Ding-a-dong - Teach In

Some singles are rather rare, and as a result, record dealers at record fairs are usually tempted to ask a high price for them. Then there are records that are not so rare, but associated to a certain event - let's say, the Eurovision Song Contest - and that's also a reason ask a minimum of 10 euros for the disc. And this one is a good example.

I found this copy in a mass of singles from a German dealer, all priced at a measly 1 euro each. Obviously, I bought it right away. Then, 10 minutes later and a few metres away, I saw another copy of this single, in a row of singles especially labeled 'Eurovision'. The price: 10 euros. And no, it didn't look any better than this one. You can imagine that I had a happy moment then and there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5832
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 16, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'Hey hello'

Listen to the song

Avrei voluto - Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali

Back in 1989, I bought a compilation CD featuring all the songs from that year's Eurovision Song Contest. For obvious reasons, that CD never appeared on this blog, however many songs did make it, since I bought so many of them on 7" singles. I like all of the songs from that year, although some songs were later to be accepted than others.

Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali's 'Avrei voluto' was one of them. The raspy voice of Fausto in the first seconds was reason enough for me to skip to the next track. It's a bit of a complicated song, 'Avrei voluto', and the fact that Anna Oxa does an impressive 'We are the world'-era Cyndi Lauper impression doesn't help matters much. An attack on the ears, but still, I've grown to like this song anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 5824
Found: Discogs.com, received February 5, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Avrei voluto' / 'Avrei voluto (Strumentale)'

Listen to the song

Ever so lonely - Monsoon

Monsoon's 1982 single Ever so lonely is wellknown, as it got a Europe-wide release after relative success in the UK. The single displayed here is a rare gem, however. It is an independent release from 1981 and features four tracks. The A-side features 'Ever so lonely' and 'Sunset over the Ganges' as one continuous track (where on the 1982 single they are split into two separate tracks).

This version of 'Ever so lonely' also features slightly different lyrics and less instrumentation. Released on the Indipop label, this single may have been one of the reasons for a major label to sign the group. It was quite a shock to find this single - which I'd never seen before.

My collection: 7" single no. 5831
Found: Dig Vinyl, Liverpool, February 19, 2016
Cost: £1
Tracks: 'Ever so lonely', 'Sunset over the Ganges' / 'The mirror of your mind', 'Shout (Till you're heard)'

Listen to the A-side

Dallas - Bobby Patrick Band

The American series Dallas is an integral part of the Eighties experience, and as a child of the Eighties I was just as addicted to the show as anyone who grew up at the time. As a collector of music, I also got my hands on singles by Larry Hagman, Audrey Landers, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton and Victoria Principal in recent years.

But the theme of the series somehow never came into my possession. Until now, that is. At least, a version of it, because this is not the version that was used on television, unfortunately. The B-side features the theme of another famous series: The Waltons. Both tracks are performed by the so-called Bobby Patrick Band. When I bought this single, the woman in the shop seemed to be surprised she even had it in stock.

My collection: 7" single no. 5830
Found: Dig Vinyl, Liverpool, February 19, 2016
Cost: £1
Tracks: 'Dallas' / 'The Waltons'

Listen to the track

Soul on my boots - King

While I have been collecting singles for almost 40 years now, and I have been obsessed with Eighties music ever since the Eighties, there is still sometimes a single release that somehow managed to elude me all through these decades. This single is a perfect example.

King's debut single 'Love & pride' was a big hit, and so was its follow-up 'Won't you hold my hand now'. I did know, of course, that both singles had to be re-released to become such hits: the original releases in April 1984 and October 1984 respectively weren't so successful, but back then record companies didn't give up so easily, and so in early 1985 'Love & pride' became a number 2 hit in the UK, and in March 1985 'Won't you hold my hand now' was remixed and peaked at number 24.

What I didn't know, was that there was another single between those two, released in August 1984 (and failing to chart as well). I'd never even seen this single until now. And here it is: 'Soul on my boots'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5820
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 23, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Soul on my boots' / 'Ain't no doubt'

Listen to the song

Jag är en astronaut - Anne Mette Torp

Child star Anne Mette Torp from Hønefoss (Norway) had a great year in 1973, when she shot to fame with a cover version of Ricky Wilde's 'I am an astronaut'. The song was translated into Norwegian by Elvind Torp (presumably her father) as 'Jeg er en astronaut'. She also recorded a Swedish version, 'Jag är en astronaut', translated by Rolf Lönberg, which appears on this single.

In 1974, she released her debut (and only) LP 'Abra Ka Dabra', which did not include this song, but rather original songs, but also meant for children. After her singing career she took up ballet, and now runs the Ringerike Ballet School in Hønefoss.

My collection: 7" single no. 5823
Found: Discogs.com, received February 5, 2016
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Jag är en astronaut' / 'Jag skulle önska'

Listen to the song

Hey presto - Black

I first got to know the UK band Black in 1984, when the music video for 'Hey presto' appeared on television. I'm not sure whether it was this video (which I never saw again since 1984!) or repeated radio play which hooked me, but I was most certainly hooked. I never got to buy the single, because it was only released in the UK - or so I thought until recently.

Back in 1992, I met a fellow fan who owned a rare copy of 'Hey presto', made in the UK, which didn't contain the 'regular' studio version, but rather a demo version. It couldn't be distinguished from other UK pressings, so this was a really strange appearance. A year later, when we spoke to Colin Vearncombe, he explained that a run of copies was made for export to Australia, and WEA retrieved the demo version from the archives by mistake. I never found a copy of this rare run of pressings myself.

This month, after the tragic passing of Colin Vearncombe, I started looking for holes in my collection. It's one way to cope with the loss, I guess. I noticed that there was a German pressing of 'Hey presto', and there was one copy for sale. I decided to order it. The single arrived in my mailbox earlier today. Upon playing this disc, I discovered that this version, too, contained the demo versions of the A and B-side tracks. And just like on the UK pressings, there is no indication that this disc contains the demo versions instead of the regular studio versions. But you can safely assume that all German pressings are the same, since 'Hey presto' probably only had one run of pressings in Germany. Such a pleasant surprise!

My collection: 7" single no. 5827
Found: Discogs.com, received February 17, 2016
Cost: $5
Tracks: 'Hey presto [demo version]' / 'Stephen [demo version]]

Listen to the song