Ai no corrida - Chas Jankel

Chas Jankel was born in Stanmore, North London on April 16, 1952. In the Seventies he became a member of the Blockheads, the band that played with Ian Dury during his commercial peak. In 1980, he pursued a solo career, kicking off with a self-titled album. 'Ai no corrida' reached the Dutch Tipparade in January 1981, but never made it past this tip chart. Quincy Jones recorded a cover version a year later and reached number 14 in the UK singles chart with it. The title of the song is in Japanese (taken from the Japanese title of the 1976 film 'In the realm of the senses') but it sounds like Spanish "Ay no corrida" (which can be translated as 'oh no bullfighting').

According to the label of this 12" single, the extended mix of 'Ai no corrida' lasts for 9 minutes and 10 seconds, but in fact it is almost 90 seconds shorter.

My collection: 12" single no. 485

Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 2000

Cost: 2,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Ai no corrida [extended version]' / 'Lenta Latina'

Download: here

Appetite - Prefab Sprout

After getting hooked on 'When love breaks down', Prefab Sprout had definitely caught my attention. When 'Appetite' was released as the next single, I was in the shop to get it as soon as possible. I wasn't surprised when the single didn't chart in the Netherlands - as Prefab Sprout was a typically English phenomenon - but I am still amazed that this single didn't chart in the UK as well.

'Appetite' was taken from Prefab Sprout's second album 'Steve McQueen', which reach number 21 in the UK album chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 337

Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Appetite' / 'Heaven can wait'

Som en vind - Edin-Ådahl

There was something completely naff about the Swedish entry for the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest. Well, maybe it's just me, but a quote like 'Like a wind / blowing within me' seems a bit vulgar. It wasn't Sweden's biggest success in the Contest, because it finished 16th.

Edin-Ådahl consisted of brothers Bertil and Lasse Edin and Simon and Frank Ådahl. Between 1980 and 1994 they recorded eight Swedish and five English albums, some of which were filled with Christian music. Their Swedish albums were pretty successful in Sweden, but the English albums suffered from poor distribution and, according to some, lousy lyrics. What a surprise...

My collection: 7" single no. 3451

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2007

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'Som en vind' / 'Like a wind'

Download: here

Keep looking - Sade

Sade released the album 'Stronger than pride' in 1988. It was their third album, a hit in many countries around the world. I bought all the singles taken from that album, but I was very surprised when I found this one three years later. 'Keep looking' was never released as a single, and yet here it was...

When I took a closer look, it proved to be a Spanish promotional single. This single featured 'Keep looking' on the A-side, and nothing on the B-side. It was an interesting item, so I made the decision to buy it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1522

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, September 21, 1991

Cost: 6 guilders

Track: 'Keep looking'

Download: Album 'Stronger than pride', including this track

It must be love - Madness

When Madness released 'It must be love', I preferred the B-side, 'Mrs. Hutchinson' to the A-side. For some reason the radio stations played that track quite often, too, so the single was treated like a double A-side. 'It must be love' was a cover of the song by Labi Siffre. The tracks were taken from Madness's third album '7', which marked a departure from their original ska sound.

The single didn't chart in the Netherlands, but it was one of their biggest hits in the UK, reaching number 4 in the singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 868

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'It must be love' / 'Mrs. Hutchinson'

Download: here

Stand above me - OMD

When Paul Humphreys left Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) in 1989, Andy McCluskey retained the name of the band and continued to record and tour as OMD. The first album he recorded was 'Sugar Tax' (1991), and then he followed this up with 'Liberator' (1993). The first single taken from 'Liberator' was 'Stand above me', an upbeat song with a strong hookline.

This promotional 12" single features two ten minute remixes of 'Stand above me'. I didn't play this 12" single a lot, and the reason is those remixes: they are a bit boring, really. The 12 inch mix contains a sample from the next single 'Dream of me', strangely enough, and both remixes are just a random selection of beats and bleeps. Buying tracks you don't know: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

My collection: 12" single no. 216

Found: Record Exchange, London, 1992

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Stand above me (A 10 minute therapy session into hyperlife mix)' / 'Stand above me (7" mix)', 'Stand above me (12" mix)'

Download: here

Suedehead - Morrissey

Steven Patrick Morrissey, known as Morrissey, was born on May 22, 1959. After playing with the punk rock band the Nosebleeds in the late Seventies, he became singer and songwriter in the alternative rock band the Smiths. After that band broke up in 1987, Morrissey embarked on a solo career.

Only six months after the Smiths broke up, Morrissey released his debut solo album 'Viva hate'. 'Suedehead' was the first single drawn from this album, an uptempo, very Smiths-sounding single. It was played endlessly on some radio stations, which is how I eventually got into this song. And when I found it at discount price, of course I bought it.

My collection: 7" single no. 606

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 7, 1988

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Suedehead' / 'I know very well how I got my name'

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