I think 'Is it a crime' is Sade's 'Bohemian rhapsody', in that it features a few different pieces of music, once loud, then more intimate. The dynamic range of this song is quite unbelievable, although the style is unmistakably Sade.
'Is it a crime' was the second single from Sade's 1985 album 'Promise'. It wasn't a big hit, peaking at number 49 in the UK singles chart and number 32 in the Dutch Top 40. The highest placing was in Ireland, where it reached number 21.
My collection: 7" single no. 364 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Is it a crime' / 'Punch drunk'
'Money love' was the first single from Neneh Cherry's second album 'Homebrew'. Both the single and the album disappointed in commercial terms: after the multimillonselling 'Raw like Sushi', everyone involved expected more of the chart performance of both.
The single reached number 23 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Dutch Top 40. I bought the single at discount price after it left the chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 1788 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, Nvoember 14, 1992 Cost: 4 guilders Tracks: 'Money love' / 'Twisted'
'A hard rain's a gonna fall' was originally written by Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962. He recorded it in December of that year for his second album 'The freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. Some people have suggested that the refrain of the song refers to nuclear fallout, however Dylan disputes that this was a specific reference. Dylan responded to this in 1963: 'No, it's not [about] atomic rain, it's just a hard rain. It isn't the fallout rain. I mean some sort of end that's just gotta happen... In the last verse, when I say, 'the pellets of poison are flooding the waters', that means all the lies that people get told on their radios and in their newspapers.'
Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians recorded a cover version of the song in 1989 for the soundtrack of the Oliver Stone movie 'Born on the fourth of July'. Their version was released as a single, which did not chart in Europe.
My collection: 7" single no. 1194 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 14, 1990 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'A hard rain's a gonna fall' / 'The early days, Massapequa, 1957' (John Williams)
Purists will probably hate me for writing this, but I think this is what John Lennon might have sounded like if he'd still lived in the Eighties. I remember being thrown when I first heard this song. Julian Lennon, the son of John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, debuted in 1984 with the album 'Valotte', with 'Too late for goodbyes' being his debut single. The harmonica in this song was played by Jean 'Toots' Thielemans.
The single peaked at number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK singles chart, reaching number 10 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 1679 Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 28, 1992 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'Too late for goodbyes' / 'Well I don't know'
The J. Geils Band found commercial success in 1981 when they released the album 'Freeze frame'. The biggest hit from that album was the single 'Centerfold', but the title track, released as the next single, was also a success.
'Freeze frame' reached number 27 in the UK singles chart and number 5 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 2757 Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 29, 1996 Cost: 20p Tracks: 'Freeze Frame' / 'Rage in the cage'
The Stranglers released the album 'Aural sculpture' in 1984. It was recorded in Brussels with Laurie Latham and the band producing. The biggest hit from the album was 'Skin deep', released as its first single.
'Skin deep' reached number 11 in Australia and Ireland, number 15 in the UK and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 1809 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 9, 1993 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Skin deep' / 'Here & there'
After Ten Sharp had a big hit with 'You', they released a mini-album in the Netherlands entitled 'Under the water-line'. From this mini-album, which featured 7 tracks, they released a second single, 'Ain't my beating heart'. It sounded like 'You' in a number of ways, in the sense that it was keyboard-driven and it featured the same sound overall. It was a minor success in the Netherlands, peaking at number 32 in the Dutch Top 40.
This single surprised me a couple of times. First when I went to London in 1992, a year after the release of the single, and found the UK version of this single. It was actually made in Holland, but the sleeve was very different from the European one: much simpler and without a photograph of the band. (The sleeve is pictured above.)
Then, in 1997, I found the European version of 'Ain't my beating heart' - but with a bonus single containing an acoustic version of 'You'. I am sure I never saw this limited edition in Dutch shops, so I guess it was released in other countries.
My collection: 7" single no. 1742 Found: Virgin Megastore, London, October 19, 1992 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'Ain't my beating heart' / 'Who needs women'
My collection: 7" single no. 2804 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 4, 1997 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'Ain't my beating heart' / 'Who needs women' // 'You (acoustic version)'
I think 'Is it a crime' is Sade's 'Bohemian rhapsody', in that it features a few different pieces of music, once loud, then more intimate. The dynamic range of this song is quite unbelievable, although the style is unmistakably Sade.
