In a manner of speaking - Martin L. Gore

After having worked in Depeche Mode for almost a decade, the group went on hiatus and Martin L. Gore used his free time to record the 'Counterfeit e.p.': a disc with six covers of old songs. Among them was 'In a manner of speaking', originally performed by Tuxedomoon, a new wave group from San Francisco.

I'd bought the e.p. soon after it was released, then came across this promotional 7" single a year later. Since no songs from the e.p. were released as a single, I was very happy to get my hands on this promotional disc: a collector's item.

My collection: 7" single no. 1481

Found: Breda, July 3, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'In a manner of speaking' / 'In a manner of speaking'

Download: Album 'Counterfeit e.p.', including this track (password: stanley01 )

Love's not for me - Graham Gouldman

'Love's not for me' was taken from the soundtrack of the movie 'Animalypics'. The music was written and performed by Graham Gouldman, without the aid of his counterpart in 10CC, Eric Stewart. The backing musicians on the record were involved with the band 10CC at that time.

The song was promoted with a beautiful animated video, taken from the movie. The song itself became a personal anthem for many years.

My collection: 7" single no. 522

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1987

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Love's not for me' / 'Bionic boar'

Download: here

Blood of Eden - Peter Gabriel

'Blood of Eden' was originally written for the Wim Wenders movie 'Until the end of the world' (1991). Peter Gabriel performed the track solo. This version was not included on the soundtrack cd. (You can hear the solo version of Blood of Eden here.)

A year later, 'Blood of Eden' reappeared as a track on Peter Gabriel's album 'Us'. This time, it was performed as a duet with Sinéad O'Connor. It was this version that got a single release. It reached number 43 in the UK singles chart in 1993.

My collection: 7" single no. 1881

Found: April 10, 1993

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Blood of Eden' / 'Mercy street (William Orbit remix)'

Download: here

For a friend - Communards

Jimmy Somerville left his band Bronski Beat in 1985 and teamed up with classically trained musician Richard Coles. They will probably always be remembered for their versions of 'Don't leave me this way' and 'Never can say goodbye', but 'For a friend' remains, to me, their most beautiful song. They wrote the song for a close friend of theirs, whose life was taken by AIDS. And as the B-side track 'Victims' stated: 'No-one to blame there's only victims'. A good statement in a country where gays were continually blamed for the spreading of the disease at the time. Released in 1988, it reached number 28 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 628

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'For a friend' / 'Victims (live)'

Download: here

Mack the knife - King Kurt

Purists would probably hate King Kurt's version of 'Mack the knife', because it is slightly over the top. Originally entitled 'Die Moritat von Mackie Messer' ('The ballad of Mack the knife'), the track was composed by Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht for their music drama 'Die Dreigroschenoper', which premiered in Berlin in 1928.

The 'psychobilly' band King Kurt had a minor hit with the track in 1984, reaching number 55 in the UK singles chart. The video was a regular on the music television channel Music Box. In the early Eighties, King Kurt were known for their stage performances in which eggs and bags of flour were thrown around and buckets of wallpaper paste dumped into the audience. Sometimes they also had a large wheel on stage called 'The Wheel of Misfortune' which fans were strapped to and force fed Snakebite through a tube pushed down into the throat, then spun round until they threw up. Nice...

My collection: 7" single no. 2279

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, May 6, 1995

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Mack the knife' / 'Wreckaparty rock'

Download: here

Indulgence no. 2 - The Divine Comedy

In 1994, the Divine Comedy supported Tori Amos during her European tour. They played a few dozen dates all over Europe, including three in the Netherlands. I went to see Tori Amos on May 8 and in Scheveningen on May 9, and was pleasantly surprised by the support act. (That in itself was a remarkable feat!) The beautiful melodies and humorous lyrics appealed to me greatly.

It didn't take long to get 'Promenade', their then-current album, but soon I started to look for other things as well. I found this ep in London, while I was on holiday there. It contains three live recordings from that 1994 tour. Later it turned out to be a collector's item - I still haven't found 'Indulgence no. 1'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2183

Found: Sister Ray, London, September 28, 1994

Cost: 5 pounds

Tracks: 'A drinking song (live)' / 'When the lights go out all over Europe (live)', 'Tonight we fly (live)'
Download: here

Happy Birthday - Altered Images

'Happy Birthday' was Altered Images' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the UK singles chart in the autumn of 1981. It was the third single taken from the album of the same name. 'Happy Birthday' was later included in the soundtrack to the John Hughes movie 'Sixteen Candles' (1984).

I bought this single as one of three Altered Images singles in December 2002, while I was following the Here and Now Tour in the UK. This was one of the tracks performed live by Clare Grogan, and one of those instantly hummable tunes you either love or loathe. In my case, I loved it.

My collection: 7" single no. 3370

Found: Record Exchange, December 2002

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Happy Birthday' / 'So we go whispering'

Download: here