A town called malice - The Jam

Paul Weller was always at his best when he was angry, and he was the most angry while he was part of his band The Jam. Furious drums and wild guitars always made for interesting hit singles.

'A town called malice' is a great example of their sound. It was released in January 1982 as the first single from their album 'The gift'. It ended up a number one hit single in the UK, while also peaking at number 7 in the Dutch Top 40 (their first and last top 10 hit in the Netherlands). Weller commented that the song was about his teenage experiences in the English city of Woking.

My collection: 7" single no. 4988
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 15, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'A town called malice' / 'Precious'

Some people / Imagination - Belouis Some

I remember it well: the extended version of Belouis Some's 'Imagination' was used for a version of the music video of that song, which was played quite regularly on Music Box, the previous incarnation of MTV in Europe. I searched for the 12" single for some time, but after a while I realised there was so much more to buy and I gave up.

Fast forward more than a decade, and I see myself in London, going through rows and rows of bargain 12" singles.... including this one: a double 12" single of 'Some people' and 'Imagination' by Belouis Some. An amazing deal at an amazing price. Somehow I'm glad I never found the 12" when it was just out...

My collection: 12" single no. 414
Found: Record Exchange, London, 1998
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Some people (extended remix)' / 'Some people (dub version)', 'Walk away' // 'Imagination (extended remix)' / 'Imagination (dub mix), 'Imagination (7" version)', 'Have you ever been in love'

The dreamer - All about Eve

Although by 1991 the chart rules in the UK had restricted the number of different formats any single could be released on in order to count for sales, All about Eve still used the maximum amount of different formats to sell their singles. 'The dreamer', the last single to be taken from the album 'Touched by Jesus', was released on 7" single, cd-single, 12" single and this picture disc 12".

And this picture disc 12" came with one exclusive track, too: the demo version of the previous single 'Strange way'. It's an interesting version as the lyric of the song wasn't complete yet. The two instrumental B-sides, which were included on other formats too, have become classics in their own right.

My collection: 12" single no. 137
Found: Rhythm Records, London, October 1992
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'The dreamer (remix)', 'Frida of blood and gold' / 'Road to Damascus', 'Strange way (demo)'

Manchild - Neneh Cherry

This 12" single was a bit of a gamble: a rap artist who by chance had made a reasonable track, remixed by a triphop band that had made a reasonable track as well. Unfortunately, all this didn't add up: the remixes on this disc are not very interesting at all.

Also, while I thought this 12" was quite rare, it turns out it is offered on discogs.com for less than 5 euros. Sometimes you're less lucky with a gamble than you think.

My collection: 12" single no. 291
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1993
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Manchild (Massive attack remix)', 'Manchild (Massive Attack bonus beats)' / 'Manchild (Smith n Mighty remix)', 'Manchild (More bass less vocal style)'

Shouldn't have to be like that - Fra Lippo Lippi

'Shouldn't have to be like that' was Fra Lippo Lippi's international breakthrough single. They had already built up a reputation in Scandinavia as an indie band, but this pop song caused some international interest.

When the single was released, a 12" single quickly followed. In the absence of any remixes, the archive of the indie label which they originally released their music on was plundered: 'Say something' was licensed from Uniton records. It sounds less polished than the other tracks, but it is a very interesting piece of electronic music.

My collection: 12" single no. 78
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Shouldn't have to be like that', 'The distance between us' / 'Say something', 'Shouldn't have to be like that (original version)'

Daddy - Pussycat

Released in the summer of 1979, the Dutch band Pussycat managed to reach number 14 in the Dutch Top 40 with the song 'Daddy'. Like many of their previous hits, the track was written by band member Werner Theunissen.

The seven piece band continued to be successful throughout the second half of the Seventies. As is evidenced on Youtube, many people still feel very positive about the band's Seventies output.

My collection: 7" single no. 4986
Found: Flea market, Leidschendam, January 2, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Daddy' / 'Three steps and then...'

Kiss this one goodbye - Andrew Gold

Andrew Gold released his fourth solo album 'Whirlwind' in 1979. An edited version of the song 'Kiss this one goodbye' was released as a single the following year. The single was unsuccessful, as it didn't make the charts anywhere.

Shortly afterwards, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman asked Andrew Gold to join 10CC, but business conflicts prevented him from doing so. After 10CC folded in 1983, Gold started the duo Wax with Gouldman.

My collection: 7" single no. 4985
Found: Flea market, Leidschendam, January 2, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Kiss this one goodbye' / 'Make up your mind'