This wheel's on fire - Siouxie and the Banshees

'This wheel's on fire' was originally written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko. Dylan and The Band recorded it in 1967, a recording that finally surfaced in 1975 on the album 'The basement tapes'. In 1968, a version by Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and the Trinity became a top 5 hit in the UK.

In 1987, Siouxie and the Banshees recorded another cover version of the song for their album 'Through the looking glass', which consisted entirely of covers. Released as the first single from that album, it climbed to number 14 on the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2690
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, July 3, 1996
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'This wheel's on fire' / 'Shooting sun'

NRG - Adamski

This single ended up in my collection because I found it in the sleeve of an LP I bought. I don't remember which LP. A free single, oh well, that's always good, I must have thought. Except maybe it isn't.

'NRG' was actually Adamski's debut single, released in 1990. It reached number 12 in the UK singles chart. As you can see, the cover of the single features a mocked up Lucozade bottle with the 'lucozade' words replaced with 'N-R-G'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2184
Found: London, September 28, 1994
Cost: 0,00
Tracks: 'NRG' / 'I love teknology'

Abba-esque EP - Erasure

Vince Clarke and Andy Bell have always been big fans of Abba, and so they decided in 1992 to record the 'Abba-esque' EP. It was originally intended to become a full album, but that plan was finally aborted. The EP features four covers of Abba songs, of which 'Lay all your love on me' and 'Take a chance on me' received the most airplay.

The EP became Erasure's first UK number 1, while it also reached number 2 in Germany and number 7 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1670
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, June 20, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Lay all your love on me', 'SOS' / 'Take a chance on me', 'Voulez-vous'

Hold me in your arms - Rick Astley

Rick Astley himself wrote 'Hold me in your arms' as well as the B-side of ths single. Although he made a name for himself with dance songs, this single was a ballad. It was released as the second single from Astley's second album of the same name. Contrary to previous singles, which were all produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman, this one was produced by SAW-associates Phil Harding and Ian Curnow.

The single managed to reach number 10 in the UK singles chart and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 754
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 17, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Hold me in your arms' / 'I don't want to be your lover'

Reach out I'll be there - Four Tops

The 88 remix of 'Reach out I'll be there' was on this blog earlier, but I almost forgot that I have the original version of the song as well. I bought it somewhere in London, although it didn't come in any original sleeve.

The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966, when it was originally released. It was equally successful in the UK singles chart, but only reached number 8 in the Dutch Top 40. It has since become one of those indestructible Motown classics.

My collection: 7" single no. 1066
Found: London, October 18, 1989
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Reach out, I'll be there' / 'Standing in the shadows of love'

Love pains - Yvonne Elliman

The disco song 'Love pains' was written by Michael Price, Dan Walsh and Steve Barri and was recorded by Yvonne Elliman in 1979. It gave her a hit in the USA, peaking at number 34 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 19.

The single featured both a 4'15 edit and an extended version, clocking in at 5'45. The song was covered by Liza Minelli in 1989.

My collection: 7" single no. 1982
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, October 17, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Love pains' / 'Love pains [extended]'

No myth - Michael Penn

Michael Penn was born on August 1, 1958. His brother is the actor Sean Penn, who was married to Madonna for some time. 'No myth' was his debut single, released in late 1989. It became his first and only top 40 hit in the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13. The single did not chart in Europe.

After only a few solo albums, Penn moved into movie scores, recording music for movies like 'Boogie nights' (1997) and 'The last kiss' (2006).

My collection: 7" single no. 1453
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 18, 1991
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'No myth' / 'Big house'

The living years - Mike and the Mechanics

Mike & the Mechanics released 'The living years' as the second single from their album of the same name. According to Mike Rutherford, 'The lyrics were written by B.A. Robertson and the song is about something he went through. He lost his Dad and it's about the lack of communication between him and his father before he died. There's also the irony of him having a baby just after losing his father. I had exactly the same thing happen to me at the same time, so it meant a lot to me too.'

The single reached number 1 in Canada and the USA and peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, it reached number 20.

My collection: 7" single no. 725
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, January 28, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'The living years' / 'Too many friends'

More than I can say - Leo Sayer

'More than I can say' was written by Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison, who recorded it with their bad The Crickets in 1959 soon after Buddy Holly, whose backing band they were originally, died. The single was released in 1960 and became a hit for them.

Leo Sayer recorded his cover version of the song in 1980. Sayer commented later that while he was looking for an 'oldie' to record for his album 'Living in a fantasy', he saw a TV commercial for a greatest hits collection by Bobby Vee (who recorded a cover version of the song in 1961) and chose the song on the spot: 'We went into a record store that afternoon, bought the record and had the song recorded that night'. It turned out to be a good choice: the single reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK singles chart, and also peaked at number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1151
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, January 19, 1990
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'More than I can say' / 'Only fooling'

Hiroshima - Sandra

'Hiroshima' was originally recorded by the band Wishful Thinking. Sandra recorded her cover version as a track on her fourth album 'Paintings in yellow'. It was released as its first single in 1989.

Sandra's version reached number 4 in three different countries: Germany, Israel and Switzerland. Additionally, it peaked at number 16 in the French singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2095
Found: Record fair, April 16, 1994
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Hiroshima' / 'La vista de luna'

Lords of the new church - Tasmin Archer

The lyrics of 'Lords of the new church' are not primarily religious. Tasmin Archer commented about the song: 'It's about the modern breed of politicians and it was written in the very early Nineties even before things became has bad as they are now.'

The song was released as the third single from Archer's debut album 'Great expectations'. Released in May 1993, it did not perform as well as previous releases from Archer. Although it debuted inside the UK top 40 unlike previous releases, it stalled at number 26 and completely dropped off of the charts three weeks later.

My collection: 7" single no. 2388
Found: Newcastle, July 5, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Lords of the new church' / 'Hero'

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do - Abba

Personally I was never too fond of this Abba track. The most amusing thing about it was the title. The song was written by band members Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson.

The song's release came shortly after their previous single, 'So long', performed disappointingly in terms of charts and sales. (Although the B-side of 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' was 'Rock me' in most cases, this Dutch pressing has 'So long' as the B-side.) After the success of 'Waterloo', Abba were having difficulty establishing themselves as an act with longevity. 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' became a significant improvement on the international charts. It peaked at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 1862
Found: All that music, Leiden, January 30, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'I do, I do, I do, I do, I do' / 'So long'

België - Het Goede Doel

Most people in the Netherlands remember the song 'België' ('Belgium') by het Goede Doel. The song asks that eternal question: 'Where can I go? / I can't go to Germany / They are so stern / Where can I go? / I can't go to China / They act so scary there'. An English version actually exists, it was released as 'Luxembourg' in 1984. However, that one lost a lot of its edge in translation.

'België' was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 4 in the Dutch Top 40. The track was also quite lengthy, clocking in at 6'20.

My collection: 7" single no. 3766
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'België' / 'Vechten'

Is it a crime - Sade

I think 'Is it a crime' is Sade's 'Bohemian rhapsody', in that it features a few different pieces of music, once loud, then more intimate. The dynamic range of this song is quite unbelievable, although the style is unmistakably Sade.

'Is it a crime' was the second single from Sade's 1985 album 'Promise'. It wasn't a big hit, peaking at number 49 in the UK singles chart and number 32 in the Dutch Top 40. The highest placing was in Ireland, where it reached number 21.

My collection: 7" single no. 364
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Is it a crime' / 'Punch drunk'

Money love - Neneh Cherry

'Money love' was the first single from Neneh Cherry's second album 'Homebrew'. Both the single and the album disappointed in commercial terms: after the multimillonselling 'Raw like Sushi', everyone involved expected more of the chart performance of both.

The single reached number 23 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Dutch Top 40. I bought the single at discount price after it left the chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1788
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, Nvoember 14, 1992
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Money love' / 'Twisted'

A hard rain's a gonna fall - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians

'A hard rain's a gonna fall' was originally written by Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962. He recorded it in December of that year for his second album 'The freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. Some people have suggested that the refrain of the song refers to nuclear fallout, however Dylan disputes that this was a specific reference. Dylan responded to this in 1963: 'No, it's not [about] atomic rain, it's just a hard rain. It isn't the fallout rain. I mean some sort of end that's just gotta happen... In the last verse, when I say, 'the pellets of poison are flooding the waters', that means all the lies that people get told on their radios and in their newspapers.'

Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians recorded a cover version of the song in 1989 for the soundtrack of the Oliver Stone movie 'Born on the fourth of July'. Their version was released as a single, which did not chart in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 1194
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 14, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'A hard rain's a gonna fall' / 'The early days, Massapequa, 1957' (John Williams)

Too late for goodbyes - Julian Lennon

Purists will probably hate me for writing this, but I think this is what John Lennon might have sounded like if he'd still lived in the Eighties. I remember being thrown when I first heard this song. Julian Lennon, the son of John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, debuted in 1984 with the album 'Valotte', with 'Too late for goodbyes' being his debut single. The harmonica in this song was played by Jean 'Toots' Thielemans.

The single peaked at number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK singles chart, reaching number 10 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1679
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Too late for goodbyes' / 'Well I don't know'

Freeze frame - J. Geils Band

The J. Geils Band found commercial success in 1981 when they released the album 'Freeze frame'. The biggest hit from that album was the single 'Centerfold', but the title track, released as the next single, was also a success.

'Freeze frame' reached number 27 in the UK singles chart and number 5 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2757
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 29, 1996
Cost: 20p
Tracks: 'Freeze Frame' / 'Rage in the cage'

Skin deep - The Stranglers

The Stranglers released the album 'Aural sculpture' in 1984. It was recorded in Brussels with Laurie Latham and the band producing. The biggest hit from the album was 'Skin deep', released as its first single.

'Skin deep' reached number 11 in Australia and Ireland, number 15 in the UK and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1809
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 9, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Skin deep' / 'Here & there'

Ain't my beating heart - Ten Sharp

After Ten Sharp had a big hit with 'You', they released a mini-album in the Netherlands entitled 'Under the water-line'. From this mini-album, which featured 7 tracks, they released a second single, 'Ain't my beating heart'. It sounded like 'You' in a number of ways, in the sense that it was keyboard-driven and it featured the same sound overall. It was a minor success in the Netherlands, peaking at number 32 in the Dutch Top 40.

This single surprised me a couple of times. First when I went to London in 1992, a year after the release of the single, and found the UK version of this single. It was actually made in Holland, but the sleeve was very different from the European one: much simpler and without a photograph of the band. (The sleeve is pictured above.)

Then, in 1997, I found the European version of 'Ain't my beating heart' - but with a bonus single containing an acoustic version of 'You'. I am sure I never saw this limited edition in Dutch shops, so I guess it was released in other countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 1742
Found: Virgin Megastore, London, October 19, 1992
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Ain't my beating heart' / 'Who needs women'

My collection: 7" single no. 2804
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 4, 1997
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Ain't my beating heart' / 'Who needs women' // 'You (acoustic version)'