Labour of love - Hue and Cry

Hue and Cry are a pop duo formed in 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland by the brothers Pat and Greg Kane. Their biggest hit was the 1987 single 'Labour of love', which peaked at number 6 in the UK singles chart. It was released as their second single after their first single 'I refuse' had failed to make the UK top 75.

The song is written from the perspective of a disillusioned working-class Conservative voter of the mid-Eighties who has worked hard to believe in Margaret Thatcher's story of a new proud, individualist Britain and who is now realising that there is less "gain" than "pain" in doing so.

My collection: 7" single no. 3888
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Labour of love' / 'Wide screen'

Singin' in the rain - Sheila B. Devotion

'Singin' in the rain' was originally written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown in 1929. It was prominently featured in the movie of the same name from 1952, starring Gene Kelly.

Sheila B. Devotion recorded this disco version of the track in 1977. It was a big hit, peaking at number 3 in the Netherlands and number 11 in the UK singles chart. The most interesting bit in the song is Sheila's pronunciation of the word 'Rain'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3884
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Singin' in the rain part 1' / 'Singin' in the rain part 2'

The same old scene - Roxy Music

'Same old scene' was released as the second single from Roxy Music's 1980 album 'Flesh & Blood'. It peaked at number 12 on the UK charts and number 34 in the Netherlands.

The song plays during the opening credits of the 1980 film 'Times Square' and is included on the soundtrack album. The song was also used for the ending credits of the first episode of the 2008 series 'Ashes to Ashes', causing it to jump to the No.1 most downloaded Roxy Music song on iTunes for a short period.

My collection: 7" single no. 3890
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'The same old scene' / 'My only love'

No more tears (Enough is enough) - Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer

In 1979, Barbra Streisand, famous for her easy listening songs, and disco queen Donna Summer got together to record a duet. Entitled 'Enough is enough', it almost never made it onto Streisand's album 'Wet', because the lyric did not contain any reference to water (the theme of the album). Streisand really wanted the song on the album and thus changed the title of the song to 'No more tears (Enough is enough)', upon which the ballad introduction was written, to give more of an explanation of water to the song. 'It's raining, it's pouring, my love life is boring me to tears after all these years'.

During the recording of the song, Summer is said to have passed out and fallen off her chair having been out partying the night before. Streisand supposedly carried on singing her long note and waited until she had finished it before stopping and asking Summer if she was okay. Another rumour regarding the song is that Streisand's son, Jason Gould, is the one who talked his mother into recording the duet as he was a fan of Summer's work. The single became a number one hit in the USA and Canada, peaking at number 3 in the UK and number 20 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3896
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'No more tears (Enough is enough)' / 'Wet' (Barbra Streisand)

Raw - Spandau Ballet

After a break from recording, during which the Kemp brothers Gary and Martin established themselves as credible actors in the gangster film 'The Krays', Spandau Ballet released the album 'Heart Like a Sky' in 1989.

'Raw' was released as the first single in September 1988. It reached number 47 in the UK singles chart and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40, but in other territories the single flopped. Meanwhile, internal conflicts caused the band to split up in early 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 3881
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 1989
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Raw' / 'Raw (Flip)'

Total eclipse of the heart - Bonnie Tyler

'Total eclipse of the heart' is one of those singles I thought I had for years, and then one day I discovered I didn't have it. It still didn't get to the top of my want list, because it's also one of those songs that have been played to death on radio and television in the mid-Eighties, the time when I was actually hooked on those media.

The song remains Bonnie Tyler's most successful song, peaking at number 1 in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In the Netherlands, surprisingly, it didn't do so well, peaking at number 24 in the Dutch Top 40. It's still a radio favourite these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 3893
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Total eclipse of the heart' / 'Take me back'

It hurts - The Lotus Eaters

The single 'It hurts' is an excellent track, and one of my (many) favourites of the Eighties. Finding this 12" single was a happy catch. It features not so much a remix of the song as it is a re-recording, featuring a few added lines. Hence the subtitle: 'There must be a taste of murder in it'.

With 12" singles like this, you have to wonder why remixes are so boring these days.

My collection: 12" single no. 502
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 20, 2009
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'It hurts (There must be a taste of murder in it)' / 'The evidence', 'It hurts (7" version)'