NME Readers' Pollwinners '84 EP - Bronski Beat, Cocteau Twins, The Smiths, U2

British music magazine New Musical Express, or NME in short, started giving away free EP's with the magazine in 1985. The first EP featured tracks from four readers poll winners. And quite exclusive tracks, too, as far as I know!

As is usual with such giveaway discs, they turn up in second hand shops years later. I spotted this one in a Dutch shop(!), then saw that it included a dub mix of U2's 'Wire' and decided that I needed to check this out.

My collection: 7" single no. 2215
Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, November 14, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Hard rain' (Bronski Beat), 'Ivo (new version)' (Cocteau Twins) / 'What she said (live)' (The Smiths), 'Wire (dub mix)' (U2)
Download: here

Baby Jane - Rod Stewart

'Baby Jane' was a number one single in the UK for Rod Stewart, taken from his 1983 album 'Body wishes'. It was his most successful single since 'Da ya think I'm sexy' (1978). It was Stewart's sixth and final UK charttopper.

These days, Rod Stewart is busy recording big band albums, but this is a track from the time when he still rocked the pants off everyone. A style which I much prefer, I have to say.

My collection: 7" single no. 3535

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, January 9, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Baby Jane' / 'Ready now'

Download: Album 'Body wishes', including both tracks (part 1 / part 2)

La vie en rose - Grace Jones

'La vie en rose' was one of French singer Edith Piaf's most famous songs. The lyrics were written by Piaf, with music composed by Louis Gugliemi. It became a favourite with audiences in 1946. Owing to its popularity, Piaf would include it on many of her albums.

Grace Jones recorded a cover version of this track in 1977 as part of her debut album 'Portfolio'. The radical bossanova/disco interpretation of the track became Jones's first international hit single, even if the single version was heavily edited. The original album version was included on this 12" single, lasting over seven minutes.

My collection: 12" single no. 318

Found: Record fair, 2002

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'La vie en rose' / 'I need a man'

Download: Album 'Island life', including both tracks

Valentine - T'pau

Drawn from their debut album 'Bridge of spies', 'Valentine' is a power ballad that is laden with emotions. Released in time for Valentine's day 1988, it climbed to the ninth place in the UK singles chart, only reaching number 22 in the Netherlands.

Of all the singles T'pau has released, this is probably the one that affected me most. There was a time when I could dream the lyric of this song. No wonder, then, that I bought this single as soon as I recognised its appeal.

My collection: 7" single no. 603

Found: Free record shop, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Valentine' / 'Giving my love away'

Download: cd-single 'Valentine', including both tracks

Carmen Brasilia - Anarchic System

This single was released in 1972 at the same time as other versions of 'Carmen Brasilia' by Bob Callaghan and co. and Revolution System. Like the other versions, 'Carmen Brasilia' is an instrumental track, performed on a Moog synthesizer, based on the most famous part of the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. The B-side is 'Marina', a more acoustic instrumental, featuring faint vocals, guitars and a flute.

Anarchic System consisted of Gilles Devos, Jacqus Deville, Patrick Verette, Christian Lerouge and Michel Dhuy. Later incarnations of the band would draw inspiration from the rock genre. This remains an excellent example of Moog music.

My collection: 7" single no. 2560
Found: Record fair, November 19, 1995
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Carmen Brasilia' / 'Marina'
Download: here

She drives me crazy - Fine Young Cannibals

'She drives me crazy' was the first single taken from the Fine Young Cannibals's second album 'The raw and the cooked'. It peaked at number 5 in the UK and reached number one in the USA's Billboard Hot 100.

My copy of the single was issued on red vinyl in a red tin can. The other four singles of the same album were also released in tin cans, each in their own unique colour of vinyl. An item like that takes up a lot of space, but it's so much fun to have.

My collection: 7" single no. 2786

Found: London, November 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'She drives me crazy' / 'Pull the sucker off'

Download: Album 'The platinum collection', including both tracks

Break it up - Lois Lane

The Dutch group Lois Lane was Founded by Monique Klemann, she originally worked with backing singer Angela. When she left the band in 1985, Monique replaced her with her own sister, Suzanne Klemann. In 1987, they won a band contest in the Netherlands, which earned them a recording contract. The bouncy 'Break it up' became their debut single.

It ended up just outside the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1987. They would reach that chart with their third single, the theme song of the movie 'Amsterdamned'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3489

Found: Geest, Den Haag, 2006

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Break it up' / 'Nothing left'

Download: here