Jij en ik - Bill van Dijk

Willem Edsger van Dijk was born in Rotterdam on December 22, 1947. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. After graduation he acted in various musicals in the Netherlands, where the genre was still in its infancy. Next to his acting he also made a name for himself in music: performing live with the Skymasters and the Metropole Orkest for radio and television in the Seventies and Eighties.

In 1982 he represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Jij en ik' ('You and me'). It was not a successful performance: he ended up in 16th place out of 18 participants. As a result, the single did not reach the charts in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3743

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 23, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Jij en ik' / 'Leven is'

Crucify - Tori Amos

Released as the fifth single from her debut album 'Little earthquakes', 'Crucify' was the most successful one, being the first Tori Amos single to reach the charts in Canada, France and Ireland. It was also Tori's biggest hit in the UK up to that point, peaking at number 15.

Accompanied by a provocative music video and a strange sleeve, Tori started to make a name for herself as a quirky songwriter, often nicknamed 'Kate Bush's loony stepsister'. I guess there's some truth to that.

My collection: 7" single no. 1658

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 30, 1992

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Crucify' / 'Here in my head'

In the clouds - All about Eve

'In the clouds' was originally released as an 'indie' 12" single in 1986, as the follow-up to All about Eve's debut 12" single 'D for desire'. When the band signed to a major label in 1987, 'In the clouds' was one of the few songs to survive from those early years and make it onto the self-titled debut album. Subsequently, the track was again released as a single.

This time, 'In the clouds' rose to number 47 in the UK singles chart and became the band's biggest hit up to that point. The three subsequent singles, all taken from the debut album, would each do better than the one before, and All about Eve quickly became a popular band in the UK.

Part of the success can be attributed to the plethora of limited editions that came with every release. This 7" single, for instance, was also released in a limited edition box set including a small poster. I was lucky enough to find a copy, number 1491 out of a limited edition of... well, I don't know. The 12" singles were also released in box sets, and then there were 10" singles, and later on, picture discs, cd-singles... the real All about Eve fan had a big job to do.

My collection: 7" single no. 1771

Found: October 21, 1992

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'In the clouds' / 'She moved through the fair'

Girlfriend - Pebbles

Perri Nixon was born on August 29, 1964. When she was 10 years old, her godfather nicknamed her after Fred and Wilma Flintstone's daughter. From an early age, she entered talent shows and studied opera and classical ballet. In highschool her focus shifted to singing.

In 1988 she released her debut album 'Pebbles', which included the hit single 'Girlfriend'. Produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, the single reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single got to number 21. The song was not unlike Janet Jackson's hit singles at that time, a funky dance sound that was so popular in the second half of the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 2754

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 29, 1996

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Girlfriend' / 'Girlfriend (instrumental)'

Brothers in arms - Dire Straits

The Dire Straits were used prominently in the Eighties to promote the new compact disc format. This may have contributed to their squeaky clean, slightly boring image. It's refreshing, therefore, to listen to their music from vinyl, with all the imperfections that appear in the music once you hear clicks and dust.

'Brothers in arms' is the title track from their 1985 album and is arguably one of their best songs. In the UK this single made number 16, in other countries it only made the charts years later when it was re-released as part of the promotion for a compilation album.

My collection: 7" single no. 2770

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 29, 1996

Cost: 40p

Tracks: 'Brothers in arms' / 'Going home (live)'

I've been losing you - A-ha

'I've been losing you' was released as the first single from A-ha's second album 'Scoundrel days' (1986). It featured a slightly rawer sound than the happy bright pop of the previous album. In Norway, the single went to the top of the charts, whereas in Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands it reached number 11. In the UK, it did slightly better, reaching number 8.

The B-side, 'This alone is love' was derived from a song by Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen's previous band Bridges. The version on this single is rawer and, in my opinion, better than the version that appeared on A-ha's next album 'Stay on these roads' (1988).

My collection: 7" single no. 481

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'I've been losing you' / 'This alone is love'

Nous les amoureux - Jean-Claude Pascal

Jean-Claude Pascal was born on October 24, 1927 in Paris, France. Pascal first studied at the Sorbonne University and then turned to fashion design for Christian Dior. While designing costumes for the play 'Don Juan' he came in contact with acting. He acted in a few dozen films since then.

In 1961, he represented Luxembourg during the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Nous les amoureux'. The song is about a man and another (rumoured to be another man) who others want to separate. He sings, however, that 'Heaven is with us lovers', a declaration of hope in spite of the difficulties. He won the Contest with this song.

My collection: 7" single no. 3749

Found: eBay.nl, received May 26, 2009

Cost: 5 euro

Tracks: 'Nous les amoureux' / 'Les oubliettes'