De man van het journaal (Goeienavond) - Dingetje

Dingetje is the alias of Frank Paardekoper. His career in music started in 1977 with a parody of 'Cokane in my brain' (Dillinger), entitled 'Ik ga weg Leen' ('I'm going away Leen'). Four years later he recorded 'Houtochdiekop', a parody of Joe Dolce's 'Shaddap your face'.

Contrary to a lot of his material, 'De man van het journaal' ('The man of the news') is an original track. It features funny paragraphs performed like a news bulletin on music that resembles the tune of the TV news in the Netherlands at the time. Released in 1985, the single didn't chart. Backing vocals on this track were performed by Esther Tuely.

My collection: 7" single no. 355
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'De man van het journaal (Goeienavond)' / '2 saté'

Cold as ice (remix) - Foreigner

After Foreigner had a lot of success in 1984 and 1985 with their album 'Agent Provocateur' and the singles 'I want to know what love is' and 'That was yesterday', record company Atlantic released a remixed version of their earlier song 'Cold as ice' in the UK. It seemed like a great move: the original version had become a classic and a remix would probably do just as well almost a decade after the song's original release. There was even a double single release, with a second disc including two live tracks.

Unfortunately, the single only reached number 64 in the UK singles chart and disappeared after only two weeks. I still thought it was a nice item, so I snapped it up when I saw the discounted item.

My collection: 7" single no. 2900

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 30, 1997

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Cold as ice (remix)' / 'Reaction to action' // 'Head games (live version)' / 'Hot blooded (live version)'

More mistakes - Gruppo Sportivo

The Dutch band Gruppo Sportivo formed in 1976. The original line-up consited of Hans Vandenburg, Peter Calicher, Max Mollinger, Eric Wehrmeyer, José van Iersel and Meike Touw. According to frontman Vandenburg: 'We picked our name because we saw it on a poster and liked the sound... and we are a sort of team. We write in English because no one else outside Holland speaks Dutch and we want our songs to be heard and listened to everywhere.'

The band came to popularity just after the height of punk rock. Their biggest hit was 1979's 'Disco really made it', which is featured on the ep, according to the track listing. Unfortunately when I bought this ep I found out that the track is mislabeled. I don't know the real title of that track. It's a good thing that 'Bernadette' is actually a good song as well, otherwise I would have felt totally cheated.

My collection: 7" single no. 3238

Found: London, 2000

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Bernadette', 'Disco really made it'(?), 'Are you ready?' / 'Girls never know', 'Tokyo', 'Rubber gun'

I can't help myself - Icehouse

'I can't help myself' is the debut single of the Australian synthpop/rock band Flowers. It was released in May 1980. The debut album was called 'Icehouse', which later became the band name. In the UK, the single was released in October 1981 under that new band name. The single did not chart outside of Australia.

I picked up the single at an open air market during the free one day festival Parkpop, which is held annually on the last Sunday of June in Den Haag.

My collection: 7" single no. 1475

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 30, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I can't help myself' / 'Fatman'

I love the sound of breaking glass - Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe reached number 7 in the UK singles chart with 'I love the sound of breaking glass'. It was his first solo hit single, after having been a member of bands like Brinsley Schwarz and Rockpile.

His debut solo single was 1976's 'So it goes', followed by three further singles that didn't chart. 'I love the sound of breaking glass' (1978) was a radio hit even in the Eighties, which is how I got to hear it. The B-side, an old track by Lowe with his band Rockpile, has a pretty funny lyric by the way.

My collection: 7" single no. 2497
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 30, 1995
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'I love the sound of breaking glass' / 'They called it rock'

Pale shelter - Tears for fears

Tears for Fears released 'Pale Shelter' as a single three times. The first edition - this one - was produced by Mike Howlett and was released as the band's second single, after their debut single 'Suffer the children'. Both tracks of this single would appear on the band's debut album 'The hurting', but in re-recorded versions.

About the lyric, Roland Orzabal said: 'It's a kind of a love song, though more referring to one's parents than to a girl'. The title of the song is a reference to "Pale Shelter Scene", a 1941 drawing by British sculptor Henry Moore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2536
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Pale shelter (You don't give me love)' / 'The prisoner'

Going underground - The Jam

With a basic knowledge of English as a child, I thought this song was about taking the subway in London. In reality, of course, the lyric is an indictment of the British policy on arms, referencing the government of the UK's commitment to nuclear weapons, implying a level of acceptance on the part of the general population.

The Jam had three instant number one hits in the UK in 1980, of which this was the first. The band consisted of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler and broke up in 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 48

Found: Rapsody, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Going underground' / 'The dreams of children'

Call me my baby - Georgie Davis

Kees Rietveld was born in Den Haag, Netherlands in 1969. He participated in the Soundmix show in the Netherlands in 1985, and won the contest with his imitation of Stevie Wonder. After this television debut, he scored a Dutch top 10 hit as Georgie Davis with 'Blackstar', a very Wonderesque-sounding track.

Davis released four more singles, but all of them failed to reach the Dutch Top 40. The last one was 'Call me my baby', a more adult-sounding track released in December 1988. In 1990 he participiated in the national finals for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Eenmaal', but ended up being last of the ten participants.

My collection: 7" single no. 748

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 17, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Call me my baby' / 'I don't wanna wait to give up'

Shouldn't have to be like that - Fra Lippo Lippi

The Norwegian band Fra Lippo Lippi had a European hit with 'Shouldn't have to be like that' in 1986. It would be their only hit, because subsequent singles were hits in countries like Norway and the Phillipines only. In the Phillipines the band still has a great fan following to this day.

I found this picture disc during a holiday in London. I liked it so much, that I bought it even though it looks discoloured and worn. I've never seen a copy again. I do have the regular single as well, but a collector's item is always more interesting to use for show and tell. So here it is...

My collection: 7" single no. 390

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1989

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Shouldn't have to be like that' / 'The distance between us'

Maggie - Fay Lovski

Another single by Fay Lovski, and another one that didn't become a hit. It was a popular song on radio and television, probably because of its upbeat sixties-style production. The song was taken from the album 'Confetti', an album I've been looking for since the late Eighties, mostly because of the track 'He don't love me anymore', a beautiful ballad that was not released as a single, unfortunately.

I found this single just before going to a birthday party in Utrecht that night. It was an annual tradition to buy some records before going to that party.

My collection: 7" single no. 2228

Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, December 30, 1994

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Maggie' / 'Fool moon'

China - Huang Chung

The band that found fame as Wang Chung originally started in 1980 as Huang Chung. Jeremy Ryder, Nick Feldman and Darren Costin chose this name as it refers to the standardized bass pitch of ancient China. The literal translation means 'yellow bell', the band summarized the definition as 'perfect pitch'.

They released three singles as Huang Chung before finding fame with 'Dance hall days' with their new band name Wang Chung. 'China' narrowly missed the Dutch Top 40. My sister bought the single when it came out, which is the reason I still remembered it 15 years later. I was very surprised to find the extended version of the track on the B-side. A very good deal.

My collection: 7" single no. 3002
Found: Geest, Den Haag, June 20, 1998
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'China' / 'China (extended version)'

Dr. Mabuse - Propaganda

I'm glad to say I got into Propaganda before they took over the charts in Europe with their second single 'Duel'. 'Dr. Mabuse' peaked at number 27 in the UK singles chart and number 7 in Germany in 1984, but elsewhere the single failed to chart.

The song was named after the fictional character made famous by film maker Fritz Lang. Journalist Paul Morley was involved in signing the band to Trevor Horn's newly-formed ZTT Records label. He marketed the band as 'a twisted, hellish version of Abba'. Well, as a child I thought this was a scary song, indeed.

My collection: 7" single no. 1597

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 28, 1992

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Dr. Mabuse' / 'Dr. Mabuse der Spieler'

De Troubadour - Lenny Kuhr

Today is the 40th anniversary of Lenny Kuhr winning the Eurovision Song Contest with 'De Troubadour'. The event took place on March 29, 1969 and the 16 participating countries awarded the exact same 18 points to four competitors, causing four countries to win that year. Since there was no tie-break rule in place, Spain's Salome won with 'Vivo Cantando', Lulu from the United Kingdom won with 'Boom bang-a-bang', France's Frida Boccara won with 'Un jour, un enfant' and Lenny Kuhr won for the Netherlands.

According to some, France would have been the overall winner because it was their song that got votes from all but six countries, although Lenny Kuhr was the only participant of the four that got the highest mark from one country: six points. Whatever the real outcome might have been, today is a great day to highlight this song. There is a whole website devoted to the 40th anniversary of 'De Troubadour' here, and if you want to hear the song in German, Spanish, French, English and Italian, go to this page. On this blog you can hear the original song plus its B-side, 'Mais non monsieur'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3600

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'De Troubadour' / 'Mais non, monsieur'

Me and my foolish heart - Johnny hates Jazz

Before Johnny hates Jazz signed to Virgin records and released the debut album that yielded these hits, they recorded their debut single on RAK records, the label owned by the father of band member Calvin Hayes: Mickie Most. This single did not chart, but the track would end up on their debut album anyway.

Sounds familiar? Well, true, because I wrote about the 12" single of 'Me and my foolish heart' a while ago. The 7" single is in my collection as well. It's got less tracks and a different sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 2097
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 16, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Me and my foolish heart' / 'Living in the past'
Download: here

Miyel - Joelle Ursull

After Joelle Ursull participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'White and black blues', my friend Puck suddenly bought this cd-single by her. I didn't know the song 'Miyel', but it turned out to be an earlier track by her, taken from her debut album of the same name, released in 1988. The cd-single contained four mixes of the track, and I had to admit that it was a nice song. Not outstanding, but nice.

The vinyl single, which I bought shortly after that, actually featured a B-side track, 'Mal'. It proved that Joelle rarely surpassed the level of 'average'. Except for that French entry of the Contest in 1990, of course...

My collection: 7" single no. 1274

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 16, 1990

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Miyel' / 'Mal'

Secret garden - T'pau

In 1987 T'pau became one of my favourite bands. I had all their singles, bought the album, and waited anxiously for album number 2. When their new single 'Secret garden' came out, I couldn't wait to buy it, and so I didn't. It turned out to be a disappointment: I didn't like the harsh rock sound of the A-side, and the B-side sounded just as messy and loud.

It was a first sign of things to come: the album 'Rage' was full of tracks like this, and contained only a few standout tracks. I don't know why I held on. Thankfully, album number three was much better.

My collection: 7" single no. 657

Found: Leiden, September 23, 1988

Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Secret garden' / 'This girl'

Sealed with a kiss - Bobby Vinton

When Jason Donovan hit the charts in 1989 with 'Sealed with a kiss', I immediately recognised a beautiful song - but with a terrible singer. I was relieved when I found out that it was actually a cover version and older versions existed.

One of those versions was pointed out to me by my sister: Bobby Vinton recorded the track in 1972 and reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 with it. It's my favourite version, although earlier versions also exits: Four Voices recorded it in 1960, Brian Hyland in 1962 and Gary Lewis and the Playboys in 1968.

My collection: 7" single no. 1411

Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, April 3, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Sealed with a kiss' / 'All my life'

Believe in me - Utah Saints

Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt formed Utah Saints in 1990. Early on in their career they had a few hit singles in what they call their 'vocal sample trilogy', of which this one, 'Believe in me' is the third. It features a sample of the Human League's 'Love action', whereas the B-side, a remix of the first part in the trilogy 'What can you do for me', with a sample from the Eurythmics' 'There must be an angel (playing with my heart)'.

The single did not chart in the Netherlands, but peaked at number 8 in the UK singles chart. I bought the single because of the Human League sample. When you listen to this track you quickly realise that the guys forgot to make a song.

My collection: 7" single no. 2709

Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 3, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Believe in me (7" edit)' / 'What can you do for me (Def Mix 7 inch)'

Love action - Human League

'Love action' was the Human League's first top 10 hit in the UK in 1981, which was quite a feat since they'd been at it since 1977. The song is a semi-autobiographical account of lead singer Phil Oakey's relationships. The song contains a cryptic reference to Lou Reed in the lyric, 'I believe what the old man said'. Oakey, speaking in 1982 said, 'no one ever asks me who the old man is... it's Lou (Reed).'

At the time, as a short-lived marketing stunt, the Human League labelled their singles 'Red' or 'Blue'. This was supposed to help buyers differentiate between the band's musical styles. 'Red' was for dance tracks, 'Blue' for pop songs, although the exact difference was never fully explained. 'Love Action' was designated 'Red'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2829

Found: February 1, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Love action' / 'Hard times'

The runner - Three Degrees

The long career of the Three Degrees is quite extraordinary. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, they managed to be successful in three decades, first with Philadelphia soul, then with glittering disco and finally with Stock/Aitken/Waterman-produced dance music.

This single comes from the middle period: released in 1979, 'The runner' is an upbeat, fast-paced disco track, which has become a radio classic.

My collection: 7" single no. 3175

Found: Record fair, February 19, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The runner' / 'Out of love again'