'I close my eyes and count to ten' was written by Clive Westlake. Recorded June 1, 1968 at Chappel Studios in London, Dusty Springfield's version was released that August to reach number 4 in the UK singles chart, where it ranks as one of Springfield's biggest hits: only 'I just don't know what to do with myself" (number 3) and 'You don't have to say you love me' (number 1) fared better.
It is quite rare to find such a good copy of one of Springfield's singles, so when I did, I jumped at the chance. It is one of very few 'early' Dusty Springfield singles in my collection. Well, there's always the CD box set 'Dusty', of course.
My collection: 7" single no. 5410 Found: unknown Tracks: 'I close my eyes and count to ten' / 'No stranger am I'
Described as "a record about the person I am now and the people around me... about real life after forty", Tracey Thorn (ex-Everything But The Girl) released 'Love and its opposite' in 2010. 'Oh, the divorces!' was released as the first single from that album, as a free digital download on February 17, 2010.
Fortunately, that wasn't all there was to it: 'Oh, the divorces!' - which by the way is a beautiful song - was also released on a 7" single, pressed on clear vinyl no less. The B-side, 'Taxi cab', was not included on the album and is exclusive to this release.
My collection: 7" single no. 5646 Found: Music Exchange, Greenwich, London, September 11, 2014 Cost: 4 pounds Tracks: 'Oh, the divorces!' / 'Taxi cab'
'Chance of a lifetime' was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968, performed by Pat McGeegan. It was written by John Kennedy.
The song is a ballad, with McGeegan reminiscing about the first time he saw his lover. He tells her that he thought her appearance in his life was "the chance of a lifetime", and goes on to explain that he doesn't want to lose such a chance.
The song was performed fourteenth on the night. At the close of voting, it had received 18 points, placing 4th in a field of 17. Subsequently, the song went to the top of the Irish singles chart.
My collection: 7" single 5596 Found: Marktplaats.nl, received August 2, 2014 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Chance of a lifetime' / 'Don't laugh at me (if I cry)'
'Wild and Lonely' was the last album released by the Associates in 1990. It may have been an accurate description of the state of affairs at the time, since Billy MacKenzie, the sole member of the band by then, had seen band mate Alan Rankine leave, and his previous album, 'The Glamour Chase', unreleased as the record company deemed it not commercially viable.
The first single from this album, 'Fever', had flopped, and 'Fire and Ice' had to face the same fate. After the release of a third single, 'Just can't say goodbye', which also didn't chart, the Associates name was finally put to rest. That's not to say that the material from the 1990 album was necessarily bad: this single is a good example of nice, melodic pop.
My collection: 7" single no. 5449 Found: unknown Tracks: 'Fire to ice' / 'Green tambourine'
In 1983, Thompson Twins released their third album 'Quick Step and Side Kick', featuring the singles 'We are detective' and 'Watching'. The album reached number 2 in the UK albums chart and number 34 in the USA.
The latter of the two singles is featured here. It peaked at number 33 in the UK singles chart. Even in 1984, this was still a regularly rotated video on satellite TV channels like Music Box.
My collection: 7" single no. 5468 Found: unknown Tracks: 'Watching (you watching me)' / 'Dancersaurus (Even Large Reptiles Have Emotional Problems)'
'Busy doing nothing' was released in 1983 as the fourth single by Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin. It was quite a whimsical song, originally written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke, and recorded by Bing Crosby in 1949.
Throughout his forty year career, Van Heusen received 10 Oscar Nominations for Best Song in a Motion Picture, 4 Academy Awards for Best Song in a Motion Picture, 1 Emmy Award for Best Musical Contribution and 6 Golden Laurel Nominations for Best Music in a Motion Picture. He died on February 7, 1990, just under two weeks after his 77th birthday.
My collection: 7" single no. 5467 Found: unknown Tracks: 'Busy doing nothing' / 'The world spins so slow'
Orange Juice formed in the Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics (named after a cheap brand of guitar) with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band became Orange Juice in 1979. They are best known for the hit 'Rip It Up'.
This limited edition features a colour poster and a free second single. The single was taken from the band's second album, also entitled 'Rip it up', and peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1983, the band's only UK Top 40 hit.
My collection: 7" single no. 5460 Found: Marktplaats.nl, received July 23, 2014. Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Rip it up' / 'Snake charmer' // 'Lovesick (live)' / 'A sad lament'
