Together in electric dreams - Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oakey

The film 'Electric dreams' was director Steve Barron's first full feature film. Barron had made a name for himself conceiving and directing music videos, such as the Human League's 'Don't you want me'. For his film, Barron enlisted Giorgio Moroder as director of music. He wrote most of the score. Barron wanted the end credits to roll to 'an emotional song'.

Moroder wrote 'Together in electric dreams' which was to be a male solo vocal. When he asked who Barron would like to sing the lyrics, Barron immediately thought of his former associate Philip Oakey. When Oakey recorded the song it was over very quickly, after the first full recording Moroder told Oakey that the first take was 'good enough, as first time is always best'. Oakey who thought he was just rehearsing insisted on doing another take. Moroder let him but to this day Oakey is convinced that Moroder still used the first take on the final production.

The song soon overshadowed the success of the film. Oakey states that it is ironic that a track that took literally ten minutes to record would become a worldwide hit, while some of his Human League material that took over a year to record didn't.

My collection: 7" single no. 492

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 4 guilders

Tracks: 'Together in electric dreams' / 'Together in electric dreams (instrumental)'

Forbidden city - Electronic

'Forbidden city' was the first single taken from Electronic's second album 'Raise the pressure'. It was written by Bernard Sumner, Johnny Marr and ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos.

The song was not a huge hit, peaking at number 14 on the UK singles chart, but did receive substantial radio play in Britain. It remains one of Johnny Marr's favourite Electronic songs and opened up their best of compilation in 2006, with stills from its Tom Merriton-directed video used for the front cover and inside the booklet.

My collection: 7" single no. 2713
Found: HMV, London, July 4, 1996
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Forbidden city' / 'Imitation of life'

The plastic age - The Buggles

'The plastic age' was the second single by the Buggles. Hopes were high, since 'Video killed the radio star', their debut single, was a worldwide hit. The futuristic song only charted in the UK and the Netherlands, peaking at number 16 and 27 respectively.

The song alludes to plastic surgery and the stress of modern culture. The Buggles also created an unusual, futuristic and illusion-like music video to promote the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 1096

Found: All that music, Leiden, November 11, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'The plastic age' / 'Island' [mistitled 'The plastic age' on the label]

One love to give - Stephanie

More than the previous single 'Ouragan/Irresistible', 'One love to give' showed the vocal inadequacies of Princess Stephanie of Monaco. With a synth-heavy backing (which was so popular in the Eighties) and a rather strong composition, Stephanie wasn't able to keep up. But still she was rewarded with a number 1 hit in Sweden and a number 10 placing in the German singles chart.

French speaking countries preferred the version in their own language: 'Flash' went to number 4 in France and number 28 in Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 2999

Found: June 20, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'One love to give' / 'Le sega Mauricien'

Winter in America - Doug Ashdown

Whenever a Dutch artists covers a beautiful song, my heart breaks. Unless, of course, I don't know it's a cover. This happened in 1988, when Rene Froger had a top 5 hit in the Netherlands with 'Winter in America'. I liked the song but couldn't stand the voice of the man. And then I found out that the original was recorded in 1978 by Doug Ashdown. What a relief!

Doug Ashdown was an Australian singer/songwriter, who only had this one hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 13. His version is, of course, far superior.

My collection: 7" single no. 771

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 16, 1989

Cost: 1 guilders

Tracks: 'Winter in America' / 'Skid row'

Won't you hold my hand now - King

While everyone remembers 'Love and pride' by King, the next single 'Won't you hold my hand now' is less wellknown. In the Netherlands, it didn't even chart, whereas in the UK it only managed a number 24 placing in the singles chart.

I bought this limited edition 4 track double single as part of a deal where the seller offered a discount on five singles bought together. (One of those 'buy 5 pay 4' deals). I already had four singles I really wanted to have, and then spotted this double single. Well, double singles are always nice to have - even if the live tracks aren't all that great.

My collection: 7" sigle no. 913

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Won't you hold my hand now' / 'Fish (reprise) (live)' // 'Won't you hold my hand now (live)' / 'And as for myself (live)'

Fix you - Coldplay

'Fix you' was the second single taken from Coldplay's third album 'X&Y'. Chris Martin said about the song: 'My father-in-law Bruce Paltrow bought this big keyboard just before he died. No one had ever plugged it in. I plugged it in, and there was this incredible sound I'd never heard before. All these songs poured out from this one sound. Something has to inspire you, and something else takes over. It's very cloudy.'

The single was a big success, reaching number 4 in the UK and Canada, number 59 in the USA and number 8 in Ireland.

My collection: 7" single no. 3415

Found: hmv.co.uk, 2005

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Fix you (edit)' / 'The world turned upside down'

The beat(en) generation - The The

In hindsight, I was always surprised that The The introduced their new album 'Mind bomb' with one of the less surprising tracks, 'The beat(en) generation'. For lack of a better description, I would qualify it as a straightforward rock track. But the strategy did pay off: the single peaked at number 18 in the UK singles chart.

Meanwhile, The The was an actual band again, Matt Johnson having recruited ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, ex-Nick Lowe bassist James Eller and ex-ABC drummer David Palmer as members.

My collection: 7" single no. 811

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 12, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'The beat(en) generation' / 'Angel'

Dancing in the dark - Kim Wilde

Kim Wilde always got a lot of criticism for singing the songs that were written and composed by her father Marty and her brother Ricky. So for 'Dancing in the dark', help was brought in. Nicky Chinn and Paul Gurvitz wrote the song, and it was included on Kim's third album 'Catch as catch can'.

The single was the biggest flop of her career so far, reaching only number 69 in the UK singles chart. It was still a top 10 hit in Denmark and Switzerland, but it didn't help matters much. Despite a pretty cover and a nice rocking B-side, this single was the first signal that there was a crisis at hand. And rather than just sit and wait, the Wilde team decided to take matters into their own hands. RAK Records was about to be abandoned.

My collection: 7" single no. 217
Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Dancing in the dark' / 'Back street driver'

Amiga Quartett - A-ha

Amiga was the state record company in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany, before the wall came down. They released four track EP's of 'western' artists, as long as the songs were deemed 'clean' enough. The infectuous pop music of the Norwegian band A-ha apparently was innocent enough to be released in the country.

This Amiga Quartett (as the series of EP's was called) featured four tracks from A-ha's debut album 'Hunting high and low'. I really like the idea of owning records made in a country that does not exist anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2842

Found: Record fair, April 5, 1997

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Take on me', 'Train of thought' / 'The sun always shines on TV', 'And you tell me'

Download: Album 'Hunting high and low', including these tracks (password: http://newalbums2007.blogspot.com/)

Wild hearted woman - All about Eve

I had only just discovered All about Eve, when I found this single in my favourite second hand record shop. And cheaply, too! Naturally, though I didn't know the song, I had to try it out. And I'm glad I did, because it helped me to decide to buy the band's debut album. The up-tempo rock track 'Wild hearted woman' was coupled with the soft, beautiful ballad 'Appletree man', which showed the great diversity the band already had.

Frontwoman Julianne Regan commented in 1998: 'Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the boys wrote the 'boy' songs and I wrote the 'girly' ones, when the truth is that (...) Tim was the one behind 'Appletree man'.' The single peaked at number 33, improving again on the previous single's chart performance in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 703

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, December 17, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Wild hearted woman' / 'Appletree man'

Wedding bells - Godley and Creme

The title of this song can be misleading. When you read 'Wedding bells', you expect a romantic song, but the lyric is actually about a man who wants to avoid those wedding bells. The song was taken from Godley & Creme's 1981 album 'Ismism' (released as 'Snack attack' in the USA).

While 'Under your thumb', also taken from the album, had already reached number 3 in the UK singles chart, this was another top 10 hit for the duo, peaking at number 7.

My collection: 7" single no. 955

Found: All that music, Leiden, August 10, 1988

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Wedding bells' / 'Babies'

One small day - Ultravox

The first single from Ultravox's 1984 album 'Lament' was an unusual track in their catalogue, because for the first time in a long time, the band omitted the use of synthesizers in favour of a more guitar-driven rock song. As such, I always considered it to be one of the band's worst singles.

The single still made number 27 in the UK singles chart and number 16 in Ireland. But in Europe, the single did not chart. I finally bought the single in 1999, simply because of the fact that I have most of the band's singles - and this one was pressed on clear vinyl. The instrumental B-side is an intriguing piece, anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 3062

Found: House of Rhythm, London, May 9, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'One small day' / 'Easterly'

Absent friends - The Divine Comedy

'Absent friends' was the title track of The Divine Comedy's 2004 album, and released as its second single. The song was a return to form, sounding like many tracks on the 1998 album 'Fin de siecle'. The B-side featured a track that was exclusive to the 7" vinyl format.

The single peaked at number 38 in the UK singles chart, not the big success the band and the record company were hoping for. As such, it was the last single to be released from the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 3406

Found: hmv.co.uk website, 2004

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Absent friends' / 'Anthem for bored youth'

Theater - Katja Ebstein

Katja Ebstein was born on March 9, 1945 in Girlachsdorf, Germany (now Gniewków, Poland). She released her debut album 'Katja - die Stimme' in 1970. That same year she represented Germany during the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder', reaching third place. This encourages her to try again in 1971. But the song 'Diese Welt' again reached third place in the Contest.

Nine years and several albums later, Katja participated in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Theater'. Written by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, this reached second place. If Ebstein would have participated once more, who knows... she might have won. We'll never know.

I actually bought this single in 1980 for 1 guilder. One or two years later, after barely playing the single, I exchanged it with my sister for Visage's 'Fade to grey'. In my current administration, this would have been single no. 61. Now it has become number 3744.

My collection: 7" single no. 3744
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 23, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Theater' / 'Getrennt von Tisch und Bett'

Give it up - Talk Talk

'Give it up' was released as the third single from Talk Talk's 'Colour of spring' album. I appreciated this single a lot more than 'Life's what you make it' and 'Living in another world', because it wasn't played on radio and television on a daily basis. Which also meant that it didn't become a hit. It only charted in the UK, reaching number 59.

In fact, 'Give it up' started a trend. Talk Talk would never chart in most countries except the UK, Ireland and (once) Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 446
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, August 9, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Give it up' / 'Pictures of Bernadette'

I could fall in love with you - Erasure

'I could fall in love with you' was released in April 2007 as the first single from Erasure's 13th studio album 'Light at the end of the world'. It was the first 7" single release by Erasure since 'Run to the sun' (1994). The single peaked at number 21 in the UK singles chart.

Vince Clarke explained about the song: 'Before we started this album, I was really keen for it not to be mid-tempo - I'm having a mid-tempo crisis! Our albums seem to have got slower and slower, so I started searching for classic funk or disco bass lines, put some ideas together with chord changes and bass lines underneath, and emailed them to Andy for him to sing over the top. The song, like this album, is quite 'up' and uptempo because we're both in good spaces right now.'

My collection: 7" single no. 3498

Found: eBay, received December 23, 2008

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'I could fall in love with you (Jeremy Wheatley radio mix)' / 'I like it'

Vibeology - Paula Abdul

I had high hopes for 'Vibeology' when it was released as the fourth single from Paula Abdul's 1991 album 'Spellbound'. Unfortunately the release was marred by bad remixes in a house style. I had a lot of doubts whether I would even buy this single, but since I had the other singles I couldn't let this one go. I did wait a couple of years, though.

It was still a reasonable success in various countries: in America it peaked at number 16, it went to number 19 in the UK and in the Netherlands the single got to number 13. The biggest success of this track was in Canada, where it made number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 2351
Found: Record Exchange, London, June 26, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Vibeology' / 'Vibeology (Hurley's House 7")'
Download: here (password: http://popgems.blogspot.com)

Cornflake girl - Tori Amos

The first single from Tori Amos' second album 'Under the pink' was 'Cornflake girl'. The title was inspired by Alice Walker's novel 'Possessing the secret of joy', about a young African woman going through the ritual of female genital mutilation. Amos was angered by the idea that a mother could subject her daughter to such a brutal act, and the song arose as an exploration of the idea of betrayal between women.

Accompanied by a weird music video, the song still managed to peak at number 4 in the UK singles chart and even broke the Dutch Top 40, where Amos had never had a chart placing before. In the Netherlands it rose to number 26.

My collection: 7" single no. 2082

Found: Record fair, March 8, 1994

Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Cornflake girl' / 'Sister Janet'

Rosie - Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading was born in Basseterre, Saint Kitts in the West Indies on December 9, 1950. She moved with her family to Birmingham, England in 1957. She moved to London in the early Seventies to perform in a production of the musical 'Hair'. This led to her meeting lyricist Pam Nestor and recording her debut album 'Whatever's for us' (1972).

'Rosie' was released after five albums in 1980. It became her first European hit, reaching number 15 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2422
Found: July 22, 1995
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Rosie' / 'How cruel'