Du kennst die Liebe nicht - Nena

As popular as Nena was in Germany during the first half of the Eighties, things became a lot quieter when the year 1984 arrived. Most of their singles didn't chart, and although the album 'Feuer und Flamme' reached number 2 in the German albums chart, the singles didn't fare as well. The title track made it to number 8, 'Haus der drei Sonnen' scraped to number 43 and the two remaining singles didn't even chart. 

The last single taken from the album was 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht', released in 1985. The single features a live version of the same track on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 7475
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht' / 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht (live)'

Live and let die - Paul McCartney & Wings

One of the singles I've been after for a couple of years now is 'Live and let die', the theme song of the 1973 James Bond film of the same name. Originally, the movie's producer Harry Saltzman was interested in having Shirley Bassey or Thelma Houston perform it instead of Wings. George Martin said McCartney would allow the song to be used in the movie only if Wings was able to perform the song in the opening credits. The recording contract specified that McCartney would "perform the title song under the opening titles".

After the release of the single, it reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 in the UK singles chart. Amazingly, it only reached number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7470
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Live and let die' / 'I lie around'

Love her madly - The Doors

Band guitarist Robby Krieger wrote 'Love her madly' during the period of Jim Morrison's trial in September 1970. He composed the music while experimenting on a twelve string guitar, and he was inspired to write the lyrics from his troubles and fights with his then-girlfriend and later-wife Lynn. Ray Manzarek has said that the song's title was taken from Duke Ellington's line 'We love you madly', a catchphrase which he used to utter to the audience at the end of his concerts.

The B-side of the single, '(You need meat) Don't go no further', is the only studio recording released by the Doors during Jim Morrison's tenure with the group to feature a lead vocal by keyboardist Ray Manzarek. It is also one of only three non-album B-sides by the Doors, the other two being 'Who scared you?' (B-side of 'Wishful sinful') and the relatively rare post-Morrison track 'Treetrunk' (B-side of 'Get up and dance'). '(You need meat) Don't go no further' met its first official album release on the compilation album Weird scenes inside the gold mine. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7469
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Love her madly' / '(You need meat) Don't go no further'

Have a cigar - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd became one of the most famous bands in the world because of the album Dark side of the moon, released in 1973. After this, they continued making remarkable records, and 'Have a cigar' appeared on the next album Wish you were here. 

In some markets, the song was issued as a single. English folk-rock singer Roy Harper provided lead vocals on the song. In his book Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, author Mark Blake recounts that Gilmour had been unwilling to sing the lead vocal as he did not share Waters' opinions, as expressed in the lyrics, on the nature of the music industry. Waters has since said he dislikes Harper's version, saying he would have liked it to emerge 'more vulnerable and less cynical', adding that Harper's version was too parodic while Gilmour loved Harper's vocal delivery and called it the 'perfect version'. I'm inclined to take Gilmour's side, since Waters has since proved to be a lunatic.

My collection: 7" single no. 7468
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2024
Tracks: 'Have a cigar' / 'Shine on you crazy diamond (part 1)'

Lola (live) - The Kinks

Around the time of John Lennon's death, the Kinks released a live version of their song 'Lola'. I remember this quite vividly, because a picture of the sleeve appeared in the printed version of the Dutch Top 40 and I always thought it was an image of a big cross. It seemed like quite a biblical sleeve. Of course, upon closer inspection - weeks later - I saw this was actually a live photograph of Ray Davies!

I didn't really like the song a lot back then, but as things go, you get to appreciate things decades later sometimes. And the added attraction of a colour vinyl edition - in this case, blue - also helped. And so I was glad to find a good copy, finally, after having failed to do so for a few years. The fact that the single arrived together with that Beatles one, really made my day.

My collection: 7" single no. 7464
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 November 2024
Tracks: 'Lola (live)' / 'Celluloid heroes'

Let it be me - Hep Stars

It has become common practice for me, when I buy singles online, to search for 'Ulvaeus', because you never know when you might pick up some obscure Abba release, or a cover version. But this time the Hep Stars turned up, thanks to the B-side of this single. I knew the title 'Let it be me' somehow, but I didn't really know the song. And so I listened to it online - and that's when I remembered that song from very long ago. Obviously I had to have it. 

'Let it be me' was released in 1968, and it was based on 'Je t'appartiens', which was written in by Gilbert Bécaud and his frequent collaborator, lyricist Pierre Delanoë. Delanoë reportedly wrote the lyrics for Bécaud as an apology for missing one of the singer's performances at the Olympia in Paris. The most famous version was recorded by the Everly Brothers in 1959 - but the Swedish band were actually a year earlier! So which version did I know? I can't recall. Lovely song, though.

My collection: 7" single no. 7463
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 November 2024
Tracks: 'Let it be me' / 'A flower in my garden'

Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles

For a few years I have been checking out this double 7" single package of the Beatles called 'Magical Mystery Tour'. Most people know the tracks on this collection of songs, but the packaging is what makes the difference here. It's essentially a booklet of photographs with two EP's thrown in for extra enjoyment. It is the soundtrack to the Beatles television film of the same name. 

I got a little frustrated when I saw a few copies at the record fair in Den Bosch last month, and they were all tattered and torn - and dealers were still asking high prices for it! So I gave up, and I ordered a copy online. Luckily, this one is in "very good plus" shape, and when I received it, it exceeded my expectations. I don't really collect Beatles singles - you've got to draw the line somewhere - but this one is simply too good to let it pass.

My collection: 7" single no. 7462
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 November 2024
Tracks: 'Magical mystery tour', 'Your mother should know' / 'I am the walrus' // 'The fool on the hill', 'Flying' / 'Blue Jay way'

Meneer Tarzan - Rubberen Robbie

Dutch music is a strange beast. These days there aren't that many artists from the Netherlands that I enjoy, but back in the Eighties there seemed to be more creativity all around. Rubberen Robbie was a group that seemed to enjoy making parodies on wellknown songs, combined with humour all about being without a job and having to depend on benefits. 

'Meneer Tarzan' ('Mister Tarzan') is about someone who decides to leave the country and go living in the jungle. It is the chance to "finally meet mister Tarzan". It turns out that Tarzan has become quite old and is looking for his dentures. Sounds weird? Well, yes, and it's set to the tune of 'It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7460
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, 16 November 2024
Tracks: 'Meneer Tarzan' / 'Opa, ik zie tranen op uw wangen'

ABBA hits in Hindi - Various artists

Having hunted Abba singles throughout this year, I thought I'd seen most of them by now, but then I found myself bumping into this rarity. 'ABBA hits in Hindi' is an EP featuring four cover versions of Abba songs, but in Hindi. This single was actually made in India but somehow copies made it into the rest of the world, as evidenced by the 12 copies that are available online even right now. 

The artists on this EP are all from India, obviously, and the tracks sound like those radio stations you could bump into on the AM or FM band back in the day. But it's weird rarities like this that really excite me. Also, I wonder if they got permission to print that photograph on the sleeve.... I would hazard a guess that nobody cared back then.

My collection: 7" single no. 7455
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, 16 November 2024
Tracks: 'Abhi Nahin (Honey Honey)', 'Hasta Mastana (Hasta Mañana)' / 'Na jaane mere dil mein (Move on)', 'Mil mil sapnon mein aake (Ring Ring)'

Heart of stone - Bucks Fizz

Bucks Fizz had a succesful decade - the Eighties - but by the end of that decade things were starting to unravel. 'Heart of stone' was the group's 20th single and their last one to chart, reaching number 50 on the UK singles chart.

It was included in their greatest hits collection The Story So Far, released shortly after the release of this single, but since the single didn't get that high up in the singles chart, other recordings never saw the light of day. After that, Bucks Fizz fragmented and at some point there were even two versions of the group. Some members are still soldiering on as 'The Fizz' right now, but the old Eighties magic is long gone.

As for 'Heart of stone', it became a hit for Cher, who recorded it for her 1989 album of the same name.

My collection: 7" single no. 7454
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 November 2024
Tracks: 'Heart of stone' / 'Here's looking at you'

Land of La La - Stevie Wonder

I wouldn't exactly qualify this single as one of Stevie Wonder's best songs, but even an average Stevie Wonder song beats most other artists' output. 'Land of La La' is a song best described as 'wordy', because the lyrics - printed on the back cover of this single - take up most of the space there.

The song was written, produced and arranged by Stevie himself. Although the single was released worldwide, it only reached number 86 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and failed to chart everywhere else.

My collection: 7" single no. 7453
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2024
Tracks: 'Land of La La' / 'Land of La La (instrumental)'

Love at first sight - Sounds Nice

Most people will be familiar with 'Je t'aime... moi non plus', the sensual single by Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin. This single presents a different version of that song, as it's an instrumental take.

Sounds Nice is an instrumental group consisting of organist Tim Mycroft with the arranger Paul Buckmaster and a host of session musicians. Besides the sighing and moaning on the original, it is the melody that impresses, and this version does take it centre stage. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7452
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2024
Tracks: 'Love at first sight' / 'Love you too'

Bombers in the sky - Thompson Twins

Thompson Twins had reached the peak of their career in the mid-Eighties, but things weren't so successful when the decade drew to an end. The album Big Trash couldn't match the success of Into the gap, and the song 'Bombers in the sky' wasn't even released commercially in the UK. It passed most of Europe by also, by the way.

Cue the Spanish record company WEA, who created this promotional 7" single. It features the same song on both sides. This disc represents the only European 7" vinyl of the track.

My collection: 7" single no. 7451
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Bombers in the sky' / 'Bombers in the sky'

Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen - Rubberen Robbie

Last month my brother passed away and it was one of those things you expect to happen, except you just don't know when exactly. He wasn't an easy person to live with, my brother, and during these last few years there were multiple complications with his declining health and a big (and I do mean BIG) collection having to move from one house to another. It was a huge undertaking. 

With most of the moving done, he passed away. I faced another apartment that needs to be emptied out - by someone or another. I remembered this little single, hiding away in my collection. I don't often post Dutch music on my blog, because listeners overseas can't really understand the music, but this one by the group Rubberen Robbie was too appropriate for my recent predicament. 'Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen' ('No, you must let your brother do it') is something that came back in my head almost instantly. 

My collection: 7" single no. 930
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1989
Tracks: 'Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen' / 'Onder me klomp'

Remixes - Human League

Although the Human League were important players in the early Eighties synthpop movement, their 12" single output was less than impressive. They did release some extended versions of their singles, but for some reason it took a turn of the century to come up with more radical remixes.

In 2003 the album The Very Best of The Human League was released, a double CD with 17 of their biggest hits plus a bonus CD with 11 remixes. One of the remixes was 'Open your heart (The Strand remix)', which appears on the A-side of this 10" single. The B-side is a remix that doesn't appear on the CD: an 'Extended Family Vocal Mix' of 'The Sound of the crowd'. There was no excuse to leave this disc behind.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Open your heart (The Strand remix)' / 'The sound of the crowd (Extended Family vocal mix)'

Sevince - Nazar

'Sevince' ('When I'm in love') was the Turkish entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 in Paris, performed by Nilüfer & Nazar in the country's first appearance since 1975. The song is an up-tempo number about the power of love and the song talks about love and how it is good when we are loved by someone.  

Nazar included Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz who went on to compose Turkey's Eurovision entries in 1982 and 1987 and San Marino's entries in 2016 and 2019. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7449
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Sevince' / 'Darling'

Oui, oui, oui, oui - Jean-Paul Mauric

Jean Philippe represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959 with 'Oui, oui, oui, oui'. Such was the popularity of the song that many other artists recorded versions of the song. The most famous version was recorded by Sacha Distel.

But Jean-Paul Mauric also had a shot at the song. It appears on this EP, which also features three other songs. Mauric would get his own chance to represent his country two years later with 'Printemps (Avril carillonne)'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7448
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Mon ange gardien', 'Ne m'oublie pas' / 'Oui oui oui oui', 'La marche des gosses'

Ik wil gelukkig zijn - Micha Marah

Micha Marah participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979 with the song 'Hey nana'. She never recorded the song, until last year. Unfortunately it wasn't released on a 7" single.

In 1986 she did record a Eurovision song: a cover version of 'Über die Brücke geh'n' in Dutch. In this version it is called 'Ik wil gelukkig zijn' ('I want to be happy'). 

My collection: 7" single no. 7447
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Ik wil gelukkig zijn' / 'Iedere dans'

Sprattelgumma - Siw Malmkvist

The song 'Puppet on a string' by Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967, and what followed was a tsunami of cover versions in many different languages. It's quite interesting how many versions there are - and some of them have appeared on this blog already.

Siw Malmkvist's version is performed in Swedish, just like the other three tracks on this EP. It also features a version of 'Downtown', which was another big hit in 1967. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7446
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Sprattelgumma', 'Nanting fanigt' / 'Arvid', 'Downtown'

Hou toch van mij - Maurice Hymans with the Westonians

As far as I know, the Belgian Eurovision entry from 1959 was only covered twice: once by Koen Crucke in 1996 (released on CD-single only) and this one by Maurice Hymans with the Westonians. They were considerably quicker to record the song: this single was released in 1959 already.

The group only released a few singles, all of them released in 1959.Not much is known about them. All I know is that it's nice to have a cover version of such an early Eurovision song.

My collection: 7" single no. 7445
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Hou toch van mij' / 'Monisima'