Dirty mind - Shakespear's sister

When a band decides to make a remix for a single, they have to think long and hard whether the new version is actually better than the original one. In the case of Shakespear's sister's 'Dirty mind', they didn't think long and hard enough. The 1990 version of 'Dirty mind' takes all the life and soul out of the song and makes it into a lump of sounds that crashes under its own weight.

The record-buying audience duly rewarded this effort: the single only spent one week in the UK singles chart, at number 71. And that was probably because the original version was on the B-side, which is why I bought it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1198
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 30, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Dirty mind (1990 version)' / 'Dirty mind'

Love is just the great pretender - Animal Nightlife

Animal Nightlife originally released 'Love is just the great pretender' in 1984. When this single did not chart and the follow-up 'Mr. Solitaire' did, the band decided to have the track remixed and released it as 'Love is just the great pretender '85'. This did the trick: the single climbed up the chart and peaked at number 28.

The B-side of this single is an instrumental track that fits into Sade's catalogue seamlessly. Or did I already make that comparison before?

My collection: 7" single no. 2597

Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, December 12, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Love is just the great pretender '85' / 'Basic ingredients'

You don't need someone new - The Lotus eaters

Peter Coyle, Jeremy Kelly and Stephen Creese formed the Lotus eaters in 1982 in Liverpool. Although the band is considered to be part of the 'New Romantics' movement from around that time, their music was more folk-oriented than the synthpop of bands like Japan and Spandau Ballet.

'You don't need someone new' became a regularly played single on the local radio where I lived, and so I got to know the band. It was their second single, which peaked at number 53 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1288

Found: All that music, Leiden, August 31, 1990

Cost: 2,5 guilders

Tracks: 'You don't need someone new' / 'Two virgins tender'

Super freak - Rick James

When I was 11, 'Super freak' by Rick James was my air guitar favourite. The 1981 hit single was produced and performed by Rick James and features background vocals from Motown labelmates The Temptations, featuring James' uncle Melvin Franklin.

The single reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40. The song is also well known because it was sampled by MC Hammer in his 1990 hit 'U can't touch this'. That being a hip hop track, it was of course unlistenable.

My collection: 7" single no. 1782
Found: November 7, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Super freak' / 'Super freak (instrumental)'

1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins

Band leader Billy Corgan reportedly worked nonstop after his band's Siamese Dream tour and wrote about 56 songs for the Smashing Pumpkins' 'Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness' album. As the Mellon Collie sessions came to a conclusion, '1979' was just a couple of chord changes and a snippet of a melody without words. When the time came to choose the songs that were to appear on the album, producer Flood said that '1979' was not good enough and wanted to drop it from the record.

This inspired Corgan to finish it in four hours. The next day, Flood heard '1979' once and decided immediately to put it on the album. The song features a sample of Corgan's voice repeated throughout. During recording, Corgan was singing "ooh" as the melody line, so he and Flood decided to record him singing to a tape. The pair electronically manipulated several samples and looped them against a drumbeat. The single was the band's first international big hit, peaking at number 16 in Australia and the UK and number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 2834
Found: Record fair, February 8, 1997
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: '1979' / 'Bullet with butterfly wings'

Good thing going - Sugar Minott

Sugar Minott was born as Lincoln Barrington Minott on May 25, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica. He began his singing career in 1969 when he joined the African Brothers, along with Tony Tuff and Derrick Howard. After five years, the group broke up and Sugar Minott started a solo career.

He had several hits in his native Jamaica, until in 1981 'Good thing going', a cover version of a song originally performed by Michael Jackson, was picked up for distribution by RCA and reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1981, leading to an album of the same name. Minott never equalled this success again.

My collection: 7" single no. 956

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

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Good thing going' (Sugar Minott) / 'Hung up' (Desi Roots)

Elettrochoc - Matia Bazar

Taken from their 1983 album 'Tango', 'Elettrochoc' is probably the most frantic track of Matia Bazar's lengthy career. The operatic vocals of singer Antonella Ruggiero are supported by a high energy synth backing. I was very impressed when I heard this single for the first time, and even to this day it never fails to excite me.

For some time in the Eighties I had a hobby creating remixes out of existing recordings by bands. This single lent itself to this purpose excellently: the instrumental version on the B-side is rather different from the vocal version on the A-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 496

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Elettrochoc' / 'Elettrochoc (instrumental)'

Summer night city - Abba

The recording sessions for 'Summer night city' began in early 1978. Abba's new Polar Music recording studio had opened in May, but had not been ready to use initially, so the primary backing track had been recorded at Metronome Studio. A 43-second ballad-style introduction to the song had been edited out to improve the overall quality, but nothing seemed to work. Allegedly, mixing the single took at least a week, far more than it took to mix any other track in ABBA's recording history. A reluctant Abba decided to release the song as a single in September despite their disappointment with the track as it was.

Although the band was critical of their own song, the record-buying audiences were impressed. The single topped the charts in Finland, Ireland and Sweden and peaked at number 5 in the UK and the Netherlands.

The B-side medley was actually a remix of the original 1975 version that had been issued on the German charity album 'Stars im zeichen eines guten sterns'. It was a medley of the traditional songs 'Pick a bale of cotton', 'On top of old smokey' and 'Midnight special'. The recording is unique because it's the only cover version(s) that Abba have ever recorded in the studio.

My collection: 7" single no. 2299
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, May 27, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Summer night city' / 'Medley: Pick a bale of cotton/On top of old Smokey/Midnight special'

Forget about you - The Motors

The Motors had their debut live performance at the Marquee Club in March 1977. That same month, they recorded three songs for John Peel's weekly BBC Radio 1 show. By May they had been signed to Virgin Records, appearing in another John Peel session in September of the same year.

Their first single was 'Dancing the night away', which reached number 42 in the UK singles chart. Two big hits followed. In 1978 the band released 'Airport', which proved to be the band's biggest seller. The follow-up, 'Forget about you', was released two months later and reached number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 1482

Found: Breda, July 3, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Forget about you' / 'Picturama'

Diva lady - The Divine Comedy

Released as the first single from the Divine Comedy's 2006 album 'Victory for the comic muse', 'Diva lady' peaked at number 52 in the UK singles chart. It was released on two different cd-singles as well as this 7" vinyl single, which included a small poster and an exclusive track on the B-side.

The album is unique in the Divine Comedy catalogue - and in the catalogue of most recent popular music - in that Hannon's original aim with the album was to record it entirely in two weeks, with the minimum of overdubbing. As such, almost all of the music on the album - much to the chagrin of the classical players involved on almost every track, and the Divine Comedy band itself - was recorded in live takes.

My collection: 7" single no. 3436

Found: HMV, London, 2006

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Diva lady' / 'Elaine'

Smokers outside the hospital doors - Editors

'Smokers outside the hospital doors' was released on two different 7" vinyl singles, of which this second one was a limited edition. The cover was shiny metallic and the record was pressed on clear vinyl. The edition was limited to 10,000 numbered copies - this is number 3663. The B-side was different to the other single as well.

I bought this single after I had become hooked to the Editors album 'An end has a start', which I'd bought in the summer of 2008. I still rate it as one of the best albums of the year.

My collection: 7" single no. 3512

Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, December 27, 2008

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'Smokers outside the hospital doors' / 'The picture'

Smokers outside the hospital doors - Editors

Editors recorded their second album 'An end has a start' in Grouse Lodge, Ireland over a two month period beginning in late November 2006. It was released in June 2007 and went straight to number 1 in the UK album charts. The album was preceded by the single 'Smokers outside the hospital doors'. The song was Editors' highest-charting single at number 7.

The single was released on two different 7" vinyl singles. This single contained the track 'Some kind of spark' on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 3511

Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, December 27, 2008

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'Smokers outside the hospital doors' / 'Some kind of spark'

God - Tori Amos

While in the US 'God' was released as the first single from Tori Amos' second album 'Under the pink', in the UK it was the fourth and last single. The single was released as a picture disc 7", plus there was also a 12" single and a cd-single available. All formats came with exclusive remixes, which on the 7" format was the 'acapella vocal & rain mix'.

The song was Amos' response to patriarchy and the repression of women through religion. Lyrically it was heavily confrontational of male-deity headed religions. The single only made number 44 in the UK singles chart, which made it the least successful single from the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 2200

Found: Record fair, 1994

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'God' / 'God (Acapella vocal & rain mix)'

Human - Human League

In 1985 the recording sessions for the Human League's fifth album were not going well. The band did not like the results, which was causing internal conflict. Virgin Records executives, who worried about the lack of progress from their most-profitable signing, suggested the band to work with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. They had recently emerged as in-demand talent due to their success with Janet Jackson and her album 'Control'.

Jam and Lewis wrote three of the ten tracks on the album 'Crash', the lead single 'Human' was one of them. 'Human' became the second number one single for The Human League on the US Billboard Hot 100 after 'Don't you want me'. In the UK, 'Human' peaked at number eight in the UK singles chart and in the Netherlands the single reached number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 476

Found: V&D, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Human' / 'Human (instrumental)'

Bicycle race - Queen

Okay, I'll admit it: I only started collecting Queen singles after Freddie Mercury's death. I saw a lot of documentaries about Queen when he died, and thought that those songs were really quite good.

To promote the release of this single, Queen staged a bicycle race with 65 naked women. A clip from this race was used on the single cover and the video. The video was originally banned, and the video had to be re-edited with colour added to censor out any offensive imagery. The song is famed for its 'bicycle bell solo'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1898

Found: Record fair, May 2, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Bicycle race' / 'Fat bottomed girls'

Against the wind - Máire Brennan

Máire Brennan was born as Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on August 4, 1952 in Gweedore, Ireland. In 1970 joined her two brothers Pól and Ciarán and their mother's two twin brothers Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin to form Clannad. With this Irish band they enjoyed a lot of success - and, in the Eighties, even international success - and recorded 17 albums.

In 1992, Máire decided to go solo. She released her debut solo album 'Máire', from which her debut single 'Against the wind' was taken. It was the only single by her to reach the UK singles chart, although it only peaked at number 64.

My collection: 7" single no. 1734

Found: Record exchange, London, October 17, 1992

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Against the wind' / 'She moved through the fair'

I need you - Paul Carrack

'I need you like a shot needs to shoot' is probably one of the least romantic lines in pop. It comes from this single by Paul Carrack, 'I need you'. The single peaked at number 37 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 15 in the Netherlands. In the UK, where Carrack was born, the single did not chart.

The single was produced by Nick Lowe, a successful artist in his own right. Like many singles from 1983, I got to know this one because of a local illegal radio station.

My collection: 7" single no. 2253

Found: March 22, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I need you' / 'Call me tonight'

Without you - Nilsson

Anyone who has heard Mariah Carey's dreadful cover version of 'Without you' in 1994 may have a hard time to ever listen to this song again without that traumatic experience on their minds. She released her version just a week after Harry Nilsson, who had a hit with it back in 1972, had died. I just pray that the poor man has never had to hear her version.

Nilsson himself covered the track, because it was originally written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the rock group Badfinger. It appeared on their 1970 album 'No dice', but it wasn't released as a single. In parallel to the song lyrics, both Ham and Evans later committed suicide.

Nilsson recorded his version in 1972 on the album 'Nilsson Schmilsson'. It was a number 1 hit in the UK and peaked at number 10. Personally, I can't hear this song without getting goosebumps. Even after that horrible Carey version!

My collection: 7" single no. 2502

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 30, 1995

Cost: 80p

Tracks: 'Without you' / 'Everybody's talkin'', 'Kojak Columbo'

American generation - The Ritchie Family

The four original members of the Ritchie Family were not related; the group was created by Jacques Morali who also created Village People soon after. The group took its name from record producer Ritchie Rome, and originally consisted of four Jean Davis, Cassandra Wooten,Gwen Oliver, and Nadine Felder. Later they were reformed as a trio with Cheryl Jacks, Cassandra Wooten, and Gwen Oliver as the new line-up.

It was this line-up that released the 1979 album 'American generation' and the single of the title track. An infectious disco track, it reached the charts all over the world. In the Netherlands the single peaked at number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 2795
Found: Record fair, Roterdam, December 14, 1996
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'American generation' / 'Music man'

Merci, Chérie - Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens and Thomas Hörbiger composed the song 'Merci, Chérie', with which Jürgens represented Austria in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest. Despite the French title, the song is performed in German. It is an earnest ballad, in which the singer thanks his lover (hence the title, 'Thank you darling') for good times and positive memories.

Jürgens won the Contest with this song, and scored a hit in several European countries as well. To date, he is still the only artist to bring victory in Eurovision to Austria.

My collection: 7" single no. 3754

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, May 23, 2009

Cost: 4 euro

Tracks: 'Merci, Chérie', 'Das ist nicht gut für mich' / 'Siebzehn Jahr, blondes Haar', 'So wie eine Rose'