'Set me free' was the first single taken from Jaki Graham's second album 'Breaking away'. It is one of her better known songs, having reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 11 in the Dutch Top 40.
As per usual, the tracks on this single were written by her partner Derek Bramble.
My collection: 7" single no. 4124 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Set me free' / 'Stop the world'
The idea for 'The wild boys' came from Duran Duran's video director Russell Mulcahy, who wanted to make a full-length feature film based on the 1971 novel 'The wild boys: a book of the dead' by William S. Burroughs. He suggested that the band might create a modern soundtrack for the film. Singer Simon Le Bon began writing some lyrics based on Mulcahy's quick synopsis of the book, and the band created a harsh-sounding instrumental backdrop for them.
Although the movie never came to be, Mulcahy did direct the ambitious music video for 'The wild boys', which cost over one million dollars to make (a staggering sum for a music video at the time) and also delivered an urban myth about Simon le Bon supposedly nearly drowning while he was strapped to a windmill. The single reached number 1 in Germany and Canada and number 2 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4123 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'The wild boys' / '(I'm looking for) Cracks in the pavement (live)'
'Wonderland' was the first single taken from Paul Young's third solo album 'Between two fires'. The song was written by Betsy Cook, who would record the track herself a few years later. That single has been in my collection for years now, so I decided to add this cover version as well.
Paul Young's version of 'Wonderland' reached number 24 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4122 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Wonderland' / 'Between two fires'
Last month,Wess Johnson, one half of the duo Wess & Dori Ghezzi passed away. Wess and Dori were a very successful duo in Italy. They represented their country during the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Stockholm after Abba's historic victory the year before.
The song they performed was 'Era', an Italian love song. The song finished third in the Contest.
My collection: 7" single no. 4121 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Era' / 'Sempre tu'
Level 42 released their third album 'The pursuit of accidents' in 1982. The first single from the album was 'Are you hearing (what I hear)?'. The song had a bouncy quality that the band would become famous for later on in their career.
This single didn't become an international hit, and only reached number 49 in the UK singles chart. The B-side is an interesting non-album track.
My collection: 7" single no. 4120 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Are you hearing (what I hear)?' / 'The return of the handsome rugged man'
All I can say is that my Spanish wasn't very good when I was eight years old. I always thought that 'Que sera mi vida' meant 'How are you, I'm okay', but it actually means 'How would my life be'. Oh well, lessons learned.
This disco hit sold over five million copies worldwide. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4119 Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Que sera mi vida' / 'West Indies'
In the UK, 'Angeleyes' and 'Voulez-vous' were released as a double A side, because the record company believed 'Angeleyes' would appeal more to the record buying public than 'Voulez-vous', which was released as the A-side track in most other countries. They were not wrong: the single peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart.
'Angeleyes / Voulez vous' was the first Abba single in the UK to be released in a picture sleeve, as all previous Abba singles were released in a standard 'Epic' company sleeve. The single was also issued in several different colours of vinyl, although my copy is pressed on 'standard' black vinyl.
My collection: 7" single no. 2016 Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1993 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'Angeleyes' / 'Voulez-vous'