The living daylights - A-ha

A-ha recorded 'The living daylights' for the soundtrack of the 1987 James Bond movie of the same name. The single was a commercial success, peaking at number 11 in the Netherlands and number 5 in the UK. Critics were less friendly: they said that after 'A view to a kill' by Duran Duran, this was another 'desperate attempt to market James Bond to a young audience'.

Desperate or not, it remains a good anthem. Personally I was more offended by A-ha's version of this song on their 1988 album 'Stay on these roads': the soul was taken out of the song and replaced by lots of hollow-sounding synths.

The single was released in a standard sleeve in Europe and the UK, but in the UK there was also a limited edition with a gatefold sleeve (pictured below). I own both editions, although it took me years to find the limited edition.

My collection: 7" single no. 541 / no. 2788
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987 / Record fair, Utrecht, November 9, 1996
Cost: 6 guilders / 10 guilders
Tracks: 'The living daylights' / 'The living daylights (instrumental)'

A-ba-ni-bi - Izhar Cohen and the Alpha-Beta

The approximate translation of 'A-ba-ni-bi' is 'I love you'. So the title of this song is actually Hebrew, and not, as I always thought, one of those nonsensical titles which the Eurovision Song Contest became famous for. Izhar Cohen performed the song in 1978 and won the Contest, which meant that Israel won it for the very first time. Broadcasters in many of the non-participating Arab countries in North Africa and Asia who had been transmitting the contest, had to cut the broadcast when it was clear Israel was going to win. Jordanian TV famously ended the show with a still photo of a bunch of daffodils rather than acknowledge the Israeli entry.

Several cover versions of this song exist, including an Icelandic one by Paul Oscar and a beautiful, almost transcendental version by K.O.B. While this song was performed in Hebrew on the Contest, this single features the English version only.

My collection: 7" single no. 3007

Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 1999

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'A-ba-ni-bi' / 'Illusions'

Runaway girl / It's all right - Sterling Void

Sterling Void released this double A-side single in late 1988. In January 1989, 'Runaway girl/It's all right' made the UK singles chart and peaked at number 53. But this is not what made the band well-known.

In the summer of 1989, the Pet Shop Boys recorded a cover version of 'It's all right', entitled 'It's alright', which made the UK top 5. I guess lots of Pet Shop Boys fans hunted for the original song after that - I certainly did because I was rather curious how it would sound. Suffice to say that it's pretty standard late Eighties dance-type stuff.

My collection: 7" single no. 3067

Found: House of Rhythm, London, May 10, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Runaway girl' / 'It's all right'

Living by numbers - New Musik

'Living by numbers' is New Musik's biggest hit. Released in January 1980, it peaked at number 13 in the UK singles chart. It was the second single taken from their debut album 'From A to B', and a great synthpop track.

I bought the single after I bought the album. Since the single never charted in the Netherlands, I hadn't heard the track before that. Several different sleeves exist for this single; this is the UK edition, which I bought in London.

My collection: 7" single no. 2656

Found: London, June 29, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Living by numbers' / 'Sad films'

Irresistible - Cathy Dennis

A track from Cathy Dennis' second album 'Into the skyline', this single peaked at number 24 in the UK singles chart. This and subsequent singles seemed to get into the top thirty without too much trouble. In America, Dennis experienced a brief peak of fame, making a cameo in 'Beverly Hills, 90210' singing the song 'Moments of Love' (a minor U.S. chart hit).

I bought this single shortly after I'd bought the cd 'Into the skyline', but in time I experienced that Cathy Dennis' singles from 1992 aged quite quickly.

My collection: 7" single no. 2389

Found: Eastbourne, July 5, 1995

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Irresistible' / 'Irresistible (7" remix version)

Never can say goodbye - Communards

After the Communards had a number one hit in the UK in 1986 with 'Don't leave me this way', a cover of Thelma Houston's Seventies disco track, they tried to repeat this feat in 1987 with another cover of a disco track. They recorded a version of 'Never can say goodbye', which was a disco hit for Gloria Gaynor in 1974. This time around, however, they only made number 4 in the UK. The single did slightly better in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 3.

While the single was in the chart I bought it on the then rather new cd-single format. I found the 7" single years later.

My collection: 7" single no. 2814

Found: Record fair, February 1, 1997

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Never can say goodbye' / '77 the great escape'

Love's crashing waves - Difford and Tilbrook

Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook had been in the band Squeeze since 1974. After eight years, the band broke up as a result of conflict between (other) band members. Difford and Tilbrook continued to work together, and released one self-titled album as 'Difford & Tilbrook' (1984). The album is considered to be a 'lost' Squeeze album since Difford and Tilbrook were the only constant members of that band, which reformed already in 1985.

'Love's crashing waves' was their debut single, taken from that album. I remembered it because I thought the song was very boring - probably a result from the accompanying video which was played on television repeatedly in 1984. In 1998 I bought the single after I found that the chorus was still in my head after not having heard the song for over a decade. I had a hunch, and I was right: now I like the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 2991

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, May 27, 1998

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Love's crashing waves' / 'Within these walls of without you'