La femme accident - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

For some reason, I've listened to the 12" extended remix of 'La femme accident' a lot more than the original single version over the last ten years. So it was delightful to play this single again after such a long time.

'La femme accident' is a great lightweight pop track from the synthpop masters OMD. It was the third and last single release from their 1985 album 'Crush'. It reached number 42 in the UK singles chart, but failed to chart in other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 352
Found: V&D, December 1985
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'La femme accident' / 'Firegun'

Strangers when we meet / The man who sold the world (live) - David Bowie

'Strangers when we meet' was originally recorded by David Bowie for his 1993 album 'The Buddha of Suburbia'. He re-recorded the song in 1995 for his album '1. Outside'. It was released as the second single from the album, as a double A-side with a reworked version of Bowie's 1970 song 'The man who sold the world'. While this was announced as a 'live' track, it was actually recorded in the studio, based on a reworked version as performed on the Outside Tour.

The single reached number 39 in the UK singles chart during a two week chart run. The 7" single was pressed on the ugliest shade of fluorescent green the record company could find.

My collection: 7" single no. 2719
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, August 10, 1996
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Strangers when we meet' / 'The man who sold the world (live)'

Was it worth it - Pet Shop Boys

I have to say that I think the Pet Shop Boys were not particularly inspired when they recorded two new tracks for their 1992 compilation album 'Discography'. If 'DJ Culture' was a bit boring musically, 'Was it worth it' was uninspired both musically and lyrically.

As a result, it became the first single not to reach the UK top 20 since they signed to Parlophone records in 1984. This was the main reason why the song was not included on their later hits compilation 'PopArt'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1586
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, February 22, 1992
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Was it worth it' / 'Miserablism'

Material girl - Achinoam Nini

'Material girl' is of course one of the songs that made Madonna famous in the early Eighties, and also the song that gave her the nickname Material girl.

In 1991, Achinoam Nini (known internationally as Noa) and Gil Dor recorded their debut album 'Live', which featured a lot of original songs but also a few cover versions. 'Material girl' was one of them, and this track in turn was released on a one-sided promotional 12" single in Israel. Through amazing luck, I found a copy in 2000, which was shipped to me from Israel. The record was pressed on very thin vinyl and is bended quite a lot unfortunately. But it's still a unique item to own. And a great cover version, of course!

My collection: 12" single no. 518
Found: eBay.com, received December 2000
Cost: 20 guilders
Tracks: 'Material girl'

Sister madly - Crowded House

In 1988, Crowded House released their second album 'Temple of low men'. Since my sister bought the cd, I pretty much knew every track on it (at the time, cd's were still pretty rare in our house). 'Sister madly', which appears on the album, is said to be about Neil Finn waking up to find his sister having nightmares.

'Sister madly' was released as the fourth single from the album, and although I didn't know this at the time, I snapped up a copy when I saw it during a holiday in London. As far as I know, the single did not chart in any territory.

My collection: 7" single no. 1054
Found: Record Exchange, October 17, 1989
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Sister madly' / 'Mansion in the slums'

Success made a failure of our home - Sinéad O'Connor

In 1992, Sinéad O'Connor released her third album 'Am I not your girl?', an album with cover versions of mostly jazz standards. According to O'Connor, the songs were 'the songs I grew up listening to [and] that made me want to be a singer'.

'Success has made a failure of our home' was written by J. Mullins but contained some extra material written by O'Connor. It was released as the first single from the album. It reached number 18 in the UK singles chart and number 15 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1705
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, September 5, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Success has made a failure of our home' / 'You do something to me'

Gypsy - Fleetwood Mac

Earlier this year, Stevie Nicks finally commented about the song 'Gypsy', released by Fleetwood Mac in 1982: 'In the old days, before Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey [Buckingham] and I had no money, so we had a king-size mattress, but we just had it on the floor. I had old vintage coverlets on it, and even though we had no money it was still really pretty... Just that and a lamp on the floor, and that was it—there was a certain calmness about it. (...) So that’s what 'Gypsy' means: it’s just a search for before this all happened. And later, I tacked on a line for my friend Robin, my best friend, who died of leukemia: 'I still see your bright eyes.' But then, Robin wasn’t sick yet. She got cancer, and died within a year.'

'Gypsy' was a track on Fleetwood Mac's album 'Mirage'. When it was released as a single it reached number 1 in Canada, number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 46 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2308
Found: May 27, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Gypsy' / 'Cool water'