Friday, 14 August 2009

Sold on you - IQ

After I bought 'Promises (as the years go by)' I saw this single. In the mood for an experiment, I decided to take it home. The track was pleasant enough, but I didn't play it very often. 'Sold on you' was taken from the band's 1989 album 'Are you sitting comfortably?'. Neither the single nor the album reached the charts in the UK - or outside of the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 930
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 6, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Sold on you' / 'Through my fingers'

Red hot! - Princess

If Princess had continued working with Stock, Aitken & Waterman, her entire body of work would have sounded like her debut single. So thankfully, with this single, she changed things around a bit. 'Red hot!' was produced by Richard James Burgess, giving the track a bit of a fuller sound.

It was the last time that Princess would grace the UK singles chart, reaching number 58 in the summer of 1987. This single was a limited edition, pressed on - how appropriate - red vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2373
Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 1, 1995
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Red hot!' / 'Programmed to love you'

Walking back to me - Sam Brown

Sam Brown is the daughter of Sixties rocker Joe Brown and top session singer Vicki Brown. She was born on October 7, 1964 in Stratford, London, England. She began her musical career at twelve, singing backing vocals on the Small Faces album '78 in the shade' (1978). She continued doing backing vocals with Sade, Spandau Ballet and Barclay James Harvest.

In 1986, she signed a recording contract with A&M Records. Her debut single 'Walking back to me' was released in 1988. It did not chart in England, but it did reach number 65 in Germany. Little did she know that her second single would become the biggest hit of her career...

My collection: 7" single no. 1885
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 24, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Walking back to me' / 'Tender hearts'

Love is all is all right - UB40

Although this track sounds slightly rudimentary, it is the seventh single by UB40, released in 1982. 'Love is all is all right' is one of the most laidback reggae songs I ever heard in my life, which was part of the appeal.

The single reached number 29 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2405
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Love is all is all right' / 'One-a-penny'

Some finer day - All about Eve

When you compare all the sleeves of All about Eve singles through the years, this one is a pretty dismal affair. It's almost a shoddy sleeve, a piece of work that could only have resulted from disinterest from the record company.

'Some finer day' was the final single by All about Eve, the second one from their album 'Ultraviolet' (1992). It reached number 57 in the UK singles chart during its one week in the chart. Soon after this, the band was dropped from their label MCA Records and the band disbanded not long after that.

My collection: 7" single no. 1865
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, January 30, 1993
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Some finer day' / 'Moodswing'

What if - Coldplay

'What if' is a track from Coldplay's third album 'X&Y'. It was released as a single to radio stations in France and the French speaking regions in Belgium and Switzerland. A cd-single was only released commercially in Belgium, whereas this 7" vinyl single is originally part of the Coldplay Singles box set. (I managed to buy a separate single from a dealer who was apparently splitting up his box set.)

This single features the Tom Lord-Alge mix of 'What if', which differs from the album version.

My collection: 7" single no. 3496
Found: eBay.com, received December 23, 2008
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'What if' / 'How you see the world (live)'

Blue Monday 1988 - New Order

At 7 minutes and 30 seconds, the original version of New Order's 'Blue Monday' is one of the longest tracks ever to chart in the UK. It was released on 12" single only, which made it an even more unique charting track. The band claimed to have written the song in response to crowd disappointment at the fact that they never played encores. This song, they say, allowed them to return to the stage, press play on a synthesiser and leave the stage again.

The track was remixed in 1988 and released as a single. This remixed version was considerably shorter and peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart (whereas the original reached number 9).

My collection: 7" single no. 2450
Found: Record fair, Leiden, September 2, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Blue Monday 1988' / 'Beach buggy'

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Advertising