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

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

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

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

Angie - Rolling Stones

As far as classics go, the Rolling Stones' 'Angie' qualifies as a real classic. Back in the Eighties, when I was listening to the Top 100 of all times on Veronica Radio, this song was in the top 10, and I think it should be there still if anyone compiles a list. Not because I am so Rolling Stones-minded - quite the contrary! - but it says something when a song like this appeals even to someone like me, who doesn't really like whatever this band did. (There are exceptions, of course, and they are all on this blog.)

'Angie' was also the hardest Rolling Stones single to find - because of its status as a classic. You have to get lucky and find a decent copy for a reasonable price. So last month, I was finally lucky. Sexy cover, too. Probably won't hold up on those prude American media.

My collection: 7" single no. 7533
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Angie' / 'Silver train'

You can't get what you want (till you know what you want) - Joe Jackson

'You can't get what you want (till you know what you want)' is a single from Joe Jackson's 1984 album Body and Soul. It spent sixteen weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was Jackson's second-highest charted song in America when it peaked at number 15 in June 1984. 

The track features a slap bass performance from Jackson's longtime bassist Graham Maby. Maby recalled, 'For 'You can't get what you want', Joe wanted me to slap. It was certainly not one of my strengths, but I think the track came out fine, and it was fun to play live.'

My collection: 7" single no. 7532
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'You can't get what you want (till you know what you want)' / 'Cha cha loco'

Rockin' Robin - Michael Jackson

'Rockin' Robin' was written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas, and recorded by American singer Bobby Day in 1958. 

In 1972, Michael Jackson released his own version of the song, which was released as a single from his gold-certified solo album titled Got to be there as a follow-up single to the song of the same name. It was the biggest hit from the album, hitting number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the UK singles chart. It was also Michael's second solo single, while he was still a member of the Jackson Five  too.

My collection: 7" single no. 7531
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Rockin' Robin' / 'Love is here and now you're gone'

My life - Billy Joel

Coincidentally, the last Billy Joel single I bought was 'My life', back in 2011. I'm not excatly collecting Billy Joel records, but this Japanese pressing of that same single was just too irresistible. For some reason, Japanese singles have become significantly cheaper recently, and so I just wanted to take this one with me, although it doesn't contain any other music than that other single I bought 14 years ago.

My collection: 7" single no. 7530
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'My life' / '52nd street'

Je t'aime (moi non plus) - Judge Dread

Most people are familiar with 'Je t'aime... moi non plus', the French songs with lots of excited whispering and panting. I don't know if the song has been covered a lot, but I found this single and I just couldn't resist.

It's a version of the song in reggae style by Judge Dread, released in 1974. However, if you expect a rehash of the original, you're quite wrong: in this version things are decidedly less steamy. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7529
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Je t'aime (moi non plus)' / 'The belle of Snodland Town'

Say it again - Precious

Back in 2017 I bought the 7" single of 'Say it again' by Precious. It was an almost superfluous acquisition since I already had the tracks on a cd-single. However, I recently found out that several remixes of the track were only ever released on a 12" single! 

The remixes on this disc come from James Lavonz and Master Stepz. And like many remixes of the Nineties, it is questionable whether these remixes were ever meant to be enjoyed at home - it is mainly club fodder, to be honest. But I'll let you make up your mind. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 January 2025
Tracks: 'Say it again (James Lavonz full vocal mix)', 'Say it again (James Lavonz Ruffa dub mix)' / 'Say it again (Master Stepz Trouble mix)', 'Say it again (Master Stepz Smooth dub mix)'.

Look at you now - OMD

The latest single by OMD is 'Look at you now', taken from their most recent album Bauhaus Staircase. This single was pressed on pink vinyl. The song was announced as 'the final single' from the album.

'Look at you now' is not the strongest track from the album, but it is a pleasant enough track to be released as a single. The B-side, 'Tomorrow is today', is a new track.

My collection: 7" single no. 7526
Found: OMD website, received 7 December 2024
Tracks: 'Look at you now' / 'Tomorrow is today'

Epica Oxygene - Jean Michel Jarre

The French synth wizard Jean Michel Jarre returns to his epic work 'Oxygene' every once in a while, and whenever he does, it's always interesting. This particular version comes from a live performance at the palace of Versailles, and it's a rework that breathes some new life into the composition.

The single, pressed on green vinyl, was released along with Electronic Sounds magazine in the UK. The magazine keeps coming up with interesting releases from time to time, and whenever they do, I'm there to order a copy!

My collection: 7" single no. 7539
Found: Electronic Sounds magazine website, received 28 December 2024
Tracks: 'Epica Oxygene' / 'Equinoxe 7'

C'est d'la faute a pas d'chance - Colette Deréal

Nora Nova represented West-Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with 'Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne'. The song wasn't very successful: it ended up in a shared last place, along with the entries from Portugal, Yugoslavia and Switzerland.

Still, the French actress and singer Colette Deréal deemed the song interesting enough to make a cover version. Translated into French, the song became 'C'est d'la faute a pas d'chance', and it was released on this EP.

My collection: 7" single no. 7540
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 December 2024
Tracks: 'Je serai la', 'Reviens l'ami' / 'C'est d'la faute a pas d'chance', 'Moi (qui n'ai plus rien)'

Sen eläisin uudelleen - Gugi & Titta

Al Bano & Romina Power represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976 with 'We'll live it all again', a love song that was inspired by their own love story. Although they recorded the song in French and Spanish, Finnish was just a step to far for the Italian duo.

Cue Gugi & Titta, who recorded their own version of the song - in Finnish! Their version is called 'Sen eläisin uudelleen', which means 'I would do it again in a heartbeat'. Slightly different, then, but a reasonably good translation. The single came without a sleeve, unfortunately, but it plays well nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7541
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2025
Tracks: 'Sen eläisin uudelleen' / 'Pedron maa'

Happy new year - Abba

The good thing about a song called 'Happy new year' is that you can re-release it every year, even if the lyrics are strictly bound to the year 1979. The song has the line 'Who can say what we'll find / What lies waiting down the line / In the end of '89'. Throughout the Eighties it would be believable, but now that we're in the year 2024, we pretty much know what lay waiting in the end of 1989. But maybe the band is now pretending to look forward to 2089? Who knows. 

Still, Abba has this nice tradition to re-release the song on vinyl pretty much every year, and this year they went for a white vinyl disc in a totally white sleeve - except for the titles on the front sleeve in silver and the text on the back sleeve in black. Originally the seller announced a poster as well, but that statement was quickly retracted. That would have been a nice bonus, but oh well. I'm just happy to have 'Felicidad' (the Spanish version of 'Happy new year') on the B-side. At least there is a B-side!

2024 was a good year for my record collection, and I think you've noticed a lot of additions this year. Hopefully 2025 will be just as good! Happy new year to all of you, and see you right here in a couple of days! 

My collection: 7" single no. 7510
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 29 November 2024
Tracks: 'Happy new year' / 'Felicidad'

Last Christmas - Wham!

Although 'Last Christmas' has been re-released many times since 1984, the record company keeps coming up with new ways to make their re-releases attractive. The latest in the series is this 12" single - a picture disc with the so-called zoetrope effect. It means that you have to look at the disc from about a foot distance from above while it's spinning, and then you may see some moving images.

The track listing of this 12" single is a bit different too: it includes four versions of the track. Both tracks on the B-side are new: they are an instrumental version and a live version from December 2006. George Michael may be dead, but his music still lives on.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Sounds, Delft, 28 December 2024
Tracks: 'Last Christmas', 'Last Christmas (Pudding mix)' / 'Last Christmas (live)', 'Last Christmas (instrumental)'

December skies - Steven Wilson

Last year Steven Wilson released a Christmas song as a digital single. The song was created with the help of ChatGPT, since he thought he wouldn't be able to write a seasonal lyric himself. It may just be the first song created with the help of artificial intellgence. Personally I have some reservations about using AI to write any text at all, but anyway... 

The song turned out pretty good. In fact, it was released physically this year, both as a cd-single and as a 7" vinyl single. It is actually quite a luxury release, because it also includes three postcards with illustrations by Hajo Müller. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7538
Found: Velvet, Delft, 28 December 2024
Tracks: 'December skies' / 'December skies (instrumental)'

Little things - Abba

The last Abba album Voyage came out a few years ago, and from that album some singles were taken. They were all issued on one track cd-singles (which, I have to add, feels a bit disappointing: no B-sides, not even instrumental versions or remixes?) but only 'I still have faith in you' was released as a vinyl single.

That error has been corrected last month, because finally one of the other singles was released on vinyl as well. It's the Christmassy song 'Little things', with the creative sleeve that is wellknown from the cd-single version. Again, this single only features one track, but the other side has an etching - it's the song lyrics of the song. That feels a bit superfluous, since the inner sleeve also has the song lyrics printed on it. Still, this single release is rather welcome. Here's hoping that 'Just a notion' will also get a vinyl release at some point.

My collection: 7" single no. 7509
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 29 November 2024
Tracks: 'Little things'

It's Christmas all over the world - Sheena Easton

In 1986 the movie Santa Claus was released, and it featured some Christmas songs, obviously. This single was taken from the movie soundtrack, and it features Sheena Easton in a yuletide mood. 1986 wasn't a particularly successful year for the Scottish singer, as the singles from her recently re-released album Do you didn't chart, and the single 'So far so good' from the soundtrack of About last night only made it to number 43 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

Unfortunately, 'It's Christmas all over the world' fared even worse: the single didn't chart anywhere and the song disappeared from the radar. Some artists have their income sorted when they record a Christmas song - in the case of Sheena, she had to work a little harder in the years that followed.

My collection: 7" single no. 7482
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 November 2024
Tracks: 'It's Christmas all over the world' / 'Thank you, Santa' (The Ambrosian Children's Choir)

A personal Christmas and New Years message - Howard Jones

I rarely buy flexi discs, because the quality of such discs is nothing to write home about. But there are exceptions, such as this special Christmas and New Years message from Howard Jones to his Japanese fans. This little red flexi was released exactly 40 years ago as a present for fans in Japan - a country visited by Howard during his first live tour earlier in the year. 

You could wonder if Japanese fans actually understand his English words, but there was a solution for that: the entire text is translated into Japanese on the back of this sleeve, printed in black and white.

My collection: 7" single no. 7152
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 November 2024
Tracks: 'A personal Christmas and New Years message'

Risin' above the need / Where do we go when we die - The The

This fourth and final single from The The's recent album Ensoulment was a bit of a surprise, as I bought a bundled trio of singles just recently. But as Matt Johnson explained: "Having now had the chance to perform the new album live across the UK, Europe and America, we found that these two songs were amongst the most popular. ‘Where Do We Go When We Die?’ was written for my late father Eddie Johnson (author of Tales From The Two Puddings) whilst ‘Risin’ Above The Need’ is a philosophical muse upon addiction and materialism and the power of the human spirit to overcome obstacles."

I ordered the single the minute I received the newsletter from the band, afraid that I might miss out if I waited. This is a limited edition physical release, after all... It neatly completes this particular mini-collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7527
Found: The The website, received 10 December 2024
Tracks: 'Risin' above the need' / 'Where do we go when we die'

A fragile thing - The Cure

The Cure finally returned with a new album last month, and it is better than its predecessors - at least, that's what I think. The first single was the track 'Alone', which wasn't released physically, which was a disappointment. Fortunately the second single did get a physical release. It's the slightly whimsier track 'A fragile thing'.

This single was pressed on white vinyl and contains two versions of the song: the regular album version and a remix by Robert Smith. There's even an inner sleeve on this one! 

My collection: 7" single no. 7525
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 6 December 2024
Tracks: 'A fragile thing (RS24 mix)' / 'A fragile thing (RS24 remix)'

Happy - Michael Jackson

With Michael Jackson being at the top of his game in the Eighties, his former record company Motown were all too eager to make some money off his name. They re-released a handful of his songs from the Seventies, and one of them was 'Happy'. 

In order to boost sales, they made a limited edition of this single with a poster sleeve. It's a version I wanted to have for some time now, and I finally found it. The B-side is a rather more famous Michael Jackson song, 'We're almost there'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7517
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 December 2024
Tracks: 'Happy' / 'We're almost there'

She looked me in the eye - Poogy

The band Poogy was named after the nickname of its drummer. They participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with a song called 'Natati la khaiai' in Hebrew. Typically for the band, the lyrics are full of unusual imagery. With humour and irony, the song deals, at least in part, with the power of love and its failure, as in lines such as 'if she refused / there's no hope', and 'Someone says that his sky is ending / When there’s enough air for a nation or two'. It has been first suggested, and since confirmed by band member Danny Sanderson, that the song also contained a veiled political protest against then-prime minister Golda Meir, and in favour of the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The song ended up in seventh place. The band recorded the song in English as 'She looked me in the eye (I gave her my life)'. I ordered the single from a German seller, and it was delivered within a week!

My collection: 7" single no. 7514
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 December 2024
Tracks: 'She looked me in the eye (I gave her my life)' / 'Morris and his turtle'

Midnight train - Kim Wilde

Kim Wilde's latest offering is the second single from her forthcoming album Closer, due out at the end of January. Based on the previous single 'Trail of destruction' and this one, it seems we're looking forward to a corker. 

Still, this single didn't impress me at first - and that's not because of the song, but because of the fact that there was a lot going on in my life when this came out. I only got to play the single about two weeks after it came out (yes, I still don't do digital so I had to wait until this vinyl single arrived!) and I wasn't grabbed right away. Reading through some of the online comments I noticed the same from other people. But I have to say: repeated play absolutely helps this particular song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7508
Found: Cherry Red website, received 29 November 2024
Tracks: 'Midnight train' / 'Midnight train (instrumental)'

God only knows - The Beach Boys

This is a classic song and the single is very hard to find. I can't remember when I first heard the song, and I think it didn't even make much of an impression on me back then, but as the years went by, I grew to appreciate it more and more. When I finally decided I wanted to own this single, I couldn't find it anywhere, obviously. Thank god there's online sellers now - even if they tend to charge too much for their wornout singles.

Many songwriters, including Paul McCartney and Jimmy Webb, have cited 'God only knows' as their favorite song of all time. They're not wrong: it's a beautifully crafted piece of music.

My collection: 7" single no. 7481
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 November 2024
Tracks: 'God only knows' / 'Wouldn't it be nice'

Primary - The Cure

The Cure have finally released a new album, and it made me curious about their output all over again. Then I started to realise that I don't have all of their singles - and I'm not even familiar with all of them. I heard 'Primary' and decided that I wanted to have that single.

It was actually the only single taken from their album Faith, released in 1981. It was their seventh single, but only the second to chart in the UK after 'A forest'. It only reached number 43. The song is unusual in that both Simon Gallup and Robert Smith play bass, with the effects pedals on Smith's giving the leads a unique sound. There are no guitars (other than bass) or keyboards played in the song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7480
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Primary' / 'Descent'

Strange - Boney M

Like the title indicates, this single is indeed strange. In Germany, the B-side 'Felicidad' was released as a single, and it was quite successful too. However, a few months after its release, the B-side became the A-side and 'Strange' saw the light of day.

'Strange' was originally recorded by Dobby Dobson in 1969. He was a Jamaican reggae singer and producer who released over a hundred singles between the Sixties and Nineties. Dobson died on July 21 2020 from COVID-19 in Florida, aged 78.

My collection: 7" single no. 7479
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Strange' / 'Felicidad'

Du kennst die Liebe nicht - Nena

As popular as Nena was in Germany during the first half of the Eighties, things became a lot quieter when the year 1984 arrived. Most of their singles didn't chart, and although the album 'Feuer und Flamme' reached number 2 in the German albums chart, the singles didn't fare as well. The title track made it to number 8, 'Haus der drei Sonnen' scraped to number 43 and the two remaining singles didn't even chart. 

The last single taken from the album was 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht', released in 1985. The single features a live version of the same track on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 7475
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht' / 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht (live)'

Live and let die - Paul McCartney & Wings

One of the singles I've been after for a couple of years now is 'Live and let die', the theme song of the 1973 James Bond film of the same name. Originally, the movie's producer Harry Saltzman was interested in having Shirley Bassey or Thelma Houston perform it instead of Wings. George Martin said McCartney would allow the song to be used in the movie only if Wings was able to perform the song in the opening credits. The recording contract specified that McCartney would "perform the title song under the opening titles".

After the release of the single, it reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 in the UK singles chart. Amazingly, it only reached number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7470
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Live and let die' / 'I lie around'

Love her madly - The Doors

Band guitarist Robby Krieger wrote 'Love her madly' during the period of Jim Morrison's trial in September 1970. He composed the music while experimenting on a twelve string guitar, and he was inspired to write the lyrics from his troubles and fights with his then-girlfriend and later-wife Lynn. Ray Manzarek has said that the song's title was taken from Duke Ellington's line 'We love you madly', a catchphrase which he used to utter to the audience at the end of his concerts.

The B-side of the single, '(You need meat) Don't go no further', is the only studio recording released by the Doors during Jim Morrison's tenure with the group to feature a lead vocal by keyboardist Ray Manzarek. It is also one of only three non-album B-sides by the Doors, the other two being 'Who scared you?' (B-side of 'Wishful sinful') and the relatively rare post-Morrison track 'Treetrunk' (B-side of 'Get up and dance'). '(You need meat) Don't go no further' met its first official album release on the compilation album Weird scenes inside the gold mine. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7469
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Love her madly' / '(You need meat) Don't go no further'

Have a cigar - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd became one of the most famous bands in the world because of the album Dark side of the moon, released in 1973. After this, they continued making remarkable records, and 'Have a cigar' appeared on the next album Wish you were here. 

In some markets, the song was issued as a single. English folk-rock singer Roy Harper provided lead vocals on the song. In his book Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, author Mark Blake recounts that Gilmour had been unwilling to sing the lead vocal as he did not share Waters' opinions, as expressed in the lyrics, on the nature of the music industry. Waters has since said he dislikes Harper's version, saying he would have liked it to emerge 'more vulnerable and less cynical', adding that Harper's version was too parodic while Gilmour loved Harper's vocal delivery and called it the 'perfect version'. I'm inclined to take Gilmour's side, since Waters has since proved to be a lunatic.

My collection: 7" single no. 7468
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Have a cigar' / 'Shine on you crazy diamond (part 1)'

Lola (live) - The Kinks

Around the time of John Lennon's death, the Kinks released a live version of their song 'Lola'. I remember this quite vividly, because a picture of the sleeve appeared in the printed version of the Dutch Top 40 and I always thought it was an image of a big cross. It seemed like quite a biblical sleeve. Of course, upon closer inspection - weeks later - I saw this was actually a live photograph of Ray Davies!

I didn't really like the song a lot back then, but as things go, you get to appreciate things decades later sometimes. And the added attraction of a colour vinyl edition - in this case, blue - also helped. And so I was glad to find a good copy, finally, after having failed to do so for a few years. The fact that the single arrived together with that Beatles one, really made my day.

My collection: 7" single no. 7464
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 November 2024
Tracks: 'Lola (live)' / 'Celluloid heroes'

Let it be me - Hep Stars

It has become common practice for me, when I buy singles online, to search for 'Ulvaeus', because you never know when you might pick up some obscure Abba release, or a cover version. But this time the Hep Stars turned up, thanks to the B-side of this single. I knew the title 'Let it be me' somehow, but I didn't really know the song. And so I listened to it online - and that's when I remembered that song from very long ago. Obviously I had to have it. 

'Let it be me' was released in 1968, and it was based on 'Je t'appartiens', which was written in by Gilbert Bécaud and his frequent collaborator, lyricist Pierre Delanoë. Delanoë reportedly wrote the lyrics for Bécaud as an apology for missing one of the singer's performances at the Olympia in Paris. The most famous version was recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1959 - but the Swedish band were actually a year earlier! So which version did I know? I can't recall. Lovely song, though.

My collection: 7" single no. 7463
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 November 2024
Tracks: 'Let it be me' / 'A flower in my garden'

Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles

For a few years I have been checking out this double 7" single package of the Beatles called 'Magical Mystery Tour'. Most people know the tracks on this collection of songs, but the packaging is what makes the difference here. It's essentially a booklet of photographs with two EP's thrown in for extra enjoyment. It is the soundtrack to the Beatles television film of the same name. 

I got a little frustrated when I saw a few copies at the record fair in Den Bosch last month, and they were all tattered and torn - and dealers were still asking high prices for it! So I gave up, and I ordered a copy online. Luckily, this one is in "very good plus" shape, and when I received it, it exceeded my expectations. I don't really collect Beatles singles - you've got to draw the line somewhere - but this one is simply too good to let it pass.

My collection: 7" single no. 7462
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 November 2024
Tracks: 'Magical mystery tour', 'Your mother should know' / 'I am the walrus' // 'The fool on the hill', 'Flying' / 'Blue Jay way'

Meneer Tarzan - Rubberen Robbie

Dutch music is a strange beast. These days there aren't that many artists from the Netherlands that I enjoy, but back in the Eighties there seemed to be more creativity all around. Rubberen Robbie was a group that seemed to enjoy making parodies on wellknown songs, combined with humour all about being without a job and having to depend on benefits. 

'Meneer Tarzan' ('Mister Tarzan') is about someone who decides to leave the country and go living in the jungle. It is the chance to "finally meet mister Tarzan". It turns out that Tarzan has become quite old and is looking for his dentures. Sounds weird? Well, yes, and it's set to the tune of 'It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7460
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, 16 November 2024
Tracks: 'Meneer Tarzan' / 'Opa, ik zie tranen op uw wangen'

ABBA hits in Hindi - Various artists

Having hunted Abba singles throughout this year, I thought I'd seen most of them by now, but then I found myself bumping into this rarity. 'ABBA hits in Hindi' is an EP featuring four cover versions of Abba songs, but in Hindi. This single was actually made in India but somehow copies made it into the rest of the world, as evidenced by the 12 copies that are available online even right now. 

The artists on this EP are all from India, obviously, and the tracks sound like those radio stations you could bump into on the AM or FM band back in the day. But it's weird rarities like this that really excite me. Also, I wonder if they got permission to print that photograph on the sleeve.... I would hazard a guess that nobody cared back then.

My collection: 7" single no. 7455
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, 16 November 2024
Tracks: 'Abhi Nahin (Honey Honey)', 'Hasta Mastana (Hasta Mañana)' / 'Na jaane mere dil mein (Move on)', 'Mil mil sapnon mein aake (Ring Ring)'

Heart of stone - Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz had a succesful decade - the Eighties - but by the end of that decade things were starting to unravel. 'Heart of stone' was the group's 20th single and their last one to chart, reaching number 50 on the UK singles chart.

It was included in their greatest hits collection The Story So Far, released shortly after the release of this single, but since the single didn't get that high up in the singles chart, other recordings never saw the light of day. After that, Bucks Fizz fragmented and at some point there were even two versions of the group. Some members are still soldiering on as 'The Fizz' right now, but the old Eighties magic is long gone.

As for 'Heart of stone', it became a hit for Cher, who recorded it for her 1989 album of the same name.

My collection: 7" single no. 7454
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 November 2024
Tracks: 'Heart of stone' / 'Here's looking at you'

Land of La La - Stevie Wonder

I wouldn't exactly qualify this single as one of Stevie Wonder's best songs, but even an average Stevie Wonder song beats most other artists' output. 'Land of La La' is a song best described as 'wordy', because the lyrics - printed on the back cover of this single - take up most of the space there.

The song was written, produced and arranged by Stevie himself. Although the single was released worldwide, it only reached number 86 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and failed to chart everywhere else.

My collection: 7" single no. 7453
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2024
Tracks: 'Land of La La' / 'Land of La La (instrumental)'

Love at first sight - Sounds Nice

Most people will be familiar with 'Je t'aime... moi non plus', the sensual single by Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin. This single presents a different version of that song, as it's an instrumental take.

Sounds Nice is an instrumental group consisting of organist Tim Mycroft with the arranger Paul Buckmaster and a host of session musicians. Besides the sighing and moaning on the original, it is the melody that impresses, and this version does take it centre stage. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7452
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2024
Tracks: 'Love at first sight' / 'Love you too'

Bombers in the sky - Thompson Twins

Thompson Twins had reached the peak of their career in the mid-Eighties, but things weren't so successful when the decade drew to an end. The album Big Trash couldn't match the success of Into the gap, and the song 'Bombers in the sky' wasn't even released commercially in the UK. It passed most of Europe by also, by the way.

Cue the Spanish record company WEA, who created this promotional 7" single. It features the same song on both sides. This disc represents the only European 7" vinyl of the track.

My collection: 7" single no. 7451
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Bombers in the sky' / 'Bombers in the sky'

Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen - Rubberen Robbie

Last month my brother passed away and it was one of those things you expect to happen, except you just don't know when exactly. He wasn't an easy person to live with, my brother, and during these last few years there were multiple complications with his declining health and a big (and I do mean BIG) collection having to move from one house to another. It was a huge undertaking. 

With most of the moving done, he passed away. I faced another apartment that needs to be emptied out - by someone or another. I remembered this little single, hiding away in my collection. I don't often post Dutch music on my blog, because listeners overseas can't really understand the music, but this one by the group Rubberen Robbie was too appropriate for my recent predicament. 'Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen' ('No, you must let your brother do it') is something that came back in my head almost instantly. 

My collection: 7" single no. 930
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1989
Tracks: 'Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen' / 'Onder me klomp'

Remixes - Human League

Although the Human League were important players in the early Eighties synthpop movement, their 12" single output was less than impressive. They did release some extended versions of their singles, but for some reason it took a turn of the century to come up with more radical remixes.

In 2003 the album The Very Best of The Human League was released, a double CD with 17 of their biggest hits plus a bonus CD with 11 remixes. One of the remixes was 'Open your heart (The Strand remix)', which appears on the A-side of this 10" single. The B-side is a remix that doesn't appear on the CD: an 'Extended Family Vocal Mix' of 'The Sound of the crowd'. There was no excuse to leave this disc behind.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Open your heart (The Strand remix)' / 'The sound of the crowd (Extended Family vocal mix)'

Sevince - Nazar

'Sevince' ('When I'm in love') was the Turkish entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 in Paris, performed by Nilüfer & Nazar in the country's first appearance since 1975. The song is an up-tempo number about the power of love and the song talks about love and how it is good when we are loved by someone.  

Nazar included Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz who went on to compose Turkey's Eurovision entries in 1982 and 1987 and San Marino's entries in 2016 and 2019. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7449
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Sevince' / 'Darling'

Oui, oui, oui, oui - Jean-Paul Mauric

Jean Philippe represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959 with 'Oui, oui, oui, oui'. Such was the popularity of the song that many other artists recorded versions of the song. The most famous version was recorded by Sacha Distel.

But Jean-Paul Mauric also had a shot at the song. It appears on this EP, which also features three other songs. Mauric would get his own chance to represent his country two years later with 'Printemps (Avril carillonne)'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7448
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Mon ange gardien', 'Ne m'oublie pas' / 'Oui oui oui oui', 'La marche des gosses'

Ik wil gelukkig zijn - Micha Marah

Micha Marah participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979 with the song 'Hey nana'. She never recorded the song, until last year. Unfortunately it wasn't released on a 7" single.

In 1986 she did record a Eurovision song: a cover version of 'Über die Brücke geh'n' in Dutch. In this version it is called 'Ik wil gelukkig zijn' ('I want to be happy'). 

My collection: 7" single no. 7447
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Ik wil gelukkig zijn' / 'Iedere dans'

Sprattelgumma - Siw Malmkvist

The song 'Puppet on a string' by Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967, and what followed was a tsunami of cover versions in many different languages. It's quite interesting how many versions there are - and some of them have appeared on this blog already.

Siw Malmkvist's version is performed in Swedish, just like the other three tracks on this EP. It also features a version of 'Downtown', which was another big hit in 1967. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7446
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Sprattelgumma', 'Nanting fanigt' / 'Arvid', 'Downtown'

Hou toch van mij - Maurice Hymans with the Westonians

As far as I know, the Belgian Eurovision entry from 1959 was only covered twice: once by Koen Crucke in 1996 (released on CD-single only) and this one by Maurice Hymans with the Westonians. They were considerably quicker to record the song: this single was released in 1959 already.

The group only released a few singles, all of them released in 1959.Not much is known about them. All I know is that it's nice to have a cover version of such an early Eurovision song.

My collection: 7" single no. 7445
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Hou toch van mij' / 'Monisima'

Posle tebe - Lola Novakovic

After Vicky Leandros won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 with 'Après toi', several artists recorded cover versions of that song. None was more remarkable than the Yugoslavian cover, recorded by Lola Novakovic. 

Released on the state-run Radio-Televizija Beograd label, this EP features 'Posle tebe', a Serbian version of the song. I saw this single online quite a few times and even wanted to order it from somewhere, but I'm glad I didn't - I bought a copy for just a few euros at the record fair last week. Saves a lot of shipping costs!

My collection: 7" single no. 7444
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Znam Zašto Živim', 'Posle Tebe (Après Toi)' / 'Malo Tražim', 'Kao Ljubičice (Come Le Viole)'

Ja, ja, ja - Louis Neefs

Louis Neefs recorded a cover version of Jean Philippe's 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', the French Eurovision entry of 1959. He did so incorrectly, because he named his version 'Ja, ja, ja', omitting the last 'oui' from the title. Otherwise it's a great version, sung in that typical style of his.

This single came without a picture sleeve, unfortunately, and it was apparently a promotional copy, as the sticker is still on the label. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7443
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Ja, ja, ja' / 'Zigeunerkind'

Walkin' in Lee Jeans - Claire Torry

In 1975 it was Ann Christy's turn to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest. She did this with the song 'Gelukkig zijn', written by Mary Bouduin. Ann also recorded the song in English, titled 'Could it be happiness'.

Those exact words also appear in the song 'Walkin' in Lee Jeans', a single that was also released in 1975 and a promotional vehicle for, you guessed it, Lee Jeans. Bouduin explained that she originally wrote the song for this commercial, and then wrote Dutch lyrics for Ann Christy. Since the Eurovision rules stipulate that songs need to be original in order to enter, one has to wonder if this entry was entirely in line with the regulations!

My collection: 7" single no. 7442
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Walkin' in Lee Jeans' / 'Mean jeans'

Nee, nee laat dat - The Strangers

In 1964 the Antwerp group The Strangers released this 4 track EP featuring a cover version of Gigliola Cinquetti's 'Non ho l'eta', the winning song of that year's Eurovision Song Contest. Titled 'Nee, nee laat dat', it was rewritten by Lex Colman in Antwerp dialect. 

As far as I can gather, this is the oldest Eurovision cover by the Strangers. The group started in 1952. Their first performance took place on 7 January 1953 in Hoboken. By 1965 they had already performed 1000 times. They owed their popularity mainly to the fact that everyone could hum along to the original melodies and their translations were more understandable to most Flemish people than the original languages ​​in which the hits were sung. Yet their songs were never literal translations, but always completely new lyrics about often completely different subjects.

My collection: 7" single no. 7441
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'De nieuwe tram', 'Nee, nee laat dat' / 'Reutenkenteut', 'Georgette'

Vaer som du var - Birthe Wilke

When Corry Brokken appeared on the Eurovision stage to perform 'Net als toen' in 1957, Danish singer Birthe Wilke was one of her fellow contestants. She sang 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' for Denmark. After returning to her home country, she recorded this EP, featuring a Danish version of 'Net als toen'. 

'Vaer som du var' was given Danish lyrics by Knud Pheiffer. The rest of the EP is interesting too: it presents a variety of styles, from ballads to poppy light music. Birthe went on, of course, to represent Denmark once again in 1959 with 'Uh jeg ville ønske jeg var dig'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7440
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Huset i Canada', 'Vaer som du var' / 'Hvide syrener', 'Chocolata'