Walk through the fire - Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel contributed the track 'Walk through the fire' to the soundtrack of the 1984 movie 'Against all odds'. It's interesting to note that other Genesis members contributed to the soundtrack as well: Mike Rutherford contributed the song 'Making a big mistake' and Phil Collins recorded the well-known title track.

It's interesting how little is known about this track by Peter Gabriel: I couldn't find any background information about it on the web. I did find out that it peaked at number 69 in the UK. So not a big hit, then.

My collection: 7" single no. 2481
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Walk through the fire' (Peter Gabriel) / 'The race' (Larry Carlton)

Autobahn - Kraftwerk

Perhaps Kraftwerk's best known track, 'Autobahn' is an ode to the German expressways. The track is intended to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn: from the high-speed concentration on the fast lane, to tuning the car radio, to the monotony of a long trip. For the single version, the original 22 minute track was edited down to a mere three minutes.

Released in 1975, the single peaked at number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Netherlands. The album of the same name was equally successful, peaking at number 4 in the UK and number 9 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2686

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, July 3, 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Autobahn' / 'Kometenmelodie 1'

Download: here

Un banc, un arbre, une rue - Severine

Severine was born as Josiane Grizeau on October 10, 1948 in Paris. She represented Monaco in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue'. The lyric of the song focuses on the loss of childhood innocence, and people following their dreams. Severine recorded the song in French, English, German and Italian. This single features the original French version.

She won the Contest, but this did not result, as is usual, in the 1972 Contest being hosted in Monaco, as the country did not have the resources. Instead, it took place in Edinburgh, UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3598

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue' / 'Viens'

Download: here

How you gonna see me now - Alice Cooper

During his 1977 tour Alice Cooper's alcoholism was becoming an issuel. It was rumoured that he drank up to two cases of Budweiser and a bottle of whiskey every day. Following the tour, Cooper had himself hospitalized in a New York sanitarium for treatment. His experience in the sanitarium was the inspiration for his 1978 semi-autobiographical album 'From the inside', which Cooper co-wrote with Bernie Taupin.

The single 'How you gonna see me now', taken from that album, was a ballad. The lyric depicted the fear of the singer of how his wife would react to him after his spell in the sanitarium. The song was one of the first I recorded from the radio when I got a radio/taperecorder at age 10. I found the single ten years later.

My collection: 7" single no. 1420

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, April 7, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'How you gonna see me now' / 'No tricks'

Download: here

Break my stride - Matthew Wilder

Matthew Wilder was born as Matthew Weiner on January 24, 1953 in New York City. He started his music career as one half of the folk group Matthew & Peter in 1973. Five years later, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and started working as a backing vocalist for, amongst others, Rickie Lee Jones and Bette Midler.

In 1983, he recorded his debut album 'I don't speak the language'. The single 'Break my stride', which was taken from this album, became a number 5 hit in America, while it peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 3 in the Netherlands.

I had a friend who was always asking for this song when I made mixtapes for him in the early Nineties. I didn't have this single, so I could never oblige. I only bought this single in 2001, by that time I'd stopped making tapes for him. I hope he reads it now - if it gets through the Big Chinese Firewall, that is.

My collection: 7" single no. 3305
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Break my stride' / 'Break my stride (instrumental)'
Download: here

Working on it - Chris Rea

While I'm generally not impressed with guitar heroes, I have to admit that Chris Rea has me rocking away from time to time. Some people may call his work too soft, but I find it generally very enjoyable. Which is why I snap up any Chris Rea record when it's cheap.

And that was the story for this 12" single: it appeared in a London shop for less than a pound and although I didn't know the track, I was certain enough that an extended version would be worthwhile. I was not disappointed: it's one of Chris Rea's rockier tracks, with a strong melody line. 'Working on it' was released in 1989 and reached number 53 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 12" single no. 417

Found: Record Exchange, London, 2002

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Working on it (extended)' / 'One golden rule'

My heart lies - Barbara Dickson

The single 'My heart lies' didn't chart in the UK, but in the Netherlands it became her biggest hit in early 1982. It peaked at number 27 in the Dutch Top 40, which isn't spectacular, but it's two places higher than Barbara Dickson's 1981 hit, 'January February'.

Alan Tarney produced this single, as well as the album 'You know it's me' (1982). The title track of that album appears on the B-side of this single. I liked this single so much I bought it twice: once in 1999 and three years later I did it again. It was an honest mistake. Luckily it was a cheap single on both occasions.

My collection: 7" single no. 3131
Found: July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'My heart lies' / 'You know it's me'