Original sin - Taylor Dayne

'Original sin' was recorded as a theme song for the 1994 movie 'The shadow', based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1931. At a budget of 40 million dollars, the movie barely made a profit with worldwide sales of 48 million.

Taylor Dayne performed 'Original sin', which was produced, written and arranged by Jim Steinman, the man responsible for many bombastic hits such as 'Total eclipse of the heart' by Bonnie Tyler and 'Paradise by the dashboard light' by Meatloaf. The single only made the UK singles chart, peaking at number 63.

My collection: 7" single no. 2359
Found: June 29, 1995
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Original sin (radio edit)' / 'Original sin (radio mix)'

Open your eyes - Snow Patrol

'Open your eyes' was released as the fifth single from Snow Patrol's 2006 album 'Eyes open'. Released in February 2007, the single peaked at number 26 in the UK singles chart. It went number 1 in Slovakia and number 21 in Ireland.

The song has proved to be an effective track for campaigns. It was used in Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, the BBC HD service campaign, a promo for the second season of the TV series 'Gossip girl' and the season 12 finale and season 13 premiere of 'ER'. The B-side is a cover of Ricky Wilde's 'I am an astronaut', which was previously featured on the Save the Children charity compilation album 'Colours are brighter'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3499
Found: eBay.co.uk, received December 23, 2008
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Open your eyes' / 'I am an astronaut'

Trick of the night - Bananarama

Before I bought the 12" single of 'Trick of the night', I found this ep featuring four tracks. Just like on the 12" single, 'Trick of the night' was featured in two different versions: one produced by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley, and one by Stock, Aitken & Waterman.

The single peaked at number 32 in the UK singles chart, whereas it peaked at number 76 in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This ep was released in a beautiful gatefold sleeve, the inner side featuring an illustration of the trio plus the lyric of the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 2765
Found: House of Rhythm, October 29, 1996
Cost: 40p
Tracks: 'Trick of the night #1', 'Cut above the rest' / 'Trick of the night #2', 'Set on you'

Amiga Quartett - Mel and Kim

The 'Amiga Quartett' was a series of four track ep's released in the German Democratic Republic, the Eastern part of Germany that existed until the end of the Eighties, featuring tracks from a certain artist or band. In this installment, the ep is filled with four tracks by Mel & Kim. They were enjoying a lot of success in Europe with 'Showing out' and 'Respectable' at the time. The state-controlled record company picked four tracks from their debut album to release them on this ep.

What's remarkable about this ep is the rather butchered version of 'Showing out'. It is edited in a different way than usual, taking rather random passages from the album version of the track and glueing them together, sometimes audibly wrong.

My collection: 7" single no. 2926
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 13, 1997
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Respectable', 'From a whisper to a scream' / 'Showing out', 'Who's gonna catch you'

1000 oceans - Tori Amos

Tori Amos explained that the idea for '1000 oceans' came to her in a dream. An old African woman was humming the melody to her, and she got up around 5:30 in the morning to record it. The inspiration for the lyrics came when her father-in-law died, and she claims the song helped her husband deal with the grieving process. The lyrics contain reference to Silbury Hill, an ancient mound in Wiltshire, England. This is a place often visited by Amos and her husband.

The single did not chart. This vinyl single is also the last Tori Amos vinyl single around; subsequent releases were no longer released on this format with the sole exception of 'A sorta fairytale'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3142
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 1999
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: '1000 oceans' / 'Baker baker (live)'

Love is - Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight

'Love is' was recorded in 1993 as a duet of Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight. The track originally appeared on the soundtrack of the TV drama series 'Beverly Hills, 90210'. As a result of this exposure, the song peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming McKnight's breakthrough hit and another hit for Williams. The single also charted in Australia, where it peaked at number 49. In other territories, the single flopped.

I bough this single a few years after its original release. I was quite happy to find this single because at that time, vinyl singles were becoming increasingly rare.

My collection: 7" single no. 2712
Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 3, 1996
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Love is' (Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight) / 'After the love' (Brian McKnight)

Glow - Rick James

Rick James scored his second and last top 10 hit in the Netherlands with the 1985 single 'Glow'. The single did not chart in the UK. It was an almost megalomaniac piece of work, with lots of solos and clocking in at 5 minutes and 40 seconds.

James' last hit was 'Loosey's Rap' in 1989. It all went downhill from there, as he descended into a drug- and crimefilled Nineties. On the morning of August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead in his home by his caretaker. James had died as a result of his various health conditions of diabetes, stroke, a pacemaker, and a heart attack. Through his autopsy it was discovered he was under the influence of five different drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, at the time of his death.

My collection: 7" single no. 353
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Glow' / 'Glow (instrumental)'