From Russia with love - Matt Monro

'From Russia with love' is one of the great forgotten Bond themes, performed in 1963 by Matt Monro. It was named after the second James Bond movie, based on Ian Fleming's Cold War thriller. I have always loved the old Bond theme songs, because they were so beautifully orchestrated and sung by classic artists.

I rediscovered this song, actually, when it was performed live by Colin Vearncombe a.k.a. Black, not long before his sudden and untimely death in 2016. (One of these performances can be enjoyed on YouTube.) 

It certainly isn't easy to get hold of all those early Bond songs, but I came across this pristine copy and it was an opportunity I couldn't pass on.

My collection: 7" single no. 6552
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'From Russia with love' / 'Here and now'

Emotional rescue - The Rolling Stones

The Bee Gees did it, Prince would also do it, and Mick Jagger tried his hand at it too: singing in falsetto. The song is notable as one of the earliest songs by the group to show the growing rift between Jagger and Richards. Although Richards plays guitar and added backing vocals towards the end of this track, he is believed to have disliked the disco-like direction in which Jagger was trying to take the band, although this may have been exaggerated by the media.

Jagger said the song was about "a girl who's in some sort of manhood problems", not that she was going crazy but she's "just a little bit screwed up and he wants to be the one to help her out". The song became a fairly big hit for the Stones, peaking at number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 9 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 6551
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Emotional rescue' / 'Down in the hole'

De speeldoos - De Selvera's

The Selvera's were a Dutch duo from Weert that repeatedly reached the top of the Dutch charts in the Fifties and Sixties and sold more records than many rock and roll artists. The Selvera's consisted of the sisters Mieke (1937-2000) and Selma Jansen (1931-2019). 

In 1963 they released this cover version of the song 'Speeldoos', originally performed by Annie Palmen. Unlike previous singles 'Twee reebruine ogen' and 'De postkoets', which were immensely popular in 1956 and 1957 respectively, this single failed to capture the imagination of the record buying public. Mieke turned to acting quite quickly after this release, Selma tried to continue the Selvera's with other partners but this didn't reverse the career downturn. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6550
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'De speeldoos' / 'Dans met mij' 

'n Beetje - Sonja Oosterman

A single that is credited to 'Sonja Oosterman, Cees Vanos, vocals with the Festival Five, under direction of Dick Schallies' demands some further explanation. All four tracks appear to feature the Festival Five under direction of Dick Schallies - they provide the music. The vocals are provided by Sonja Oosterman on three of the four tracks, whereas 'Who knows why' is sung by Cees Vanos. 

''n Beetje' was chosen to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest when this single was created, hence the "Nr. 1 Dutch finale Eurovision Song Contest 1959" which you can read on this sleeve. The song would, of course, go on to win the Contest. The one and only mystery remains: why was  this single, aimed at the Dutch market and even part of a "Dutch Fono Club" made in Germany? Answers on a postcard please... (or below)

My collection: 7" single no. 6549
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: ''n Beetje', 'Ied're dag met jou' / 'Ja of nee', 'Who knows why'

Le chant de Mallory - Les compagnons de la chanson

Les Compagnons de la chanson were a French vocal group from Lyon, France, founded during World War II. Before 1946, they were part of a larger choir, the Compagnons de la musique. In 1946, they recorded a French language song, 'Les trois cloches' along with Edith Piaf. Rewritten in English as 'The three bells', they managed to reach the UK singles chart in October 1959, peaking at number 21. 

This EP features a cover of the French entry to the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, 'Le chant de mallory', originally performed by Rachel. Through the years I've seen this single numerous times, but I never saw it this cheap. It was part of an online order of singles which were only €1 each - a price you can't beat.

My collection: 7" single no. 6548
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Le chant de Mallory', 'Le refuge de tes bras' / 'Belle petite ville', 'En d'autres mots'

Volare - Frank Valentino

Everyone and their mother has recorded a version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', better known as 'Volare'. Originally performed by Domenico Modugno at the 1958 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the song never won the Contest but is arguably the best known - and most covered - song to ever come forth from this event.

Frank Valentino tried his hand at the song in 1991. The Belgian singer was born on 3 September 1957. His biggest success has been in the early 1990s, doing vocals on a dance remake of the song 'Stand by me'. His take on 'Volare' isn't even that bad; it has been given a 'modern' twist (or whatever went for 'modern' back in 1991 anyway!) The single actually entered the Belgian chart on 3 August 1991 and peaked at number 31 during a 6 week chart run. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6547
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'Afscheid'

Notre amour de vacances (Dansevise) - Patricia Robert

I consider 'Dansevise' to be one of the most beautiful songs to ever win the Eurovision Song Contest, so every cover version of that song is bound to be almost equally beautiful. This version by Patricia Robert is performed in French, and also features a cover version of 'T'en va pas', the song performed by Esther Ofarim during the same edition in 1963.

Alas, Patricia Robert herself remains unknown. She only released two singles: this one, and a song called 'Souvenir de ma jeunesse' in 1962. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6546
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Notre amour de vacances (Dansevise)' / 'T'en va pas'

Küsse von dir - Rex Gildo

The Brotherhood of Man's 'Save your kisses for me' was covered by various artists, Peter Silver's version appeared on this blog just recently. Together with that single I bought this one: a version by German singer Rex Gildo.

He was born in Straubing (Germany) on 2 July 1936 and started a career in television and film in his twenties, as well as performing as a singer, most famously duetting with Danish singer Gitte Haenning as Gitte & Rex. During the Eighties and Nineties, Gildo's popularity decreased.[4] His appearances were mainly at folk festivals, shopping centres and other similar venues; he was also reported to have problems with alcoholism. His final performance, on the day of his suicide attempt, was in front of more than 3000 people at a furniture shop outside Frankfurt. Gildo died on 26 October 1999, aged 63, having spent three days in an artificially-induced coma after attempting suicide by jumping from the window of his apartment building. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6545
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Küsse von dir' / 'Hab' ich dich nur geträumt?'

Boom bang-a-bang - Heidi Brühl

After covering the song 'La la la' in 1968, Heidi Brühl continued the next year with another winning Eurovision song: her version of 'Boom bang-a-bang'. The song was given a German lyric by Elisabeth Bertram née Merkels, also known as Lilibert.Heidi Brühl, of course, appeared in Eurovision herself in 1963 with the song 'Marcel'. 

In 1970, Brühl moved to the United States where she appeared in Las Vegas and in episodes of such television series as Columbo. She returned to Germany to play in two further Immenhof sequels in 1973–1974, The Twins from Immenhof and Spring in Immenhof. Brühl and Halsey divorced in 1976, and she returned to live in Germany the following year. She did dubbing work on films such as 'The NeverEnding Story' and 'Look Who's Talking Too', and her last roles were in television serials such as Ein Fall für zwei and Praxis Bülowbogen. She died of breast cancer in Starnberg on 8 June 1991, aged 49.

My collection: 7" single no. 6544
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Boom bang-a-bang' / 'Der Himmel weint Freudentranen'

Veronica vrij - Ben Cramer

This single is an interesting one. I think I saw it many times without realizing that the B-side, 'Aan het mooie Noordzeestrand', is actually a version of 'De oude muzikant', the song with which Ben Cramer represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973.

Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that this single was released in the same year. The single actually appeared in the Dutch Top 40 while 'De oude muzikant' was still descending the same chart. The song was based on the 'Song of Olympia', written by Hans Blum, who incidentally took part as a songwriter and conductor in the Eurovision Song Contest on four occasions between 1965 and 1986.

Veronica, of course, was a pirate radio station, broadcasting from the North Sea and being rather successful with it among young listeners. The station was led by Rob Out and Bull Verweij, who appear on this sleeve alongside Ben Cramer. 'Veronica vrij' was released in time for a rally in The Hague, which was due to take place on 18 April 1973. The Dutch government was drawing up anti-pirate legislation, which would make Radio Veronica illegal and would force them off air. Cramer was perfect for the single: his emotion-laden, slightly bombastic performance, perfectly appealed to the sentiments of young people that Veronica should always exist. The benefit of hindsight tells us that the broadcast of 31 August 1974 should perhaps really have been the last, but the broadcaster re-emerged before the end of 1975 and made great programmes for about 15 years or so. After this, the name was used and misused by various owners. These days, Veronica still exists in name but it can't compare to the free-spirited broadcaster it once was.

My collection: 7" single no. 6543
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Veronica vrij' / 'Aan het mooie Noordzeestrand'

Spaar al jou kusjes - Peter Silver

Peter Silver may have been a minor player in the Dutch music scene, since he never had any hits, but he still managed to release a dozen singles between 1982 and 1992. One of them was a cover version of a Eurovision song: 'Spaar al jou kusjes' was a Dutch-language version of 'Save your kisses for me', made famous by Brotherhood of Man.

I can't help thinking this might have been successful in certain circles in the Netherlands if it had been released in 1976 instead of 1987. And one more thing I noticed was the spelling error in the title: in Dutch it should be 'jouw kusjes' instead of 'jou kusjes'. But I doubt the fans of Peter Silver would know the difference.

My collection: 7" single no. 6542
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Spaar al jou kusjes' / 'Met een beetje liefde om jou heen'

La la la - Claire Lepage

Claire Lepage is a popular singer of the late Sixties. She was born in Lachute (Canada) on 9 November 1945.

This single by her presents two versions of the song 'La la la', the song that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968. This single does not have a picture sleeve, and unfortunately the record company also went missing. The good news is: there was no picture sleeve for this release, and this is actually the Canadian pressing.

My collection: 7" single no. 6541
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'La la la (He gives me love)' / 'La la la (Version Française)' 

Uno per tutte - Marino Marini e il suo quartetto

Here's another version of 'Uno per tutte', the song that was performed by Emilio Pericoli at the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest when he represented Italy. This version is performed by Marino Marini, an Italian musician who achieved international success in the 1950s and 1960s. 

 Marini's recordings in the late 1950s and early 1960s included covers of Domenico Modugno's 'Volare' and 'Ciao ciao bambina' and Rocco Granata's 'Marina'. He retired from performing in 1966 but continued to compose. He died in March 1997.

My collection: 7" single no. 6540
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Uno per tutte' / 'Non costa niente'

Em Aranjuez come tue amor - Amalia Rodrigues

Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues GCSE, GCIH (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), better known as Amália Rodrigues  was a Portuguese fadista (fado singer) and actress. Known as the 'Rainha do Fado' ("Queen of Fado"), Rodrigues was instrumental in popularising fado worldwide and travelled internationally throughout her career. Amália remains the best-selling Portuguese artist in history.

This single presents two rather impressive songs: a track derived of the 'Concerto de Aranjuez' and a cover version of 'La, la, la', the song with which Massiel won the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest for Spain. I bought the single for the B-side, but if I'm honest, the A-side was actually better!

My collection: 7" single no. 6539
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Em Aranjuez come tue amor' / 'La, la, la'

Speeldoos - Sandy Fort

Sandy Fort was born as Jopie Sandifort in Rotterdam in 1931. She was part of the duo Sandy & Max, who released a version of 'Moon river' in 1962. Sandy subsequently released a few singles as a solo artist, of which this 'Speeldoos' was the last one, in 1963.

'Speeldoos' was originally performed by Annie Palmen, who represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest with this song. Sandy Fort's version was quickly released to profit from the national sentiments surrounding Eurovision, however these sentiments disappeared when the song got zero points from the international juries.

My collection: 7" single no. 6538
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Speeldoos' / 'Stel je toch 'es voor'

Dio come ti amo - José Guardiola

José Guardiola was born on 22 October 1930 in Barcelona. He performed and recorded mostly Spanish versions of foreign songs and reached his maximum fame in Spain and Latin America in the early 1960s with versions of songs like 'Sixteen tons', 'Mack the knife' and 'Ya Mustafa'. He also represented Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963. 

Three years later he released this single, featuring a cover version of Domenico Modugno's 'Dio come ti amo'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6536
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Dio come ti amo' / 'La vida es asi'

La, la, la -Gitte Hænning

Gitte Hænning is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest: she represented Germany in 1973 with the song 'Junger Tag'. She also attempted to represent her own country Denmark in 1962 with 'Jeg snakker med mig selv', but was disqualified because the composer, Sejr Volmer-Sørensen, had whistled the song in the canteen of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.

Inbetween, she released this single. It features not one, but two cover versions: both from the 1968 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The A-side features the winning song, 'La, la, la', while she also covers Cliff Richard's song 'Congratulations', which controversially ended up in second place. The Danish lyrics of 'Ønsk mig tillykke' were provided by Thøger Olesen.

My collection: 7" single no. 6535
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'La, la, la' / 'Ønsk mig tillykke'

Waarom toch, waarom - Dick Rienstra

Dick Rienstra (Assen, 1941 – 2021) was a Dutch singer and actor. He began his musical career in a local group, The Double S Combo, where he sang and played guitar, clarinet, and saxophone. In 1960 he debuted on the radio, and in 1962 on the TV, in a talent show. He moved to Amsterdam in 1963 and got a job in a musical comedy production as a singer and an actor in skits and revues. He was a contender in the preliminaries for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977, and after that performed in the theater and in minor roles on television. 

This single features his cover version of Udo Jürgens' 1964 Eurovision entry 'Warum nur, warum' with Dutch lyrics.

My collection: 7" single no. 6534
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Waarom toch, waarom' / 'Adios my darling'

Dikke Lou - De strangers

The 1984 Eurovision winners the Herreys delivered the nonsensical song 'Diggi loo diggi ley' and somehow went away as the winners of that edition. This wasn't the only time in the Eighties and Nineties that the international juries had taken leave of their senses.

Anyway, in Dutch the song would be paraphrased in a variety of naughty ways, but the Belgian Strangers kept it relatively clean, by singing about 'Dikke Lou' ('Fat Lou'). It is only one of their many Eurovision cover versions - and my collection of these is growing every time I visit Belgium.

My collection: 7" single no. 6519
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Dikke Lou' / 'De zonnebank'

Rock bottom - Brothers of the world

If you didn't want to fork out 10,000 Italian lira (or whatever the price of a vinyl single was at that time) for the original version of 'Rock bottom' by Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran, you could always buy the cheaper version by the Brothers of the world in Italy. At least, I think this must have been a cheaper single, because it was performed by uncredited studio musicians. 

The Brothers of the world struck the previous year with a version of 'Save your kisses for me', and this was their second and last single. Both singles were only released in Italy.

My collection: 7" single no. 6533
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Rock bottom' / 'A little bit more'

Oui oui oui oui - Les Djinns

This EP actually features four different songs, but it is their cover of 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' (originally performed by Jean Philippe) that caused this particular purchase. Upon playing the entire EP, I had to conclude that I wouldn't probably listen to all the other tracks much. 

Les Djinns were a French choir with a distinctive singing style, composed of sixty girls between the ages of nine and eighteen years, conducted by Paul Bonneau. In 1959, the French government organized a 'Master School' for the instruction of girls in musical subjects in order to ensure a supply of performance talent for the country's radio and television industry. The Master School set a course of study where the girls followed a curriculum of standard academic subjects in the morning hours, then musical courses in the afternoons consisting of scales, vocal techniques, harmony and choral vocalizing. Upon graduation, each girl was accepted into Les Djinns. Within six weeks of the group's founding, Les Djinns were awarded the Grand Prix of the Academy of Records in France, and their popularity began to proliferate with stage appearances in France and tours in other European countries. Eventually, a total of 88 tunes were recorded, including a Christmas album and an album of American favorites sung in French, and released on the ABC-Paramount label. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6532
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Une rose rouge', 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' / 'Balade Irlandaise', 'L'ames des poètes'

Een beetje - John de Mol

The Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 took place on 17 February of that year in Hilversum. It was a complicated affiar: seven different songs were performed by two artists each. Previous winner Corry Brokken was one of the performing artists, as well as Greetje Kauffeld, who would go on to represent the Netherlands in 1961. 

The winning song was, of course, ''n Beetje', in the version of Teddy Scholten. She would also go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes on 11 March. However, 'Een beetje' was also performed by John de Mol, who as a singer released several singles between 1958 and 1961. This single was a recording of his version of the song.

After his music career, De Mol founded the Conamus Foundation in 1962 to represent the interests of other Dutch artists. In 1964 he started working as a sales representative for music publisher Strengholt. In 1987 he founded the Academy for Light Music in his position as director of Conamus. In the early 1970s, De Mol was director of the offshore radio station Radio North Sea International (RNI). He was also the father of John and Linda de Mol, who would plague Dutch TV until this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 6531
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Een beetje' / 'Luna napoletana'

Some people - Paul Young

'Some people' was the second single taken from Paul Young's third solo album 'Between two fires'. The album and this single had a sound that was a bit more America-oriented. None of the singles taken from this album would reach the UK Top 40; 'Some people' peaked at number 56.

In a review for Rolling Stone magazine, Laura Fissinger wrote about the album: "Through the first few listens, the album seems muted and reticent, a bashful mishmash of pop riffs and references. But after those initial plays, 'Between Two Fires' takes on remarkable colours, as if its ten tracks were strips of film coming to life in a photographer's darkroom. The record finally reveals itself to be a detailed portrait of the problems human beings have with sharing things – whether it's a whole planet or just a queen-size bed." Quite.

My collection: 7" single no. 6528
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Some people' / 'A matter of fact'

San Remo festival - Robertino

Robertino Loreti was born in Rome on 22 October 1947. As a child he sang in restaurants and in the early Sixties he was discovered by Danish TV producer Volmer Sørensen. Because of this the artist had the opportunity to become one of Italy's best known boy singers.In 1963 he released this EP, performing several songs from the San Remo festival from that year.

The most interesting track on this EP for me is his cover version of 'Uno per tutte'. The song was written by Tony Renis, Mogol and Alberto Testa. It was first performed by Renis and Emilio Pericoli during the Sanremo Music Festival in February 1963, where they performed two different versions of the song, placing first in the competition. The song was then chosen to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963, where it was performed by Pericoli. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6522
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Uno per tutte', 'Giovane giovane' / 'Non costa niente', 'Occhi neri e cielo blu'

Every time you go away - Paul Young

'Every time you go away' is probably my least favourite Paul Young song. Not because it's particularly bad, but because I have heard it so many times back in the day - and it doesn't really excite me. On the other hand, I am glad that I finally bought this single, because I discovered a song I've  never heard before: 'This means anything' doesn't appear on the accompanying album 'The secret of association', but it is a great little track. 

Meanwhile, 'Every time you go away' was one of Paul's most successful singles, peaking at number 4 in the UK singles chart and even reaching the top spot in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Considering it was his only top 10 hit over there (with the exception of 'Oh Girl', which reached number 8), that is a mean feat.

My collection: 7" single no. 6527
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Every time you go away' / 'This means anything'

(We don't need this) Fascist groove thang (Rapino Brothers remixes) - Heaven 17

I tend to think that the Nineties were the turning point for pop music. All the creativity of the Eighties seemed to have evaporated and made way for soulless dance music. Oddly enough, a lot of those Eighties acts disappeared or suffered from the tests of time. Record companies often felt it was a good idea to release remix versions of those songs that were popular a decade earlier.

'(We don't need this) Fascist Groove Thang' was a big hit for Heaven 17 in the UK in 1981. In 1993, the track was remixed by the Rapino Brothers, but unfortunately all the freshness and originality of the original version was not found in this new version. Still, it scraped to number 40 in the UK singles chart. Ironically, this was five places higher than the original's peak position. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6526
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: '(We don't need this) Fascist groove thang (Rapino edit)' / '(We don't need this) Fascist groove thang (Democratic edit)'

Vivre, vivre heisst leben - Carole Vinci

Carole Vinci initially wanted to be a sports teacher. At the end of 1977 she was approached to participate in the Swiss preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. With the song 'Vivre' she won the final, which allowed her to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, which was held in Paris. After her participation, she would soon disappear into anonymity again.

However, she also recorded her Eurovision song in German, and that version appears on this sought after single. You'd have a hard time finding a copy online for less than €10, and so finding this copy for a much more attractive price made my heart jump.

My collection: 7" single no. 6520
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Vivre, vivre heisst leben' / 'Leiden und trotzdem lachen' 

You'll always be a friend - Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate's career really took off with the song 'Emma' in 1974 - their first international hit. But before that, the band already had a string of hits in the UK. However, they were all non-album singles and nowadays pretty hard to find.

'You'll always be a friend' was released in 1972 and reached number 23 in the UK singles chart. The single was released in a RAK Records company sleeve, like all those early singles. Although it has to be noted that in some other territories - Italy and Germany - the record company gave the single an illustrated sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 6524
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'You'll always be a friend' / 'Go go girl'

Kick it out - Heart

The American band Heart has released some classic tracks like 'Magic Man', 'Alone' and, oddly, the one I always hear in the supermarket 'All I wanna do is make love to you', but some of their singles remain lesser known. Like this one.

'Kick it out' was taken from their 1977 album 'Little queen' and only charted in the USA (peaking at number 79) and Canada (peaking at number 67). This pressing comes from Germany, which is proof enough that it was released in Europe as well, but to no avail. In fact, their first hit in the UK was 'These dreams', whereas there is a gaping hole in the Netherlands between 1977's 'Barracuda' and 'These dreams' in 1986. I am quite pleased that I have a lot of singles by this band, although some are still missing. More to hunt for, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 6523
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Kick it out' / 'Dream of the archer'

Den dopper - De Strangers

Although the A-side of this single is De Strangers' take on 'Rivers of Babylon', a big hit for Boney M at the time, this single attracted me for its B-side: a version of 'A-ba-ni-bi', the song with which Izhar Cohen won the 1978 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

As always, the Belgian group made the song totally their own with a lyric in Antwerp dialect. What exactly 'Nie doeke-mieke doen, nee nee' means... I can't tell you.

My collection: 7" single no. 6518
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Den dopper' / 'Nie doeke-mieke doen, nee nee'

Wa d'hee die nen dikke nek - De Strangers

My collection of singles by the Belgian band De Strangers is still expanding, and it's all because they have recorded so many covers of Eurovision Song Contest songs. This single presents not one, but two songs from the annual songfest: versions of 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz', the German entry, and the Belgian entry 'Soldiers of love'.

As always, they wrote new lyrics for these songs in Antwerp's dialect, full of Flemish expressions.

My collection: 7" single no. 6517
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Wa d'hee die nen dikke nek' / 'Eieren of joeng'

Non ho l'eta / Si - Gigliola Cinquetti

Released in 1977, this single combines the two Eurovision entries of Gigliola Cinquetti on one disc, with an attractive new sleeve. 'Non ho l'eta' was the 1964 entry with which she won the Eurovision Song Contest, whereas 'Si' was her attempt to win again in 1974, but she finished in second place... behind Abba's 'Waterloo'. 

In 1990, Gigliola released a new version of 'Non ho l'eta', which was equally unsuccessful in reaching the charts as this combined re-release single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6516
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta' / 'Si'

One more song - Halla Margret

Buying singles online can be a good way out for rare items, but one has to be careful not to be cheated out of huge amounts of money. This particular single, for instance, is currently for sale on Discogs for anything upwards of €15. However, during my visit to Chelsea Records I found a copy for one fifth of that amount. It is a matter of luck, of course, because this single is quite rare.

Halla Margrét Árnadóttir was born on 23 April 1964 in Reykjavík. She represented Iceland during the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, in Brussels. The song ended in 16th place in a field of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6514
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'One more song' / 'Haegt og hljótt'

Diamonds are forever - Shirley Bassey

The James Bond movies used to be accompanied by classic tunes, songs that would stand the test of time. Before the producers fell for the limited talents of Sam Smith and, god help us, Jack White and Alicia Keys, they employed real singers. Like for instance, Shirley Bassey.

'Diamonds are forever' was the theme tune for the movie of the same name in 1971. It was not Shirley's first James Bond song: in 1964 she recorded 'Goldfinger' and she would also record the song for 'Moonraker' in 1979. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6513
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Diamonds are forever' / 'Pieces of dreams'

Viens l'oublier - Jean Vallée

In 1978, Jean Vallee represented Belgium with 'L'amour ça fait chanter la vie'. I found that single 12 years ago in Chelsea Records. But it wasn't Jean's first attempt: in 1970 he had his first Eurovision experience with 'Viens l'oublier'. And lo and behold: it was again Chelsea Records where I found this particular single.

Jean Vallée was born as Paul Goeders in Verviers on 2 October 1941. He passed away on 12 March 2014 in Clermont-sur-Berwinne. He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Crown by HM Albert II in 1999. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6512
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Viens l'oublier' / 'Il y ferait bon dedans'

Le soleil donne - Laurent Voulzy

The majority of my Laurent Voulzy discs come from Antwerp, and this one is no exception. I bought the 7" single of 'Le soleil donne' at Chelsea Records 12 years ago, and now I found the 12" single in that same shop. 

I have a soft spot for Voulzy, not only because of his song 'Les nuits sans Kim Wilde', but also because of the brilliant songs I discovered on the compilation album 'Carib Islander'. Every single track on that one is great - and so obviously I was curious to hear the extended version of 'Le soleil donne' which features on this 12" single. In fact the extended version also appears on the compilation album (I didn't realise that) but the dub version is very interesting too.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Le soleil donne' / 'Le soleil donne (dub)', 'Le soleil donne [edit]'

Era troppo carina - Alain Barriere

It's always nice to find a Eurovision song in a different language than the original version, but performed by the original singer. And so, here is 'Era troppo carina', the Italian version of 'Elle était si jolie', by Alain Barriere. The single was released commercially with a picture sleeve, featuring a goodlooking woman walking over the Champs Elysées in Paris, but this here is a promotional jukebox version of that same single.

The tracks remain the same. The B-side is the Italian version of 'Plus je t'entends', which appears on the French EP of the song. The original RCA Italiana company sleeve is a nice surprise. You never know what you get when you order online...

My collection: 7" single no. 6509
Found: Discogs, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $4
Tracks: 'Era troppo carina' / 'E piu' ti amo'

Julie - Daniel

21 years after buying 'Julie' by Daniel, I bought it again... but this time it's the original Yugoslavian single, which features the original version 'Džuli' that went missing on the international release for some reason. This single came to me directly from Croatia, since I bought a couple of singles from a Croatian dealer on Discogs.

Even after almost three decades, this song is still as infectious as ever, although it may sound dated to some.

My collection: 7" single no. 6510
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $3
Tracks: 'Julie' / 'Džuli'

Der alte Musikant - Ben Cramer

Ben Cramer's Eurovision song 'De oude muzikant' featured on this blog before, not only in the original version but also in the English version. And it gives me great pleasure to present, not a month later, the German version of that song. 

Just like the English version, this single presents the A- and B-side in translated form. 'Der alte Musikant' is of course, 'De oude muzikant', and 'Komm Sylvia tanz mit mir' is a literal translation of the song 'Kom Sylvia dans met mij'. The pressing, of course, comes from Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 6511
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Der alte Musikant' / 'Komm Sylvia tanz mit mir'

Moja generacija - Korni Grupa

Korni Grupa was a Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Formed in 1968, Korni Grupa was one of the first Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity, and the first Yugoslav supergroup. Since the beginning of their career, the band had developed a two-way musical development, one of commercial pop rock music aimed for mainstream popularity, and the other, an artistically influenced progressive rock sound crossed with influences of psychedelic, folk, jazz and symphonic rock music.

The band also performed at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Moja generacija'. The song reached 12th place, owing to which, along with the little success of their second album, the band had decided to split. They held two farewell concerts at the Novi Sad Studio M and disbanded on December 1, 1974. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6508
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $6
Tracks: 'Moja generacija' / 'Zbogom ostaj o,detinjstvo'

Thank you for the music - Abba

The current resurgence of Abba would have you think that I have suddenly started buying Abba singles. This could be true, of course, but this particular single has been on my wantlist for about two years. It just took me very long to find a decent copy for a decent price. 

This is, of course, a re-release of Abba's immortal 'Thank you for the music'. It was released in the UK in 1983 in a poster sleeve. It coincided with the release of a compilation album, also titled 'Thank you for the music', that same year. It was only a year after the release of 'The Singles: The first ten years' in 1982, the one that featured the group's last two singles. But between 1982 and this year, Abba has released dozens of compilation albums and also re-releases (and re-re-releases) of all their albums. And box sets, of course. I wonder how many re-releases 'Voyage' will get in decades to come...

My collection: 7" single no. 6506
Found: Ebay, received 17 November 2021
Cost: £5
Tracks: 'Thank you for the music' / 'Our last summer'

Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon - Manuela Bravo

In 1979 Manuela Bravo represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest with Sobe, sobe, balao sobe. Besides the original version in Portuguese, she also recorded the song in French as 'Tu t'envoles mon ballon, mon ballon, mon ballon' and in English as 'Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon'. The English version appears on this single, with the Portuguese version on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 6505
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon' / 'Sobe, sobe, balao sobe'

Claudia (Uno per tutte) - Louis Neefs

Belgian singer Louis Neefs is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest: he represented Belgium in 1967 with 'Ik heb zorgen' and in 1969 with 'Jennifer Jennings'. But there's more... In 1963 he recorded a cover version of the Italian Eurovision entry 'Uno per tutte'. Retitled 'Claudia', the song was rewritten in the Dutch language by Belgian songwriter, producer, publisher and label owner Louis Van Rymenant. 

Louis Neefs died on 25 December 1980 after a car accident. It was a tragic ending to a very successful career.

My collection: 7" single no. 6504
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Claudia (Uno per tutte)' / 'Wat zou de wereld zonder liefde zijn'

Auf der grossen Himmelsstrasse - Margot Eskens

Here's another single I didn't buy for the A-side, but for the B-side! 'Damals war alles so schön' is a great German version of Corry Brokken's winning Eurovision song 'Net als toen', and unsurprisingly this single was released in 1957, the year of this song's success.

Margot Eskens (born on 12 August 1939 in Düren) was most popular in the 1950's and 1960's. She continued to be a frequent guest on television programs into the 2000s. In 1966, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Die Zeiger der Uhr'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6503
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Auf der grossen Himmelsstrasse' / 'Damals war alles so schön'

Als je maar nooit bekent - Corry Brokken

'Als je maar nooit bekent' is a Dutch-language cover of 'N'avoue jamais', the song that was made famous by Guy Mardel, who represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. It is perhaps no wonder that this single by Corry Brokken - herself a Eurovision winner in 1957 - was also released in 1965. 

The other side of this single, 'Tommy-Tom' is also a cover version: 'Laura Lee' was written by Forrest Wood and Liam Sullivan and recorded by Eddy Arnold in February 1965. Corry's version, recorded with Bert Paige's orchestra, was released in June of that same year.

My collection: 7" single no. 6502
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Als je maar nooit bekent' / 'Tommy Tom'

 

Johnny Blue - Katri Helena

'Johnny Blue' was originally recorded by Lena Valaitis, and it was her entry for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Germany. The song was written by the infamous duo Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, who together wrote many songs for the Contest. 

Katri Helena's version was translated into Finnish by Kaisu Liuhala, who was a rather prolific song translator. Katri Helena, of course, represented Finland at Eurovision twice, in 1979 with 'Katson sineen taivan' and in 1993 with 'Tule luo'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6501
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Johnny blue' / 'Olet ystäväin'

Een sprookje - De Spelbrekers

De Spelbrekers represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with 'Katinka'. However, this wasn't the first brush with Eurovision repertoire. In 1959, they released the single 'Een sprookje' ('A fairytale') with on the B-side a cover version of 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', Jean Philippe's entry for France at Eurovision. Obviously, this is what drew me towards this single, which I could buy for almost nothing from a Dutch seller. 

Between 1950 and 1968, the duo released many singles, but it didn't give them any chart placings. However, their song 'Katinka' remains a classic in the Netherlands. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6500
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Een sprookje' / 'Oui, oui, oui'

Lied für einen Freund - Maxi & Chris Garden

I already own a copy of 'Lied für einen Freund', but the opportunity came up to buy a stack of singles (and cd-singles) from a Eurovision collector and this single was among them. It features a French version of the same song on the double A-side, instead of a different track (which appears on that other single).

Maxi and Chris Garden recorded their Eurovision song in a few different languages apparently and normally these singles command high prices. So I guess I was lucky to get this one. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6499
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Lied für einen Freund' / 'Chant pour un ami'

Voulez-vous - Abba

With sales of over 5 million copies, 'Abba Gold' is the second highest selling album of all time in the UK, after Queen's 'Greatest Hits'. As of July 2021, "Gold" became the first album to reach 1000 weeks on the Official Charts in United Kingdom with pure sales of 5.61 million copies sold in United Kingdom.

When the album was first released, back in 1992, it was supported by a series of single releases. 'Dancing queen' was the first single, and this one was the second: 'Voulez-vous' backed with another single which didn't appear on Abba Gold: 'Summer night city'. This single didn't chart, but it still attracted some attention. These days it's very hard to get hold of a copy, and the third single is even more difficult. But it will appear here someday, I'm sure. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6486
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 October 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Voulez-vous' / 'Summer night city'

Humanaho (Alle Menschen sind Brüder) - Roberto Blanco

Roberto Zerquera Blanco was born on 7 June 1937 in Tunis (Tunisia). He grew up in Beirut and Madrid, before coming to Germany in 1956. He forged a career for himself singing schlagers in German at the end of the 1960's. 

This single, 'Humanaho' is a cover version of Jean Gabilou's French Eurovision entry from 1981, 'Humanahum'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6497
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Humanaho (Alle Menschen sind Brüder)' / 'Sing ein Lied'