Fooled around and fell in love - Elvin Bishop

Elvin Bishop was born on October 21, 1942 in Glendale, California. He started out in music in the early Sixties when he joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. In 1968 he went solo and formed the Elvin Bishop Group.

In 1976 Bishop released his most memorable single, 'Fooled around and fell in love', about his love affair with the late Jenny Villarin, the mother of his late daughter Selina Bishop. The single peaked at number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 920

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Fooled around and fell in love' / 'I love the life I lead'

Only a fool - Mighty Sparrow and Byron Lee

'Only a fool' was a hit for Mighty Sparrow, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires twice: originally in 1969 and then again in 1978. In 1969 the single reached number 31 during its three week chart run. When it returned, entering the Dutch Top 40 on December 31, 1977, the single stayed in the chart for 27 weeks (!) and reached number 2.

When it charted in 1978 I got to know this song, but I felt it was a dull, boring song. Now that I'm older, I quite like the old sound of this track and the melody really fits the melancholy lyric. Sometimes you need to get older to appreciate certain music.

My collection: 7" single no. 2293

Found: May 13, 1995

Cost: 1 guilders

Tracks: 'Only a fool' / 'Make the world go away'

Each word's a beat of my heart - Mink DeVille

In 1983, the rock band Mink DeVille released their fifth album 'Where angels fear to tread'. Mink DeVille as a rock group had effectively ceased to exist as a band; only lead singer Willy DeVille remained from the original band. For this album, Willy DeVille reached deeper into his Latin roots, even recording a salsa number, 'Demisado Corazon.'

This single, 'Each word's a beat of my heart', reached number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1102

Found: All that music, Leiden, November 11, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Each word's a beat of my heart' / 'River of tears'

The only way out - Cliff Richard

I was still defining my own taste circa 1982. Having struck a deal with my sister to buy as much different singles from one another, I was almost forced to find songs that I liked and she didn't. That way, I found out that Cliff Richard's 'The only way out' was a song I liked a little, while she hated it. So I went out and bought the single pretty quickly. I even played it a few times, but after 1982, it was all over for Cliff. I've had this single for the majority of my life, but now is the first time in 25 years I've played it again...

Chart-wise, this single was a success. It reached number 10 in the UK and Ireland and got to number 13 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 134

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 6 guilders

Track: 'The only way out' / 'Under the influence'

The caterpillar - The Cure

When The Cure released 'The caterpillar', the strange but wonderful music video was a regular on all music television stations in Europe. It was shot in the Great Conservatory in Syon Park, London. The single peaked at number 14 in the UK and number 51 in Australia.

Despite liking this song a lot, I never got round to buying the single. And when I was ready to, it all but disappeared from the face of the earth. In fact, when I finally bought this single, it was the last time I ever saw a copy. It's strange, because I am a regular visitor of record fairs and shops, but apparently, this single has become quite rare.

My collection: 7" single no. 2990

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

Cost: 2,5 pounds

Tracks: 'The caterpillar' / 'Happy the man'

Fernando - Abba

The song 'Fernando' was originally written for Anni-Frid Lynstad's solo album 'Ensam' (1975). The lyric of this version, which was written in Swedish, differed substantially from the English version recorded by Abba. Bjorn Ulvaeus from the band comments: 'That lyric is so banal and I didn't like it. It was a love lyric, someone who loved Fernando, but I inherited the word 'Fernando' and I thought long and hard, what does Fernando tell me? I was in my summerhouse one starry evening and the words came, 'There was something in the air that night' and I thought of two old comrades from some guerrilla war in Mexico who would be sitting in the porch and reminiscing about what happened to them back then and this is what it is all about. Total fiction.'

The single became one of Abba's best selling singles, reaching the top of the charts in more than a dozen countries worldwide.

My collection: 7" single no. 1939

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 11, 1993

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Fernando' / 'Tropical loveland'

I don't believe in you - Talk Talk

For a long time, this was 'that missing Talk Talk single' for me. I knew that 'I don't believe in you' was released as the last single from their album 'The colour of spring', but I simply couldn't find a copy. For years I searched for it, only to find it at a record fair in 1992. I was quite surprised when I didn't have to pay a fortune for it.

Still, this is a pretty rare one. Most of Talk Talk's singles and B-sides have been released on cd compilations, but the B-side of this one, a live version of 'Does Caroline know?', performed live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in the Summer of 1986, remains unreleased on cd. A regrettable oversight, since it is a brilliant live track. The single, meanwhile, only managed a number 96 placing in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1600

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992

Cost: 4 guilders

Tracks: 'I don't believe in you' / 'Does Caroline know? (live)'