The telephone call - Kraftwerk

Taken from their album 'Electric cafe', 'The telephone call' followed up 'Musique non stop'. The track appeared on side two of the album, which meant that it had a more conventional pop song structure. 'The telephone call' is notable for being the first and only Kraftwerk song to feature Karl Bartos on lead vocals.

The sleeve of this single features stills of the facial animation that was seen in the video for 'Musique non stop'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2617

Found: Record fair, February 10, 1996

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'The telephone call' / 'Der Telefon Anruf'

It won't be long - Alison Moyet

Following a period of personal and career evaluation, Alison Moyet released her third solo album 'Hoodoo' in 1991. 'Hoodoo' was a definite change in direction for Moyet: gone was the glossy softpop sheen of previous albums and a rawer, earthier sound and more personal lyrics replaced it. Compared to her earlier releases, 'Hoodoo' received little label support and only minimal promotion.

The first single from the album was the menacing 'It won't be long'. This single was nominated for a Grammy in the USA but fell behind commercially: it peaked at number 50 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 1449

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 15, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'It won't be long' / 'My right A.R.M.'

Such a shame - Talk Talk

I think it's fair to say that 'It's my life' was Talk Talk's breakthrough single, as it was the first to make the charts in various European countries. The band followed it up with a second single from their second album: 'Such a shame'.

In the UK, the single was largely ignored, peaking at number 49, whereas it became a top 10 hit in France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In the Netherlands, it peaked at number 11. It's weird, because only in the UK there was this special edition with a poster bag and a free second single containing three demo tracks. A truly great package and probably a collector's item now.

My collection: 7" single no. 1300

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 15, 1990

Cost: 5 pounds

Tracks: 'Such a shame' / 'Again a game... again' // 'Candy (demo version)' / 'Talk Talk (demo version)', 'Mirror man (demo version)'

Download: here

Tubular affair - Samoa Park

This track could best be described as a lifeless, soulless 'mashup' (as they are called these days) of 'Tubular bells' and 'Foreign affair', both Mike Oldfield tracks.

The single was released in 1983 on the ZYX Music label (liberal pronounciation: 'It Sucks Music') and I bought it because my neverending thirst for version of Mike Oldfield's masterpiece. In this instance, it was an unfortunate acquisition.

My collection: 7" single no. 3185

Found: Music Machine Mailorder, Hoorn, 2002

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Tubular affair' / 'Tubular affair (instrumental)'

Flash in the night - Secret Service

It's now 27 years ago that this single was released, and I still think that this is one of the Best Songs Ever. I still get goosebumps when I hear the intro and I love every second of this track. I was in a difficult position when I bought this single: not so long before, I'd agreed with my sister that I would not buy singles she had, so that together we'd have more records to play. It went alright for a month or two, but when I saw this single - one that I'd played a lot - for a discount price, I had to buy it. In time, the agreement went out of the window altogether, of course.

Secret Service hails from Sweden. The band consisted of Ola Håkansson, Tim Norell, Ulf Wahlberg, Tony Lindberg, Leif Paulsen and Leif Johansson. 'Flash in the night' (1982) became their biggest international hit, reaching number 23 in Germany, number 12 in Italy and Sweden, number 9 in Switzerland, number 6 in Norway and number 5 in France. Inexplicably, the song didn't reach the chart in the UK and the Netherlands.

This one comes highly recommended. Even the B-side is nice!

My collection: 7" single no. 113

Found: 7" single no. 113

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Flash in the night' / 'Watching Julietta'

We are the world - USA for Africa

After Band Aid had sold millions of copies worldwide with 'Do they know it's Christmas?', it was almost inevitable that American popstars would rise to the challenge and come up with their own charity single. 'We are the world' was the result: a single of an epic 6'22 minutes length which is fine for the first three minutes but then turns into a long, protracted death rattle of a song, with far too many artists claiming a few lines of their own to sing.

The lyric 'There's a choice we're making / we're saving our own lives' was originally written as 'There's a chance we're taking / we're taking our own lives'. It was rewritten when it was feared the original phrasing's first part might look like the artists are patting themselves on the back while the last part might suggest collective suicide.

The single became a worldwide number 1 hit, raising more money for emergency needs in Africa, where several countries were suffering from an unprecedented famine. Not much has changed in over thirty years though: Africa is still in need.

My collection: 7" single no. 3541
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, January 9, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'We are the world' (USA for Africa) / 'Grace' (Quincy Jones)

Loving you - Feargal Sharkey

Feargal Sharkey's solo career began in 1984 with the single 'Listen to your father', which he co-wrote with Cathal Smyth from Madness. That single peaked at number 23 in the UK. The second solo single was released in early 1985. Called 'Loving you', this single reached number 26 in the UK, but also number 23 in Switzerland. It would only be a matter of time before Sharkey had a big international breakthrough with 'A good heart', which gave him a top 10 all over Europe.

Both 'Listen to your father' and 'Loving you' were omitted from Feargal Sharkey's self-titled debut album, which was released in 1985. This makes both the singles great collector's items. Personally, I always thought 'Loving you' was the better of the two.

My collection: 7" single no. 1297

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 15, 1990

Cost: 30p

Tracks: 'Loving you' / 'Is this an explanation?'

Misplaced love - Rupert Hine

In 1981, Rupert Hine released the album 'Immunity'. This single, 'Misplaced love' was taken from that album. It featured guest vocals by Marianne Faithfull and became Rupert's best known single, mainly because of the fact that it peaked at number 22 in Australia. In Europe, the single started a tradition, because it was the first of many singles that would not chart in any country.

Today his work as a solo artist is mainly recognized by music enthusiasts, fellow artists and electronic music insiders, with many fans considering his tryptichon 'Immunity', 'Waving not drowning' and 'Wildest wish to fly' to be his masterwork.

My collection: 7" single no. 2721

Found: Record fair, 1996

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Misplaced love' / 'Psycho-surrender'

Let love rule - Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz debuted in 1989 with 'Let love rule', a retro track with lots of Sixties influences, evoking images of hippies dancing on the grass. It was the title track of his debut album, which appeared shortly after the release of the single.

Interestingly, Kravitz was married with The Cosby Show's Lisa Bonet at the time. She appeared in the video for the song and also co-wrote two tracks on the album. This would be the only 7" vinyl single I bought from Kravitz: his subsequent singles didn't interest me much until the release of 'If you can't say no', which was released a decade later (and not on vinyl).

My collection: 7" single no. 1113
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, November 17, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Let love rule' / 'Empty hands'
Download: Album 'Let love rule', including both tracks

Cloud eight - Frazier Chorus

Frazier Chorus followed up their single 'Nothing' with 'Cloud eight'. You could say it was equally successful, as it peaked at number 52 in the UK singles chart. But things were looking a bit grim for the band: with no chart success to speak of, the inspiration to go on began to wane too. Two more singles would follow before the band broke up.

Still, 'Cloud eight' is an inspired piece of breezy pop. I bought a quartet of Frazier Chorus singles on the day I bought this one, and I like every one of them a lot.

My collection: 7"single no. 2522
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Cloud eight' / 'Le change est magnifique'

We belong - Pat Benatar

Pat Benatar released 'We belong' as a follow-up to her highly successful single 'Love is a battlefield'. The track was taken from her sixth studio album 'Tropico'.

While it matched the success of 'Battlefield' in the US (peaking at number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart), the song was less successful elsewhere, peaking at number 10 in the Netherlands and number 22 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 2125
Found: Record Palace, July 30, 1994
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'We belong' / 'Suburban king'
Download: Album 'Tropico', including both tracks

Bad ambassador - The Divine Comedy

As far as I know, 'Bad ambassador' was the only single from The Divine Comedy's 2001 album 'Regeneration' that was released on 7" vinyl. Of course I bought it right away, even if I had to order it from the UK.

The reason for my greed was the fact that the 7" vinyl featured a live track not found on the two cd-single releases. 'Life on earth' is not, as it may seem, a cover of the David Bowie track, but a composition that appeared on The Divine Comedy's 1998 album 'Fin de siècle'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3339

Found: HMV mail order, London, 2001

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Bad ambassador' / 'Life on earth (live)'

The comfort of strangers - Julia Fordham

When I bought 'The comfort of strangers', it was mainly because it was so very cheap and because I knew the name Julia Fordham because of her single 'Happy ever after'.

This single actually predates that hit, it was released as Julia's debut single in 1988. It peaked at number 89 in the UK singles chart, and no-one could foresee that the second single from Julia's debut album would become such a big hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 2508
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 30, 1995
Cost: 10p
Tracks: 'The comfort of strangers' / 'I wish'

Why should I love you? - Des'ree

The third single drawn from Des'ree's debut album 'Mind adventures' was the sublime soul ballad 'Why should I love you?'. It wasn't as successful as the previous single, peaking at number 44 in the UK singles chart. Personally I thought it was the strongest track on the album.

The cd-single was released as a double package in the UK, with the second disc featuring covers of 'Imagine', 'Calling you' and 'Killing me softly with his song'. On the vinyl single, though, only the self-penned track 'Competitive world' appeared.

My collection: 7" single no. 1659

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 30, 1992

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Why should I love you?' / 'Competitive world'

Lass die Sonne in dein Herz - Wind

Wind represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time in 1987 with 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz'. Just like the first time in 1985, they ended up on second place, behind Johnny Logan, who won with 'Hold me now' for Ireland. Their performance is notable for including as a backing singer Robert Pilatus, later to achieve infamy in connection with Milli Vanilli.

Written and composed by longtime Contest contributors for Germany Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, the song is a reggae-oriented track with a lyric full of positive platitudes.

My collection: 7" single no. 540

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 1, 1987

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz' / 'Let the sun shine in your heart'

That loving feeling - Cicero

Cicero followed up his debut single 'Love is everywhere' with another track produced by the Pet Shop Boys, 'That loving feeling'. Despite the fact that the track had that typical Pet Shop Boys sound, it only made number 46 in the UK singles chart. It could be because of the unremarkable lead vocals by Cicero.

Whatever it was, it was the beginning of the end for him: the subsequent single 'Heaven must have sent you back to me' peaked at number 70 and later singles didn't chart. A promising career was cut short pretty quickly.

My collection: 7" single no. 3081

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, May 10, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'That loving feeling' / 'Splatt'

One, two, three... Bananas - Marga and Deuce

After the Dutch girl group Luv' split up in 1982, one of the members Marga Scheide teamed up with twin sisters Clari and Anja Horsmeier to record 'One, two, three... Bananas', hoping to achieve similar success. The single flopped mercilessly, despite its pretty decent retro production.

Marga Scheide reformed Luv' in 1989 with different members, and later on with the original members of Luv' in 1993 and 2005. The Horsmeier sisters competed in the Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983 with the song 'Computergames', but didn't win.

My collection: 7" single no. 167

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'One, two, three... Bananas' / 'Ooh, he did it'

Another brick in the wall part 2 - Pink Floyd

'Another brick in the wall (part 2)' is a protest song against rigid schooling in general and boarding schools in particular. It led to the song being banned in South Africa and several other countries. It was a number 1 hit for Pink Floyd in the UK, peaking at number 3 in the Netherlands.

For this track, Pink Floyd needed a school choir. Producer Bob Ezrin asked sound engineer Nick Griffiths to find one. Griffiths approached music teacher Alun Renshaw of Islington Green School, around the corner from their Britannia Row Studios.

When I went to English class for the first time, when I was nine years old, the teacher asked if we knew any words in English. 'Another brick in the wall' was the first phrase I came up with. The teacher assumed I didn't know what those words meant - but I did. 'We don't need no education', indeed.

My collection: 7" single no. 3201
Found: Record fair, September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Another brick in the wall (part 2)' / 'One of my turns'

Johnny come home (Mark Moore remix) - Fine Young Cannibals

Released as a single from their remix album 'The raw and the remix' (1990), this Mark Moore remix of Fine Young Cannibals' debut single 'Johnny come home' did not impress anyone. The single was released and disappeared from the racks as quickly as it had come.

My friend Puck once bought the LP 'The raw and the remix'. He probably liked the singles that the band had released from the album 'The raw and the cooked' (1989), but was very disppointed with this album. He tried forever to sell it, but I think he still has it now....

My collection: 7" single no. 3210
Found: Record fair, September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Johnny come home (Mark Moore remix)' / 'Johnny takes a trip'

It's really you - Barbara Dickson

Barbara Dickson was born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland on September 27, 1947. She started singing in folk clubs around her native Fife in 1964. Her first solo album was 'Do right woman' in 1970. Ten years later she reached her commercial peak when she released 'The Barbara Dickson Album', produced by Alan Tarney. The album yielded two singles, of which 'January February' was the successful one and 'It's really you' flopped.

Personally I think 'It's really you' is the better one of the two, being a rather bouncy poppy piece of work.

My collection: 7" single no. 3137
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'It's really you' / 'Plane song'
Download: Album 'The Barbara Dickson Album', including both tracks

Everytime I think of you - The Babys

'Everytime I think of you' was recorded by the Babys in 1978 for their third album 'Head first' (the title track appears on the B-side of the single). It peaked at number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 7 in the Netherlands. Amazingly, it didn't chart in the UK at all.

In 2006, an appalling cover version was recorded by Lucie Silvas and Dutch singing sweater Marco Borsato. It was bought by brainless people who can't tell the difference between shit and music. Nothing beats the original, certainly in this case.

My collection: 7" single no. 819

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Everytime I think of you' / 'Head first'

Download: Album 'Anthology', including both tracks

No more lies - Sharpe and Numan

After recording 'Change your mind' for Bill Sharpe's solo album, he and Gary Numan decided to record a whole album together. The album, titled 'Automatic', saw the light in 1989, but before that, a couple of singles were released.

'No more lies', released in January 1988, was one of them. At the time of its release I came across the cd-single several times, but I never bought it. Something I lived to regret. When I saw the vinyl single a decade later, I snapped it up. It's great synthpop, which was rewarded in the UK with a chart placing, peaking at number 34 in the singles chart. Outside of the UK, it was largely ignored.

My collection: 7" single no. 2907
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 31, 1997
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'No more lies' / 'Voices'

Ça plane pour moi - Plastic Bertrand

Originally released in December 1977, Plastic Bertrand had a hit in May 1978 with 'Ça plane pour moi'. It peaked at number 18 in the UK and at number 2 in the Netherlands. The lyric of this song is open to interpretation, since it is full of French slang that was used in the Seventies. The title means 'It is gliding for me', which could imply that the singer is with his head in the clouds, or possibly high on drugs. Other suggestions are 'It's all working out for me', 'This works for me', 'Everything's cool/groovy for me' or, more loosely, 'Things are going great' or even 'I'm on cloud nine'.

I wasn't impressed with this song when it came out, but twenty years later I still bought it. In time, punk songs get a certain nostalgia value.

My collection: 7" single no. 3126

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Ça plane pour moi' / 'Pogo pogo'

Bright eyes - Art Garfunkel

I once knew a girl who had such amazing eyes, they looked like the deepest lakes with mysteries so dark and beautiful I got so fascinated it stifled any chance of me talking to her. (I have to admit, sometimes they looked hollow and uninviting too.) And so it came to pass she got the nickname 'Bright eyes'.

This, of course, came from the famous Art Garfunkel song from 1979. It was composed by Mike Batt for the soundtrack of the movie 'Watership down', an animated movie about rabbits. The song relates to the transition into death highlighted by Hazel's close shave when he is shot by a farmer, and then years later when Hazel finally departs his body and enters the world of spirit. It may also be viewed in reference to the disease the rabbits refer to as 'white blindness' - actually Myxomatosis. I've always had a soft spot for animated videos, so when I saw this one in 1979, it stuck in my mind.

My collection: 7" single no. 818

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Bright eyes' / 'Kazaar's theme'

Light my fire / Please release me - Mike Flowers Pops

Mike Flowers Pops followed up their hit 'Wonderwall' with a double A-side 7" single, featuring covers of 'Light my fire' (originally by the Doors) and 'Please release me' (originally by Engelbert Humperdinck). The success of this single was limited: during a two week run it peaked at number 39 in the UK singles chart. This despite 'Please release me' being used for an advertising campaign by Bodington Bitter in the UK. It seemed the momentum for Mike Flowers Pops had gone as fast as it came.

My collection: 7" single no. 2649

Found: HMV, York, June 28, 1996
Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Light my fire' / 'Please release me'

Once in a lifetime - Talking Heads

'Once in a Lifetime' was taken from the fourth album by Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light'. It was written by David Byrne and Brian Eno. The lyric has a rather existential vibe to it, although it is usually interpreted to be a song dealing with midlife crisis and the inevitable sacrifice of youthful ideals and dreams for conventional success.

In 1981, the single peaked at number 28 in the Netherlands and number 14 in the UK. In 1985, the single was re-released as part of the promotion of the concert film Stop Making Sense. It didn't chart in the UK, but made number 29 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2946

Found: Record fair, Leiden, January 31, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Once in a lifetime' / 'Seen and not seen'

Download: Album 'Remain in light', including both tracks

Marionette - Maribelle

Before representing the Netherlands at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, Maribelle had already competed in the National finals in 1981. She sang two songs: 'Marionette' and 'Fantasie'. She didn't win the competition (which was won by Linda Williams with 'Het is een wonder'), but the two songs were released as a single.

It became a small success for Maribelle: the single reached the Dutch Top 40, where it peaked at number 36 during a four week run.

My collection: 7" single no. 3296
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Marionette' / 'Fantasie'

She - Vegas

The second single from Vegas' debut (and only) album was 'She', a cover of the 1974 song by Charles Aznavour. It was written by Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer and reached number one in the UK. Terry Hall and David Stewart must have hoped to repeat that success, but alas they weren't able to: the single peaked at number 43 and stayed in the chart for only four weeks.

The single was notable for the B-side, which was a 'disco mix' of the track. As far as I know, it's the only remix of a Vegas track ever released.

My collection: 7" single no. 2181

Found: Record Exchange, London, September 27, 1994

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'She' / 'She (disco mix)'

Download: cd-single 'She', including both tracks

Lay your hands on me - Thompson Twins

The Thompson Twins enjoyed a lot of success with their 1984 album 'Into the gap'. They had to come up with a new album soon, so the writing and recording of the next album 'Here's to future days' began in late 1984. The band recorded the single 'Lay your hands on me' with producer Alex Sadkin. The new single climbed to number 13 on the UK singles chart.

My copy of the single came in a limited edition poster bag. I might never have bought it otherwise: I thought the track was a lot weaker than previous singles. Nowadays I feel differently: it still sounds rather fresh.

My collection: 7" single no. 1905

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 2, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Lay your hands on me' / 'The Lewis Carol'

Download: here

Lover come back to me - Dead or Alive

After their considerable success with 'You spin me 'round', Dead or Alive came up with another energetic popsong in the guise of 'Lover come back to me'. Personally I always thought this was an even more powerful song, but the masses disagreed: this single fared less well. It peaked at number 11 in the UK and number 30 in the Netherlands.

By the time of the next single, the momentum of Dead or Alive seemed to have disappeared, each single scoring less well than its predecessor. And producers Stock Aitken & Waterman moved on to greener pastures with singing soapstars and fair-haired boys.

My collection: 7" single no. 292

Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Track: 'Lover come back to me' / 'Far too hard'

Download: here

Alles heeft ritme - Frizzle Sizzle

Sisters Karin and Laura Vlasblom and their friends Mandy Huydts and Marjon Keller debuted in 1981 on 'Kinderen voor kinderen', a Dutch television programme and LP featuring songs by a children's choir. In 1984 the girls appeared on the fifth annual show to tell that they formed a girl group. Naming themselves Frizzle Sizzle they were selected to represent the Netherlands in the 1986 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Alles heeft ritme'. They ended up 13th in the contest in a field of 20 contestants. In the Dutch Top 40, the song peaked at number 21.

I found this single, amazingly, in a Record Exchange in London, in the basement of the Goldhawk Road shop. I think it's the only time I bought a Dutch language record abroad.

My collection: 7" single no. 3090

Found: Record Exchange, London, May 12, 1999

Cost: 20p

Tracks: 'Alles heeft ritme' / 'Eenmaal jong'

Download: here

Invisible - Alison Moyet

Alison Moyet's third solo single was specially written for her by Motown legend Lamont Dozier, from the famous Holland/Dozier/Holland writing team. The song was released in 1984 and peaked at number 21 in the UK singles chart. A year later, it reached number 31 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart - making it the only US top 40 hit of her career.

By the time I bought this single, it was ancient. I already had all the other singles taken from her debut album 'Alf', so this was a nice completion.

My collection: 7" single no. 3263

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 21, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Invisible' / 'Hitch hike'

Download: here

She sells - Banderas

The second single from Sally Herbert and Caroline Buckley, a.k.a. Banderas, was 'She sells', a song about women being exploited for advertisements. It followed up their successful debut single 'This is your life' (which appeared previously on this blog but was deleted for some strange reason).

I bought this single some time after its release. Before that, I'd gotten hold of Banderas' debut album 'Ripe', which caused my interest in their single releases. It's one of the best pop albums I have.

My collection: 7" single no. 1958

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'She sells' / 'She sells (Alternative 7" mix)'

Download: cd-single 'She sells', including both tracks

Martyr - Depeche Mode

Until the imminent release of 'Wrong' in April this year, 'Martyr' is still Depeche Mode's last single release. It came out on November 13, 2006 in support of a new compilation album, 'The best of Depeche Mode volume 1'. Originally titled 'Martyr for love', the song was recorded during sessions for Depeche Mode's previous album 'Playing the angel'. It was considered as the first single from that album, but was subsequently dropped from the album because it was considered to be 'too poppy'.

Released as their 45th single, it was their 35th top 20 hit in the UK. The single was released as a numbered limited edition on a picture disc 7" vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 3592
Found: Plaatboef, Den Haag, March 5, 2009
Cost: 4,5 euro
Tracks: 'Martyr' / 'Never let me down (Digitalism remix)'

Helden - David Bowie

Besides the French version of 'Heroes', I also found the German one a few days ago. It doesn't often happen that you find several versions of one track in a shop - and (relatively) cheap too. Obviously I bought this one as well.

'Helden' is a slightly better version than the French one, because this one sounds German. Bowie's pronunciation is a bit strange here and there, but it sounds a lot more credible than his French.

My collection: 7" single no. 3591

Found: Plaatboef, Den Haag, March 5, 2009

Cost: 3,5 euro

Tracks: 'Helden' / 'V2 Schneider'

.

Walking after you - Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters in 1995 after the demise of grunge-rock band Nirvana. He recruited Nate Mendel, William Goldsmith and Pat Smear shortly before the release of the debut album 'Foo Fighters'. Their second album 'The colour and the shape' was released two years later. It included the original version of 'Walking after you'.

The band re-recorded this track for the soundtrack of the first X-files movie, 'Fight the future'. The original album version was created in between recording sessions for 'The colour and the shape. It was performed by Grohl on vocals (in one take) and all instrument parts except bass, which was performed by the band's bassist Nate Mendel. The soundtrack/single version was performed by the full band, including then-recent additions Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, with guest backing vocals from Craig Wedren from the band Shudder to Think.

I bought this single during a time when 7" vinyl singles were becoming increasingly rare. I'd just bought the soundtrack cd a few weeks earlier, and although I didn't remember this track, I still thought it would be a nice addition to my collection. It's a nice song but I don't really play it much.

My collection: 7" single no. 3051
Found: Record fair, 1998
Cost: 9,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Walking after you' (Foo Fighters) / 'Beacon light' (Ween)

It's different for girls - Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson released his second album 'I'm the man' in 1979. While the title track, released as the first single from the album, didn't chart, Jackson had more success with the second single, 'It's different for girls'. It peaked at number 5 in the UK singles chart and reached number 85 in Australia.

I distinctly remember going to Disco Market in May 1989 and buying a stack of second hand singles from a newly received batch. The sleeves were slightly tattered on the edges, but that didn't spoil my fun: this shop was always able to make me very happy in the knowledge that I'd found some rare old singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 826

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'It's different for girls' / 'Friday'

Download: Album 'I'm the man', including both tracks (part 1 / part 2)

Heart and soul - T'pau

T'pau released their debut single 'Heart and soul' in early 1987. The single initially flopped in the UK, but then reached number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Subsequently, the single still entered the chart in the UK and climbed to the same position in the UK. After this, 'Heart and soul' was released in Europe, where it was also a success. In the Netherlands, the single reached number 34 in the Dutch Top 40.

'Heart and soul' was re-released in 1997, when it was remixed. This remix version was only released as a cd-single, and didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 617
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Heart and soul' / 'On the wing'

Talk Talk - Talk Talk

Talk Talk was formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis, Simon Brenner, Lee Harris and Paul Webb. This first line-up enjoyed their first chart success in the UK with the single 'Talk Talk', a synth-oriented pop song, written by Mark Hollis and his brother Ed Hollis, who managed the band Eddie and the Hot Rods, and had started out in a punk band called The Reaction.

'Talk Talk' peaked at number 52 in the UK singles chart, but failed to chart in other territories. Still, it was the first sign of commercial success for one of the most influential bands of the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 2698

Found: Record Exchange, London, July 3, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Talk Talk' / '?'

Tentations - Jo Lemaire

After her debut solo album 'Concorde' (1983) did fairly well in Belgium and France, Jo Lemaire released a self-titled album in 1984. From this album, the single 'Tentations' was taken, a swinging piece of pop pleasure. Unfortunately, this single and album signalled a few difficult years for Lemaire, as it yielded no commercial success.

I heard the single back in 1984 because my sister had bought it and played it a few times. A decade later, I bought my own copy. I didn't play it much, but recently I rediscovered it and I have to admit: it's a very good single. Even the B-side is pretty wonderful.

My collection: 7" single no. 1857

Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, January 30, 1993

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Tentations' / 'L'enfer à deux'

With a little luck - Wings

Paul McCartney and his band Wings recorded 'With a Little Luck' on board the boat 'Fair Carol' in the Virgin Islands. The song was written by Paul McCartney in Scotland. The single hit number 1 in the USA, number 5 in the UK and number 6 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 843

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 27, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'With a little luck' / 'Backwards traveller', 'Cuff link'

Download: Album 'London town', including these tracks