Mat's Prozac - Mice

After All about Eve disbanded, Julianne Regan went on to work with Tim McTighe (ex-Powder) to work on new songs. Levitation guitarist Christian Hayes and ex-All about Eve drummer Mark Price were also involved in the band, which was to be called The Innocent. Just before the release of their first single, the name changed to Mice.

'Mat's Prozac' was the first single taken from their album. Since I was such a big fan of All about Eve's music, I bought it right away - but I did have some doubts whether this was the kind of music I really liked. The single did not chart in the UK, let alone anywhere else. This single was pressed on yellow vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2850
Found: Record fair, 1995
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Mat's Prozac' / 'Bang bang'

Cities in dust - Siouxie and the Banshees

'Cities in dust' was released as the first single from the seventh studio album by Siouxie and the Banshees: 'Tinderbox' (1985). The lyric of the song obliquely describes the city of Pompeii, destroyed in a volcanic eruption in the year 79. Imagery describing the volcano and its magma chamber, the condition of the victims of the eruption, and the subsequent discovery and excavation of the city comprises the bulk of the lyrics.

Although the subject matter was still dark, the band seemed to be headed in a more poppy area of music, leaving their goth roots. The single made number 21 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2017
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1993
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Cities in dust' / 'An execution'

You - Ten Sharp

After being away from the music business for five years, Ten Sharp returned in the form of a duo. Michiel Hoogenboezem and Niels Hermes picked up where their three band members had thrown in the towel - and their reward was big. Where chart success eluded Ten Sharp in the Eighties, they had a European hit on their hands with 'You', released in 1991.

Not only did the band reach number 3 in the Netherlands (a position they'd never achieved in the Eighties), it also went number 1 in France, Norway and Sweden. In the UK, the single peaked at number 10. All of a sudden, Ten Sharp had become popular.

My collection: 7" single no. 1430
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 13, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'You' / 'You (instrumental)'

Thank you world - World Party

The 1991 single 'Thank you world' by World Party was released in between albums. 1990's 'Goodbye Jumbo' had been relatively successful, but the next album would only appear in 1993.

The chart performance of this single was disappointing, reaching number 68 in the UK singles chart during a one week chart run. Even the cover of the Beatles' 'Happiness is a warm gun' on the cd-single didn't help matters. This 7" single features two versions of 'Thank you world'. To be honest: I don't play it much myself.

My collection: 7" single no. 1488
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, July 4, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Thank you world' / 'Thank you world (Peter Lorimer remix)'

Get up! (Before the night is over) - Technotronic

Time for some intellectual music again. Back in 1990, I simply couldn't resist a track that had the great lyric 'Get up, get up, get busy do it / I wanna see you party'. It was the second single by Technotronic from their debut album 'Pump up the jam'. Somehow this single managed to hit the top 10 all over the world. It has to be because of the fact that people simply cannot resist a song with such beauty and depth.

The sheer vacuousness of it all is what drove me to buy this - and to use it as an example of what I simply cannot understand about other people's taste in music of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 1172
Found: Melody Maker, February 17, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Get up! (Before the night is over)' / 'Get up (Before the night is over) (instrumental)'

Hang on to your love - Sade

The most interesting singles are those you can't find in the shops. And then there's the singles released in other countries. Combine the two, and there you have it: the foreign promo. This particular one is a promo 7" single for Sade's 'Hang on to your love', released in Spain.

Not only did it have a different sleeve, it's also a one-sided single, which means that the B-side is missing here. A lovely item, which I picked up a long time ago!

My collection: 7" single no. 1955
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993
Cost: 10 guilders
Track: 'Hang on to your love'

She's strange - Cameo

After I found the 12" single of 'She's strange', the 7" single followed rather quickly. You know how it is: you search for something for years, then you decide to buy another version and suddenly what you're looking for appears.

Taken from the album of the same name, the single version is edited from the 7'12 album version. It reached number 37 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2475
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 16, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'She's strange' / 'Cameo megamix'