Glittering prize - Simple Minds

Sometimes buying singles is just something that 'has to happen'. You scour through the boxes in a record store and nothing decent comes up. Well... almost. I found this Simple Minds single, and although I never had a deep longing to own 'Glittering Prize' on 7" single this copy looked decent enough (and, to be honest, with beautiful artwork) to take home.

The song reached number 16 in the UK singles chart, but was more successful in Australia, New Zealand and Norway, where it reached the top 10. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7291
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Glittering prize' / 'Glittering prize (theme)'

Spies like us - Paul McCartney

Spies Like Us is a 1985 American spy comedy film directed by John Landis, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon. The film presents the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Union. 

The title song was written and performed by Paul McCartney. The recording peaked at number 7 on US Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1986; The song was McCartney's last to reach the top ten in the USA until 2015. It also reached number 13 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7290
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Spies like us' / 'My carnival'

Road to your soul - All About Eve

While I was going through my All About Eve 12" singles (partly for this blog, as you have been noticing recently), I noticed that one was missing. 'Road to your soul' was released in 1989 and I bought the single just after it came out. The CD-single followed swiftly, but I never bought the 12" single. As interesting as the 'art print' seemed, there was nothing new on the disc - or so I thought.

It turns out that the 12" single actually features an extended version of 'Road to your soul', which doesn't appear on the CD-single at all. I did find out about this years ago, but it didn't prompt me to buy the disc immediately. However, I recently found out that a shop in my neighbourhood could get it for me, and so I ordered it. As it turns out, the disc is in near mint shape and the art print is still in there! I am one happy customer.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Road to your soul [extended]' / 'Pieces of our heart', 'Hard Spaniard'

Ooh shooby doo doo lang - Aneka

Aneka was very successful with her debut single 'Japanese boy', but the song saddled the single up with an image that she couldn't really shake. Her second single 'Little lady' only reached number 50 in the UK singles chart.

A third single was released in early 1982. This was 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang', which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she has been relegated to backing vocals; the lyrics go on to mention Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and both 'Japanese boy' and 'Little lady'. The song missed the UK chart; however in Europe it gave her a third hit. After a few more unsuccessful singles, Aneka then dropped the Aneka title and continued with the folk-singing career she had begun before her fame. She has since confirmed her retirement from music, and was last known to be working as a part-time tour guide for the Scottish city of Stirling.

My collection: 7" single no. 7289
Found: Plato, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang' / 'Could it last a little longer'

House of the rising sun - Frijid Pink

'House of the rising sun' is a traditional American folk song, but it was made famous by the Animals, who made it a charttopper in the UK and USA in 1964. It's the version most people probably know best.

In 1969 the Detroit band Frijid Pink recorded a psychedelic version of "House of the Rising Sun", which became an international hit in 1970. Their version was almost as successful; peaking at number 4 in the UK singles chart and number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's an interesting twist of fate that I haven't even got a copy of the Animals single yet, but this one by Frijid Pink only cost half a euro, so I couldn't leave it in the shop.

My collection: 7" single no. 7288
Found: Plato, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'House of the rising sun' / 'Drivin' blues'

Horse race - Mo

It was a big surprise to find a single by the band Mo that I didn't own already. I thought my collection was complete, but this was literally the first time I ever saw the single 'Horse race'. Back in 2009 when I wrote about 'Nothing's wrong' I stated that it was their last single - but I was wrong: this one is! 

Like 'Nothing's wrong', 'Horse race' is taken from Mo's final album Stop Staring, released in 1984. Apparently a 12" single of 'Asia' was released a few months ago, but it is now impossible to find a copy. After all these years, the band hasn't been forgotten.

My collection: 7" single no. 7286
Found: Plato, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Horse race' / 'In love there's pain'

Egyptian reggae - Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers

It's no wonder, I guess, that I never really knew who recorded 'Egyptian reggae', because who could remember the band name 'Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers'? So I was lucky to find this single by chance, after many years subconsciously searching for it. 

In the 1970s, Jonathan Richman experiments with different musical styles. Inspired by North African and reggae music, he comes up with this instrumental song, which he records together with the band The Modern Lovers. Although Richman initially claimed to have written the song himself, he later retracted this. The song has very strong similarities to Jamaican musician Earl Zero's 1973 hit 'None shall escape the judgement'. In reissues of 'Egyptian reggae', Zero is explicitly credited as co-writer of the song. Not on this original single from 1977, though!

My collection: 7" single no. 7285
Found: Record fair, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Egyptian reggae' / 'Rollercoaster by the sea'

Face to face - Real life

The band Real life is best known for their hit 'Send me an angel'. Some years ago I bought the 88 version of that track, and I thought that would be the last of their singles I'd ever buy. But I was tempted yet again by a red vinyl single, and I guess you can't go very wrong with an Eighties band anyway.

'Face to face' was released in 1985 as the first single from the Australian band's second album 'Flame'. It reached number 32 in the Australian singles chart, and the red vinyl version also helped them get to number 52 in the German singles chart. Elsewhere this single remained unnoticed. The band soldiered on until 1990 without a lot of success. Later reunions didn't come with any chart success either.

My collection: 7" single no. 7284
Found: Record fair, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Face to face' / 'Flame (instrumental)'

Martha's harbour - All About Eve

All About Eve were very busy after releasing their debut album. Having already released a few singles in advance, the singles kept coming after the album was out, and in various formats too. Their best known single 'Martha's harbour' wasn't just released on CD-single, 7" and 12", a special edition of the 12" single came in a box and featured a large colour poster and two exclusive live tracks.

You could say it's a nightmare for collectors, but all these years later it's still a major joy to look back and go through all these different versions.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, 1989
Tracks: 'Martha's harbour', 'Another door' / 'In the clouds (live)', 'Shelter from the rain (live)'

Augustin - Siw Malmkvist

There's something odd about the sleeve of this single. With Siw & Lilian Malmkvist prominently on it with their names above, the song 'Augustin' seems to have been recorded by both. But upon further inspection it becomes clear that the sisters only recorded the two songs on the B-side of this EP, and Siw Malmkvist actually sings 'Augustin' on her own.

'Augustin' is of course a cover version of Sweden's 1959 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, originally performed by Brita Borg. Which should tell you all you need to know why I wanted to have this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7281
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Augustin', 'Det Är Min Melodi' / 'Cocktail Tango', 'Nya Fågelsången'

Not the only one - Fiction Factory

Fiction Factory were very successful with their debut album and the hit single '(Feels like) Heaven'. They toured Europe as support for OMD, but the same year Eddie Jordan, Graham McGregor and Mike Ogletree departed from the band, leaving Kevin Patterson and Chic Medley to record the next studio album with session musicians, including keyboardist Paul Wishart and brothers Graham and Neil Weir of OMD. The first single from the second album Another Story was 'Not the only one'. Unlike the previous singles, this one didn't chart at all. 

This copy of the single was made in Germany. The disc has a label saying 'Ungeprüftes muster / Unverkäuflich', which means basically that it is some sort of promotional single. It's a nice find.

My collection: 7" single no. 7282
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Not the only one' / 'Let me be a part'

Les illusions de nos 20 ans - Peter, Sue & Marc

'Les illusions de nos vingt ans' was the Swiss entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Dublin performed by Peter, Sue and Marc. This was the first of four attempts at the contest for the trio, and they became the first group to ever perform at Eurovision with the allowance of groups no more than six people on stage. The song finished in 12th place in a field of 18 competitors.

While the other efforts of the trio were pretty easy to find - especially 'Io senza te' which pops up in many a second hand shop in Europe - this single is a rarity. I was happy to finally find a copy online. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7280
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Les illusions de nos 20 ans' / 'Legende de mon pays'

Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears for fears

Another 10" single by Tears for fears - but this time it's one that I bought a long time ago already. Just like 'Head over heels', this 10" single is basically an enlarged 7" single, because it contains exactly the same tracks. 

'Everybody wants to rule the world' was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes, and produced by Hughes. The song was a "last-minute" addition during recording sessions of Songs from the Big Chair (1985). The decision to include the song in the album came after Orzabal played two chords on his acoustic guitar for Hughes. It was recorded in two weeks and added as the final track on the album.In an interview with Mix magazine, Hughes said that "as a piece of recording history, [the song is] bland as hell". Orzabal's unimpressed reaction to the track during their songwriting sessions prompted Hughes to convince him to record it, in a calculated effort to garner American chart success. That goal was met: it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it only peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart. 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Free Record Shop, 1985
Tracks: 'Everybody wants to rule the world' / 'Pharaohs'

The dreamer - All About Eve

It's hard to imagine now, but in the early Nineties vinyl was on its way out. Record companies embraced the CD format (just as quickly as they are dropping it now) and didn't have much time for decent vinyl releases anymore. 

However, some record companies stuck by the format, and there were really some attractive releases in the early Nineties still. This 12" single of All About Eve's 'The dreamer', for instance, featured four tracks and the sleeve was signed by all four members of the band. It was a numbered limited edition, and I got number 4947. Both remixes of 'The dreamer' remain unreleased on CD until now.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, 1991
Tracks: 'The dreamer (extended remix)' / 'Frida of blood and gold', 'Road to Damascus', 'The dreamer (Nightmare mix)'

Do you believe in shame? - Duran Duran

Last November I bought three 7" single of Duran Duran's 'Do you believe in shame?'. Three different sleeves and the B-sides were also different. However, I also own the 10" single of that same song, and it comes with another track that isn't on these 7" singles.

It's a live version of 'Notorious', recorded at the Ahoy in Rotterdam in 1987. No date is given on the sleeve, and since the band played there twice in 1987, it could have been recorded on 7 or 8 May. The track also appears on the rare 12" Duran Goes Dutch, released in the USA in 1987. 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 1990
Tracks: 'Do you believe in shame?', 'The Krush Brothers LSD edit' / 'Notorious (live)'

I found out - The Christians

A little while ago I discovered that I never bought the 7" single of the Christians' 'I found out'. There's probably a good reason for that: I didn't have a lot of money in 1990 and I made some choices. I did buy the 10" single of that song, because it came with an attractive art print (pictured here). There was no need to buy the 7" single after that. Which is not to say that I could have bought it at some later date in the 34 yeas after that, but who knows, I may find a copy sometime soon.

Meanwhile, this is the 10" single, which features three tracks, just like the CD-single (which I also bought at some point). 'I found out' reached number 56 in the UK singles chart, but didn't reach the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 1990
Tracks: 'I found out' / 'Save us from our friends', 'Sent here to shine'

Cambodia - Pulsedriver

Kim Wilde's 'Cambodia' has been covered by many different artists, but it was at the turn of the century when the track became almost omnipresent on the dance floors. Acts like Nobody, Marco V, Vorwerk and DJ Rasputin all got in on the action. And so did Pulsedriver.

Slobodan Petrovic jr. uses the name Pulsedriver for his projects in the dance music field. He began his career as a DJ in 1990 in northern German clubs and played mostly house, techno and trance music. His first hit was 'Kiss that sound', followed by a handful of other singles. In 2001, he recorded his version of 'Cambodia', which gave him a hit in Germany (peaking at no. 11) and Austria (no. 5). In 2002 he remixed Kim Wilde's unexpected hit single 'Loved'. This 10" single features club mixes of 'Cambodia' and the B-side 'Recycle'. Many more remixes of 'Cambodia' were made, but only released on CD.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 2002
Tracks: 'Cambodia (club mix)' / 'Recycle (club mix)'

Head over heels - Tears for fears

You may find my collecting of Tears for fears 10" singles a bit weird, but there's just no explanation for this particular insanity. I just like 10" singles and I like Tears for fears. I actually completed this subcollection recently with the purchase of 'Head over heels'. (Although there are two more Tears for fears 10" singles in my collection which haven't been featured on this blog yet - so watch this space!)

This one replicates the tracks on the 7" single, which I also own. This version is just a bit bigger.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2024
Tracks: 'Head over heels' / 'When in love with a blind man'

Martha's harbour - All About Eve

The first All About Eve single I ever bought was 'Martha's harbour', and coincidentally it was also the band's biggest hit in the UK. Since discovering the band I bought lots of singles, CD-singles and 12" singles... including the 12" single of 'Martha's harbour'. 

The A-side features both sides of the 7" single, which leaves space on the B-side for a bonus track. It's a live version of one of the album's most fiery tracks, 'In the meadow'. Unfortunately the sleeve gives no information on when and where this version was recorded. But Tim Bricheno does give you one of his excellent guitar solos.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, unknown date
Tracks: 'Martha's harbour', 'Another door' / 'In the meadow (live)'

Eenzame nachten - Annie

'It's now or never', sang Elvis Presley once, and before that, some Italians would sing 'O Sole Mio'. Leave it up to Dutch singer Annie to give this song a dark turn: 'Eenzame nachten' ('Lonely nights') is sung from the perspective of a woman who has been left behind by her man, but she threatens him with blackmail. She sings: 'Ik ken je fouten / en ook jouw geheimen' ('I know your faults / and also your secrets') and this should coax the man back to her. In the meantime, she is spending lonely nights, waiting for him to return.

The Dutch repertoire is full of bad singers and weird songs, but somehow Annie managed to find her way into my collection because her singles are full of bizarre lyrics. They call it 'camp', I think...

My collection: 7" single no. 2870
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985
Tracks: 'Eenzame nachten' / 'Het mooiste in het leven'