Back and forth - Cameo

Although the sleeve says that this single contains a remix of 'Back and forth', it is actually no different from the one I already had on this single. You could say that therefore this is not a good buy, but oh well, at least the sleeve is beautifully designed.

Back and forth' was released in April 1987 as the last single from the album 'Word up' and reached number 11 in the UK singles chart. In the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the single peaked at number 50.

My collection: 7" single no. 5005
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Back and forth (remix)' / 'You can have the world'

Video killed the radio star - Didi Zill

Whenever you see 'Deutsche Originalaufnahme' on a sleeve, you should be forewarned that there is some dodgyness afoot. In this case, it's German photographer and singer Didi Zill (born 1938), who takes on 'Video killed the radio star' - in German.

Although the title of the song stays intact, the rest of the track is sung in German and although I don't understand everything, it's not a literal translation of the original Buggles track. It's a collector's item of sorts. I guess....

My collection: 7" single no. 5009
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Video killed the radio star' / 'Ich bin nicht der Stoff... (aus dem deinr Träume sind)'

The highest high - China Crisis

Here's another one of those singles I thought I already had, and so I left it in the racks for many years. Finally I had some presence of mind, and bought this disc, one of the many lovely songs by the UK band China Crisis.

'The highest high' was released in 1985 as a single from their third album 'Flaunt the imperfection'. It reached number 82 in the UK singles chart. Please listen to the B-side of this single, it's the nicest bouncy instrumental track you will hear for some time.

My collection: 7" single no. 5004
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'The highest high' / '96.8'

Thorn in my side - Eurythmics

'Thorn in my side' was released as a single from the Eurythmics' album 'Revenge' in the summer of 1986. Written by band members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, the song is a cast-off to an unfaithful lover.

The single became Eurythmics' ninth Top 10 single, reaching number five in the UK singles chart. In the United States, the track stalled at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 5003
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Thorn in my side' / 'In this town'

Te amo - Umberto Tozzi

The Italian singer Umberto Tozzi had a European hit with 'Ti amo' in 1977, a track that is still played on radio stations that specialize in mushy, romantic classics. However, there was also a Spanish version of the track, released on this Spanish 7" single.

I've got a feeling that this track is sung with an unmistakable Italian accent, but my Spanish is not good enough to judge this. Still, it is quite a rare track, and that's what always interests me: rare stuff.

My collection: 7" single no. 5002
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Te amo' / 'Olvidate, olvidame'

Baby don't cry - INXS

The Australian band INXS released many albums, but 'Welcome to wherever you are' is their best, in my opinion. I bought all of the single releases at the time - although in the age of cd-singles the 7" single sometimes slipped through. I was very surprised to find that I didn't have 'Baby don't cry' on 7" vinyl, an omission I finally managed to rectify today.

Besides the storming A-side track, there's also an instrumental version of the album track 'Questions' on the B-side. Instrumental versions usually aren't much cop, but with the varied instrumentation on this one, it's worth a spin or two.

My collection: 7" single no. 5001
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 29, 2011
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Baby don't cry' / 'Questions (instrumental)'

Gloria - Laura Branigan

'Gloria' was originally a hit for Italian singer Umberto Tozzi, but Laura Branigan was quick to cash in on the song's success. She released an English-language version two years after the original version had taken Europe by storm in 1979.

Her version was released in the summer of 1982 and eventually reached number 6 in the UK singles chart. It was shortly before she would have an even bigger hit with 'Self control', which would become her signature song.

My collection: 7" single no. 4990
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 15, 2011
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Gloria' / 'Living a lie'