Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon - Manuela Bravo

In 1979 Manuela Bravo represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest with Sobe, sobe, balao sobe. Besides the original version in Portuguese, she also recorded the song in French as 'Tu t'envoles mon ballon, mon ballon, mon ballon' and in English as 'Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon'. The English version appears on this single, with the Portuguese version on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 6505
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon' / 'Sobe, sobe, balao sobe'

Claudia (Uno per tutte) - Louis Neefs

Belgian singer Louis Neefs is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest: he represented Belgium in 1967 with 'Ik heb zorgen' and in 1969 with 'Jennifer Jennings'. But there's more... In 1963 he recorded a cover version of the Italian Eurovision entry 'Uno per tutte'. Retitled 'Claudia', the song was rewritten in the Dutch language by Belgian songwriter, producer, publisher and label owner Louis Van Rymenant. 

Louis Neefs died on 25 December 1980 after a car accident. It was a tragic ending to a very successful career.

My collection: 7" single no. 6504
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Claudia (Uno per tutte)' / 'Wat zou de wereld zonder liefde zijn'

Auf der grossen Himmelsstrasse - Margot Eskens

Here's another single I didn't buy for the A-side, but for the B-side! 'Damals war alles so schön' is a great German version of Corry Brokken's winning Eurovision song 'Net als toen', and unsurprisingly this single was released in 1957, the year of this song's success.

Margot Eskens (born on 12 August 1939 in Düren) was most popular in the 1950's and 1960's. She continued to be a frequent guest on television programs into the 2000s. In 1966, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Die Zeiger der Uhr'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6503
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Auf der grossen Himmelsstrasse' / 'Damals war alles so schön'

Als je maar nooit bekent - Corry Brokken

'Als je maar nooit bekent' is a Dutch-language cover of 'N'avoue jamais', the song that was made famous by Guy Mardel, who represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. It is perhaps no wonder that this single by Corry Brokken - herself a Eurovision winner in 1957 - was also released in 1965. 

The other side of this single, 'Tommy-Tom' is also a cover version: 'Laura Lee' was written by Forrest Wood and Liam Sullivan and recorded by Eddy Arnold in February 1965. Corry's version, recorded with Bert Paige's orchestra, was released in June of that same year.

My collection: 7" single no. 6502
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Als je maar nooit bekent' / 'Tommy Tom'

 

Johnny Blue - Katri Helena

'Johnny Blue' was originally recorded by Lena Valaitis, and it was her entry for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Germany. The song was written by the infamous duo Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, who together wrote many songs for the Contest. 

Katri Helena's version was translated into Finnish by Kaisu Liuhala, who was a rather prolific song translator. Katri Helena, of course, represented Finland at Eurovision twice, in 1979 with 'Katson sineen taivan' and in 1993 with 'Tule luo'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6501
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Johnny blue' / 'Olet ystäväin'

Een sprookje - De Spelbrekers

De Spelbrekers represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with 'Katinka'. However, this wasn't the first brush with Eurovision repertoire. In 1959, they released the single 'Een sprookje' ('A fairytale') with on the B-side a cover version of 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', Jean Philippe's entry for France at Eurovision. Obviously, this is what drew me towards this single, which I could buy for almost nothing from a Dutch seller. 

Between 1950 and 1968, the duo released many singles, but it didn't give them any chart placings. However, their song 'Katinka' remains a classic in the Netherlands. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6500
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Een sprookje' / 'Oui, oui, oui'

Lied für einen Freund - Maxi & Chris Garden

I already own a copy of 'Lied für einen Freund', but the opportunity came up to buy a stack of singles (and cd-singles) from a Eurovision collector and this single was among them. It features a French version of the same song on the double A-side, instead of a different track (which appears on that other single).

Maxi and Chris Garden recorded their Eurovision song in a few different languages apparently and normally these singles command high prices. So I guess I was lucky to get this one. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6499
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Lied für einen Freund' / 'Chant pour un ami'

Voulez-vous - Abba

With sales of over 5 million copies, 'Abba Gold' is the second highest selling album of all time in the UK, after Queen's 'Greatest Hits'. As of July 2021, "Gold" became the first album to reach 1000 weeks on the Official Charts in United Kingdom with pure sales of 5.61 million copies sold in United Kingdom.

When the album was first released, back in 1992, it was supported by a series of single releases. 'Dancing queen' was the first single, and this one was the second: 'Voulez-vous' backed with another single which didn't appear on Abba Gold: 'Summer night city'. This single didn't chart, but it still attracted some attention. These days it's very hard to get hold of a copy, and the third single is even more difficult. But it will appear here someday, I'm sure. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6486
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 October 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Voulez-vous' / 'Summer night city'

Humanaho (Alle Menschen sind Brüder) - Roberto Blanco

Roberto Zerquera Blanco was born on 7 June 1937 in Tunis (Tunisia). He grew up in Beirut and Madrid, before coming to Germany in 1956. He forged a career for himself singing schlagers in German at the end of the 1960's. 

This single, 'Humanaho' is a cover version of Jean Gabilou's French Eurovision entry from 1981, 'Humanahum'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6497
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Humanaho (Alle Menschen sind Brüder)' / 'Sing ein Lied'

Tausend Fenster - Karel Gott

This single has been on my wantlist for a long time and I just couldn't find a decent copy for a reasonable price. But I never give up, and so I have finally got a good copy now. 'Tausend Fenster' was produced by Udo Jürgens - who also recorded the song himself around the same time - and performed by Karel Gott. 

Karel Gott (14 July 1939 – 1 October 2019) was a Czech singer and amateur painter, considered the most successful male singer in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. He was voted the country's best male singer in the annual Český slavík (Czech Nightingale) national music award 42 times, most recently in 2017. After appearing at the Midem music fair in Cannes in 1967 he was offered a recording contract with Polydor, and he stayed with the company until 2000. In 1968, he represented Austria with 'Tausend Fenster', which earned him just 2 points. He finished in 13th place in a field of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6496
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Tausend Fenster' / 'Aber du glaubst an mich'

Bye bye I love you (English version) - Ireen Sheer

Ireen Sheer's 1974 Eurovision entry 'Bye bye I love you' was originally performed in French (even if the title of the song would have you believe otherwise). However, she also recorded the song in German and English, and it is the English version that I can present here.

Ireen would not be a stranger to Eurovision: she would return in 1978 with the song 'Feuer' and in 1985 as part of a bigger group of artists with the song 'Children, Kinder, enfants'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6495
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Bye bye I love you (Englische originalversion)' / 'Rosebery Avenue'

She's my kind of girl - Bjorn & Benny

Before Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson became famous with Abba, they had careers themselves. They had success with the Hootenanny Singers and the Hep Stars respectively. 'She's my kind of girl' represents their first single together. It was recorded for the Swedish movie 'Inga II: The seduction of Inga'. Originally released in 1970, the single became a huge hit in Japan two years later, selling half a million copies.

The song was subsequently put on the B-side of the Swedish issue of ABBA's 'Ring Ring' (English Version) single, and on the album of the same name in some other countries (in spite of it having been recorded before ABBA was formed and featuring no contribution from ABBA's other members, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad). The song is also unusual in that it is the only track in the entire catalogue that appears in fake stereo. To date, there is no known mono-only version. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6482
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 October 2021
Cost: $3
Tracks: 'She's my kind of girl' / 'Inga's theme'

Shine On - Kim Wilde & Boy George

As a lifelong collector of Kim Wilde records, a limited edition 7" single of her latest single 'Shine On' was a musthave of course. The single was released back in August, and right now the item has sold out, although you can still find some copies on Discogs.com and Ebay. And it's worth owning, not only for the two excellent tracks on this disc, but also for the fact that it is pressed on blue vinyl. Oddly, to my knowledge this is the first coloured vinyl 7" single ever by Kim Wilde.

'Shine On' is performed as a duet with Boy George. The two have crossed paths several times during the last four decades, but never collaborated on a song. The other side featured 'You're My Karma', another duet but this time with up and coming British talent Tom Aspaul. Everything is produced, as usual, by brother Ricky Wilde, who turns 60 today. Gosh, how time flies! 

My collection: 7" single no. 6424
Found: Cherry Red records, received 5 August 2021
Cost: £7.99
Tracks: 'Shine On' (with Boy George) / 'You're my karma' (with Tom Aspaul)

Il Padrino - Orchestra Mario Battaini

Mario Battaini (Milan, 6 October 1931 - 26 April 2000) was a multi-instrumentalist, arranger and italian conductor. He was very concerned with his privacy. For this reason he used various stage names during his career. One of them was Duke of Burlington. The hit 'Flash' was one of his biggest successes.

The A-side features an instrumental version of the theme from the movie 'The Godfather', entitled 'Il Padrino' in Italian. However, it is of course the B-side that interested me more: a version of Gershon Kingsley's immortal 'Popcorn'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6494
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 November 2021
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Il Padrino' / 'Popcorn'

Das Schiff geht in See heute Nacht - Gunnar Winckler & Bibi Johns

This is an extremely old single, but it's also in an unusually fine state. You won't find that many 64 year old singles sounding this good. It's also in its original record company sleeve. Online purchases can be disappointing sometimes, but this certainly exceeded my expectations.

What this single is, is a German version of a Danish entry to the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest. On stage, Gunnar (a.k.a. Gustav) Winckler and Birthe Wilke performed 'Skibet skal selje i nat', but for this German version Birthe made way for Bibi Johns, a Swedish singer and film actress. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6493
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 November 2021
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Das Schiff geht in See heute Nacht' / 'Gin und Rum'

Mein Ruf nach dir - Piera Martell

Piera Martell was born on 2 July 1943 in Jona, St. Gallen (Switzerland). She is best known for her participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. It's hard to believe that 'Mein Ruf nach dir' is from the same year as Abba's 'Waterloo', because it sounds so old-fashioned. The juries seemed to think so too, because it finished in joint last place (together with the German, Norwegian and Portuguese entries) of the 17 entries. 

Martell went on to make three further attempts to perform at Eurovision, without success. In 1976, she entered the German selection ('Ein neuer Tag' – 11th place), followed by two more participations in the Swiss selection in 1977 ('Aldo Rinaldo' – 4th place) and 1978 ('Hier, Pierre' – 6th place). She continued performing and releasing singles periodically until her retirement from the music industry in 1981. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6492
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Mein Ruf nach dir' / 'Du hast mir die Liebe gegeben'

Bonjour, bonjour - Paola

With a title like 'Bonjour, bonjour' you might suspect that this is a song in French, but the Swiss entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 was sung almost entirely in German - except for the title. Perhaps this was inspired by the fact that French was the most popular language at the time, both in the world and in the Contest. 

The song was performed by Paola del Medico, who was born on 5 October 1950 and was just 18 years old at the time of the Contest. Her song finished in fifth place in a field of 16 competitors. Considering the first four places were all winners in the old system, she did pretty well. She would return to the Contest in 1980 with the song 'Cinema'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6491
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 November 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Bonjour, bonjour' / 'Valse d'amour'

That's me - Abba

Today is release day for Abba - their first album in 40 years is called 'Voyage' and serves to remind people that music can be timeless if you ignore "current trends". Fortunately they didn't employ rappers or other "famous people" to create their new work.

On this special occasion I thought I'd get out one of the special items I have in my collection: I got a nice handful of Japanese Abba singles last month and this one is extra special, because it flipped the A- and B-sides, relegating 'Money, Money, Money' to the B-side whereas 'That's Me' was promoted to the A-side. Why the Japanese felt this necessary I don't know - perhaps they thought the message of 'Money, Money, Money' was unsuitable for the Japanese public? 

My collection: 7" single no. 6479
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 October 2021
Cost: $7
Tracks: 'That's me' / 'Money, Money, Money'

This is your life (Barcelona mix) - Banderas

I find it quite sad that Banderas only ever released one album. I have it in my collection and it's one of those albums I keep returning to, quite regularly at least. The only big hit they scored was their debut single 'This is your life', and much to my surprise I found this promotional single recently online, featuring the so-called 'Barcelona mix' of the track. It is actually a shorter version of the 'Easy Life mix', found on the song's 12" single. 

Both women are still active in music, it seems. Sally Herbert made a name for herself as violinist, orchestral arranger, composer and producer.and released a track called 'Everything must change' together with Jimmy Somerville in February this year, whereas Caroline Buckley appeared on an EP called 'Lovers Unlimited', on which that same Jimmy Somerville was the main man. Funny enough, Jimmy also appeared on the Banderas'  sole album, thirty years ago. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6490
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'This is your life (Barcelona mix)' / 'This is your life (Barcelona mix)'

Todo esto es la música - Serafin Zubiri

This single has been on my want list for a few years. It's the first of two Eurovision appearances by Serafin Zubiri. In 2000 he participated with 'Colgado de un sueño' - which, unfortunately, was never released on a 7" single, and in 1992 with this song, 'Todo esto es la música'. Curiously, this song was only ever released as a promotional item on both 7" single and CD-single. And it is a no frills affair: the CD only has one track, and this single features the same track on both sides.

The album 'Te veo con el corazon' followed later in 1992, after Serafin reached 14th place in the Eurovision Song Contest, in a field of 23 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6489
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2021
Cost: €6
Tracks: 'Todo esto es la música' / 'Todo esto es la música'