Ordinary girl - Alison Moyet

Alison Moyet enjoyed a great deal of success with her debut solo album Alf in 1984. She followed it up with Raindancing over a year later. The first two singles, 'Is this love?' and 'Weak in the presence of beauty' both reached the UK top 10, but the third single, 'Ordinary girl', wasn't that lucky. It only reached number 43, while also missing out on any chart placement all over Europe.

That's not to say this is a bad song: it's absolutely catchy, but I have to admit that I didn't know the song at all when I bought this single. But you can never go wrong with Alison Moyet, I have found. Maybe the record company should have done a bit more of a marketing push back in 1987.

My collection: 7" single no. 7199
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 May 2024
Tracks: 'Ordinary girl' / 'Palm of your hand (Cloak and dagger)'

Take a look - Level 42

Level 42 enjoyed a great deal of success in the mid-Eighties, but after the huge success of their album Running in the family, the original line-up split up, leaving Mark King and Mike Lindup having to find replacements for Boon and Phil Gould. They recorded the next album Staring at the sun with Gary Husband on drums and Dominic Miller, who towards the end of the sessions was replaced by Alan Murphy.

'Take a look' was a single taken from the album. Like the previous single 'Heaven in my hands' it peaked outside of the UK singles chart's top 10, at number 32. All this despite the 'limited edition envelope pack' which included four postcards of the band members. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7197
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 May 2024
Tracks: 'Take a look' / 'Man'

Tonight - David Bowie

David Bowie is often praised for his pre-Eighties work, but during the Eighties I discovered the man, and personally I feel his best work was released during the Nineties. But from all I've read, most people think his Ziggy Stardust era was the best thing since sliced bread. Obviously I disagree.

As for comments that his Eighties work is sub-par, I disagree for the most part as well. Perhaps the album Tonight, released in 1984, is an exception. It wasn't a particularly inspired piece of work, with the title track made a little less enjoyable for the guest appearance by Tina Turner. I can't really stand her voice, but again, most people seem to be particularly fond of her cat wailing. So why buy this single, 'Tonight'? Well, it was missing from my collection, and it seems odd that I would miss just one of Bowie's Eighties singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 7204
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 May 2024
Tracks: 'Tonight' / 'Tumble and twirl'

Heartache No. 9 - Hot Chocolate

This Hot Chocolate single is a bit of a landmark, because not only does it feature Errol Brown prominently on the sleeve, it is also his last single with the band. The song was released on The very best of Hot Chocolate in 1986, an album that also featured a Ben Liebrand remix of 'You sexy thing'. The single only reached number 76 in the UK and number 52 in Germany.

After 'Heartache No. 9', Errol Brown went solo and a few more remix singles were released. Hot Chocolate continued without Errol Brown for a while, releasing the songs 'Never pretend', 'What about you', 'Get it right', 'Kiss to mean goodbye' and 'Cry little girl' between 1988 and 1993, none of which managed to chart. Hot Chocolate continued to make live appearances in the UK and Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 7195
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 May 2024
Tracks: 'Heartache No. 9' / 'One life'

I'm no one - Ilanit

I've been rather successful in collecting Ilanit's Eurovision songs recently. Having bought 'Ahava hi shir lishnayim' last month, I am also the proud owner of the French and German versions of that song - and now I have also added the English version.

Entitled 'I'm no one' on the cover and 'I'm no one if you leave me' on the label, this should be my penultimate Ilanit single, as I'm still after the Italian version of that other Eurovision song, 'Ey sham'. It's fun to collect all these versions, to be honest.

My collection: 7" single no. 7192
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 May 2024
Tracks: 'I'm no one if you leave me' / 'I can't say I love you'

You are young / Sea fog - Keane

The album Strangeland is not Keane's best known album - that honour would go to Hopes & fears, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year - but back in 2022, a special 10" single, released on Record Store Day, commemorated the 10th anniversary of that album. Like all Record Store Day releases, the disc was overly expensive.

Fast forward two years and it is available for half price in some stores (but not all, I noticed recently). Pressed on clear vinyl, this 10" single presents alternative versions of the album tracks 'You are young' and 'Sea fog'. Only the biggest Keane fans still remember those tracks, but it's a nice little item - especially for half price.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Paagman, Leidschendam, 12 May 2024
Tracks: 'You are young (alternative structure - work in progress)' / 'Sea fog (full band version - work in progress)'

Eat the music - Kate Bush

Kate Bush seems to be in full Kraftwerk mode recently, re-releasing her music as if she isn't creating any new music anymore. (Well, who knows.) We've had the CD and vinyl box sets, then the coloured vinyl LP's and, a few months ago, overly expensive repackagings of the albums Hounds of Love and The Dreaming. And now this.

Record Store Day is always an opportunity to repackage music and sell it for steep prices. Last month Kate Bush released this beautiful product: a white vinyl 10" disc with three tracks on one side and the cover image printed on the other side. It has to be emphasized that the image is actually printed on the disc, and not, as usually with picture discs, pressed inside the disc. The effect is absolutely beautiful.
Unfortunately the disc features the 'remastered' versions of the tracks, which especially in the case of 'Big stripey lie' is an act of vandalism, because the track fades out instead of its original beautiful ending. I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed with Kate these recent years. But still, this EP is a 'nice to have'.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 April 2024
Tracks: 'Eat the music', 'Lily', 'Big stripey lie'

Toy E.P. - David Bowie

Toy is a studio album by the English musician David Bowie, recorded from July to October 2000 in New York City and featured re-recordings of songs Bowie recorded between 1964 and 1971, along with a couple of new tracks. Bowie's intention for the project was to rehearse the tracks, record them live and release them as quickly as possible, predating the idea of the surprise album. Intended for release in March 2001, the album was shelved by EMI/Virgin, leading Bowie to depart the label and begin work on his next album Heathen (2002). Various Toy tracks saw release as B-sides and bonus tracks in the ensuing years; two were remade for Heathen and two appeared on the Nothing Has Changed compilation in 2014. The album was posthumously released in November 2021.  

Then, in April 2022, this EP was released. The Toy E.P. features special versions of six of the tracks that appeared on Toy. Like the album, this EP features the ugliest sleeve artwork made in the history of mankind, but it was apparently conceived by Bowie while he was still alive. Whatever - it's still nice to have this EP for the reduced price I found it recently.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Sounds, Delft, 4 May 2024
Tracks: 'You've got a habit of leaving (radio edit)', 'Shadow man (vocal and piano mix)', 'Silly boy blue (alternative ending mix)' / 'Can't help thinking about me (live BBC Radio 1 session)', 'I dig everything (live)', 'The London boys (live)'

Waterloo - Abba

With the final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest taking place tomorrow, there's a lot of speculation about Abba. Will they appear on stage? Will they perform their song 'Waterloo', which won the competition half a century ago? (Spoiler: no and no.)

At least there is the recent re-release of 'Waterloo' to celebrate the half-centenary. For the first time ever, all four versions of the song were released on one vinyl disc - and a 10" vinyl disc at that. It is actually the first ever official Abba 10" EP, which makes this release rather unique. Which is, of course, why I bought it.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 16 April 2024
Tracks: 'Waterloo (Swedish version)', 'Waterloo (English version)' / 'Waterloo (German version)', 'Waterloo (French version)'

Yesterday's men - Madness

It's funny how a living and changing collection like mine stays quite staticly online. I have recently done away with all of my Madness singles, only to buy different copies, most of them limited editions or UK pressings in the months to come. I recently bought 'Michael Caine', and this is Madness single number two.

One of the singles I no longer own is 'Yesterday's men', at least, the one I wrote about in 2009. I now own the double single, consisting of a picture disc with the two tracks on the single I bought in 1989, plus a bonus single with two tracks I didn't have already. You can see how that's an improvement over the other copy. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7190
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 April 2024
Tracks: 'Yesterday's men' / 'All I knew' // 'Yesterday's men (Harmonica mix)' / 'It must be love (Recorded live at Brighton Conference Centre, 5 March 1983)'

Legenden om Joe Hill - Goran Hagwall

It's not exactly clear to me for whom Marty Wilde wrote 'The Spirit of Joe Hill', but it seems that Laurie Dryden was the only one who recorded the song. Interestingly, the song took on a life of its own in Scandinavia, because several Swedish versions of the song exist.

One of those versions is the one by Göran Hagwall (Gothenburg, 29 October 1946 — 10 October 1991). I received this copy in the original Philips record company sleeve, which I have to say is very well preserved after almost half a century!

My collection: 7" single no. 7189
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 April 2024
Tracks: 'Legenden om Joe Hill' / 'Michaela'

Fernando och Filippo - Suzie

Hard to imagine this year, but back in 1966 the Netherlands were still sending quality songs to the Eurovision Song Contest. Milly Scott made an impression with her bouncy 'Fernando en Filippo'. 

The song was covered in Swedish by Suzie. You may wonder, how come a Swedish singer covers this song? That's because the singer isn't actually Swedish. Suzie was born as Maria Catharina Martina Pereboom in Tilburg, the Netherlands, on 21 August 1946. She moved to Sweden around 1960. In 1965 she married Mike Watson (bass player in The Lee Kings). This EP wsa released in 1966, not long after the Eurovision Song Contest took place. Interestingly, around that time she also recorded singles in Dutch, German, French and, in 1969, a successful cover version of 'Walkin' Back to Happiness'. For many years she owned a very exclusive snack bar in Täby, just north of Stockholm, Sweden. She passed away in March 2008. 

My collection: 7" single no.7188
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 April 2024
Tracks: 'Fernando och Filippo', 'Grabben I Ljusblå Tröja' / 'Gott om tid', 'Svag i geografi'

Kleptocracy - OMD

OMD delivered a great album with Bauhaus Staircase recently, and 'Kleptocracy' is possibly the strongest track on that album. No wonder that it was finally released as a single. The CD-single comes with two remixes, but the 7" single only features the original song and an instrumental B-side track. The single was pressed on red vinyl. 

The word 'kleptocracy' is used to describe a society or system ruled by people who use their power to steal their country's resources. McCluskey's lyrics deal directly with such subjects. Institutions such as Deutsche Bank, the Kremlin, the KGB, the GOP, as well as the assassinated Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, are all name-checked. There is also veiled reference to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson "The narcissist (who) stole the exit." 

My collection: 7" single no. 7191
Found: OMD webstore, received 4 May 2024
Tracks: 'Kleptocracy' / 'Silver cloud'

Queen of sorrow - Sade

A white label 12" featuring a 10 minute remix of a Sade song. It sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it? Well, that's what I thought. The 12" came with an A4 leaflet announcing that the disc contained "the choc electric 2001 mixes", but only one side is playable. As for the track itself, well... admittedly it does seem to contain a few samples of Sade Adu's voice, but the whole thing sounds pretty dismal. But I bet that this kind of thing did pretty well in clubs at the beginning of this century.

I played it, I recorded it and I put it up for sale on Discogs. If you'd like to own it - there's your chance. Meanwhile, I'll wait for better Sade discs to turn up.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Delft, 4 May 2024
Tracks: 'Queen of sorrow (Choc Electric 2001 mix)'

Opportunities (Let's make lots of money) - Pet Shop Boys

The Pet Shop Boys have been around for forty years now and they have been able to create great music consistently. The early beginnings weren't easy, with a few Bobby Orlando-produced tracks and singles that didn't end up high in the charts. One of those early singles was 'Opportunities', released by EMI to muted response. It was only when they released their next single, 'West End Girls', that their career took off.

This 12" single has, therefore, become a bit of a collector's item. It features two remixes by the Latin Rascals. The dub mix on the B-side of this disc has never been released on CD, and so it was worth getting this disc just for that track alone - although the A-side remix slightly differs from the one on the album Disco as well!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Opportunities (Let's make lots of money) (Version Latina)' / 'Opportunities (Let's make lots of money) (dub for money)', 'In the night'

Running up that hill - Kate Bush

It's always nice to buy a rare Kate Bush item, but buying an illegal item always feels less comfortable. In the case of this 12" single, it has to be established that this is certainly an illegal item. For one thing, it uses the catalogue number of the original US promotional 12" single from 1985. It hss an EMI logo and a His Master's Voice image, while all of Kate's releases are done by Fish People these days, and the disc features two remixes that almost certainly have never been approved by Kate. 

Still, it's a nice item to have, especially when one of the two remixes - the one by Orlando Voorn - is a really good one. My excuse is that I've already bought all of Kate's official releases anyway. Except those insanely expensive reissues of last year and this year, that is. She can't have it all.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: HHV.de website, received 2 April 2024
Tracks: 'Running up that hill (12" remix)' / 'Running up that hill (Orlando Voorn downtempo mix)', 'Running up that hill (Ashley Beedle edit)'

You keep me hangin' on - Reba McEntire

Today is King's Day in the Netherlands, and traditionally this means that you take the stuff you don't want anymore and offer it for sale on a little piece of claimed territory (often beforehand) in the middle of town, together with other citizens living nearby. In my case, I always offer some music on vinyl and CD's that I don't want anymore. (My collection is a living one: I often buy better versions of singles I had when I was younger and when I used to write on the sleeves.) 

One of the records I had on offer was this 12" single by Reba McEntire. I bought it a long time ago, basically because it was another version of 'You keep me hangin' on', a song made famous by the Supremes and later by Kim Wilde. Reba's version - I have to say it - pales in comparison to those versions. But: it was pressed on very pretty pink vinyl. I sold my copy today, but it hasn't featured on this blog yet, so here it is... 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: [unknown], 20 years ago
Tracks: 'You keep me hangin' on (Classic Paradise mix)', 'You keep me hangin' on (Classic Paradise instrumental)' / 'You keep me hangin' on (Deep Love mix)', 'You keep me hangin' on (Aphrodisiac mix)'

I'm just (a simple country girl from France) - Michele Torr

Michèle Torr represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with 'Une petite Française'. The song reached fourth place in the competition, and this apparently prompted the singer or her team to also record the song in other languages, Besides the German, Italian and Spanish versions, there was this English version of the song, which for those of us who can read this blog is probably the most accessible version. It certainly is for me.

The lyrics stay roughly the same: just like in the French version, the singer explains that she is just a simple country girl from France with a desire to sing. And so she does, and if I may say so, it comes across a little better in English.

My collection: 7" single no. 7186
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 April 2024
Tracks: 'I'm just (a simple country girl from France)' / 'Une petite Française'

We came to dance - Ultravox

I had the good fortune of finding two picture disc 7" singles of Ultravox on one day, and because they both looked so good I simply had to snap them up. 'We came to dance' was the fourth and last single taken from the band's album Quartet, and it reached number 18 in the UK singles chart. 

I already own the clear vinyl version of this single, but when a picture disc looks as good as this, it is a worthy addition to my collection. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7175
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 16 April 2024
Tracks: 'We came to dance' / 'Overlook'

Hymn - Ultravox

I had the pleasure of seeing Ultravox live at Paradiso during the last tour they ever did - and with the recent passing of Chris Cross I think there won't ever be another one - and this song was one of the most rousing tracks on the set. It wasn't the bands biggest hit, but it could have been. 

Lyrically, the song describes a time of corruption, in which "all that's good will fall from grace" and "Different words [...] have other meaning"; the protagonist expresses his worldly ambitions for "power and glory" in phrases from Bible ("the storybook"), especially The Lord's Prayer. 'Hymn' peaked at number 11 in the singles chart in the UK, where it was certified silver, and reached top 10 in Germany and Switzerland. This picture disc is a beautiful piece.

My collection: 7" single no. 7172
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 16 April 2024
Tracks: 'Hymn' / 'Monument'