Military drums - Hubert Kah

'Erstauflage in rotem vinyl' declares the sleeve of this single, meaning that red vinyl is what you get. And that is of course a great incentive for buying a single. In this case, it was my main incentive because I didn't know the song. I did know, however, that Hubert Kah collaborated with Michael Cretu and Sandra at the time, and that meant that this single would probably be German pop at its best.

And indeed it is. 'Military drums' delivers quickly, and the production is typically Michael Cretu mid-'80s style. No real surprises, then, but a pleasant piece of pop nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 5809
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 8, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Military drums' / 'Explain the world in a word'

Listen to the song

De mono-kini - De Strangers

There have been a few earlier entries about the Belgian band De Strangers, as they have a repertoire partly consisting of covers of Eurovision songs. These covers are interesting because they are so different from the original.

'De mono-kini' is a version of '9 to 5', originally performed by Dolly Parton. But I really bought this single for the B-side.'Mor ni me den deze' - recorded in their local Antwerp dialect as usual - is a version of Bucks Fizz's 'Making your mind up'. I wish I could tell you what the lyric is about, but there is no way of knowing for someone who cannot understand that dialect. The fact that I found this single at a local flea market makes it interesting: how does a Belgian single like this end up near The Hague?

My collection: 7" single no. 5812
Found: Flea market, Voorburg, April 16, 2017
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'De mono-kini (9 to 5)' / 'Mor ni me den deze (Making your mind up)'

Listen to the song

We'll live it all again - Al Bano & Romina Power

Those Spanish singles can be treacherous sometimes. When you buy a single like this, with the title 'Viviremos todo de nuevo' prominently on the front sleeve and on the label, you'd think there was a Spanish version of this 1976 Eurovision song. Even Wikipedia fell for it. But nothing could be further from the truth: this single simply features the English/Italian version as sung during the festival, as you can hear below.

Al Bano and Romina Power reached 7th place in a field of 18 competitors in 1976, making it a quite successful entry for Italy. They would actually return in 1985 with Magic oh Magic.

My collection: 7" single no. 5817
Found: Discogs.com, received April 25, 2017
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'We'll live it all again' / 'Na na na'

Listen to the song

Love gives - Hoffmann & Hoffmann

Hoffmann & Hoffmann represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983 with Rücksicht. The duo also recorded their song in English, as you can see here. The single appeared in record fairs and online for handsome prices, so I was suitably amused when I found this copy for half a euro at a local flea market.

While his brother committed suicide in 1984, Michael Hoffmann continued in music and worked as a producer and composer for other artists, including Eurovision veterans Gitte Haenning, Wencke Myhre and Nicole throughout the Eighties. Afterwards he focused mainly on making spiritual and meditative music.

My collection: 7" single no. 5811
Found: Flea market, Voorburg, April 16, 2017
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Love gives' / 'I need you now'

Listen to the song

Gwendolyne - Rosy Armen

One of the most beautiful Spanish entries for the Eurovision Song Contest was Julio Iglesias' 1970 song 'Gwendolyne'. I didn't know that the song was actually covered, but stumbled upon this single during a bit of online shopping, much to my delight.

Rosy Armen was born on May 1, 1939 in Paris (France) to an Armenian couple. She became popular as a singer of French, Spanish, German and Armenian songs at the end of the Sixties. She released her version of 'Gwendolyne' within months of Julio Iglesias's original.

My collection: 7" single no. 5816
Found: Discogs.com, received April 25, 2017
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Gwendolyne' / 'Pasternak'

Listen to the song

By the time I get to Phoenix - Marty Wilde

Jimmy Webb wrote 'By the time I get to Phoenix'. It was originally recorded in 1965 by Johnny Rivers. Two years later, it was covered by country singer Glen Campbell, who had a hit with it Stateside.

Marty Wilde recorded his version in 1968. The song was not a hit for him, but it should have been. Around the same time, he recorded his classic album 'Diversions'. Some success was looming in Europe with 'Abergavenny', a single taken from that album. Both were criminally ignored in the UK, but since Marty received an MBE yesterday, I guess all is forgiven now.

My collection: 7" single no. 5820
Found: Discogs.com, received May 6, 2017
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'By the time I get to Phoenix' / 'Shutters and boards'

Listen to the song

Poison - M. Walking on the water

The German band M. Walking on the water was founded in 1985 in Krefeld by Marcus Maria Jansen, Mike Pelzer, Jürgen Jähnke and Krystian Lembke. They released their debut self-titled album in 1988. Two years later they signed with Polydor and released their first album on a major label.

'Elysian' was released in 1991, and this single, 'Poison', was taken from that album. The real reason for me to buy this single was the B-side: a cover version of Black's immortal 'Wonderful life'.

My collection: 7" single no.5790
Found: Discogs.com
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Poison' / 'Wonderful life'

Listen to the song