Gangsters - The Specials

Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter formed The Automatics in 1977. When Terry Hall and Roddy Byers joined the band the following year, the band changed its name to The Special AKA The Coventry Automatics, and then to The Special AKA.

The Specials began at the same time as Rock Against Racism which first gathered in 1978. According to Jerry Dammers anti-racism was intrinsic to the formation of The Specials with an intention to integrate both black and white people. In 1979, Dammers decided to form his own record label, and 2 Tone Records was born. On this label, the band released their 7" debut 'Gangsters', featuring a part of Prince Buster's ska hit 'Al Capone'. The single peaked at number 6 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single reached number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 3788

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Gangsters' (The Specials) / 'The selecter' (The Selecter)

I only want to be with you - The Tourists

'I only want to be with you' was written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde. It was the first solo single released by British singer Dusty Springfield. Recorded while she was still a member of The Springfields, the song was released in November 1963, three weeks after The Springfields' final concert.

The Tourists, a British pop band consisting of Peet Coombes, David A. Stewart, Annie Lennox, Eddie Chin and Jim Toorney, recorded their version of the song in 1979. The single peaked at number 4 in the UK at the end of 1979. When the group disbanded the next year, Stewart and Lennox went on to form the Eurythmics. The rest, as they say, is history...

My collection: 7" single no. 3789

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'I only want to be with you' / 'Summers night'

Tomorrow never knows - Monsoon

While Monsoon is best known for their hit 'Ever so lonely', the band continued to record tracks for a couple of years. The single 'Tomorrow never knows' was taken from their only album, 'Third eye'. It was a cover of the Beatles track from their 1966 album 'Revolver'.

John Lennon wrote the song in January 1966, closely adapted from the book The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner, which in turn was adapted from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. McCartney stated that he and Lennon once visited a newly opened Indica bookshop and Lennon found a copy of The Psychedelic Experience, which quoted the lines: "When in doubt, relax, turn off your mind, float downstream". Lennon bought the book, went home, took LSD, and followed the instructions exactly as stated in the book.

My collection: 7" single no. 3785

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Tomorrow never knows' / 'Indian princess'

Baby it's true - Mari Wilson

Mari Wilson scored her second UK hit with 'Baby it's true' in 1982. The single peaked at number 42. The single was even played on Dutch radio, but that didn't give her a hit in this country. Like all of Mari Wilson's singles from around this time, the track evokes images of the Fifties and Sixties, with big hair and big bands.

The funny thing is, although I remember this track well, I have totally forgotten about it. The mind is a jukebox but sometimes needs a kick to get started.

My collection: 7" single no. 3774

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Baby it's true' / 'You look so good'

Leaving on the midnight train - Nick Straker Band

'Leaving on the midnight train' was the third single by the Nick Straker Band. After the debut single 'A walk in the park' had been a good success, their second single 'Don't come back' flopped everywhere.

At least, this single charted again, although it only reached number 61 in the UK singles chart. The influence of the New Musik sound is particularly noticeable on the B-side of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3780

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Leaving on the midnight train' / 'Play the fool'

Belangrijk nieuws van Louise Tucker

'Belangrijk nieuws van Louise Tucker' ('Important news from Louise Tucker') is a promotional 7" single from the Netherlands. It offers a fascinating insight in the world of the music business in 1983. The single, which can only be played on one side, contains a short greeting by Louise Tucker himself, followed by the original recording of 'Midnight blue', the single that was a hit in the Netherlands the year before. A voice-over then starts to talk about her 'phenomenal success' in the Netherlands and Europe.

The important news, which is announced on the sleeve of the record, is that DJ's and other recipients of this promotional 7" single should look in their mailbox next week, as they will get something (it is not specified what). The single was part of the promotion for Tucker's 1983 album 'After the storm'. Since the album nor the singles were a hit in the Netherlands, I doubt this promotional single was effective.

My collection: 7" single no. 3776

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, June 20, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Belangrijk nieuws van Louise Tucker'

Hop on the bus - Nick Hall

The Dutch singer and bass guitarist Nick Hall released his album 'A very special case', produced by Pim Koopman, in 1980. The single 'Hop on the bus' was taken from that album. The single did not chart.

Later on in the Eighties, Hall joined the band La Blusa, specialising in swamprock and playing Louisiana-inspired compositions, fusing them with funk and rock. The American influence is already obvious on this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 2555

Found: November 19, 1995

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Hop on the bus' / 'Love couldn't carry us through'