Baby, do you wanna bump - Boney M

Frank Farian (Franz Reuther), a German schlager singer, wasn't happy with the choice of material his record company wanted him to sing. He went into the studio in December 1974 and recorded the single 'Baby, do you wanna bump', singing the title in a deep voice (entirely studio created) as well as performing the high female chorus vocals in his falsetto voice. The music was based on Prince Buster's 'Al Capone' (1967).

When the single was released, it was credited to 'Boney M'. Farian had been watching an Australian detective show, in which the lead character was called Boney, and Farian decided that this would make a good name for a group, and added the M. After a slow start it became a hit in the Netherlands, reaching number 14 in the Dutch Top 40 in January 1976. Because of this success, Farian decided to hire a team to 'front' the group for TV performances. Thus the group was born!

My collection: 7" single no. 3178

Found: Record fair, February 19, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Baby, do you wanna bump (part 1)' / 'Baby, do you wanna bump (part 2)'

Download: here

Inside - Stiltskin

This commercial made the band Stiltskin an overnight sensation. Peter Lawlor recruiter original members Ray Wilson, James Finnigan and Ross McFarlane to form the band, after writing music he had written for this commercial. The single 'Inside' was released to coincide with the ad campaign and became a number one hit for the band almost immediately.

Unfortunately, the band wasn't able to build on the success; a follow-up single 'Footsteps' only made number 34, and further singles didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2913

Found: London, November 1, 1997

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Inside' / 'America'

Download: here

Twilight cafe - Susan Fassbender

Susan Fassbender was born as Susan Wincup in Wibsey, Bradford, England in 1959. At age 13 she started studying classical piano. A few years later she met guitarist Kay Russell, who would become her songwriting partner throughout her caree. Soon signed to independent record label Criminal Records after impressing her future manager at an instrument shop, Fassbender and Russell wrote 'Twilight Café' which was released in early 1981. The single reached number 21 in the UK singles chart in 1981.

Two other singles followed soon after - 'Stay' and 'Merry-Go-Round', but these didn't chart. Fassbender then retired from the music industry to get married. She raised three daughters. In 1991 she died, aged just 32.

My collection: 7" single no. 131
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Twilight café' / 'Get around it'
Download: here

Street cafe - John Lodge

John Lodge was born on July 20, 1943 and started playing bass guitar with the Moody Blues in 1965. Since then, he has also written and co-written songs in the band, including 'Ride my see-saw' and 'I'm just a singer in a Rock 'n' Roll band'.

In 1977, he released a solo album called 'Natural Avenue'. The track 'Street cafe' from this album ended up being a single in 1980. I recently mentioned this single in this entry. So who inspired whom? You do the math...

My collection: 7" single no. 318

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Street cafe' / 'Threw it all away'

Download: Album 'Natural Avenue', including both tracks

Radioactivity - Kraftwerk

'Radioactivity is in the air for you and me'. The seemingly soulless, mechanic music by Kraftwerk has always had intriguing lyrics. I don't mean 'Mensch / Natur / Technik' of their infamous track 'Expo 2000', of course, but their earlier work. It's hard to believe when you hear 'Radioactivity' that it was released in 1976.

'Radioactivity' was released as a single, and became a hit in France after it was used as the theme to a popular music show. Coincidentally, my copy of this single is a French one.

My collection: 7" single no. 3037

Found: Record fair, Leiden, November 1, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Radioactivity' / 'Antenna'

Download: Album 'Radioactivity', including both tracks

You make the whole world cry - Tanita Tikaram

Everybody knows Tanita Tikaram's 'Twist in my sobriety', but her later work has been sadly overlooked. And it's such a shame, because she became better as years went by. 'You make the whole world cry' is a great example of this: a monumentally produced 'wall of sound' type track, with an intelligent lyric, although the title seems a tad hyperbolic.

In the UK, neither this single nor the album 'Eleven kinds of loneliness' (1992) charted. Sometimes there is no justice.

My collection: 7" single no. 2539

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

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'You make the whole world cry' / 'Rock me 'til I stop', 'Me you & Lucifer'

Download: here

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