Keep us together - Sad Cafe

More than a decade after its release, I heard Sad Cafe's 'Keep us together' by chance. I knew about this band because of 'Every day hurts' and 'Follow you anywhere', and this was another ballad in that style: powerful, slightly sentimental and most of all, melodic. It took me some time to find this single, but when I did, I grabbed it immediately. For me, this is one of the great lost classics of the Eighties: it didn't chart anywhere as far as I know.

My collection: 7" single no. 3087

Found: London, May 12, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Keep us together' / 'Hold out'

Download: here

Ding-a-dong - Teach-in

Every year when the Eurovision Song Contest draws near, the Dutch audience is reminded of the last victory by the Netherlands. It gets more depressing every year: the last victory took place in 1975, more than 30 years ago. After 'La La La' (Spain, 1969) and 'Boom bang-a-bang' (UK, 1969) this wan another example of a Eurovision winner with a nonsensical title.

The song, performed entirely in English, was an up-tempo ode to positive thought. Almost immediately, the song's lyrics became a source of ridicule, particularly in the UK, because the word "dong" is slang for penis. And the fact that the lyric includes a line that goes 'When you walk along with your ding dang dong' didn't help, either. This did not stop the song from hitting number 13 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 3388

Found: Geest, Den Haag, 2003

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'The circus show'

Download: here

McArthur Park - The Burtons / Wuthering heights - Jah Wurzel

As a big fan of Kate Bush, at some point I started collecting cover versions of Kate Bush songs. I acquired some of those tracks by swapping them with other Kate Bush fans, but every once in a while, I bought something. Like for instance this very vague e.p., released in 1979.

It features a version of 'McArthur park' by the Burtons on the A-side, but the B-side featured a version of 'Wuthering heights' as performed by Jah Wurzel. And who, pray, is Jah Wurzel? No idea - there are no references to him anywhere on the web.

My collection: 7" single no. 3052
Found: 1998
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'McArthur park' (The Burtons) / 'Wuthering heights' (Jah Wurzel)
Download: here

Miss Sarajevo - Passengers

U2 and Brian Eno used the pseudonym Passengers to record an album called 'Original Soundtracks 1', a collection of songs for movies that do not exist. The track 'Miss Sarajevo' protests the war in Bosnia, criticizing the international community for its inability to stop the war or help those affected by it. It was the only single released from the album.

Lead vocals are performed by Bono, with a guest appearance by Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. The 7" single was released with a large poster, folded to LP size. The B-side is a live performance of the U2 track 'One' during a War Child concert in Modena, Italy on September 12, 1995.

My collection: 7" single no. 2570

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Miss Sarajevo' / 'One (live)'

Download: cd-single 'Miss Sarajevo', including both tracks

Luxury - New Musik

Why New Musik never achieved commercial success is a mystery to me. 'Luxury' is one of many singles that never reached a chart anywhere. And 'Anywhere' is the title of the album this single was taken from. 'Luxury' was the first of three singles taken from the album. It was backed with a non-album track, 'The office'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2674

Found: London, July 2, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Luxury' / 'The office'

Download: here

Real love - Beatles

A year after releasing 'Free as a bird', Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr completed a second unfinished recording by John Lennon. They added new vocal and instrumental tracks to strengthen the original sound from John's cassette. The single was released to promote part two in the three part 'Beatles Anthology' cd set.

The B-side was a live recording of 'Baby's in black'. You can hear the screaming audience, proof that Beatlemania was really as loud and strange as it was often made out to be.

My collection: 7" single no. 2635

Found: April 13, 1996

Cost: 8 guilders

Tracks: 'Real love' / 'Baby's in black (live)'

Download: here

The part of me that needs you most - Exile

The tracks on Exile's 1979 album 'All there is' were recorded with a distinct disco beat. 'The part of me that needs you most' was taken from this album, and according to Wikipedia, the single did particularly well in Europe. Well, parts of Europe then, because it flopped in the UK and the Netherlands.

I'd never even heard this track when I bought the single. And I only bought the single because I enjoyed their previous releases so much. This track, by comparison, is a disappointment. What's interesting about 'Let's do it again', the B-side track, is that it sounds very similar to John Lodge's 'Street cafe', released a year later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3278

Found: Record fair, November 11, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'The part of me that needs you most' / 'Let's do it again'

Download: here