Jerusalem - Alphaville

In 1992, Alphaville member Ricky Echollette commented about 'Jerusalem': 'One day we were given the sketch for a theatre play, for which we were supposed to write the soundtrack. It's the story of a man, who at night convinces lonely passers-by on Brooklyn Bridge to commit suicide. He offers them as human sacrifices for his lover, who, years ago - because of him - committed suicide at the same location. In his frenzy he turns her into Eris, the Goddess of Revenge. Due to time problems, we were unable to pursue this project. But it was in that time, that 'Jerusalem' came to life.'

The song was included on Alphaville's second album 'Afternoons in Utopia', which was released in 1986. 'Jerusalem' was released as a single in Germany only, reaching number 57 in the charts.

My collection: 7" single no. 4715
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Jerusalem' / 'Vingt mille lieues sous les mers'

Als er iemand is, die op je wacht - Annie

Those who read my previous entry on Annie's 'Mishandeld, vernederd, verkracht' already know that one could expect only the very worst in the lyrics of this Dutch artist. Which is why at some point I actually started collecting her singles. Several titles will follow on this blog, but this single is a strange one, as it seems particularly innocent.

The A-side, 'Als er iemand is, die op je wacht' ('If there's someone waiting for you') describes the joy of having a relationship - and sharing all the good and bad things in life. The B-side, 'Oma is jarig' ('Grandma's birthday') describes a birthday party of a woman whose children and grandchildren will come to visit. Especially on the B-side, there's still an air of impending doom. You half expect Grandma to die at the end of the song - but strangely, it doesn't happen. Maybe it was an effort to make something more commercially appealing. Of course, it didn't work: like all of Annie's other singles, this one didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2871
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 16, 1995
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Als er iemand is, die op je wacht' / 'Oma is jarig'

If you can't give me love - Suzi Quatro

After having had several successes in the early Seventies with her particular brand of glam rock tracks, Suzi Quatro had a hard time finding any success after 1974. She still released records, but they all failed to chart. In the mean time, she worked as a session musician.

'If you can't give me love' was the single that changed her fortunes. It reached number 4 both in the UK singles chart and in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4711
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'If you can't give me love' / 'Cream dream'

All this time - Sting

Sting commented about 'All this time': 'It's about the death of my father, so its pretty dark as a record but on this song the words are foiled by this fairly jolly tune. That's something I like to do quite a lot, combine dark subject matter with upbeat music. No, its not based on a dream. The lyrics seem surreal, but they are all images I remembered from my home town: ferries, priests, shire horses. I grew up by the shipyards. I just wanted to escape. I suppose it was quite a surreal place, though. It is the landscape of my dreams.'

The song was released as the first single from Sting's 1991 album 'The soul cages'. It was most successful in Canada, where it reached number 1. In the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, 'All this time' peaked at number 5, whereas it reached number 13 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 22 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4707
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'All this time' / 'I miss you Kate (instrumental)'

Tied up - Olivia Newton-John

'Tied up' was one of two new songs recorded for the 1982 compilation album called 'Olivia's Greatest Hits Volume 2'. The song was the second single released from the album, following 'Heart attack', the other new track recorded for the package.

The song features Tom Scott on horns. He was also the opening act for Olivia's 1982 'Physical' world tour.The single reached number 38 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4697
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Tied up' / 'Physical (live)'

Don't be foolish - Peter Marsh and Vangelis

Peter Marsh started out in the British music scene together with his brother-in-law, Ken Nicol. First as Nicol and Marsh, but later changing names to Easy Street, they released three albums together. After that Peter mainly played with short-lived bands and projects such as Twist (1979) and Mannfred Mann's band Chance (1980).

In 1980 Peter Marsh hung around Nemo Studios for a while, contributing several songs on Vangelis' album 'See you later'. They also recorded this single together: 'Don't be foolish'.

My collection: 7" single no. 4685
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Don't be foolish' / 'Doesn't matter'

I wanna dance - Take it easy

The Dutch band Take it easy thought it was a good idea to record and release two Dutch translations of Eurovision songs in 1987. Why they picked two songs that didn't win, but the numbers 4 and 12 is beyond me.

'I wanna dance' (also known as 'Ja sam za ples') was the Yugoslavian entry by Novi Fosili, which finished fourth in the contest. 'Boogaloo' was originally performed in Swedish by Lotta Engberg, finishing twelfth. The Dutch translations are amusing versions, but nothing very spectacular. Obviously, the single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4397
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'I wanna dance' / 'Boogaloo'