The day it rained forever - Aurora

When Aurora released 'The day it rained forever' as a single, two promotional double 12" single sets were released. I already wrote about one set here, an attractive set with seven remixes.

This second set, alas, is a different matter. It features just four remixes of the track, created by Headfunk and Thick Dick (no, I'm not making this up). Have a listen and I'm sure you'll agree that the other set is the better of the two.

My collection: 12" single no. 580
Found: Discogs.com, received August 5, 2011
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'The day it rained forever (Thick Club mix)' / 'The day it rained forever (Deep in my head mix)' // 'The day it rained forever (Thick Dub)' / 'The day it rained forever (Deep in my dub mix)'

Scarlet - All about Eve

All about Eve were in the business of creating beautiful songs, but they were also smart enough to saturate the market with many different versions of their singles. In 1990, they released 'Scarlet' as the third single from their second album 'Scarlet and other stories' on 7", 12" and two different cd-singles.

The 12" single was very special because of its gatefold sleeve, free poster and the four tracks. Three of them were included on the cd-singles as well, but the live version of 'Scarlet' could be found on this 12" single only. Longtime All about Eve fans were especially pleased with a live version of the early single 'Our summer'. A cracking version it is, too.

My collection: 12" single no. 136
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1993
Cost: 3,50 pounds
Tracks: 'Scarlet (live)', 'Candy tree (live)' / 'Tuesday's child (live)', 'Our summer (live)'

Hi! Hi! Hi! - Sandra

Being a Sandra fan these days can be considered very uncool, given her recent albums, but back in the Eighties she was still dealing out the pleasant pop songs effortlessly. 'Hi! Hi! Hi!' was another example of a chart-friendly song, although Sandra didn't get to the charts outside of Central Europe.

This 12" single features both the A- and the B-side of the 7" single, but also an extended remix of the title track, which is actually quite good. Give it a virtual spin and I'm sure you'll agree.

My collection: 12" single no. 311
Found: Record fair, 199X
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Hi! Hi! Hi! (extended)' / 'You'll be mine', 'Hi! Hi! Hi!'

All nite (don't stop) - Janet Jackson

'All nite (Don't stop)' was released as the third single from Janet Jackson's 2004 album 'Damita Jo'. The song contains a sample of Herbie Hancock's 1975 track 'Hang up your hang ups'. This 12" features two remixes of the track.

After what has become known as the 'Superbowl incident' in which Jackson flashed a boob during prime time on American television, MTV refused to air the video, leading to a failure of the single. However, in 2008 the single still reached number 40 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 12" single no. 583
Found: Discogs.com, received August 5, 2011
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'All nite (Don't stop) (Sander Kleinenberg Club Mix)' / 'All nite (Don't stop) (Low End Specialists Main Mix)'

Hey Presto - Black

Back in 1984, music videos were an integral part of my daily routine. Watching television for a few hours a day just to catch my favourite videos (and songs) was a bit crazy in retrospect, but it did huge favours for developing my own taste in music.

One of the videos I saw back then was Black's 'Hey Presto'. It's one of very few videos I never saw again - and I'm still searching for it now. I bought the 7" single years later and I only found the 12" single now. It was never a hit for Black, although he would be more successful in 1987 with his eternal classic 'Wonderful life'. To hear what the man is up to these days read my entry on Any colour you like.

My collection: 12" single no. 587
Found: Discogs.com, received October 5, 2011
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Hey Presto' / 'Stephen', 'Liquid dream'

Kids in America - Euphrasia

Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America' has been covered by numerous singers, punk rock bands, death metal bands and even the occasional dance acts.

Euphrasia was a Belgian outfit, apparently consisting of Peter Neefs and Jan Voermans. Their version of 'Kids in America', released in 1992, is quite dynamic. It has a few nice sound effects, and although the track never becomes better than 'average', it's still an interesting take on a classic track. This 12" single features a 12" version that wasn't available on the cd-single at the time.

My collection: 12" single no. 588
Found: Discogs.com, received October 5, 2011
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Kids in America (12" version)' / 'Kids in the house (12" version)'

Worlds apart - The Sinceros

Mark Kjeldsen, Bobby Irwin and Ron François first played together in a London R&B band called The Strutters. The Sinceros were primarily a vehicle for Kjeldsen's composing talents. He sang lead vocals on most of the band's material although François contributed more songs on their later albums.

Their first album, The Sound of Sunbathing, was produced by Joe Wissert and recorded at Wessex Studios in London. The band achieved considerable radio play with its first single, 'Take me to your leader'. The single 'Worlds apart' was released in September 1979 and although it didn't chart in the UK, it managed to reach number 33 in the Dutch Top 40 a month later. I totally forgot about this song, but I remembered the sleeve. And so I finally decided to buy the single today - and memories slowly came back to me. This is a great new wave track.

My collection: 7" single no. 5193
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, September 17, 2011
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Worlds apart' / 'Girl I realise (live)'