The look of love - ABC

After the debut single 'Tears are not enough' and the hit single 'Poison arrow', ABC released 'The look of love'. The 12" single featured four parts of the track: part 1 is the standard album version, part 2 is an instrumental version, part 3 is a vocal remix and part 4 is a short acoustic instrumental part of the song, containing strings and horns, as well as occasional harp plucks and xylophone. Parts 1 and 4 appear on ABC's debut album 'The lexicon of love'.

Another remix was made by Trevor Horn and released exclusively on an American 12" single. That remix was finally released in the UK as a free single with 'Be near me' in 1985.

My collection: 12" single no. 150
Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, 1992
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'The look of love (part 1)', 'The look of love (part 2)' / 'The look of love (part 3)', 'The look of love (part 4)'

Blue Jean - David Bowie

Having sworn off disguises and alternate identities for his 1983 album 'Let's dance', it was a bit odd to see the music video for David Bowie's 'Blue Jean' in 1984. Again using loads of make-up on his face, the video distracted a bit from the music. The album 'Tonight', released that year, is seen as an artistic failure, although there were a few nice songs on it.

The extended version of 'Blue Jean' is interesting enough, I'd say. However, the B-side, containing two remixes, is the kind of music I've played only once - but never more. Quite excruciating.

My collection: 12" single no. 372
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 2000
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Blue Jean (extended dance mix)' / 'Dancing with the big boys (extended dance mix)', 'Dancing with the big boys (extended dub mix)'

Walk on air - T'pau

There's something unusual about this 12" single: it's the sleeve! While the record company decided to release a picture disc, they released it in a normal 12" single sleeve, so at first you don't even notice it's a picture disc you're buying. I guess I'm just used to clear pvc sleeves for picture discs.

Anyway, 'Walk on air' was the penultimate single release of T'pau, because after the next one, 'Soul destruction', the band broke up. The name lived on via some greatest hits compilations, and in the end Carol Decker reappeared, using the name T'pau, in 1998 with the excellent album 'Red'. But this single didn't sell very well, and with the end of their contract in sight, the record company must have lost faith. Unfortunately!

My collection: 12" single no. 120
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, 1991
Cost: 20 guilders
Tracks: 'Walk on air' / 'Hold on to love (alternative version)', 'Dirty town'

Living in a world (turned upside down) - Private Lives

Private Lives released a handful of singles, but their best known tracks remains 'Living in a world (turned upside down)'. Recorded at those legendary Select Sound Studios in Knebworth, it is one of the best pop songs from 1984. At least, that's what I think. The record company must have had similar thoughts as they re-released the track after two other singles didn't chart. The original single reached number 53 in the UK singles chart, this re-release didn't chart. The end of the duo came pretty quickly after that.

This 12" single features the new single version of the title track, but also a nice extended version and a dub remix of their very first single release, 'Because you're young'.

My collection: 12" single no. 614
Found: unknown
Price: unknown
Tracks: 'Living in a world (turned upside down) (5th Amendment)' / 'Because you're young', 'Living in a world (turned upside down) (7" mix)', 'Breakup (7" mix)'

The sensual world - Kate Bush

When I bought this 12" single, I did it mainly for the fact that it was cheap and it was a promotion copy. I don't know why I never bought the commercial 12" single, but considering it was 1989, it would probably have been a lack of funds.

Anyway, I was pretty surprised when I found out the A-side of this 12" single featured a so-called 'double groove'. One groove featured the regular version of 'The sensual world', the other played the instrumental version. The latter was also one of the B-sides, which made it a bit of a useless exercise. Bush re-recorded 'The sensual world' as 'Flower of the mountain' on her album 'Director's cut'. The new version was recorded as it was originally intended: with the words from James Joyce's book 'Ulysses'.

My collection: 12" single no. 97
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1990
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The sensual world', 'The sensual world (instrumental)' / 'Walk straight down the middle', 'The sensual world (instrumental)'

Cry wolf - A-ha

Released as the second single from A-ha's second album 'Scoundrel days', I never thought this was the best track to be released as a single. The title track should have been the one in my opinion, but perhaps it was deemed 'too intense'. This poppy track catered to the lightweight pop image the band had at the time, even if the album they made was full of more intricate musical arrangements.

The extended version of 'Cry wolf' included here was a decent remix however. I never bought the 12" single myself, but I got a copy last year when someone sent me a package and used this to make it more sturdy. And you know: when something is free, you enjoy it even more.

My collection: 12" single no. 613
Found: unknown, 2011
Cost: nothing
Tracks: 'Cry wolf (extended version)' / 'Cry wolf', 'Maybe maybe'

A gentleman's excuse me - Fish

I bought several different discs of Fish's 'A gentleman's excuse me'. Besides two 7" singles, a cd-single and a shaped picture disc, the 12" single was a piece of vinyl that ended up in my collection pretty soon after its release.

On this format, the demo version of the song is added. It also appears on the cd-single, but this is, as far as I know, the only vinyl format on which the demo appears.

My collection: 12" single no. 93
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1990
Cost: 15 guilders
Tracks: 'A gentleman's excuse me' / 'Whiplash', 'A gentleman's excuse me (demo)'