The glamorous life - Sheila E.

Sheila Escovedo was born on December 12, 1957 in Oakland, California (USA). She is the daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo. She became a drummer and percussionist herself and made her debut in 1976 with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson on 'Yesterday's dream'. Sheila met Prince in the early Eighties, when she was performing with her father. He enlisted her for his band and she played during the recording sessions for 'Purple rain' (1984).

Though taken under Prince's wing, she proved to be a successful artist in her own right. In 1984 she scored her first solo hit with 'The glamorous life', which peaked at number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1896
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 2, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'The glamorous life' / 'The glamorous life part 2'

Road to your soul - All about Eve

When All about Eve released the single 'Road to your soul', some record company executives must have thought that the song was too long for the radio. At more than 5 minutes, there may well have been some reluctance by DJ's to play the song. And so they got to work: a DJ promo with the song was made, including an exclusive 'radio edit'.

If it were me, I would have made a different edit of the song. The radio edit featured on the A-side of this promotional single still clocks in at over four minutes, making it still a lengthy track.

My collection: 7" single no. 2912
Found: London, November 1, 1997
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Road to your soul (radio edit)' / 'Road to your soul'

Armageddon days are here (again) - The The

Another single from The The's 1989 album 'Mind bomb', 'Armageddon days are here (again)' was an odd choice because of its explosive political content. A lyric like 'Islam is rising / The Christians mobilising' implies a lot of things. The single only managed a number 70 placing in the UK singles chart during a two week run.

I remember being surprised to find this single in the shop, since a video for 'Kingdom of rain' was regularly shown on MTV at the time. I would have expected to find that single, but in the end, I never did.

My collection: 7" single no. 987
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, October 5, 1989
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Armageddon days are here (again) (radio edit)' / 'Armageddon days are here (again) (Orchestral version)'

My Sharona - The Knack

The Knack released their debut single 'My Sharona' in 1979. According to lead singer/guitarist Doug Fieger, he met Sharona Alperin (who was 16 at the time) and she inspired a two-month-long run of songwriting. 'It was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat; I fell in love with her instantly. And when that happened, it sparked something and I started writing a lot of songs feverishly in a short amount of time.' The main riff of 'My Sharona' was written by the band's guitarist, Berton Averre, long before he ever joined The Knack.

Sharona appears on the picture sleeve for the single, and became a major booster of the band bringing many girls to their early shows. The single reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 6 on the UK singles chart and number 20 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1895
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 2, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'My Sharona' / 'Let me out'

Talk Talk - Talk Talk

When EMI released the compilation album 'Natural history' in 1990, the record company was also re-releasing lots of old Talk Talk singles. For some strange reason, EMI France decided to re-release the band's early single 'Talk Talk'. Not that it had been a hit in 1982, when it was originally released. And sure enough, the second time around it didn't chart either.

As a collector of Talk Talk single, I was happy to find this item. The artwork is different from the singles that were (re-)released in the UK in 1990, so it's a great find.

My collection: 7" single no. 3119
Found: Record fair, June 27, 1999
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Talk Talk' / 'Today'

You're in the army now - Bolland

The brothers Rob and Ferdi Bolland released their album 'The domino theory' in 1981. The single 'You're in the army now' was released as the first single from that album. In the Netherlands, this single did not chart, but in South Africa, where the two were born, the single peaked at number 9 in May 1982.

In 1986, the band Status Quo recorded the song on their album 'In the army now'. Their version peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1160
Found: All that music, Leiden, January 27, 1990
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'In the army now' / 'The Domino Theory theme'

Nur ein Lied - Thomas Forstner

Thomas Forstner was born on December 3, 1969 in Deutsch Wagram, Austria. He represented Austria during the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Nur ein Lied' ('Only a song'), composed and produced by Dieter Bohlen, of Modern Talking fame. The song gave Austria fifth place — their highest position since their win in 1966.

Forstner was selected to represent Austria again in Rome in 1991. His entry, "Venedig im Regen" (English: "Venice in Rain") came in last at 22nd, failing to score a single point.

My collection: 7" single no. 3802
Found: eBay.co.uk, received June 25, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Nur ein Lied' / 'Nur ein Lied (instrumental)'