Eurovision - Telex

I have a big subcollection of Eurovision singles and within that subcollection there's another subcollection: 12" singles of Eurovision songs. You'd be surprised how many 12" singles of Eurovision songs actually exist, and many have already featured on this blog anyway. But one eluded me, and I consider it the ultimate Eurovision 12" single: it's 'Eurovision' by Telex.

It's quite a rare one, because it was only released in the USA as a promotional disc. But it contains an extended version of that song, and as far as I know this version has never been released anywhere else. I've had to search for this one for quite a long time, and I am really glad to finally have it. Even if I had to have it sent over from Canada!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2024
Tracks: 'Eurovision [extended]' / 'Dance to the music', 'Twist a Saint-Tropez'

Coming up (live at Glasgow) - Paul McCartney

In 1980 Paul McCartney released 'McCartney II', a solo album created almost entirely on his own, aided only by his wife Linda. When the album was released in the USA, it came with a free 7" single featuring one track: a live version of 'Coming up'. This live version also appeared on the 7" single of 'Coming up', actually. 

I only bought this single because it came with an order of a few 12" singles, and it is a nice curiosity. It's not often one gets to buy a McCartney promo for the price of half a bread.

My collection: 7" single no. 7155
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2024
Tracks: 'Coming up (live at Glasgow)'

Open up the red box - Simply Red

I'm not entirely sure if I would have bought this single if it wasn't a double single. I am just a sucker for special editions. 'Open up the red box' was Simply Red's fifth and final single release from their debut album 'Picture book'. This double single features previous single 'Holding back the years' as a bonus. Smart move, as that one had just reached number 2 in the UK singles chart. On the other hand, most people probably already owned that single - and so 'Open up the red box' stalled at number 61 in that same chart. 

No need to panic: Simply Red continued their success with subsequent albums, with hits right into the new century.

My collection: 7" single no. 7150
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Open up the red box' / 'Look at you now' // 'Holding back the years' / 'Drowning in my own tears'

Amiga Quartett - Bangles

The GDR record company Amiga released so-called 'Amiga Quartett' EP's, featuring several tracks from a certain act. In this case, an EP from 1989 mopped up a few single and album tracks from the American band The Bangles. They were enjoying great success with 'Eternal flame' in 1989, something that didn't escape the attention of the Eastern German record company bosses. Their music was deemed suitable for the youth behind the iron curtain. The B-side of this EP features two tracks from the album 'Everything'. 

After Germany's reunification Amiga ceased to exist. In fact, it looks like this was the last interesting - to me at least - EP's from the label. Nine more followed, from artists like Monika Herz, Jürgen Hart, Neneh Cherry and Udo Jürgens. Amiga was sold to BMG National Berlin in 1994. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7153
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Eternal flame', 'In your room' / 'Something to believe in', 'Some dreams come true'

Hot hot hot !!! - Cure

'Hot hot hot!!!' was the fourth single released from the album 'Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me'. In early 1988, it spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 45 on 20 February of that year. In the United States, the song reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached its highest chart position in Spain, peaking at number 8. 

For this single release, both tracks were remixed by François Kevorkian. The B-side, 'Hey you!!!' was also a song from the album, but the original CD release of 'Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me' omitted this track as to facilitate a single CD. In 2006 the track did appear on CD1 of a deluxe 2CD edition of the album. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7154
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Hot hot hot !!!' / 'Hey you !!!'

West end girls - Pet Shop Boys

Now that the Pet Shop Boys have established themselves as one of the premier acts of UK pop, it's hard to imagine that there was once a time when these two gentlemen still had to fight their way into the recording industry. This single, 'West End Girls', comes right from the beginning of their career in 1984. It's a French release, because apparently there were some companies out there that believed in this Bobby O-produced slice of pop. It is not, of course, the hit version that followed in 1985. 

Orlando played most of the instruments on this version of the track, including the jazz riff at the end. Lowe played one chord and the bassline. It included a drum part lifted from Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean', and an arrangement involving what Tennant called "Barry White chords". Orlando was thrilled by the song's production; his idea was to make a rap record in a British accent. In April 1984, 'West end girls' was released, becoming a club hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and a minor dance hit in Belgium and France. In March 1985, after long negotiations, Pet Shop Boys cut their contractual ties with Orlando, and hired manager Tom Watkins, who signed them with EMI.

My collection: 7" single no. 7151
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'West end girls' / 'Pet Shop Boys'

Stop the world - Captain Sensible

After considerable success with the single 'Wot!', Captain Sensible's career stalled. The next single 'Croydon' didn't chart anywhere, and the single after that was 'Stop the world'. It only got to number 82 in the UK singles chart, and number 72 in Germany. His only other big hit would happen a year later with 'Glad it's all over'.

The biggest redeeming quality of all these singles was that they were produced by Tony Mansfield, of New Musik fame. You can his recognizable synth sounds on this single. Apparently there's a 12" single version as well - which will probably feature on this blog soon as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7146
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Stop the world' / 'Back to school?'

Cuba - Gibson Brothers

A year before the Gibson Brothers had a hit with 'Que sera mi vida', they had a hit with a similarly Latin America-oriented single called 'Cuba' in 1979. The single peaked at number 32 in the Dutch Top 40, and reached number 41 in the UK singles chart. It fared better in the UK in 1980 when it was re-released: it reached number 12.

They actually had two more hits in the UK: 'Mariana' (1980) and 'My heart's beating wild' (1983). Neither of those charted in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, my musical interests had shifted to other bands as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7145
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Cuba' / 'Cuba (instrumental)'

The love parade - Dream Academy

The Dream Academy never got much recognition beside their greatest hit 'Life in a northern town', but obviously there was more to the band than just the one song. They released three albums and twelve singles, but only three singles ever made the UK singles chart. 

One of them was 'The love parade', released in early 1986 as a track from their self-titled debut album. It reached number 68 in the UK singles chart but fared a bit better in Belgium where it peaked at number 30. In the American Adult Contemporary chart it even reached number 13. 

'The love parade' is the only song on the Dream Academy's eponymous album not to be produced by David Gilmour. Instead, the band recruited Alan Tarney to work with them on the track. Tarney was brought in at the suggestion of Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis to work on the song. "What happened was, we had a pretty good demo for 'Love Parade' and we loved it, and when we made the record with David, somehow we never got 'round to it". Lead vocalist Nick Laird-Clowes noted that Tarney brought some "real special techniques" to the table: he tracked the vocals "12 or 15 times" during certain portions of the song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7144
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'The love parade' / 'Girl in a million (for Edie Sedgwick)'

Shaggy raggy - Jona Lewie

Released in 1981, 'Shaggy raggy' was one of Jona Lewie's lesser known singles. It never charted and in fact I have never seen this single before - even though I have scoured a lot of record shops and record fairs in my lifetime.

The single came after two of his more successful attempts: the 1980 Christmas hit 'Stop the cavalry' and 'Louise (We get it right)', which didn't chart in the UK but did reach number 2 in Australia. The B-side of this single is an interesting take on the same track; putting the two together could have made an interesting 12" single.

My collection: 7" single 7142
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Shaggy raggy' / 'Shaggy raggied'

Modern girl - Sheena Easton

It's quite funny to collect singles by Sheena Easton: usually they're not very expensive and they always pop up at record fairs, second hand shops and the like. Through the years I've bought quite a few of her singles and I never had to spend much money on them. 

And this is also how I got my hands on this single of 'Modern girl'. Dirt cheap, and as a bonus it isn't quite complete. At least, while the sleeve is Dutch, the record comes from the UK. Something tells me this single wasn't sold that way, but I'll take it nonetheless. There's no sense in spending more after all.

My collection: 7" single no. 7141
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Modern girl' / 'Paradox'

I'll come back - Dora

Another Spanish promotional single went into my collection, and it's an interesting one for sure. It's got only one playable side and it features the English version of 'Voltarei', titled 'I'll come back'.

'Voltarei', of course, was released in 1988 when Dora represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest. Quite why the Spanish decided to choose the English version instead of the Portuguese one is a mystery to me, especially because this promotional single is housed in the original sleeve - meaning that 'Voltarei' is announced at the front and 'I'll come back' at the back. Curiosities like this make me very happy.

My collection: 7" single no. 7140
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'I'll come back'

Love is stronger than death - The The

Why would I buy another copy of 'Love is stronger than death' by The The? After all, I already owned that single. I bought it in August 2021, and I still remember doing so.

True, but this is a special one. It's a Spanish promotional 7" single with only one playable side! I love promotional singles like that - and besides, it wsa part of a bigger order from a Spanish seller. Just one track then, and no picture sleeve. But it is in its original record company sleeve, and so it's still worth owning. A little curiosity to make me happy.

My collection: 7" single no.
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Love is stronger than death'

La, la, la - Filippo Carletti Quinteto

When Spain won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968 with  'La, la, la' by Massiel, other acts were quick to jump on the bandwagon. One of those acts was the Filippo Carletti Quinteto, consisting of Francesco Costa (bass, vocals) Erasmo Palmieri (vibraphone, organ, vocals) Carlo Piazza (guitar, vocals) and Joaquín Liebanas (drums) and of course the titular Filippo Carletti. 

What's interesting, is that this single also contains a Spanish version of 'Nous vivrons d'amour', the entry from Luxembourg that year. Quite why they chose that song instead of one of the other songs that competed that year I don't know. But it certainly adds to the attractiveness of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7137
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'La, la, la' / 'Nuestro amor'

Questions in a world of blue - Julee Cruise

Anyone who has ever seen Twin Peaks and the movie Twin Peaks: Fire walk with me will probably remember Julee Cruise, the singer who performed the theme song 'Falling'. As pretty as that song was, it can't even stand in the shadow of this moving epic 'Questions in a world of blue'. 

Theme song of the movie Fire walk with me, it underlines the sad fate of its main character Laura Palmer as she descends into a spiral of selfdestruction (or was she destructed by others? Was she destructed at all? We'll probably never know.) This promotional 7" single was released in Spain, and it remains the only physical single release.

My collection: 7" single no. 7136
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Questions in a world of blue' / 'Questions in a world of blue'

Boys and girls - Mandy Smith

It's an amazing coincidence that I should buy two singles named 'Boys and girls' from the same (online) dealer, but here it is: after 'Boys and girls' by the Human League I found this one by Mandy Smith. 

The level of success that Human League achieved during the Eighties could not be replicated by Mandy, however. This single was the third one taken from her debut, and only, album 'Mandy', and it failed to chart. That in itself was quite amazing since the single was produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman who at the same time had a lot of success with acts like Mel & Kim, Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue and countless others. Mandy was probably just unlucky. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Boys and girls' / 'He's my boy'

Boys and girls - Human League

The Human League started out in 1977 as a group consisting of Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, Philip Oakey and Adrian Wright. When Ware and Craig Marsh left the group in 1980 (subsequently forming B.E.F. and Heaven 17) the other two were left with the obligation to fulfill a tour and more releases. Recruiting the girls Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall they soldiered on, and 'Boys and girls' became their first single release in early 1981.

Amazingly, 'Girls and boys' went on to become the band's biggest hit since their debut 'Being Boiled', peaking at number 48, which in itself was a lowly chart placing, but it did offer the group some hope that things would turn around in their favour. Indeed it did: subsequent singles became bigger hits and between 1981 and 1983 they scored five top 10 hits, including one charttopper.

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Boys and girls' / 'Tom Baker'

Absolutely fabulous - Pet Shop Boys

Although I have been quite successful in collecting Pet Shop Boys singles (with only a few titles missing), somehow I missed this one. It's not that surprising, because I felt that 'Absolutely fabulous' wasn't the duo's finest moment back in 1994. I did buy the CD-single a few years later, but the 7" single escaped my attention completely. Until recently, that is. I was going through my Pet Shop Boys singles (I take out some acts' singles from time to time) and noticed that this one was missing. In the age of Discogs it's not that hard to rectify such omissions, and so a few weeks later it landed in my mailbox.

'Absolutely fabulous' was, of course, a successful TV series based on the French and Saunders sketch, 'Modern Mother and Daughter', created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saunders, who also starred as one of the main characters with Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha. The B-side of this single contains an 8 minute remix, but unfortunately it is a bit, er, dull and soulless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7132
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Absolutely fabulous' / 'Absolutely fabulous (Dull Soulless Dance Music Mix)'

Tom Pillibi - Les petits chanteurs a la croix de bois

Les petits chanteurs a la croix de bois ('The little singers with the wooden cross') are a Christian boys choir. It was founded in 1907 and the choir is still active at present. Through the years the choir recorded a few dozen albums and more than a few singles.

This particular single is a bit of a rarity, because of its connection to the Eurovision Song Contest. The choir performs a version of 'Tom Pillibi'. As far as I could find out, the choir didn't record any other Eurovision-related songs. Another interesting addition is a version of 'La mer', performed with its original performer Charles Trenet.

My collection: 7" single no. 7127
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi', 'L'enfant au tambour' / 'La mer'

La, la, la - Los Stop

After the EP 'Festival Eurovision 1967', Los Stop were back the next year with an EP featuring a Eurovision song. This time, they recorded a cover version of the winning song 'La, la, la' - coincidentally a Spanish entry. The other three tracks have no connection to the Contest.

Los Stop continued to release singles and EP's until 1975. 'La, la, la' remained the last Eurovision-related song they released.

My collection: 7" single no. 7125
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'La, la, la', 'La grua' / 'Yo te dare', 'Toledo'