Desperate but not serious - Adam Ant

After Adam & the Ants split, Adam Ant went solo, taking his song writing partner Pirroni with him. His biggest chart success was hit first solo album 'Friend or foe', which included the hits 'Goody two shoes', 'Friend or foe' and this single, 'Desperate but not serious'. Although it was not a hit in Europe, this single reached number 33 in the UK singles chart.

This Dutch pressing of the single is housed in a gatefold sleeve. Gatefold sleeves were very rare in the Netherlands, more so than in the UK around this time.

My collection: 7" single no. 4018
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Desperate but not serious' / 'Why do girls love horses?'

Come to me (I am woman) - Frida

'Come to me (I am woman)' was the last single taken from Frida's 1984 album 'Shine'. The track was slightly edited for the single, becoming 30 seconds shorter than the album version. Like more tracks on the album, it was recorded with an all star band, featuring Simon Climie on keyboards, Mark Brzezecki (from Big Country) on drums and Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals. The B-side 'Slowly' was written by Frida's Abba colleagues Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

All this didn't help the single release much: it did not chart in any territory.

My collection: 7" single no. 4017
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Come to me (I am woman)' / 'Slowly'

Too much too young (live) - The Specials

Renowned for their live shows, The Specials released a 5-track live EP in January 1980 as their third single. The EP features 'Too much too young' and 'Guns of Navarone' recorded live in London and 'Skinhead symphony', which was recorded at Tiffany's in Coventry.

The lead track 'Too much too young' is based on the 1969 song 'Birth control' by Lloyd Charmers. The song became an instant smash hit, topping the UK singles chart for two weeks in January 1980. In the Netherlands, it reached number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 4016
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Too much too young (live)', 'Guns of Navarone (live)' / 'Skinhead symphony (medley of 'Longshot kick de Bucket', 'Liquidator', 'Skinhead moonstomp') (live)'

Flash - Queen

Written by Queen guitarist Brian May, 'Flash' is the theme song of the 1980 movie Flash Gordon.
The soundtrack released to coincide with the film contained only the music composed and performed by Queen. The single features dialogue cut from various parts of the movie.

Flash is sung as a duet between Freddie Mercury and May, with Roger Taylor adding the high harmonies. May plays all of the instruments except for the rhythm section. He used a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano (with 97 keys instead of 88, thus enabling an extra octave on the low range), Oberheim OBX synth (which he plays in the video) and his homemade Red Special guitar.

My collection: 7" single no. 4015
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Flash' / 'Football fight'

Wanna be startin' somethin' - Michael Jackson

Late last year, I started trying to complete my Michael Jackson singles collection. It started when I found the red vinyl collectors set of 'Thriller' singles. It's gone on from there, until I had almost every Michael Jackson single from 1978 onwards (The early years are much harder, as Motown singles are always expensive). The only single still missing was 'Wanna be startin' somethin'', a single I left standing in the racks numerous times back in the Eighties and Nineties. That omission has now finally been rectified.

The song was released as the fourth single from 'Thriller', and another smash hit. The song includes references to the sometimes unhealthy nature of fandom: 'Still they hate you, you're a vegetable / They eat off of you, you're a vegetable'. The song ends with a chorus repeatedly singing 'Mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa'. The chant is a riff on one first used by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, who broke into the American market in 1973 with his classic 'Soul Makossa'. That track was a big hit in Africa, Europe and America. Dibango named his song after the makossa, a Cameroonian dance, but he stretched the word out and played with it: 'Ma-mako, ma-ma-ssa, mako-makossa'.

My collection: 7" single no. 4014
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Wanna be startin' somethin'' / 'Rock with you (live)'

Belle - Balavoine et Frida

As advertised on the sleeve of this single, 'Belle' is an extract from the musical Abbacadabra, as performed in France. The song adds French lyrics, written by Alain and Daniel Boublil, to the instrumental track 'Arrival', which originally appeared on Abba's 1977 album 'Arrival'.

Daniel Balavoine (February 5, 1952 - January 14, 1986) recorded the track together with Frida from Abba, making this a nice collectors item for Abba fans. I bought it out of curiousity more than anything - and once again, I was rewarded.

My collection: 7" single no. 4013
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Belle' / 'C'est fini'

Reasons to be cheerful (remixed by Paul Hardcastle) - Ian Dury and the Blockheads

In 1985, the popularity of Paul Hardcastle in the UK was taking on serious shape. He had a big hit with the track '19' and was subsequently commissioned to make remixes. One of them was this single, 'Reasons to be cheerful' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Originally it was a hit for them 1979, reaching number 3 in the UK singles chart.

This single reached number 55 in the UK singles chart, but the A-side was the remix of 'Hit me with your rhythm stick', which appears as a B-side on this single. Why the sides were swapped in Europe, I do not know. It did not work anyway: the single flopped. But still, these remixes are interesting to hear, even if they sound a bit dated.

My collection: 7" single no. 4012
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Reasons to be cheerful (remix)' / 'Hit me with your rhythm stick (remix)'