Lara Crokaert was born on January 9, 1970 in Etterbeek, Belgium. She began singing, dancing and taking piano lessons at a young age, and began formal music lessons at age eight. She began writing and performing her own songs during her ten years of formal music study.
In 1988, the RTL TV channel in Luxembourg invited Fabian to represent the country at the 33rd Eurovision Song Contest, held that year in Dublin, Ireland. The song was a composition of Jacques Cardona and Alain Garciac entitled 'Croire' ('Trust'). At the close of voting, it had received 90 points, placing 4th in a field of 21 competitors. The single became a hit in Europe, selling nearly 500,000 copies.
My collection: 7" single no. 5618 Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 14, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Croire' / 'Trust'
I had to set aside my principle of not spending too much money on vinyl singles for this 1992 Eurovision Song Contest entry by Cleopatra, because it's so hard to find and the fact that I was buying this together with six other singles meant that I could save on shipping costs anyway. That's how I have to justify things sometimes.
'Oulou tou kosmou i elpida' ('Everyone's hope') is one of the best Eurovision entries ever, despite - or perhaps, because of - the fact that the lyrics are incomprehensive if one does not speak or understand Greek. The powerful song received 94 points, placing 5th in a field of 23 competitors, making it Greece's best showing in the Contest since 1977.
My collection: 7" single no. 5617 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 5 euro Tracks: 'Oulou tou kosmou i elpida' / 'Song for love'
'Sata salamaa' ('One hundred lightnings') was performed by Finnish singer Vicky Rosti on the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. On this single the original Finnish version is backed with an English version entitled 'Firenight'. The song is sung from the perspective of a woman telling her lover that,
regardless of the adversity (the "hundred lightnings" of the title)
they face in their love, 'There's a thousand worlds out there, and one
of them is ours' - in other words, they will triumph in the end. At the close of voting, the song had acquired 28 points, finishing 15th out of 22 competitors.
Vicky is still active in the Finnish music scene, as a member of the band Menneisyyden Vangit.
My collection: 7" single no. 5616 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Sata salamaa' / 'Firenight'
'Frère Jacques' was the Luxembourgish entry in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by French singer Anne-Marie Besse. As the title suggests, the disco-influenced song contains several references to the nursery rhyme of the same name; 'Frère Jacques, dormez-vous?' ('Brother John, are you sleeping?') 'J'entends les cloches qui sonnent' ('I can hear the bells ringing') and 'Tu aurais bien mieux à faire que de jouer au grand frère...' ('There are so much better things for you to do than pretending to be my big brother....'). The singer compares the childish rhyme to her current adulthood, singing about how she longs to have a relationship with some of Jacques/John's friends; 'I'm not a child anymore, you know'. The song ends with the line 'Frère Jacques, réveille-toi et viens dormir avec moi...' ('Brother John, wake up and come sleep with me...'). At the close of voting, the song had received 17 points, placing 16th in a field of 18 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5616 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Frère Jacques' / 'Bébé chat'
Finnish singer Monica Aspelund was born in Vaasa on July 16, 1946. She debuted at the age of fourteen and since released many singles, including Finnish covers of international hits. In 1977 she participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Lapponia', which received 50 points and finished 10th in a field of 18 competitors.
Despite its moderate placing at the Eurovision final, 'Lapponia' was
given release in twenty European countries and also in Australia,
Brazil, Israel and Turkey. Aspelund recorded "Lapponia" in six
languages; Finnish, her mother tongue Swedish, English, German, French
and Dutch. "Lapponia" afforded Aspelund a number 5 hit in Finland and also
reached number 5 in Sweden.
My collection: 7" single no. 5614 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 3 euro Tracks: 'Lapponia' / 'La-la laula laulu'
Two weeks ago, as I was on Ebay bidding on a series of Eurovision singles (and won seven out of ten, as you can read here), I noticed that most of the action happened in the last two minutes. Suddenly there were bidders (or it was only one, I couldn't tell) coming up and offering more than my maximum - which, admittedly, wasn't exactly high. By quickly throwing in one more bid - which, again, wasn't very high - I was able to steal back the singles in the last few seconds. There was just one exception: this 1969 Yugoslavian entry by 4M. And that's remarkable, since it's such an old record from a country that doesn't even exist anymore.
'Pozdrav svijetu' is a ballad, in which the 4M's salute all people of the
world, wishing them a "good day" in several languages: Spanish, German,
French, English, Dutch, Italian, Russian and Finnish. At the close of voting, it had received just 5 points, placing 13th in a field of 16 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5613 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 0,7 euro Tracks: 'Pozdrav svijetu (Dobar dan)' / 'David i Ruth'
Ketil Stokkan was born on April 29, 1956 in Harstad, Norway. As well as being a singer in the Norwegian band Zoo, Ketil performed as a solo singer, most notably in the Eurovision Song Contest - twice.
His first appearance was in 1986 with his self-penned song 'Romeo'. The Contest was held in Bergen, Norway that year, after the previous year saw the Bobbysocks win with the rather retro La det swinge. The song became more significant for the appearance onstage of a drag queen, a member of the Norwegian drag troupe "Great Garlic Girls", dressed in stylised clothing reminiscent of the 18th century, thus representing the first occasion on which a sexual minority was visible onstage. At the close of voting, 'Romeo' had received 44 points, placing 12th in a field of 20. Stokkan returned on the Eurovision stage in 1990 with the unsuccessful 'Brandenburger Tor'. But I am still looking for a (cheap) copy of that single...
My collection: 7" single no. 5612 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Romeo' / 'Vi overlever regnet'
In 1993, Luxembourg participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for the very last time. Despite regular rumours of their return to the Contest, the country has not made an appearance in the last 22 years so it seems likely that this song by Modern Times, a duo consisting of Simone Weis and Jimmy Martin, will remain their last.
'Donne moi une chance' is sung partly in Luxembourgish. It starts off with a strong intro but becomes a bit dull after that. Apparently the juries thought the same: at the end of the voting, the song had acquired 11 points, finishing as 20th in a field of 25 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5611 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Donne moi une chance' / 'Heaven only knows'
Mark James wrote and recorded 'Suspicious minds' in 1968. After his single was a commercial failure, the song was handed to Elvis Presley, who turned it into one of the most notable hits of his career. It was his seventeenth and last number one hit in the USA.
Session producer Felton Jarvis made the unusual decision to add a
premature fade-out to the song starting at 3:36, mirroring the way
Presley used to perform it in his live Las Vegas stage act. This
fade-out lasts for about 15 seconds before fading back in, conveying a
message of relationship in the song.
My collection: 7" single no. 5610 Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Rijswijk, February 7, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Suspicious minds' / 'You'll think of me'
The white sleeve of this single informs the reader only that the disc contains 'Dishwasher', which was used in the Dutch radio show 'Avondspits'. Having listened to this show all through the Eighties, there's no small chance that I heard this tune every day for years. And indeed, the tune sounds very familiar.
General Public formed when Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger decided to continue working together in a new ventur after the breakup of their previous band The Beat. They recruited Mickey Billingham, Mick Jones, Horace Panter and drummer Stoker and signed to Virgin Records. 'Dishwasher' is an instrumental mix of General Public's track 'Burning bright', from their debut album 'All the rage' (1984). The single actually reached number 38 in the Dutch singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5609 Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Rijswijk, February 7, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Dishwasher' / 'General public'
Released in 1988, 'Roses are red' is a typical Eighties production, sounding a lot like the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis productions for Janet Jackson. The song was actually produced by L.A. & Babyface. It was the band's only single to reach the UK singles chart, peaking at number 6.
The song was taken from the band's debut album 'The Mac Band featuring the McCampbell Brothers', also released in 1988. They released two further albums, 'Love U 2 the limit' (1990) and 'The real deal' (1991), after which they called it quits.
My collection: 7" single no. 5608 Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Rijswijk, February 7, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Roses are red' / 'Roses are red (instrumental)'
Patrick Juvet was born on August 21, 1950 in Montreux, Switzerland. While his early career was focused on making pop records, in the second half of the Seventies he found international success as a disco performer.
Before that, however, he represented his country in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Je vais me marier Marie' ('I'm getting married, Mary'). At the close of voting, it had received 79 points, placing 12th in a field of 17 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5607 Found: Discogs.com, received January 20, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Je vais me marier Marie' / 'Moi j'ai le coeur sauvage'
Saskia & Serge competed in the Eurovision Song Contest once, with the forgettable song Tijd in 1971. However, the year before, they participated in the Dutch national final with this song, ''t Spinnewiel'. They were almost selected, but in the end the Hearts of Soul were chosen with their song 'Waterman'.
While I still have to find a copy of that song, I did manage to get hold of Saskia & Serge's song on this single. Listening to it now, it's hard to imagine that they would stand a chance against 1970's winner, Dana with All kinds of everything.
My collection: 7" single no. 5606 Found: Discogs.com, received January 20, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: ''t Spinnewiel' / 'Dans met me mee'
Back in 1983, the late Ofra Haza participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with Hi. Readers of this blog will know that I managed to buy the original version and the German version Frei in 2000 and 2011 respectively. I recently managed to add one more version to the collection: 'Vas vas vas', which is the French version.
I have to be honest: I almost didn't buy this single. Through the years I've seen this sleeve so often, that I almost believed I'd already bought it. But usually the price was too high, causing me to leave the single with the various suppliers. This time around, though, I got lucky. And it's a pristine copy too!
My collection: 7" single no. 5605 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Vas vas vas' / 'Hi'
It's getting late in the evening, so it's time for the ultimate moan and groan track of all times. 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' is one of those songs almost everyone with a minor interest in pop music knows. It achieved some notoriety because of its extensive inclusion of heavy breathing.
The lyrics are written as a dialogue between two lovers during sex. Phrases include: 'I go and I come between your loins', 'You are the wave, I the naked/deserted island', 'Physical love is a dead end'. Gainsbourg claimed the song was actually an "anti-fuck" song about the desperation and impossibility of physical love. That message somehow got lost a bit, as the single reached number 1 in many countries mostly on the strength of its face value: it sounded very sexual. Well, I hope you will have a good night after listening to this single.
My collection: 7" single no. 5601 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Je t'aime moi non plus' / 'Jane B.'
Okay... So we've had many Dallas actors and actresses singing tracks, such as Audrey Landers, Charlene Tilton, Victoria Principal, Patrick Duffy and even good old Larry Hagman, so I guess a single by a Dynasty actor or actress was to be expected. But I never imagined it would be the preposterous proposition of Joan Collins reciting the lyric of John Lennon's 'Imagine'!
This single was released in 1982 to promote the album 'The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays The Beatles'. You have to marvel at the sheer strangeness of records sometimes. The B-side is slightly less bizarre, with Roy 'I wish it could be Christmas every day' Wood singing 'Happy Christmas (War is over)'.
My collection: 7" single no. 5602 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Imagine' (Joan Collins) / 'Happy Christmas (War is over)' (Roy Wood & Honor Hefferman)
'L'amour est bleu' was the 1967 Eurovision entry by Vicky Leandros, representing Luxembourg that year. She actually won the contest with the song, prompting chart success all over Europe - and a flurry of cover versions.
The most famous cover version is the one by Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra, although his version was entirely instrumental. It didn't bother the audiences in Europe, where it became a hit in 1968. Amazingly, his version became the best known version in the United States, where it ranked as the second best sold song of the year.
My collection: 7" single no. 5603 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'L'amour est bleu' / 'A banda'
'Can we still be friends' was written and originally recorded by Todd Rundgren. It appears on his 1978 album 'Hermit of Mink Hollow'. It was the only hit single from that album, reaching number 29 in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Robert Palmer was quick to cover the song, releasing it just a year later. He included it on his album 'Secrets'. Despite the fact that this is a very decent version, the single didn't chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5601 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Can we still be friends' / 'Too good to be true'
It's hard to believe that this single was released in the summer of 1978, because the Human League's 'Being boiled' sounds a lot like early Eighties synthpop. But actually, it was one of the first pieces of electronic pop music produced in the UK. It was recorded on a domestic tape recorder, in mono, in an abandoned factory at a cost of £2,50.
The song was written by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig-Marsh before Philip Oakey joined the band. They gave him the music to listen to, and he returned two days later with lyrics for the track. Ware and Marsh liked the lyrics, and the song was born. The song was re-recorded in 1980, but this single contains the original version.
My collection: 7" single no. 5600 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Being boiled' / 'Circus of death'
The title 'Alors je chante' may only seem familiar to those who have read about Rika Zarai's single on this blog almost six years ago. It is a cover of the 1969 Eurovision song Vivo cantando, one of four winners that year.
Dimitri Dourakine recorded this - instrumental - version of the song in 1969, not long after his single 'Casatchok' became a number one hit in France. It's kitsch, but Eurovision-related kitsch is always worthwhile of course.
My collection: 7" single no. 5599 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, January 16, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Alors je chante (and then I sing)' / 'Haifa'
