This track could best be described as a lifeless, soulless 'mashup' (as they are called these days) of 'Tubular bells' and 'Foreign affair', both Mike Oldfield tracks.
The single was released in 1983 on the ZYX Music label (liberal pronounciation: 'It Sucks Music') and I bought it because my neverending thirst for version of Mike Oldfield's masterpiece. In this instance, it was an unfortunate acquisition.
It's now 27 years ago that this single was released, and I still think that this is one of the Best Songs Ever. I still get goosebumps when I hear the intro and I love every second of this track. I was in a difficult position when I bought this single: not so long before, I'd agreed with my sister that I would not buy singles she had, so that together we'd have more records to play. It went alright for a month or two, but when I saw this single - one that I'd played a lot - for a discount price, I had to buy it. In time, the agreement went out of the window altogether, of course.
Secret Service hails from Sweden. The band consisted of Ola Håkansson, Tim Norell, Ulf Wahlberg, Tony Lindberg, Leif Paulsen and Leif Johansson. 'Flash in the night' (1982) became their biggest international hit, reaching number 23 in Germany, number 12 in Italy and Sweden, number 9 in Switzerland, number 6 in Norway and number 5 in France. Inexplicably, the song didn't reach the chart in the UK and the Netherlands.
This one comes highly recommended. Even the B-side is nice!
My collection: 7" single no. 113
Found: 7" single no. 113
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Flash in the night' / 'Watching Julietta'
After Band Aid had sold millions of copies worldwide with 'Do they know it's Christmas?', it was almost inevitable that American popstars would rise to the challenge and come up with their own charity single. 'We are the world' was the result: a single of an epic 6'22 minutes length which is fine for the first three minutes but then turns into a long, protracted death rattle of a song, with far too many artists claiming a few lines of their own to sing.
The lyric 'There's a choice we're making / we're saving our own lives' was originally written as 'There's a chance we're taking / we're taking our own lives'. It was rewritten when it was feared the original phrasing's first part might look like the artists are patting themselves on the back while the last part might suggest collective suicide.
The single became a worldwide number 1 hit, raising more money for emergency needs in Africa, where several countries were suffering from an unprecedented famine. Not much has changed in over thirty years though: Africa is still in need.
My collection: 7" single no. 3541 Found: La La Land, Den Haag, January 9, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'We are the world' (USA for Africa) / 'Grace' (Quincy Jones)
Feargal Sharkey's solo career began in 1984 with the single 'Listen to your father', which he co-wrote with Cathal Smyth from Madness. That single peaked at number 23 in the UK. The second solo single was released in early 1985. Called 'Loving you', this single reached number 26 in the UK, but also number 23 in Switzerland. It would only be a matter of time before Sharkey had a big international breakthrough with 'A good heart', which gave him a top 10 all over Europe.
Both 'Listen to your father' and 'Loving you' were omitted from Feargal Sharkey's self-titled debut album, which was released in 1985. This makes both the singles great collector's items. Personally, I always thought 'Loving you' was the better of the two.
In 1981, Rupert Hine released the album 'Immunity'. This single, 'Misplaced love' was taken from that album. It featured guest vocals by Marianne Faithfull and became Rupert's best known single, mainly because of the fact that it peaked at number 22 in Australia. In Europe, the single started a tradition, because it was the first of many singles that would not chart in any country.
Today his work as a solo artist is mainly recognized by music enthusiasts, fellow artists and electronic music insiders, with many fans considering his tryptichon 'Immunity', 'Waving not drowning' and 'Wildest wish to fly' to be his masterwork.
Lenny Kravitz debuted in 1989 with 'Let love rule', a retro track with lots of Sixties influences, evoking images of hippies dancing on the grass. It was the title track of his debut album, which appeared shortly after the release of the single.
Interestingly, Kravitz was married with The Cosby Show's Lisa Bonet at the time. She appeared in the video for the song and also co-wrote two tracks on the album. This would be the only 7" vinyl single I bought from Kravitz: his subsequent singles didn't interest me much until the release of 'If you can't say no', which was released a decade later (and not on vinyl).
My collection: 7" single no. 1113 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, November 17, 1989 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Let love rule' / 'Empty hands' Download:Album 'Let love rule', including both tracks
Frazier Chorus followed up their single 'Nothing' with 'Cloud eight'. You could say it was equally successful, as it peaked at number 52 in the UK singles chart. But things were looking a bit grim for the band: with no chart success to speak of, the inspiration to go on began to wane too. Two more singles would follow before the band broke up.
Still, 'Cloud eight' is an inspired piece of breezy pop. I bought a quartet of Frazier Chorus singles on the day I bought this one, and I like every one of them a lot.
My collection: 7"single no. 2522 Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'Cloud eight' / 'Le change est magnifique'
This track could best be described as a lifeless, soulless 'mashup' (as they are called these days) of 'Tubular bells' and 'Foreign affair', both Mike Oldfield tracks.
