Wenn du da bist - Marty Brem

Austria's pop culture has never really taken off. They are mostly remembered for Udo Jürgens and Opus; the latter produced the awful 'Life is life', the song that sounds every bit as naff as its title. 

In 1981, they tried their luck at the Eurovision Song Contest with Marty Brem, a singer who had been part of the band Blue Danube, who competed the year before with 'Du bist Musik'. His song was a ballad, a schmaltzy little thing that didn't make much of an impression. He finished in 17th place in a field of 20 competitors. 

I have been searching for this single for some time, but it was always a bit too expensive. In the end, I ordered it from Spain and got a mint copy for all my troubles!

My collection: 7" single no. 6673
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 April 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Wenn du da bist' / 'Wozu noch ein Stern'

The Big Four, no. 11 - Frankie Vaughan, Kaye Sisters, Shirley Bassey, Marty Wilde

This EP was released in May 1959, and featured four hits from 1958 and 1959. My reason for buying this EP is obviously the appearance of Marty Wilde with his hit 'Donna', but there are a few more gems on this: a young Shirley Bassey who sings 'Kiss me, honey honey, kiss me' and Frankie Vaughan with 'Venus' (not the Shocking Blue song). The Kaye Sisters deliver a dreamy version of 'Goodbye, Jimmy, goodbye'.

There have been 20 of these 'big four' EP's between 1956 and 1960, and Marty appears on number 9, 11, 14, 17 and 20. That should make an interesting subcollection, don't you think? Watch this space...

My collection: 7" single no. 6671
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Venus' (Frankie Vaughan), 'Goodbye, Jimmy, goodbye' (The Kaye Sisters) / 'Kiss me, honey honey, kiss me' (Shirley Bassey), 'Donna' (Marty Wilde)

Uno per tutte - Willy en Willeke Alberti

Recent entries in this blog have shown that Dutch singer Willy Alberti recorded quite a few Eurovision songs during the first years of the event. In 1963, he was at it again, and this time he took along his daughter Willeke Alberti as well. 

Willeke was born on 3 February 1945 and was eighteen when she recorded this duet with her father. 'Uno per tutte' and 'Non costa niente' were both performed at the Italian San Remo festival in 1963, with the former going on to the Eurovision stage in a version by Emilio Pericoli. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6672
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 March 2022
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Uno per tutte' / 'Non costa niente'

Weit, so weit der Regenbogen reicht - Ilanit

Ilanit was Israel's first representative at the Eurovision Song Contest ever. This happened in 1973, with the song 'Ey Sham'. Although I didn't yet get a copy of the original version of the song, I bought the English version, 'All make believe', back in 2014, and recently I acquired this German version. Somehow I think 'Ey Sham' will one day be in my collection as well.

Ilanit said in interviews that she had rather mixed feelings about singing in German, because of Germany's troubled history in World War II, but she came to know Germans who were friendly people and this changed her point of view towards them.

My collection: 7" single no. 6670
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 March 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Weit, so weit der Regenbogen reicht' / 'Noch sind Wiesen grün'

Danser contre toi - Sergio Dalma

Sergio Dalma represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991 with the song 'Bailar pegados'. It was a decent effort, and expectations were high. In the end, the song finished in fourth place, which was still quite respectable.

The singer didn't waste any time to try and conquer the whole of Europe. He recorded an Italian version entitled 'Bailare stretti', which I managed to buy last year, and this new addition to my collection, the French version 'Danser contre toi'. A promotional 12" single, released in Spain, brought all three versions together, but it's nicer to have the three singles individually, of course. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6669
Found: Ebay, received 29 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Danser contre toi (version eurovision)' / 'Danser contre toi'

Blau wie das Meer (L'amour est bleu) - Vicky

Vicky Leandros represented Luxembourg in 1967 with 'L'amour est bleu'. The song became a worldwide hit, also thanks to the version by Paul Mauriat, 'Love is blue'. However, Vicky herself also recorded an English version of her song, which was entitled 'Colours of love'. 

This single presents yet another version of the same song: 'Blau wie das Meer' is a German translation of 'L'amour est bleu', released to cater to the Central European market. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6668
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 March 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Blau wie das Meer (L'amour est bleu)' / 'Nie mehr scheint mir die Sonne so hell (Le soleil a quitté ma maison)'

Retour - Henri Dès

Henri Dès was born on 14 December 1940 in Renens, Vaud (Switzerland) as Henri Destraz. In 1969, he won the Sopot International Song Festival. He represented Switzerland in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Retour'. The song finished in fourth place. Later that same year, he released his first album, also titled 'Retour'. Dès also founded his own record label, Disques Mary-Josée, which he named after his wife.

During his career, Henri became known for songs aimed at children. On 15 March 2019 he joined striking school children in Lausanne protesting against climate change. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6667
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Retour' / 'Sylvie'

Du Hör En Sång - Inger Öst & Torsten Wallin

Although some parties in Sweden were very critical of the Eurovision Song Contest, it was still a very popular event in Scandinavia, and many of the Eurovision songs were covered by local artists. This single features a Swedish version of the Dutch entry of the 1974 edition, 'I see a star' ('Ik zie een ster'). 

The song was translated by Bosse Carlgren and performed by Inger Öst and Torsten Wallin. Lilian Inger Elisabeth Öst Hellström was originally part of the singing group Family Four, before she went solo in the late 1960's and had several hits in Sweden, including 'Touch me'. Torsten Wallin, who appears on the A-side of this single only, is a Swedish singer, musician and comedian. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6666
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Du Hör En Sång' / 'En grön dröm om mej'

Sjunger Eurovisionsschlager - Gunnar Wiklund

In 1966, Gunnar Wiklund took part in the Swedish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with two songs: 'Vinterrosor' and 'Vad har jag kvar?'. The songs ended up in fifth and tenth place respectively. 

Undeterred, he released this EP, featuring the two songs plus two cover versions of songs that did end up in the international competition: 'Nygammal vals', the Swedish entry originally performed by Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson, and 'Merci Cherie', the winning song by Udo Jürgens from Austria. Gunnar recorded 'Nygammal vals' together with Marianne Kock.

My collection: 7" single no. 6665
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Vinterrosor', 'Vad har jag kvar?' / 'Merci Chérie', 'Nygammal vals'

Ele e ela - Madalena Iglesias

Madalena Lucília Iglésias do Vale de Oliveira (born as Madalena Lucília Iglésias Doval; 24 October 1939, Santa Catarina, Lisbon) was a Portuguese actress and singer. She represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, with the song 'Ele e ela'. 

The song was written by Carlos Canelhas, a Portuguese composer who was born in Cucujães, Oliveira de Azeméis on September 10, 1927. Besides songwriting, he was also part of the staff of the Ministry of Health.

This EP presents four songs performed by Madalena, the first three of which were performed at the Festival da Canção, winning first, third and sixth prize respectively. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6663
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 March 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Ele e ela', 'Rebeldia' / 'Caminhos perdidos', 'Dançar, dançar'

Halo, halo - Aska

The trio Aska came to prominence when they were chosen to represent Yugoslavia at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest. The members of the group were Snežana Mišković, Izolda Barudžija and Snežana Stamenković. Their song "Halo, halo" only managed to achieve 14th place in a field of 18 competitors, although having received the top mark of 12 points from the Swedish jury.

Shortly upon the return from Harrogate, Snežana Stamenković retired and was replaced by Suzana Perović. The girls went on to record several albums before disbanding in order to pursue solo careers. Snežana Mišković remained in pop and went on to have an established career with her band Viktorija. Izolda Barudžija's career faded away after two additional attempts at the Eurovision Song Contest (in 1983 and 1984). Suzana Perović switched to more commercial folk music and released a few semi-successful albums before she vanished from the music scene. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6664
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 March 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Halo, halo' / 'Hallo, hallo'

 

Merci Chérie - Ronnie Tober

In 1966, Udo Jürgens won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Merci Chérie'. Given the fact that Eurovision was very much a popular TV phenomenon, other artists were eager to release cover versions of the winning songs, and this is exactly what happened. 

In this case, it was Dutch singer Ronnie Tober who had a go at the song, and he had it translated into Dutch by René Pedde. The B-side was also a Eurovision song: the UK entry 'A man without love' by Kenneth McKellar became 'Een hart is geen hart' ('A heart is not a heart') after Gerrit den Braber had his way with the song. 

The orchestra on this single was led by Jack Bulterman, who, like Gerrit den Braber, was heavily involved with the jazz orchestra The Ramblers, one of the world's longest running orchestras ever. However, in 1966 the Ramblers were on hiatus, so it's not them who are playing on this disc.

My collection: 7" single no. 6657
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 March 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Merci Chérie (Dutch version)' / 'Een hart is geen hart (A man without love)'

Luna nel blu (Non ho l'eta) - Gigliola Cinquetti

Imagine being sixteen years old and winning with 'Non ho l'eta' at the Italian San Remo festival, and then going on to the Eurovision Song Contest and winning that too. Gigliola Cinquetti, who was born into a wealthy family, must have been a bit overwhelmed by this success. Yet she continued gracefully, recording her song in Spanish as 'No tiene edad' and in Japanese as '夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi)'.

The German version was called 'Luna nel blu', and is perhaps the most impressive of all these versions, because Gigliola pronounces the language in a rather convincing way (even if the title of the song is still in Italian). This pressing comes from one of the Benelux countries, but why 'Luna nel blu' is relegated to the B-side, I don't know.

My collection: 7" single no. 6656
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 March 2022
Cost: €6
Tracks: 'Con amore' / 'Luna nel blu (Non ho l'eta)'

Les 4 meilleures chansons du Grand Prix Eurovision 65 - Sonia Christie, Marie-Chantal, Eric Richard

This EP is an obvious attempt to profit from the popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest during the mid-Sixties. Released on the Week-end label (never heard of this one!), three different artists perform the songs of Luxembourg, UK, France and Monaco. Remarkably, the UK entry is also performed in French and translated from 'I Belong' to 'Te Voila'. 

This single is the Belgian pressing of an EP that was released in France as 'Premiers prix de l'Eurovision', with the same tracks on it. Although Sonia Christie and Marie-Chantal never released any other tracks, Eric Richard actually had an interesting career, performing on a handful of singles between 1961 and 1965.

My collection: 7" single no. 6638
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 February 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son' (Sonia Christie), 'Te voilà (I belong)' (Marie-Chantal) / 'N'avoue jamais' (Eric Richard), 'Va dire à l'amour' (Sonia Christie)

Nous les amoureux - José Guardiola

Although 'Exodus' is undoubtedly the lead track on this EP by José Guardiola, I bought it for one of the other tracks: his version of 'Nous les amoureux'. Although the title is shown in French on the sleeve of this EP, José performs it in Spanish. The subtitle on the back is 'Sol de nuestro amor'. The same applies to 'Rockin' little angel', which is subtitled 'Rock entre nubes'. The EP is pressed on blue vinyl, which gives it an obvious appeal.

Guardiola was an obvious Eurovision fan: he also recorded a version of 'Dio come ti amo' in 1966 and he represented his country in 1963 with the song 'Algo prodigioso'. I'm still after that single...

My collection: 7" single no. 6652
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 March 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Exodus', 'Rockin' little angel' / 'Nous les amoureux', 'Oro negro'

Si - Gigliola Cinquetti

Ten years after she won the Eurovision Song Contest, Gigliola Cinquetti competed again in 1974 with the song 'Si'. I bought the single in 1999. I found the German version, entitled 'Ja' at a record fair in 2011. I ordered the English version 'Go (Before you break my heart)' in the UK via Discogs.com in 2014. The French version, 'Lui', came to me from France, also via Discogs.com, just two months ago, and here is the Spanish version, which, like the original Italian version is called 'Si'. 

This completes all the versions Cinquetti recorded. A Finnish version, entitled 'Niin', was recorded by Lea Laven. Who knows, that single might appear on this blog someday too.

My collection: 7" single no. 6653
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Si' / 'El Papagayo'

Jennifer Jennings - Louis Neefs

I was reading an article about Louis Neefs a little while ago, and I found out that he recorded his song 'Jennifer Jennings' in several languages, including Spanish. I remembered that I had bought a Spanish pressing of this song last year, but I never gave it a second thought. As it turns out, that single actually contains the Spanish version of 'Jennifer Jennings'!

Perhaps I should have known, because the B-side is called 'Te quiero (I love you)', whereas the B-side of the original single of 'Jennifer Jennings' is called 'Vanessa (I love you)'. Anyway, finding out that I owned something I didn't know about was a pleasant surprise.

My collection: 7" single no. 6430
Found: Discogs.com, received 11 August 2021
Cost: £3.99
Tracks: 'Jennifer Jennings' / 'Te quiero (I love you)'

Waiting for that day - George Michael

When I wrote an entry about the UK release of 'Waiting for that day' in 2009 (!), it said that the single was not released in Europe. As this entry will prove, that was an embarrassing mistake. 

'Waiting for that day' actually had a worldwide release, but it was a few months later than the original UK release. In the UK, it was released in October 1990, whereas in the USA it was released in February 1991. The European release was even later: in June 1990. What's more: the B-side was different too. The UK release featured the non-album track 'Fantasy', whereas this single, which was made in the Netherlands, features the album track 'Mothers pride'. This difference - plus the fact that this single is in absolutely pristine state - was a good reason to buy it.

My collection: 7" single no. 6650
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 March 2022
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Waiting for that day' / 'Mothers pride'

Tanga - Popcorn Makers

Now that physical record buying is an option again, it is interesting to buy singles out of curiosity. Obviously the Popcorn Makers were wellknown for their hit version of 'Popcorn', but the rest of their output remains unknown - at least to me. 

So when I came across this single of 'Tanga', I decided to try it out. As expected it is a (largely) instrumental track, and although it misses the charm and substance of the Gershon Kingsley composition it is still an enjoyable little ditty. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6649
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 March 2022
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Tanga' / 'Sun dance'

Auntie - Hildegard Knef, Enrico Macias, Sandra & Andres, Alice Babs, Demis Roussos, Vicky Leandros

'Auntie' is a song released by Philips Records in 1972 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the BBC. It is named after the affectionate nickname for the corporation, and featured artists from six countries. The singers are Hildegard Knef, Enrico Macias, Sandra & Andres, Alice Babs, Demis Roussos and Vicky Leandros. The composer is Dutch musician Hans van Hemert. 

Though the single peaked at number four in the Netherlands and number five in Greece, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom. Critics observed similarities between Van Hemert's 'Auntie' composition and 'Those were the days', a 1968 hit by Mary Hopkin. In turn, the Belgian entry to the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest - 'Hey nana' by Micha Marah - was accused of plagiarising the song 'Auntie'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6648
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 March 2022
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Auntie' / 'Auntie (instrumental version)'