Help me make it through the night - Gladys Knight and the Pips

During live performances artists have a tendency to speak with their audiences, introducing songs and such. It is a rare thing when this happens on a record, but that's exactly what happens here: Gladys Knight speaks about 'hearing a beautiful song that expresses that feeling of loneliness'.

'Help me make it through the night' was written by Kris Kristofferson for his 1970 album 'Kristofferson'. Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded their cover version in 1972. It peaked at number 11 in the UK singles chart that summer. My copy of the single is an original UK pressing, although the center has been punched out and it comes in a mutilated custom white paper sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 1061
Found: London, October 18, 1989
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Help me make it through the night' / 'If you gonna leave (just leave)'

Stay the night - Ghosts

I've had one single of 'Stay the night' for some time now, but since there were two different versions, I was still looking for the other one. Last week, I managed to find it in an online shop, and I ordered it along with a few other recent singles. When I received the package, it contained the single in the version I already had! But one e-mail sufficed to correct this error. So many thanks to the online shop.

This version of the single was pressed on light blue vinyl and contains two nice tracks. The B-side is an interesting instrumental track.

My collection: 7" single no. 3905
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 27, 2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Stay the night' / 'Dark at 4'

Love... thy will be done - Martika

Martika was contacted by Prince after her debut album 'Martika' was a success. She agreed to become one of his protégées, and they wrote the song 'Love... thy will be done' together. It was another hit for the American singer.

The single became her last top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 9, and also reached the lower regions of the Dutch Top 40, peaking at number 30.

My collection: 7" single no. 1516
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, September 20, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Love... thy will be done' / 'Mi Tierra'

Hold on to love - Patty Brard

Patty Brard's career in music started promising with this debut single, 'Hold on to love', the first single drawn from her debut solo album 'All this way'. Released in January 1981, the single peaked at number 19 in the Dutch Top 40.

After this, things went quickly downhill. Despite releasing a handful of singles from three different solo albums, she never reached the chart anymore. Her career led her towards producing magazines, television programmes and reforming with her old band, Luv'.

My collection: 7" single no. 94
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Hold on to love' / 'Love keeps knockin''

Cokane in my brain - Dillinger

Dillinger was born as Lester Bullock on June 25, 1953 in Kingston, Jamaica. In the Seventies he started working with producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who suggested his stage name, after gangster John Dillinger.

In 1977, he recorded 'Cokane in my brain', a track that relied heavily on the main tune from 'Do it anyway you wanna' by The People's Choice. It became a number 1 hit in the Netherlands, where Dillinger was hyped somewhat by the weekly Hitkrant publication. They published stories like 'Does Dillinger even exist?' when he didn't turn up for a TV performance. Dutch artist Dingetje recorded a parody of this song, entitled 'Ik ga weg Leen'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2141
Found: White noise, Utrecht, August 2, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Cokane in my brain' / 'Power bank'

The look of love 1990 mix - ABC

Here's another ill-advised remix version of a classic. When ABC released their compilation album 'Absolutely' in 1990, the record company decided to promote it with a so-called '1990 mix' of 'The look of love', one of the band's biggest and most cherished hits from 1982. The track sounded very 1990, but it also sounded very crap, unfortunately.

This single was rewarded appropriately with a one week chart run at number 68 in the UK singles chart. Some would say this was even too much, but you know... a fan has to have everything. Even crap singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 2748
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 28, 1996
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The look of love 1990 mix' / 'Ocean blue'

Marilyn et John - Vanessa Paradis

'Marilyn & John' was the title track from Vanessa Paradis's 1987 debut album 'M&J', and one of the strongest tracks on the album. Sounding very unlike the debut single 'Joe le taxi', it was a hit in France but didn't reach the charts outside of France like the debut single had.

I got to know the track because I'd bought the album some time before. And as usual, when I like an album I have to have the accompanying singles as well... It's a strange habit but someone's got to do it.

My collection: 7" single no. 2224
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 17, 1994
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Marilyn & John' / 'Soldat'

Love is all that matters - Human League

After the failure of 'I need your loving' in the UK, the record company decided to release no further singles from the Human League's 1986 album 'Crash', but to release a compilation album instead, in the hopes of reviving interest for the band (and earn some more money, of course).

The single 'Love is all that matters' was taken from 'Crash', oddly enough, and released to promote the greatest hits compilation that was released in 1988. The single peaked at number 41 in the UK singles chart. It comes in a foldout sleeve showing all three members of the group. The B-side is taken from the Human League's 1985 album 'Hysteria'.

My collection: 7" single no. 866
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989
Cost: 7,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Love is all that matters (edit)' / 'I love you too much'

What about love - Heart

'What about love' was originally released in 1985, but in the UK the song did not chart. After the success of their 1987 album 'Bad animal' and its single 'Alone', the track was re-released in 1988.

At the time of recording, the song's sound marked a considerable change in the musical direction for Heart, moving from the hard rock and folk rock of their earlier work to a more polished, power-ballad sound. On its re-release, the single peaked at number 14 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2367
Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 1, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'What about love?' / 'Never (remix)'

I'll keep on loving you - Princess

I already wrote an earlier entry about the 12" picture disc of 'I'll keep on loving you'. As written there, the single was a hit in the UK, peaking at number 16 in the singles chart.

The sleeve of this single is in black and white, which is different from the 12" picture disc. Like the 12" single, there are two versions on this single: the regular album version and an instrumental version.

My collection: 7" single no. 2464
Found: Record fair, September 9, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'I'll keep on loving you' / 'I'll keep on loving you (instrumental)'

Wild world - Maxi Priest

Originally written and recorded by Cat Stevens, Jimmy Cliff had a hit with 'Wild world' in 1970. Some of the subsequent covers have also been in the reggae style, indicating that they are actually covers of Cliff's version, as opposed to direct covers of Cat Stevens' original track.

Maxi Priest (born as Max Alfred Elliott in Lewisham, London on June 10, 1951) made a version of 'Wild world' that could be seen as an example of this. Recorded and released in 1988, his version also did well on the charts, reaching number 5 on the UK singles chart and number 7 on the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 651
Found: Leiden, August 31, 1988
Cost: - (present)
Tracks: 'Wild world' / 'On and on'

Wild world - Jimmy Cliff

'Wild world' was originally written by Cat Stevens (as advertised on the sleeve of this single). He recorded it on his fourth album 'Tea for the Tillerman' in 1970.

Jimmy Cliff's version, released a few months before Stevens released the original version, reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. Surprisingly, Stevens' version was not released as a single in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 1845
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 23, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Wild world' / 'Be aware'

Pictures of matchstick men - Status Quo

The Spectres, the Scorpions and Traffic: these three band names all preceded the name Status Quo between 1962 and 1967. The core of the band was eventually formed by Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, who continued to work together after meeting in 1964. When they decided to call themselves Status Quo and signed a record deal with PYE records, their debut album 'Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo' was released in 1968.

'Pictures of matchstick men' became the band's first hit, peaking at number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch top 40. The B-side on this re-release 7" single is their next hit, 'Ice in the sun', which was written by Marty Wilde (Kim's father). That one reached number 8 in the UK and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2932
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 17, 1998
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Pictures of matchstick men' / 'Ice in the sun'

Davy's on the road again - Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Manfred Mann founded his Earth Band in 1971. Members of the band were Mick Rogers, Noel McCalla, Geoff Dunn and Steve Kinch. Mann wanted to move away from the strict three minute pop song format that was the rule in his previous band, simply called Manfred Mann.

Their 1978 album 'Watch' featured the hit single 'Davy's on the road again'. It was the band's last top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 6, whereas in the Netherlands it was the band's second and last hit overall, peaking at number 15.

My collection: 7" single no. 1843
Found: January 23, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Davy's on the road again' / 'Bouillabaisse'

Misfit - Curiosity killed the cat

Curiosity killed the cat first came to public attention when they had Andy Warhol in the video for their 1986 single 'Misfit'. Warhol referenced Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean homesick blues' music video by dropping piece of white card in time to the music.

While not a hit at first, it was re-released in 1987 and reached number 7 in the UK singles chart on that occasion. This limited edition release with a 44 inch foldout sleeve may have helped in reaching that position; it's quite a great item.

My collection: 7" single no. 2615
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, February 10, 1996
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Misfit' / 'Man'

Marc Anthony's tune - Tyka Nelson

Tyka Nelson is the sister of Prince Roger Nelson, the artist formerly known as Prince (Or is it currently? I don't know anymore...). She recorded an album called 'A brand new me' in 1988 and this single was taken from that album.

It was often played on Dutch radio back then, but the single did not chart. Her career never really took off either, despite her famous family member.

My collection: 7" single no. 973
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 29, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Marc Anthony's tune' / 'Be good to me'

Peter Gunn (live) - Emerson Lake and Palmer

Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on American television networks between 1958 and 1961. The innovative jazz theme was composed by Henry Mancini and his orchestra. A hip, bluesy, brassy number with an insistent piano-and-bass line, the song became an instant hit for Mancini, earning him an Emmy Award and two Grammys

The Peter Gunn theme has been covered by numerous jazz, blues, and rock artists since, including Emerson Lake & Palmer. Their live performance of the theme was included on their 1979 album 'In concert' and released as a single. While not a hit, it became one of my favourite tracks of 1980.

My collection: 7" single no. 2052
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, November 20, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Peter Gunn (live)' / 'Knife-edge (live)'

Dusk till dawn - Ladyhawke

'Dusk till dawn' is another single by New Zealand pop artist Ladyhawke. Pressed on heavy white vinyl, it is a beautiful collectors item. The track itself is not as catchy as 'My delirium', but it's still a slice of modern synthpop.

Released in the autumn of 2008, the single peaked at number 78 in the UK singles chart, but did not chart in other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 3904
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24 ,2009
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Dusk till dawn' / 'Danny and Jenny'

Lifesaver - Emiliana Torrini

Emiliana Torrini's 2005 album 'Fisherman's woman' was woven through with the memory of her boyfriend, who was killed in a car accident in the early Noughties. It is evident in the two tracks on this single, the first one to be lifted from the album: 'Lifesaver' and 'Serenade': two slightly melancholy tracks which are, like most of the album, acoustically-based.

This single release is a special item as well: not only does it come in a numbered limited edition (this is number 96 of 1250 copies), but it has a signed inner sleeve and the resealable plastic sleeve contains a small leaf that is part of the artwork. Here's hoping the leaf won't disintegrate before I die.

My collection: 7" single no. 3900
Found: 7inchsingles.nl, received July 24, 2009
Cost: 9 euro
Tracks: 'Lifesaver' / 'Serenade'

What! - Soft Cell

While Soft Cell only had one hit in the USA with 'Tainted love', several other singles were also released across the Atlantic. This single is living proof: it's the American pressing of 'What!', featuring a different B-side than its UK counterpart.

'What!' peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart and number 6 in Ireland, but did not chart in other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 1752
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1992
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'What!' / 'Memorabilia'