Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid

The song that embodied the Christmas spirit in the Eighties was Band Aid's 'Do they know it's Christmas?'. The project initiated by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof started when the two met up and worked out this song Bob had written in a rather rudimentary way. They phoned up the musician friends they knew and before you knew it you had a media spectacle of unprecedented size.

I bought the single as soon as it came out, although, strangely, I didn't like the song that much. There were just so many of my eighties idols participated that I felt I couldn't pass up on this historic single. Two decades later, it's somehow reassuring (or troubling) that everything has stayed the same in Africa: it's still a continent of war, hunger and drought.

My collection: 7" single no. 249

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1984

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Do they know it's Christmas?' / 'Feed the world'

Download: 12" single 'Do they know it's Christmas?', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com )

Christmas was a friend of mine - Fay Lovski

Somehow Dutch singer Fay Lovski managed to create a Christmas classic without even having a big hit with it. 'Christmas was a friend of mine' entered the Dutch top 40 on January 9, 1982, reached number 37 and left the chart after only two weeks. But still, when you're in Holland during this festive season, you will hear the song on the radio daily.

Admittedly, it is a beautiful song. Perhaps it was a bit too complicated for the general public to appreciate, though. I didn't mind buying the single for a discount price, a few years after it came out.

My collection: 7" single no. 361

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Christmas was a friend of mine' / 'All the same'

Download: here

Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a lovely guy) - Max Headroom

After the TV character Max Headroom had a hit with Art of Noise in the summer of 1986 ('Paranoimia'), I guess some people got a bit overboard. They thought, 'a Christmas hit with Max Headroom - now there's a possibility'. And so this song was created. It's an over the top ode to Santa Claus, complete with orchestras, a singing choir and of course the stuttering mutterings of that computer generated person, Max Headroom.

The song didn't reach the UK singles chart and wasn't released in other territories. No further attempts were made. I guess the record company was sensible after all...

My collection: 7" single no. 3493

Found: Record Exchange, London, 2004

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a lovely guy)' / 'Gimme shades'

Download: here

Everything she wants / Last Christmas - Wham!

For many people, 'Last Christmas' by Wham is the ultimate Christmas song. I didn't like it much when it came out, and these days I prefer the cover version by All About Eve (an edit of which you can hear on this page).

Still, I do own the track on 7" vinyl, because of the early 1985 release of 'Everything she wants', a double A-side with 'Last Christmas'. 'Everything she wants' is an early example of George Michael's songwriting capabilities, which he would develop further as the years progressed.

My collection: 7" single no. 1043

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Everything she wants' / 'Last Christmas'

Download: cd-single 'Last Christmas', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com)

Riu Riu - Chorale

'Riu Riu' by the English group Chorale entered the Dutch Top 40 on December 16, 1978 and reached the no. 28 position. I think the song was performed on some TV shows at the time, but I can't be sure. I am sure, however, that I was completely unaware of this song's religious connotations. A few years later I went to church for the Christmas mass, and heard this song performed by the local choir. I was stunned.

'Riu Riu' is a Spanish composition of the type known as a 'villancico', dating from the sixteenth century. The lyric concerns the shepherds in the biblical Christmas story and observes, among other things, the 'one born today is actually his mother's father and the one who created her is said to be her son.' A good message, now that Christmas is almost upon us. Even for us unbelievers.

My collection: 7" single no. 898

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 23, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Riu Riu' / 'Come the night time'

Download: here

Heart and soul - Exile

Exile's most famous song is 'Kiss you all over'. In the UK and the Netherlands, they had two minor hits after this, the last one being 'Heart and soul'. It reached no. 30 in the Dutch Top 40, and as a regular listener of this chart it was no wonder that I got to know this song.

Exile performed pop/rock songs up to this point. In America, they prolonged their career by turning into a country band, even moving to Nashville to achieve this. It's a shame that from that point onwards, they didn't make more great songs like this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 592

Found: All that music, Leiden, February 16, 1988

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Heart and soul' / 'Your love is everything'

Download: here

One step from heaven - The Adventures

During my 1989 shopping spree in London, I bought several singles 'by association'. I'd heard from the artist and assumed that the single I didn't know would be as good as the ones I did know. 'One step from heaven' by the Adventures is one of the best examples. I liked 'Broken land' and 'Drowning in the sea of love', both singles from the album 'The sea of love', but I absolutely loved this single when I finally heard it after the holiday. It's got everything: a good melody, strong drums, powerful vocals. It's a mystery to me why it didn't become a hit anywhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 1039

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'One step from heaven (remix)' / 'The trip to bountiful (When the rain comes down)'

Download: here