Elle était si jolie - Alain Barriere

Alain Barrière (born Alain Bellec, 18 November 1935 in La Trinité-sur-Mer, Morbihan) is a French singer, who has been active since the Fifties and is known for participating in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest. His song, 'Elle était si jolie', turned out to be by far the biggest seller of Barrière's career to that point.

He released his first album, 'Ma vie', a year later, and the title-track became a huge hit. In 1965 he was offered, and accepted, a leading role in a heist thriller, 'Pas de panique', alongside Pierre Brasseur. This would be his only venture into acting, but his singing career reached its peak in the latter part of the decade with a string of hits making him one of France's biggest stars and a sell-out live attraction. He remained popular until a decade later, when he got married and moved to the USA. Upon returning four years later, his popularity had waned and he had difficulty getting successful again. However, he continues to release albums to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 5775
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Elle était si jolie', 'Le temps d'une valse' / 'Plus je t'entends', 'La route'

Listen to the song

'k Zen liever lui as muug - De Strangers

When Toto Cotugno won the 1990 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Insieme: 1992', the Belgian band De Strangers was quick to record a parody in their native language. Thus, ''k Zen liever lui as muug' was born.

The title roughly means 'I prefer to be lazy rather than tired', and is another stab at Eurovision songs done in a different way. And yes, it's another addition to my growing collection of Eurovision covers.

My collection: 7" single no. 5773
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: ''k Zen liever lui as muug' / 'Den baas hee altijd gelijk'

Listen to the song

Marionetas en la cuerda - Sandie Shaw

After winning the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Puppet on a string', Sandie Shaw recorded many of her tracks in Spanish, her record company probably smelling success in that region.

This EP features four tracks in Spanish, and is surprisingly titled 'Sandie Shaw canta en español'. The title was borrowed for a 2004 CD release, which features all of her Spanish language recordings. An astounding amount: 25 tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 5765
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Marionetas en la cuerda', 'A los chicos les diras' / 'Otra vez sone', 'Dile a cualquiera'

Listen to the song

Waterloo - Abba

Abba have released ten albums during their career - give or take a few - and literally hundreds of compilation albums. No excuse is too weird to release yet another picking of their classic tracks. Forget the love songs compilations, jubilee albums, greatest hits, best album tracks and even the box sets though: here's the real deal: another re-release of their classic Eurovision single 'Waterloo'.

This time, it's a picture disc released exactly 40 years after they won the Eurovision Song Contest with THAT song. I was hesitant to buy it because, well, I already have the song a few times - but this really is a pretty record. It's just so damn irritating that fans of Abba have to buy the same songs over and over and over again. Fortunately, I'm not an Abba fan in that sense of the word.

My collection: 7" single no. 5781
Found: Amazon.co.uk, received April 24, 2015
Cost: £ 5
Tracks: 'Waterloo (Swedish version)' / 'Waterloo (English version)'

Listen to the song

Adam en Eva - De Strangers

The Belgian band De Strangers are best known for their covers of Eurovision songs - on this blog anyway. I have bought quite a few of them on a previous visit to Chelsea Records in Antwerp, so when I went back in April this year, I found a handful more and I got them all. Sometimes I wonder why, but it's a collection of rare cover versions that you won't easily find anywhere else I guess.

This single features two Eurovision songs from 1977 with new Antwerp dialect lyrics by the band: 'L'oiseau et l'enfant', the year's winner, and 'A million in 1 2 3', the year's Belgian entry. Quite why these songs are suddenly about Adam and Eve and expensive coffee respectively is beyond me, but there you go.

My collection: 7" single no. 5774
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Adam en Eva' / 'Dure koffie'

Listen to the song / Listen to the B-side

D'harmonie van Boemmerskonte - The Strangers

The Belgian band The Strangers have featured on this blog several times already, but this single was a huge surprise for me: a cover version of Marty Wilde's 'Abergavenny'. There aren't that many covers of the song, especially not in the Antwerp dialect.

Like all their other cover versions, the Strangers have written their own lyric which has nothing to do with the Welsh city of the original song. And even for someone who understands Dutch, it's hard to find out what this lyric is about because the Antwerp dialect is pretty hermetic. So I guess it will remain a mystery. Nice music, though.

My collection: 7" single no. 5771
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, April 16, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'D'harmonie van Boemmerskonte' / 'Camp'

Listen to the song

Waterloo - Gerd Michaelis-chor

Abba's legendary Eurovision song 'Waterloo' has been covered by various bands such as Bananarama and Doctor & the Medics, but this single features a cover by a East German choir - and that's a different kettle of fish.

Released on the state-owned Amiga label, the Gerd Michaelis-chor was famous for their performances of Schlagers, but they also recorded cover versions that were popular in 'Western Europe'. This was the time of the iron curtain, when people in Eastern Germany were not supposed to listen to just any old thing, after all.

My collection: 7" single no. 5770
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Waterloo' / 'I'm a train'

Listen to the song

I am the lady - Linda Williams

The Dutch entry for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, Het is een wonder by Linda Williams can easily be qualified as 'forgettable' and it's hard to see why anyone would think it had a chance on the Eurovision stage.

It's even harder to think of a reason why Linda Williams was made to record an English version of the song. 'I am the lady'. It is a weird piece of history, this single, and I'm happy to have found a copy - but it is a weird release in many ways.

My collection: 7" single no. 5768
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'I am the lady' / 'Don't need your flowers'

Listen to the song

Feggari kalokerino (Summer moon) - Yiannis Dimitras

Greek singer Yiannis Dimitras represented his country during the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. His song was called 'Feggari kalokerino' ('Summer moon' in English), a ballad in which he tells the moon about how it makes him feel. During his performance on the Eurovision stage, he was accompanied on the piano by actress and pianist Sofia Houndra, who was not credited on-screen.

The song did pretty well in the Contest: it ended up on 8th place in a field of 20 competitors. The single was released in Europe by Philips. The record company chose to use a sleeve design similar to the one used for Cyprus competitors Island in the same year.

My collection: 7" single no. 5767
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Feggari kalokerino' / 'Feggari kalokerino (instrumental)'

Listen to the song

Congratulations - Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard has been in the news lately with shady accusations that involve minors and many of his colleagues have actually been indicted - but fortunately he remains innocent until proven guilty. Let's hope that he won't be guilty because it would certainly bring a cynical ring to hit singles like this one.

'Congratulations' was of course a Eurovision hit, and although Cliff Richard didn't secure the title in 1968 - the contest was won by Spain with the song called 'La la la' - it certainly became a big hit for him.'Congratulations' was actually recorded in Spanish, and this Spanish version appears on this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 5766
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Congratulations (Canta en espanol) / 'High 'n' dry'

Listen to the song

Second hand company - Peter, Sue & Marc

With Trödler & Co., Peter, Sue & Marc were hopeful to gain the number one spot at the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest. In fact, they were so optimistic that they decided to record an English version of their song, this 'Second hand company' which was even released in Sweden (as this pressing testifies). Like on the German version, they were suppported by Pfuri, Gorps & Kniri, names so insane that you couldn't make them up.

Although the sleeve design is a bit different you can spot the very same photograph at the center of it. There isn't much more I can say about this single really, you'd have to hear it to believe it. I guess I bought it for its curiosity value.

My collection: 7" single no. 5765
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Second hand company' / 'Coconut juice'

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Meine kleine Welt - Waterloo & Robinson

We're still stuck in the Eurovision Song Contest and in the Seventies on this blog. It is usually a pleasure but it becomes a bit of a hard slog when you listen to this 1976 entry from Austria by Waterloo & Robinson. Six years ago I wrote about My little world, which was the English version of this song, 'Meine kleine Welt'.

Although the song was performed in English at the Eurovision Song Contest, it was originally written and performed in German for the national finals in Austria. Until 2007 the duo remained together, but then they decided to focus entirely on solo projects. I haven't heard any of their songs except the ones on this single, and that's enough for me, to be honest.

My collection: 7" single no. 5764
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Meine kleine Welt' / 'Superstar'

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L'amore é un attimo - Massimo Ranieri

Massimo Ranieri appeared on this blog twice before: with his 1973 Eurovision entry 'Chi sara' and the French version of his 1971 entry 'L'amore é un attimo', which was entitled 'Pour un instant d'amour'. Here, finally, comes the original version, which was, like 'Chi sara', sung in Italian.And fate has been kind to me, as this is an original Italian pressing of that single.

As written before, the song finished fifth in a field of 18 competitors in Dublin, Ireland. Ranieri continues to make music: in 2013 his most recent CD 'Sogno e son desto' was released, which was a live album.

My collection: 7" single no. 5763
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'L'amore é un attimo' / 'A Lucia'

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Happy man - Cathal Dunne

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'

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Amour amour - Plastic Bertrand

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)'

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Delisin - Cici Kizlar

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'

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L'histoire du bonheur - Ann Christy

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'

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Aspro-mavro - Alexia

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'

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This is the way - Dannii Minogue

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")

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Puppet on a string - Flip Henderson

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'

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