Blue Jean - David Bowie

Having sworn off disguises and alternate identities for his 1983 album 'Let's dance', it was a bit odd to see the music video for David Bowie's 'Blue Jean' in 1984. Again using loads of make-up on his face, the video distracted a bit from the music. The album 'Tonight', released that year, is seen as an artistic failure, although there were a few nice songs on it.

The extended version of 'Blue Jean' is interesting enough, I'd say. However, the B-side, containing two remixes, is the kind of music I've played only once - but never more. Quite excruciating.

My collection: 12" single no. 372
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 2000
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Blue Jean (extended dance mix)' / 'Dancing with the big boys (extended dance mix)', 'Dancing with the big boys (extended dub mix)'

Walk on air - T'pau

There's something unusual about this 12" single: it's the sleeve! While the record company decided to release a picture disc, they released it in a normal 12" single sleeve, so at first you don't even notice it's a picture disc you're buying. I guess I'm just used to clear pvc sleeves for picture discs.

Anyway, 'Walk on air' was the penultimate single release of T'pau, because after the next one, 'Soul destruction', the band broke up. The name lived on via some greatest hits compilations, and in the end Carol Decker reappeared, using the name T'pau, in 1998 with the excellent album 'Red'. But this single didn't sell very well, and with the end of their contract in sight, the record company must have lost faith. Unfortunately!

My collection: 12" single no. 120
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, 1991
Cost: 20 guilders
Tracks: 'Walk on air' / 'Hold on to love (alternative version)', 'Dirty town'

Living in a world (turned upside down) - Private Lives

Private Lives released a handful of singles, but their best known tracks remains 'Living in a world (turned upside down)'. Recorded at those legendary Select Sound Studios in Knebworth, it is one of the best pop songs from 1984. At least, that's what I think. The record company must have had similar thoughts as they re-released the track after two other singles didn't chart. The original single reached number 53 in the UK singles chart, this re-release didn't chart. The end of the duo came pretty quickly after that.

This 12" single features the new single version of the title track, but also a nice extended version and a dub remix of their very first single release, 'Because you're young'.

My collection: 12" single no. 614
Found: unknown
Price: unknown
Tracks: 'Living in a world (turned upside down) (5th Amendment)' / 'Because you're young', 'Living in a world (turned upside down) (7" mix)', 'Breakup (7" mix)'

The sensual world - Kate Bush

When I bought this 12" single, I did it mainly for the fact that it was cheap and it was a promotion copy. I don't know why I never bought the commercial 12" single, but considering it was 1989, it would probably have been a lack of funds.

Anyway, I was pretty surprised when I found out the A-side of this 12" single featured a so-called 'double groove'. One groove featured the regular version of 'The sensual world', the other played the instrumental version. The latter was also one of the B-sides, which made it a bit of a useless exercise. Bush re-recorded 'The sensual world' as 'Flower of the mountain' on her album 'Director's cut'. The new version was recorded as it was originally intended: with the words from James Joyce's book 'Ulysses'.

My collection: 12" single no. 97
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1990
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The sensual world', 'The sensual world (instrumental)' / 'Walk straight down the middle', 'The sensual world (instrumental)'

Cry wolf - A-ha

Released as the second single from A-ha's second album 'Scoundrel days', I never thought this was the best track to be released as a single. The title track should have been the one in my opinion, but perhaps it was deemed 'too intense'. This poppy track catered to the lightweight pop image the band had at the time, even if the album they made was full of more intricate musical arrangements.

The extended version of 'Cry wolf' included here was a decent remix however. I never bought the 12" single myself, but I got a copy last year when someone sent me a package and used this to make it more sturdy. And you know: when something is free, you enjoy it even more.

My collection: 12" single no. 613
Found: unknown, 2011
Cost: nothing
Tracks: 'Cry wolf (extended version)' / 'Cry wolf', 'Maybe maybe'

A gentleman's excuse me - Fish

I bought several different discs of Fish's 'A gentleman's excuse me'. Besides two 7" singles, a cd-single and a shaped picture disc, the 12" single was a piece of vinyl that ended up in my collection pretty soon after its release.

On this format, the demo version of the song is added. It also appears on the cd-single, but this is, as far as I know, the only vinyl format on which the demo appears.

My collection: 12" single no. 93
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1990
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'A gentleman's excuse me' / 'Whiplash', 'A gentleman's excuse me (demo)'

The promise you made - Cock Robin

'The promise you made' reached number 1 in the Dutch Top 40 in March 1986 and it was one of those rare occasions when I just couldn't agree more. Even during the Eighties, when we were spoilt for good artists making excellent music, the chart was often topped by crap songs. (From 1986 alone I can remember 'When the going gets tough the tough get going' by Billy Ocean and 'Holiday rap' by MC Miker G & DJ Sven.)

The 12" single of 'The promise you made' featured an excellent extended mix. The mix was done in an elegant way, adding interesting instrumental breaks and an intriguing intro. Judge for yourself...

My collection: 12" single no. 23
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'The promise you made (extended version)' / 'The promise you made', 'Have you any sympathy?'

Mini LP - Talk Talk

Released exclusively in Greece in 1986, this mini LP (imaginatively titled 'Mini LP') features five 12" remixes of Talk Talk hits. From the early hit 'Talk Talk' to the two most recent singles 'Life's what you make it' and 'Living in another world', this LP represents the 'pop' era of Talk Talk just before they would become a very imaginative, postmodern pop band.

Only in 1998 a double CD set entitled 'Asides besides' would be released, collecting all these remixes and more, so at the time of finding this, I was pretty excited. Even if the quality of the vinyl wasn't all that good, it was an opportunity to buy five remixes in one go - and that wasn't bad.

My collection: LP no. 99
Found: Record fair, 1994
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Such a shame (USA 12" mix)', 'Living in another world (USA 12" mix)' / 'Life's what you make it (USA 12" mix)', 'It's my life (USA 12" mix)', 'Talk Talk (USA 12" mix)'

We'll be together - Sandra

The last record I'm describing this year is also the last 12" single by Sandra I have to describe. After 'We'll be together' a few more 12" singles were released, but as they were also available on cd-single with the same content, I preferred buying those for some reason.

'We'll be together' was released in 1989, almost a year after the release of the album 'Into a secret land', and so got the 'trendy' label "'89 remix". The extended and dub versions certainly add some punch to the pop song. It's a lovely sentiment to end the year with... We'll be together!

My collection: 12" single no. 612
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, 2002
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'We'll be together (extended version)' / 'We'll be together (dub version)', 'We'll be together (single version)'

Live-in world - Anti-Heroin Project

Fish, Nik Kershaw, Cliff Richard, Dave Stewart, Holly Johnson, Robin Gibb, Kim Wilde and many others contributed their voices and music to the Anti-Heroin Project in 1986. It was one of many charity projects in music that took place in the mid-Eighties, following the lead of Band Aid and Live Aid.

The single 'Live-in world' was lifted from a double album that contained tracks from various artists. This was the track that contained vocals from over fifty artists on a new song written by Charley Foskett. The Anti-Heroin Project was not very successful: neither the single nor the album charted. This 12" single adds two tracks to the two included on the 7" single release: one by Lenny Henry and one by Ringo Starr.

My collection: 12" single no. 392
Found: Record fair, 2000
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Live-in world' (Anti-Heroin Project), 'On the street' (Lenny Henry) / 'Something better' (Anti-Heroin Project), 'You know it makes sense' (Ringo Starr)

Montuno - Gloria Estefan

'Montuno' was the fourth single released by Gloria Estefan on her first Spanish album 'Mi Tierra'. It was released only in the UK, while 'Tradición' was released in the United States and 'Si Señor!...' in selected European countries.

A limited edition 7" single was released, featuring two B-sides: the single remix of 'Go away', taken from her 'Greatest hits' album, and the then-unreleased 'This Christmas', which was a track from her album 'Christmas through your eyes'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5254
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 19, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Montuno' / 'This Christmas', 'Go away (single remix)'

Rockin' around the Christmas tree - Mel & Kim

Mel Smith and Kim Wilde were asked to record a song for Comic Relief, to be released just in time for Christmas 1987. At the time, Mel and Kim Appleby were storming the charts as Mel & Kim, so this 'Mel & Kim' release was quite an original invention.

The 12" single features extra comedy dialogues by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys-Jones, who were wellknown for their comedy TV series 'Alas Smith & Jones'. Kim Wilde still sings 'Rockin' around the Christmas tree' live whenever an appropriate occasion comes up, such as this month's Quofestive tour together with Roy Wood and Status Quo.

My collection: 12" single no. 61
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'Rockin' around the Christmas tree (The Mega Merry Magimix)' / 'Deck the blooming halls' (The Mel Smith Yuletide Choir)

Experiment IV - Kate Bush

Kate Bush released 'Experiment IV' in October 1986 as a single from the compilation album 'The whole story'. The song tells a story about a secret military plan to create a sound that is horrific enough to kill people. The ending of the story is unclear, but in the music video nearly every person working on the project is killed by the horrific sound, which is personified by Bush herself as she changed from an angelic woman into a banshee (a horrifying screaming apparition of Irish lore).

The 12" single features an extended mix which highlights the violin solos by Nigel Kennedy even more than in the single version. An extra bonus is the track 'December will be magic again' on the B-side, which gives this disc some relevance for Christmas.

My collection: 12" single no. 37
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'Experiment IV (12" mix)' / 'Wuthering heights (new vocal)', 'December will be magic again'

Cheers then - Bananarama

'Cheers then' appears on Bananarama's 1983 debut album 'Deep sea skiving' and was released as its third single. The song was the first Bananarama single to be written by group members Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward and also their first ballad release.

The 12" single remix has a decidedly seasonal flavour to it, with added jingle bells. The song was originally recorded in January 1982, but the single was released in December of that year.

My collection: 12" single no. 611
Found: Plaatboef, Den Haag, December 5, 2011
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Cheers then (extended version)' / 'Girl about town (extended version)'

Merry Christmas darling - The Carpenters

The voice of Karen Carpenter is almost universally lauded as one of the loveliest ever recorded. No wonder, then, that the Carpenters tried their hand at a Christmas recording. 'Merry Christmas darling' was originally recorded in 1970. The single reached number 45 in the UK singles chart.

In 1978, The Carpenters issued their 'Christmas Portrait' album, which contained a new remix of 'Merry Christmas Darling'. The original 1970 mix continued to be used for all single releases, however. The major difference between it and the 1978 version is a newly recorded vocal by Karen Carpenter on the latter. Richard Carpenter himself calls the original recording one of his sister's very best.

My collection: 7" single no. 5008
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Merry Christmas darling' / 'Ticket to ride', 'Saturday'

Christmas through your eyes - Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan was very popular in the second half of the Eighties, but it seemed she lost her touch in the Nineties somehow. She remained popular for her solid fanbase, of course, but the rest of the world didn't seem to care as much anymore.

Maybe her music became too predictable. Even 'Christmas through your eyes', released in 1992 in time for the Christmas season, never became a seasonal classic, which for most artists is very easy once they have become a household name. The song is nice enough, but the Megamix on the B-side is a nice treat, too.

My collection: 7" single no. 4996
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 15, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Christmas through your eyes' / 'Megamix'

Saturday night - The Blue Nile

I bought this 12" single of 'Saturday night' a few years after its release. When I spotted it, I wasn't entirely sure whether a cd-single of this release also existed - and so I snapped it up. Of course, a few years later I would find the cd-single with exactly the same track listing. Still, it is nice to showcase this disc here - and on a Saturday too.

On the B-side an instrumental piece called 'Our lives' appears, divided in three parts, entited 'Lost', 'Bolivia' and 'New York'.

My collection: 12" single no. 209
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1994
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Saturday night (edit)', 'Saturday night (album version)' / 'Our lives'

The big sky - Kate Bush

The last release from Kate Bush's milestone album 'Hounds of love' was 'The big sky'. The track was remixed for the single release and the 12" single featured an extended remix of the track plus a previously unreleased B-side called 'Not this time', a euphoric singalong track that remains quite rare in Kate's musical output.

I remember having a hard time deciding to buy this disc. Of course I was very much into Kate Bush but the constant flow of singles meant a drain on my pocket money. In the end, I bought this disc a few months after its release - just before it became unavailable in fact.

My collection: 12" single no. 31
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'The big sky (Metereological mix)' / 'Not this time', 'The morning fog'

I'm not scared - Eighth wonder

The Pet Shop Boys produced 'I'm not scared' for Eighth Wonder, the group with frontwoman Patsy Kensit. She appeared in the BBC programme 'Saturday kitchen' earlier this month, with some people commenting that she looked like she'd had some cosmetic surgery done. Shame, because she always looked so great in the past and cosmetic surgery rarely does anything to enhance looks. Just ask Pete Burns.

The single 'I'm not scared' was produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Phil Harding. This 12" single features an extended 'disco mix'. I looked for the cd-single for ages, but it's very hard to find a copy for a reasonable price. So in the mean time, this disc will have to do.

My collection: 12" single no. 433
Found: House of Rhythm, London, 2003
Cost: 1,4 pounds
Tracks: 'I'm not scared (disco mix)' / 'I'm not scared', 'J'ai pas peur'

Secret land - Sandra

Personally I consider 'Secret land' to be one of Sandra's best ever tracks. The 12" single was particularly interesting for its inclusion of both an extended remix (called the 'reverse mix') and a dub version. The melody of the track and the rhythms are engaging enough to keep the listener interested throughout the length of the entire disc.

'Secret land' was taken from Sandra's third album, which again I consider to be her best. After this album, her music became increasingly 'Enigma'-ish, and less pop.

My collection: 12" single no. 204
Found: Marik, Vienna, July 1994
Cost: 99 Schilling
Tracks: 'Secret land (Reverse mix)' / 'Secret land (single version)', 'Secret land (dub mix)'