'Hazy shade of winter' was written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966 for their 1968 album, 'Bookends'.
The Bangles recorded a harder-edged cover the song for the soundtrack of the 1987 movie 'Less than zero'. It was released as a single and subsequently reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 13 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 1460 Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 27, 1991 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'Hazy shade of winter' / 'She's lost you' (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts)
Originally, producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis toyed with the idea of making Janet Jackson's 'Love will never do (without you)' a duet. They thought about possibly getting Prince, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, or anyone else working with them at the time. During the recording of the first verse, Jimmy Jam told Janet to 'sing it low like some guy would sing it.' As a result, they kept the idea of her singing the first verse in a low octave but go an octave up on the second verse.
The single became Janet Jackson's fifth number 1 single in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the final of seven top five singles from the album 'Rhythm Nation 1814', making her the only artist to achieve seven top five singles from one album in the USA. Its success was more moderate in Europe: in the UK singles chart, 'Love will never do (without you)' peaked at number 34, and in the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 33. The single remix did a lot to ruin what was actually a great song on the album.
My collection: 7" single no. 1377 Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, January 26, 1991 Cost: 6,5 guilders Tracks: 'Love will never do (without you) ('Work it out' 7" with intro)' / 'Love will never do (without you) (The love 7")'
The lyric of the song 'Maggie May' describes the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a young man involved in a relationship with an older woman. It was written from Rod Stewart's own experience. He later commented: 'Maggie May was more or less a true story, about the first woman I had sex with, at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival.'
The track was recorded by Stewart in 1971 for his album 'Every picture tells a story'. It was initinially included as the B-side of the single 'Reason to believe', but after dj's took to 'Maggie May' instead, the sides were flipped and 'Maggie May' became the A-side. It finally reached number 1 in the UK and the USA, while it reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was Stewart's first substantial hit as a solo performer and launched his solo career.
My collection: 7" single no. 1863 Found: Grammofoonwinkel, Utrecht, January 30, 1993 Cost: 4,5 guilders Tracks: 'Maggie May' / 'Reason to believe'
For some time in the Eighties, the Pointer Sisters were one of the most successful black groups around. Their album 'Black & White', released in 1981, reached high positions in the album charts in various countries including the UK and USA.
The single 'Should I do it' was taken from this album. The single reached number 13 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 9 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 3289 Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Should I do it' / 'Take my heart, take my soul'
Al Bano and Romina Power represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest twice. Their first attempt was in 1976 with the song 'We'll live it all again'. They returned in 1985 with 'Magic oh magic', which contrary to their previous entry was sung almost entirely in Italian - with the exception of the title of course.
At the close of voting, 'Magic oh magic' finished seventh in a field of 19 competitors. Although Al Bano and Romina Power had some hits outside of Italy in the early Eighties, this single did not give them any chart success outside of Italy.
My collection: 7" single no. 4467 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received January 28, 2010 Cost: 3,5 euro Tracks: 'Magic oh magic' / 'It's forever'
The last single from Black's debut album 'Wonderful life' was an edited version of 'Paradise'. To boost the sales of the single, a limited edition box set including postcards and a large poster was released. For some time, this was a holy grail I was searching for frantically in the Dutch record shops that simply refused to import something like this. In the end, I found a copy in London during a holiday there, a year after its release.
The single, meanwhile, reached number 38 in the UK singles chart during a three week chart run. It was to be Black's final top 40 hit in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 599 Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1989 Cost: 1,5 pound Tracks: 'Paradise (edit)' / 'Dagger reel'
The track 'Atomic' was composed by Jimmy Destri and Debbie Harry. According to Harry, 'He was trying to do something like 'Heart of glass', and then somehow or another we gave it the spaghetti western treatment. The lyrics, well, a lot of the time I would write while the band were just playing the song and trying to figure it out. I would just be scatting along with them and I would just start going, 'Ooooooh, your hair is beautiful.''
The single version of 'Atomic' was in fact a remix. The original 4:35 version as featured on the albums 'Eat to the beat' opens with an intro inspired by the nursery rhyme 'Three blind mice' and includes an instrumental break with a bass guitar solo. The 7" version mixed by Mike Chapman omits the intro and replaces the instrumental break with a repeat of the verse.
My collection: 7" single no. 2489 Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 30, 1995 Cost: 40p Tracks: 'Atomic' / 'Die young stay pretty'
'Hazy shade of winter' was written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966 for their 1968 album, 'Bookends'.
