You want this - Janet Jackson

Released in October 1994, 'You want this' was the seventh and final single taken from Janet Jackson's album 'Janet'. While most previous singles were released on the 7" format in the UK, this one wasn't. This is an American pressing meant, as the label states, for jukeboxes only.

The track features samples from the Supremes' 1968 song 'Love child' and Kool & the Gang's 1973 song 'Jungle boogie'. The single reached number 14 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4058
Found: eBay.com, received September 23, 2009
Cost: $4
Track: 'You want this' / 'New agenda'

Tokyo - Athlete

'Tokyo' was the second single from Athlete's third album 'Beyond the neighbourhood'. While the cd-single contained four live tracks (including 'Tokyo' itself), this 7" single featured the album version of 'Tokyo' and an exclusive B-side track.

Released in November 2007, the single did not reach the UK top 100, partly due to lack of promotion and the fact that the cd-single EP sales were discounted as a result of UK chart rules.

My collection: 7" single no. 4057
Found: Recordstore.co.uk, received September 23, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Tokyo' / 'Accidents happen'

22 - Lily Allen

'22' is the latest single by Lily Allen, released just last month. The title of the song is slightly misleading, since it is about a nearly thirty-year-old woman realizing she's at the end of her prime. Lily commented on the song: 'It's more about girls that haven't figured out what they want to do with themselves. Especially really pretty girls. They can rely on their looks to an extent: people will pay for their dinners and drinks and they don't really have to think. And then suddenly it hits them that they're not doing anything with their lives and it's too late. And, yes, it's about a specific person. Most of my songs start like that and then become more general.'

The single was released, like the two previous ones, as a 7" picture disc. It peaked at number 14 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4056
Found: Recordstore.co.uk, received September 23, 2009
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: '22' / '22 (The Big Pink Remix)'

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'