'Keep each other warm' was released as the fifth and final single from the 1986 Bucks Fizz album 'Writing on the wall'. Despite positive reviews from the music press, the single didn't reach the UK top 40, stalling at number 45.
The B-side was 'Give a little love', which went on to become more famous as a top 20 hit by Aswad two years later. 'Keep each other warm' was later covered by Barry Manilow in 1989.
My collection: 7" single no. 4194 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Keep each other warm' / 'Give a little love'
'(I'm always touched by your) Presence dear' was written by Gary Valentine, for his then girlfriend, before he left Blondie. The song was included on their album 'Plastic letters', and subsequently released as the second single off the album.
The single reached number 10 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40, but it was not released as a single in the USA.
My collection: 7" single no. 4191 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: '(I'm always touched by your) Presence dear' / 'Poets problem', 'Detroit 442'
Those who are familiar with Princess's biggest hits will be very surprised upon hearing this single. I know I was. I bought this single because I quite like her dance songs, but this nostalgic track is very different - but I do like it a lot. It turns out that Princess does actually have a better voice than I always assumed...
'I wish you love' was taken from her 1987 album 'All for love'. It didn't chart, however. It was probably too different for the general public.
My collection: 7" single no. 4190 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I wish you love' / 'Risky business'
Fun Fun are the Italian singers Francesca Merola and Roberta Servelli. They made themselves famous with their early Eighties blend of dance music and simple pop songs.
Their first hit single was 1983's 'Happy station', which was remixed in a so-called 'scratch version' to appeal to the youth market at the time. The single reached number 4 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 11 in Germany.
My collection: 7" single no. 4187 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Happy station (Scratch version)' / 'Happy station (instrumental version)'
Kayak singles have become hard to get, and even if they do pop up, it's usually the same titles. That's why I was quite excited to find this mint copy of 'Starlight dancer' - in Belgium, of all places.
'Starlight dancer' was the title track of Kayak's fifth studio album, released in 1977. The single was the biggest hit from the album, peaking at number 17 in the Dutch Top 40 and even brushing the lower regions of the American singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4180 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Starlight dancer' / 'Irene'
'Rich' is a single taken from Lloyd Cole & the Commotions' second album 'Easy pieces', released in 1985. The B-side of this single is taken from their debut album 'Rattlesnakes'. For me, the reason for buying this single was the B-side, but I'm glad to say that the A-side is actually very good too.
The information I have suggests that this single was actually only released in Europe. A DJ 12" from the UK exists, but I have not heard about any commercial copies. Which makes this single a bit of a rarity.
My collection: 7" single no. 4176 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Rich' / 'Down on Mission street'
'Breaking away' is the title track from Jaki Graham's second album, released in 1986. The album reached number 25 in the UK albums chart.
When the song was released as the second single from the album, it performed rather well in the charts. In the UK, 'Breaking away' peaked at number 16, and in the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 22.
My collection: 7" single no. 4175 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Breaking away' / 'Love me tonight'
Attentive listeners will recognise the voice of Robert Palmer on backing vocals on this single. 'Living in sin' was released as a single from Rupert Hine's 1983 album 'The wildest wish to fly'. Although very successful as a producer, none of his single releases have actually charted.
The B-side, 'An eagle's teaching', is an exclusive track that as far as I know hasn't even made it to cd yet, despite several cd reissues.
My collection: 7" single no. 4174 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Living in sin' / 'An eagle's teaching'
'Cars and girls' was the first single taken from Prefab Sprout's 1988 album 'From Langley Park to Memphis'. The song is a response to Bruce Springsteen's perceived lyrical style and alleged narrow song repertoire. McAloon suggests that Springsteen's worldview is too restricted and that 'some things hurt more, much more, than cars and girls'.
The single reached number 44 in the UK singles chart. It is one of their best known songs despite this comparatively low chart placing.
My collection: 7" single no. 4173 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Cars and girls' / 'Vendetta'
Although Luv' had their biggest successes in the late Seventies and early Eighties, someone thought it would be a good idea to release a Megamix of their biggest hits in 1989. The 'Hitpack', as it was called, was mixed by Peter Slaghuis, a moderately wellknown Dutch DJ around that time, and he put together the Luv' singles 'Casanova', 'U.O. me', 'You're the greatest lover' and 'Trojan horse'. The nonsensical B-side finished the job.
Obviously, the single did not chart. Luv' were a thing of the past, and megamixes are rarely a commercial success anyway.
My collection: 7" single no. 4186 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Hitpack' / 'Luv' stuff'
Releasing the bombastic single 'We belong to the night' in the slipstream of the success of 'Paradise by the dashboard light', the famous Meatloaf track on which Ellen Foley performed the female lead vocals, was a smart move from the record company.
It was also rewarded: 'We belong to the night' became a number 1 hit in the Netherlands for Ellen Foley in the autumn of 1979. Amazingly, the single did not chart in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 4182 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'We belong to the night' / 'Young lust'
Taken from Fay Lovsky's 1983 album 'Origami', the track 'Ramon' was remixed for the single release. It was one of many Fay Lovsky singles that didn't reach the Dutch Top 40.
I've seen this single numerous times over the years, but it is only now that I've decided to collect all of her singles that I finally got around to buying this one. I didn't know the track so well, but I'm glad to say this is one of her better singles.
My collection: 7" single no. 4177 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Ramon (special dance mix)' / 'Window across the street'
Andrew Maurice Gold was born in Burbank, California on August 2, 1951. He recorded 'Lonely boy' in 1976 for his album 'What's wrong with this picture?' . The song features backing vocals by Linda Ronstadt. The lyric of the song follows the life of a child who is neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical, but Gold has denied this.
When released as a single in 1977, it reached number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 31 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4170 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Lonely boy' / 'Must be crazy'
'The friends of Mr. Cairo' is the title track of Jon & Vangelis' second album, released in 1981. On the album, the track lasts 12 minutes, but is edited down to a little more than 4 minutes for this single release. It is still a rather confusing track, which didn't have any commercial appeal.
The song is an ode to classic Hollywood films of the Thirties and Fourties. Most notable references are to the classic film noir 'The Maltese falcon'. The track incorporates sound effects and voice impressions of the stars of the era, most notably Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre.
My collection: 7" single no. 4168 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The friends of Mr. Cairo' / 'Beside'
Jona Lewie is best known for his wry lyrics in the songs he's recorded. This is why 'Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' is a remarkable single in his catalogue: it is an almost entirely instrumental track. It does feature a guitar part, performed by Juan Martin.
Instrumental tracks are rarely commercially successful, and this one is no exception: the single did not chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4166 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' / 'I'll be here'
Clannad recorded 'The hunter' as a new track on their 1989 compilation album 'Past present'. It is a re-worked version of the song 'Herne' from their 1984 album 'Legend'. The track was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studios in Bath.
The single did not chart in the UK, unlike the album 'Past present', which reached number 5 in the UK albums chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4164 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The hunter' / 'Atlantic realm (The theme from)'
The Belle Stars made a name for themselves in the London club circuit when they started performing in 1981. Within a few months they appeared on the front cover of Sounds magazine. They were signed by Stiff Records.
The band's debut single, 'Hiawatha' was released in the late spring of 1981. This single failed to chart, just like the follow-up 'Slick trick'. Their third single was this EP, with the lead track 'Another latin love song'. Again, it failed to break into the charts. The band finally found success with their fourth single, a cover of the song 'Iko Iko'.
My collection: 7" single no. 4163 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Another latin love song', 'Miss world' / 'Stop now', 'Having a good time'
I wrote about 'I owe you nothing' once before, as I already owned the single for a long time. But this weekend, I managed to find three more copies of the single. Three more? Yes, because the single was actually released with four different sleeves. One was a compilation of the three others, featuring one member on the front sleeve each. Such was the popularity of Bros, that the single was not only released this way in the UK, but also in Europe.
When 'I owe you nothing' was released as Bros's debut single a year earlier, it failed to chart. The re-release was much more successful, as it managed to climb to the top of the UK singles chart this time around. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 4.
Finding these singles - the German pressings of them, by the way - saw me confronted with an administrative question: would I catalogue them as three separate singles? In the end, I decided to give them all the number 4162. After all, all three singles contain the same two tracks.
My collection: 7" single no. 4162 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro each Tracks: 'I owe you nothing' / 'I owe you nothing (The voice)'
Bananarama write and recorded 'Robert de Niro's waiting' on their self-titled second album, which was released in 1984. The track was apparently originally called 'Al Pacino's waiting', but was changed to 'Robert de Niro's waiting' because it fitted the music better. According to Siobhan Fahey: 'At Jolley [and] Swain's insistence the line 'Talking Italian' was added to add a 'romantic' edge.;
The single reached number 3 in the UK singles chart and number 25 in the Dutch Top 40. When Robert de Niro heard of the 'tribute' song, he arranged to meet the girls from Bananarama for drinks and dinner.
My collection: 7" single no. 4160 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Robert de Niro's waiting' / 'Push!'
After the release of the compilation album 'Absolutely' in 1990, ABC moved to a new record company and started recording their sixth studio album 'Abracadabra'. Just like with all previous albums, they radically changed their sound. This time, they opted for early Nineties techno sounds with a rather unemotional, distanced production.
The first single from the album was 'Love conquers all', which was received without much enthusiasm. It reached number 47 in the UK singles chart, but flopped everywhere else.
My collection: 7" single no. 4158 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Love conquers all' / 'What's good about goodbye?'
'Keep each other warm' was released as the fifth and final single from the 1986 Bucks Fizz album 'Writing on the wall'. Despite positive reviews from the music press, the single didn't reach the UK top 40, stalling at number 45.
