The hostage - Donna Summer

Donna Summer was born as LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948. Prior to her introduction to the music industry, she was a gospel singer. Aged eighteen, Gaines left home and school to audition for a role in the cast of the Broadway musical 'Hair'. She didn't get the part, but was offered the European Tour when the show moved to Germany. She settled in Munich and also performed with the Viennese Folk Opera and the pop band Munich Machine. She released two singles, 'Sally go round the roses' (1971) and 'If you walkin' alone' (1972), before she met and married Austrian actor Helmut Sommer.

She took on the stage name Donna Summer and signed a contract with the Dutch record company Groovy. Her debut album 'Lady of the night' spawned two singles: the title track and 'The hostage'. This single became a number 1 hit in Belgium and reached number 2 in the Netherlands. The song was performed on an absurdist television show in the Netherlands (see it here), which must have helped its popularity somewhat.

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My collection: 7" single no. 2623

Found: Den Haag, March 2, 1996

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The hostage' / 'Let's work together now'

Fine line - Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney released the album 'Chaos and creation in the backyard' in 2005. At the time, he was happily married with Heather Mills (that didn't last long...). Shortly before the release of the album, the first single 'Fine line' was released. It reached number 20 in the UK singles chart. The B-side of the 7" single was an otherwise unreleased track, 'Growing up falling down'.

I bought this single as a present for someone, but when I listened to it at home I decided that I wanted to keep it myself. Somehow it was never administrated as my own, so now, three years later, it has become my most recent acquisition - at least in my singles catalogue.

My collection: 7" single no. 3583

Found: HMV, London, November 8, 2005

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Fine line' / 'Growing up falling down'

Extracts from the forthcoming album - Strawberry Switchblade

This promotional clear flexi disc, housed in a four page booklet, was released in the autumn of 1984 to promote the forthcoming self-titled debut album by Strawberry Switchblade. The back of the booklet contains this promotional text:

Strawberry Switchblade, as the name may suggest, are a walking contradition. Small, frail, yet visually striking, the apparent prettiness of their songs belies the harsh reality of the lyrics. Like Macbeth's weird sisters the two seem to have sprung from the dark mists of Celtic faery. Their quiet, haunting ballads are sung in the best harmony voices since the Mamas and the Papas.

Inside you will find a flexi-disc that features extracts from the girl's debut album 'Strawberry Switchblade' with an introduction by Janice Long. Listen to it and you will realise that this is an album you must own.

My collection: 7" single no. 3000

Found: Geest, Den Haag, June 20, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Extracts from the forthcoming album 'Strawberry Switchblade'

Mind adventures - Des'ree

The title track from Des'ree's debut album 'Mind adventures' was released as her second single in March 1992. It wasn't as big a hit as 'Feel so high', peaking just at number 43 in the UK singles chart. It didn't even chart at all in the Netherlands.

By that time, I'd heard the whole album and despite a few throwaway tracks, I thought the choise of singles was pretty good. No wonder, then, that I ended up buying all the singles drawn from the album. The 7" vinyl contains an alternative 7" mix that wasn't ever released on cd as far as I know.

My collection: 7" single no. 1620
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 18, 1992
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Mind adventures' / 'Mind adventures (Alternative 7" mix)'

Take it back - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd released their last studio album 'The Division Bell' in 1994. The first single drawn from that album was 'Take it back'. While most apparently a love song, it can also be interpreted to be about Mother Nature, and how man abuses the earth. This latter interpretation gains some credibility from the video, which seems to have been made with the issue very much in mind. David Gilmour remained typically vague about the subject: 'It's got really nothing to do with my personal life, believe it or not. But I'm not going to tell you what it is about. You're gonna have to work that out for yourself. I had an idea for a song about a specific subject that came from a book I was reading, but I'm not going to tell you what the subject is or what the book is.'

Backing vocals on this track were performed by three famous ladies: Sam Brown, Durga McBroom (from Blue Pearl) and Carol Kenyon (who performed vocals for a.o. Heaven 17, Mike Oldfield and Paul Hardcastle). The single was released as a limited edition on see-through red vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2122

Found: Fame, Amsterdam, July 15, 1994

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Take it back' / 'Astronomy domine (live)'

Hey Matthew - Karel Fialka

Karel Fialka was born in Bengal, India, to a Czech father and a Scottish mother. In 1980 he started out as a poet and musician. In 1980 he had a minor hit with 'The eyes have it', which reached number 54 in the UK singles chart. In 1987, he released 'Hey Matthew'. In the song's lyric, a father questions his child on what he sees on TV and what he wants to be when he grows up. The single peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart, but never charted in the Netherlands.

To me, it was unclear what the song wanted to say. It almost suggests that the child is seeing too much horrible things on television, but never really does this. The melody appealed to me, though, so when I saw it in the bargain bin, I snapped up this disc.

My collection: 7" single no. 640

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 9, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Hey Matthew' / 'The things I saw'

Questionnaire - Chas Jankel

'When you answer all these questions / on a postcard if you please' -- it's not the kind of lyric anyone would write these days. Questionnaires have all been abandoned to the web - and otherwise no-one ever takes the time to fill them in with a pen and send them off to the address it came from.

It was an unusual song anyway, Chas Jankel's 'Questionnaire': the sound of a wailing siren on feverish party music - and then a lyric full of questions. I loved the track when it was on the radio in 1981 and so I was happy to get the single in 1993.

My collection: 7" single no. 1910

Found: Plaatboef, Leiden, May 19, 1993

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Questionnaire' / 'Boy'

Hollow horse - Icicle Works

After the release of their self-titled debut album the Icicle Works struggled to match their initial commercial success. As a live band they did secure a loyal fan base in the UK and abroad. In September 1984 the band issued the single 'Hollow Horse', which continued to be a live favourite, but failed to reach the UK singles chart.

I bought this single recently on the assumption that it would be an interesting song, because I knew the band. The song turns out to have the same soaring quality as 'Love is a wonderful colour', but is less memorable. Still, a very nice single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3476

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

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Hollow horse' / 'The atheist'

Burning bush (Testify) - Savage progress

Savage Progress started off when Rik Kenton and Glynnis Thomas met one another in 1982. They recruited Ned Morant, Carol Isaacs and Andrew Edge. In 1984 they released their debut album 'Celebration', which contained the three singles that were released subsequently: 'My soul unwraps tonight', 'Heart begin to beat' and 'Burning bush'.

I got to know 'Burning bush' because of the video, which was played often on television, and as a track on a compilation double LP which I bought in 1985. I bought this single, a limited edition housed in a posterbag, in 2001.

My collection: 7" single no. 3363

Found: Record fair, 2001

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Burning bush (Testify)' / 'Tears of love'

Tell me there's a heaven - Chris Rea

The whole concept of heaven and the afterlife is one of mindboggling stupidity. It supposes that you have to be miserable your whole damn life and then, when you're dead, suddenly everything turns into a warm, fuzzy, mellow state of constant happiness. This is especially ridiculous when you consider all the people dying of hunger, war, murder and environmental disasters.

Chris Rea once wrote this song about it: 'Tell me there's a heaven'. The song was released at a time when death and unhappiness were all around me. I thought the lyric of this song was highly appropriate for the cynicism I felt about the things that were going on, and I still think it's one of the best songs ever written - lyrically as well as musically.

My collection: 7" single no. 2264
Found: Record fair, April 8, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Tell me there's a heaven' / 'And when she smiles'

I touch myself - Divinyls

The rock band Divinyls formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980. The band had several line-up changes, but at the time of their biggest hit 'I touch myself', the line-up consisted of core members Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee, plus Charley Drayton, Benmont Tench, Lee Borkman and Jim Hilbun.

'I touch myself', a song about masturbation, hit number 1 in Australia, number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 2621

Found: Record fair, February 24, 1996

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I touch myself' / 'Follow through'

No regrets - Walker Brothers

'No regrets' was originally written and performed by folk and blues singer Tom Rush in 1968. The Walker Brothers, who'd had a string of hit singles in the late Sixties, recorded it as their comeback single in 1976. It was also the title of the accompanying comeback album. It remains a standard to this day.

It was my big idol Midge Ure who introduced me to the song in 1981. His version of 'No regrets' was a thundering, synth-driven pop song, with all the emotion and despair of the Walker Brothers version, but perhaps more power. I heard the Walker Brothers version in the late Eighties - and it took me some years to find a single of it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1418

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 7, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'No regrets' / 'Remember me'

Mind of a toy - Visage

After the release of the classic 'Fade to grey', Visage followed it up with this beautiful song 'Mind of a toy'. It's classic synthpop stuff, with a very bewildering end. From the first time I heard this music box play out the song, I've always thought it was a touch of genius. It was the third single taken from Visage's self-titled debut album. It peaked at number 13 in the UK, but didn't chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1608
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Mind of a toy' / 'We move'

Heart of gold - Johnny hates Jazz

'Heart of gold' was the fourth single taken from Johnny hates Jazz's debut album 'Turn back the clock' (1987). The single featured a new (instrumental) track on the B-side: 'Leave it up to me'. To appeal to the collectors market, it was released in a numbered limited edition 7" box set. It included three badges, a postcard and a small poster featuring the lyric of 'Heart of gold' and a photograph of the band.

All this helped to make the single peak at number 19 in the UK singles chart, which meant that it fared slightly worse than its predecessors, but it was still a good hit. It would also be their last one: follow-up single 'Don't say it's love' didn't make the top 40, subsequent singles didn't even chart anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2362

Found: London, July 1, 1995

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Heart of gold' / 'Leave it up to me'

Euro-vision - Telex

When Belgian synthpop group Telex entered the 1980 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, they did so before a stunned audience. They were asked by their manager to enter, and when they did, they performed the song 'Euro-Vision' with just their synthesizers and a perfectly executed song with banal lyrics about the Contest itself.

The audience seemed unsure how to react to the performance. At the end of it, frontman Marc Moulin took a photograph of the bewildered audience. There was mostly stunned silence, with scattered polite applause. The band then walked off amidst sounds of muttering. Apparently the band hoped to come last: 'We had hoped to finish last, but Portugal decided otherwise. We got ten points from them and finished on the 19th spot', said Marc Moulin afterwards.

My collection: 7" single no. 1238

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, 1990

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Euro-Vision (French version)' / 'Euro-Vision (English version)'

Change your mind - Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

Bill Sharpe was keyboard-player with the band Shakatak when he decided to record a solo album. 'Famous people' was released in 1985 and featured collaborations with Tessa Niles and Gary Numan.

'Change your mind' was my favourite track of 1985. The attraction of the single was helped a lot by a great video and the 12" single which featured a great extended remix of the track. But the regular version was already a cracker. My only regret is that I never bought the UK pressing with a glossy sleeve instead of the German one with the toilet paper sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 264

Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Change your mind' / 'Remix, remake, remodel'

He's a whore / The model - Big Black

Big Black was an American noise rock band, founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. They weren't after mainstream success and didn't find it. Their aggressive music with pounding drums and screeching guitars was very influential, especially for industrial rock.

This single features two cover versions. 'He's a whore' was originally recorded by Cheap Trick, whereas 'The model' was originally recorded by Kraftwerk. The sleeve of this single imitates both single covers, with the three members of the band imitating Cheap Trick on one side and Kraftwerk on the other (the latter is pictured here). Both songs can be found on their second and final album 'Songs about fucking'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3033

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 23, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'He's a whore' / 'The model'

Joey - Concrete blonde

Singer/songwriter Johnette Napolitano formed the band Dream 6 with James Mankey in Los Angeles in 1982. In 1986, they signed with IRS records and changed their name to Concrete blonde. They were joined by drummer Harry Rushakoff on their debut album. Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson replaced Rushakoff for their second album 'Bloodletting', which spawned the hit single 'Joey'.

'Joey' peaked at number 14 in the Dutch Top 40, but didn't chart in the UK. As is obvious from the sleeve of my single, the song was used in the German television series Tatort, in the episode 'Zabou' which was televised on July 22, 1990 in Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 1360

Found: Den Haag, December 5, 1990 (present)

Cost: nothing

Tracks: 'Joey' / 'I want you'

'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)'