Precious little diamond - Fox the fox

One of the reasons, besides this blog, for my current singles-buying frenzy is the fact that there are some weird omissions in my collection. And when I get a chance to visit a record store with a list of what I already own, such as today, I finally can fill up some of those weird holes.

Much to my surprise I found out that I don't actually have the 7" single of 'Precious little diamond' by Fox the fox. (I do have the 12" single, as you can see here.) While buying singles for almost nothing, this is a great moment to solve the problem. It was the band's only hit, peaking at number 14 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3907
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 31, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Precious little diamond' / 'Man on the run'

You're the one that I want - Hylda Baker and Arthur Mullard

When Grease was all the rage in 1978, everyone was trying to profit from that success. It led to some unlikely products, such as this one. Ex-boxer and comedy actor Arthur Mullard (born September 19, 1910) teamed up with comedy actress Hylda Baker (born February 4, 1905) to record this substandard cover of 'You're the one that I want'. It sounds a bit like the Dutch antisocial Tokkie family doing karaoke.

The single reached number 22 in the UK singles chart, but failed to climb further due to a disastrous appearance on the chart show Top of the Pops. The couple fluffed the lyrics and seemed utterly confused as to what was happening. (You can see the performance here). The B-side is a Eurovision cover: Brotherhood of Man's 'Save your kisses for me' as performed by this bizarre couple.

My collection: 7" single no. 3912
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 31, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'You're the one that I want' / 'Save your kisses for me'

Everything has rhythm - Frizzle Sizzle

I've had the single of Frizzle Sizzle's 1986 Eurovision entry 'Alles heeft ritme' for more than 10 years now. Since I bought this Dutch version in London, it's only fair that I should find the English version of the single in the Netherlands. Well, guess what: I did.

I wasn't even sure an English-language single existed, even though I was aware of an English version being recorded. 'Everything has rhythm' went the same way a lot of Eurovision singles abroad did: right to the discount bin, never into the charts in other countries. It is a nice version, with all the naivity that only young girls can put into their vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 3906
Found: Songs for sale, Rotterdam, July 31, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Everything has rhythm' / 'Alles heeft ritme'

Circle - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

I was happily surprised when the two most favourite tracks of Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians' debut album ended up on this single. 'Circle' is a beautiful melodic song, whereas 'Now' is full of atmospherics and tension.

I was even happier when I bumped into this limited edition box set, containing the single and a large poster, showing members of the band in various video stills. For some reason, no matter what the contents, these single box sets always remind me of Christmas.

My collection: 7" single no. 2346
Found: Record fair, 1991
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Circle' / 'Now'

West end girls - Pet Shop Boys

The Pet Shop Boys released a version of 'West end girls' produced by Bobby Orlando in 1984, but after signing a deal with Parlophone records, they released a new recording of that song in 1985. This time around, it was produced by Stephen Hague and it became their breakthrough single. It was a number 1 hit in the UK, peaked at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and it was often incorrectly referred to as the duo's debut single.

Neil Tennant started to write the song when he was staying at his cousin's house in Nottingham while watching a gangster film. Just when he was going to sleep, he came up with the lines: 'Sometimes you're better off dead, there's a gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head'.

My collection: 7" single no. 363
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'West end girls' / 'A man could get arrested'

Making your mind up - Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz may have been the most memorable act to have won the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK. Their song 'Making your mind up' won in 1981, mostly thanks to the choreography which involved ripping off the skirts of the two female members (Jay Aston and Cheryl Baker) by the two male members of the group (Bobby G and Mike Nolan), revealing shorter skirts. Receiving a less favourable response was the group's vocal abilities, since they sang most of the song off-key during the night.

The single was a number 1 hit in the UK and the Netherlands. The lyrics of the song are largely meaningless, although it can be argued that they are about making the decision to commit to a serious relationship.

My collection: 7" single no. 2089
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 30, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Making your mind up' / 'Don't stop'

Looking for a new love - Jody Watley

Jody Watley went solo after being part of the band Shalamar for several years. Her debut solo single was 'Looking for a new love', relased in 1987. The single hit number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaked at number 13 in the UK singles chart and number 36 in the Dutch Top 40.

While listening to a tape of instrumental tracks given to her by producer André Cymone, Watley reflected on a recent sour romantic breakup. Fusing her own feelings of 'I'll show you' with the feel of the track, Watley came up with the basic idea of the song. The released version is the eight-track demo of the song; that way the emotional urgency of Watley's vocal was still intact. Watley's phrase 'Hasta la vista, baby' was later used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 film 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1035
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Looking for a new love' / 'Looking for a new love (acapella)'

Seagull - Kayak

Kayak were extremely popular in the Netherlands during the Seventies, but they entered the Eighties with a lot of problems. Personnel changes and a lack of single hits caused the band to eventually break up.

Their last hit was 'Seagull', released in the spring of 1981. It reached number 33 in the Dutch Top 40. It sounded a lot like earlier songs by the band, and that may have contributed to their demise: the audience simply had enough.

My collection: 7" single no. 885
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 16, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Seagull' / 'The sword in the stone'

Your love is king - Sade

In the UK and Europe, 'Your love is king' was Sade's debut single. It was a track from their debut album 'Diamond life', which only became a multimillionselling album after this song became a hit. Hard to believe, but it's still the band's only top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 6.

In the USA, 'Your love is king' was released as the third single from the album, with a different sleeve. I'm still looking for that one...

My collection: 7" single no. 1010
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989
Cost: 30p
Tracks: 'Your love is king' / 'Love affair with life (recorded live)'

What difference does it make - Earth and Fire

Although Earth & Fire started out as a symphonic rock band, in the second half of the Eighties they started to lean more and more towards disco-oriented singles. 'What difference does it make' is one of those songs that showed early signs of this change in direction.

The audience seemed unsure whether they liked this, as the single was only the second one to miss the top 10 in the Dutch Top 40, reaching number 12. Personally, it's still one of my favourite Earth & Fire tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 595
Found: All that music, Leiden, February 16, 1987
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'What difference does it make' / 'What difference does it make (instrumental)'

Three times a lady - Commodores

Lionel Richie from the Commodores reportedly wrote 'Three times a lady' about his love for his wife, his mother and his grandmother; hence the title. Released in 1978, it became the Commodores's first Billboard Hot 100 number 1 hit. It was also the band's only number 1 hit in the UK and it peaked at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

Lionel Richie went solo at the beginning of the Eighties. The original Commodores version of the song was included as the final track on Lionel Richie's greatest hits compilation album Back To Front, released in 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 1186
Found: Disco Market, March 3, 1990
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Three times a lady' / 'Look what you've done to me'

Love - John Lennon

John Lennon is probably one of the most prolific artists after dying. After his tragic death in December 1980, he's released an album or two with previously unreleased work and more than a dozen compilation albums. One of these was 'The John Lennon collection' (1982), from which this single, 'Love', was taken.

'Love' was originally released as a track on Lennon's 'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band' album (1970). This single is a remix of the track, adding a piano intro and outro, played by Phil Spector, mixed at the same volume as the rest of the song. On the album version, the intro fades in and the outro fades out. The single peaked at number 41 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2892
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1997
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Love' / 'Give me some truth'

Oblivious - Aztec Camera

Track 1 from Aztec Camera's debut album 'High land, hard rain' (1983) is 'Oblivious', which was also released as a single. The band consisted of Roddy Frame, Bernie Clark, Campbell Owens and Dave Ruffy.

The single was the band's first to reach the singles chart, peaking at number 47.

My collection: 7" single no. 3255
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Oblivious' / 'Orchid girl'

Such a shame - Talk Talk

It doesn't happen often that a record company decides to release several singles from a compilation album, especially when those singles have already been released originally a few years before. But this is what happened with 'Talk Talk' after the release of the compilation album 'Natural history'. The greedy bastards from EMI wanted to earn some extra cash with these releases.

The setup didn't work. On its original release in 1984, 'Such a shame' reached number 49 in the UK singles chart. This re-release from 1990 did not chart. Justice - although I have to admit this sleeve is very nice. And the bonus live track from Montreux 1986 is a nice teaser.

My collection: 7" single no. 2733
Found: September 9, 1996
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Such a shame' / 'Dum dum girl (live)'

Holding on - Beverley Craven

'Holding on' was the third single taken from Beverley Craven's self-titled debut album. Released in July 1991, it reached number 32 in the UK singles chart, but it didn't chart in the Netherlands, where it was released a few months previous.

The B-side was a new track that Beverley would re-record a year later for her next album. This original version wins out, because it sounds a lot more energetic and less contrived.

My collection: 7" single no. 1403
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 16, 1991
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Holding on' / 'Look no further'

Lady - Spargo

After Lilian Day Jackson left the Dutch band Spargo, the band continued with the four male members of the group. Success didn't elude them right away, as proven with this single, 'Lady', which reached number 15 in the Dutch Top 40 in April 1984.

It was, however, the last hit single for the band. The group broke up in 1985 and briefly reformed in 1997.

My collection: 7" single no. 1161
Found: All that music, Leiden, January 27, 1990
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Lady' / 'Lady (instrumental version)'

My arms keep missing you - Rick Astley

Sometimes singles with a double A-side appear, but it doesn't happen so often that there are actually two different releases, switching the two A-side along the way. Sounds confusing? Well, here it is: during the chart run of 'When I fall in love', the record company decided that the song might have been appropriate for the Christmas season, but come January the other A-side, 'My arms keep missing you' would be more commercially viable.

And so, 'My arms keep missing you' was remixed and made the most important track of the double A-side release. It may have extended the chart life of this single, and at the very least it was an interesting new release for Rick Astley fans.

My collection: 7" single no. 2340
Found: Big Company Records, London, June 26, 1995
Cost: 35p
Tracks: 'My arms keep missing you (The 'Where's Harry?' remix)' / 'When I fall in love'

When I fall in love - Rick Astley

Due to his deep bass-baritone voice, Rick Astley was confronted often with the assumption that he was an African-American singer. Perhaps he and his producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman were pushing this point a bit when they released 'When I fall in love' in late 1987, a cover of Nat King Cole's 1956 hit.

It didn't matter much to the record-buying public: the single became a hit, peaking at number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. The single was in fact a double A-side with 'My arms keep missing you', but more about that in the following entry...

My collection: 7" single no. 1426
Found: Record fair, April 7, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'When I fall in love' / 'My arms keep missing you'

Cat people (Putting out fire) - David Bowie

David Bowie recorded 'Cat people (Putting out fire)' for the soundtrack of the 1982 movie 'Cat people'. The track was produced by Giorgio Moroder. Director Paul Schrader contacted Bowie for a theme song in 1981, while Moroder had already recorded most of the music. Bowie put lyrics to the main theme composed by Moroder. The words only had a basic relation to the film.

The single reached number 26 in the UK singles chart and number 67 in the USA. This 12" single features the full length version of the track, which also appears on the soundtrack album, whereas it was edited for the 7" single. Bowie re-recorded the song in 1983 for his album 'Let's dance'.

My collection: 12" single no. 504
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Cat people (Putting out fire)' / 'Paul's theme' (Giorgio Moroder)

Don't speak - No doubt

No doubt was founded in 1986 by siblings Eric and Gwen Stefani. They recruited other members and started playing live. After some years and several line-up changes they finally signed a record deal, which led to their debut album 'No doubt', released in 1992. Three years later, they released 'Tragic kingdom', which spawned their first worldwide hit, 'Don't speak'.

'Don't speak' reached number 1 in several countries around the world, including the UK and the Netherlands. This limited edition picture disc (which you can hear is not of the best quality sound-wise) was released in the UK only.

My collection: 7" single no. 2838
Found: Record fair, April 5, 1997
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Don't speak' / 'Greener pastures'