Amigo - Black Slate

Black Slate was formed in 1974 with musicians from England, Jamaica, and Anguilla.They backed Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe on their UK appearances, and had their first reggae-chart hit themselves in 1976, with the anti-mugging song 'Sticks man', calling themselves Disco Reggae Band Black Slate.

They toured the UK for the first time in 1978, and formed their own TCD label, having a minor hit with 'Mind your motion'. They also backed Dennis Brown when he played live in the UK, and in 1980 their Rastafarian rallying call 'Amigo' was picked up by Ensign Records, and reached number 9 in the UK singles chart and number 15 in the Dutch Top 40. An album, 'Sirens in the city', followed on Ensign the following year. The band released two further albums in 1982 and 1985, but little was heard of them after that.

My collection: 7" single no. 2604
Found: Record fair, January 27, 1996
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Amigo' / 'Black Slate Rock'

From the hip ep - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

The 'From the hip EP' was the last single release of Lloyd Cole & the Commotions before the band broke up and Lloyd Cole continued solo. The song 'From the hip' was taken from the band's 1987 album 'Mainstream', but the three other tracks were new recordings. The EP reached number 56 in the UK singles chart.

Neil Clark continued working with Lloyd Cole on almost all of his solo releases and full band tours. He was also member of the short-lived group Bloomsday. Blair Cowan collaborated with Cole and his new backing band in New York on Cole's first two solo albums. He played with Del Amitri, Paul Quinn and the Independent Group, the Kevin McDermott Orchestra and Texas. He is now an IT-specialist at British Telecom. Lawrence Donegan became a journalist and author. Stephen Irvine, finally, worked as a session musician with Del Amitri, Sarah Cracknell and Etienne Daho.

My collection: 7" single no. 1076
Found: HMV, London, October 19, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'From the hip', 'Please' / 'Lonely mile', 'Love your wife'

Een vrouw zoals jij - Hans de Booy

Hans de Booy was born on June 2, 1958 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. In the early Eighties he made his debut with the album 'Hans de Booy', which was successful in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The album contained three hit singles, of which 'Een vrouw zoals jij' ('A woman like you') was the first.

The single reached number 20 in the Dutch Top 40 in January 1983.

My collection: 7" single no. 222
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Een vrouw zoals jij' / 'Sammy'

Cinema - Paola

Paola di Medico represented Switzerland during the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. She sang the French-language song 'Cinéma', written by Peter Reber and Veronique Müller. The song remembers the childhood of the singer, when she liked the cinema very much, the lights and the heroes of the movies.

The song finished fourth in the Contest, one of Switzerland's better performances. While widely released in Europe, the song was only a hit in Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 3302
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Cinema' / 'Jukebox'

Storms in Africa - Enya

On Enya's album 'Watermark, 'Storms in Africa' was an instrumental track with vocals that didn't express any lyric. It is included on this single as part 1 on the B-side. The track was re-recorded and retitled 'Storms in Africa II'. This new version did include a lyric, although it was in typical Enya style: floating, vague and slightly windy.

The single was released in the UK in June 1989 and reached number 41 in the singles chart. The song was used as part of the soundtrack for the Peter Weir film 'Green card' (1990) along with the album tracks 'River' and 'Watermark'.

My collection: 7" single no. 947
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 21, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Storms in Africa II' / 'Storms in Africa I'

Queen of hearts - Juice Newton

Juice Newton was born as Judith Kay Cohen on February 18, 1952 in Lakehurst, New Jersey (USA). During the first half of the Seventies she was part of a band called Juice Newton and Silver Spur, but this band broke up after two albums. In 1977, Juice Newton embarked on a solo career.

'Queen of hearts' first appeared on Dave Edmunds' album 'Repeat when necessary' in 1979. Recorded two years later, Juice Newton's version sold more than one million copies in the USA and peaked at number 20 in the Dutch Top 40. The song is also featured prominently in Oliver Stone's 1986 movie 'Salvador'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3133
Found: July 24, 1999
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Queen of hearts' / 'Angel of the morning'

Stay with me till dawn - Judie Tzuke

Judie Tzuke was born as Judie Myers on April 3, 1956 in London. She signed to Elton John's Rocket Records in 1977. 'Stay with me till dawn' was the first single credited to her alone, since her official debut 'For you' (1978) was credited to Tzuke and Paxo. The song became Tzuke's most wellknown track and her only hit single in the UK, peaking at number 16.

I discovered the song years after its release, but when I did, I fell for it immediately. I had it on a compilation cd for years, before I finally bought the 7" single. I don't really own a track unless I've got it on this format...

My collection: 7" single no. 1938
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 11, 1993
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Stay with me till dawn' / 'New friends again'