Heaven give me words - Propaganda

In late 1985, Propaganda's management introduced the group to the London based music lawyer Brian Carr of Compton Carr, who studied both contracts Propaganda have been given to ZTT Records and Perfect Songs, contracts which had been signed by the band members without legal advice. He came to the conclusion that under these contracts, the members of the group could go on making records for the rest of their lives and never make any money from them.

This was the point where everything ended between Propaganda and ZTT Records/Perfect Songs Ltd. Claudia Brücken left Propaganda to pursue a solo career. In 1988, the band signed to Virgin Records, and began recording new material. Alongside Michael Mertens were the new line-up of vocalist Betsi Miller, Derek Forbes and Brian McGee. The result was a new album, released in 1990 called '1234'. The single 'Heaven give me words', co-written by Howard Jones, was not a huge success, perhaps in part due to MTV dropping the video for 'Heaven give me words' after only very few plays. The single peaked at number 36 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1254
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, June 26, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Heaven give me words' / 'Count zero'

Kiss like ether - Claudia Brücken

In 1991 Claudia Brücken released her solo album 'Love: and a million other things'. In the United Kingdom two singles were released from this album: 'Absolut(e)' in 1990, and 'Kiss like ether' in 1991.

While 'Absolut(e)' was released in a limited edition box set, 'Kiss like ether' was released in a gatefold sleeve. I was lucky enough to find this one as well, so both Claudia Brücken singles I own are actually quite special items.

My collection: 7" single no. 3082

Found: London, May 10, 1999

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Kiss like ether' / 'I, dream'

A forest - The Cure

I discovered 'A forest' a few years after its original release in the Top 100 of all times, the annual chart compiled by listeners of Veronica radio in the Netherlands. It was the only single taken from the Cure's album 'Seventeen seconds', and also their first charting single in both the UK and the Netherlands. In both countries it reached number 31.

The lyrics tell a vague story about a man looking for a girl in a forest. He hears her calling for him, and as he chases her, he suddenly stops and realizes that he is lost and that the girl is not there. The song is fairly upbeat compared to the other material on the album, and Lol Tolhurst's machine-like steady beat together with Simon Gallup's minimalistic bassline gives this nervous chase more depth and keeps the song on the edge of a frantic groove until the end.

My collection: 7" single no. 2811

Found: Den Haag, January 26, 1997

Cost: nothing (present)

Tracks: 'A forest' / 'Another journey by train'

Only the moment - Marc Almond

In 1988, the compact disc was still a relatively new medium so every disc my sister and I bought was shared. I heard Marc Almond's album 'The stars we are' because my sister had bought it and I liked almost every track from that album. Come to think of it, I wonder why I never bought it later.

I did buy all the singles that were taken from the album - and that was also down to the fact that there were such attractive limited editions of them. 'Only the moment' was released on clear vinyl. It was the last single drawn from the album, released in April 1989 and peaking at number 45 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3103

Found: House of Rhythm, London, May 13, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Only the moment' / 'Real evil'

Flowers in our hair - All about Eve

My All about Eve collection was only just starting when I found this rarity in a shop in London: a DJ single, 'promotional only' of 'Flowers in our hair'. It featured an edited version of the song, plus the original version on the B-side. As far as I can remember, I didn't even pay that much for it.

'Flowers in our hair' was All about Eve's first single on a major label and their fourth single overall. They were going to breakthrough with their next single, but this one, like the three previous ones, didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1070
Found: London, October 19, 1989

Cost: 4 pounds

Tracks: 'Flowers in our hair (edited version)' / 'Flowers in our hair'

Train of thought - A-ha

The third single from A-ha's debut album 'Hunting high and low' came in the most beautiful sleeve they ever had. The image of the band members in the same drawing style of the accompanying music video was something very arty indeed. I was lucky enough to get the UK pressing of the single, with a stiff cardboard sleeve.

I was disappointed when the single did not chart in the Netherlands. In the UK, it was also the lowest charting single of the four that were released from the album, but it still peaked at number 8.

My collection: 7" single no. 395

Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Train of thought (remix)' / 'And you tell me (demo)'

I.M.U.R. - Luv'

This single is a present which I got from my parents when we were on holiday in Paris. Being only eight years old, my musical taste was still forming, but I did already have an ear for pretty melodies. Luv' had just hit the Dutch charts with 'Eeny meeny miny moe' (where it would reach number 11), a pretty but vacuous popsong, and I was very surprised to find that the French had put that song on the B-side in favour of 'I.M.U.R.'.

I knew that song too, and thought it was pretty modern-sounding. Indeed, in the Eighties this sound would become very popular. Girl group pop never sounded so nice.

My collection: 7" single no. 24

Found: Paris, 1979

Cost: nothing (it was a present)

Tracks: 'I.M.U.R.' / 'Eeny meeny miny moe'