Released as the first single from Chris Rea's 1984 album 'Wired to the moon', 'Bombollini' was a bit of an eccentric choice. Clocking in at 6 minutes and 10 seconds, the track bares some resemblance to his later hit single Nothing to fear (1991).
Almost unsurprisingly, 'Bombollini' didn't become a hit, just like the other two singles from the album. Still, this single is worth a spin or two, because it shows the craftmanship of Chris Rea like no other single from that point in time in his career. Great melody lines and skillful guitar solos, that's the way we like it.
My collection: 7" single no. 5655 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 23, 2014 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Bombollini' / 'True love'
'Diese Welt' ('This world') was the German entry in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, performed in German by Katja Ebstein. This was Ebstein's second consecutive Eurovision entry; she had represented Germany at the 1970 contest with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder', which finished 3rd in a field of 12 competitors.
At the close of voting, this song had received 100 points, placing 3rd in a field of 18 competitors.
The song deals with the wonder of the world, with Ebstein singing that it 'is a gift which life gave us' and reminding her listeners that what becomes of it is up to its inhabitants. Ebstein also recorded the song in English (as 'River run, river flow'), French ('Une autre rivière') and Spanish ('Este mundo').
My collection: 7" single no. 5639 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received August 29, 2014 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Diese Welt' / 'Alle Menschen auf der Erde'
Arlette Zola was born as Arlette Jaquet in the city of Fribourg on 29 April 1949. She started her singing career in the Sixties, releasiung more than twenty albums between then and now. In 1982 she represented Switzerland during the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Amour on t'aime'.
The song was performed as 7th on the night. At the close of the voting, it had received 97 points and placed 3rd in a field of 18 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5635 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received August 29, 2014 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Amour on t'aime' / 'Tant que tu existeras'
Jürgen Marcus was born as Jürgen Beumer on 6 June 1948 in Herne, Germany. The schlager singer was most successful during the Seventies, when he had 14 chart hits in Germany. He is also known for his participation on behalf of Luxembourg in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest.
'Chansons pour ceux qui s'aiment' ('Songs for those who love each other') was performed fifth on the night. At the close of voting, it had received 17 points, placing 14th in a field of 18 competitors. By the later Seventies, Marcus' recording success had declined and he parted ways with his record company in 1979. Following a last minor hit in 1981, plans and collaborations came to nothing and Marcus largely dropped from sight. His first album for over 20 years ('Ich glaub an die Welt') was released in 2004, followed by a Christmas collection in 2006. Another album of new material ('Für immer'), his last to date, came out in 2008.
My collection: 7" single no. 5634
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received August 29, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Chansons pour ceux qui s'aiment' / 'Kinder die auf Regen warten'
'Red' Vincent Hurley was born on September 11, 1949. He's one of Ireland's
most enduring popular singers whose career has spanned several decades
from the Seventies to the present day. He is principally known as a
solo artist, although he has performed with various bands and pop groups,
most notably, 'The Nevada', with whom he enjoyed his first series of
number one records at the beginning of his career.
He represented Ireland in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'When'. The song was performed seventh on the night. At the close of voting, it had received 54 points, placing 10th in a field of 18 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5629 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received August 29, 2014 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'When' / 'Just a little love'
Vicky Leandros competed in the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg with Apres toi. The single was a big hit in Europe, and even managed to chart in the UK. This was helped by the fact that Leandros recorded an English version of her song, entitled 'Come what may'. It appears on this single, along with another English-language track on the B-side.
She turned out to be quite the language wizard, as she also recorded the song in Italian ('Dopo te'), German ('Dann
kamst du'), Spanish ('Y despues'), Greek ('Mono esi') and Japanese
('Omoide ni ikiru'). I'm still looking for those singles, though...
My collection: 7" single no. 5598 Found: Discogs.com, received August 5, 2014 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'Come what may' / 'Takes a little time'
'Satellit' ('Satellite') was the Swedish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Swedish by Ted Gärdestad.
Gärdestad's first four albums were produced by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, featured backing vocals by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and were released on the Polar Music label.
This song, which was arranged and produced by guitarist Janne Schaffer, features a guitar and bass riff influenced by Toto's 1978 hit 'Hold the Line', and four of the band members - Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, David Hungate and Steve Lukather - were in fact among the musicians playing on Gärdestad's preceding album Blue Virgin Isles, recorded in Los Angeles, and released in late 1978. The English-language version of the track, 'Satellite', was included on subsequent editions of the album, which was issued in both Europe, Australasia and Japan.
The song was performed as entry number fifteen on the night. At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing it 17th in a field of 19 competitors, making it Sweden's second lowest placing in the contest at that point in time. Despite this, the Swedish version of the song was a Top 10 hit on the singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5561
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 23, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Satellite' / 'Blue virgin isles'
