Iki dakika - Reyhan Karaca, Izel Çeliköz and Can Ugurluer

Turkey became a bit lazy after a hattrick of totally inventive entries to the Eurovision Song Contest. After 'Sufi' by MFO (1988), 'Bana bana' by Pan (1989) and 'Gözlerninin Hapsindeyim' by Kayahan (1990), they sent the trio of Reyhan Karaca, Izel Çeliköz and Can Ugurluer (try saying that three times without stuttering!) with a twist-type track called 'Iki dakika' ('Two minutes').

The Belgian record company Madierpo released this single with the English version on the A-side. Another mistake: the Turkish version may be unintelligable for foreign listeners, but the English one is too, for totally different reasons, of which pronunciation is one. The group finished 12th in the Contest, which at that time was a reasonably respectable placing for Turkey.

My collection: 7" single no. 1649
Found: Bea Records, May 6, 1992
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Iki dakika (English version)' / 'Iki dakika (Turkish version)'

Precious - Annie Lennox

'Precious' was the second single taken from Annie Lennox' debut cd 'Diva'. The song was written by Annie Lennox herself and produced, like the album, by Steve Lipson. The single version was very different from the album version.

The single was not the big success the previous single 'Why' was, peaking at number 23 in the UK and number 30 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1962

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, September 25, 1993

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Precious (single version)' / 'Precious (album version)'

Another word - Talk Talk

The sleeve of this German-only single proclaims that the song 'Another word' was used in an episode of the German detective Derrick called 'Ende einer Sehnsucht'. The track comes from Talk Talk's debut album 'The party's over' (1982).

Whereas Talk Talk didn't have any success in Germany until then, this single went to number 25 in the chart. The worldwide hit 'It's my life' passed the country by, they would reward 'Such a shame' with Talk Talk's second singles chart placing. Sometimes those Germans have a mind of their own...

My collection: 7" single no. 2802

Found: December 29, 1996

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Another word' / 'Candy'

Tell it to my heart - Taylor Dayne

A number one hit in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, Taylor Dayne had a massively successful debut single with 'Tell it to my heart'. The single took off so unexpectedly in America, that she was forced to speed up the recording process for her debut album just to satisfy the record buying audience's appetite for more.

I didn't buy the single right away, because the follow-up 'Prove your love' came pretty quickly in the Dutch charts. I bought the single a few months after its release at a discount price.

My collection: 7" single no. 645

Found: All that music, Leiden, August 12, 1988

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Tell it to my heart' / 'Tell it to my heart (instrumental version)'

I'm a tiger - Lulu

Lulu was born on November 3, 1948. She is best known for her hits 'To sir, with love' and 'Shout'. This single, recorded in 1968, was written for her by Marty Wilde, which explains why I would want to have it. It's a charming little song in which Lulu shows her Scottish accent more than usual. The B-side was written by another prominent artist, Harry Nilsson.

My collection: 7" single no. 3235

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 18, 2000

Cost: 2,5 pounds

Tracks: 'I'm a tiger' / 'Without him'

Giving up giving in - Three Degrees

Produced by Giorgio Moroder, 'Giving up giving in' is an all out disco track, which gave the Three Degrees a big hit in many countries. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 8, while in the UK it reached number 12.

I bought the single from my favourite little record shop with a custom sleeve from one of the Netherlands' biggest warehouses. And so, only the record is shown here: an American pressing.

My collection: 7" single no. 84

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Giving up giving in' / 'Woman in love'

There's a virus going round - Spectral Display

I am extremely curious what foreign readers think of this particular Dutch song. When I first heard it - a friend played it to me because she recorded it from the radio ages before - I couldn't believe this was made by a Dutch band. And what's more, it turned out to be the same band that had recorded 'It takes a muscle to fall in love' that same year. I knew that single, but I'd completely missed this one.

I think this single is an extremely well accomplished piece of intimate synthpop, with beautiful vocals to boot. So come on, tell me what you think...

My collection: 7" single no. 3300

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'There's a virus going round' / 'Hang ups'