Tenement steps - The Motors

The Motors were formed in London in 1977 by Nick Garvey, Andy McMaster, Rob Hendry (quickly replaced by Bram Tchaikovsky) and Ricky Slaughter. Their third album, 'Tenement steps' was released in 1980. The title track was released as a single, and was often played on Dutch radio at the time. It didn't become a hit.

It stuck in my mind, nevertheless, and so when the opportunity came up to buy this single cheaply, I grabbed it.

My collection: 7" single no. 267

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1984

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Tenement steps' / 'Here comes the hustler'

Download: Album 'Airport (Greatest Hits)', including both tracks (part 1 / part 2)

Troy - Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad O'Connor's debut single 'Troy' was an intense affair. It was an unusual choice, but a successful one, in the Netherlands at least: it reached number 5 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was written by Sinéad as a deeply angry message towards her mother, whom she accused of abuse. The song uses the story of the ancient city of Troy as a metaphor. O'Connor has only sung 'Troy' live shortly after it was released. It was only performed live again in 2008 during the Night of the Proms concerts in Belgium and the Netherlands, where she was one of the starring performers.

The B-side 'Still listening' is an equally beautiful track, released only as the B-side of this single. It later appeared on the cd-single of Sinéad's next single, 'Mandinka'.

My collection: 7" single no. 576

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Troy' / 'Still listening'

Download: here

Fernando en Filippo - Milly Scott

Representing the Netherlands in 1966, Milly Scott was the first black singer to ever enter the Eurovision Song Contest. By today's standards that is remarkable, since the contest was already experiencing its eleventh edition.

'Fernando en Filippo' was composed by Kees de Bruyn and Gerrit den Braber. The lyric tells the strange tale of Fernando, a guitarist from Santiago, who is in love with a girl in San Antonio. He drives down there to see her every evening. Filippo's occupation is never made clear, however he also makes a similar trip despite the handicap of apparently not having a car. Eventually, Fernando's lover leaves him for Filippo.

Milly Scott finished 15th out of 18 contestants, receiving only one point each from Ireland and the UK. There is a suspicion that Milly's skin colour did have something to do with this, although that will never be confirmed of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 3546

Found: Private seller, January 22, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'Fernando en Filippo' / 'Graag of niet'

Download: here

Just when I needed you most - Randy Vanwarmer

'You left me just when I needed you most'. It's one of those songs you need to play when you already feel a bit down. It will send you right to the brink. This song brought Randy Vanwarmer international fame at the end of the Seventies. Randy Vanwarmer was born on March 30, 1955. He grew up in Colorado in the USA. After his father died in a car accident, he moved to Cornwall, England in 1970. Randy remembered it as a depressing place, economically downtrodden, with long, dark and rainy winters. When he was still a teenager, a girlfriend from the USA came to England, spent several months with him, then returned home. Vanwarmer had been writing songs and playing in South England clubs for a while, and the experience with the American girl ultimately became 'Just when I needed you most'. In Vanwarmer's mind the song is really about the weather: 'It's not hard to write a really sad song in the winter in Cornwall'. The single became his one and only big hit: it reached number 4 in the USA, number 8 in the UK and number 6 in the Netherlands.

Vanwarmer continued to write music for others and for his own recordings, but further commercial success eluded him. On January 14, 2004 he died of leukemia.

My collection: 7" single no. 2831

Found: February 1, 1997

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Just when I needed you most' / 'Your light'

Download: Album 'Warmer', including both tracks (password: 88R+?)Lx )

Don't want to wait anymore - The Tubes

In 1989, I bought a compilation cd of rock-oriented tracks called 'Empty Rooms'. It was full of tracks I knew well and wanted to have on cd. One of these tracks was the lesser known 'Don't want to wait anymore' by the Tubes. I think I loved the track straight away.

The Tubes were based in San Francisco and primarily made rock music. In the UK, it reached the lower regions of the single schart in 1981. It was their third and final chart single in that country.

My collection: 7" single no. 2537

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Don't want to wait anymore' / 'Think about me'

Download: here

Day in day out - David Bowie

'Day in day out' was the first single taken from David Bowie's 1987 album 'Never let me down'. The song lyic dealt with urban decay and deprivation in American cities at the time, concerned largely with the depths a young mother has to sink to in order to feed her child, including attempting to shoplift and become a prostitute. Many critics have accused the song of burying its message in over-produced, glossy surroundings. Others claim that this doesn't overpower the message.

The single was released in special limited edition box set, which included the single pressed on red vinyl, a 'David Bowie' logo sticker sheet and a foldout booklet with new photographs and David's biography.

My collection: 7" single no. 1345

Found: Sister Ray, London, October 18, 1990

Cost: 4 pounds

Tracks: 'Day in day out' / 'Julie'

Download: Album 'Never let me down', including both tracks

'n Beetje - Teddy Scholten

Teddy Scholten represented the Netherlands in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest with this song, ''n Beetje' ('A little bit'). The song won the contest, and the Netherlands became the first country to win the contest, which had started in 1956, twice. The song was written by Willy van Hemert, just like 'Net als toen', the song performed by Corry Brokken, who won the 1957 contest.

''n Beetje' is sung from the perspective of a young woman being asked by her lover if she is 'true' and 'faithful', to which she answers 'A little bit'. This unusual admission is then justified by the comment that 'everyone is in love at least once', hence nobody can be said to be entirely faithful to anyone.

My collection: 7" single no. 3545

Found: Private seller, January 22, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: ''n Beetje' / 'Li per li'

Download: here