Piano man - Billy Joel

'Piano man' is a fictionalized retelling of real people Joel met during his days as a piano-lounge singer in Los Angeles, after the failure of his first album, 'Cold spring harbor'. At the time, Joel was trying to get out of a bad deal with the record company Family Productions, so, according to Joel, he was 'hiding out' at the bar, performing under the name Bill Martin while Columbia Records tried to get him out of the deal.

When the song was released as a single in 1975, it gave him his first hit: it peaked at number 25 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1569
Found: All that music, Leiden, January 2, 1992
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Piano man' / 'You're my home'

Serious - Duran Duran

By the time 'Serious' was released as the second single from Duran Duran's 1990 album 'Liberty', interest in the album had already waned. Poor promotion, including a decision not to tour in support of the album, led the single to stall at number 48 in the UK singles chart. This was the band's worst charting single up until then.

Due to the commercial failure of this single, plans for future singles were shelved. The third single in the USA was to have been the rock track 'First impression', while in Europe EMI would have released the album's title track 'Liberty'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2276
Found: April 23, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Serious' / 'Yo bad Azizi'

Moon over Bourbon Street - Sting

'Moon over Bourbon Street' is a track from Sting's debut solo album 'The dream of the blue turtles'. The lyric of the song was inspired by the book 'Interview with the vampire' by Anne Rice.

It was released in early 1986 as the fifth and last single from the album. Although released all over Europe, it only managed a number 44 placing in the UK singles chart. My copy of the single comes with a German press information insert.

My collection: 7" single no. 1877
Found: Record fair, March 27, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Moon over Bourbon Street' / 'Mack the Knife'

As one - Sam Brown

'As one' was the final single taken from Sam Brown's 1989 album 'April moon'. As far as I know, there was no cd-single release, only a 12" single and a 7" single - which in 1990 was quite unusual.

The choice of this track for a single was quite unusual too, as it was not particularly a standout track on the album. Furthermore, the single was barely promoted, and so it sank without a trace.

My collection: 7" single no. 1316
Found: London, October 15, 1990
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'As one' / 'Think about your troubles'

Manzanar - Cock Robin

Cock Robin released the second single from their third album 'First love last rites' in early 1990. 'Manzanar' was an album track, coupled with a non-album track 'We've changed'. The single was not a commercial success, as it didn't chart in any territory.

Still, a third single, 'Straighter line' was released a few months later. I have a cd-single of that single, but I've never been able to locate a 7" single of that title.

My collection: 7" single no. 1210
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 20, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Manzanar' / 'We've changed'

Late at night - Maywood

The Dutch duo Maywood had several hits in the Netherlands, but none of them was as big as 'Late at night'. This single reached number 1 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1980. There were actually many sultry nights during that summer when my sister, who owned a copy of this single, played this song, and I will forever associate this song with hot summers for that reason.

One of the most fascinating features of this song are the vocals. Someone in the studio must not have been paying attention: you constantly hear 'Late at nighT / Early in the morning lighT'.

My collection: 7" single no. 961
Found: All that music, Leiden, August 10, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Late at night' / 'One, two, three'

Wishful thinking - China Crisis

'Wishful thinking' was the third single from the album 'Working with fire & steel' by China Crisis. When the song was released as a single, it became an international success, reaching number 9 in the UK singles chart - their only top 10 hit in the UK - and number 14 in the Dutch Top 40. Since then, it has become one of the classic songs from the Eighties, appearing on numerous compilation albums.

My collection: 7" single no. 2588
Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, December 30, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Wishful thinking' / 'This occupation'