Shadow on the wall - Mike Oldfield

'Shadow in the wall' by Mike Oldfield was taken from his 1983 album 'Crises'. Vocals on this track were performed by Roger Chapman, formerly from the band Streetwalkers. The single had an aggressive sound, very different from the biggest hit from the same album, 'Moonlight shadow'.

The single was a number 1 hit in Austria, reached number 10 in the Netherlands and stalled at number 95 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 218
Found: Studio Echo, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Shadow on the wall' / 'Taurus 3'

What's in a kiss - Gilbert O'Sullivan

Gilbert O'Sullivan was born on December 1, 1946 in Waterford, Ireland. After scoring worldwide successes with songs like 'Alone again (naturally)' and 'Get down', he released the 1980 album 'Off centre', with 'What's in a kiss' as the first single from that album.

The single reached number 19 in the UK singles chart and number 21 in Japan. I got to know the song thanks to a compilation album released in the second half of the Eighties, and bought the single not long after that.

My collection: 7" single no. 846
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 27, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'What's in a kiss' / 'Down, down, down'

Ooh to be ah - Kajagoogoo

After the success of their debut single 'Too shy', Kajagoogoo's follow-up single 'Ooh to be ah' was released quickly. Although not topping the chart like its predecessor, the single still reached a respectable seventh place in the UK singles chart.

The nonsensical title hides a lyric about the showbiz and glamour world in which appearance is all-important. It is still a very topical song, then.

My collection: 7" single no. 1307
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 15, 1990
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Ooh to be ah' / 'Animal instincts'

Smooth operator - Sade

'Smooth operator' was released as the third single from Sade's debut album 'Diamond life'. Ray St. John, who co-wrote the song with Sade Adu, was a member of Adu's former band Pride, although he was not a member of the band Sade. The pair had co-written the song in 1982 while still members of Pride, but they did not get around to recording it because St. John left Pride shortly after Sade joined.

The B-side of the single contained a non-album track, 'Spirit', whereas the A-side was an edited version of the album track. It reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 19 in both the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1417
Found: April 7, 1991
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Smooth operator' / 'Spirit'

Phased EP - All about Eve

In 1992, All about Eve left their record company Phonogram and signed to MCA Records. They recorded a new album 'Ultraviolet', which was released in the autumn, with this EP preceding it. Well, it was... different. Gone was the romantic, goth-like All about Eve of the past: here was a modern, cold-sounding band, with Julianne Regan's vocals buried deep in the mix.

The Phased EP was a collection of two album tracks, one instrumental version of an album track and one non-album track ('Ascent/descent'). It barely caught on, but still managed to reach number 38 in the UK singles chart during its two week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 1726
Found: Tower Records, London, October 17, 1992
Cost: 2,3 pounds
Tracks: 'Phased', 'Mine' / 'Infrared (instrumental version)', 'Ascent/descent'

Set the fire to the third bar - Snow Patrol

'Set the fire to the third bar' was the third single taken from Snow Patrol's fourth album 'Eyes open'. It features guest vocals from Martha Wainwright, a Canadian-American folk-rock singer/songwriter. The lyric of the song is about a couple separated by a great distance and their longing to be together again. After their long journey to meet each they would settle down in front of an electric bar fire, hence the title, 'Set the fire to the third bar'.

The single reached number 18 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Irish chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3580
Found: eBay, received February 2009
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Set the fire to the third bar' / 'Chasing cars (live)'

Fat - Weird Al Yankovic

Released in 1988, 'Fat' by Weird Al Yankovic is a parody of Michael Jackson's 1987 single 'Bad'. In a way, Yankovic continued the theme set out by his parody of 'Beat it', entitled 'Eat it'. The music video for 'Fat' was shot in the same subway set as the music video for 'Bad' and parodies a host of elements from that video.

Although the music video was shown numerous times on Dutch television, it did not chart. In the UK singles chart, 'Fat' reached number 80, whereas in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart it peaked at number 99.

My collection: 7" single no. 3998
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received August 12, 2009
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Fat' / 'You make me'