Het antwoord - Frank Boeijen Groep

Frank Boeijen, lead singer of the Frank Boeijen Groep had to undergo surgery on his vocal chords because of a medical problem in early 1983. It had some effect on the sound of his voice, which is why there are actually two versions of this track, 'Het antwoord' ('The answer'). The track on the single was recorded before the surgery, whereas the version on the album '1001 hotel', as well as all the other tracks on the album, was recorded after the surgery.

All this makes this single a bit of a rarity. This version of the song has never been released on cd, while the single has never been a hit. What about the B-side? Well, that was simply a track from the previous album.

My collection: 7" single no. 214
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Het antwoord' / 'Sneeuwblind'

Through the barricades - Spandau Ballet

'Through the barricades' is the title track of Spandau Ballet's 1986 album. It was released as the second single from the album. The lyric of the song was inspired by love prevailing over the troubles in Northern Ireland. The single was released as a limited edition with a gatefold sleeve.

The single reached number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 3258
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000
Cost: 40p
Tracks: 'Through the barricades' / 'With the pride (live in '85)'

Situation - Yazoo

Although I was a really big fan of Yazoo in the early Eighties, I never had the money to buy their 12" singles. And by the time I did, I'd played my singles so often that I just didn't want to buy those 12" singles anymore.

On one occasion I did, though: I found a cheap American 12" single of 'Situation' in 1993 and because of its low price I bought it. It's got two versions of 'Situation' on it, that were finally released on cd in 2008 when the box set 'In your room' was released.

My collection: 12" single no. 168
Found: Record fair, 1993
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Situation (remix by François Kevorkian)' / 'Situation (dub version)'

I go to sleep - The Pretenders

'I go to sleep' is a track from the second album by the Pretenders, called 'Pretenders II'. Although it is not one of their most exciting tracks, it is one of their biggest hits, as it peaked at number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

I didn't like the song when it first came out, but a few years later I learned to like it. That's how it went with many more Pretenders tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 787
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 30, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'I go to sleep' / 'Waste not want not'

Did it in a minute - Daryl Hall and John Oates

'Did it in a minute' is my bugspray single. I bought the single on the same day I was going on a holiday with my parents and my sister. I was only ten years old, of course, and we were leaving late one afternoon. When I came home with this single, my father had already sprayed my room, so I went up there and held my breath while I lay down the single on the desk in my room. I did it in a minute, by the way. Strange memories can last a lifetime.

The single was not the biggest success for Hall and Oates. While it peaked at number 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, it went by unnoticed by the rest of the world.

My collection: 7" single no. 128
Found: Rapsody, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Did it in a minute' / 'Head above water'

First boy in this town (Lovesick) - Scritti Politti

Scritti Politti is a band that repeatedly surprised me as the Eighties went on. Their reggae-influenced singles circa 1985 please me a lot, but 'Oh Patti' sounded nothing like that and it still thrilled me.

And then there was 'First boy in this town (Lovesick)'. I can vividly remember hearing that single for the first time, when my sister had just bought it and played it to me. I thought it would never be a hit, but I also knew I had to get it myself. Well, I was right on both counts of course: in the UK this single only reached number 63 and I got the copy only a year after its release.

My collection: 7" single no. 1001
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'First boy in this town (Lovesick)' / 'World come back to life'

I'm not in love / Dreadlock holiday - 10CC

'I'm not in love' was originally written around a bossa nova style beat and tempo. Lol Creme suggested slowing it down, while Kevin Godley suggested replacing the beat with a built-up wall of voices. The ethereal sound was created by laboriously building up multiple overdubs of the voices of Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Godley and Creme singing a single note in unison. This multi-track was then mixed down and dubbed down onto 16-track tape. This process was repeated across all sixteen tracks to create a lush 256-voice "virtual" choir that could "sing" chromatic chords. A number of these prepared multi-tracks were then cut into several endless loops, each of which contained the basic notes of the main chords used in the song. The chorus loops could then be played by using the mixing desk rather like a keyboard. Each chord could be sounded by bringing up the fader for that loop. The instrumental break featured the repeated spoken phrase: "Be quiet, big boys don't cry...", which was spoken by Kathy Warren, the receptionist of the Strawberry Studios where the band recorded the track.

Released in May 1975, it became the band's second number 1 single in the UK. In the US Billboard Hot 100 chart it peaked at number 2 and in the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 5.

My collection: 7" single no. 553
Found: London, October 1987
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'I'm not in love' / 'Dreadlock holiday'