A year before Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland, the country was represented by Cathal Dunne, a singer who'd started his career in the mid-1970's. 'Happy man' was written and composed by himself, and it was a relatively successful entry, finishing fifth in a field of 19 competitors.
Apparently, this single was released on green vinyl in Ireland, but this is the rather more dull version pressed in Holland on black vinyl.
My collection: 7" single no. 5762 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Happy man' / 'Sweet woman of mine'
In 2010, Plastic Bertrand confessed that he didn't sing his biggest hit, 'Ça plane pour moi', himself. It is quite astonishing, then, that the singer, who was born in Brussels, still managed to stay in the music business long enough to participate in the 1987 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
In that year, he represented Luxembourg with the song 'Amour amour'. Unfortunately, that song wasn't nearly as surprising and exciting as that famous 1977 punk single. At the close of voting, the song had received just 4 points, finishing 21st in a field of 22 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5761 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Amour amour (Version Française)' / 'Amour amour (English version)'
Turkey debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975. Judging from the cover of this single, you might think that it was with this song, but no: the country competed with the song 'Seninle bir dakika' by Semiha Yanki.
Cici Kizlar consisted of Şebnem Aksu, Birnur Bilginoğlu and Bilgen Bengü. Their song 'Delisin' ('You're mad') charmed the audience during Turkey's national final and actually shared first place. Because Semiha Yanki apparently got more votes from the professional jury, she was sent to Stockholm. However, 'Delisin' became a big hit in Turkey. The trio produced other singles
in rapid succession. By the end of 1976, the group broke up. Bilgen Bengü was the only member of the group who continued music career afterwards.
My collection: 7" single no. 5760 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Delisin' / 'Rengarenk'
The 1975 Belgian entry of the Eurovision Song Contest by Ann Christy appeared on this blog four years ago, in two versions: the original version 'Gelukkig zijn' and the English version 'Could it be happiness'. At the time, I thought these versions were the only two that existed, but thanks to a lucky acquisition, I know better now.
This single features the French version, 'L'histoire du bonheur'. As you can see, this single is also housed in a sleeve similar to the other two. It turns out there's a fourth version as well: the German 'Wenn keiner mehr zu dir steht'. Let's hope that one pops up somewhere for me too.
My collection: 7" single no. 5759 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'L'histoire du bonheur' / 'On ne peut se passer l'un de l'autre'
Cyprus is hardly a superpower in music: there are no real big stars from the island and in Eurovision it has never managed to win, despite receiving those 'douze points' from Greece almost every time. In 1987, Alexia Vassiliou represented the country with this very decent pop song, 'Aspro-mavro'. The title means 'black and white'. The lyric describes how a girl remembers a man she saw on a train - but she can only bring the memory back by playing the piano.
At the close of voting, the song had received 80 points, placing 7th in a field of 22 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5758 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Aspro-mavro' / 'Please me lover'
I haven't had any comments about the many Eurovision Song Contest singles on this blog recently (Come to think of it, I haven't had any comments at all over the last few months!) but truth is, I have been buying almost nothing else recently. But there is always the odd exception, and here is one of them: a 1993 single by Dannii Minogue. Kylie's little sister, indeed.
While Kylie has had a career with some downs but mostly ups, Dannii's career is almost the other way around. 'This is the way' is a good example of her usual chart performance: it reached number 27 in the UK charts and number 45 in Australia. The main selling point of this single is not the tune - which, frankly, is quite mediocre - but the limited edition poster bag.
My collection: 7" single no. 5757 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'This is the way' / 'This is the way (The cool 7")
Flip Henderson plays the trumpet in this instrumental cover of the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest winner, 'Puppet on a string'. The song was originally performed by Sandie Shaw, representing the United Kingdom. Many covers of the song exist, including one by a barrel organ which was featured on this very blog some time ago.
This cover version isn't exactly anything special, but whenever I see any covers of Eurovision songs I am always interested. Hence the inclusion of this in my collection.
My collection: 7" single no. 5756 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Puppet on a string' / 'Penny of happiness'
Six years ago (wow, how time flies) I wrote about 'Hora' by Avi Toledano, a single I'd bought in 1982, just months after he'd participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. WIth my modest budget it was a feast to get any Eurovision song that wasn't a winner. Little did I know that three decades later I would be buying Eurovision singles in spades.
I came across this version of the single recently. I'd seen it before, but this version is usually rather expensive because of its inclusion of a French version. This time, however, the disc was a steal at just one euro. And so, it finally arrived into my collection.
My collection: 7" single no. 5755 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Hora (Version Française)' / 'Hora (Version Hébraïque)'
'Chi Sara' ('Who Will Be With You') was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in Italian by Massimo Ranieri. The song was performed tenth on the night. At the close of voting, it had received 74 points, placing 13th in a field of 17 competitors.
Massimo Ranieri was no stranger to Eurovision: he participated in the 1971 edition as well, with 'L'amore E' Un Attimo'. Although I haven't featured that single on this blog yet, the French version can be found here.
My collection: 7" single no. 5754 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Chi sara' / 'Domenica Domenica'
The duo Eyjólfur Kristjánsson and Stefán Hilmarsson participated in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Draumur um Nínu', representing Iceland. They appeared on stage as the second act of 22. At the close of voting, they ended up in 15th place.
Although the song did not fare too well in the contest it has remained
one of Iceland's most popular songs of all time, still receiving regular
airplay.
My collection: 7" single no. 5753 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Nina (English version)' / 'Nina (Icelandic version)'
Wolfgang Ziegler was born in Rostock on October 8, 1943. His first solo album 'Halt mich' was released in 1988 on the East German Amiga label. It featured a cover version of Johnny Logan's 1987 Eurovision winner 'Hold me now', entitled 'Halt mich fest'.
That single was released in the Western part of Germany, and although it didn't become a hit, it is a decent version of that song. It is every bit as (over)emotional as the original track. The big success arrived a year later, when the next single 'Verdammt' was released. By the time Wolfgang's second solo album was released, Germany was no longer separated between East and West.
My collection: 7" single no. 5752 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Halt mich fest' / 'Nächte in Berlin'
I wrote about the disappointment of the United Kingdom's 1986 Eurovision Song Contest entry 'Runner in the night' before, and how its tinny sound and unruly synthesizers ruined what could theoretically have been a good song.
So why extend the horror even more? Well, there was a maxi single release at the time, and it features an extended version that, because of its approach of the song, manages to make it slightly more enjoyable than it was. There aren't many remixes of Eurovision entries, even from the Eighties, so this makes a rather interesting release after all.
My collection: 12" single no. 656 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received August 29, 2014 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Runner in the night (extended)' / 'Runner in the night', 'Runner in the night (ballad)'
Armando António Capelo Diniz da Gama was born on April 1, 1954 in Luanda, Angola. He grew up in a colonial family in Angola and moved to Portugal in 1971. He studied at the Portuguese music conservatory in Luanda and managed to sell over five million records in Portugal alone during his career which now spans four decades.
In 1983 he represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Esta balada que te dou' ('This ballad that I give you'). Gama describes the end of a relationship, all the while dedicating "this
pretty ballad" to his former lover and explaining that there is nothing
wrong with being sad. At the close of voting, it had received 33 points, placing 13th in a field of 20 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5750 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Esta balada que te dou' / 'When love has gone'
Keeley Ford was born as Mair Davies and hails from Redditch. In 1973, she represented the United Kingdom on the Japanese World Popular Song Festival with a song called 'Head over heels'. Two years later, she recorded a cover version of the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest entry for the UK by the Shadows, 'Let me be the one'.
What's more remarkable, is that she also recorded a cover version of that song in French. 'Laisse-moi danser tout l'été' was released in France, but whether it was a commercial success remains unknown. In fact, there isn't a lot of information about Keeley Ford at all, although it seems she passed away not so long ago if I am to believe certain messages on the web.
My collection: 7" single no. 5749 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Laisse-moi danser tout l'été' / 'Le jour où je t'ai rencontré'
Hearts of Soul was formed by three Dutch Indo sisters from Harderwijk: Bianca, Stella and Patricia Maessen. They worked in the late 1960s as session singers for Dusty Springfield until 1968. In 1969, they recorded their debut album.
In 1970, they were chosen to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Waterman'. They finished 7th out of 12 competitors. In the mid-seventies the group moved to Belgium. There they formed Dream Express in 1975 with former Pebbles musician Luc Smets (who married Bianca). They represented Belgium in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest. During the Eurovision song contest of 1986 Patricia was the backing singer of winning entrant Sandra Kim. In 1987, she was also a backing singer for Plastic Bertrand's Luxembourg entry.
Patricia Maessen died on May 15, 1996 in Mortsel near Antwerp at the age of 44, from the effects of a stroke.
My collection: 7" single no. 5748 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Waterman' / 'Kom nou'
I'm not really an expert on Eurovision cover versions - there are other people who know much more about that particular field of expertise - but I do know that I like a cover version now and then. Especially when they are slightly odd. This particular oddity comes from Germany, and is a German language version of the 1972 Dutch entry of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Edina Pop is the stage name of Marika Késmárky, who was born in Budapest on February 4, 1941. She came to Germany in 1969 and started her singing career in German shortly afterwards. She appeared in the German national final for Eurovision in 1972 with the song 'Meine Liebe will ich dir geben', but she didn't win. She recorded this single. Whether this was a chart success in Germany remains unknown.
My collection: 7" single no. 5747 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Was soll ich tun?' / 'Schreib es in den Wind'
To find the German version of Chocolate Menta Mastik's 1976 Eurovision entry, Komm' heut zu mir, was a bit of good luck, but obviously the original Hebrew version was still missing. It appears on this single as the B-side, while the English version, 'Say hello' (which was included on the B-side of that German version), appears on the A-side.
Listening to the various versions, it has to be said that the Hebrew version sounds less polished somehow. Perhaps the girls were more familiar with the song when they recorded the international versions? Who knows....
My collection: 7" single no. 5746 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Say hello' / 'Emir shalom'
Vicky Leandros won the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest with Après toi. Just four months ago I found the English version, Come what may, and I mentioned in passing that I still had to find the Italian, German, Spanish, Greek and Japanese versions.
Well, obviously, from the five, the German version is the easiest one to track down, since German singles are regularly offered on the internet and record fairs. 'Dann kamst du' turned up on the recent record fair in Utrecht, and in a mint picture cover too.
My collection: 7" single no. 5745 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Dann kamst du (Après toi)' / 'Alles, was ich hab'
Dutch singer Willy Alberti was born on October 14, 1926. He began recording professionally in the early Fourties. He became increasingly popular in the 1950s, when he had a string of hits beginning with a cover version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' in 1958. Alberti was successful as a singer of Dutch schlagers as well as Italian repertoire.
In 1959, he recorded a cover version of 'Piove (Ciao ciao bambina)', just like 'Nel blu...' originally performed by Domenico Modugno. The song was a big success in the pre-Top 40 year 1959: it peaked at the top of Dutch charts, printed in music magazines at the time.
My collection: 7" single no. 5743 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Piove (Ciao ciao bambina)', 'Li per li' / 'Una marcia in fa', 'Tuo'
Domenico Modugno represented Italy in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, a year after he made a world hit with Nel blu dipinto di blu. This time, he wrote 'Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)' ('It's raining (Bye, bye baby)') together with Eduardo Verde. The song is a dramatic ballad, with Modugno telling his lover that he
knows their relationship is about to come to a close. He asks her for
one more kiss and then tells her not to turn back as she walks away from
him, because he still has feelings for her.
At the Contest, the song was not too successful. At the close of voting, it had received 9 points, placing 6th in a field of 11 competitors. There are, however, several cover versions of this song, including one by the Yee Tin Tong Mandolin Band from Hong Kong which charted over there.
My collection: 7" single no. 5742 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)' / 'Ventu d'estati'
