Factory man - Maarten Peters and the Dream

It wasn't easy for Maarten Peters to get some commercial success. All of his single releases between 1985 and 1987 failed to reach the Dutch Top 40, with one exception. It must have been a relief that his eighth single 'Factory man' managed to get to number 35 in May 1987.

'Factory man' was the first single from his second album 'Burn your boats', released around the same time as this single. The B-side, 'May 29th', was taken from his debut album and was written after an incident at the Heizel stadium in Belgium on May 29, 1985. Hooligans from Liverpool and Turin started fighting, which eventually caused a wall to collapse. 39 people were killed and 400 were injured.

My collection: 7" single no. 518
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Factory man' / 'May 29th'

I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that) - Meat Loaf

When Meat Loaf sang that he would do anything for love but he won't do 'that', a lot of people were left with the question: what, exactly, is 'that'? At the song's conclusion, the female vocalist predicts two things that the protagonist will do: 'You'll see that it's time to move on and you'll be screwing around'. To both of these, he replies, 'I won't do that!'. Although Meat Loaf believed that the lyrics were unambiguous, the singer recalls that Steinman predicted that they would cause confusion. Meat Loaf says that the question, 'What is 'that'?' is one of the most popular questions he is asked.

Clocking in at over 7 minutes, it's another one of those epic Jim Steinman tracks that Meat Loaf became so popular with at the end of the Seventies. The single was taken from Meat Loaf's 1993 album 'Bat out of hell II: Back into hell' and reached number 1 in 28 countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 1987
Found: HMV, London, October 18, 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that)' / 'Back into hell'

New beginning (Mamba Seyra) - Bucks Fizz

'New beginning' was released in May 1986 and was considered to be a comeback single, since the band hadn't released anything in eight months. The single featured new member Shelley Preston who had replaced Jay Aston a year earlier. It was also their first release on new record label, Polydor after their five-year contract with RCA had finished.

The song was written by Mike Myers and Tony Gibber and was produced by Myers along with the group's regular producer Andy Hill. According to the group's members, the recording of the song took an unusually long time to record. As well as the group recording their vocals repeatedly, there was also a children's choir and gospel choir used on the track. The musicians in the studio also were used on distant back-up vocals. Cheryl Baker remembers one version where Hill instructed them to deliberately sing out of tune, which she found difficult.

My collection: 7" single no. 478
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'New beginning (Mamba seyra)' / 'In your eyes'

Kronenburg park (Ga die wereld uit) - Frank Boeijen Groep

The song 'Kronenburg park' is named after the park in Nijmegen, the city where Frank Boeijen grew up. The park is known for its prostitutes hunting for work. Boeijen apparently wrote the song after recognising one of the women in the park from his childhood. The subtitle 'Ga die wereld uit' ('Get out of that world') can be interpreted as a plea to women to leave this profession.

The single was the second one taken from the band's fifth album. Released in April 1985, 'Kronenburg park' managed to reach number 12 in the Dutch Top 40, becoming one of their biggest hits.

My collection: 7" single no. 288
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Kronenburg park (Ga die wereld uit)' / 'De waarheid'

Are you getting enough of what makes you happy? - Hot Chocolate

Released in July 1980, 'Are you getting enough of what makes you happy?' was the second single from Hot Chocolate's 1980 album 'Class'. During a seven week chart run in the UK singles chart, it reached number 17.

As usual, the single was written by lead singer Errol Brown and produced by Mickie Most.

My collection: 7" single no. 4655
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Are you getting enough of what makes you happy?' / 'I've got you on my mind'

Landslide of love - Transvision Vamp

It doesn't sound very romantic, a 'Landslide of love', but there you have it: it's the title of Transvision Vamp's eighth single.

Released as the third single from the band's second album 'Velveteen', it spent five weeks in the UK singles chart and peaked at number 14.

My collection: 7" single no. 4660
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Landslide of love' / 'Hardtime', 'He's the only one for me'

Light of a gypsy - Pussycat

In 1984, Pussycat released the album 'After all' on their new label Ariola. 'Light of a gypsy' is released as the first single from the album. Both however fail to make an impact on the album and singles chart.

A year later, the band decides to call it quits. Lead singer Tony Willé tries to release some solo work, but it is also commercially unsuccessful.

My collection: 7" single no. 4680
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 13, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Light of a gypsy' / 'You'