Mindless boogie - Hot Chocolate

The album 'Going through the motions' was released in 1979. It was a departure for Hot Chocolate in that it found the band making a conscious effort to appeal to Euro-disco audiences. The band's previous albums might have had the occasional Euro-disco track, but this time, the style is dominant.

The single 'Mindless boogie' was taken from the album, and besides being a very danceable track it also featured a rather ironic lyric. Back in the late Seventies, the death-to-disco crowd frequently described disco as 'mindless boogie' - and it wasn't a compliment. The single reached number 46 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4553
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Mindless boogie' / 'Don't turn it off'

Laat je gaan / Just let go - Petra and Co

Phil Sterman, Phil Wilde and A. Larson wrote 'Laat je gaan' / 'Just let go' and recorded it with vocalist Petra de Steur. It was the end of the Eighties and repetitive techno and house tracks were all the rage. The single was released in the autumn of 1989 and became a hit in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 19 in the Dutch Top 40. Petra & co continued for a couple of years, until producer Phil de Wilde moved on to other acts, such as 2 Unlimited.

My collection: 7" single no. 4552
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Just let go' / 'Laat je gaan'

No-one driving - John Foxx

After John Foxx left his group Ultravox, he embarked on a solo career in 1980. He achieved his first solo success with the single 'Underpass', which he followed up with this single, 'No-one driving'. While 'Underpass' reached number 31 in the UK singles chart, this single reached number 32.

Both tracks were featured on his debut solo album, 'Metamatic'. Foxx played most of the synthesizers and 'rhythm machines', as they were listed on the sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 4551
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'No-one driving' / 'Glimmer'

Pulling punches - David Sylvian

Perhaps the most striking feature of this single is the sleeve, being all white with punched out letters on it. It was the third single from David Sylvian's debut solo album 'Brilliant trees'.

'Pulling punches' reached number 56 in the UK singles chart during a two week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 4550
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Pulling punches' / 'Backwaters'

Dolce vita (remix) - Ryan Paris

Ben Liebrand has made some very interesting - and commercial successful - remixes in the Eighties, but by 1990 it seemed like he was moving more and more towards the house and techno movement. This remix of Ryan Paris's 'Dolce vita' is an example of how bad it really was: all the original music was removed and a rapper was added for instant aggravation.

Still, this 1990 remix of 'Dolce vita' did manage to become a hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 31 in the Dutch Top 40. The original version knocks spots off this one, though.

My collection: 7" single no. 4549
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dolce vita (Downtown radio edit)' / 'Dolce vita (Uptown radio edit)'

Dolce vita - Ryan Paris

Ryan Paris was born as Fabio Roscioli in Rome, Italy on 12 March 12, 1953. He gained international popularity in the summer of 1983 for the worldwide hit single, 'Dolce vita'. It was written and produced by Pierluigi Giombini. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

Paris continued to release records in the second half of the Eighties and in the Nineties, but was never able to duplicate the success of his one big hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 4548
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dolce vita (part 1, vocal)' / 'Dolce vita (part 2, instrumental)'

Shout to the top - Style Council

'No! To abolition of the GLC & the local councils. Yes! To a nuclear free world. Yes! To the Bengali Workers Association. Yes! To the thrill of the romp. Yes! To all involved in animal rights. Yes! To fanzines. Yes! To belief'. This statement can be read on the back of the sleeve of this single, released by the Style Council in 1984. It was at the height of the Conservative Party's reign of terror in the UK, and the Style Council were offering some hope to all the people who had become jobless and hopeless in the country. It's quite ironic that the song was heavily featured at the 2009 Conservative Party UK Annual Conference in Manchester last year.

'Shout to the top!' reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40 back in 1984.

My collection: 7" single no. 4547
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Shout to the top!' / 'Ghosts of Dachau'