Bedsitter - Soft Cell

After the phenomenal international success of Soft Cell's 'Tainted love', the band struggled to find equal success. While they continued to be a hot act in the UK and Ireland, they would never revisit the charts in most other countries.

That's not to say that their singles were bad. The follow-up 'Bedsitter', for instance, is a beautiful melancholic synthpop song. The single peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland.

My collection: 7" single no. 3249

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Bedsitter' / 'Facility girls'

Skandal im Sperrbezirk - Spider Murphy Gang

The German new wave movement was not only a success in Germany itself: other European countries caught on quickly. Nena was one of the most successful bands in the genre, but the Spider Murphy Gang was quick to cash in on international success with their unlikely hit 'Skandal im Sperrbezirk'.

The Spider Murphy Gang was founded in 1977 by Günther Sigl, together with Gerhard Gmell, Michael Busse and Franz Trojan. Their name is a reference to Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse rock', in which a 'Spider Murphy' played the tenor saxophone. 'Skandal im Sperrbezirk' peaked at number 5 in the Netherlands - however the band had no further hits in this country.

My collection: 7" single no. 2936

Found: January 31, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Skandal im Sperrbezirk' / 'Vis-a-vis'

Footsteps - The Motels

The single 'Footsteps' was taken from The Motels' 1983 album 'Little robbers', just like previous single 'Suddenly last summer'. While that single was a top 10 hit in various countries, this single did not chart in any territory.

My buying the single was the direct result of hearing it over and over on the radio, until one day I recorded it. Eight years later, I found the single. I have to say I spent a long time searching for it, but it wasn't widely available.

My collection: 7" single no. 1463
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 27, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Footsteps' / 'Into the heartland'

Come into my life - Joyce Sims

Joyce Sims was born on August 6, 1959 in Rochester, New York. Her debut album, 'Come into my life', was largely mixed and produced by Kurtis Mantronik of the hip hop/electro funk crew Mantronix.

The title track was released as a single in early 1988 and became a number 7 hit in the UK and the Netherlands. It has become quite a wellknown soul/dance ballad since then.

My collection: 7" single no. 2856

Found: June 21, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Come into my life (radio version)' / 'Come into my life (dub version)'

Turn back the clock - Johnny hates Jazz

When you know that I collect records by Kim Wilde, you would think that I would have bought Johnny hates Jazz's single 'Turn back the clock' at the drop of a hat, since she's singing backing vocals on this track. But the embarrassing truth is: I didn't know this until a few years later! When I did find out, I had to really hunt for this single.

'Turn back the clock' was the title track of Johnny hates Jazz's debut album, released in 1987. The single peaked at number 12 in the UK and number 5 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1779
Found: Record fair, October 25, 1992
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Turn back the clock' / 'Cracking up'

The talk of all the USA - Middle of the road

Remember what Alfred Hitchcock used to say; never give away the clue of a movie. With a song like 'The talk of all the USA' it's just the same. It's because of the clue of this song that it wasn't released in the UK, I suppose. The B-side of this single, 'Samson & Delilah' was a reasonable hit for the band in the UK, peaking at number 26.

Meanwhile, this single, which was released in the Netherlands, gave them a number 1 hit. Could it be because of the lyric? I have to say that the music is very memorable as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 2723

Found: September 2, 1996

Cost: 1 guilders

Tracks: 'The talk of all the USA' / 'Samson & Delilah'

Stay on these roads - A-ha

The first single from A-ha's third album 'Stay on these roads' was the title track. The music of this song was created on a Roland D-50 synthesizer, the sound patch is called 'staccatto heaven'. The wind sound during the instrumental was made on a Roland Juno 60 or Juno 106 synthesizer.

As always, Morten Harket's crystal clear voice sways through this song like there's no tomorrow. The single was a number 1 hit in Norway (of course) and went top 10 everywhere else in Europe. The first single from this album was also the best.

My collection: 7" single no. 601
Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, March 25, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Stay on these roads' / 'Soft rains of April (original mix)'