Words - F.R. David

F.R. David was born as Eli Robert Fitoussi on January 1, 1947 in Menzel Bourguiba, Tunisia.During the Seventies, he was a member of the French rock band Les Variations. After this, he went solo, always wearing his trademark sunglasses and a white Fender Stratocaster guitar.

His single 'Words', released in 1982, became his trademark song when it sold eight million copies worldwide. It peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40. The song actually topped the charts in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Norway.

My collection: 7" single no. 1767
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 1992
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Words' / 'When the sun goes down'

Your latest trick - Dire Straits

'Your latest trick' is a track from the classic Dire Straits album 'Brothers in arms'. It was released as a single in the UK, with all the royalties from the sale of the record donated to 'the hospitals for sick children'. Whether this helped a lot remains to be seen: the single peaked at number 26 in the UK singles chart, with only six weeks in the chart not one of the band's biggest hits.

The saxophone solo on the track was performed by Michael Brecker, an American jazz saxophonist who worked with many famous contemporaries including Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Chet Baker, George Benson, Quincy Jones and Pat Metheny.

My collection: 7" single no. 2205
Found: Record fair, October 9, 1994
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Your latest trick' / 'Irish boy', 'The road'

Blood on the dancefloor - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson recorded 'Blood on the dancefloor' in 1991, during the sessions for his eighth album 'Dangerous'. The song was written by Michael Jackosn, but producer Teddy Riley came up with the title. It failed to make the final track listing of the album, but in 1997 it became the title track of Jackson's remix album, released after the double album 'History'.

Riley was reportedly upset that Jackson didn't call him to 'vacuum clean this old master'. Riley wanted to update the musical composition before it appeared on the remix album. The song was released as the first single from the album and reached number 42 in the US Billboard Hot 100. It was more successful in the UK, where the single topped the singles chart and in the Netherlands, where the single peaked at number 7.

Like 'History', which I found recently as well, this is a very rare single, released only for jukebox purposes, apparently.

My collection: 7" single no. 3853
Found: eBay.co.uk, received July 15, 2009
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Blood on the dancefloor' / 'Blood on the dancefloor (Refugee Camp edit)'

More than one kind of love - Joan Armatrading

Around 1990 it happened regularly that I spotted a music video on one of the music channels (MTV Europe or Super Channel, the two that were most popular back then) and decided right away to buy the single. I happened by some interesting tracks that way.

I thought Joan Armatrading had long since stopped making music when I saw 'More than one kind of love' on television in 1990. I think the video was shown only once - at least, that I saw - and the success of the single wasn't great either: it reached number 75 during a one week run in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1257
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, September 5, 1990
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'More than one kind of love' / 'Love and affection (live)'

Go insane - Lindsey Buckingham

After ending his seven year relationship with Carol Ann Harris, Lindsey Buckingham released his second solo album 'Go insane'. The title track was released as a single, with a rather interesting music video to promote it.

The single became a modest hit, reaching number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, the single did not chart in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 279
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Go insane' / 'Play in the rain'

Joey - Beverley Craven

Beverley Craven's later work would be the housewife's wet dream, as the lyrics were all about homely subjects: period pains, faithful wifes and of course... children. However, her second single 'Joey', which was still quite listenable, was an early sign of this danger: the song was about her dog.

The audiences in different countries were not amused, and so the single flopped mercilessly. It's a shame, because the B-side is actually one of the best songs of her career!

My collection: 7" single no. 1959
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Joey' / 'It doesn't have to end this way'

The worker - Fischer Z

The biggest hit by Fischer Z was 'The worker'. It peaked at number 53 in the UK singles chart and number 20 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was remixed for the single, putting the emphasis on the keyboard parts instead of the bass and guitar parts.

The song was one of the few singles during that time to go down in the charts after being featured in the BBC chart show 'Top of the pops'.

My collection: 7" single no. 845
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 27, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'The worker' / 'Kitten curry'