To diko sou asteri - Mariana Efstratiou

Before Mariana Efstratiou represented Greece with one of the most beautiful song titles in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest ('Emis forame tou himona anixiatika', in 1996), she participated with 'To diko sou asteri' in 1989. Although very different from her 1996 entry, and a lot more subtle, it is also a great example of what Greek songwriters were capable of back then. 

Composed by Yannis Kyris and Marianna Efstratiou with lyrics by Villy Sanianu, the song is an inspirational ballad, with Mariana exhorting her listeners to "find your own star" in their lives. It ended up in ninth place in a field of 22 competitors. I was familiar with the English version first, when I bought a CD of the majority of the 1989 entries a few years after the fact, but now that I finally have the original version as well, I'm very glad.

My collection: 7" single no. 7669
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'To diko sou asteri' / 'Your star (A star that shines on you)'

The real me - Kiev Connolly

Although Ireland was very successful in the Eurovision Song Contest during the Eighties and Nineties, they also sent in some duds from time to time. At least, this is what the viewing public thought when they made the Irish entry end up somewhere near the bottom of the scoreboard. 

Kiev Connolly was born on 5 April 1956 and he formed his band The Missing Passengers during his stay in Germany from 1978 onwards. He also wrote 'The real me', which became Ireland's Eurovision entry for 1989. It finished in 18th place with 22 points. This was, at the time, Ireland's worst Contest result.

My collection: 7" single no. 7670
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'The real me' / 'Haze on Mizen Head'

Seninle bir dakika - Semiha Yanki

The very first Turkish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest was 'Seninle bir dakika' in 1975. The song was performed by Semiha Yanki, who was born on 15 January 1958.

Despite a strong performance, Semiha got only three points (from Monaco) and came in last place. There were also problems with the scoreboard, and even these three points did not appear, causing the host Karin Falck to say: "Could we have three points on the Turkey?"

My collection: 7" single no. 7672
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'Seninle bir dakika' / 'Love is the name of the game'

Sufi - MFO

Of course, I already have the 12" single of 'Sufi', but nothing is more desirable than the 7" single - at least, that's what I think. Like the 12" single, the 7" single was released by ZYX records, with the same sleeve. The English version appears on the A-side, and the original Turkish version on the B-side.

MFÖ’s career continued in the ensuing decades, with a lot of success, mainly in Turkey. They have participated in charity events especially on street animals, education, spinal cord paralysis. On 8 July 2023 member of the band Özkan Uğur died due to a relapse of the lymphoma cancer he had previously survived.

My collection: 7" single no. 7671
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'Sufi (English version)' / 'Sufi (Original version)'

 

Take him home - Jump the gun

Jump the Gun were an Irish pop and rock band, best known for competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with the song 'Take him home'. They finished eighth in the contest. The group consisted of Roy Taylor on lead vocals and bass guitar with Eric Sharpe on guitar, Peter Eades on piano and keyboards, Brian O'Reilly on drums, and Ciaran Wilde on saxophone. Wilde joined the group shortly before Eurovision 1988, the other members of the group had all been members of Irish show bands during the 1980s.  

Getting hold of this single wasn't easy: it was released on Monitor Records, which I guess was a small record company in Ireland, and copies are pretty scarce these days. So it was a pleasure to be able to order this one, along with a few other rare Eurovision singles.

Singer and bass player Roy Taylor died after a battle with motor neurone disease on 1 June 2023.

My collection: 7" single 7668
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'Take him home' / '(A little bit) closer'

I anixi - Sofia Vossou

Some Eurovision songs become legendary for different persons and for different reasons. I loved 'I anixi' ever since I first heard it, which was during one of those preview shows I guess, because I was already familiar with it before it was played in Rome during the evening of the Contest. Those who saw that performance will remember that a solo went horribly wrong, thanks to a member of the orchestra who was flown in at the last minute without having had any rehearsals. (But that we didn't know, as innocent viewers.)

Getting this single has been a problem, because its worth has soared in recent years. Fortunately I was able to find this one together with the original press map for an altogether reasonable price, which is quite amazing. 'I anixi' didn't get the placing it deserved in my opinion, but I'm glad I finally have it on disc.

My collection: 7" single no. 7674
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'I anixi' / 'Tell me'

Muistojeni laulu - Laila Halme

Laila Sinikka Halme was born on 4 March 1934. She represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963 with 'Muistojeni laulu'. The song did not receive any points and ended up in joint last place with the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

In 1987 she hosted the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, together with Lasse Mårtenson. Halme continued to sing and also tried her hand at acting in a handful of Finnish films. She passed away on 28 November 2021, aged 87.

My collection: 7" single no. 7666
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 April 2025
Tracks: 'Muistojeni laulu' / 'Olen mikä olen'

Vuelve otra vez - Mache

Very little is known about Mache. It seems to be a band, but Marcela Sánchez is mentioned as the only member, and it is certainly she who sings this song. Mache previously released the single 'Rompiendo mi corazón', which featured a cover of Sheena Easton's 'A little tenderness' in Spanish ('Un poquito de temura') on the B-side.

This single, 'Vuelve otra vez' is a Spanish version of Kim Wilde's 'Water on Glass'. And that's an interesting choice, considering most Kim Wilde cover versions are reserved for her first single, 'Kids in America'. And it gets even more interesting: Mache comes from Peru. Not the most obvious country to record a Kim Wilde cover, I would think.

This single was released in 1984. I was lucky enough to order a copy all the way from Peru, and it is in relatively good shape, considering its age!

My collection: 7" single no. 7675
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 April 2025
Tracks: 'Vuelve otra vez' / 'Vuelve otra vez (instrumental)'

Summer is over - Frank Ifield

Frank Ifield was an English-born Australian easy listening and country music singer known for his yodeling vocal style. His family emigrated to Australia in 1946. He returned to the UK in 1959 and in 1962 he had a major success with the song 'I remember you'. Throughout the Sixties he had a succession of hits which were mainly revivals of American country songs. 

This particular single features a version of 'Summer is over', a song made famous by Dusty Springfield. Her version was often used on Radio Veronica, during its broadcasts from a ship in the North Sea. This version is slightly less romantic, but it is still a stunningly beautiful melody. I bought my copy at the record fair last week, but it benefited from a little cleaning. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7652
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Summer is over' / 'True love ways'

Klop klop hallo - Willeke Alberti

Although I'm not particularly a fan of Willeke Alberti, a few singles have ended up in my collection, and that's all because of her connection with the Eurovision Song Contest. Like her father, Willy Alberti, Willeke covered a handful of Eurovision songs, and it's quite interesting to hear her versions because they come with translated lyrics. Translated into Dutch, that is.

And so, in 1970, 'Knock knock who's there' became 'Klop klop hallo' and 'All kinds of everything' became 'Duizenden dingetjes'. Both songs were from the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 (representing the UK and Ireland respectively) and they appear on this single from 1970. It's just a pity that this single was released on mono only. But it's a rare piece nonetheless: a copy without a picture sleeve commands at least 15 euro on Discogs!

My collection: 7" single no. 7665
Found: Easter market, Den Haag, 20 April 2025
Tracks: 'Klop klop hallo' / 'Duizenden dingetjes'

Vse rože sveta - Lado Leskovar

Lado Leskovar was born as Vladimir Leskovar in Ljubljana on 23 March 1942. He began his music career in the early Sixties. In 1967 he represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Vse rože sveta' ('All the flowers in the world'), finishing in eighth place.

Although he tried to further his singing career, he ended up working for Radio Televizija Slovenija. During the parliamentary elections in Slovenia in 2008 he was a candidate for the party Zares. Ten years later (2018) he ran for a seat in the National Assembly under the auspices of the Desus party.

An unexpected bonus on this EP is 'Jokal bom na dežju', a Slovenian version of the Everly Brothers song, 'Crying in the rain'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7664
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 April 2025
Tracks: 'Vse rože sveta', 'Orly' / 'Potraži me u predgradu', 'Jokal bom na dežju'

Lass mich dein Pirat sein (remix '91) - Nena

Although 'Engel der Nacht' was Nena's last single as a band, the record company decided to release a compilation album called Nena, die Band in 1991. In order to promote that album, this remix of 'Lass mich dein Pirat sein' was released as a single.

The remix does respect the original version of the song, fortunately, but adds some elements in order to make it sound a little more contemporary. Jens Kuphal was responsible for the additional programming, postproduction and mix.

My collection: 7" single no. 7663
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Lass mich dein Pirat sein (remix '91)' / 'Du kennst die Liebe nicht (live version)'

Bang-a-boomerang - Abba

Surprisingly, I didn't already have 'Bang-a-boomerang' on a 7" single, and even more surprisingly, 'S.O.S.' is on the B-side of this single. It is a French release on the Vogue label, with a very colourful sleeve.

The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and at one point had the working title 'Stop and listen to your heart'. The lyrics compare the "message of love" with the returning boomerangs which the Aboriginal Australians developed. The song was originally written for Svenne & Lotta, who competed in the Swedish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1975 with it. The duo had a big hit with it in Sweden. Abba then recorded the song and released it as a single in France and included it on their Greatest Hits album in November 1975. It was never released as a single in Scandinavia.

My collection: 7" single no. 7662
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Bang-a-boomerang' / 'S.O.S.'

Waterloo - Abba

What can I say about Abba's 'Waterloo' that hasn't been said already about a thousand times? Not much, I fear, and so I only need to explain why I bought this particular single. 

It's the Danish pressing of the single and it was released in 1974 in two different versions: with green lettering and red lettering. I'm not sure if I'm going to collect all versions of this single, because many different pressings exist, but this one was amusing and looked good too - and the price was right.

My collection: 7" single no. 7661
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Waterloo' / 'Watch out'

Amiga Quartett - Fleetwood Mac

The last Amiga Quartett EP I bought last week at the record fair was this one by Fleetwood Mac. The band seems to be very popular these days; copies of their old LP's are selling like crazy. I think a new generation is discovering the band, which can only be a good thing because they made some amazing music.

This EP features some of their early Eighties tracks, including 'Hold me' and 'Gypsy', two singles that are among my favourites. The other two tracks are less familiar, but equally great.

My collection: 7" single no. 7660
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Hold me', 'Eyes of the world' / 'Oh Diane', 'Gypsy'