A sorta fairytale - Tori Amos

As far as I know, 'A sorta fairytale' was the last single by Tori Amos to be released on 7" vinyl. It was taken from her first album for Epic records, 'A scarlet walk', and played the same track on both sides.

Having collected Tori Amos singles ever since she rose to prominence with 'Silent all these years', I bought this single as soon as I saw it. Even if her albums got increasingly patchy, her singles have always been strong tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 3366
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 2002
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'A sorta fairytale (single version)' / 'A sorta fairytale (single version)'
Download: here

Part-time lover - Stevie Wonder

'Part-time lover' was released as a single in 1985 and was taken from Stevie Wonder's album 'In square circle'. The song reached number one in America, number three in the UK and number 11 in the Netherlands. The song featured R&B singer Luther Vandross humming at the end of Stevie's verses.

I bought the 12" single mostly out of curiosity how the eight minute extended version would sound. The single was infectious enough, but the 12" single is a decent effort.

My collection: 12" single no. 482

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2002

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Part-time lover [extended]' / 'Part-time lover (instrumental)'

Download: here (password: Flash in Flash)

Eleven faces - Rupert Hine

I don't know what caused my sister to buy this single, but it was through her that I got to know the phenomenon that is Rupert Hine. He is famous as a producer of artists like Howard Jones, Tina Turner, The Fixx and Noa, but as a solo artist, he's never been able to make the charts.

The single 'Eleven faces' was a double a-side in my opinion: the title track was an exciting uptempo track, whereas the b-side, 'Dark windows' was a slower song with creepy sounds of a thunderstorm.

My collection: 7" single no. 2104

Found: Record fair, Leiden, May 28, 1994

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Eleven faces' / 'Dark windows'

Download: here

No doubt about it - Hot Chocolate

For a while in the eighties, dance remixes of old classics were selling very well. In 1987, Hot Chocolate, the band that folded in 1984, had chart hits with remixes of 'You sexy thing' and 'Every 1's a winner', songs that were originally a hit a decade earlier. This remix 12" of 'No doubt about it' should have followed in their footsteps, but instead it did nothing. As far as I know, it was only released in Germany. The 'Tequila-mix' of 'No doubt about it' was made by Frank Mono, not a very big name in DJ-land. The sleeve also suggest that an album would be forthcoming: 'Greatest hits (The dance remixes)'. This album never surfaced.

My collection: 12" single no. 481

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2002

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'No doubt about it (Tequila-mix)' / 'No doubt about it (Little Tequila-mix)', 'I gave you my heart (Didn't I)'

Download: here

Island of lost souls - Blondie

'Island of lost souls' was Blondie's last hit single before they broke up. After having performed punkrock, new wave and even rap tracks, this reggae-oriented single was yet another change in direction for the American band. It was the first single from their album 'Hunter' (1982), which was unable to revive the success of its predecessor, 'Autoamerican' (1980). Chris Stein then fell ill and Debbie Harry took time out to take care of him. The band split up, only to be reunited more than a decade later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3506

Found: Record Mania, Amsterdam, December 27, 2008

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Island of lost souls' / 'Dragonfly'

Download: Album 'Hunter', including both tracks (password: babakazoo.blogspot.com)

Ti amo - Umberto Tozzi

In 1977, Italian singer Umberto Tozzi released one of his most famous songs, 'Ti amo'. It stayed at number one on the Italian charts for seven months, outselling every other record, and went on to become an international success throughout continental Europe. It also made some inroads in the Americas and Australia, primarily in discotheques.

My collection: 7" single no. 3469

Found: Empire Records, December 11, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Ti amo' / 'Dimentica, dimentica'
Download: here

Thriller - Michael Jackson

The title track from the album 'Thriller' was released as the fifth single. 'Thriller' is one of Jackson's signature songs, in no small part because of its music video, a 14 minute epic which features extra parts of acting and lots of impressive crowd dance scenes.

This single was pressed on red vinyl and is part nine of a limited edition nine disc set released in 1983. The singles 'P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)' and 'Human nature' were not included in this package.

My collection: 7" single no. 3530

Found: eBay, January 6, 2009

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'Thriller' / 'Things I do for you (live)' (The Jacksons)

Download: here