In 1981 Cyprus debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest. This song, 'Monica', performed by Island, represents their very first entry. It is a love ballad directed toward the titular Monica. The chorus also features the repetition of the word 'Moni', which is
Greek for 'alone' (female), as well as being part of the girl's name. At the close of voting, the song had received 69 points, placing it sixth in a field of 20 competitors.
Since its entry, the country has become famous for always exchanging 12 points with Greece, although there have been some (rare) exceptions.
My collection: 7" single no. 5691 Found: Marktplaats.nl, received January 6, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Monica' (Island) / 'Let me go' (Doros Georgiadis)
Pascalis Arvanitidis, Marianna Toli, Robert Williams and Bessy Argyraki managed to get to fifth place in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest with Mathema Solfege. I bought the single back in 2010, but as it turns out, there are several different versions of this single.
In the UK, this single without a picture sleeve was released, featuring an English version called 'A music lesson'. The original version appears on the B-side. There is also a German single, which features the German version 'Freunde der Nacht' and 'A music lesson'. It commands prices that are quite impressive, starting at 15 euros.
My collection: 7" single no. 5688 Found: Discogs.com, received December 31, 2014 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'A music lesson' / 'Mathema solfege'
Almost six years ago, I bought L'oiseau et l'enfant by Marie Myriam. The 1977 Eurovision winner is still the last song in French to win the Contest. However, it turns out that there is an English language version of the song, and it can be found on this British release.
The single didn't come in a picture sleeve, unfortunately, but the track is on the B-side, and out of the many different releases of 'L'oiseau et l'enfant', this single is the only one to include this version on the B-side.
My collection: 7" single no. 5587 Found: Discogs.com, received December 31, 2014 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'L'oiseau et l'enfant' / 'The bird and the child'
Singing actors... there is plenty of evidence that it is not a good idea. Bruce Willis, Don Johnson and (shudder) Meryl Streep have all proved that they were better on the screen than they are on vinyl. With the exception of the latter of course, as she cannot even act.
This single by John Travolta was, of course, released at the time of 'Grease', one of the biggest 'musical films' of all time. I wasn't impressed with this song when it was a hit, and hearing it now, I still am not. But the fact that this single was the only 'Grease' release my collection was lacking, and the fact that this was pressed on clear vinyl were great reasons to acquire this record anyway.
My collection: 7" single no. 5686 Found: Flea market, Leidschendam, December 28, 2014 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Sandy' / 'Rainbows'
Statistics! That's what makes big collections interesting. Here's one for you: this single represents one of the biggest gaps between two singles from the same artist I ever bought. 'Sylvia's mother', also by Dr. Hook, was number 304 in my collection, bought on June 30, 1985. This one, number 5685, became mine almost thirty years later.
'Baby makes her blue jeans talk' was the first single from Dr. Hook's tenth studio album 'Players in the dark'. It peaked at number 2 in the Dutch Top 40. The B-side is worth a spin too, because it's just very funny. With lyrics revolving around a certain three letter word it would have been very risqué in that day and age. Which is probably why it was relegated to a B-side and cryptically entitled 'The turn on'.
My collection: 7" single no. 5685 Found: Flea market, Leidschendam, December 28, 2014 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Baby makes her blue jeans talk' / 'The turn on'
Dutch singer Nadieh had a hit with her second single 'Windforce 11', taken from her debut album 'Land of Tá'. Peaking at number 23 in the Dutch Top 40, it had a lasting impression on the general public. The album was awarded music prizes in 1987.
Nadieh would continue to make music until the early Nineties, but then retreated from the stage and concentrated on writing songs for other (Dutch) artists instead. On April 5, 1996, Nadieh died after a battle with cancer.
My collection: 7" single no. 5684 Found: Flea market, Leidschendam, December 28, 2014 Cost: 0,5 euro Tracks: 'Windforce 11' / 'Does it really matter'
Kathy Kirby was born as Kathleen O'Rourke on October 20, 1938. She is best known for her cover version of Doris Day's 'Secret Love' and for representing the United Kingdom in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in second place.
Her song 'I belong' was chosen during a television broadcast on January 29, 1965. All six songs feature on this EP, although 'I belong' was rearranged for the performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in Naples on March 20. While Kirby performed a very contemporary hit song, she was beaten by France Gall who performed an even more modern tune.
My collection: 7" single no. 5681 Found: Discogs.com, received December 9, 2014 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'I'll try not to cry', 'Sometimes', 'My only love' / 'I won't let you go', 'One day', 'I belong'
