Cry for help - Rick Astley

Having left the Stock-Aitken-Waterman stable of stars, Rick Astley presented himself as a 'serious' artist in 1991 with his third album 'Free'. 'Cry for help', released as the first single from the album, was written by Astley himself with Rob Fisher, one half of the duo Naked Eyes in the Eighties.

The single reached number 7 in both the UK singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. In the Netherlands, it reached number 11.

My collection: 7" single no. 1378
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 2, 1991
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Cry for help' / 'Behind the smile'

The unforgettable fire - U2

This month sees the release of the deluxe edition of U2's classic 1984 album 'The unforgettable fire'. It is a milestone in the history of music, and best of all: the deluxe edition will contain a bonus disc with two previously unreleased tracks from the album sessions, plus the B-sides and remixes that have been so hard to find until now.

This is the double single edition of the title track, released in 1985. I was truly in love with this track at the time, and would have killed to get the double single my sister came home with in May of that year. Fortunately, these double singles weren't so hard to find in the Netherlands (unlike many other double singles at the time). Five tracks of pure genius. U2 were never again as good as they were back then.

My collection: 7" single no. 286
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 12 guilders
Tracks: 'The unforgettable fire' / 'A sort of homecoming' // 'Love comes tumbling', 'Sixty seconds in kingdom come' / 'The three sunrises'

Escape (The Pina Colada song) - Rupert Holmes

Contrary to the belief of some, Rupert Holmes did not wrote 'Escape' after a similar event as told in the song happened to himself. Instead, the lyrics were inspired by a want-ad he read while idly perusing the personals. As Holmes commented, 'I thought, what would happen to me if I answered this ad? I'd go and see if it was my own wife who was bored with me.'

The chorus originally started with 'If you like Humphrey Bogart', which Holmes changed at the last minute, replacing the actor with the name of the first exotic cocktail he could think of. The song landed at number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1979 and number 23 in the UK singles chart in January 1980. In the Netherlands, the single reached number 13 in February 1980.

My collection: 7" single no. 299
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Escape (The Pina Colada song)' / 'Drop it'

Poing - Rotterdam Termination Source

Rotterdam Termination Source is a Dutch house act, formed by producers Maurice Steenbergen and Danny Scholte. The duo joined Paul Elstak's hardcore label Rotterdam Records in 1992 and released their debut single 'Poing'. It was nothing but a novelty record, combining the sound of a computerized bouncing ball to a hard beat, the kind of mindless noise that was becoming popular around that time with xtc-filled brainless mongrels.

The single became a number 2 hit in the Netherlands, shamelessly exposing the lack of taste at the time. Although it has to be assumed there were also people who were, like me, just buying this for the ridiculousness of it all. The track was voted 'worst song of all times' on a Dutch radio station in 2000.

My collection: 7" single no. 1691
Found: Melody Maker, August 1, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Poing' / 'Bonus poing'

Nineteen forever - Joe Jackson

In the Nineties, Joe Jackson moved away from pop music, but not before he released one of his best albums, 'Blaze of glory'. The first single from the album was 'Nineteen forever', a great energetic song. The single reached number 27 in the Dutch Top 40, but did not chart in the UK.

Jackson felt the album was one of his best efforts and toured to support it with an eleven piece band in the USA and Europe from June to November 1989. He was disappointed with both the commercial reaction and his record label's lack of support. He parted ways with A&M, who then released the 1990 compilation 'Steppin' out: the very best of Joe Jackson'.

My collection: 7" single no. 840
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, May 27, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Nineteen forever' / 'Acropolis now'

Let me live - Queen

Queen's record company had a taste for the bizarre when they released 'Let me live' as a single, given the fact that lead singer Freddie Mercury was already dead for almost five years. Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May shared lead vocal duties on this song. Rebecca Leigh-White, Gary Martin, Catherine Porter and Miriam Stockley provided the backing vocals on this track.

The fourth single from the album 'Made in heaven' reached number 9 in the UK singles chart, but only number 36 in the Netherlnads. But then, this limited edition 7" picture disc was only released in the UK of course. Cd-singles are just not that appealing, whatever anyone says.

My collection: 7" single no. 2650
Found: HMV, London, June 28, 1996
Cost: 2,3 pounds
Tracks: 'Let me live' / 'Fat bottomed girls (digital remaster)', 'Bicycle race (digital remaster)'

Halt mich - Herbert Grönemeyer

Back in 1988, it was a strange thing to get my head around: a German singing a lovesong. At the time, all the history lessons were telling us that Germans were cruel people who were responsible for atrocious crimes just short of a half century ago. And here came Herbert Grönemeyer with one of the most beautiful lovesongs ever written.

I was only 18 when this song was released, young enough to think in black and white, good and bad. These days we know that you can't hold everyone responsible for decades on end. Fortunately, the single was rewarded with a decent placing in the Dutch chart: it reached number 23.

My collection: 7" single no. 677
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, November 12, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Halt mich' / 'Lesmona'