'Ullo John! Gotta new motor? - Alexei Sayle

So I found the 7" single of ''Ullo John! Gotta new motor?' in 1995. I actually ordered it in 1985 from a mailorder company in England, but it was sold out. I stated the 12" single as an alternative (remember, these were the days when you actually had to send your order via snail mail and hope for your order to arrive two weeks later), and so I got that one. I was a bit disappointed, because even if the 12" single contains 'part 3' and 'part 4' of the track, it does go on a bit.

According to Wikipedia, the 12" version of the single achieved notoriety due to its extensive use of profanity. After listening, I'm sure you'll agree that they are referring mostly to part 4, which contains an impressive array of foul language.

My collection: 12" single no. 14

Found: Oldies Unlimited, UK, 1985

Cost: 4 pounds

Tracks: ''Ullo John! Gotta new motor? (part 3)' / ''Ullo John! Gotta new motor? (part 4)'

It's OK, it's alright - Fine Young Cannibals

After a very successful run of singles taken from their 1989 album 'The raw and the cooked', Fine Young Cannibals released a remix album entitled 'The raw and the remix' in 1990. From that album, the single 'It's OK, it's alright' was drawn. The A-side featured the original version of the song, recorded in 1988, the B-side contained a remix of 'Johnny come home' which was on the remix album.

The single didn't reach the chart anywhere and as such has become some kind of rarity. I know I was very surprised when I saw this single when I bought it, because I'd never seen it before - or since.

My collection: 7" single no. 2782

Found: Record Exchange, London, November 1, 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'It's OK, it's alright' / 'Johnny come home (Johnny takes a trip mix)'

Show me heaven - Maria McKee

Maria Louise McKee was born on August 17, 1964 in Los Angeles, California. She was a founding member of the band Lone Justice in 1982. When she was 19, she wrote 'A good heart', which became a hit for Feargal Sharkey in 1985. Her debut solo album appeared in 1989. A year later, she recorded 'Show me heaven' for the soundtrack of the movie 'Days of Thunder'.

Originally written by Joshua Rifkin and Eric Rankin, when McKee was first offered the song, she refused to record it unless she was allowed to change the lyrics. The single turned out to be a massive success for her, peaking at number 1 in the UK and the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1310

Found: HMV, London, October 15, 1990

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Show me heaven' (Maria McKee) / 'Car building' (Hans Zimmer)

No self control - Peter Gabriel

If you think Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush worked together for the first time in 1986 when they recorded 'Don't give up', you wouldn't be alone in thinking that. But in reality, they got together as early as 1979, when Kate Bush recorded a television special for UK television. They sang 'Another day' together, and Gabriel performed 'Here comes the flood' solo in this special.

In 1980, Peter Gabriel recorded his third solo album. Kate Bush provided backing vocals on the tracks 'Games without frontiers' and 'No self control'. It might be a coincidence, but both tracks were released as a single in 1980. Being a Kate Bush fan, I had to have these singles, so I was very glad when I found a reasonably good copy of 'No self control' in 1995.

My collection: 7" single no. 2341
Found: Record Exchange, London, June 26, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'No self control' / 'Lead a normal life'
Download: Album 'Peter Gabriel [3]', including both tracks

Mother mother - Tracy Bonham

Tracy Bonham was born on March 16, 1969 in Eugene, Oregon. She is a classically trained violinist and pianist. In 1997 she received two Grammy nominations for her 'best alternative album' 'The burdens of being upright' and best female rock vocal performance for 'Mother mother'.

'Mother mother' is an aggressive-sounding song. In America, it was number one in the rock chart for a month. In the Netherlands it peaked at number 32 in the Dutch Top 40, whereas it was a top 10 hit in Norway and Australia.

My collection: 7" single no. 2772
Found: HMV, London, October 30, 1996
Cost: 2,5 pounds
Tracks: 'Mother mother' / '50 ft. Queenie (live)'

Sausolito summernight - Diesel

The Dutch rock band Diesel was formed in 1979 by producer Pim Koopman and Rob Vunderink. They recruited Mark Boon and Frank Papendrecht and started playing together, at first just for other acts which were produced by Koopman at the time. They had some hits in the Netherlands, but the single 'Sausolito summernight' brought them international success: it reached number 35 in the Dutch Top 40, but ironically did much better abroad, peaking at number 25 in the USA and at number 1 in Canada.

The song actually refers to Sausalito instead of Sausolito, but only few releases state the right spelling.

My collection: 7" single no. 1383

Found: All that music, Leiden, February 22, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Sausolito summernight' / 'Bite back'

So cold the night - Communards

The Communards had their biggest hit in 1986 with a cover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' 1975 soul classic 'Don't leave me this way' - although the Communards' version was inspired by the dance version recorded in 1976 by Thelma Houston. A year later they reached number 8 in the UK singles chart with 'So cold the night', which peaked at number 11 in the Netherlands.

A limited edition two record set of 'So cold the night' included the single 'Don't leave me this way' as the second disc. On all four tracks, Jimmy Somerville screams like a demented choirboy - but always with great effect.

My collection: 7" single no. 2755

Found: House of rhythm, London, October 29, 1996

Cost: 80p

Tracks: 'So cold the night' / 'When the walls come tumbling down' // 'Don't leave me this way' / 'Sanctified'

Road to nowhere - Talking Heads

Talking Heads had a worldwide hit with 'Road to nowhere' in 1985, at a time where music videos became increasingly important for chart success. The video to promote this single was a clever piece of work, with lots of shots in different environments. The video was shown on TV so often and the song played on the radio even more, that I got totally bored with the song.

Still, ten years later, it was a pleasant surprise when my friend Puck showed up with a copy of this single and gave it to me. It was a nice present, filling a gap in my collection of Talking Heads singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 2159

Found: Den Haag (present)

Cost: nothing

Tracks: 'Road to nowhere' / 'Television man'

Download: Album 'Little creatures', including both tracks

Heaven - Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs formed in England in 1977. The band initially consisted of Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Duncan Kilburn, Paul Wilson and Roger Morris. Morris and Kilburn left the band five years later, when the other members went to live in New York City. The album 'Forever now' (1984) spawned the UK hit single 'Heaven', which peaked at number 29 in the UK singles chart.

The song 'Heaven' didn't appeal much to me at all when I got to know it via this video in 1984. I thought the singer was behaving bizarrely by circling round in the rain like that. The fact that I finally bought the single was a strange case of belated insight: I got a bit melancholic about the past and suddenly realised that this song was worth owning after all. As it turned out, I got hold of a Portuguese pressing.

My collection: 7" single no. 1811

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 9, 1993

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Heaven' / 'Heartbeat (remix)'

Straight lines - New Musik

'Straight lines' was actually New Musik's debut single, released in October 1979. It led to their first TV performance on the BBC's programme 'Top of the pops' (see it here), despite the fact that the single only made number 53 in the UK Singles chart. The song appeared on New Musik's debut album 'From A to B', released in 1980.

I bought the single in 1995, when I'd come to the point that I wanted to have all of the band's singles. It took me years to find them all.

My collection: 7" single no. 2531

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Straight lines' / 'On islands'

Download: Album 'From A to B', including both tracks (part 1, part 2)

I've got news for you - Feargal Sharkey

Feargal Sharkey was born on August 13, 1958 in Derry, Northern Ireland. In 1976 he was co-founder of the pop group the Undertones. Then in 1983 he went solo. Sharkey's debut single was a collaboration with Madness member Cathal Smyth titled 'Listen to your father', which reached number 23 in the UK in late 1984.

'I've got news for you' was taken from Sharkey's last solo album 'Songs from the Mardi Gras' (1991). I bought the cd-single in the early Nineties in a shop in the centre of Den Haag, which was selling discs for 1 guilder a piece. The cd-single contained an older single by Sharkey, 'Loving you', which I wanted to have on cd. So by chance I heard this song, which subsequently I bought on 7" vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2252
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 4, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'I've got news for you' / 'I can't begin to stop'

Feel so high - Des'ree

Long before Des'ree started releasing songs with choruses like 'Life / oh life / oh life / oh life', she actually started out her music career with beautiful soul tunes like this one. 'Feel so high' was her debut single in 1991.

Born as Desiree Weeks in London on November 30, 1968, her interest in pursuing a musical career came after travelling to Barbados with her family for three years at the age of fourteen. 'Feel so high' was released twice in the UK, and eventually reached number 13 there. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 23.

My collection: 7" single no. 1588

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 22, 1992

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Feel so high' / 'Save this promised land'

Für alle - Wind

The German band Wind represented Germany during the 1985 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Für alle' ('For everyone'). They did so with good success: they finished second behind that year's winners: Bobbysocks for Norway.

The group was started briefly before the Eurovision Song Contest in 1985 by the composer Hanne Haller. The other members of the band at that time were Alexander "Ala" Heiler, Christine von Kutschenbach, Rainer Höglmeier, Willie Jakob, Sami Kalifa and Petra Scheeser. The band would return to the Contest twice: in 1987 and in 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 3221
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 12, 2000
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Für alle' / 'Feuer und Eis'

Saved by love - Amy Grant

Amy Grant's 1988 album 'Lead Me On' contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously 'Christian' record. The single 'Saved by love', taken from the album, was a minor hit, receiving airplay on American radio stations featuring the newly emerging Adult Contemporary format.

This is one of the few singles, if not the only single I own that is obviously Christian. The lyric of this song mentions the name Jesus in a non-derogatory context, which is usually something that makes me physically sick. But I have to admit that the melody of this song is simply beautiful, the music brilliantly arranged. And Amy Grant has got a beautiful voice. It's a shame that she is so damn religious.

My collection: 7" single no. 2395
Found: Berwick Street, London, July 6, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Saved by love' / 'Shadows'
Download: Album 'Lead on me', including both tracks

Aguaplano - Paolo Conte

I feel a bit like an Alzheimer patient in reverse: I remember things I wrote but Blogger keeps taking them away. Like the entry about Paolo Conte's 'Max': I'm sure it was on this site, but it's gone and I don't even have a notification from Blogger that they stole my entry. For some reason they don't like me to write about the records I bought. Copyright gone mad, eh?

Paolo Conte was born on January 6, 1937. His performing career began as a vibraphone player in local and touring bands. In 1974 he started a solo career, which was very successful in Italy and later in Europe as well. 'Max' was a big European hit, and the record company tried to cash in on that success by releasing a compilation album and another single: 'Aguaplano'. Predictably, the single didn't become a hit. But it is a nice song - so I bought it.

My collection: 7" single no. 615

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Aguaplano' / 'Come di'

Since I don't have you - Guns n' Roses

In November 1993, Guns n' Roses released a collection of punk and glam rock covers entitled 'The Spaghetti Incident?'. The album did not match the success of previous albums, which increased tensions within the band.

The first single from the album was 'Since I don't have you', a cover of a song by the doo-wop group the Skyliners, released in 1958. It peaked at number 10 in the UK singles chart. The 7" single was released as a strictly limited edition on orange vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2112

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, June 4, 1994

Cost: 8 guilders

Tracks: 'Since I don't have you' / 'You can't put your arms around a memory'

How can I believe? - Betsy Cook

Betsy Cook released 'How can I believe?' as the second single off her album 'The girl who ate herself'. (The first single was 'Love is the groove' but that entry in this blog has been deleted by The Powers That Be for some strange reason.) It is a beautiful ballad, and one of the best tracks on the album full stop.

Other artists have benefited from Betsy's craftmanship: Paul Young recorded 'Wonderland' a few years prior to the release of her own album, Cher recorded 'Love is the groove' and Stevie Nicks recorded 'Docklands'. All tracks were on Betsy's album too. There is not much information on what Betsy did next, but I guess she's still out there somewhere, songwriting.

My collection: 7" single no. 1621

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

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'How can I believe?' / 'Look to yourself'

The model - Kraftwerk

If you should define the German group Kraftwerk with one song, this would be the one. They are known for their electronic, mechanical-sounding, almost inhuman music, but this track is proof that they were definitely capable of writing a melodic popsong.

In his book 'I was a robot', about his time in the group Kraftwerk, Wolfgang Flür wrote that his former bandmates Emil Schult and Ralf Hütter had been obsessed with the model Christa Becker and that she had been the inspiration for the song 'The model'. Apparently they weren't amused with this becoming public knowledge, so they tried to sue him. It didn't work: the secret got out.

My collection: 7" single no. 1221
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, April 22, 1990
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'The model' / 'Computer love'

Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen

In early 1993, director of the movie 'Philadelphia', Jonathan Demme, asked Bruce Springsteen to write a song for the in-progress film. In June 1993, after the conclusion of his tour, Springsteen did so. It was recorded with Springsteen supplying almost all of the instrumentation, with bass and background vocals from his band member Tommy Simms.

The song would achieve greater popularity in Europe than it would in the United States. While it peaked at number 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100, it was a number one hit single in Germany in France. It peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 6 in the Netherlands.

I bought this vinyl single after searching for it for months - and refused to buy the cd-single. It was a hard time for vinyl single collectors: the format was becoming quite extinct during that year, numerous titles weren't even released on the format anymore. Finding this single was a sweet victory.

My collection: 7" single no. 2093

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 16, 1994

Cost: 8 guilders

Tracks: 'Streets of Philadelphia' / 'If I should fall behind (live)'

Cardiac arrest - Madness

'Cardiac arrest' was taken from Madness's third album '7' (1981). It spent 10 weeks in UK Singles chart, peaking at number 14. In the Netherlands the single was officially released as a double A-side with 'In the city', although my (Dutch) copy still says 'Side 2' for 'In the city'. It peaked at number 15 in the Dutch Top 40.

The lyric of 'Cardiac arrest' tells a story of a workaholic who suffers a fatal heart attack on his way to work. The song was banned on BBC Radio 1 due to deaths in the families of two DJs. It had an effect on the record's chart position, which was lower than usual for Madness. The album version of the song ends after the second chorus with a dramatic cut to a coda representing the man's heart thudding and then stopping, however the single version replaces this with a repeat of the more optimistic first chorus, which fades out.

My collection: 7" single no. 122

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Cardiac arrest' / 'In the city'

Download: here