Hunting high and low - A-ha

Released as the fourth and final single from their album of the same name, 'Hunting high and low' became an unexpected hit for A-ha. While 'Train of thought' didn't make the charts in a lot of countries, no-one really thought this song would do better. But the tide turned. The single peaked at number 5 in the UK and number 15 in the Netherlands.

Of course, 'Hunting high and low' had been remixed. The album version was produced by Tony Mansfield and was performed with synthesizers, while the single remix produced by Alan Tarney features an orchestra.

My collection: 7" single no. 435

Found: Paris, July 12, 1986

Cost: nothing (present)

Tracks: 'Hunting high and low (remix)' / 'The blue sky (demo)'

Dead from the waist down - Catatonia

'Dead from the waist down' was released as the first single from Catatonia's fourth album 'Equally cursed and blessed'. The decision had been taken by the band quite early on that 'Dead From The Waist Down' would feature a string arrangement. Paul Jones and Owen Powell of the band previously decried the gratuitous use of strings to make a track sound 'posher' by simply plastering them over a perfectly good arrangement, and so the band were keen to find something which truly complemented what they had already recorded.

It was a good choice: the single peaked at number 7 in the UK singles chart, making it the last of their three UK top 10 hits. The single was pressed on yellow vinyl and also included a large poster featuring the cover artwork.

My collection: 7" single no. 3113

Found: HMV, London, May 14, 1999

Cost: 2,5 pounds

Tracks: 'Dead from the waist down' / 'Branding a mountain'

Fantasy dream - Ami Aspelund

Ami Aspelund was born on September 7, 1953 in Vaasa, Finland. While her sister Monica represented Finland during the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Lapponia', Ami followed in her footsteps in 1983 with the song 'Fantasiaa'. Monica finished on 10th place, Ami did only slightly worse, finishing on 11th place.

The single 'Fantasy dream', released in Germany, features both the English and Finnish versions of the song. It's a great upbeat track, and one of the better Finnish contributions to the Contest during the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 3714

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received May 22, 2009

Cost: 2,5 euro

Tracks: 'Fantasy dream' / 'Fantasiaa'

Tears are not enough - ABC

Hard to imagine now, but there was a time when no-one knew the band ABC. They even had to release their debut single 'Tears are not enough' in 1981 to try and catch the public eye. The single version of 'Tears are not enough' was different from the album version. While the album version was produced by Trevor Horn, the single version was produced by one Steve Brown.

As far as debuts go, the band did well. The single peaked at number 19 at the end of 1981. The next year the debut album 'Lexicon of love' would be released - it would become a classic album of the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 2015

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1993

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Tears are not enough' / 'Alphabet soup'

Mono - The Monotones

During the Seventies Aart Mol, Geertjan Hessing, Erwin van Prehn, Cees Bergman and Elmer Veerhoff were members of the successful group Catapult. When success eluded them they decided to start over as Rubberen Robbie, a group specializing in Dutch music, and The Monotones, making new wave music.

In January 1980 the Monotones release the single 'Mono', a track that sounds a bit like 'Popmuzik' and 'Video killed the radio star'. They are rewarded with a number 15 placing in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3327

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, March 24, 2001

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Mono' / 'Monotone music'

Winter - Tori Amos

Taken from the debut album 'Little earthquakes', Winter was Tori Amos' third single for Atlantic Records. It was released in 1992. Amos wrote the song about her relationship with her father, who is a minister.

The single became Tori's first UK top 40 hit, peaking at number 25. It was released in a variety of formats, but the UK was the only country where this song was released on 7" vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 1741

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 18, 1992

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Winter' / 'The pool'

The turn of a friendly card - The Alan Parsons Project

The title track of the Alan Parsons Project album 'The turn of a friendly card' was released as a single in the autumn of 1980. On the album, the track was divided into two parts of 2'44 and 3'22. The single version lasts 3'20 but is not the same as part two.

The single appeared in the Dutch Tipparade, the 'bubbling under' chart for the Top 40, but did not reach the top 40 itself. Still, it made enough of an impression on me to still want to have it a decade later.

My collection: 7" single no. 1461

Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, June 27, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'The turn of a friendly card' / 'Snake eyes'