Do it again with Billie Jean - Club House

Club House was an Italian disco and house music studio group from Italy. They had a big hit in 1983 with their medley of two hits: the then-current 'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson and the oldie 'Do it again' by Steely Dan. These days, a track like this would be called a mashup. The single got to number 9 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1983. They also made the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 75.

I recorded the track from the radio back in 1983 - and now, a quarter of a century later, I decided to do the honorable thing and get the single as well. On discount, of course. It's not that good.

My collection: 7" single no. 3611

Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 21, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Do it again with Billie Jean' / 'Infusion'

Don't let it get you down - Echo and the Bunnymen

'Don't let it get you down' was the third single by Echo & the Bunnymen after three band members Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson reformed the band in 1997. The single was released in three different formats and peaked at number 50 in the UK singles chart. The 7" single was the only format to contain the demo version of 'Don't let it get you down'.

I didn't buy any Echo & the Bunnyman singles previously, and only got this one because it was playing in the shop. I thought it was a nice song, so I snapped up the 7" single.

My collection: 7" single no. 2904

Found: HMV, London, October 30, 1997

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Don't let it get you down' / 'Don't let it get you down (demo)'

He's so dull - Vanity 6

The story of this single is similar to the one about 'Nasty girl': both Vanity 6 singles I owned were deleted from my collection in an act of revisionism. I always regret getting rid of singles - although I do confess I've shed no tears about the Dutch-language singles I've gotten rid of in the Eighties.

'He's so dull' is significantly less exciting that 'Nasty girl', but I still couldn't resist buying it again - especially since it was so cheap. I've got a feeling I won't be playing this one much, but at least I won't be missing this one from my collection anymore. Sometimes having a single is just about enough.

My collection: 7" single no. 3613

Found: Kringloop Holland, March 21, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'He's so dull' / 'Make-up'

Alléluia - Milk and Honey

While Europe got an English-language version of 'Hallelujah' in 1979, after Milk & Honey won the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, France got their own release of this song. The single featured a French and Hebrew version of the song. Especially the French version is a rarity, since it was released in France only.

I ordered this single from France, since I never saw it here. I'm currently in the process of compiling alternate language versions of Eurovision winners on cd, and most of them appear on websites for download - but this one is extremely hard to find.

My collection: 7" single no. 3610
Found: eBay, France, received March 20, 2009
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Alléluia (Version française)' / 'Alléluia (Version hebraique)'

Shoot your shot - Divine

Harvey Glenn Milstead was born on October 19, 1945. He started out as an actor, playing in various theatre pieces in New York in the Seventies. He also played in several movies in the Seventies and Eighties. Meanwhile, he had a successful music career, singing hi-energy disco music as a drag queen named Divine. His initial singles were produced by Bobby Orlando. The synth-heavy music was also composed, created and performed by Bobby 'O'.

'Shoot your shot' was his biggest hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 3 in 1983. Divine died on March 7, 1988 as a result of heart failure.

My collection: 7" single no. 3612

Found: Kringloop Holland, Den Haag, March 21, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Shoot your shot' / 'Shoot your shot (instrumental)'

A piece of the action - The Babys

This orchestral rock song was released by the Babys in early 1978. It didn't chart in the UK, where only the earlier single 'Isn't it time' made it into the chart, but in the Netherlands they peaked at number 17 in the Dutch Top 40. It's not their best chart performance: two other singles made it into the top 10.

My collection: 7" single no. 825

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'A piece of the action' / 'Read my stars'

Coming home - Falco

Subtitled 'Jeanny part 2, one year later', this single was released as a sequel to Falco's big hit 'Jeanny'. The single was later said to be part of a trilogy. A third song, however, was never officially released. After Falco's death, a half finished version of a potential third song was made available for download, but it seemed to be a reworked version of the original with an alternative newsflash, designed to change the entire context of the song.

'Coming home' is a more straightforward song than 'Jeanny' was, with a more upbeat stance to it. It may be the explanation why it wasn't a big hit: the song was probably not intriguing enough like 'Jeanny' was.

My collection: 7" single no. 1819

Found: Record Palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Coming home (Jeanny part 2, One year later)' / 'Crime time'

Bette Davis Eyes EP - Various artists

The thing I like most about my record collection is that I've got some singles from strange countries. And this one is from a country that doesn't even exist anymore: the German Democratic Republic, otherwise known as East Germany. There have been some fascinating documentaries about life in that country recently, but there's not so much information about the state record company Amiga.

Which is why this EP is pretty hard to find background information on. It contains cover versions of four hits from the year 1981. 'Bette Davis Eyes', originally by Kim Carnes, Kim Wilde's 'Chequered love', 'Hands up' , originally by Ottawan and Abba's well-known song 'Lay all your love on me'. I bought this EP when I saw it because of the cover of 'Chequered love'. Interestingly, Petra Zieger is still in the music business these days as a singer of German Schlagers. That's a long way from this 'painting by numbers' cover of 'Chequered love'.

The quality of the vinyl leaves a bit to be desired, but the tracks are incredibly rare.

My collection: 7" single no. 2925

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 13, 1997

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Bette Davis Eyes' (Familie Silly), 'Chequered love' (Petra Zieger) / 'Hands up' (Cantus Chor), 'Lay all your love on me' (Cantus Chor)

Cry for freedom - White Lion

White Lion is an American/Danish glam metal band that formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. They recruited Nicki Capozzi and Felix Robinson to complete the line-up. However, both of them left the band soon. Capozzi was then replaced by Greg d'Angelo and Robinson by James LoMenzo.

Their first and only hit in the Netherlands was the lengthy rock song 'Cry for freedom', taken from the 1989 album 'Big game'. I remember hearing it in the school canteen one afternoon and thinking it was a nice song. Soon after, I bought the single. I can't say I've played it much, though...

My collection: 7" single no. 1208

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 13, 1990

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Cry for freedom' / 'Dirty woman'

Blue - Fine Young Cannibals

The second single from the Fine Young Cannibals' debut album was 'Blue', released in the autumn of 1985. It fared significally less well than the debut single, 'Johnny come home'. It was only a hit in the UK and Australia, peaking at number 41 and 13 respectively. It would take a cover of the song 'Suspicious minds' to get the band back in the international consciousness a few months later.

This double single features a second disc with an alternative version of 'Blue' and a cover version of the track 'Love for sale'. The band would re-record this track for the 'Red Hot & Blue' compilation album a few years later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3464

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008

Cost: 1,25 euro

Tracks: 'Blue' / 'Wade in the water' // 'Blue (version)' / 'Love for sale'

La paix sur terre - Nicole

Nicole recorded various versions of the song that gave her victory in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, 'Ein Bisschen Frieden'. On this blog, you've already seen 'En smule fred' and 'Een beetje vrede', and now here's the French version, 'La paix sur terre'. The B-side is also performed in French.

I spent some time trying to find this single, and of course I found it after some time on eBay. It's just about the only place to find rare singles these days. There are a few more versions, but they are even harder to find. I'm still looking for the Spanish and Italian singles...

My collection: 7" single no. 3608

Found: eBay, France, received March 20, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'La paix sur terre' / 'Thank you, merci, danke'

Nancy - Mo

The sleeve of this single proclaims that the songs are being performed by 'The Mo'. They were a new band at that time, but later they would be known as 'Mo'. As you can see, this is a rather simplistic sleeve. The 'Back Door' image comes from the record label, and on the back there's only an advert for starting bands to send their demos to Back Door.

For a debut single, 'Nancy' is a pretty impressive effort. The single stalled just outside the Dutch Top 40. But Mo would have some chart success later in their career.

My collection: 7" single no. 3219

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 12, 2000

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Nancy' / 'Release me'

Felicita - Al Bano e Romina Power

Albano Carrisi was born on May 20, 1943. Romina Power was born October 2, 1951 in Los Angeles. They met during the filming of the movie 'Nel Sole', named after one of his songs, in 1967. The two married on July 26, 1970 in Cellino San Marco. Together, the couple shot seven films, based on their songs, between 1967 and 1983.

The duo broke a record in Italy in 1982 with four songs being the Italian hit parade at the same time. In the same year they participated in the San Remo Music Festival with the song 'Felicità' and came in second place. They sold 6 million copies of the song in Germany and also reached number 10 in the Netherlands with the single.

My collection: 7" single no. 2966
Found: Record fair, February 9, 1998

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Felicita' / 'Arrivederci a Bahia'

Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben - Atlantis 2000

In Dutch we call this 'a dragon of a song', meaning that it is fascinatingly bad. One has to wonder why this got through the national final, to be performed at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest. 'Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben' ('This dream must never die') was performed by a sextet calling themselves Atlantis 2000. The group consisted of Alfons Weindorf, Jutta Niedhardt, Helmut Frey, Eberhard Wilhelm, Klaus Pröpper and Clemens Weindorf. The song was composed by Weindorf and Frey, but could easily have come from the infamous duo Siegel and Meinunger.

The syrupy ballad hints at the unity of East and West Germany, while the lyric states that humanity must learn to overcome its tendency towards hate in order to achieve unity.

My collection: 7" single no. 3602

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben' / 'Eines Tags'

Yesterday's men - Madness

After all the fun and games of Madness' previous work, 'Yesterday's men' suddenly sounded stern and serious. What's more, the single signalled the beginning of the end for the band. Mike Barson, who was one of the founders of Madness and a principal songwriter, left the band in October 1983, partly because he lived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The band left their label Stiff records in 1984 and started releasing records on their on Zarjazz label. In 1985, that label released the album 'Mad not mad', from which 'Yesterday's men' was taken. The single peaked at number 18 in the UK charts. Two further singles stalled below that position.

The band then attempted to record a new album, but after recording 11 demo tracks the band cited 'musical differences' as a reason to split.

My collection: 7" single no. 1013

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Yesterday's men' / 'All I knew'

You're the voice - John Farnham

John Farnham was born on July 1, 1949. Between 1982 and 1985 he was the lead singer of the Australian band Little River Band. He went solo after that and released 'You're the voice' in October 1986. The song was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson

In Australia, the song was one of the biggest hits of the year, topping the singles chart for many weeks. It is also Farnham's biggest international success, reaching the top 10 in many European countries. In the Netherlands, it stalled at number 15.

My collection: 7" single no. 1533

Found: Brussels, October 11, 1991

Cost: 70 Belgian Francs

Tracks: 'You're the voice' / 'Going, going, gone'

The lover in me - Sheena Easton

'The lover in me' was the first single from Sheena Easton's 1988 album of the same title. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 12 in the Netherlands and number 15 in the UK. The track was produced by L.A. and Babyface and the sleeve of the single confirmed Sheena Easton's image as a seductive vamp.

The 12" single contains three versions of the track, which all sound alike but have different lengths. The extended version is not a big surprise: it is indeed extended, but really nothing exciting happens. Oh well, the bigger version of the sleeve is enough of a convincing reason to buy it.

My collection: 12" single no. 493

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'The lover in me (extended version)' / 'The lover in me (radio edit)', 'The lover in me (instrumental)'

Dum dum girl - Talk Talk

'Dum dum girl' was the third single taken from Talk Talk's second album 'It's my life'. Released in the summer of 1984, it reached number 74 in the UK singles chart, but ended up at number 20 in Germany, number 32 in Switzerland and number 24 in the Netherlands. Not their biggest hit, obviously, but certainly a reasonably good chart performance.

I bought two different issues of this single, because the sleeves were so different from eachother. The first one I bought was the Dutch one, featuring an illustration by James Marsh, who made more illustrations for Talk Talk's record covers. That some illustration appeared on the UK sleeve, but smaller and together with a photograph of the band. It's the only UK sleeve featuring a band photograph, as far as I know!

My collection: 7" single no. 2148 / no. 2897

Found: Record Palace, Amsterdam, August 25, 1994 / Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders / 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Dum dum girl' / 'Without you'

New thing from London town - Sharpe and Numan

Another single by Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan, released in 1986. While their first collaboration 'Change your mind' was released by the record company Polydor, to which Sharpe was signed, this single appeared on Gary Numan's own record label Numa Records.

'New thing from London town' was a less surprising track from the duo. Gary's phrasing sounds a little forced and the song is slightly middle of the road. Still, it's a great track with lush synthesizer sounds.

My collection: 7" single no. 2934

Found: Record fair, Leiden, January 24, 1998

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'New thing from London town' / 'Time to die'

Hey little girl - Icehouse

'Hey little girl' was released by Icehouse in 1982 on their album 'Primitive man'. It was the first Australian recording to feature a Linn drum machine. The single became a hit in the Netherlands in November of that year. Before that, it peaked at number 7 on the Australian singles chart.

The song has a certain atmosphere that always appealed to me a lot: a bit mysterious and melancholy, somehow. It's another one of those singles which I had to search for a lot time. I ordered it a couple of times from the mailorder company 'Oldies Unlimited' in England, but it was always out of stock.

My collection: 7" single no. 731
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 3, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Hey little girl' / 'Love in motion'