Wooden heart - Elvis Presley

Some would argue that this music blog could never be a music blog when there isn't a single mention of "The King", Elvis Presley. I would reply in turn that rock & roll isn't the focus of my collection - aside from the occasional Marty Wilde gems, of course - but now that I finally have an Elvis single in my possession, there is no need for controversy.

'Wooden heart' was re-released just after Elvis died. Perhaps that's why this song is such a powerful childhood memory, as I vividly recall seeing a video of this song on television around that time. The song was originally a hit in 1961, when it was number 1 for six weeks in the UK singles chart. Upon its re-release in the Netherlands in August 1977, it reached number 2.

My collection: 7" single no. 5439
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'Wooden heart' / 'Tonight is so right for love'

Weekend (Remix '88) - Earth & Fire

Some time ago, I bought a compilation cd of Earth & Fire's greatest hits, and it came with a remix of their biggest hit 'Weekend'. I didn't realise - although I probably should have - that this remix version was released as a single at the time of that album release.

The remix sounds decent enough, it certainly updates the sound to the year 1988, but it wasn't a chart success for the band. Not that they were still together: Earth & Fire disbanded in 1983. After this single release the band regrouped a year later, releasing just one more album: 'Phoenix'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5393
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Weekend (Remix '88)' / 'Weekend'

E' de' det här du kallar kärlek - Lasse Holm och Monica Törnell

The single 'Another kind of loving', which I described four years ago, is an English version of 'E' de' det här du kallar kärlek', the Swedish entry of the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest. That song appears on this single as the A-side, coupled with another Swedish track. The title actually means 'Is this what you call love?'.

During the 2010 Swedish national final of the Eurovision Song Contest, this song was performed by Timo Räisanen and Hanna Eklöf.

My collection: 7" single no. 5642
Found: eBay, received September 2, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'E' de' det här du kallar kärlek' / 'En kärleksmagi'

In the flesh - Blondie

The second single from Blondie's self-titled debut album, 'In the flesh' was written by Deborah Harry and Chris Stein. It was released in 1976 in the USA by Private Stock records, the last single for Blondie on that label. It appeared in Australia on Chrysalis a year later.

This single is a different kettle of fish: it was released by Chrysalis in the Netherlands in 1981, to fill up the silence caused by the lack of new material between the release of  'AutoAmerican' (1980) and 'The Hunter' (1982).

My collection: 7" single no. 5373
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'In the flesh' / 'One way or another'

Banana banana - King Kurt

Music doesn't always have to be serious. The psychobilly rock band King Kurt specialised in wild and funny singles, such as the hilarious cover version of Mack the knife which I described previously.

In August 1984, they followed up that single with 'Banana banana', a 2'38 minute piece of fun that reached number 54 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5430
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag

Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Banana banana' / 'Bo Diddley goes east'

This time - INXS

Only in the UK you would have double single packages, sometimes at the price of a single 7", featuring extra tracks that made the purchase of a certain future hit that much more attractive. This 'two record set' of INXS's 'This time' is a great attractive, as it features two extended versions of previous singles plus a glossy gatefold sleeve. What's not to like?

'This time' was taken from INXS's fifth studio album 'Listen like thieves' (1985). The album was a charttopper in Australia and did fairly well in Canada and the USA, as well as peaking at number 46 in the UK albums chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5452
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'This time' / 'Original sin (extended version)' //  'Burn for you (extended remix)' / 'Dancing on the jetty'

Paul McCartney's theme from The Honorary Consul - John Williams

'The Honorary Consul' was originally a book written by Graham Greene, published in 1973. The book was subsequently made into a film, directed by John Mackenzie in 1983, featuring Richard Gere and Michael Caine.

The soundtrack of the movie featured a theme which was composed by Paul McCartney and performed by John Williams. It's true, when you listen to the recording of this single you'll notice that it's had better days, but this single is pretty hard to find these days. So I guess I'm lucky to have found it at all.

My collection: 7" single no. 5408
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'Paul McCartney's theme from The Honorary Consul' / 'Clara's theme' (Quimantu)