Magical - Bucks Fizz

Following the success of the rock-orientated track 'Talking in your sleep', Bucks Fizz were keen to replicate it with the release of this similar-themed song. 'Magical' was written by Meat Loaf and John Parr and originally recorded by Parr in 1985. While the track was not a hit for him in the UK, it did reach number 73 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

With the public still familiar with Bucks Fizz's clean-cut pop image, their cover of the song was not successful and 'Magical' became the group's lowest charting single. Released in September 1985, the song reached number 57 and spent only three weeks on the chart.

The single was significant in that it was the first release with new member Shelley Preston, who had joined a few months earlier, although she didn't perform on the recording. It was also the group's last release with label RCA before their move to Polydor early the following year.

My collection: 7" single no. 2759
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 29, 1996
Cost: 20p
Tracks: 'Magical' / 'Oh Suzanne'

Everything I wanted - The Bangles

The Bangles basically split up in 1989. When the record company CBS released 'Greatest hits' in 1990, they did so to fulfil the band's contractual requirements.

The album was promoted with a new single, the song 'Everything I wanted' that was described as previously unreleased, however it had a limited release previously as the B-side to their single 'I'll set you free' in Australia. The single was not a success, just like the album that only made the top 10 in the UK and Australia.

My collection: 7" single no. 1239
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, 1990
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Everything I wanted' / 'In your room'

Quiet eyes - Golden Earring

In 1986, Golden Earring released the dark and overproduced album 'The hole'. The first single from that album was 'Quiet eyes', the only single from the album to reach the top 10 in the Netherlands, peaking at number 9.

The accompanying music video and the sleeve artwork was created by Anton Corbijn. The single was actually released in four different sleeves, featuring one of the four band members and blue, green, yellow or red lettering on the front, and the remaining three band members on the back.

My collection: 7" single no. 421
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, June 28, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Quiet eyes' / 'Gimme a break'

In bloom - Nirvana

Bassist Krist Novoselic from Nirvana recalled that 'In bloom' 'originally sounded like a Bad Brains song. Then Kurt turned it into a pop song'. The band recorded a demo of 'In bloom' with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin in April 1990. The song originally had a bridge section that Vig removed. Novoselic said that after the band recorded the song, Vig cut out the bridge from the 16-track master tape with a razor blade and threw it in the garbage.

After signing to DGC Records, Nirvana began recording its second album 'Nevermind' in May 1991. 'In bloom' was one of the first songs the band recorded during these album sessions. The arrangements for 'In bloom' and the other songs previously recorded with Vig in 1990 were largely unchanged; the recently hired drummer Dave Grohl stayed mostly with what his predecessor Chad Channing had recorded, but added more power and precision to the recording.

My collection: 7" single no. 1849
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, January 23, 1993
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'In bloom' / 'Silver (live)'

Space oddity - David Bowie

Following David Bowie's split from record label Deram, his manager Kenneth Pitt managed to negotiate a one-album deal with Mercury Records in 1969. Next he tried to find a producer. Tony Visconti liked the album demo-tracks, but considered the planned lead-off single, 'Space oddity', a gimmick track and delegated its production to Gus Dudgeon.

Following recording of the track, the single was rush-released on July 11, 1969 to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landings. In the UK, it was used in conjunction with the BBC's coverage of the landing. This exposure finally gave Bowie a hit, reaching number 5 in the chart. The single also reached number 8 in the Dutch Top 40. The song became so well-known that Bowie's second album, originally released as David Bowie in the UK (like his first album), was renamed after the track for its 1972 reissue by RCA, and has since become known by this name.

This particular single is a re-release from the mid-seventies, also containing the later hit single 'Changes'. While I am never too fond of re-releases (and especially those without a picture sleeve) I felt I had to buy it since getting an original copy from 1969 would - and will probably still - cost a fortune.

My collection: 7" single no. 550
Found: London, October 1987
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Space oddity' / 'Changes', 'Velvet goldmine'

Alleen in Dallas - John Lion

When John Lion sings 'Alleen in Dallas' ('Only in Dallas'), he isn't referring to the city in Texas, but rather the television series that was immensely popular in the Eighties. His encounter with a woman in a bar who turns out to have a big and rather aggressive boyfriend is apparently something that could only happen in a fictional television series.

The single was originally released in 1983, but failed to chart. I bought the single in 1988, when it was re-released. And again, the single failed to chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 633
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Alleen in Dallas' / 'Tussen wind en water'

King of pain - The Police

'King of pain' was released as the second single from the Police's 1983 album 'Synchronicity' in the USA and the fourth single in the UK. It was the only single from that album that didn't have an accompanying music video.

Despite this, the single reached number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 17 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1415
Found: Record fair, April 7, 1991
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'King of pain' / 'Once upon a daydream'

Other people are us - Howard Jones

There's a preacher in every popstar, and to prove this, Howard Jones recorded 'Don't be part of it' in 1991. 'As long as there are the slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields' he sings, proposing us to stop eating meat just because of this. Well, I don't know...

Fortunately, the A-side of this rare Italian promotional disc is less moralistic. 'Other people are us' is a song in the best Howard Jones tradition, with a great melody and pure, simple vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 1913
Found: Record fair, May 22, 1993
Cost: 8 guilders
Tracks: 'Other people are us' / 'Don't be part of it'

Almost unreal - Roxette

Per Gessle wrote 'Almost unreal' for the soundtrack of the Bette Midler movie 'Hocus pocus' (1993), but it was not used. Instead, the song appeared in another movie soundtrack, from 'Super Mario Brothers'.

The track was also released as a single, peaking at number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1998
Found: HMV, London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Almost unreal' / 'The heart shaped sea'

Crashed into love - Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet's career seemingly came to an end in 1990 with the release of 'Crashed into love', the fourth and final single from their 1989 album 'Heart like a sky'. The previous single 'Empty spaces' had stalled at number 94 in the UK singles chart and this one did no better, as it only reached number 96.

After this, Spandau Ballet, from whom Gary Kemp was already feeling estranged, split up. Tony Hadley, Steve Norman and John Keeble launched a failed court case against Gary Kemp for a share of his song-writing royalties. Although initially vowing to appeal the verdict, they later decided against this. They subsequently toured as a trio, but as they had to sell their shares in Spandau Ballet's company to Gary Kemp to pay off legal debts, and that company owned the rights to the name of Spandau Ballet, they had to tour under the moniker of 'Hadley, Norman and Keeble, ex-Spandau Ballet'. In 2009, the band surprisingly reformed completely.

My collection: 7" single no. 1202
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 6, 1990
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Crashed into love' / 'How many lies (live)'

Invisible sun - The Police

'Invisible sun' was written by Sting about the tensions in Northern Ireland. The song is a departure from Police songs before it; it contains a dark, looping synthesizer beat, and powerful, haunting lyrics. Among other things, the lyrics refer to the ArmaLite rifle used by paramilitary organizations, but mainly by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

It was the first single taken from the 1982 Police album 'Ghost in the machine' and it reached number 2 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 458
Found: Oldies Unlimited, received 1986
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Invisible sun' / 'Shambelle'

The lover in me - Sheena Easton

Under the wings of Prince, Sheena Easton reinvented herself as a sex bomb in the mid-Eighties. This image proved to be successful mostly in the United States, but sometimes her singles would have some chart success in Europe as well.

'The lover in me' was released in 1988 as the first single from Easton's album of the same name. Produced by LA & Babyface, it was one of her biggest hits in the USA and her first top 20 hit in the UK after eight years, peaking at number 15. In the Dutch Top 40, the single peaked at number 12.

My collection: 7" single no. 775
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, March 23, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'The lover in me' / 'The lover in me (instrumental)'

Anne - Clouseau

The Belgian group Clouseau participated in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Geef het op', but they also tried to get on the international Eurovision stage in 1989. Their song 'Anne' was one of the candidates at the 1989 national final in Belgium, but lost in the end to Ingeborg's 'Door de wind'.

In Belgium, the single 'Anne' still managed to become a big hit. The group found themselves in a wave of popularity that would last for at least three years.

'Anne' was re-released in 1990 in a limited edition with a different B-side. I had the re-release first, but when I came across a copy of the original release I couldn't resist buying that one as well. The B-side of that one is a great acapella track.

My collection: 7" single no. 1532 / no. 2845
Found: Bruxelles, October 11, 1991 / Record fair, April 5, 1997
Cost: 100 Belgian Francs / 2 guilders
Tracks (no. 1532): 'Anne' / 'Mary-Lou'
Tracks (no. 2845): 'Anne' / 'Killertip (ze zit)'

Little 15 - Depeche Mode

'Little 15' barely made it onto the album 'Music for the masses' and was never intended to become a single. However, the French record label insisted they release it, and so it still happened. Copies of the single did make it to the UK on import, however, giving the band a minor chart placing, as it peaked at number 60. In Germany, the single was a bigger hit, peaking at number 16, in Austria it reached number 25 and in Switzerland it peaked at number 18.

The B-side is a beautiful instrumental performed by Alan Wilder entitled 'Stjärna' (mislabelled 'Stjarna'), which is Swedish for 'star', written by Martin Gore.

My collection: 7" single no. 642
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 23, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Little 15' / 'Stjarna'

Un canto a Galicia - Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias was well known in his native Spain, but even his 1970 Eurovision entry 'Gwendolyn' didn't make him the international star he would become later on.

His first international success was the single 'Un canto a Galicia', released in the summer of 1972. That single sold 1 million copies in Germany and reached number 1 in the Dutch Top 40. It was the start of an international career that would last well into the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 4628
Found: Markt, Rotterdam, March 9, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Un canto a Galicia' / 'Como el alamo al camino'

Du - Peter Maffay

Peter Maffay was born on August 30, 1949 in the Romanian town of Brasov as Peter Alexander Makkay. He was the son of a German mother and Hungarian father. In 1963, he joined his first band, The Dukes. After completing his education and working for Chemigraphics, an art manufacturer, Maffay worked in clubs, where he distributed his music.

Peter Maffay's solo career started with the publication of his first single, 'Du' ('You'). It was the biggest German hit in 1970 and brought Maffay instant fame.The single also charted outside of Germany: in the Netherlands, the single was a number 1 hit for five weeks in March 1971.

My collection: 7" single no. 4627
Found: Markt, Rotterdam, March 9, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Du' / 'Jeder Junge braucht ein Mädchen'

Don't leave me this way - Communards

'Don't leave me this way' first charted in 1975 when it was recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. A year later, a cover version by Thelma Houston hit the international charts.

The Communards decided to record another cover version in 1986. It was a very Hi-NRG version, featuring guest vocals by Sarah Jane Morris. The single topped the UK singles chart for four weeks in September 1986 and stayed at number 1 for five weeks in the Dutch Top 40. Several remixes were issued, notably the 'Son of Gotham City Mix' which was split across two sides of a 12" single and ran for a total of 22 minutes 55 seconds.

My collection: 7" single no. 4626
Found: Markt, Rotterdam, March 9, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Don't leave me this way' / 'Sanctified'

On every street - Dire Straits

'On every street' was released in early 1992 as the third single of Dire Straits' sixth and final studio album from 1991. I wasn't too wild about the two earlier singles 'Calling Elvis' and 'Heavy fuel', but this single seemed to be a return to the atmospheric tracks like 'Private investigations' and 'Brothers in arms'.

No promotional video was made for the song, and the B-side was an old track, from the band's 1980 album 'Making movies'. The single stalled at number 42 in the UK singles chart as a result.

My collection: 7" single no. 1590
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 29, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'On every street' / 'Romeo & Juliet'

Niet meer nodig - Sietze Dolstra

These days I'm not too wild about Dutch language music, but as a child that was difference. I guess the main attraction was that I could understand what people were singing, but I also guess that the music was a bit better back then.

There's a lot of drama in Sietze Dolstra's 'Niet meer nodig' ('Not needed anymore'): it's the story of a woman who is married to a trucker who is always away from home, a son that grows up and leaves her alone - and when she reaches out to the church because she doesn't feel so well, she gets an answering machine on the line. All this is set to a beautiful melody, as you can hear even if you don't understand Dutch.

My collection: 7" single no. 57
Found: Rapsody, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Niet meer nodig' / 'Liedje van verlangen'

Can't wait another minute - Five Star

'Can't wait another minute' was originally recorded by Lewis and covered by Five Star on their 1986 album 'Silk and steel'. It was released as the first single from that album.

The single reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 41 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but did not chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1794
Found: All that music, Leiden, November 25, 1992
Cost: 2,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Can't wait another minute' / 'Don't you know I love it'