Soley Soley - Middle of the road

Middle of the road had a top 5 hit in the UK in 1971 with 'Soley Soley'. The single did even better in the Netherlands, peaking at number 1. The single was also a huge hit in the Faroe Islands, where the name 'Sóley(ð/g)' is very popular as a girl's name and is pronounced the same way as this song's title.

I bought the single a few weeks ago already, but the sleeve proved to have the wrong disc in it. I usually check the disc, but you'll always find that the one time you forget to do it, you're a victim of a bad sale. Anyway, I found the correct sleeve ánd the correct disc this time around.

My collection: 7" single no. 3663

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Soley Soley' / 'To remind me'

To die a virgin - The Divine Comedy

'To die a virgin' was the second single to be released from The Divine Comedy's 2006 album 'Victory for the comic muse'. The track begins with a sample of Jennifer Ehle in the 1992 TV film 'The camomile lawn'. The B-side, 'Long slow suicide' was an exclusive track, released on the 7" vinyl only.

The single peaked at number 67 in the UK singles chart. The single came with a small promotional poster.

My collection: 7" single no. 3669

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 5 euro

Tracks: 'To die a virgin' / 'Long slow suicide'

Rasputin - Boney M

A disco song about Russian history, now there's something that hadn't been tried before! Boney M recorded and released 'Rasputin' in 1978, a song about Grigori Rasputin who alledgedly healed Tsarevich Alexei of Russia from haemophilia in the first years of the twentieth century. While 'Rasputin' accurately indicates that unfavorable rumors damaged Grigori's reputation, there is no verifiable evidence to suggest that he had an affair with Alexandra.

'Rasputin' peaked at number 8 in the Netherlands and number 2 in the UK. In the Netherlands, the B-side was 'Painter man', which was released as an A-side in the UK, peaking at number 10. The B-side of 'Rasputin' in the UK was 'Never change lovers in the middle of the night'. I bought the UK single back in 1981 and got the European pressing recently. Both B-sides are here for your enjoyment.

My collection: 7" single no. 100 / 7" single no. 3642

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1981 / Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 guilder / 0,8 euro

Tracks (1): 'Rasputin' / 'Painter man'

Tracks (2): 'Rasputin' / 'Never change lovers in the middle of the night'

Knock knock who's there - Mary Hopkin

Mary Hopkin represented the United Kingdom in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest singing 'Knock Knock, Who's There?'. Despite being the pre-contest favourite, Hopkin came second to 'All Kinds of Everything', performed by Irish singer Dana. The singer expresses a long-held optimism at the prospect of love finally finding her. At the exact point that said optimism has faded, and she has resigned herself to not finding love and companionship, she hears a 'knock knock', which signifies love finally becoming attainable for her. Excited, she beckons love to 'come inside' and into her life.

"Knock Knock, Who's There?" was released as a single on 23 March 1970, reaching number 2 again in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 3649
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Knock knock who's there' / 'I'm going to fall in love again'

Lithium - Evanescence

'Lithium' was the second single taken from Evanescence's second album 'The open door'. Peaking at number 32 in the UK and number 55 in the Netherlands, the single was reasonably successful. This picture disc 7" vinyl was the last vinyl release of the band so far.

Frontwoman and writer of the song Amy Lee explained: 'It's not literal about the drug for me, I've never taken lithium before. It's [...] me looking at happiness in a negative way because I've always been, you know, kind of afraid to be happy. So it's this fight within the song of 'do I do this and get out of here and get happy or do I wallow in it like I always do?' and it's cool because at the end of the song I say 'I'm going to let it go', I am going to be happy.'

My collection: 7" single no. 3667

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 5 euro

Tracks: 'Lithium' / 'The last song I'm wasting on you'

Driving in my car - Madness

Not included on any of Madness's original studio albums, 'Driving in my car' was a single released in July 1982. From the video and most of the lyric, the track is about a Morris Minor that was used by the group in the early years before band became famous.

'Driving In My Car' was the thirteenth in a run of twenty consecutive UK top 20 hits for Madness, and is the only one of those twenty never to have been officially released in the USA in any form. The single I bought comes in a 21" x 7" foldout sleeve, featuring all members of the band inside the car (a photo montage) and on the other side, all members of the band pushing the car forward (another photo montage).

My collection: 7" single no. 3638

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Driving in my car' / 'Animal farm (Tomorrow's dream warp mix)'

Alors je chante - Rika Zarai

Rika Zarai was born on February 19, 1938 in Jerusalem, Israel. She became famous in 1969 with this single, 'Alors je chante', a French cover version of the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest song 'Vivo cantando' by Salome, one of the four winners of that year's edition.

Interestingly, the original version did not chart in the Netherlands, but this version did. 'Alors je chante' peaked at number 10 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3652

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Alors je chante' / 'Un mur a Jerusalem'

A far l'amore comincia tu - Raffaella Carra

I wanted to buy this single back in 1978, but instead I bought Patsy Gallant's 'From New York to L.A.' So this weekend I did something rather historical: I finally bought it. More than 3600 singles and 30 years later!

Raffaella Carra was born in Bologna, Italy on June 18, 1943. 'A far l'amore comincia tu' ('To make love, your move first') was her biggest international success. Several versions of the song exist. This single contains the original Italian version plus the French version. The Spanish version is called 'En el amor todo es empezar', in Germany it was known as 'Liebelei' and in England it was 'Do It, Do It Again'. In the Netherlands, the original Italian version charted, and peaked at number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 3621

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'A far l'amore comincia tu' / 'Puisque tu l'aimes dis-le lui'

Blind vision - Blancmange

Blancmange released 'Blind vision' in 1983, after their single 'Waves' hit number 19 in the UK and almost made it into the Dutch Top 40. This single did better in the UK, peaking at number 10, but worse in the Netherlands, not charting at all.

The song is similar to Blancmange's other singles: radiofriendly pop with a good rhythm and a strong melody.

My collection: 7" single no. 3654

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Blind vision' / 'Heaven knows where heaven is'

Gett off - Prince and the New Power Generation

When someone sings '52 positions in a one night stand', you know you're dealing with a sexually-charged track. And so it is...

'Gett off' was the first single taken from Prince's 1991 album 'Diamonds and pearls'. The track was a last-minute addition to the album, replacing 'Horny pony', the song that appears on the B-side of this single. The single peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 21 in America.

My collection: 7" single no. 3628
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Gett off' / 'Horny pony'

Sing me a song - Bernadette

Bernadette Kraakman represented the Netherlands in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Sing me a song'. Despite the English title, the rest of the song was sung in Dutch, as the rules prescribed. The song finished seventh in the Contest, in the year that Luxemburg won with Corinne Hermes' 'Si la vie est cadeau'.

Personally, I wasn't too impressed with this song when it was chosen during the Dutch national final. Vulcano, who also competed that year, had a bigger hit with 'Een beetje van dit', but they didn't get to the Eurovision Song Contest - thanks to the jury that year.

My collection: 7" single no. 3648
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Sing me a song (Dutch version)' / 'Sing me a song (English version)'

Life on your own - Human League

'Life on your own' was the second single from the Human League's 1984 album 'Hysteria'. The track was made using a Linn M-1 drum machine, which took two months to be programmed for this track. The overall sound of this track is intentionally slow, downbeat and deliberately melancholy.

With the line 'Winter is approaching, there's snow upon the ground' at the start of this song, it was a bizarre choice for a single to be released in June. It still peaked at number 16 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3626

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Life on your own' / 'The world tonight'

Another part of me - Michael Jackson

'Another part of me' was the sixth single taken from Michael Jackson's 1987 album 'Bad'. The track originally featured in Jackson's 1986 3-D movie 'Captain Eo' and was written, arranged and composed by Michael Jackson himself.

Released in the summer of 1988, 'Another part of me' peaked at number 10 in Germany and the Netherlands, and number 18 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3636

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Another part of me' / 'Another part of me (instrumental)'

Crazy of life - Sandra Kim

Sandra Calderone was born on October 15, 1972 in Montegnée near Liège in Belgium. She took on her stage name Sandra Kim, naming herself after her big idol, Kim Wilde. In 1986, at the tender age of 13, she represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'J'aime la vie'. In the lyric of the song she claims to be 15 years old, the minimum age for Eurovision contestants. She won the Contest that year. When her real age was revealed, Switzerland (who'd reached second place with 'Pas pour moi' by Daniela Simons) petitioned to have the song disqualified, but this did not happen.

The original single of 'J'aime la vie' contains a different (French) song on the B-side. This edition features the English version 'Crazy of life' on the A-side. I never bought 'J'aime la vie' because I really hate the song - but I am a sucker for alternative versions of Eurovision songs. And so I gave in...

My collection: 7" single no. 3645

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,8 euro

Tracks: 'Crazy of life' / 'J'aime la vie'

Bamboo houses - David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto

In 1989, I bought a 3" cd-single featuring Sylvian and Sakamoto's wonderful collaboration 'Forbidden colours', recorded for the movie 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'. This cd-single also featured two further tracks: 'Bamboo houses' and 'Bamboo music'. I didn't know this, but these tracks were actually the first collaboration of the two. It was Sylvian's first 'solo' project, released while still in the band Japan, which he left two years later.

This single, featuring the same two tracks, was released in 1982 in a gatefold sleeve. The single peaked at number 30 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3630

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Bamboo houses' / 'Bamboo music'

When Smokey sings - ABC

'When Smokey sings' was released in 1987 as the comeback single of ABC. Their last album release, 'How to be a zillionaire', had been less successful and the new album 'Alphabet City' was seen as a return to form. The single was a tribute to Smokey Robinson and other soul singers from the Sixties.

Personally, I didn't like the song because the lyrics were way too specific to be able to identify with. Melodically I also thought the song was boring. The only reason for buying it now is to complete my collection of ABC singles. One thing makes this single worthwhile: the single version of 'When Smokey sings' is different from the album version!

My collection: 7" single no. 3643

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,8 euro

Tracks: 'When Smokey sings' / 'Chicago (part one)'

True colours - Go west

Peter Cox (born November 17, 1955) and Richard Drummie (born March 20, 1959) formed Go west in 1982. Without a recording contract, they recorded 'We close our eyes' and 'Call me' themselves, with which they managed to persuade Chrysalis Records to sign them. These two songs were subsequently released as their first two singles. Both were very successful, starting a very promising career. Their debut album 'Go west' (1985) featured these and three more singles.

Their next album, 'Dancing on the couch' (1987) was introduced by this first single, 'True colours'. The limited edition double single featured previous single 'Call me' as a bonus. The single still only managed to peak at number 48 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3631

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'True colours' / 'XL 5' // 'Call me' / 'The man in my mirror'

Arabesque - Friday night

'Friday night' is the second single taken from Arabesque's debut album of the same name. This line-up did not feature Sandra Cretu yet; she joined the group a year later, in 1979. 'Friday night' is a pretty standard Seventies disco tune, charming in all its pretention-free simplicity.

My collection: 7" single no. 3662

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Friday night' / 'Someone is waiting for you'

Good tradition - Tanita Tikaram

'Good tradition' was Tanita Tikaram's debut single back in 1988. Written by Tikaram herself, the single originally didn't get much airplay. But in time, the single slowly climbed up the UK singles chart, until it finally reached number 10 after many weeks.

A few weeks before I went to the record fair in Utrecht this last weekend, I found a special edition of the single on eBay. It featured a black inner sleeve to fill up a hole in the outer front sleeve. I was interested in this item, but the postage costs made it an expensive buy. So I was obviously happy to find that same release for one euro only. Sometimes a record buyer is lucky.

My collection: 7" single no. 3633

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Good tradition' / 'Valentine heart'

Red rain - Peter Gabriel

'Red rain' was the third single released from Peter Gabriel's multimillionselling album 'So' (1987) . The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyric directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam in his pool drinking cold red wine. According to the sleeve notes from the remastered version of 'So', it is also a reference to acid rain.

The single peaked at number 46 in the UK singles chart, which meant that it did considerably less well than the previous two singles 'Sledgehammer' and 'Don't give up' (the duet with Kate Bush).

My collection: 7" single no. 3629

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Red rain' / 'GA-GA I go swimming instrumental'