Underground - David Bowie

Back in the Nineties, there was a record fair in Leiden every six months. During that record fair, they used to always play a remix of David Bowie's 'Underground'. It was quite an obscure remix, because as it turned out, that remix does not appear on the 12" single of 'Underground' that was released in 1986. I've never been able to track down that remix. (Any tips are welcome below.)

Meanwhile, I did buy this disc, a Spanish pressing of 'Underground' on 12". That was not a deliberate choice: I just happened to find this copy for a low price, so I bought it. Perhaps some David Bowie fans out there are hunting down this version, I wouldn't know... Anyway, it contains the same tracks as other pressings of this disc: remixes created by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero.

My collection: 12" single no. 269
Found: Record fair, 1996
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Underground (Extended dance mix)' / 'Underground (dub)', 'Underground (instrumental)'

Who's that girl - Eurythmics

There was some doubt in my mind upon buying this 12" single, whether it would contain an extended version of 'Who's that girl', as it wasn't described as such on the label. Strange, because the extended version of 'Who's that girl' would be something to brag about as it's actually quite good.

'Who's that girl' was the first single from the band's third album 'Touch' and a top 10 hit in several European countries. In the UK, the single peaked at number 3.

My collection: 12" single no. 605
Found: Record Exchange, London, 200X
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Who's that girl [extended version]' / 'You take some lentils... and you take some rice', 'ABC (Freeform)'

I'm the one who really loves you - Mel & Kim

'I'm the one who really loves you' was originally recorded by British singer Austin Howard in 1986. The track was written and produced by Stock/Aitken/Waterman, who also recorded the track with Mel & Kim a year later for their debut album 'F.L.M.'.

Although never released as a single in Europe where the duo celebrated their biggest successes, the track was remixed by Civilles & Cole and released on 7" and 12" in the USA. I bought the import 12" when it was just released.

My collection: 12" single no. 62
Found: LP Top 100, 1987
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'I'm the one who really loves you (Stardom groove club mix)', 'I'm the one who really loves you (Groove dub)' / 'I'm the one who really loves you (Kick 'n live mix)', 'I'm the one who really loves you (Done properly dub)'

Martha's harbour - All about Eve

All about Eve have really had only one big hit; the immortal 'Martha's harbour'. The single reached number 10 and it was their only single to reach the top 10 in the UK. It was an astonishing success, since at the time, inane house music and assembly line pop from the Stock/Aitken/Waterman stable was dominating the charts.

This 12" single in a box was one of the many formats available at the time. It featured a large poster, signatures of all four band members and two exclusive live tracks on the B-side. It was a numbered limited edition; I have number 4943.

My collection: 12" single no. 271
Found: Record fair, 1996
Cost: 20 guilders
Tracks: 'Martha's harbour', 'Another door' / 'In the clouds (live)', 'Shelter from the rain (live)'

Everlasting love - Sandra

Sandra recorded and released 'Everlasting love' in 1987 after becoming familiar with the song via the 1968 version by Love Affair. She commented: 'I have always loved it...Even as a little child I heard that song and I said that I would like to sing it sometime.'

This 12" single features the original extended version of the track, released in Germany at the time of its original release. In 1988 the track was acquired by Pete Waterman who had it remixed by Pete Hammond and released it as the 'PWL mix'.

My collection: 12" single no. 314
Found: Record fair, 1995
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Everlasting love (extended version)' / 'Change your mind', 'Everlasting love (single version)'

Stay - The Blue Nile

The Scottish band The Blue Nile debuted in 1981 with 'I love this life', a single that went by unnoticed partly because of the disappearance of their label RSO. The trio kept writing and recording over the next couple of years, including a couple of tracks that would later surface on their debut album.

'Stay' was released in 1983 by Linn Records, a label created by a local hi-fi manufacturer. It was not a hit, however the band was noticed enough for Linn to released a debut album called 'A walk across the rooftops' a year later: a critically acclaimed album that sold very well too. This 12" single features the full length version of 'Stay' as well as 'Saddle the horses', an instrumental version of the album track 'Automobile noise'.

My collection: 12" single no. 294
Found: Record fair, 1996
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Stay' / 'Saddle the horses'

Dizzy miss Lizzie - Flying Lizards

In 1984, the Flying Lizards released an album consisting entirely of covers, called 'Top Ten'. The covers were deliberately done in an emotionless, harsh and robotic style. 'Dizzy miss Lizzie' was one of them, a track originally written by Larry Williams in 1958 and covered many times since, most famously by the Beatles on their 1965 album 'Help!'.

I got to know the single shortly after its release via television. A strange music video accompanied the song, which you can see below. It was this video that made me interested in the song - but I had a heard time finding the single. Instead, I bought the 12" single when I saw it years later. The B-side 'Gyrostatics' is a sonic experiment not too dissimilar from tracks by Art of Noise.



My collection: 12" single no. 180
Found: Record Exchange, London, 1993
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Dizzy miss Lizzie', 'Dizzy' / 'Gyrostatics'