Power to all our friends - Cliff Richard

Being a collector of Eurovision Song Contest singles, I was always quite surprised that it was so hard to find the two contributions of Cliff Richard to the Contest - for a reasonable price. But I've finally tracked down a copy of 'Power to all our friends', Cliff's 1973 song for Eurovision.

He represented the United Kingdom at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with this song, written by Guy Fletcher and Doug Flett. He finished third, but did end up at fourth place in the UK singles chart and at number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4130
Found: Backtrack, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Power to all our friends' / 'Come back Billie Joe'

Promised you a miracle - Simple Minds

Released in 1982, 'New gold dream' was the fifth album of the Simple Minds. The single 'Promised you a miracle' was the first one taken from the album, released in April 1982. It was their first single to generate success on the European continent, as it reached number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.

In the UK, it was their fifth chart single, although it was the first one to actually break the top 40, peaking at number 13.

My collection: 7" single no. 4129
Found: Backtrack, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Promised you a miracle' / 'Theme for great cities'

The day before you came - Abba

You can't tell from the sleeve design of this single - which is absolutely horrible - but with 'The day before you came' Abba arguably reached the creative peak of their career. It's a very melancholy song, written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson while they took time off in 1981 to write new material for Abba as well as beginning to create their first musical, 'Chess'.

'The day before you came' was recorded in August 1982. To date, this song was the last song the group ever recorded together in the studio. Agnetha performed the lead without the lights on and said that the mood had become sad and everybody in the studio knew that 'this was the end'.

My collection: 7" single no. 164
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'The day before you came' / 'Cassandra'

I don't wanna dance - Eddy Grant

This song sounds incredibly dated now, but back in 1982 it was a huge hit, reaching number 2 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 1 in the UK singles chart! It was Eddy Grant's first number one hit in the UK since 'Baby come back' by the Equals (of which he was a member) in 1968.

The track was recorded in Barbados for his album 'Killer on the rampage', which reached number 7 in the UK albums chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 975
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 29, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'I don't wanna dance' / 'I don't wanna dance (acapella)'

19 - Paul Hardcastle

Paul Hardcastle's biggest hit '19' was released on two 12" singles, of which this was the first one. As far as extended remixes go, this one really isn't that shocking. It does contain some new material, but on the whole it's just a slightly longer version of the familiar track that appeared on the 7" single.

Although the remixer is not credited, it's safe to assume Paul Hardcastle created this extended version himself.

My collection: 12" single no. 520
Found: Record fair, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: '19 (extended version)' / 'Fly by night', 'Dolores'

Alone without you - King

'Alone without you' was the first single taken from King's second album 'Bitter sweet'. The single reached number 8 in the UK singles chart but fared less well in other territories. Still, it launched the album well in the UK. 'Bitter sweet' ended up reaching number 16 in the UK albums chart.

A slow ballad version, entitled 'reprise', was featured on the 12" single of the next release, 'Taste of your tears'.

My collection: 7" single no. 324
Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Alone without you' / 'I kissed the spikey fridge (Rock hard mix)'

99 Luftballons - Nena

It was not their debut single, but the biggest hit of Nena's career did come early on in their career. The lyric of the song was written by the band's guitarist Carlo Karges after he was at a Rolling Stones concert in Berlin. He noticed that balloons were being released. As he watched them move toward the horizon, he noticed them shifting and changing shapes, to the point of looking a lot like some UFO. He thought about what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall to the Soviet sector. The lyric speaks of an apocalyptic overreaction by military forces.

When the song was released as a single from Nena's debut album in early 1983, it was an immediate hit not only in German-speaking countries, but also in the Netherlands, where it topped the Dutch Top 40 for a few weeks.

My collection: 7" single no. 444
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 9, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: '99 Luftballons' / 'Ich bleib' im Bett'