Just two years after the release of 'The day before you came' by Abba, the British duo Blancmange recorded and released a cover version of the song. While the original only reached number 32 in the UK singles chart, the Blancmange version managed to reach number 22. However, where the Abba version managed to chart all over Europe, the Blancmange single only charted in the UK.
It was their last significant hit, as subsequent Blancmange singles peaked at number 40 or lower in the UK singles chart. I didn't like this cover version in 1984, when it came out, but now I think it's a pretty decent version.
My collection: 7" single no. 4285 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The day before you came' / 'All things are nice (version)'
China Crisis signed to Virgin records in 1982, releasing their debut album 'Difficult shapes & passive rhythms, some people think it's fun to entertain' in December of that year.
Their first hit in the UK was a re-release of 'African & White'. This song was originally released in 1981 on an independent label, but this Virgin release was a remix of the track. The single reached number 45 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4283 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'African and white (remixed version)' / 'Red sails'
'Walkabout' was the fourth album by the Fixx, released in 1986. From this album, the single 'Secret separation' was taken. Like most singles by the band, it did not chart, although it was played often on the radio.
Personally I didn't know this single existed until I saw it and bought it recently. I did know the album very well, as my sister bought it in the late Eighties, and I recorded it and played it rather often at the time. So this was a really nice find.
My collection: 7" single no. 4282 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Secret separation' / 'Sense the adventure'
Vanessa Paradis debuted in 1987 with 'Joe le taxi', and then followed it up with 'Manolo Manolete', a song about a Spanish bullfighter. The single only managed to reach number 10 in the French singles chart, but flopped everywhere else.
As a result, the track did not appear on her debut album 'M&J', released in 1988.
My collection: 7" single no. 4281 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Manolo Manolete' / 'You you'
The height of Boney M's success was gone, vanished by the end of the Eighties. Still, someone thought it would be a good idea to release a 'Summer Megamix', consisting of their biggest summer hits: 'Sunny', 'Ma baker', 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday', 'Gotta go home' and 'Kalimba de luna'. The megamix was made by Michael Newman and Charles Key B, together with Pete Hammond from Pete Waterman Limited.
The single was, as far as I know, only released in France, peaking at number 11 in the French singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4280 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The summer megamix' / 'The calendar song'
Written by Michel Berger, 'Ella elle l'a' is a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. France Gall, who was married to Berger, recorded the song for her 1987 album 'Babacar'.
The single reached number 2 in France. In Germany, it became a number 1 hit (which is rather rare for a French song), while in the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 30.
My collection: 7" single no. 4279 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Ella elle l'a' / 'Dancing brave'
It's not always a bad life, being a pop star. Colin Blunstone not only has one of the best male voices in the industry, but for the sleeve of his single 'Touch' he also had to pose with a nude woman in his arms. That's not so bad, is it?
Released in February 1983, 'Touch' sounds a lot like an Imagination single. You would expect that this track was produced by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley as well, but it isn't - it was produced by one Peter Bardens, who also wrote the song. The single did not chart in any territory, which really is a shame.
My collection: 7" single no. 4278 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Touch' / 'Touch (instrumental)'
The Allisons were an English pop duo consisting of Bob Day (born Bernard Colin Day, 2 February 1941, Trowbridge, Wiltshire) and John Alford (born Brian Henry John Alford, 31 December 1939, London). They were marketed as being brothers, using the same surname of Allison.
They represented the United Kingdom during the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Are you sure'. They came in second place with 24 points. The song was released as a single on the Fontana Records label, and climbed to number 1 on the UK NME pop chart. However, the official UK singles chart states that the song peaked at number 2. Despite a couple of minor follow-up hits, the duo disbanded in 1963. It doesn't happen so often that I pay a large amount for a single without a picture sleeve, but this old rarity - in a perfect state! - did warrant it.
My collection: 7" single no. 4272 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 3,5 euro Tracks: 'Are you sure?' / 'There's one thing more'
'If you leave' was recorded in 1986 by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for the soundtrack of the movie 'Pretty in pink'. The song was featured prominently during the final scene of the movie.
Subsequently, the single became the group's biggest hit in the USA, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, the song was virtually ignored in the UK, where it only reached number 48 on the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4253 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'If you leave' / '88 seconds in Greensboro'
'Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye' was written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, using the band name Steam. It was released in late 1969. It became a number one hit in the USA and peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart.
In February 1983, Bananarama released the song as a single off their album 'Deep sea skiving'. This version became a number 5 hit in the United Kingdom, but stalled just outside the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (at number 101) later in the year.
My collection: 7" single no. 4249 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye' / 'Tell tale signs'
Mike Oldfield and Anita Hegerland, who became his partner in the mid-Eighties, said during an interview that 'Innocent' was inspired by their daughter Great, who also appeared in the music video for the song. Anita Hegerland provides vocals on 'Innocent', while Mike Oldfield composed and performed the music.
The single was taken from Mike Oldfield's 1989 album 'Earth moving'. The single did not chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4247 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Innocent' / 'Earth moving (Disco version)'
In 1980, squatters were dominating the news in the Netherlands. During the crowning of Queen Beatrix they used the occasion to protest against poor housing conditions in the country, using the memorable slogan 'Geen woning, geen kroning' ('No housing, no crowning' - it rhymes better in Dutch). Squatters riots were becoming a familiar sight, especially in the bigger cities in the Netherlands.
Rubberen Robbie used these developments to release a single. 'Twee mobiele ogen die keken de kraker aan' (which roughly translates as 'Police eyes looked at the squatter') did not become a hit for the group. The B-side is amusing for those who enjoy rude sounds set to music.
My collection: 7" single no. 4275 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Twee mobiele ogn die keken de kraker aan' / 'De kater komt later'
When Harmony were selected to represent the Netherlands during the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest with ''t Is OK', they recorded two versions of the song: in Dutch and in English. This English version, entitled 'It's OK', was released as a single in various countries.
This single was made in West Germany. The single did not chart there, as in other countries.
My collection: 7" single no. 4271 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 3 euro Tracks: 'It's OK' / 'Bim Bam Bom'
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie recorded 'Endless love' for the soundtrack of the movie 'Endless love' starring Brooke Shields. It was also released as a single in 1981. While the movie was a failure, the song became the second biggest-selling single of the year in the USA (second only to 'Physical' by Olivia Newton-John). The single reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.
The song became the biggest-selling single of Ross' career, while it was one of several hits for Richie as the Eighties progressed. Ross recorded a solo version of the song for her first RCA Records album, 'Why do fools fall in love?'. The song was covered by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey in 1994. That version must have been meant for deaf people.
My collection: 7" single no. 4268 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Endless love' / 'Endless love (instrumental)'
Having achieved widespread success in Europe and Japan with '99 Luftballons', Nena wanted to try their luck in the rest of the world with an English version of the song. Kevin McAlea wrote this version, titled '99 red balloons', which has a more satirical tone than the original. The English version is not a direct translation of the German but contains a somewhat different set of lyrics.
Nena recorded '99 red balloons' despite their dissatisfaction with the lyrics, which they expressed in numerous magazine interviews in 1984. They felt the English version was not a faithful rendition of the German original. Still, with this song they achieved something few other German bands had achieved at the time: a number one hit in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 4266 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: '99 red balloons' / 'Ich bleib' im Bett'
'I hear talk' was released on December 15, 1984, in the same week when Bucks Fizz were involved in a road accident: their tour bus collided with road works, careened off the road and injured members of the group as well as their entourage. The group were inactive for several months as a result.
Promotion for 'I hear talk' was minimal, although a music video had already been completed. The single reached number 34 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4265 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I hear talk' / 'Pulling me under'
'And when the night comes' was released as the second single from Jon & Vangelis' third album 'Private collection'. The single failed to make any chart impact.
It's funny how I never saw this single, while on the record fair on November 21 I found it in three different stalls. Sometimes I think there's a secret vault of old 7" singles where these things come from every once in a while.
My collection: 7" single no. 4264 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'And when the night comes' / 'Song is'
ZTT Records signed Frankie Goes to Hollywood after producer and co-founder Trevor Horn saw the band play on the TV show The Tube, where they played an early version of 'Relax'. Once the band was signed, ZTT co-founder Paul Morley mapped out the marketing campaign fashioned as a 'strategic assault on pop'. He opted to tackle the biggest possible themes in the band's singles ('sex, war, religion'), of which 'Relax' would be the first, and emphasised the shock impact of Frankie members Holly Johnson and Paul Rutherford's open homosexuality in the packaging and music videos.
Horn dominated the recording of 'Relax' in his effort for perfectionism. The band were overawed and intimidated by Horn's reputation, and thus were too nervous to make suggestions. Johnson said in his autobiography, 'Whatever he said we went along with'. When attempts to record with the band proved unsatisfactory, Horn hired former Ian Dury backing band the Blockheads for the sessions. When the results of these sessions didn't sound modern enough, Horn then constructed a more electronic-based version of the song with session musician Andy Richards and with rhythm programming assistance from J. J. Jeczalik of Art of Noise. Horn developed this version of the recording in his West London studio while the band remained in their hometown of Liverpool. Ultimately lead vocalist Johnson was the only band member to perform on the record. Horn completed the recording having spent £70,000 in studio time. As Horn explained years later, 'I was just... Look, 'Relax' had to be a hit.'
My collection: 7" single no. 4263 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Relax' / 'One September Monday'
The song 'Take me home' is not to be taken literally: it's not about a man going home. Phil Collins has explained that the song lyric refers to a patient in a mental institution, and that the song is based on the novel 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest'. The song features Sting, Peter Gabriel and Helen Terry on backing vocals.
The song was released as a single in the UK in July 1985 and in the US in March 1986. It peaked at number 19 in the UK and number 7 in the USA.
My collection: 7" single no. 4262 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Take me home' / 'We said hello goodbye'
While in most of the world 'Union city blue' was released as the second single from Blondie's 1979 album 'Eat to the beat', 'The hardest part' was released in the USA and Canada. The song was written by Deborah Harry and Chris Stein, as most of the band's material.
The single only reached number 84 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 86 in Canada.
My collection: 7" single no. 4261 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The hardest part' / 'Sound asleep'
Just two years after the release of 'The day before you came' by Abba, the British duo Blancmange recorded and released a cover version of the song. While the original only reached number 32 in the UK singles chart, the Blancmange version managed to reach number 22. However, where the Abba version managed to chart all over Europe, the Blancmange single only charted in the UK.
