Eins zwei drei - Catherine Ferry

I don't know exactly how unusual it is for a French artist to record a German version of their song, but I think it doesn't happen very often. Catherine Ferry does a good job with her German version of '1, 2, 3', the song with which she represented France during the Eurovision Song Contest. I think she pronounces everything just right - although German readers and listeners may think otherwise. I do think it is a pity she didn't bother to record a German version of the B-side, 'Petit Jean', as well.

There is a Spanish version of this song as well, but from what I've seen the sellers seem to want more for it than I am willing to pay. So I guess I'll have to be patient. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6441
Found: Discogs.com, received 1 September 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Eins, zwei, drei' / 'Petit Jean'

Sámiid Aednan - Sverre Kjelsberg & Mattis Haetta

The Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 was 'Sámiid Aednan', and I found that single seven years ago after a long search. I didn't know at the time, but there was also this version of the single, featuring an English version of the song on the B-side. This pressing comes from Portugal, although a Scandinavian version also exists. 

Sverre Kjelsberg was found dead in his home in June 2016. Mattis Haetta is still alive and has worked in pantomimes and yoiks in Alta, Kautokeino and Luleå. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6440
Found: Discogs.com, received 1 September 2021
Cost: 9 euro
Tracks: 'Sámiid Aednan' / 'Sámidd Earth'

Need your love so bad - Fleetwood Mac

Strictly speaking, I already had 'Need your love so bad' on a single, as it appeared on the flipside of 'Albatross', a single I bought some time ago. But this is the original version that reached the charts in 1968 and predates 'Albatross' by four months. 

The song was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1955. When Fleetwood Mac recorded the song, producer Mike Vernon suggested adding strings to the track. It was also Vernon who contacted Mickey Baker, who provided the guitar on John's original version, to write an orchestral score for the song. The single became a minor hit in the UK (peaking at number 31) but reached number 7 in the Dutch Top 40. A much longer version of the track appeared on the 2002 compilation album 'The Best Of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6439
Found: Flea market, Voorburg, 29 August 2021
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Need your love so bad' / 'Stop messin' round'

Eurovision '69 - Various artists

In 1969, the Eurovision Song Contest was organized in Spain, after Massiel's controversial win in 1968. The Spanish record company Belter did a lot to promote the event: various entries were released in attractive themed sleeves (See this one, for instance) and this EP is further evidence. 

A few things are interesting about this EP: all four songs are in Spanish. Ivan & M's (a.k.a. M4) and Frida Boccara recorded these Spanish versions themselves - and they were also released on separate singles - but since there was no Spanish version of 'Desfolhada Portguesa' by Simone, it was recorded by a certain Madalena Iglesias, a Portuguese actress and singer who actually represented her country in 1966 with the song 'Ele e ela'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6438
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Vivo cantando' (Salomé), 'Desfolhada Portuguesa' (Madalena Iglesias) / 'Un dia, un niño' (Frida Boccara), 'Saludos al mundo' (Ivan & M's)

Los dias del arco iris - Nicola di Bari

Just two years ago I got 'I giorni dell'arcobaleno', a single by Nicola di Bari and his Eurovision entry from 1972. It's a beautiful song, and I was interested when I saw that Nicola also recorded this song in Spanish. The music is still as beautiful, the lyrics - obviously - sound different. 

Have a listen to the B-side as well, though. 'Vagabundo' does not appear on that other single, not even in the Italian version, and it's a strong song that would not have been out of place on the Eurovision stage as well. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6437
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 August 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Los dias del arco iris' / 'Vagabundo'

Party for everybody - Buranovskie Babushki

The Buranovksie Babushki formed in the 1970s in Buranovo, a small rural locality in the Udmurt Republic of Russia. They became famous when they participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 (although they also tried to represent Russia in 2010, when they ended up in third place). In 2010, the group started a fund for the rebuilding of Trinity Church in Buranovo and all of the group's income is donated into this fund. The Trinity Church was originally built, of stone, in 1865, but was closed on 19 September 1939 by the Soviet administration and demolished. The present wooden church is in poor condition. The church was finally opened and consecrated on June 20, 2016.

Meanwhile, 'Party for everybody' became a cult classic, best known for the fairly ridiculous stage act involving six elderly women and an oven in which they were baking cookies. This picture disc 12" single features no less than 10 versions of the song, with remixes by various Russian DJ's. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 August 2021
Cost: $10
Tracks: 'Party For Everybody (Original Version)', 'Party For Everybody (Official Eurovision 2012 DJ Slon Party Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (DJ Karas Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (Music People Deejays Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (T.V.M. Remix (Radio Cut))' / 'Party For Everybody (Ed Mortel & Michel Nekoz Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (KJ AIGer Remix) (DFM Version)', 'Party For Everybody (DJ Smash Remix)', 'Party For Everybody (DJ Sanya_JC Remix)', '    Party For Everybody (Doberman Remix (Radio Edit))'

 

Due grosse lácrime bianche - Iva Zanicchi

Iva Zanicchi was born on 18 January 1940. Her career started in 1962 when she participated in the Castrocaro music festival, where she ended up in third place. Five years later she won the San Remo festival with the song 'Non pensare a me'. 

In 1969 she represented her country with 'Due grosse lacrime bianche' ('Two big white tears'). It didn't persuade the juries: she ended up in 13th place in a field of 16 competitors. 

This single is the Spanish pressing, which incidentally comes in a more beautiful sleeve than the original Italian version. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6436
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Due grosse lácrime bianche' / 'Tienimi con te'

Playback - Carlos Paião

Carlos Manuel de Marques Paião was born on 1 November 1957. While studying medicine, he represented Portugal in 1981 with the song 'Playback', which is all about miming to pre-recorded music. The English version (on the B-side of this single) makes it easier to follow the rather deadpan lyrics. When you listen to the recording you can't help thinking about the famous Gershon Kingsley composition 'Popcorn'.

In August 1988, Carlos Paião died in a car accident while returning from a concert. The Datsun Urvan that Carlos Paião was travelling in collided head-on with a truck that was irregularly overtaking a broken car. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6435
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Playback (Portuguese version)' / 'Playback (English version)'

Sol de inverno - Simone

According to the sleeve of this single, Simone was the "Queen of the Portuguese Radio". You can just imagine her singing a lot during Portuguese radio broadcasts during the Sixties. Simone de Macedo e Oliveira was born on 11 February 1938 in Lisbon, Portugal and represented her country twice. The second time was in 1969 with 'Desfolhada Portuguesa', this single contains the first attempt: 'Sol de inverno'.

It's not a happy song. The English translation, which is provided on the back cover, reads as follows: 'All I dreamed, all I wanted, all I enjoyed in life, is lost forever / Now, you are happy and I always will miss my forsaken love'. Fortunately, there's always the sun in winter who provides a little warmth. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6434
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Sol de inverno', 'A rua do desencontro' / 'De degrau em degrau', 'Silhuetas ao luar'

Für den Frieden der Welt - Petra Frey

It was 1994, and Austria decided to send an old-fashioned schlager song to the Eurovision Song Contest. Petra Frey, who was born on 27 June 1978, was chosen to do the job, after releasing her debut album 'Bloß Träume im Kopf' the year before. The song didn't do too well: it ended up in 17th place in a field of 25 competitors.

At the time, the vinyl 7" single was becoming very nearly extinct, and so 'Für den Frieden der Welt' was one of only a handful of Eurovision songs that were released on this format.

My collection: 7" single no. 6433
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Für den Frieden der Welt' / 'Wenn ich je mein Herz verliere'

Perdon cariño mio - Massimo Ranieri

In 1971, Massimo Ranieri represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'L'amore è un attimo'. He recorded the song in French and Spanish. This single features the Spanish version: 'Perdon cariño mio'. 

Ranieri actually recorded his song in Spanish, French, German and English. So there's two more versions left for me to find!

My collection: 7" single no. 6430
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Perdon cariño mio' / 'A Lucia'

Oliver - Anita Skorgan

Norway didn't have the best track record in Eurovision in the Seventies and early Eighties. A lot of that had to do with the artists that seemed to reappear almost every year: Jahn Teigen and Anita Skorgan. They usually ended up somewhere near the bottom of the list, even if their song were, in hindsight, not really that bad.

This contemporary dance track 'Oliver', for instance, has aged well. It is, of course, certainly of its time, but it sounds like a lot of music that was popular at that time. However, at the close of voting, it had received 57 points, placing 11th in a field of 19 competitors. Anita would appear on stage again in 1981, 1982 and 1983, once in a duet with Jahn, and the other two times as a backing singer.

My collection: 7" single no. 6431
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 August 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Oliver' / 'Together'

The Mike Oldfield EP - Mike Oldfield

When Mike Oldfield went on tour in Germany in 1982 (remember tours?) this limited edition EP was released. It is an interesting collection of songs, because it brings together the A- and B-sides of the singles 'Mistake' and 'Family Man', which were released separately in the same year. 

The tour took Mike all through Western Germany on 26 dates between 30 September and 29 October 1982. This we learn from the back cover, where all the albums he'd released up until then were shown as well. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6429
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 August 2021
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Mistake', '(Waldberg) The Peak' / 'Family Man', 'Mount Teide'

Romantica - Achille Togliani

If the title 'Romantica' seems familiar, it's because it was performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960 by Renato Rascel. This cover version by Achille Togliani, an Italian singer and actor who released an enormous amount of singles between 1950 and 1966. He also participated in the Italian San Remo festival - the festival that usually delivered the artist who would represent Italy on the Eurovision Song Contest. 

I'm not in the habit of buying every cover version of every Eurovision song - it would take a while and lots of money to do that - but when I come across one, for instance at a record fair, I can't resist.

My collection: 7" single no. 6425
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 August 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Romantica' / 'Perderti'

Bold as brass - Split Enz

About 25 years ago I had a friend with whom I shared the same sense of appreciation for certain kinds of music. During one of my visits she played me the album 'Dizrythmia' by Split Enz. Most of that album went past me, but the opening track 'Bold as brass' certainly made an impression. So much so that I contemplated buying that LP a couple of times over the past decades.

Imagine my surprise when I suddenly saw this single at a record fair recently. (Yes, a real record fair! We haven't had one of those in a long time either...) Obviously I bought this single. And obviously I never saw it before - nor did I ever think this track was released as a single, for some reason. It's great to have this now. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6428
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 August 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Bold as brass' / 'The woman who loves you'

Made in Spain (La chica que yo quiero) - La decada prodigiosa

It's been a long time since I last posted a 12" single on this blog, so I am happy that I have a good find right now. It's the extended remix of Spain's 1988 Eurovision entry by La decada prodigiosa, 'Made in Spain (La chica que yo quiero)'. For the longest time I didn't know there was an extended version of this song, but here it is.

Perhaps the funniest aspect of this song is that the group consistently sings 'Made in Espain', which is logical from a Spanish point of view, but it sounds a bit strange to those of us who are more acquainted with the English language. This extended version is a delightful Eighties-style remix: adding instrumental parts instead of replacing almost everything but the vocals. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 August 2021
Cost: 7,5 euro
Tracks: 'Made in Spain (La chica que yo quiero) [extended version]' / 'Sí, sí, mañana'

Don't ever cry - Put

When Yugoslavia fell apart in a wave of violence, the separate provinces were quick to enter into Eurovision separately. In 1992, Yugoslavia was still there (represented by Extra Nena), a year later we had Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia all competing side by side.

Croatia was represented by Put, a group put together by Vivien Galletta, Angela Jeličić, Melita Sedić, Naim Ajra, Petar Cucak Migliaccio and Olja Desic.Their song 'Don't ever cry' was a rather sentimental tune, pleading for peace and ending with the line 'Don't ever cry, my Croatian sky'. It was a kind of nationalism that hadn't really been seen on the Eurovision stage before - but several Eastern European countries would follow in these footsteps in the following years and decades. In the English version, the line in the chorus suddenly changes from 'Don't ever cry' to 'Why should we cry?'. I wonder why.

My collection: 7" single no. 6423
Found: Bea Records, received 3 August 2021
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Don't ever cry (original version)' / 'Don't ever cry (English version)'

Hot summer - Prince

The prolific Prince has recorded so much music during his lifetime that we can probably expect new albums to appear regularly for decades to come. Not everything will be great, but it's usually enjoyable nonetheless.

This single was released in Germany with the August issue of Rolling Stone magazine, and I happened to come across it on the last day of my holiday there, in Cologne. A cover single is usually a good reason to buy a magazine, and the fact that this is a 'worldwide exclusive' made it even more attractive. Fortunately, 'Hot summer' is a nice song, taken from the new album 'Welcome 2 America', which was released a week ago. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6422
Found: Köln Hbf, 28 July 2021
Cost: 9,90 euro (with the magazine 'Rolling Stone')
Tracks: 'Hot summer' / 'The bird (live)'

Notre vie c'est la musique - Laurent Vaguener

Laurent Vaguener is actually a pseudonym: his real name was Jean Baudlot. He was born in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine on 16 February 1947, and died only recently, on 24 March 2021. During the 1970's he was best known as a composer, writing songs for Joe Dassin, Michele Torr and Gérard Croce among others.

In 1979 he wrote 'Notre vie c'est la musique' for the Eurovision Song Contest, and ended up performing the song on stage as well, using the pseudonym Laurent Vaguener. At the close of voting, it had received 12 points, placing 16th in a field of 19. Following this result, Monaco withdrew from the Contest for 25 years. 

Meanwhile, Baudlot continued to compose music in the following decades, eventually also composing for video games during the Nineties and for documentaries during the last two decades. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6420
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Notre vie c'est la musique' / 'Israel connection'

Singing this song - Renato

Malta has an interesting history at the Eurovision Song Contest. The country first participated in 1971 and 1972 with songs in Maltese. Both entries finished in last place. They took two years off, and then returned in 1975 with Renato's 'Singing this song'. It was the first Maltese entry in English, and they were rewarded with a better placing: the song finished in 12th place. 

Despite this, Malta disappeared from Eurovision for no less than 15 years. Since their return in 1991, Malta has consistently chosen to enter songs in English and this was a good decision for them: during the Nineties they rarely finished outside the top 10. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6421
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Singing this song' / 'Without your tenderness'

E2 - Emiliana Torrini

I've been critical about the Emiliana Torrini remix singles that were released two decades ago. It could have been a fun project, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Take this single for instance: the A-side takes one line from the song 'Fingertips' ('From the oceans to the skies') and repeats it throughout the remix. After that, there's the first track of the B-side. A certain Adam Pierce, who calls himself Mice Parade, thinks it's a great idea to deliver three minutes of noise. And the third track bears no resemblance to the original song 'To be free' whatsoever. 

My collection is almost complete, but I can't really claim that I enjoy these singles. It's a shame, because the Emiliana Torrini albums that these remixes vaguely allude to is an excellent album.

My collection: 7" single no. 6412
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Fingertips (The Phone Home remixes)' / 'Unemployed in summertime (Unemployed butcher in the summertime)', 'To be free (Mùm remix)'

Maman (German version) - Jean-Jacques

Back in 1969, Jean-Jacques represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Maman'. I actually bought the single back in 2010, and then the Spanish version in 2015. With mathematical precision (well, almost!) the German version became mine recently. 

No fancy photo sleeve on this single, but at least the title of the song is clear (why didn't they change it into the German 'Mama'?) and the name of the performer is also hard to miss. However, somehow they forgot to mention that this was the German 'Originalaufnahme' of this song.

My collection: 7" single no. 6417
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Maman (German version)' / 'Paris, du meine Liebe'

Så går vi til enkebal - Katy Bødtger

I haven't suddenly developed a taste for bizarre Danish songs (and the A-side surely is one), but this single by Katy Bødtger has a special attraction: as you can see, the B-side is called 'Popcorn'. And it is indeed a version of the Gershon Kingsley track, but, and this is where it gets interesting, with Danish vocals. 

Gustav Winckler wrote the lyrics for this version, but my Danish isn't good enough to understand what Katy is singing about. The single isn't very rare - it has already been listed on the Popcorn-song website, for instance - but it is surely one of the more quirky versions I've ever had the pleasure of owning. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6416
Found: Ebay, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Så går vi til enkebal' / 'Popcorn'

Break away - Bill van Dijk

Although Bill van Dijk wasn't very successful at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Jij en ik', he still recorded the song in English. It's even more remarkable when you think the single wasn't even a hit in the Netherlands, the country he represented.

The song was composed by Dick Bakker and the lyrics were written by Liselore Gerritsen, a Dutch singer and songwriter who died last year on 25 November 2020, aged 83. Bill van Dijk went on to become a successful performed in musicals.

My collection: 7" single no. 6415
Found: Ebay, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Break away' / 'Blame it all on love'

Festival Eurovision 1967 - Los Stop

The Spanish band Los Stop consisted of Maria Del Carmen (Cristina) Arévalo Latorre (vocals), Juan Comellas (organ), José Maria Serra (guitar), Fernando Cubedo (bajo) and Andrés Gallego (drums).In 1967 they released no less than 10 singles, and even slightly more in 1968. They specialized in cover versions, and this EP of four songs from the 1967 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is a good example of just how well executed their tracks were.

There were, of course, some liberties in their cover versions. Sandie Shaw's 'Puppet on a string' was covered in Spanish ('Marionetas en la cuerda'), just like 'Quel coeur vas-tu briser' (which became 'Que corazon sera'). The beautiful Spanish song 'Hablemos del amor', originally performed by Raphael, takes on a different guise when it is sung by the female lead singer of this band. The four tracks on this EP are worth a spin, and certainly aren't inferior to the original versions, which all became immortal in their own way.

My collection: 7" single no. 6414
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 July 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Marionetas en la cuerda', 'Boum badaboum' / 'Hablemos del amor', 'Que corazon sera'

Siempre hay algun milagro - Katja Ebstein

Katja Ebstein represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder'. She recorded the song in various languages, and this Spanish version was one of them. Even the B-side was recorded in Spanish, too. 

Other versions in Italian, Japanese, French and English also exist - but those singles are very rare and very hard to come by. So if you're reading this, and you have the inclination to do me a favour, send me one of them and I'll feature it on this blog. Deal? Miracles do happen, Katja said it herself.

My collection: 7" single no. 6413
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 July 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Siempre hay algun milagro' / 'Yo le quiero'.

E5 - Emiliana Torrini

Try as you might, it's not exactly easy to like these remix 7" singles, credited to Emiliana Torrini. It's as if remixers got the thought to cut up the vocals and put weird sounds underneath it. The practice leads to experimental, but also annoying tracks. It's a bit of a nightmare for a collector, to be honest.

The tracks on this single, number 5 in the series, were created by Lucky Kitchen and Team Doyobi. Lucky Kitchen apparently consisted of Aeron Bergman, Alejandra Salinas and Daniel Raffel, but it looks like they quit after just one album (and rightly so). The British electronic music duo Team Doyobi, comprised of Christopher Gladwin (born 1976) and Alexander Peverett (born 1976), stuck it out a little longer, releasing three albums between 2001 and 2006. They never managed to produce anything coherent, though, either.

My collection: 7" single no. 6404
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Unemployed in summertime (Lucky Kitchen remix)' / 'Tuna fix (Team Doyobi remix)'

If you do like my music - Stella

I bought the single 'Si tu aimes ma musique' almost 12 years ago, but I never knew there was an English version until quite recently. I also found out that Stella, who was born in the Netherlands, but represented the French-speaking part of Belgium in 1982, didn't speak French very well, so she learned the lyrics of that song by having it written out phonetically. One would presume she had less trouble with the English version, since she already participated with French language song 'A million in 1, 2, 3' as part of Dream Expess five years earlier. 

Anyway, I went looking for this single and I found one online, along with a few others, from a Spanish seller. And indeed, this is the Spanish pressing - apparently this single was only released in Spain!

My collection: 7" single no. 6412
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 July 2021
Cost: 3,9 euro
Tracks: 'If you do like my music' / 'Renegade'

E8 - Emiliana Torrini

The last single in the series of eight, 'E8', featured two remixes of Emiliana Torrini's song 'Summer Breeze'. According to a promotional sticker that I don't have, but found on the web, 'Transient Waves go for a dubbed out affair, while Di-Lacuna go for a lo-fi guitar wig out'. 

Di Lacuna was a "post-rock oriented band from Sheffield", formed in 1998. Transient Waves was formed by Eric Campbell, Loren Jackson and Sid Tucker from Dearborn, MI. They were active in the 'post rock scene' and released 3 albums and 4 singles between 1996 and 1999. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6403
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Summer breeze (Di Lacuna remix)' / 'Summer breeze (Transient Waves remix)'

夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi [Non ho l'età]) - Gigliola Cinquetti

Japanese versions of Eurovision songs, performed by the original artist, are a rarity in themselves. I don't know if there are more, but I was aware of Gigliola Cinquetti's version for quite some time now. However, I never thought that I would own a copy! Much to my satisfaction, I found a copy online for a reasonable price from a Japanese seller, and since I could combine it with this single by Marco Polo and the Japanese single of 'Non ho l'eta' (the original Italian version, which was also released in Japan apparently) it worked out quite well. 

'夢見る想い' or 'Yumemiru omoi' was translated by Japanese lyricist Hiroshi Arakawa (Real name 牧野 剛 or Makino Gou). Quite how young Cinquetti managed to pronounce the Japanese I don't know. Perhaps the lyrics were written down for her phonetically. Anyway, it is a very nice rarity. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6408
Found: Discogs.com, 19 June 2021
Cost: ¥1,590
Tracks: '夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi [Non ho l'età])' / 'Penso alle cose perdute'

E7 - Emiliana Torrini

Another single in the series of eight, featuring remixes of Emiliana Torrini's songs on her album 'Love in the time of science'. Nothing wrong with a bit of experimentation, of course, but again I find myself wondering if these tracks bear any resemblance to those songs at all. Getting the eight singles together is a challenge itself, but listening to them all is another challenge altogether...

The remixes are provided by Immense and Fonn. According to Discogs, Immense is a collaboration between Dave Collingwood, Mark Toghill, Matt Wiltshire, Patrick Case and Tom Davies, whereas Fonn is a stage name for a certain James McKechan (although a picture shows six people - quite a mystery there). 

My collection: 7" single no. 6402
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Easy (Immense remix)' / 'To be free (Fonn remix)'

Les amours oubliées - Michèle Arnaud

The very first Eurovision Song Contest was won by Lys Assia, but there were other contestants too, of course. Not all of the songs were released on single, but Michèle Arnaud's two songs from that edition appear on this EP. Representing Luxembourg, she performed 'Ne crois pas' and 'Les amants de minuit'. Since only the winner was announced in 1956, we'll never know what the juries thought of these two songs. 

It wasn't the only 'first' in her career: on 11 July 1962, she appeared in the first-ever live television transmission via satellite from France to the United States. Because of the orbital path of the newly launched American satellite, Telstar, the program lasted only twenty minutes. Also appearing that evening was Yves Montand.

My collection: 7" single no. 6411
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Les amours oubliées', 'Les amants de minuit' / 'Ne crois pas', 'Les mots qu'on vous dit à l'oreille'

C'est pour demain - Sandra & Andres

I already had three singles by Sandra & Andres and they are all the same song. It's their Eurovision Song Contest entry for 1972: 'Als het om de liefde gaat'. The duo recorded the song in several different languages. I already owned the German and English versions, but recently I was fortunate enough to also find the French version.

It's interesting that the sleeve of this single differs a lot from the three others. It looks like this will be the last Sandra & Andres single I buy, since I don't know any other versions of this song. But who knows, I might be surprised.

My collection: 7" single no. 6409
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'C'est pour demain' / 'Dans chaque mélodie'

Dschingis Khan - Marco Polo

The band Dschingis Khan had considerable success with their 1979 Eurovision entry Dschingis Khan - even if it seemed a bit tasteless for a German band to go to Israel to sing a song about a mass murderer. But there was also another band who recorded the track. Confusingly, that band was named Marco Polo and all their singles were released in Japan only. It remains unclear whether 'Marco Polo' was a German band, although it seems to be the case. 

The track appears in two versions on this single: in English and in German. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6406
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 June 2021
Cost: ¥290
Tracks: 'Dschingis Khan [English version]' / 'Dschingis Khan (German version)'

E4 - Emiliana Torrini

Eight singles with remixes of Emiliana Torrini songs sounds like a good proposition, but when you expect all remixes to be great, this single will come as a disappointment. At least it did for me. The tracks have strange names and the sounds coming from these grooves are even stranger. 

I wonder why some remixers feel it's okay to create something that has absolutely nothing in common with the original tracks? At least back in the 1970's and 1980's, extended remixes were just that: extended versions of songs you knew and loved. By the end of the 1980's, some remixers started experimenting and this single is perhaps the worst example of such practices. Shame on Antenna Farm and Motion, I say.

My collection: 7" single no. 6404
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Ambush Emiliana (Antenna Farm remix)' / 'Tracking Misalignment (Motion remix)'

Η Αγαπη Ακομα Ζει - Stavros & Dina

Cyprus was represented by the duo Stavros & Dina, singing 'Η Αγαπη Ακομα Ζει' ('I agapi akoma zi'), a plea for unity and peace on a folk-inspired musical backing. 

Stavros Sideras is a successful singer/songwriter, having been awarded two platinum and three gold albums during her career. Dina (a.k.a. Constantina) is equally successful - her career actually started with this Eurovision appearance but she's released more than 20 albums since then.

My collection: 7" single no. 6405
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 June 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Η Αγαπη Ακομα Ζει' / 'Love is still alive'

Twilight zone / When the lady smiles - Golden Earring

The annual Record Store Day is a feast for collectors and those who sell items on for ridiculous amounts of money on Ebay. But sometimes there are some scraps for casual buyers like me. I found not one, but about twenty copies of this Record Store Day release last week. Apparently a limited edition of 3000 copies on yellow vinyl was more than enough to satisfy everyone in the Netherlands.

I already had the single 'Twilight zone' already - I bought it back in 1982 - but the single 'When the lady smiles', which appears on the other side of this release, was still missing. That single became a classic for its controversial music video, although 'controversial' couldn't apply to a music video like that nowadays. Violence and nudity have become regular ingredients in music videos these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 6398
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Twilight zone' / 'When the lady smiles'

E6 - Emiliana Torrini

When I discovered these singles by Emiliana Torrini I was lucky enough to find an online seller who had five singles of the eight in the series. Unfortunately, one of them went missing, but he still sent me four of them. This number six contains another two remixes from her 1999 album 'Love in the time of science'.

Foehn is the working alias of Bristol-based Debbie Parsons. She's released three albums between 1998 and 2000 and a few self-released tracks more recently. Chasm is Robert Hampson, who to date has only released on 12" single himself.

My collection: 7" single no. 6401
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Wednesday's child (Foehn remix)' / 'Dead things (Skywave) (Chasm remix)'

E3 - Emiliana Torrini

This single has no indication of track names, or artist name: it just says 'E3' on the sleeve, and that's all. I would never have bought this single in a shop, but in the online world, things are different. I discovered this single, along with seven others, on Discogs as a release by Emiliana Torrini. Apparently these singles were released in October 2000, a year after the release of her remarkable album 'Love in the time of science', which was produced by Tears for Fears' Roland Orzabal.

Each of these singles contain two remixes of tracks from that album. The remixes are sometimes reminiscent of the original tracks, sometimes they can't be recognized. These two fall in the second category.

My collection: 7" single no. 6400
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Wednesday's child (Professor Ludlow & Dr. Smith remix)' / 'Love in the time of science (Stromba remix)'

Anna-Marie Elena - Andy Paul

The singer/songwriter Andy Paul immigrated from Cyprus to the UK in the early Sixties. He was influenced by artists like Elvis, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. He won a talent contest imitating his childhood idol Elvis and got a recording contract on the strength of this. 

In 1984 he was asked to represent Cyprus with the song 'Anna-Marie Elena', a song he wrote himself. The song ended up in 15th place in a field of 19 contestants. The recordings on this single were produced by Pete Waterman, while the English version of this song was translated by Matt Aitken. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6399
Found: Discogs, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Anna-Marie Elena (English version)' / 'Anna-Marie Elena (Greek version)'

Female intuition / Body and soul - Mai Tai

Another re-release single by Mai Tai, also released by SMG last year, this time on purple vinyl. 

'Female intuition' reached number 9 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 54 in the UK in early 1986, whereas 'Body and soul' reached number 9 in the UK in the summer of 1985 and number 31 in the Dutch Top 40 near the end of 1984. 

Mai Tai fell apart in the 1980's but they had several reunions. They are actually performing live this December - Covid permitting - but the days of them having chart hits will probably never return.

My collection: 7" single no. 6397
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Female intuition' / 'Body and soul'

History / Am I losing you forever - Mai Tai

Although this single features two tracks that I already own on 7" single, I still couldn't resist buying this. It is actually a recent re-release and pressed on orange vinyl. Nice bonus on this single: 'Am I losing you forever' appears in the full length version, instead of the single edit. 

The SMG label (Suburban Music Group, apparently) specializes in releasing 7" singles of old hits, and so far they have released singles by Petula Clark, Gerard Joling and Hardwell - not very interesting for me despite the fact that those singles were also pressed on various colours of vinyl.

But as you know, I usually only buy singles with songs I like, and so this one did make the cut. Both 'History' and 'Am I losing you forever' were released in 1985 and reached number 22 and 27 in the Dutch Top 40 respectively. In the UK, 'History' reached number 8, while 'Am I losing you forever' only got to number 78.

My collection: 7" single no. 6396
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'History' / 'Am I losing you forever'

Oui, oui, oui, oui - Sacha Distel

The sleeve of this single proclaims that 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' is a song from the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, and that is correct - however, on the Eurovision stage this song was performed by Jean Philippe, not Sacha Distel. However, Distel recorded this song, presumably to profit from the Contest's popularity at the time. After all, the song ended up in a respectful third place at the time.

There's another remarkable thing about this EP: although 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' is listed as the first song, it is actually on the B-side of this EP. There are more cover versions on the EP: 'Dis! O Dis!' is a cover version of 'Everybody loves a lover', a hit for Doris Day in 1958, and 'Oh! Quelle Nuit' is a version of 'Lonesome me', which was released by Don Gibson, also in 1958. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6395
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Dis! O Dis!', 'Quand Tu Es Partie...' / 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', 'Oh! Quelle nuit'

Colours of love - Vicky Leandros

Back in 1967, Vicky Leandros competed in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. She was just seventeen years old at the time, but had already released her first album, 'Songs Und Folklore' in October 1966. Although she lived in Germany since she was eight (having been born on the Greek island Corfu) she was asked to represent Luxembourgh with the song 'L'amour est bleu'. 

It's not easy to find a copy of that song on a single for a reasonable price, however I did recently buy a copy of the English version of that song. 'Colours of love' was released in the UK only (as far as I know) in a record company sleeve only. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6394
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 June 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Colours of love' / 'Who can tell'

I cried - The Wilde Three

Nothing, but nothing makes me happier than getting my hands on an ultra rare single. And this is certainly a good example. A year ago, I was happy to finally find Since you've gone, the first single by the Wilde Three. Their second release was to be their last: 'I cried' was released on 10 September 1965, five months after their first single. 

Four months after that, Justin Hayward released his debut solo single, the self-penned 'London is behind me'. He joined the Moody Blues and the rest became history. Meanwhile, Marty carved out a career as a songwriter - and a pretty successful one at that - and of course made a pop star of his daughter in the 1980's. The Wilde Three was a shortlived project, and only released four songs, but they are an essential piece of music history - and I am very glad to finally have these two discs.

My collection: 7" single no. 6393
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 June 2021
Cost: enough
Tracks: 'I cried' / 'Well who's that'

Printemps (Avril Carillonne) - Jean-Paul Mauric

When a song starts with 'Bing et bong et bing et bong' you know you're in for something interesting. This is how Jean-Paul Mauric started his song 'Printemps (Avril Carillonne)' in 1961 at the Eurovision Song Contest. Mauric was born on 17 June 1933 and started his career in music in 1957 after winning a talent contest. He released a series of EP's and was chosen to represent France in 1961. 

The lyric of 'Bing et bong et bing et bong...' is often cited as setting a precedent which would become very prolific in later Eurovisions. He ended up in fourth place in a field of 16 competitors. Although he released less records in the 1960's he still performed live a lot, until he was taken ill in December 1970.
On 5 January 1971 he died from complications of cardiomyopathic disease, aged just 37. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6392
Found: Ebay
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: Printemps (Avril Carillonne), Tendresse / C'est Joli La Mer, Les filles du midi

Summer is over - Aylin Vatankoş

It would be nice to see Turkey back in Eurovision, because they usually managed to enter with remarkable songs. That said, it would be nice if Turkey wasn't led by a maniac, but let's not go into politics here. 'Yaz Bitti' was Turkey's song for the 1992 edition and it's a relatively traditional ballad. 

Aylin Vatankoş was born in 1970 in Izmir and studied music in Istanbul. She represented her country in 1992 and ended up in 19th place in a field of 23 competitors. Her music career continued after this adventure: she released two albums, in 1995 and 2010. 

This single was released by the Belgian record company Madierpo, which specialized in releasing Eurovision songs throughout the 1990's. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6391
Found: Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'Summer is over' / 'Yaz bitti'

S.O.S. - Helen Patroklou

Two songs from the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest really made a big impression on me, and they were not the two songs that were competing for the win that year. Instead, I focused on the two Greek songs: 'I Anixi' by Sophia Vossou and 'S.O.S.' by Helen Patroklou. Both singles aren't exactly easy to get, but I finally managed to get at least the latter. 

Patroklou was born in Nicosia in 1968. She began her musical career studying guitar and piano when she was just ten years old. She completed her musical studies in Vienna and Cyprus and received her music diploma in 1989. The song 'S.O.S.' earned her ninth place in the Eurovision Song Contest that year, out of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6390
Found:  Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'S.O.S. (Greek version)' / 'S.O.S. (English version)'

Tell me - Dulce

Dulce José Silva Pontes was born on 8 April 1969 in Montijo, near Lisbon. She trained as a pianist, and started a career in singing after entering a competition in her hometown at the age of 18. She soon became an actress on Portuguese television and theatre. In 1991 she won the national music festival with her song 'Lusitana Paixão', which led her to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest. She finished 8th in the competition, which is to date the fourth-best finish for a Portuguese performer

Dulce Pontes started her career as a mainstream pop artist, but over the years she has evolved to become a world music singer. She blends traditional fado with contemporary styles and searches out new forms of musical expression. Her career continues to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 6389
Found: Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'Tell me' / 'Lusitana Paixão'

 

Krasi, thalassa ke t'agori mou - Marinella

Marinella was born as Kyriaki Papadopoulou on 20 May 1938 in Thessaloniki. She released her first song 'Nitsa Elenitsa' ('Little Helen') in 1957. Her early career was marked by her collaboration with singer Stelios Kazantzidis. Together they managed to become the greatest duet of Greece, unsurpassed even today. Starting at the night club "Luxembourg" in Thessaloniki where they enjoyed great success, they later moved to Athens, the capital, where they became widely known. Marinella married him on 7 May 1964 and they toured together in Germany and the United States. They divorced in September 1966. 

Marinella then began a solo career. In 1974 she represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Krasi, thalassi ke t'agori mou' ('Wine and sea and my boyfriend and me'). It was the first time Greece competed. Originally the Greek rock band Nostradamos would have had the honour but due to a scandal they were embroiled in, Marinella was sent instead. She ended up in 11th place in a field of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6388
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Krasi, thalassi ke t'agori mou' / 'Xipna feggari mou'