In 1979, Andy Gibb performed along with the Bee Gees, ABBA, and Olivia Newton-John at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly, which was broadcast worldwide. After this, he returned to the studio to begin recording sessions for his final full studio album, 'After Dark'.
In March 1980, the last of Gibb's top 10 singles charted just ahead of the album's release: 'Desire'. A second single, 'I can't help it', a duet with family friend Olivia Newton-John, reached the top 20.
My collection: 7" single no. 5144 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I can't help it' / 'Someone I ain't'
Besides the Dutch version 'Ik zie een ster', Mouth & MacNeal also released the English version of their 1974 Eurovision Song Contest entry as a single in Europe. In the case of the Belgian pressing, the sleeve was a variation on the Dutch one, making it quite a beautiful set.
'I see a star' actually became a hit in the UK, peaking at number 8 in the singles chart during the summer of 1974. They remained one hit wonders in that country though: follow-up singles never charted.
My collection: 7" single no. 5183 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'I see a star' / 'My friend'
'Ik zie een ster' is the original Dutch version of the 1974 Eurovision entry by Mouth and MacNeal, 'I see a star'. Although they performed the song in English during the Contest - as a result of relaxed language rules - this single contains a version entirely in Dutch.
The song was released as a single in the Netherlands in March 1974 and reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. That's quite remarkable, as 'I see a star' finished third during the Contest as well. This Belgian pressing features a much more beautiful sleeve than the Dutch pressing.
My collection: 7" single no. 5184 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Ik zie een ster' / 'Liefste'
'Sussudio' was released as a single from Phil Collins' 1985 album 'No jacket required'. The main lyric came about as Collins was improvising lyrics to a drum machine track he had programmed: 'Suss-sussudio' was a wording that scanned improperly. After trying to find an alternative word to fit the rhythm, the singer decided to keep 'Sussudio' as the song title and lyric. The song is about a normal crush that a schoolboy may have on a girl and that by saying 'suss-sussudio' may raise speculations about the boy having a stutter.
The single reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 17 in Germany and number 12 both in the UK and the Netherlands.
My collection: 7" single no. 5159 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Sussudio' / 'The man with the horn'
'Massachusetts' is a song written, recorded, and released by the Bee Gees in 1967 and later appearing on their 1968 album, 'Horizontal'. It was their first Number 1 hit in the UK and eventually became one of the best selling singles of all times.
At the time of release, the Bee Gees consisted of Robin, Barry & Maurice Gibb plus Vince Melouney (lead guitar) and Colin Petersen (drums). Shortly after 'Massachusetts' was recorded, Beatles manager Brian Epstein told him that it was beautiful and would be the hit of the summer. These proved to be Epstein's last words to Maurice; Epstein died a few days later.
My collection: 7" single no. 5140 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Massachusetts' / 'Barker of the U.F.O.'
'Une petite française' was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in French by French singer Michèle Torr. The song was composed by Olivier Toussaint and Paul de Senneville, a very successful team whose compositions were recorded by major French singers such as Michel Polnareff, Christophe, Dalida, Petula Clark, Claude François and Mireille Mathieu all through the 60s and 70s.
'Une petite française' is a mid-tempo ballad, with Torr describing herself as an average Frenchwoman, rather than the cosmopolitan types more commonly associated with that country. She confides that she is no Marilyn, she never reads about her own life in the magazines, she doesn't own a Rolls, she doesn't consider herself an idol, she hasn't read Pascal, she rarely visits Paris, she hasn't changed her name, she leads a quiet provincial life with her children - she just happens to be country girl from Provence who likes to sing. She asks her audience to be the judge of whether she should have left her home for a career in music. Despite her peculiar voice, the jury apparently thought so, because she ended up in 4th place in a field of 18 contestants.
My collection: 7" single no. 5185 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Une petite Française' / 'Le mal de Mai'
'Eyes' is the third and final single from the album 'Cats without claws' by Donna Summer. Edited in length from the original version on the album, the single did not achieve chart success.
The song was mixed by the then very popular John ´Jellybean´ Benitez.
My collection: 7" single no. 5167 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Eyes' / 'It's not the way'
In 1979, Andy Gibb performed along with the Bee Gees, ABBA, and Olivia Newton-John at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly, which was broadcast worldwide. After this, he returned to the studio to begin recording sessions for his final full studio album, 'After Dark'.
