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Burning bush (Testify)' / 'Tears of love'

Tell me there's a heaven - Chris Rea

The whole concept of heaven and the afterlife is one of mindboggling stupidity. It supposes that you have to be miserable your whole damn life and then, when you're dead, suddenly everything turns into a warm, fuzzy, mellow state of constant happiness. This is especially ridiculous when you consider all the people dying of hunger, war, murder and environmental disasters.

Chris Rea once wrote this song about it: 'Tell me there's a heaven'. The song was released at a time when death and unhappiness were all around me. I thought the lyric of this song was highly appropriate for the cynicism I felt about the things that were going on, and I still think it's one of the best songs ever written - lyrically as well as musically.

My collection: 7" single no. 2264
Found: Record fair, April 8, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Tell me there's a heaven' / 'And when she smiles'

I touch myself - Divinyls

The rock band Divinyls formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980. The band had several line-up changes, but at the time of their biggest hit 'I touch myself', the line-up consisted of core members Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee, plus Charley Drayton, Benmont Tench, Lee Borkman and Jim Hilbun.

'I touch myself', a song about masturbation, hit number 1 in Australia, number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 2621

Found: Record fair, February 24, 1996

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I touch myself' / 'Follow through'

No regrets - Walker Brothers

'No regrets' was originally written and performed by folk and blues singer Tom Rush in 1968. The Walker Brothers, who'd had a string of hit singles in the late Sixties, recorded it as their comeback single in 1976. It was also the title of the accompanying comeback album. It remains a standard to this day.

It was my big idol Midge Ure who introduced me to the song in 1981. His version of 'No regrets' was a thundering, synth-driven pop song, with all the emotion and despair of the Walker Brothers version, but perhaps more power. I heard the Walker Brothers version in the late Eighties - and it took me some years to find a single of it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1418

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 7, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'No regrets' / 'Remember me'

Mind of a toy - Visage

After the release of the classic 'Fade to grey', Visage followed it up with this beautiful song 'Mind of a toy'. It's classic synthpop stuff, with a very bewildering end. From the first time I heard this music box play out the song, I've always thought it was a touch of genius. It was the third single taken from Visage's self-titled debut album. It peaked at number 13 in the UK, but didn't chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1608
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Mind of a toy' / 'We move'

Heart of gold - Johnny hates Jazz

'Heart of gold' was the fourth single taken from Johnny hates Jazz's debut album 'Turn back the clock' (1987). The single featured a new (instrumental) track on the B-side: 'Leave it up to me'. To appeal to the collectors market, it was released in a numbered limited edition 7" box set. It included three badges, a postcard and a small poster featuring the lyric of 'Heart of gold' and a photograph of the band.

All this helped to make the single peak at number 19 in the UK singles chart, which meant that it fared slightly worse than its predecessors, but it was still a good hit. It would also be their last one: follow-up single 'Don't say it's love' didn't make the top 40, subsequent singles didn't even chart anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2362

Found: London, July 1, 1995

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Heart of gold' / 'Leave it up to me'

Euro-vision - Telex

When Belgian synthpop group Telex entered the 1980 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, they did so before a stunned audience. They were asked by their manager to enter, and when they did, they performed the song 'Euro-Vision' with just their synthesizers and a perfectly executed song with banal lyrics about the Contest itself.

The audience seemed unsure how to react to the performance. At the end of it, frontman Marc Moulin took a photograph of the bewildered audience. There was mostly stunned silence, with scattered polite applause. The band then walked off amidst sounds of muttering. Apparently the band hoped to come last: 'We had hoped to finish last, but Portugal decided otherwise. We got ten points from them and finished on the 19th spot', said Marc Moulin afterwards.

My collection: 7" single no. 1238

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, 1990

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Euro-Vision (French version)' / 'Euro-Vision (English version)'

Change your mind - Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

Bill Sharpe was keyboard-player with the band Shakatak when he decided to record a solo album. 'Famous people' was released in 1985 and featured collaborations with Tessa Niles and Gary Numan.

'Change your mind' was my favourite track of 1985. The attraction of the single was helped a lot by a great video and the 12" single which featured a great extended remix of the track. But the regular version was already a cracker. My only regret is that I never bought the UK pressing with a glossy sleeve instead of the German one with the toilet paper sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 264

Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Change your mind' / 'Remix, remake, remodel'

He's a whore / The model - Big Black

Big Black was an American noise rock band, founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. They weren't after mainstream success and didn't find it. Their aggressive music with pounding drums and screeching guitars was very influential, especially for industrial rock.

This single features two cover versions. 'He's a whore' was originally recorded by Cheap Trick, whereas 'The model' was originally recorded by Kraftwerk. The sleeve of this single imitates both single covers, with the three members of the band imitating Cheap Trick on one side and Kraftwerk on the other (the latter is pictured here). Both songs can be found on their second and final album 'Songs about fucking'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3033

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 23, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'He's a whore' / 'The model'