Schoolgirl - Kim Wilde

'Schoolgirl' was released in the summer of 1986 as the first single from Kim Wilde's fifth studio album 'Another step'. The song was written shortly after the Chernobyl disaster by Kim Wilde herself, marking the first time that a song co-written by her was released as a single. Produced by her brother Ricki Wilde and German producer Reinhold Heil (who'd previously worked with Nena, amongst others), the single was released in Europe and Australia only.

The single reached number 7 in the Danish chart and number 38 in Germany. In other territories, the single didn't chart, prompting the UK record company to skip this single altogether and choose another track as the first single from the album: 'You keep me hangin' on'.

My collection: 7" single no. 415
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, June 19, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Schoolgirl' / 'Songs about love'

Rise to the occasion - Climie Fisher

Simon Climie and Rob Fisher formed Climie Fisher in 1986. They recorded 'Rise to the occasion' a year later. The original version, featured here on this single, is a glossy pop ballad. This version did not reach the charts.

Sensing a commercial opportunity, they had the track remixed, making it sound more like a hiphop record. Artistically this was reprehensible, but they did score a number 1 hit with it in the Netherlands and South Africa. Obviously, I still prefer this 'angry niggaz'-free version.

My collection: 7" single no. 616
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Rise to the occasion' / 'Mental block'

Forever young - Alphaville

'Forever young' is the title track of Alphaville's 1984 debut album. It became the group's highest charting hit in Europe. It reached number 18 in the Dutch Top 40.

Since its release, it has been covered by numerous other acts, such as Laura Branigan, Bushido, Karel Gott, Interactive, Paul Michiels and the Australian rock band Youth Group.

My collection: 7" single no. 2562
Found: All that music, Leiden, November 19, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Forever young' / 'Welcome to the sun'

Love bites - Def Leppard

It's easy to discard Def Leppard for their cliched Eighties rock songs, their hairstyle and their lyrics. There's nothing innovative in there, it's all been done numerous times by other rock bands. And yet, they've been at it since 1977 and they're still touring. There must be something to it then.

'Love bites' is the only Def Leppard single I own, and that will probably not change. I didn't play it much, although the song itself is reasonably nice. A popular rumor about the song concerns the final seconds. After the line 'If you got love in your sights / Watch out, love bites', what is seemingly heard is 'Jesus of Nazareth, go to hell'. This rumor has been refuted by the band. The line is in fact producer Mutt Lange rambling in a Yorkshire accent, to the effect of 'Yes it does, it will be hell', with the aid of a vocoder.

My collection: 7" single no. 706
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Love bites' / 'Billy's got a gun (live)'

Rhythm of life - Hugh Harris

I don't think I would have had this single if I hadn't gotten it for free. I was a regular customer at Melody Maker, buying all my singles there, and one day I got this as an extra. Hugh Harris? I'd never heard of him.

Hugh Harris was born in 1964 and his song 'Rhythm of life' was featured in the movie 'Uncle Buck'. It was taken from his 1989 album 'Words for our years'. Both the single and the album did not chart. Due to serious illness Hugh withdrew from the music business. In 2002 he re-emerged with the album 'Flowers', which he'd recorded in 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 1272
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, July 28, 1990
Cost: nothing
Tracks: 'Rhythm of life' / 'Juice (edit)'

Rhythm of life - Oleta Adams

Oleta Adams was born on May 4, 1953 in Seattle, Washington as a daughter of a preacher. She was raised with gospel music. She tried to pursue a career in music in the Seventies but her work was often rejected. In 1986, her fortunes changed when she was performing live in a bar in Kansas City. She met Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith from the band Tears for Fears. They were so impressed with her singing that they wanted her to collaborate on their 1989 album 'The seeds of love'. After this was a success, Adams signed her own record deal and released her debut album 'Circle of one'.

'Rhythm of life' was released as the album's first single, reaching number 52 in the UK singles chart and number 31 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1321
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1990
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Rhythm of life' / 'Don't look too closely'

Love the one you're with - Bucks Fizz

'Love the one you're with' was originally written and performed by Stephen Stills in 1970. It was the first single from his debut solo album 'Stephen Stills'.

Since then, the track was covered numerous times by acts such as the Isley Brothers, Tight Fit, Will Young and Dennis Rollins. This 1986 cover version by Bucks Fizz was taken from their 1986 album 'Writing on the wall'. It reached number 47 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3253
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000
Cost: 80p
Tracks: 'Love the one you're with' / 'Too hard'

Real cool world - David Bowie

'Cool world' is a 1992 live action/animation movie, starring Gabriel Byrne, Brad Pitt and Kim Basinger. The story of the movie is about a cartoonist who finds himself in the animated world he created, and is seduced by one of his characters, a vamp who wants to be real. The movie got negative reviews, but I actually still want to see it. It's hard to find nowadays.

None other than David Bowie provided the title song for the movie. The track marked a reunion with Nile Rodgers, with whom Bowie recorded his 1983 album 'Let's dance'. The single is one of Bowie's hidden classics. It reached number 53 in the UK singles chart (during its one week in the chart!) and number 21 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1701
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, August 29, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Real cool world' / 'Real cool world (instrumental version)'

High energy - Evelyn Thomas

Evelyn Thomas was born as Ellen Lucille Thomas. She is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for her dance hit 'High energy'. It became one of the earliest hit songs within the genre of music that has become known as Hi-NRG. The song was produced and written by Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench. For some reason, it was Levine who received all the royalties for the song, and neither Trench nor Thomas ever got paid for their work.

The single reached the charts worldwide, peaking at number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. Amusingly, the sleeve of this Belgian pressing is based on the sleeve of the 12" single, listing both tracks with a duration of over 7 minutes. Of course, both sides of this 7" single feature the edit of these two tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 3120
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'High energy' / 'High energy (Instrumental dub)'

Nightporter - Japan

So this is the 12" single of Japan's 'Nightporter', on which the track appears in its full glory. While on the 7" single the track was edited, this is the full album version which is longer and slightly more intense.

The B-side is 'Methods of dance', also taken from Japan's 1980 album 'Gentlemen take Polaroids'. Although not a huge chart hit upon its initial release in the UK (where it peaked at number 51), the album was later certified gold by the BPI in 1986 for 100,000 copies sold.

My collection: 12" single no. 238
Found: Record fair, 1993
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'Nightporter' / 'Methods of dance'

Talk Talk - Talk Talk

So here's another version of Talk Talk's 1982 single 'Talk Talk'. I wrote about the single once before, but that version was a re-release. This is the original version, featuring a version of the track 'Mirror man' on the B-side.

I found this single during my very first shopping spree in London, back in 1989. I'd discovered the Music & Video Exchange shops in Notting Hill Gate: at the time, there were three different addresses all stacked with 7" vinyl records. I spent hours there, finding a lot of singles I'd been searching for years. I'd love to have those times back again sometimes: these days there aren't such big record shops anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 1006
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Talk Talk' / 'Mirror man'

If I was - Midge Ure

'If I was' was written by Midge Ure and Danny Mitchell. The track features Mark King from Level 42 on bass guitar. Ure commented about the track: 'This song is pure Danny Mitchell. I found a demo of it on a cassette Danny had sent me for his band The Messengers. I grabbed it with both hands, messed around with it, sprinkled it with fairy dust and the rest is history.'

Indeed: the single reached number 1 in the UK singles chart and number 16 in the Dutch Top 40. It was a hit all over Europe, launching Midge Ure's solo career with a bang.

My collection: 7" single no. 736
Found: All that music, Leiden, February 9, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'If I was' / 'Piano'

Nobody's diary - Yazoo

Well, at least they went out on a high. 'Nobody's diary' was Yazoo's last single release back in 1983, and it was a piece of synthpop perfected. The single became one of their biggest hits, peaking at number 3 in the UK singles chart.

After this, Yazoo broke up. Vince Clarke ended up, after a few short-lived projects, forming Erasure with Andy Bell, while Alison Moyet enjoyed a successful solo career. Last year they reformed for a reunion tour, and on that occasion, 'Nobody's diary' was remixed and releases as a download single.

My collection: 7" single no. 204
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Nobody's diary' / 'State farm'

Turn your back on me - Kajagoogoo

Released in the summer of 1984, 'Turn your back on me' was Kajagoogoo's last significant hit. Although it only reached number 47 in the UK singles chart, it reached number 16 in the Dutch Top 40 and also made number 2 in the American dance chart.

This single contains the original version of the song. It was subsequently remixed, and that version appears on most cd's nowadays.

My collection: 7" single no. 1390
Found: All that music, Leiden, February 22, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Turn your back on me' / 'The pump rooms of Bath'

Chance - Big Country

Big Country was formed in 1981 by Stuart Adamson, Bruce Watson, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki in Fife, Scotland.

'Chance' was released as the fourth single from Big Country's debut album 'The crossing' in 1983. It became the biggest hit from the album, peaking at number 9 in the UK singles chart, but also charting in the Netherlands, reaching number 14.

My collection: 7" single no. 904
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Chance' / 'Tracks of my tears'

Step back in time - Kylie Minogue

'Step back in time' was released in October 1990 as the second single from Kylie Minogue's third album 'Rhythm of love'. The lyric is about how modern music can never beat the swinging disco music from the Seventies ('Remembering the old days / Remember the O'Jays').

Kylie prolongued her success in Australia and the UK with this single, reaching number 5 and 4 in the charts respectively. Although her music, still produced by UK producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman, was not radically removed from her previous output, Kylie did change her image from 'girl next door' to a more raunchy look. It did not only have positive effects: for the first time she was nominated for 'worst dressed popstar' in the teen magazines of the day.

My collection: 7" single no. 3311
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Step back in time' / 'Step back in time (instrumental)'

Toy soldiers - Martika

If you think you're suffering from deja vu, you're almost right. I did write about Martika's 1989 single 'Toy soldiers' once before, right in the first month of this blog's existance. But this single is different: for one, it has a diferent sleeve, and also, it contains an edit of the track, cutting it short by a full 37 seconds.

While the single reached number 17 in the Netherlands, this UK version reached number 5. So I guess the lesson is: if you can edit a song for commerciality's sake, don't hesitate to do so.

My collection: 7" single no. 2703
Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 3, 1996
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Toy soldiers (edit)' / 'Exchange of hearts'

Geboren voor het geluk - Het Goede Doel

Taken from their 1984 album 'Tempo Doeloe', 'Geboren voor het geluk' was an ill-fated single. Despite the humorous lyric and the strong music, the Dutch audience was no longer interested in the group, it seemed.

'Geboren voor het geluk' ('Born to be lucky') is about a man who is always unlucky (falling off the stairs, a wife who is unfaithful to him) but consolates himself with the statement that things could always be worse. As often with the band, it's hard to tell if this is meant to be taken at face value, or more cynical.

My collection: 7" single no. 2857
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 21, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Geboren voor het geluk' / 'Sous-chef'

Crazy - Seal

Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel was born on February 19, 1963. As a son of Nigerian parents, he was adopted because his parents were unable to support him financially. He was raised in London and studied architecture. In the Eighties, he joined a funk band, before meeting Adamski, with whom he recorded 'Killer', which became a huge hit in 1990.

Seal subsequently signed to ZTT Records and released his debut album, produced by Trevor Horn, in 1991. The first single from that album was 'Crazy'. It reached number 1 in the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland and peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1374
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, January 21, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Crazy' / 'Sparkle'

Madam Butterfly - Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm McLaren achieved notoriety as the 'brains' behind the Sex Pistols and Bow Wow Wow. In the Eighties, he started recording his own tracks. After the New York-influenced 1983 album 'Duck rock', he turned his attention to electronic music, recording the unique single 'Madam Butterfly', which was released in 1984.

The track was based on the opera by Puccini from 1902. With atmospheric synthesizers, drum machines and spoken verses, it was an unlikely chart hit, but it reached number 13 in the UK and number 16 in the Dutch Top 40. The music video had nothing to do with the song, showing women in a sauna while wearing make up and clothing for some reason.

My collection: 7" single no. 426
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 29, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Madam Butterfly' / 'First couple out'