Du bist da - Anne Marie David

Anne Marie David won the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tu te reconnaitras'. I didn't know at first that she'd released different versions of the song. 'Du bist da' was recorded for German-speaking countries. Even the B-side 'Au bout du monde' was translated into German for this single.

After the Contest, Anne Marie David started touring the world. She lived in Turkey for a while and recorded two singles and one album in Turkey and got several awards there.

My collection: 7" single no. 3973
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 23, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Du bist da' / 'Komm' mit mir ins Land der Träume'

Fight for ourselves - Spandau Ballet

In 1986, Spandau Ballet signed to CBS Records and released their fifth studio album 'Through the Barricades'. On the album, the band tried to move away from the pop and soul influences of their two previous albums 'True' and 'Parade' and moved towards rock.

The lead single 'Fight for ourselves', was released in July 1986 in a limited edition including a posterbag. The single reached number 15 in the UK singles chart and number 16 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3792
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 23, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Fight for ourselves' / 'Fight... the heartache'

Wires - Athlete

When I heard 'Wires', I thought it was the debut single of the band Athlete. But I was wrong: the band was formed in 1999 by Joel Pott, Carey Willets, Steve Roberts and Tim Wanstall and they had already released several singles and one album, 'Vehicles and animals' (2003).

However, their second album 'Tourist' was their definite breakthrough album, reaching number 1 in the UK albums chart. The single 'Wires' was released in January 2005 and reached number 4 in the UK singles chart. The impressive song was written by band leader Joel Pott about his daughter, who was born prematurely. The single was released as a limited edition, including a poster of the strange cover image.

My collection: 7" single no. 3791
Found: eBay.co.uk, received June 23, 2009
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Wires (radio edit)' / 'Transformer man'

Nearly there - One 2 Many

It's interesting how maintaining this blog has influenced me to buy more singles lately. The 7" single format has always had a special attraction to me, but I thought I'd reached the point where I have everything I wanted to have. But there are some strange omissions in my collection, and this particular one came to my attention recently just by working on this blog!

'Nearly there' was the third single from One 2 Many's only album 'Mirror'. I described the 12" single a few months ago, and that's when I found out that I don't have the single. Well, that error has been corrected now: a friendly dealer on eBay sold me the record and I received it today. I think I have all the One 2 Many singles now!

My collection: 7" single no. 3790
Found: eBay.co.uk, received June 23, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Nearly there' / 'In my heart'

How to be dead - Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol gained mainstream success with their song 'Run' in 2003. The album 'Final straw' was equally successful. It peaked at number 3 in the UK albums chart. The band followed up the success of 'Run' with three more singles from the album, with 'How to be dead' being the last one. That single reached number 39 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3494
Found: eBay.co.uk, received December 23, 2008
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'How to be dead (CLA mix)' / 'You are my joy (Live at Somerset house)'

I believe (A soulful re-recording) - Tears for Fears

'I believe (A soulful re-recording)' was the fifth single taken from Tears for Fears' 1984 album 'Songs from the big chair'. It became their ninth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at number 23. The song also reached the Top 10 in Ireland. The song was written by Roland Orzabal who had originally planned to offer it to British musician Robert Wyatt to record, though it was later decided that Tears for Fears would record the song themselves. A cover of Robert Wyatt's 'Sea song' served as the single's B-side. Although the single was not released in America, this re-recording of the song was done in the midst of the band's 1985 American tour.

This limited edition double single also featured the album version of 'I believe' along with a rather rare remix of 'Shout'.

My collection: 7" single no. 375
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 12 guilders
Tracks: 'I believe (A soulful re-recording)' / 'Sea song' // 'I believe (album version)' / 'Shout (dub mix)'

Can't give you anything (but my love) - The Stylistics

'Can't give you anything (but my love)' was a UK number 1 hit in August 1975 for three weeks by The Stylistics. After splitting from record producer Thom Bell in 1974, songwriters/producers Hugo & Luigi and George David Weiss took over, with arrangements by Van McCoy. Although the split with Bell proved disastrous in the US, The Stylistics continued to be popular in the UK and this was their first and only UK number 1 single.

In 2006, it was used as the base for a Japanese advertisement campaign by Gatsby, to launch their new male hair styling product, 'Moving Rubber'. The campaign was successful due to the tune and that the commercial featured one of Japan's most popular celebrities, Takuya Kimura, of the pop group, SMAP.

My collection: 7" single no. 2806
Found: Record fair, January 25, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Can't give you anything (but my love)' / 'I'd rather be hurt by you (than be loved by somebody else)'

Road to your soul - All about Eve

All about Eve had a troubled time while recording their second album. Having just found success with 'Martha's harbour', they were suffering from internal conflicts and uncertainty about their new direction. 'Scarlet and other stories' became a flawed masterpiece as a result.

Not that I knew anything about this: I picked up the brand new single by All about Eve while on holiday in London in October 1989. 'Road to your soul' was the single that turned me into an All about Eve fan almost overnight. I heard it upon return home and was immediately hooked. The UK audience had more trouble with it, apparently: the single peaked at number 37 and did not become the number one hit it should have been.

My collection: 7" single no. 994
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Road to your soul' / 'Pieces of our heart'

In my house - Mary Jane Girls

After seeing Prince become successful with proteges like Vanity 6, Rick James decided to start a similar project. He brought together Joanne McDuffie, Kimberly Wuletich, Ann Bailey and Candice Ghant and named them Mary Jane Girls, commonly believed to be named after the drug Marijuana. Soon after the release of their debut album Bailey left the group, to be replaced by Yvette Marine.

When the first single from their second album 'Only four you' (1985), 'Break it up' was not a big success, 'In my house' was chosen as the second single. It gave them their only hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1984
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, October 17, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'In my house' / 'In my house (instrumental)'

In the evening - Sheryl Lee Ralph

Sheryl Lee Ralph was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on December 30, 1956. Ralph began her career on the stage and was nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Deena Jones in 'Dreamgirls'.

In 1984, she debuted as a singer with the album 'In the evening'. The title track was released as a single and became her only international hit. It reached number 64 in the UK and number 16 in the Netherlands. The B-side is incorrectly labeled as the instrumental version of 'In the evening'. But I don't know which song this is really.

My collection: 7" single no. 1825
Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'In the evening' / 'In the evening (instrumental)'

Cruel - Tori Amos

Tori Amos recorded her 1998 album 'From the choirgirl hotel' after she suffered a miscarriage. The sense of loss and blame were obvious in a lot of the tracks. 'Each song would show me a certain side of herself because of what I was going through. So a song like 'Cruel' came to me out of my anger. 'She's Your Cocaine' and 'iieee' came out of a sense of loss and sacrifice. And other songs celebrated the fact that I found a new appreciation for life through this loss.'

'Cruel' was released as the album's third single in the USA. It did not chart, and no further singles were released from the album after this.

My collection: 7" single no. 3050
Found: Record fair, February 20, 1999
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Cruel (Shady feline mix)' / 'Raspberry swirl (Lip gloss version)'

Every day hurts / My oh my - Sad Café

Released in September 1979, 'Every day hurts' was the biggest hit of Manchester-based band Sad Café in the UK. It peaked at number 3, making it the only top 10 hit the band ever had in that country. On this 'Old gold' single, the track is coupled with 'My oh my', their second biggest hit, released in March 1980 and reaching number 14 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 1326
Found: London, October 16, 1990
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Every day hurts' / 'My oh my'

Black pearl - Margriet Eshuijs Band

Margriet Eshuijs was born on October 14, 1952. Both her parents were musicians. They owned a music store and also gave lessons in music. It was almost inevitable that she would become involved in music herself too. In 1972 she joined the band Lucifer, a Dutch band that would be immortalised with their 1974 hit 'House for sale', on which Margriet performed the vocals. By the end of the Seventies the band broke up.

In the early Eighties the Margriet Eshuijs Band started. The album 'Right on time' (1981) contained the single 'Black pearl', which would reache number 13 in the Dutch Top 40 in March 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 1136
Found: All that music, Leiden, December 28, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Black pearl' / 'Single day'

It hurts - The Lotus Eaters

'It hurts' was the last hit single for the Lotus Eaters - although this is stretching the term 'hit' a little. Released in1985, it reached number 87 in the UK. The track was taken from their album 'No sense of sin' (1984), which flopped in the UK, but got a significant cult following in Japan and the Philippines.

The band toured extensively through Japan, despite arguments with their record company in that country.

My collection: 7" single no. 1287
Found: All that music, Leiden, August 31, 1990
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'It hurts' / 'The evidence'

Sebastian - Cockney Rebel

Steve Harley was born on February 27, 1951 in London, where he grew up as well. His career in music started in the late Sixties when he was busking and performing his own songs. The original version of Cockney Rebel was formed when he and John Crocker met up in 1972 and auditioned additional members Stuart Elliott, Paul Jeffreys and Milton Reame-James. After just five gigs they were signed to EMI Records.

Their debut single was the impressive 'Sebastian', recorded with a full choir and orchestra. While not a hit in the UK, it reached number 2 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 310
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 1985
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Sebastian' / 'Rock and roll parade'

Menage a trois - K-Ram

I didn't realise this at the time, but the single 'Menage a trois' by K-Ram sounds a lot like the early singles by Wham!. It didn't help them a lot, because the single flopped in the UK. Surprisingly though, it was a hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 28. The music video appeared regularly on Music Box and Sky Channel, the European satellite channels who were broadcasting videos at the time.

Singer Amanda Redington subsequently worked as a VJ on Music Box and got involved with Dutch singer/songwriter Frank Boeijen. They were together for a few years, which is more than we can say for K-Ram: they disappeared without a trace.

My collection: 7" single no. 2819
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, February 1, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'menage a trois' / 'Menage a trois (instrumental)'

Amoureuse - Kiki Dee

Kiki Dee was born as Pauline Matthews on March 6, 1947 in Little Horton, Bradford (UK). In the days before BBC Radio 1, Dee was a regular performer of cover versions on BBC Radio, and she starred with a group of session singers in the BBC Two singalong series One More Time.

Nevertheless, it was only after she signed with Elton John's Rocket Records that she became a household name in the UK. Her first hit was the song 'Amoureuse', written by Véronique Sanson with English lyrics by Gary Osborne. Released in November 1973, it peaked at number 13 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2088
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 30, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Amoureuse' / 'Rest my head'

Fire - Ohio Players

'Fire' was released from the Ohio Players' album of the same name, both released in 1975. The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was recorded at Mercury Record's Chicago-based studio. While performing it in California, the band let Stevie Wonder hear the basic track for the song and he predicted that it would become a big hit.

I bought this single as a gamble. Later on I found out that I was acually looking for the 1968 hit 'Fire' by the Crazy world of Arthur Brown.

My collection: 7" single no. 2855

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 21, 1997

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Fire' / 'Together'

Nobody wins - Elton John

'Nobody wins' was a track on Elton John's 1981 album 'The fox'. The album was recorded partly during sessions for Elton's previous album '21 at 33' (1980). The track was not written as usual by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, but by Jean-Paul Dreau and Gary Osborne.

The single was a modest hit, reaching number 42 in the UK and number 31 in the Netherlands. Elton John actually said during a concert at Leeds Castle in 1999 that the album "went 'cardboard' in England", a sarcastic remark on how badly it had been received there.

My collection: 7" single no. 923
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Nobody wins' / 'Fools in fashion'

Zwijgen - Het Goede Doel

Released as the third single from the band's 1986 album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar', het Goede Doel scored the biggest hit from this album with 'Zwijgen'. The single peaked at number 17 in the Dutch Top 40 in the autumn of 1986.

In the song, the protagonist says that he could say that he loves a woman, and everything he wants to do with her, but 'it's better to stay silent'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3768

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Zwijgen' / 'Atoombom'