Invisible - Alison Moyet

Alison Moyet's third solo single was specially written for her by Motown legend Lamont Dozier, from the famous Holland/Dozier/Holland writing team. The song was released in 1984 and peaked at number 21 in the UK singles chart. A year later, it reached number 31 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart - making it the only US top 40 hit of her career.

By the time I bought this single, it was ancient. I already had all the other singles taken from her debut album 'Alf', so this was a nice completion.

My collection: 7" single no. 3263

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 21, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Invisible' / 'Hitch hike'

Download: here

She sells - Banderas

The second single from Sally Herbert and Caroline Buckley, a.k.a. Banderas, was 'She sells', a song about women being exploited for advertisements. It followed up their successful debut single 'This is your life' (which appeared previously on this blog but was deleted for some strange reason).

I bought this single some time after its release. Before that, I'd gotten hold of Banderas' debut album 'Ripe', which caused my interest in their single releases. It's one of the best pop albums I have.

My collection: 7" single no. 1958

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'She sells' / 'She sells (Alternative 7" mix)'

Download: cd-single 'She sells', including both tracks

Martyr - Depeche Mode

Until the imminent release of 'Wrong' in April this year, 'Martyr' is still Depeche Mode's last single release. It came out on November 13, 2006 in support of a new compilation album, 'The best of Depeche Mode volume 1'. Originally titled 'Martyr for love', the song was recorded during sessions for Depeche Mode's previous album 'Playing the angel'. It was considered as the first single from that album, but was subsequently dropped from the album because it was considered to be 'too poppy'.

Released as their 45th single, it was their 35th top 20 hit in the UK. The single was released as a numbered limited edition on a picture disc 7" vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 3592
Found: Plaatboef, Den Haag, March 5, 2009
Cost: 4,5 euro
Tracks: 'Martyr' / 'Never let me down (Digitalism remix)'

Helden - David Bowie

Besides the French version of 'Heroes', I also found the German one a few days ago. It doesn't often happen that you find several versions of one track in a shop - and (relatively) cheap too. Obviously I bought this one as well.

'Helden' is a slightly better version than the French one, because this one sounds German. Bowie's pronunciation is a bit strange here and there, but it sounds a lot more credible than his French.

My collection: 7" single no. 3591

Found: Plaatboef, Den Haag, March 5, 2009

Cost: 3,5 euro

Tracks: 'Helden' / 'V2 Schneider'

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Walking after you - Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl formed the Foo Fighters in 1995 after the demise of grunge-rock band Nirvana. He recruited Nate Mendel, William Goldsmith and Pat Smear shortly before the release of the debut album 'Foo Fighters'. Their second album 'The colour and the shape' was released two years later. It included the original version of 'Walking after you'.

The band re-recorded this track for the soundtrack of the first X-files movie, 'Fight the future'. The original album version was created in between recording sessions for 'The colour and the shape. It was performed by Grohl on vocals (in one take) and all instrument parts except bass, which was performed by the band's bassist Nate Mendel. The soundtrack/single version was performed by the full band, including then-recent additions Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, with guest backing vocals from Craig Wedren from the band Shudder to Think.

I bought this single during a time when 7" vinyl singles were becoming increasingly rare. I'd just bought the soundtrack cd a few weeks earlier, and although I didn't remember this track, I still thought it would be a nice addition to my collection. It's a nice song but I don't really play it much.

My collection: 7" single no. 3051
Found: Record fair, 1998
Cost: 9,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Walking after you' (Foo Fighters) / 'Beacon light' (Ween)

It's different for girls - Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson released his second album 'I'm the man' in 1979. While the title track, released as the first single from the album, didn't chart, Jackson had more success with the second single, 'It's different for girls'. It peaked at number 5 in the UK singles chart and reached number 85 in Australia.

I distinctly remember going to Disco Market in May 1989 and buying a stack of second hand singles from a newly received batch. The sleeves were slightly tattered on the edges, but that didn't spoil my fun: this shop was always able to make me very happy in the knowledge that I'd found some rare old singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 826

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989

Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'It's different for girls' / 'Friday'

Download: Album 'I'm the man', including both tracks (part 1 / part 2)

Heart and soul - T'pau

T'pau released their debut single 'Heart and soul' in early 1987. The single initially flopped in the UK, but then reached number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Subsequently, the single still entered the chart in the UK and climbed to the same position in the UK. After this, 'Heart and soul' was released in Europe, where it was also a success. In the Netherlands, the single reached number 34 in the Dutch Top 40.

'Heart and soul' was re-released in 1997, when it was remixed. This remix version was only released as a cd-single, and didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 617
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Heart and soul' / 'On the wing'