Kate Bush - Kate Bush

Kate Bush is a mini-LP released in the USA and Canada in 1983. With this release the record company EMI America hoped to raise the profile of the British singer/songwriter who had until then been largely ignored by the record buying public over there.

The record was a mix of two tracks from Kate's most recent album at that time ('Sat in your lap' and 'Suspended in gaffa'), one track from the preceding album ('Babooshka'), a live track from the On Stage EP ('James and the cold gun') and one new track: a French version of 'The infant kiss', called 'Un baiser d'enfant'. The Canadian release came with one extra track, 'Ne t'enfuis pas'. 

I bought this mini LP a few years after it came out, after a lengthy period of doubt. I had all of the tracka already on various single releases, and so it didn't really add anything. In the end, I still bought this record. Of course I should have gotten the Canadian one, but that one wasn't available at the time. Many variations on coloured vinyl existed, but these days they cost a bundle. So I'm glad I at least have this one.

My collection: LP [unnumbered]
Found: Free Record Shop, 1986
Tracks: 'Sat in your lap', 'James and the cold gun (live version)' / 'Babooshka', 'Suspended in gaffa', 'Un baiser d'enfant' 

Dancing in the dark - Kim WIlde

The second single taken from Kim Wilde's third album Catch as Catch Can was apparently the first and only single for her in Japan. 'Dancing in the dark' was the first single not to be written by her dad Marty and her brother Ricky, but by Nicky Chinn and Paul Gurvitz instead.

The single was unsuccessful in the UK and Europe, and one can only assume that it wasn't exactly a big hit in Japan either. Not that it's a bad song, it's just a bit unexciting compared to Kim's earlier singles. Fortunately this wasn't the end of her career; she would be back with a bang a year later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3029
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 23 September 1998
Tracks: 'Dancing in the dark' / 'Back street driver' 

Katson sineen taivaan - Katri Helena

This is a single which has been on my wantlist for a few years. I bought the English version of this song, 'I will follow starlight', five years ago, and that was when I was already searching for this original Finnish version.

Katri Helena represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979 with 'Katson sineen taivaan', and listening to this song will immediately put you in a good mood. It does me, anyway. There's something about this song. Katri Helena is saying her professional goodbyes this year in Finland, and so I find it rather appropriate that I finally managed to buy a copy of this great single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7744
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 August 2025
Tracks: 'Katson sineen taivaan' / 'Kevät' 

What kind of fool - All About Eve

Last year I caught up with my collection of All About Eve 12" singles on this blog, but it seems I forgot one of them. This limited edition box features a big poster based on the artwork of the 7" single, plus a three track disc featuring the 'Autumn Rhapsody' version of the title track. Together with the two B-side tracks, this was an attractive package for the fans.

Funnily enough I never bought the 'regular' 12" single, featuring the same three tracks. A 10" single is also in my possession, but more about that later. Watch this space!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, 199X
Tracks: 'What kind of fool (Autumn Rhapsody)' / 'Gold and silver', 'The garden of Jane Delawney'

S.O.S. - Abba

Early on in their career, Abba realized one of the greatest songs of their impressive catalogue: it was S.O.S., a song that is still an emotional highlight of the current Voyage live experience in London. Although I already owned the French, Dutch and Japanese pressings from 1975 and the recent picture disc release, I also had to have the original German pressing. 

The good thing about all these releases is that they all came with different sleeves, and in the case of Abba it's really interesting to compare all those different variations. The photograph on this one features Agnetha and Frida's iconic 'cat' costumes. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7103
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 2024
Tracks: 'S.O.S.' / 'Man in the middle' 

View from a bridge - Kim Wilde

Although the Japanese record company decided to release 'Take me tonight', flipping the A-side 'View from a bridge' with the B-side, they also released 'View from a bridge' in Japan. The sequence has been lost in the haze of time, so I have no way of knowing which version came first. 

I do know that the sleeve of this release was outstanding. Using a photograph like that on the sleeve was brilliant, and certainly more colourful than the black and white sleeve that was used in Europe. The song remains a bona fide Eighties classic.

My collection: 7" single no. 1969
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 25 September 1993
Tracks: 'View from a bridge' / 'Take me tonight' 

Underwater - Harry Thumann

Harry Thumann was a German electronic music composer and sound engineer. He was quick to adapt to new technologies and started working with synthesizers early on in the Seventies. His single 'Underwater', released originally in 1979, was embraced in several European countries. Released in the Netherlands in the summer of 1980, it shot to number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.

I bought the single without a picture sleeve back in 1993, but during my recent shopping spree in a record shop in Darmstadt (Germany) I found a very decent copy with a picture sleeve. Of course I needed to upgrade. 

Harry Thumann died in 2001.

My collection: 7" single no. 1946

Originally found: Leiden, 20 August 1993
Picture sleeve version found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025

Tracks: 'Underwater part I' / 'Underwater part II'

Pour qui, pourquoi - Maribelle

Although I would certainly understand it if people called 'Ik hou van jou' a bit of a twee song, the melody of it is undeniably beautiful - especially when it's played by a full orchestra. After I disliked the song for a few years, I ended up buying the single in 1993 and the English version ('In love with you') five years after that. 

Obviously I was aware of the French version of the song pretty soon after that, but finding the single was hard - especially in the days before lively trade on the internet. Just a few months ago I was offered this single for 100 euros on a record fair. I finally found a decent copy on Discogs from a Czech seller - and for a decent price too. This copy has one playable side only - which is enough in this case.

My collection: 7" single no. 7743
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 August 2025
Tracks: 'Pour qui, pourquoi' 

Everything I own - Boy George

In 2013 Virgin Records celebrated its 40th anniversary. On that occasion they released a series of picture disc 7" singles of some interesting titles, and this single by Boy George was one of them. I didn't actually know this when I found this single last week; this knowledge comes from the Discogs website. There are more picture discs, but they have become quite expensive!

By contrast, this picture disc was definitely on the cheap side, cheap enough for me to want to take it with me on a day of shopping. I already owned the regular single, of course, but who could resist a picture disc? I certainly can't. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7742
Found: Velvet, Leiden, 19 August 2025
Tracks: 'Everything I own' / 'Use me' 

Sweet sixteen - Billy Idol

This limited edition package comes all the way from Australia, where this one was released back in 1986. And an attractive package it is too: not only does it come with a poster sleeve, it also contains two 7" singles pressed on purple vinyl.

The second disc, which is a free extra, claims to contain extended versions of 'Mony Mony' and 'White Wedding'. Claims, because while 'White Wedding' is indeed the so-called 'Shotgun mix' of 8 minuted and 20 seconds, the version of 'Mony Mony' is just the regular short version, and not the five minute extended version. Funny enough, no-one on Discogs has found this out yet. Despite this flaw, I still love this little limited edition from Australia; it's a keeper.

My collection: 7" single no. 7740
Found: Discogs.com, 16 August 2025
Tracks: 'Sweet sixteen' / 'Beyond belief' // 'Mony Mony' / 'White Wedding (extended version)' 

Alla andra får varann - Inger Berggren

Although Siw Malmkvist performed 'Alla andra får varann' for Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960, she never recorded it in the studio. And so, no single of this song by her exists. Fortunately the song was recorded by two other artists. I bought the version by Östen Warnerbring last year, and this year it's Inger Berggren's version that ended up in my collection.

Inger is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest, of course: in 1962 she would go on the represent Sweden herself with 'Sol och vår', which I bought twice.

My collection: 7" single no. 7739
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2025
Tracks: 'Alla andra får varann', 'Underbar så underbar' / 'Concert d'amour', 'Zigenare' 

When a heart beats - Nik Kershaw

The recent release of a box set of Nik Kershaw's MCA years includes, I think, all of the material he recorded and released during the Eighties, including this 12" single. 

'When a heart beats' was released in 1984 as the third single from his album The Riddle, and the 12" single presents extended versions of both the A-side and the B-side. The single was not a hit in the Netherlands, which doesn't really surprise me: it isn't as catchy as his earlier releases were. Thankfully, Nik is still making music and his recent albums have been really quite good!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Music & Video Exchange, London (UK)
Tracks: 'When a heart beats (extended mix)' / 'Wild horses (extended mix)'

Alphabet St. - Prince

Although some of his releases were a bit weird, Prince was at the height of his success during the Eighties. The albums kept coming and they all ended up being awarded gold and platinum. 

'Alphabet St.' was the lead single from his 1988 album Lovesexy. The album came out just after Prince had withdrawn his 'diabolical' 'Black album'. Lovesexy was more upbeat, and 'Alphabet St.' was an example of that. This 12" single featured the album version of the track, as well as an extended version with the warning on the label: 'This is not music, this is a trip'. And indeed it is.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Alphabet St. (album version)' / 'Alphabet St.' 

(Sexual) healing - Marvin Gaye

To be honest, I wasn't a fan when '(Sexual) Healing' first came out. I thought the song was a little boring. I grew to like it after a decade or two, and finally bought the single in 2010.

Buying this 12" single came out of curiosity. The song is advertised as a 'club mix', but it is actually just a longer version of the song. I had to clean up the record because it was a bit dirty, but I think it turned out okay.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: '(Sexual) Healing (club mix)' / '(Sexual) Healing (instrumental)' 

Love is blue - Marcello Minerbi & his orchestra

There are many versions of 'L'amour est bleu', the song with which Vicky Leandros appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. And a sizeable portion of those cover versions is instrumental-only. The Sixties were a great time for orchestras. Famously, Paul Mauriat made it to number 1 the US Billboard Hot 100 with his instrumental cover, and many other orchestras followed, hoping to have similar success.

Marcello Minerbi was born on 7 August 1928 in Genoa (Italy) and became the leader of the vocal trio Marcello's Ferial, which formed in 1962. They were very popular in Italy until they broke up in 1968. Meanwhile, Minerbi formed his orchestra, recording theme songs and hits of the day in his style. His version of 'Love is blue' was a nice find during my singles hunt in Darmstadt - and also the last one.

My collection: 7" single no. 7738
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025 
Tracks: 'Love is blue' / 'From your side'

Malibu - Patricia Paay

Dutch singer Patricia Paay was born on 7 April 1949. She started her career in 1966 with the singles 'No on can love you like I do' and 'You called me baby', before releasing a few singles in Dutch. Her first really big hit happened in 1977, with 'Who's that lady with my man', which reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40. 

A year later she released 'Malibu', a single that also ended up on a compilation album, which is how I got to know the song. Followers of this blog know that I have almost bought every track on that album as a single, but this one was pretty hard to find, I have to admit. So it was a bit of a surprise to find this in a German store. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7737
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Malibu' / 'The touch' 

Theme from E.T. (Dance version) - Ego

The movie E.T. came with a theme that was recorded by various artists, due to the sheer popularity of that movie. The Dutch Future World Orchestra came with a version, and a bit further south the Italian band Ego came up with a dance version.

Ego was an Italian project, probably formed by brothers Carmelo and Michelangelo La Bionda, who are considered the inventors of Italian disco music. I say 'probably', because they are listed as the writers of the B-side, 'Ego's theme'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7736
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Theme from E.T. (Dance version)' / 'Ego's theme' 

Emma - Hot Chocolate

The dramatic story of 'Emma' gave Hot Chocolate their first significant hit. It became a number 3 hit in both the UK and the Netherlands in 1974. 

The song details the love of the (nameless) singer and a girl called Emmaline from the age of 5 all through a wedding at 17 until her suicide at an unspecified later date. Emma wanted to be a 'movie queen' but never got a break, eventually killing herself, explaining in a suicide note: 'I just can't keep on living on dreams no more'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7735
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Emma' / 'Makin' music' 

Funky town - Pseudo Echo

In 1980 Lipps Inc. released 'Funkytown', a single that was a big hit in discotheques and charts worldwide. Quite why the Australian band Pseudo Echo decided to record a cover version of the song 1987 is a bit of a mystery, but it was a charttopper in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Back in the UK it reached number 8, while it didn't chart in the Dutch Top 40 at all.

The band still exists, after a period of hiatus through much of the Nineties. By now, they have released six albums and some 20 singles. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7734
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Funky town' / 'Lies are nothing' 

El Lute - Michael Holm

Michael Holm recorded the 'Deutsche Originalversion' of 'El Lute', a song originally recorded by Boney M. Many German artists had the opportunity to simply translate hit songs and have a local hit with it because it was recorded in the language that literally everyone spoke (and still speaks) in the country. 

Holm was born on 29 July 1943 and started his career in 1961. Between then and now he released many dozens of singles and some 20 albums, nearly all of them in German. I saw this single while browsing through a few hundred discs, and thought it interesting enough to bring it home.

My collection: 7" single no. 7732
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'El Lute' / 'Wer lügt, gewinnt'