In December 2010, the first posthumous album by Michael Jackson was released. The first, because as record companies and the estate of Michael Jackson are always interested in getting more money off the legend, there will be loads more in the coming years. You've got to wonder whether that's good news or not.
This album, anyway, was not too bad. Most of the stuff would never have been released had Michael been alive, but it's good to hear some of the tracks. This vinyl single, released on Record Store Day (April 16, 2011) in some territories, features alternate versions of 'Behind the mask' and 'Hollywood tonight'.
My collection: 7" single no. 5108 Found: eBay.co.uk, received May 12, 2011 Cost: 5 pounds Tracks: 'Behind the mask (edit)' / 'Hollywood tonight (Throwback mix)'
Mason Williams was born on August 24, 1938. He is best known for his instrumental piece 'Classical gas', released as a single in 1968, taken from the album 'The Mason Williams Phonograph Record'. Williams was the head writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at the time of the piece's release and premiered the composition on the show. Williams performed it several times over several episodes.
There is a common misconception that "Classical Gas" was composed and performed by Eric Clapton. Clapton has never recorded a cover of the song. This misconception may possibly be attributed to the fact that Clapton was musical director of, and played much of the guitar music for, the feature film 'The story of us.' The version of the song on the film's soundtrack is actually Williams's own solo-guitar re-recording of it, from his 1970 album Handmade.
My collection: 7" single no. 5104 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 0,2 euro Tracks: 'Classical gas' / 'Long time blues'
'New York mining disaster 1941' recounts the story of a miner trapped in a cave-in. He is sharing a photo of his wife with a colleague ('Mr. Jones') while they hopelessly wait to be rescued. In the second and third verses, the lyrical lines get slower and slower, as to indicate that life is about to expire for the miners. According to the liner notes for the Bee Gees box-set 'Tales from the Brothers Gibb' (1990), this song was inspired by the 1966 Aberfan mining disaster in Wales.
Maurice Gibb recalled in an interview with Mojo magazine: 'The opening chord doesn't sound like a conventional A minor. Barry was using the open D tuning he'd been taught when he was nine, and I was playing it in conventional tuning. It gives an unusual blend. People went crazy trying to figure out why they couldn't copy it.'
My collection: 7" single no. 5102 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 0,2 euro Tracks: 'New York mining disaster 1941' / 'I can't see nobody'
Released in November 1977, 'If you ever come to Amsterdam' was the follow-up to Pussycat's successful single 'I'll be your woman' which reached number 11 in the Dutch Top 40. By comparison, this single did worse, as it stalled at number 20. Both singles stayed in the chart for seven weeks.
Like all of the band's hits, the song was written by the band's guitarist Werner Theunissen.
My collection: 7" single no. 5101 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'If you ever come to Amsterdam' / 'You must have been a beautiful baby'
Rocky Burnette (born Jonathan Burnette, 12 June 1953) is an American rock and roll singer/musician and the son of rock and roll pioneer, Johnny Burnette. He is best known for his 1980 hit single 'Tired of toein' the line'. The song's lyrics detail an imminent breakup.
The single reached number 8in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 in Australia. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 12.
My collection: 7" single no. 5099 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Tired of toein' the line' / 'Clowns from outer space'
"Only Yesterday" is a song recorded by The Carpenters in 1975. It was released on March 14, 1975, and was the Carpenters' last top 10 single in the United States. Composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, it peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The music video features some footage of Karen and Richard at work in the studio. After Karen sang the line, "the promise of morning light", it faded from the studio to a fountain in Huntington Library Gardens in San Marino, California. It then featured some footage of a Japanese bridge.
My collection: 7" single no. 5098 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Only yesterday' / 'Happy'
Lionel Richie was very hot in 1983. He released the album 'Can't slow down' and before he knew it, he had a row of hits on his hands. The first of them was 'All night long', a festive, danceable tune that went to number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, Australia and the Netherlands. In the UK, it reached number 2.
The video was played on television ad nauseam, and I grew rather tired of this track. Fast forward 27 years and I finally bought the single... Because after all, the tune is not bad.
My collection: 7" single no. 5097 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'All night long' / 'Wandering stranger'
'First of May' was released as the only single from the Bee Gees' 1969 album 'Odessa'. The song was partially responsible for the departure of Robin Gibb from the group. He wanted his song 'Lamplight' to be the album's first single, while Barry preferred 'First of May'. When Robert Stigwood, their manager, sided with Barry, Robin quit the band.
The single reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 6 in the UK singles chart. In the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, it reached number 37. Robin Gibb eventually returned to the Bee Gees, after Barry and Maurice released one album as a duo.
My collection: 7" single no. 5100 Found: Vrijmarkt, Den Haag, April 30, 2011 Cost: 0,2 euro Tracks: 'First of May' / 'Lamplight'
In 1992, Gloria Estefan released the album 'Greatest hits' to try and make some money with her past successes. Her enormous popularity of the late Eighties was fading a bit, and although her fans were still very much in awe of her, the rest of the world seemed to lose interest. 'Always tomorrow' was a new track included on the album and released as its first single. The song was about starting over in the wake of tragedy or disaster.
The royalties of the single were donated by Estefan to victims of Hurricane Andrew, which ruined much of Miami, Florida in August 1992.
My collection: 7" single no. 5093 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, April 19, 2011 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Always tomorrow' / 'Words get in the way (live)'
Dina Carroll was born as Geraldine Carroll on August 21, 1968 in Newmarket, Suffolk (UK). She started singing at age of five, primarily at home with her sister. Despite the lack of formal vocal coaching, in 1981, at the age of thirteen, she won a local Cambridgeshire talent competition, with her rendition of Barbra Streisand's 'Woman in Love'. After leaving school, she worked in various jobs, including a one-day stint as a chambermaid in a Cambridge hotel in 1985.
In 1989, Carroll secured a recording contract with Jive/Zomba and released a number of singles in 1989 and 1990. After a short time at Jive/Zomba, Carroll was spotted by Dennis Ingoldsby, one half of First Avenue Management, a small and newly founded management group. She was signed to A & M Records by managing director Howard Berman. Carroll's first solo single (produced and co-written by Nigel Lowis) 'Ain't no man' was released in June 1992, reaching number 16 in the UK singles chart. Carroll and Lowis worked on future singles together, one of which being the top 20 hit 'So close', which was released in December 1992; coincidentally the title of her debut album. Carroll was approached by Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C&C Music Factory who invited her to New York to become the first British artist to work with them. Carroll interrupted the writing and recording of her album to record 'Special kind of love', which also reached number 16 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5092 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, April 19, 2011 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Special kind of love' / 'If I knew you then'
The Maisonettes were an English band formed by Lol Mason and Mark Tibenham. Their debut single, 'Heartache avenue', reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart in 1983. It was also a big hit in the rest of Europe - I heard the song so often back in 1983 that it really bored me in the end.
I finally bought this single now because it was so cheap and because the feeling of boredom has finally worn off after almost two decades. And now it turns out the B-side of the single, 'The last one to know', is actually quite brilliant.
My collection: 7" single no. 5091 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, April 19, 2011 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Heartache avenue' / 'The last one to know'
The Adventures debuted in 1984 with the album 'Theodore and friends' which has recently been released on cd by Cherry Red records (Buy it here). The fourth and final single taken from that album was released after the relative success of 'Send my heart' and 'Feel the raindrops'.
Unfortunately, this single stalled at number 96 and this meant that the album didn't get the much needed promotional push. Fortunately, the band's second album, released in 1988, would do much better.
My collection: 7" single no. 5090 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Two rivers' / 'Love in chains (live)'
In 1986 the band Flip had a minor hit with 'That's what they say about love'. They were signed to Arista two years before, and - this I didn't know - released two singles as Touch before they changed their name to Flip.
This single was the second one: the very same recording of 'That's what they say about love' that would become a hit in 1986. This limited edition double pack includes their debut single 'Plague of hearts' as well. The fun thing about this double pack is that aside from 'That's what they say about love', the other tracks are different from the ones that would end up on Flip's debut album.
My collection: 7" single no. 5089 Found: Record fair, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'That's what they say about love' / 'Nothing really matters' // 'Plague of hearts' / 'Plague of hearts (the imagination) (instrumental)'
Guesch Patti had a number 1 hit in France with her single 'Etienne' (1987). Despite the French language, which can be quite difficult for non-francophones, the song had a strong enough melody to also give her a top 10 hit in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
The single was subsequently also released in the UK. This version of the single included an exclusive English-language version of the track. Despite this, the single failed to chart in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 5087 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Etienne' / 'Un espoir', 'Etienne (English version)'
'Takin' a chance on you' was the second single from Dollar's second album 'The Paris collection'. Contrary to its predecessor 'The girls are out to get ya' and the follow-up 'You take my breath away', this single did make the UK singles chart, but only reached number 62.
This copy is a limited edition picture disc.
My collection: 7" single no. 5086 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Takin' a chance on you' / 'No mans land'
Cicero released his debut single 'Heaven must have sent you back to me' on 12 August 1991 on the Spaghetti Records label, owned by the Pet Shop Boys. Despite promotion from the artist and Pet Shop Boys, the single failed to chart. The two singles that followed, 'Love is everywhere' and 'That loving feeling' were co-produced by Pet Shop Boys and were minor hits in the UK.
His debut album, 'Future boy', was released in June 1992. Pet Shop Boys remixed 'Heaven must have sent you back to me' for the album. It was released as the fourth single and charted at number 70 in the UK. The music video for the single was directed by Chris Lowe.
My collection: 7" single no. 5088 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Heaven must have sent you back to me (remix)' / 'Jungilism'
One of Israel's most famous singers Ofra Haza competed in the 1983 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Hi'. Although the song title means 'Alive' in Hebrew, it was translated into English as 'High' and into German as 'Frei'.
This German version was released on the Jupiter Records label, owned by Ralph Siegel, who has written loads of songs for the Contest. The label has released many Eurovision-related singles through the years.
My collection: 7" single no. 5085 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Frei' / 'High'
In 1986, after Dollar reformed for the first time, they released the single 'Haven't we said goodbye before' on Arista records. The lack of success of this single and its predecessor 'We walked in love' had them looking for another record contract the next year.
The song, however, is nice enough. The B-side of this single, however, is a contender for the title 'worst B-side ever'.
My collection: 7" single no. 5083 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Haven't we said goodbye before' / 'Platinum rap'
'Passengers' was released in 1984 as the second single from Elton John's album 'Breaking hearts'. It reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in Australia.
The song was written not only by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, who write most of John's material, but in collaboration with Davey Johnstone and Phineas McHize.
My collection: 7" single no. 5082 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Passengers' / 'Lonely boy'
On his album 'New light through old windows' (1988) Chris Rea re-recorded the tracks that made him famous in the Eighties. They were not always better versions, but I guess the man felt the need to do these songs once again.
The album spawned three singles, of which 'I can hear your heartbeat' was the last one. It was the least successful one, too: it only reached number 74 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5081 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I can hear your heartbeat' / 'Loving you again (live version)'
In December 2010, the first posthumous album by Michael Jackson was released. The first, because as record companies and the estate of Michael Jackson are always interested in getting more money off the legend, there will be loads more in the coming years. You've got to wonder whether that's good news or not.
