Geef niet op - Frank Boeijen Groep

In 1986 Frank Boeijen and his group left his old record company Telstar to sign with BMG. Around that time, the old label decided to released the fourth and final single from the fifth album 'Foto van een mooie dag'.

As a result, 'Geef niet op' ('Don't give up') was not promoted by the band and sunk without a trace.

My collection: 7" single no. 397
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Geef niet op' / 'Nachtportier'

The big one - Black

Black faced the 'difficult second album' syndrome in 1988. After a very successful 1987, it was time to come up with a second album that would match the success of his debut 'Wonderful life'. 'Comedy' certainly met all the artistic demands, but commercially it was less fortunate.

The first single from the album was 'The big one', in comparison the weakest track from the album. As such it may not have been the best choice. The single was released in a limited edition poster sleeve in the UK, but this didn't help much: it only reached number 54 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 678
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'The big one' / 'You are the one'

The dreaming - Kate Bush

'The dreaming' was released in July 1982 as the second single from Kate Bush's fourth album of the same name. The first single, 'Sat in your lap', had been released thirteen months earlier, but was still included on the album as well. The song is about the destruction of Aboriginal homelands by white Australians in their quest for weapons-grade uranium. Musical guest Rolf Harris plays the didgeridoo on the recording. Bird impersonator Percy Edwards provided sheep noises.

The single reached number 48 in the UK singles chart, which was quite disappointing in a way, as all of Kate's single up to that point had reached the UK top 40 (with the exception of 'Hammer horror', which peaked at number 44). The single was not released in Europe, where the track 'Suspended in gaffa' was preferred.

My collection: 7" single no. 548
Found: HMV, London, October 1987
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'The dreaming' / 'Dreamtime'

Daar gaat ze - Clouseau

Clouseau were already big in their native Belgium, but their international career took off in early 1990 when they released 'Daar gaat ze' ('There she goes') as a single from their debut album 'Hoezo'. It rocketed up the charts in the Netherlands, peaking at number 2 in the Dutch Top 40 in March. From then on, they became almost as popular in the Netherlands as they already were in Belgium.

The track was later recorded in English as 'Close encounters'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1282
Found: August 23, 1990
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Daar gaat ze' / 'Fiets'

One vision - Queen

'One vision' was released as the first single from Queen's 1986 album 'A kind of magic', released in 1985. Queen were inspired to write and record this song because of the euphoric feeling that came from their performance at Live Aid. The track contains mysterious and distorted beginning vocals, most prominently the vocals retained in the single version. The reversed vocals at the start of the song relay new lyrics when played forwards—they say, 'God works in mysterious ways... mysterious ways...'.

The final line of the song is 'fried chicken', although the printed lyrics say 'one vision'. This was a result of a prank that Freddie Mercury played in the studio, as the band had fried chicken for dinner that day. Jim Hutton, Freddie Mercury's lover, says in his book, that the singer was not sure whether to include it in the final cut or not. Hutton encouraged him, saying 'You are big enough' (to get away with this).

My collection: 7" single no. 1573
Found: Record fair, January 25, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'One vision' / 'Blurred vision'

Fireworks - Roxette

'Fireworks' was released as the third single from Roxette's 1994 album 'Crash! Boom! Bang!'. The song was written by Per Gessle and used all the now familiar trademark Roxette sounds.

The single achieved moderate success in various European countries, and made number 30 in the UK Singles Chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2162
Found: HMV, London, September 26, 1994
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Fireworks' / 'Dangerous (from MTV Unplugged)'

Meer Nederlandse sterre - Rubberen Robbie

After Rubberen Robbie discovered chart success with 'De Nederlandse sterre die strale overal', the band decided to make a sequel. For the second time, they glued together bits and pieces of famous Dutch songs and wrote their own funny lyrics for these songs.

After the previous single hit number 1, this one still did quite well, peaking at number 8 in the Dutch Top 40 in October 1981. The best track of the two is, however, the B-side: a melodramatic piece about an alcoholic who wonders why his Marie left him.

My collection: 7" single no. 116
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Meer Nederlandse sterre' / 'Marie'