Gulliver - Angelo Branduardi

Angelo Branduardi was born on February 12, 1950 in Cuggiono, a small town in the provence of Milan, Italy. His debut album was released in 1974.

Six years later, Branduardi had his first Europe-wide hit with 'Gulliver', a beautiful melodious track incorporating Renaissance and Baroque music. The single did not chart in the Netherlands, but it was a radio hit at the time.

My collection: 7" single no. 1122
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, December 1, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Gulliver' / 'La luna'

Shapes that go together - A-ha

The last single by A-ha for a long time was 'Shapes that go together', released in 1994. The title was rather ironic, given that there was a significant amount of discord between the band members at the time of the song's release.

This single was the official song of the Paralympics '94 which were held at Lillehammer, Norway. That country was also the only territory where this single was a significant commercial success, peaking at number 5 in the chart. Furthermore, it reached number 27 in the UK and number 57 in Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 2101
Found: Melody Maker, May 15, 1994
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Shapes that go together' / 'Cold as stone (remix)'

Stool pigeon - Kid Creole and the Coconuts

An informant (known in law enforcement as a criminal informant or C.I.) is someone who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency, usually law enforcement, without the consent of that person or organization. In slang, such persons are referred to as 'rats' or 'stool pigeons'.

And that's the title of this era-defining song by Kid Creole and the Coconuts. With latin sounds and a rather wordy lyric, they set the charts alight in 1982. The single reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 17 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2824
Found: February 1, 1997
Cost: ?
Tracks: 'Stool pigeon' / 'In the jungle (remix)'

Avalon - Roxy Music

'Avalon' was the second single from Roxy Music's 1982 album of the same name. Produced by Rhett Davies and the band, it became one of the band's signature songs. The single reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 13 in the UK singles chart.

The album 'Avalon' was listed as number 307 in the Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003. I always wonder how they make these lists...

My collection: 7" single no. 1753
Found: London, October 19, 1992
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Avalon' / 'Always unknowing'

I'm only shooting love - Time bandits

In October 1983, the Dutch band Time Bandits had their fourth top 10 hit in the Netherlands with 'I'm only shooting love'. It peaked at number 6 as a result of almost continuous airplay. So much so, that for a long while I couldn't stand hearing the song.

I finally relented in 1989 when I saw this limited poster sleeve edition of the single. As a collector of rare items, I couldn't pass this one up. Nowadays it's sheer nostalgia to hear the falsetto voice of lead singer Alides Hidding on this track.

My collection: 7" single no. 888
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 16, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'I'm only shooting love' / 'Only lovers will survive'

Survive - David Bowie

'Survive' is a track from David Bowie's 1999 album 'Hours'. It was written by Bowie and Reeves Gabrels and released as the second single from the album. While the album version is a beautiful track, the Marius de Vries mix featured on this single ruins the track somewhat.

Much to my surprise I found out that this single was actually released on the 7" format, and as a picture disc, no less, in 2000. I'm always glad to find 7" singles from around that time, because the format had been almost completely abandoned by then.

My collection: 7" single no. 4055
Found: eBay.nl, received September 22, 2009
Cost: 8 euro
Tracks: 'Survive (Marius de Vries mix)' / 'Seven (live)'

Love comes - Bananarama

Disc two features Keren Woodward on the picture disc and the B-side 'Voyage voyage', originally performed by Desireless. The tracks were all produced by Ian Masterson, who previously had success as part of the remix team Trouser Enthusiasts, producer of Dannii Minogue and also producing Kim Wilde's surprise hit 'Loved' in 2001.

'Love comes' is a track from Bananarama's latest album 'Viva', released last week.

My collection: 7" single no. 4054
Found: Townsend Records, UK, received September 22, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Love comes (radio edit)' / 'Voyage voyage'