Fortune fairytales - Lois Lane

After being dumped by their record company, the band Lois Lane had to find a way to release their next album. They created the label LowLand records, signed a marketing and distribution deal with Polydor records, and off they went.

'Fortune fairytales' was the first single released this way. A limited edition of the single was signed by the entire band, and as you can see, I managed to buy a copy. The single became a good success in the Netherlands, peaking at number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1212

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 20, 1990

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Fortune fairytales' / 'Just can't help myself'

Knowing me, knowing you - Abba

Recorded in 1976 at the Metronome studio in Stockholm, 'Knowing me knowing you' was released as a single in February 1977. The B-side was 'Happy Hawaii', an early version of 'Why did it have to be me'. Group member Benny Andersson named 'Knowing me, knowing you' as one of Abba's best recordings in a 2004 interview, along with 'Dancing queen', 'The winner takes it all' and 'When I kissed the teacher'.

The single became a number 1 hit in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Mexico and South Africa. In the Netherlands and Switzerland it peaked at number 3. It was a top 10 hit in eight further countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 233
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Knowing me, knowing you' / 'Happy Hawaii'

China - Tori Amos

'China' was the first Tori Amos single I ever bought. I was actually searching for 'Silent all these years', but this was the only single my record dealer had at the time. Somehow I was confident that this would also be an interesting single, and so I bought it without even having heard it. When I played it at home, I was immediately convinced. 'China' is a beautiful ballad. Not long after that, I found out that the B-side was also a beautiful piece ofwork.

'China' peaked at number 51 in the UK singles chart, but it did not chart in any other territory.

My collection: 7" single no. 1615

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 4, 1992

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'China' / 'Sugar'

An Englishman in New York - Godley and Creme

The title of this single has become associated with Sting, who released his song in 1988. Eight years before that, Godley & Creme released their own 'Englishman in New York', a totally different song with comparable success. At least, in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 3. In the UK, this single did not chart at all.

While the duo would become directors of music videos later on, this single was already accompanied by an innovate music video, directed by Godley and Creme themselves.

My collection: 7" single no. 2558

Found: November 19, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'An Englishman in New York' / 'Silent running'

Greenland - Pierre Moulin

When you search for 'Pierre Moulin' on the web, the only relevant link is a site where this very single is for sale. I guess you can say that Pierre is not a very renowned musician. And when you hear these tracks, you know why: it's muzak at best.

So why did I buy this single all those years ago? Well, the title of the B-side caught my eye. It's indeed a cover of the famous Kate Bush track. And since I am a fan of Kate Bush, I had to hear this track. (This was in the days when MP3's weren't freely available everywhere on the internet). I guess it is some sort of rarity, so another item I'm glad to own.

My collection: 7" single no. 2981

Found: Record fair, April 4, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Greenland' / 'Wuthering heights'

Only the ones we love - Tanita Tikaram

Released as the first single from Tanita Tikaram's third album 'Everybody's angel' (1991), 'Only the ones we love' was not a very big success. The single peaked at number 69 in the UK singles chart and did not chart in the Netherlands.

The song featured backing vocals by Jennifer Warnes, who also sang on a few other tracks on the album. Though critically acclaimed, commercial success seemed to elude Tikaram even more than with the previous album.

My collection: 7" single no. 1421

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

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Only the ones we love' / 'Me in mind'

Shades - Iggy Pop

Black, also known as Colin Vearncombe, recorded a cover version of 'Shades' in 1991 as the B-side of his single 'Here it comes again'. I loved the track, loved the melody and the sheer power of the song. When I found out it was a cover of an Iggy Pop song, I started getting curious about the original version as well. So when I stumbled across this single, I couldn't resist buying it.

The original version is a bit rawer, less polished than the Black version. The song, written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie, was not a hit. It was taken from Iggy's 1986 album 'Blah blah blah'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2545
Found: Record Exchange, London, November 1, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Shades' / 'Baby it can't fall'