Knock on wood - Amii Stewart

Disco queen Amii Stewart tried her hand at two cover versions in 1979 and it did her career some good. 'Knock on wood' was originally performed by Eddie Floyd in 1966. It was covered by many artists, but Amii's version reached number 1 in the American chart, making it the most well-known version of that song.

The same cannot be said for 'Light my fire', originally performed by the Doors. The original will always be the most fondly remembered, but Amii did a good danceable version of it in 1979. It reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 7 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1662

Found: Record fair, June 13, 1992

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Knock on wood' / 'Light my fire'

Smooth operator - Sade

Attentive readers of this blog will have noticed that Sade's first 12" single 'Your love is king' already contained an extended version of 'Smooth operator'. Still, 'Smooth operator' was released as her third single in 1984, and it contained another version of the track. This time it was extended with another instrumental track, 'Red eye'. This 12" version was also the music for an extended music video, which was played on television every now and again.

The B-side of this 12" single is the song 'Spirit', which again was never released on cd. There is a rumour going round that Sade will release a new cd this year. Well, here's hoping...

My collection: 12" single no. 25

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Smooth operator', 'Red Eye' / 'Spirit'

Shattered dreams - Johnny hates Jazz

After signing to Virgin records, 'Shattered dreams' was the first single from Johnny hates Jazz for their new record company. Released in April 1987 it was their first and biggest hit, reaching number 5 in the UK. In the Netherlands, it peaked at number 30 in the Dutch Top 40. The single preceded their debut album, which hit number 1 in the UK albums chart.

Things had taken off for Johnny hates Jazz in a big way, but there was more to come. I would buy all their singles - but only years afterwards. Just like this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 1577

Found: All that music, Leiden, January 25, 1992

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Shattered dreams' / 'My secret garden'

Download: here

Nothing to fear - Chris Rea

I don't know for sure, but this might well be the longest single ever released. Chris Rea's 'Nothing to fear' clocks in at 9 minutes and 10 seconds: truly an epic song. It's this length that piqued my interest when I came across this single during a week in London in 1992. I listened to it on a listening post, and decided I liked it enough to buy it.

I'm glad I did: it's probably the best song of Chris Rea's career. Taken from his 1992 album 'God's great banana skin', it reached number 16 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1737

Found: Virgin Megastore, October 17, 1992

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Nothing to fear' / 'Nothing to fear (edit)', 'Strange dance'

The edge of heaven - Wham

'The edge of heaven' was Wham's last single. It was released in the spring of 1986, after George Michael and Andrew Ridgely announced their breakup. The single preceded a historic farewell concert at Wembley Stadium in London on June 28, 1986.

The single reached number 1 in the UK and the Netherlands that summer. It was sold as a double single including four tracks. One of them was 'Where did your heart go', which was also released separately as a single in some territories. The song, originally recorded by art-rock ensemble Was (Not Was), was a downbeat and sombre affair that would fit seamlessly onto George Michael's later solo albums.

The band had been together five years, selling close to 20 million albums and 10 to 15 million singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 483

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'The edge of heaven' / 'Battlestations' // 'Wham Rap '86' / 'Where did your heart go?'

If you don't love me - Prefab Sprout

In 1992, Prefab Sprout released their greatest hits album 'A life of surprises'. The album reached number 3 on the UK albums chart. It was a chance for me to get my favourite tracks 'When love breaks down', 'Appetite' and 'Johnny Johnny' on cd. And as has happened to me before: once I started playing the cd a lot, I started looking for more singles.

During a visit to London, I came across this single, 'If you don't love me', one of the nicest tracks from the compilatoin cd. I was very happy to see that a remixed version appeared on the B-side. It didn't take me long to make the decision to buy this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 1756

Found: Tower Records, London, October 19, 1992

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'If you don't love me' / 'If you don't love me (String driven thing)'

Becoming more like Alfie - The Divine Comedy

After the chart success of 'Something for the weekend', the Divine Comedy released the second single from their album 'Casanova', 'Becoming more like Alfie'. It peaked at number 27 in the UK singles chart, which meant that it did slightly worse than its predecessor.

The B-side, 'Your daddy's car' is another album track, but performed live on BBC Radio 1's Mark Radcliffe Show on April 29, 1996.

My collection: 7" single no. 3140
Found: Setanta mailorder, 1999
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Becoming more like Alfie' / 'Your daddy's car'