Love pains - Liza Minelli

The American 12" single of Liza Minelli's cover version of the song 'Love pains' is not the only 12" single of it that I own. The life of a collector can be complicated sometimes: when a 12" single contains different tracks in different territories for instance.

This German 12" single contains the two single tracks, 'Love pains' and the B-side 'Rent'. But then, suddenly, an unknown remix of 'Losing my mind' appears in the track listing as well. According to Wikipedia, the 'Dubulta mix' is actually a dub mix from the DJ remix service Ultimix.

My collection: 12" single no. 514
Found: Record fair, 2000
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Love pains' / 'Rent', 'Losing my mind (Dubulta mix)'

Captured by a lovestorm - Carola

Carola represented Sweden for the second time during the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest. The song she performed was 'Fångad av en stormvind', a dynamic song with a rather stupid choreography. While she finished third in 1981 with 'Främling', expectations were very high indeed.

Carola came through: while she ended up with exactly the same amount of points from the international juries as Amina's 'Le dernier qui a parlé...', the rules dictated that the song that got the 'douze points' the most won. And so Carola went away with the victory. Unfortunately, I have to add, because the other song was the artistic triumph of the two.

My collection: 7" single no. 1441
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, May 24, 1991
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Captured by a lovestorm' / 'Fångad av en stormvind'

That's what love is for - Amy Grant

'That's what love is for' was released in 1991 as the fourth single from Amy Grant's album 'Heart in motion'. In America, it was one of the few from the album to be released both to secular and Christian radio stations. The single peaked at number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, the single reached number 60.

The song was remixed for the single, but remarkably enough the single mix appears on the B-side of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 2608
Found: January 27, 1996
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'That's what love is for (album edit)' / 'That's what love is for (single mix)'

Rage to love - Kim Wilde

'Rage to love' was the third and last single from Kim Wilde's fourth album 'Teases & dares'. The track was remixed for the single by rock 'n' roll legend Dave Edmunds. Kim commented: 'We got Dave Edmunds to remix that and it sounded very Stray Cats-ish. But I just thought it had the best energy of any record from that time, unlike myself. I didn't have an awful lot at that time. I kinda let things go, lost control a bit, became a bit jaded.'

Still, the single became Kim's biggest hit in the UK for three years, reaching the UK top 20, peaking at number 19. The B-side, 'Putty in your hands' is a non-album track and a cover version of the song originally performed by the Yardbirds.

My collection: 7" single no. 271
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Rage to love' / 'Putty in your hands'

Waste of time - Maarten Peters

'Waste of time' is a single from Maarten Peters' debut album 'Hunting the queenbee'. Lack of information makes it hard to give it a chronology, but it's probably Maarten's second or third single. It is an interesting popsong which nevertheless did not chart in the Netherlands.

The B-side, 'I must get over you', is a non-album track that has never been released anywhere else. A moving ballad that is great for dark nights if you're lovesick.

My collection: 7" single no. 663
Found: Amsterdam, October 8, 1988
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Waste of time' / 'I must get over you'

Always - Erasure

'Always' was released as the first single from Erasure's sixth album 'I say I say I say'. The song quickly became Erasure's 13th Top 10 on the UK singles chart, peaking at number 4. It topped the charts in Ireland and hit number 5 in Germany. In the United States, the single peaked at number 20 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The real treat here is the instrumental B-side 'Tragic'. Andy Bell added vocals to this track later on - that version was released on the cd-single of the later single 'I love Saturday'. That single was not released on 7" vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2507
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 30, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Always' / 'Tragic'

The name of the game - Abba

'The name of the game' was the first song to be recorded for Abba's fifth album, which would be named 'The album'. Written by Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Stig Anderson, it was their most complex composition yet and contained the influences of the laid-back California sound of the day.

An edited version of 'The name of the game', which omitted the entire second verse of the song, reduced the length of the track from its original 4:51 to 3:58. This was released on a promotional single in the USA. Somehow this edited version found its way onto various cd releases, including the compilation 'Abba Gold' and the 1999 digital remaster of 'The album'. Fortunately, the original single features the song in its entirity.

My collection: 7" single no. 130
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'The name of the game' / 'I wonder (Departure)'