Keep us together - Sad Cafe

More than a decade after its release, I heard Sad Cafe's 'Keep us together' by chance. I knew about this band because of 'Every day hurts' and 'Follow you anywhere', and this was another ballad in that style: powerful, slightly sentimental and most of all, melodic. It took me some time to find this single, but when I did, I grabbed it immediately. For me, this is one of the great lost classics of the Eighties: it didn't chart anywhere as far as I know.

My collection: 7" single no. 3087

Found: London, May 12, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Keep us together' / 'Hold out'

Download: here

Ding-a-dong - Teach-in

Every year when the Eurovision Song Contest draws near, the Dutch audience is reminded of the last victory by the Netherlands. It gets more depressing every year: the last victory took place in 1975, more than 30 years ago. After 'La La La' (Spain, 1969) and 'Boom bang-a-bang' (UK, 1969) this wan another example of a Eurovision winner with a nonsensical title.

The song, performed entirely in English, was an up-tempo ode to positive thought. Almost immediately, the song's lyrics became a source of ridicule, particularly in the UK, because the word "dong" is slang for penis. And the fact that the lyric includes a line that goes 'When you walk along with your ding dang dong' didn't help, either. This did not stop the song from hitting number 13 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 3388

Found: Geest, Den Haag, 2003

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'The circus show'

Download: here

McArthur Park - The Burtons / Wuthering heights - Jah Wurzel

As a big fan of Kate Bush, at some point I started collecting cover versions of Kate Bush songs. I acquired some of those tracks by swapping them with other Kate Bush fans, but every once in a while, I bought something. Like for instance this very vague e.p., released in 1979.

It features a version of 'McArthur park' by the Burtons on the A-side, but the B-side featured a version of 'Wuthering heights' as performed by Jah Wurzel. And who, pray, is Jah Wurzel? No idea - there are no references to him anywhere on the web.

My collection: 7" single no. 3052
Found: 1998
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'McArthur park' (The Burtons) / 'Wuthering heights' (Jah Wurzel)
Download: here

Miss Sarajevo - Passengers

U2 and Brian Eno used the pseudonym Passengers to record an album called 'Original Soundtracks 1', a collection of songs for movies that do not exist. The track 'Miss Sarajevo' protests the war in Bosnia, criticizing the international community for its inability to stop the war or help those affected by it. It was the only single released from the album.

Lead vocals are performed by Bono, with a guest appearance by Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. The 7" single was released with a large poster, folded to LP size. The B-side is a live performance of the U2 track 'One' during a War Child concert in Modena, Italy on September 12, 1995.

My collection: 7" single no. 2570

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Miss Sarajevo' / 'One (live)'

Download: cd-single 'Miss Sarajevo', including both tracks

Luxury - New Musik

Why New Musik never achieved commercial success is a mystery to me. 'Luxury' is one of many singles that never reached a chart anywhere. And 'Anywhere' is the title of the album this single was taken from. 'Luxury' was the first of three singles taken from the album. It was backed with a non-album track, 'The office'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2674

Found: London, July 2, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Luxury' / 'The office'

Download: here

Real love - Beatles

A year after releasing 'Free as a bird', Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr completed a second unfinished recording by John Lennon. They added new vocal and instrumental tracks to strengthen the original sound from John's cassette. The single was released to promote part two in the three part 'Beatles Anthology' cd set.

The B-side was a live recording of 'Baby's in black'. You can hear the screaming audience, proof that Beatlemania was really as loud and strange as it was often made out to be.

My collection: 7" single no. 2635

Found: April 13, 1996

Cost: 8 guilders

Tracks: 'Real love' / 'Baby's in black (live)'

Download: here

The part of me that needs you most - Exile

The tracks on Exile's 1979 album 'All there is' were recorded with a distinct disco beat. 'The part of me that needs you most' was taken from this album, and according to Wikipedia, the single did particularly well in Europe. Well, parts of Europe then, because it flopped in the UK and the Netherlands.

I'd never even heard this track when I bought the single. And I only bought the single because I enjoyed their previous releases so much. This track, by comparison, is a disappointment. What's interesting about 'Let's do it again', the B-side track, is that it sounds very similar to John Lodge's 'Street cafe', released a year later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3278

Found: Record fair, November 11, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The part of me that needs you most' / 'Let's do it again'

Download: here

Reunited - Peaches and Herb

The original Peaches & Herb consisted of Herb Fame and Francine 'Peaches' Hurd Barker. Herb has been part of the duo ever since its original creation in 1967, but after Francine, several different women have taken on the 'role' of Peaches. Initially the duo wasn't successful, to the point where they both retired from the music scene in 1970. In 1976, Herb decided to return to music and enlisted the help of Van McCoy to find a new 'Peaches'. Linda Greene was found, and thus started the most successful incarnation of the duo.

Their first album together, produced by McCoy, generated no hits, but after switching labels and recording the album '2 hot', they had a massive number 1 hit in America with 'Reunited'. It also reached number 1 in the Netherlands, and it peaked at number 4 in the UK. Unable to repeat the success of 2 Hot with their subsequent albums, Greene and Fame decided to retire their partnership in 1983. Two more incarnations followed, but without big commercial success.

My collection: 7" single no. 12

Found: London, 1979

Cost: 10p

Tracks: 'Reunited' / 'Easy as pie'

Download: Album '2 hot', including both tracks

Everyday is like Sunday - Morrissey

'Everyday is like Sunday' was the second single taken from Morrissey's debut solo album 'Viva hate'. The previous single, 'Suedehead', reached number 5 in the UK singles chart, and this one did almost just as well, peaking at number 9. In the Netherlands, both singles didn't make the Top 40.

Morrissey has been quoted as saying that there is 'something strangely depressing about a seaside town out-of-season'. Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders has showered praise on this song, saying 'the lyric to 'Everyday is like Sunday' is, to me, a masterful piece of prose'.

My collection: 7" single no. 801

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 21, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Everyday is like Sunday' / 'Disappointed'

Download: cd-single 'Everyday is like Sunday', including both tracks

Innocence - Deborah Blando

In 1992, Deborah Blando suddenly appeared on the pop scene with the song 'Innocence'. Born in Italy but raised in Brazil, Blando released her debut album at the age of eleven, entitled 'Giovanna – Alegria da Gente', containing Italian songs. In her teens, Deborah joined the Brazilian theater company Os Menestréis, which has revealed many promising singers in Brazil, and started touring the country acting and singing in their musicals.

In 1989 she met producer David Wolff who, impressed by her musical talent, invited her to record an album in English. In 1991, 'A different story' was released. The first single, 'Boy (Why do you wanna make me blue?)' hit American dance charts and was featured in a worldwide TV ad for Diet Coke. The English version of the ballad 'Innocence', written by Deborah herself when she was 18, was a hit around the world, although in the Netherlands it sunk without a trace. I saw the video on television once. On this occasion Blando was presented as 'the new Madonna'. I was sceptical, but liked the song - and so I bought it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1622

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 18, 1992

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Innocence (edit)' / 'Innocence (instrumental)'

Download: here

Turn the beat around - Vicki Sue Robinson

'Turn the beat around' is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson and made popular by Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976. It appeared on her debut album 'Never gonna let you go', and was released as a single. In the USA, the song went number 10 on the Billboard pop charts. In the Netherlands, it reached number 12 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was covered by Gloria Estefan in 1994.

Vicki Sue Robinson continued to make records until 1984. After that, she worked as a session singer for artists like Cher, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper and others. She was also the voice behind the Jem animation series in the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 3483

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

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Turn the beat around' / 'Lack of respect'

Download: here

In a minor key - Tim Finn

This is the first double single that I can remember, and it is quite possibly the first double single released on the European continent. After his big success in Europe with 'Fraction too much friction', Tim Finn released the beautiful ballad 'In a minor key' as the second single from his debut solo album 'Escapade'. This double single was widely available in the Netherlands, but it flopped all the same. The interest for Tim Finn has disappeared as quickly as it had come.

My collection: 7" single no. 1213

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, April 22, 1990

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'In a minor key' / 'Not for nothing' // 'Fraction too much friction (live)' / 'Below the belt (live)'

Download: here

I'll fly for you - Spandau Ballet

Yes, I know, I wrote about the 12" single of 'I'll fly for you' in December, but it was exactly that piece which made me realise that I didn't actually have the 7" single. And so I bought it, quite recently. And not just any old 7" single: it's the limited edition, apparently, released in a poster bag. And quite a creepy one: it shows the Spandaus without a shirt on. I wish I hadn't now...

The single version is just as powerful as the extended version, only shorter. It reached number 27 in the Netherlands in the autumn of 1984. In the UK, it went to number 9.

My collection: 7" single no. 3573
Found: eBay, received February 2, 2009

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'I'll fly for you' / 'To cut a long story short (live)'

Download: here

Ainsi soit je... - Mylene Farmer

'Ainsi soit je...' was the second single taken from Mylene Farmer's 1988 album of the same name. As for all her songs since the 1987 single 'Tristana', Farmer wrote the lyric. Nevertheless, the first words of the couplets 'bulle de chagrin, boule d'incertitude' were written by Marie, a singer unknown to the general public who died not long before. It was a way for Mylene to pay a tribute to her.

I'd started collecting Mylene Farmer singles only months before I went on a holiday to Vienna, Austria. I was greatly surprised to find an old single in a record shop there - but of course I bought it right away.

My collection: 7" single no. 1934

Found: Marik, Vienna, Austria, 1993

Cost: 59 Austrian Schilling

Tracks: 'Ainsi soit je...' / 'Ainsi soit je... (Lamentations)'

Download: here

Without your love - Roger Daltrey

'McVicar' is a British film, released in 1980, starring Roger Daltrey from The Who in the title role of John McVicar, an armed robber turned writer who Scotland Yard publicly announced to be Public Enemy Number One and wanted dead or alive. The soundtrack of the film was performed entirely by Daltrey, and the single 'Without your love' was drawn from the soundtrack album.

Though it was only a minor hit in the UK (peaking at number 55 in the singles chart), it reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and it remains Daltrey's only top three hit in this country.

My collection: 7" single no. 824

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 18, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Without your love' / 'My time is gonna come'

Download: Album 'McVicar', including both tracks

White and black blues - Joelle Ursull

'White and black blues' was composed by Georges Ougier de Moussac, with lyrics by legendary French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The song was originally titled 'Black Lolita Blues', however Joelle Ursull, who was chosen to represent France at the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest, declined to perform it with this title. Rewritten as 'White and black blues', the song deals with the need to overcome the prejudices of skin colour.

Eurovision songs were always difficult to get a hold of in record shops. 1990 was actually the first year that several songs were readily available: in a short amount of time I collected the entries of Belgium, France, Spain and even Portugal. Due to a lack of budget, I didn't buy the cd-single of this track - something I do regret, because I'm unable to find it now.

My collection: 7" single no. 1231

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 11, 1990

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'White and black blues' / 'White and black blues (instrumental)'

Download: here

Crazy - Icehouse

The Australian band Icehouse found fame with 'Hey little girl' and 'Can't help myself' in the early Eighties. I was very impressed with these early singles, and the later hits 'No promises' and 'Crazy' took some more getting used to after that. 'Crazy' was drawn from their 1987 album 'Man of colours', Icehouse's best selling album worldwide.

It took me many years to finally buy this single. 15 years to be exact. It's one of those singles you come across regularly and you always think, 'nah, later'. So 'later' finally happened in 2003.

My collection: 7" single no. 3393

Found: Geest, Den Haag, 2003

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Crazy', 'Completely gone'

Download: 'Crazy', 12" single 'Crazy', including 'Completely gone'

Bring me closer - Altered Images

During the Here and Now Tour 2002 I saw Altered Images, or rather Clare Grogan, live in concert and immediately liked the songs she was performing. So I went to the nearest record shop in London and found 'I could be happy' and this single. I didn't know this song - she hadn't performed it - but the sleeve looked interesting enough and so I decided to buy it anyway.

It's one of those instances where you are a little too impulsive. 'Bring me closer' is a rather directionless song, and really doesn't end up anywhere. The same goes for the B-side. Clare Grogan's typical voice sounds a bit weird in these tracks. So not one of my most prized possessions this single. But it is a nice sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 3369

Found: Record Exchange, London, December 2002

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Bring me closer' / 'Surprise me'

Download: here

Uncertain smile - The The

After 'Uncertain smile' single version 1 and version 2, I quickly realised that I should also buy the 12" single. It would probably feature an extended version of this wonderful track. There was always the chance, of course, that it would simply contain the album track which is lengthy enough as it is, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

As it turned out, I was lucky: the 12" single features an extended version which goes on for more than nine minutes. It is based on the original version (single version 1) and then goes on for several minutes where the single fades out. Needless to say, I was very glad when I found this disc.

My collection: 12" single no. 122

Found: Record fair, 1991

Cost: 15 guilders

Tracks: 'Uncertain smile [extended version]' / 'Soul mining (Definitive Version)'

Download: here

4 films - Het Goede Doel

Het Goede Doel (The Good Cause) released their single '4 films' in 1987. It was a new track on the live album that was released after their tour across the Netherlands after the release of their third studio album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar' (1986). It didn't become a hit and has since become a very rare track. A version sung by Ramses Shaffy was released on the album 'Iedereen is anders' (1988), but this original version wasn't released on cd for a long time.

The B-side is a live version of the track 'Atoombom' ('Atom bomb'), also taken from the live album mentioned above.

My collection: 7" single no. 3538

Found: Empire Records, January 9, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: '4 films' / 'Atoombom (live)'

Download: here