Distant sun - Crowded House

'Distant sun' was the first single release from Crowded House's fourth album 'Together alone' (1993). The single was a hit in the UK in the autumn of 1993, peaking at number 19, and in Australia, where it reached number 21. In March 1994, a remixed version of 'Distant sun' was released in the USA, but it did not chart.

Buying this single was a gamble: it was a new release during a week when I was in London, and I decided to buy it on account of the fact that I liked the band's previous singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 1989
Found: Virgin Megastore, London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Distant sun' / 'Walking on the spot'

If she knew what she wants - The Bangles

I wrote about 'If she knew what she wants' once before, but that was a UK pressing, and a limited edition double single to boot. This single, which I'd bought some time earlier, is the Dutch pressing, with a completely different sleeve.

A different sleeve, but no different tracks: both were taken from the Bangles' 1986 album 'Different light'. The single did not chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1610
Found: Record fair, March 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'If she knew what she wants' / 'Angels don't fall in love'

Love in itself - Depeche Mode

'Love in itself' was released in September 1983 as the final single from Depeche Mode's third album 'Construction time again'. The single version was called 'Love in itself 2', as it was an edit of the album version. Number 3 is an extended version, and number 4 is an acapella version with piano. The B-side was the track 'Fools', written by Alan Wilder instead of the band's main songwriter, Martin Gore.

The single reached number 21 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 867
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Love in itself 2' / 'Fools'

Church of the poisoned mind - Culture Club

'Church of the poisoned mind' was Culture Club's third big hit single, released in spring 1983. The uptempo track has some similarities to Motown tracks, especially 'Uptight (Everything's alright)' by Stevie Wonder.

The single was a number 2 hit in the UK singles chart and reached number 7 in the Dutch Top 40. The band also had their first hit in the USA with this track, peaking at number 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2064
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, December 29, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Church of the poisoned mind' / 'Man shake'

Don't stand so close to me - The Police

Sting, lead singer of the Police, was an English teacher before he found fame with his band. 'Don't stand so close to me', with its lyric dealing with the mixed feelings of a teacher (lust/guilt/fear), and inappropriateness leading to confrontation, caused some speculation on whether the song was actually autobiographical. Sting denied this in 2001 when he promoted the concert dvd 'All this time'.

The single was released in 1980. It gave the band their first hit in the USA, as it reached number 11 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, it was a number 1 hit, while in the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 3. The single I have is part of a limited edition with a poster sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 1219
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, April 22, 1990
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Don't stand so close to me' / 'Friends'

War party - Eddy Grant

'War party' was originally a track on Eddy Grant's 1981 album 'Killer on the rampage'. The track was remixed and released as a single in 1982. The single reached number 42 in the UK singles chart during a four week chart run.

This single was released as a limited edition pressed on red vinyl in Germany. This copy is one of that limited edition.

My collection: 7" single no. 3206
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'War party (Bajan remix)' / 'Say I love you'

A quoi je sers... - Mylene Farmer

Mylene Farmer released 'A quoi je sers...' ('To whom I serve...') in the summer of 1989, coinciding with her first live tour in France. It was a new song, not available on her debut album which the tour promoted. Both this song and its B-side, 'La veuve noire' were recorded fairly quickly.

As often with Mylene, the lyric of the song is very pessimistic. It's about madness, the desire of suicide and the impression of the futility of the life. According to some observers, the song sums up most of Mylene's work, as it displays the singer's doubts about her usefulness on Earth. The single reached number 16 in the French singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1971
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'A quoi je sers...' / 'La veuve noire'

Something to believe in - Clannad

Clannad collaborated with American singer/songwriter Bruce Hornsby to record 'Something to believe in'. He played piano and accordion on the track and also sang along on the track (his voice is clearly audible in the chorus).

The track was released as the first single from Clannad's 1987 album 'Sirius' but failed to chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1471
Found: June 30, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Something to believe in' / 'Second nature'

Venus - Bananarama

'Venus' was written by Dutch musician Robbie van Leeuwen for his band Shocking Blue, released as a single in late 1969. Bananarama had the song in their live repertoire for a couple of years before they decided to record it. They wanted to turn it into a dance track and brought the idea to producers Stock Aitken Waterman. It became Bananarama's first collaboration with them.

Initially, Stock, Aitken and Waterman also resisted the idea because they believed that 'Venus' would not make a good dance record. The three members of Bananarama persisted, and so they recorded the song. When it was released as a single in the summer of 1986, it went to number 1 in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Mexico and South Africa. In the UK, the single reached number 8 and in the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 4. The collaboration on 'Venus' led Bananarama and SAW to work together on the group's follow-up album 'Wow!' in 1987.

My collection: 7" single no. 4324
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, December 1, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Venus' / 'White train'

Young offender / Liberation - Pet Shop Boys

Throughout their career, the Pet Shop Boys have always been keen on remixing their songs. In the beginning, they made most of their extended remixes themselves, but when the Nineties started, they utilised more and more 'outsiders' for their remixes. This double 12" single set displays both the merits and the disadvantages of that approach.

The two Jam & Spoon remixes of 'Young offender' are great trance experiences, using most of the original song but in a very different musical setting. 'Liberation' was remixed by Murk, Oscar G and E Smoove, but none of them have been able to come up with something even remotely sounding like the original track. Some of them use one word from the track, namely its title, but the whole experience of disc 2 has become unlistenable dross. Remixing? Not everyone is good at it, you know.

My collection: 12" single no. 228
Found: Record fair, 1993
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Young offender (Jam & Spoon's Trip-o-matic fairy tale mix)' / 'Young offender (Remix no. 2)' // 'Liberation (E Smoove 7" mix)' / 'Liberation (Murk Deepstrumental mix)', 'Liberation (Oscar G's dopeassdub mix)', 'Liberation (Murk Dirty Club mix)'

Who's gonna ride your wild horses - U2

U2 recorded 'Who's gonna ride your wild horses' many times during the sessions for their 1991 album 'Achtung baby', but they eventually ended up with a version that was very similar to the original demo. Bono wrote the song's lyrics for The Edge, who was going through a rough divorce from his wife during the recording sessions.

Bono has commented that the band were still dissatisfied with the track: 'It's a song I feel we didn't quite nail on the record because there was another whole set of lyrics that were dumped and I wrote those quickly and off we went.' The track was remixed for the single release. It reached number 14 in the UK singles chart and number 13 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1795
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, November 28, 1992
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Who's gonna ride your wild horses' / 'Paint it black'

Welcome to my party - Luv'

In a rather desperate bid to revive past successes, Luv member Marga Scheide recruited Diana van Berlo and Michelle Gold to record new tracks as Luv', starting in 1989. This was after the original line-up reunited briefly in 1988, but quickly concluded that they had enough conflicts to not want to reform.

The new trio recorded one successful single, 'Welc0me to my party'. It reached number 22 in the Dutch Top 40. In 1990, Michelle Gold was replaced by another member, Carina Lemoine. During the Gulf War, Luv' performed in Dubai to support the Dutch troops. The formation finally split up in 1992. It wasn't the best version of Luv': just listen to the lifeless Medley on the B-side, in which they perform the biggest Luv hits without the bubbly cheerfullness of the original versions.

My collection: 7" single no. 1118
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, December 1, 1989
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Welcome to my party' / 'Medley'

Zwei kleine Italiener - Conny Froboess

Conny Froboess was born on October 28, 1943. She became a teen idol of the Fifties and early Sixties in Germany. In 1962, she represented Germany during the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Zwei kleine Italiener' ('Two little Italians') . She finished sixth in a field of 16 competitors during the Contest.

The lyric of the song describes the plight of two gastarbeiters from Italy who wish to return to their homeland to be with their girlfriends, Tina and Marina. She contrasts this situation with that of the rest of German society (at the time undergoing the Wirtschaftswunder largely as a result of immigrant labour), for whom 'a journey to the South is something chic and fine'. The two Italians, it seems, despair of ever returning to Naples. This unusual subject matter marks the first time that a social issue was described in a Eurovision entry.

My collection: 7" single no. 4344
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, December 1, 2009
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Zwei kleine Italiener' / 'Hallo hallo hallo'

Music - Madonna

Madonna had her creative peak in the late Nineties with 'Ray of light'. When that album and its singles had been a great worldwide success, she followed it up with 'Music', the album and the single of the same name. Unfortunately, her voice was falling back to the rather childish range she had before she used a vocal coach for the movie 'Evita', and so the quality of her recordings also slowly deteriorated.

Fortunately, 'Music' is still a very nice song, produced by Mirwais Ahmadzai and promoted with a music video incorporating animation and special guest star Ali G. The single was a number 1 hit in Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. In the Dutch Top 40, 'Music' peaked at number 4.

My collection: 7" single no. 3223
Found: Record fair, 2000
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Music' / 'Cyberraga'

Qualified - Lois Lane

Although the Dutch band Loïs Lane were never officially part of Prince's entourage, they did get to work with him on a few occasions. This single is a good example of their collaboration: 'Qualified' was written and produced by Prince and Kirk Johnson. The track was even recorded at his Paisley Park studios in Minneapolis.

'Qualified' was a track on Lois Lane's 1992 album 'Precious' and released as the first single from that album. It reached number 8 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1653
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 9, 1992
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Qualified' / 'Need a little space'

Eye in the sky - Alan Parsons Project

'Eye in the sky' is a 1982 song by the Alan Parsons Project from their album of the same name. The song is in part a reference to George Orwell's classic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, regarding a possible future in which individual privacy is virtually non-existent due to the ever-watching eye of Big Brother. Songwriter and vocalist Eric Woolfson has also commented that he spent a lot of time in casinos and in commercial districts, fascinated by the hidden security cameras that monitor gamblers and shoppers.

The single reached number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but failed to chart in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3277
Found: November 11, 2000
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Eye in the sky' / 'Mammagamma'

All woman - Lisa Stansfield

'All woman' was released as the second single from Lisa Stansfield's second album 'Real love'. The single reachde number 56 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 20 in the UK singles chart and number 21 in the Dutch Top 40.

The title was also used for a series of compilation albums featuring songs performed by female singers.

My collection: 7" single no. 1587
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 22, 1992
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'All woman' / 'Everything will get better'

Just around the corner - Cock Robin

'Just around the corner' was released as the first single from Cock Robin's second album 'After here through midland'. The band, originally a quartet, slimmed down to its core members Peter Kingsbery and Anna LaCazio, but the sound of the group remained intact: melodious pop songs with a strong drum hook.

The single was released in a limited edition posterbag and reached the charts all over Europe. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 19, while it didn't chart in the UK. The highest position was reached in Switzerland, where it got to number 6.

My collection: 7" single no. 534
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 19, 1992
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Just around the corner' / 'Open book'

The pleasure principle - Janet Jackson

'The pleasure principle' was written by Monte Moir and recorded by Janet Jackson for her successful 1986 album 'Control'. The track was remixed by Shep Pettibone and released as the sixth single from the album in the summer of 1987.

Although the single reached number 14 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, it was much less successful in other territories: in the UK it only got as far as number 24. The best result outside the USA was made in the Netherlands, where the single peaked at number 15.

My collection: 7" single no. 2061
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, December 24, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Track: 'The pleasure principle (Shep Pettibone remix)' / 'The pleasure principle (Shep Pettibone dub edit)'

L'amour en soi - Vanessa Paradis

Since I'm not based in France the whole Vanessa Paradis phenomenon pretty much passed me by, but she must have been quite the phenomenon back in 1990. Her second album 'Variations sur le meme t'aime' featured songs written by legendary French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg and she sounded a lot more adult than on her debut album, released just two years earlier.

'L'amour en soi' was one of the tracks on the album and released as its third and last single. Contrary to the two previous singles, this one didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4319
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, December 1, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'L'amour en soi' / 'Flagrant délire'