City rhythm - Shakatak

Shakatak's 'City rhythm' starts with a fetching intro by a female voice, and then the song doesn't really take off but remains a bit middle of the road, jazzy muzak and all. Still, I thought it would be nice to have this single because it does remind me of all the hours I spent in front of the television while I should have been making homework. I guess Shakatak could take a percentage of the blame for my bad school results back then. 

'City rhythm' only made it to number 77 in the UK singles chart but stayed outside the Dutch Top 40. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6865
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 18 February 2023
Tracks: 'City rhythm' / 'Round and round'

How 'bout us - Champaign

Through the years there have been many occasions when I saw this single and I didn't buy it. In my mind, I already bought it years ago. I didn't buy it in 1981, because at the time it was played to death on the radio. The single spent eight weeks at number 1 in the Dutch top 40. The music video, set somewhere in a recording studio, also appeared on TV more times than I can count. (Surprisingly, the single only got to number 5 in the UK and number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100.)

When I saw this copy of the single I only bought it because it was in mint condition, and probably not marked by stickers - something that I used to do years ago. Imagine my surprise when I found out I never actually bought this single! And so, it is finally introduced in my collection. This is one of those songs where every note, every word and every sound is in its place and the whole thing just sounds perfect from beginning to end. The album version is actually even better because it goes on for another minute - but this single is an essential purchase. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6864
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 18 February 2023
Tracks: 'How 'bout us' / 'Spinnin''

Baby I'm a want you - Bread

You could argue that I already owned Bread's 'Baby I'm a want you' on this Original Oldies single, but there's nothing quite like the real thing, and the real thing in this case is a single from 1971. It's a great little Dutch pressing with adverts for other artists on the back sleeve, including the Doors' last album with Jim Morrison, 'L.A. Woman'. I've always felt that Bread was a kind of laidback Doors band, so it feels appropriate.

The B-side of this single is called 'Truckin'', and it's a song that leans towards country territory and quite different from the songs that this band became famous for. I got to buy this single - and the three that will follow on this blog - because I really wanted to scour a real life record shop again, and this shop is the closest to my home.

My collection: 7" single no. 6863
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 18 February 2023
Tracks: 'Baby I'm a want you' / 'Truckin''

Go now - Tin Machine / Moody Blues

This 'cover to cover' single features two versions of the song 'Go now': the original by the Moody Blues and a live cover version by Tin Machine, the band featuring David Bowie, recorded at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on 17 February 1992. The Moody Blues version is actually also a live version, recorded during a radio session for the BBC in April 1965. 

It has to be said: there is every reason to listen to the B-side, whereas the A-side is pretty awful. For some reason there are people who think that Tin Machine was one of the best things David Bowie ever did, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. 

Another curiosity about this single: it was pressed on red vinyl and the number on the back sleeve reminds me that this is number 553 of a "limited edition of only 500". Right.

My collection: 7" single no. 6862
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 February 2023
Tracks: 'Go now' (Tin Machine) / 'Go now' (Moody Blues)

Don't need a gun - Billy Idol

'Don't need a gun' is a single taken from Billy Idol's third album 'Whiplash smile'. The song was written by Billy Idol himself. The song lyrics are all about the risk of using firearms. The chorus of the song includes references to 'Tutti Frutti', 'Flip, Flop and Fly' and 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy'. The final verse name-checks Elvis Presley, Johnnie Ray and Gene Vincent. 

The single peaked at number 26 in the UK singles chart and reached number 37 in the US Billboard Hot 100. My copy was released in a special gatefold sleeve, featuring an extra large photograph of Billy on the inside.

My collection: 7" single no. 6861
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 February 2023
Tracks: 'Don't need a gun' / 'Fatal charm'

Catch my fall - Billy Idol

The re-release of Billy Idol's 'Catch my fall' in 1988 was aided by a special box set featuring 4 cards and a badge. Sets like this are always a nice incentive for casual buyers to get the single - which in turn helps the single to reach higher positions in the charts. 

In this case, it helped just a little. When this single was originally released it didn't reach the UK singles chart at all, and with the help of this box set it peaked at a rather unimpressive number 63. Billy would reach the UK top 40 on two occasions after this: with Cradle of love in 1990 and 'Shock to the system' in 1993.

My collection: 7" single no. 6860
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 February 2023
Tracks: 'Catch my fall' / 'All summer single'

Soul destruction - T'pau

It´s probably better to stay uninformed about the political standpoints of your favourite artists, because sometimes it gets in the way of your enjoyment of their music. Case in point: Carol Decker from T'pau, who uses Twitter as a platform to rail against Covid measures, anything gender-related and some of my favourite politicians. Freedom of speech and all that, but I wouldn't mind not knowing all these damn opinions. It's almost soul destructing. 

Speaking of which, 'Soul destruction' was T'pau's last single for Siren records before the band parted ways with the label. The release came with some damn fine remixes, some of which were included on CD-single only, but this 12" single features the eight minute PWL remix of the track. It comes in an attractive gatefold sleeve and with a tour poster - although the latter is missing in my copy. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: London, 1992
Tracks: 'Soul destruction (remix)' / 'Soul destruction (album version)', 'Dirty town'

Eurovisão 80 - Various artists

If you were living in Portugal in 1980 and you wanted to have a generous collection of Eurovision Song Contest songs from that year, your cheapest option would be this LP. 'Eurovisão 80' presented twelve of the nineteen entries, starting with the winning song 'What's Another Year'. 

However, only a very small logo in the bottom right corner would tell you that these are cover versions. The artists who performed these songs were all uncredited, so if any of them dreamed of seeing their names printed on the sleeve, that dream would never come true. The versions of these songs are actually quite decent, and so it is still a nice album to have if you're a Eurovision fan.

My collection: LP [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'What's another year', 'Just nu', 'Non so che darei', 'Cinema', 'Quedate esta noche', 'Love enough for two' / 'Amsterdam', 'Theater', 'Euro-vision', 'Taenker altid paa dig', 'Flute-man', 'Samiid aednan'

Swinging on a star - Spooky & Sue

This single is a throwback to my earliest childhood, when I first started getting interested in pop music in the wake of my sister's singles collection. She would play records for me and I would enjoy most of them. This is how I discovered a lot of music in the Seventies, along with the weekly TV programme Toppop of course. 

The Dutch duo Spooky & Sue - consisting of the Aruban male singer Iwan Groeneveld and British female singer Sue Chaloner - enjoyed their biggest hit in 1974 with the song 'Swinging on a star'; it peaked at number 2 and stayed up there for a full month. The duo continued until 1977, after which they both pursued solo careers.

My collection: 7" single no. 6859
Found: Plato, Leiden, 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'Swinging on a star' / 'Ain't it good'

Wake up - Ian Dury & the Blockheads

A visit to a real record shop is always a pleasure, especially when they've got a good selection of 7" singles to look around in. I was quite surprised to see this single, because I knew the title but I suddenly realized that I didn't own it yet. 

'Wake up (and make love with me)' starts with the immortal line "I come awake / with the gift for womankind", which, as most men will testify, is an accurate description of those early moments of the day. Amazingly, the single wasn't a hit in the UK, but it did make number 25 in the Dutch Top 40. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6858
Found: Plato, Leiden, 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'Wake up' / 'Blockheads'

Madrugada - Duarte Mendes

José Henrique Duarte Mendes (born 7 August 1947) is a Portuguese former captain and singer. He participated in Festival da Canção in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973 but he did not win until 1975 when he performed 'Madrugada', written by José Luís Tinoco, about the Colonial War and 1974's Carnation Revolution. He finished in 16th place with 16 points (a surprising 12 points from Turkey) in a field of 19 performers. 

I ordered the single from a Portuguese seller, but he informed me that the wrong disc was inside the sleeve. As a consolation he would send me the sleeve for free. All I had to do next was buy the disc - and fortunately a cheap one without the sleeve was on offer by another seller. And so the set has become complete after all!

My collection: 7" single no. 6857
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January (sleeve) & 4 February 2023
Tracks: 'Madrugada'  / 'Entre Espanha e o mar'

The wages of love - Muriel Day

For a long time this single was on my wish list. It's the last single that I needed to complete the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 - the legendary edition with four winners. The Irish entry by Muriel Day was hard to find, because there aren't many copies of the original Irish pressing for sale - and the few that are available are offered for ridiculous prices.

Enter Portugal. I bought a few singles from a Portuguese seller and he had a copy of the Portuguese pressing on offer. As you can see, it comes with an attractive - if confusingly coloured - picture sleeve. 'The wages of love' was one of the less successful entries of 1969, ending up in tenth place in a field of sixteen competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6854
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January 2023
Tracks: 'The wages of love' / 'Thinking of you'

Portugal no coração - Gemini

Although the Portuguese entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 was performed by Os Amigos, the song was performed twice during the Portuguese national final - seven songs were performed by 14 performers. 

The other performers of 'Portugal no coração' were Gemini. They ended up in sixth place, and so didn't get the ticket to represent their country. They would be more lucky the next year, when they won the national final with the song 'Dai li dou'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6853
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January 2023
Tracks: 'Portugal no coração' / 'Cantiga de namorar'

La, la, la [Italian version] - Joan Manuel Serrat

Joan Manuel Serrat was the original performer of 'La, la, la', before he was replaced by Massiel after he announced that he would only perform his song in Catalan - something that was unacceptable in Spain at the time. 

His refusal to perform the song in any other language at the Eurovision Song Contest is all the more amazing when you realize that he actually recorded the song in several other languages. And this is one of them: the Italian version of 'La, la, la'. And yes, it does matter, because despite the simple title of the song it does actually contain a few wordy verses.

My collection: 7" single no. 6852
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 January 2023
Tracks: 'La, la, la [Italian version]' / 'Poema d'amore'

Skibet skal sejle i nat - Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler

Having bought 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' a year ago on a 78rpm record, it shouldn't be surprising that I would eventually get the 7" vinyl EP as well. It took some time because most copies are overly expensive and I am not one for paying three figure prices for 7" singles.

But lo and behold, here it is: the original 1957 EP of 'Skibet sjal sejle i nat', with four tracks by Birthe Wilke with different duet partners. The cover may show some wear, but that is no surprise after 65 years. It's just a pleasure to own one of those early Eurovision singles. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6846
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 January 2023
Tracks: 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' (Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler), 'Tre piger fra Jylland' (Birthe Wilke & Dirch Passer) / ''Militaer tango' (Birthe Wilke), 'Kaerlighedens cocktail' (Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler)

White face - Charta 44

The 10" format is an unusual one: sometimes it simply contains two or three tracks and it's just a bigger 7" single, and sometimes it's too small to be an LP but it still contains almost as much tracks. This release by the Swedish band Charta 77, released in 1988, falls into the latter category: with seven tracks, it's almost a full album.

Ricky Wilde's debut single 'I am an astronaut' was a big hit in Sweden. So much so, that various singers and bands have covered the song. It's the main reason why I wanted to have this 10" single, as it features Charta 77's version. It's quite heavy, like all the other tracks on this 10" single. Well worth a listen!

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 21 January 2023
Tracks: 'I am an astronaut', 'In circles', 'On the wall', 'Lottery of justice' / 'Can't stand it', 'Escape', 'Acid rain'

Uma flor de verde pinho - Carlos do Carmo

Some people think that, because it took them half a century to win the Eurovision Song Contest, Portugal never sent in worthwhile songs. Well, quite the contrary. Looking back, you can hear the most beautiful songs with delicious melodies. 

Take for instance 'Uma flor de verde pinho', the 1975 entry. In this ballad, singer Carlos do Carmo compares his love for his country with the love he would feel for a beautiful woman. He goes as far as to liken himself to Pedro I, famous in Portuguese history for his status as a lover. Sure, there are some nationalist tendencies here, but it was only less than two years since the dictatorship had been brought down, so who can blame them? As long as the music is this beautiful, who are we to object...

My collection: 7" single no. 6845
Found: Ebay, received 21 January 2023
Tracks: 'Uma flor de verde pinho' / 'Novo fado alegre'

Quel coeur vas-tu briser? - Geraldine

'Quel cœur vas-tu briser' was the Swiss entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967 in Vienna, performed by Géraldine Gaulier. The song is a ballad in which Géraldine asks a former lover whose heart he is going to break now that hers no longer beats for him. She tells him that she has forgotten him and asks him who will be the next victim of his false passions. 

This EP features four songs by Géraldine, and they are quite varied. 'Jimmy' features rather weird vocals, whereas 'Neiges de printemps' is actually a very nice song. As for the title track, it finished in last place with zero points - which pretty much tells you how most juries felt about this song. It's actually not that bad. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6844
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 January 2023
Tracks: 'Quel coeur vas-tu briser?', 'Jimmy' / 'Jour a jour', 'Neiges de printemps'

Bring me closer - Altered Images

Last year saw a re-emergence of Altered Images, with Clare Grogan recording a whole new album. Alas, no vinyl singles were released, and so we're left with the old singles instead. I have all of them, but I recently found out about three picture discs. One is the picture disc of 'Don't talk to me about love', which I bought a little over four years ago, and here is another one: 'Bring me closer'. It really is the weakest track of the three, because as I wrote back in 2009, this single doesn't seem to go anywhere for some reason. 

I only have to buy the picture disc edition of 'I could be happy' to complete the set, and I am sure I will do that pretty soon. But visually, this one is without a doubt the most beautiful one of the three. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6843
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2023
Tracks: 'Bring me closer' / 'Surprise me'

Let's all chant - Michael Zager Band

I bought the single 'Let's all chant' a long, long time ago. This was when I was no longer sick of the track - because it had been played repeatedly in and after 1978. Almost three decades later and I find myself buying the 12" single, because I have to admit it's as infectious a disco track as they come. It's not hard to imagine radio DJ's having a good time while playing this. 

This 12" version does what all good extended versions should do: add to the track and not take out any relevant stuff, like remixers started doing towards the end of the 1980's. This is seven minutes of 'Let's all chant' - the way you like it.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2023
Tracks: 'Let's all chant [extended]' / 'Traffic jam [extended]', 'Traffic jam (dub mix)'