Good tradition - Tanita Tikaram

'Good tradition' was Tanita Tikaram's debut single back in 1988. Written by Tikaram herself, the single originally didn't get much airplay. But in time, the single slowly climbed up the UK singles chart, until it finally reached number 10 after many weeks.

A few weeks before I went to the record fair in Utrecht this last weekend, I found a special edition of the single on eBay. It featured a black inner sleeve to fill up a hole in the outer front sleeve. I was interested in this item, but the postage costs made it an expensive buy. So I was obviously happy to find that same release for one euro only. Sometimes a record buyer is lucky.

My collection: 7" single no. 3633

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Good tradition' / 'Valentine heart'

Red rain - Peter Gabriel

'Red rain' was the third single released from Peter Gabriel's multimillionselling album 'So' (1987) . The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyric directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam in his pool drinking cold red wine. According to the sleeve notes from the remastered version of 'So', it is also a reference to acid rain.

The single peaked at number 46 in the UK singles chart, which meant that it did considerably less well than the previous two singles 'Sledgehammer' and 'Don't give up' (the duet with Kate Bush).

My collection: 7" single no. 3629

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Red rain' / 'GA-GA I go swimming instrumental'

Cut me down (remix) - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1982. The band consisted of Lloyd Cole, Blair Cowan, Lawrence Donegan, Neil Clark and Stephen Irvine. Their debut album 'Rattlesnakes', released in 1984, was a commercial and critical success. When they released 'Easy pieces' a year later, they continued this success.

'Cut me down' was the third single from this second album. Released as a limited edition double pack, it included two live tracks from September 1985 ('Are you ready to be heartbroken?') and December 1984 ('Forest fire'). 'Cut me down' peaked at number 38 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3650

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Cut me down (remix)' / 'Are you ready to be heartbroken? (live)' // 'Perfect blue (Instrumental)' / 'Forest fire (live)'

Our house - Madness

Released in November 1982, 'Our house' reached number 5 in the UK singles chart. The single was also a big success in America, where it peaked at number 7. The song subsequently won an Ivor Novello award for 'best song'.

I remembered the song most for its video, which depicted the band acting out the song's lyrics in an old mews. The song's lyrics mostly describe the daily activities in the house, with some of the band portraying the 'family'. The video cuts between scenes of the 'family', the band playing in a living room, and exterior shots of various other houses including Buckingham Palace.

My collection: 7" single no. 3635

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Our house' / 'Walking with mr. Wheeze'

Littlest things - Lily Allen

Lily Allen was born May 2, 1985 as the daughter of actor/musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. She debuted in 2006 with the single 'Smile' and the album 'Alright, still'. 'Littlest things' was the third single from that album, peaking at number 21 in the UK, which was the only country where this single was actually released.

The B-side, 'Everybody's changing' is a cover of the song by Keane, recorded live at BBC Radio 2 in Dermot O'Leary's show.

My collection: 7" single no. 3668

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 7 euro

Tracks: 'Littlest things' / 'Everybody's changing'

Un tout petit pantin - Sandie Shaw

Sandie Shaw represented the United Kingdom during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. With the song 'Puppet on a string' she managed to win the Contest, despite the fact that Shaw herself hated the song from beginning to end.

She recorded several versions of the song that year, amongst others in German, Spanish and this one, in French. The French EP features four songs in French, all of which were originally recorded in English. 'J'ai rêvé de lui' was originally 'Had a dream last night', 'Prends la vie du bon coté' was 'Tell the boys' and 'Tout est changé' was 'I don't think you want me anymore'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3640

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'Un tout petit pantin', 'J'ai rêvé de lui' / 'Prends la vie du bon coté', 'Tout est changé'

We let the stars go - Prefab Sprout

'We let the stars go' was the second single taken from Prefab Sprout's 1990 album 'Jordan: the comeback'. The album was, like the single, produced by Thomas Dolby, and nominated for a Brit Award.

This single comes with a press release from Germany, which states: ''We let the stars go', mit der Prefab Sprout einmal mehr unter Beweis stellen, dass es nicht unbedingt immer der lauten Töne bedarf, um eine Erfahrung mitzuteilen'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3656

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 0,8 euro

Tracks: 'We let the stars go' / 'Cruel'