More than words can say - Mel & Kim

Mel & Kim are best known for their four singles released in 1987 and 1988, from Showing out to That's the way it is. It may come as a surprise that another single saw the light of day in 1989. It was this one, 'More than words can say', a track taken from their debut (and only) album. It was released in Scandinavia to support the release of 'Something Special', an album that was also released in only a few countries. 'Something Special' brought together a selection of remixes, and this single was apparently released to promote that compilation album.

I didn't know all this until a few years ago, but the single, rare as it is, is pretty hard to find. I was pleasantly surprised recently when a copy popped up in the collection of a Danish seller on Discogs.com, so I snapped it up immediately (along with a few other singles).

My collection: 7" single no. 5916
Found: Discogs.com, received August 16, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'More than words can say' / 'You changed my life'

N'oublie pas - Mylene Farmer & LP

For the first time in a long time, Mylene Farmer has released a single on the 7" vinyl format. I thought the last one was Que mon coeur lâche, but to my dismay I just found out that her 2013 single 'Je te dis tout' was also released on 7" vinyl - as a limited edition picture disc.

Anyway, the new single 'N'oublie pas' was released last Friday on CD-single and 7" vinyl. It is a decent song, and a duet with a certain LP. I'd never heard of her. Full name: Laura Pergolizzi, an American singer from Italian descent with a less than pleasant voice. The single was a no. 1 hit in France upon its release, of course, because Mylene Farmer hasn't stopped being a superstar over there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5915
Found: Fnac.com, received August 14, 2018
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'N'oublie pas' / 'N'oublie pas (instrumental)'

Sister paradise - Time Bandits

'Sister paradise' was the Time Bandits' second single, but it wasn't as successful as their debut single, 'Live it up'. The 12" single, shown here, featured the full length version of the track, which was also found on their debut album, released some time after this single. It does sound a lot like an extended remix, with the instrumental part in the second half of the track.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received August 11, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Sister paradise' / 'Cues part 2'

Burn it up (Mr. DJ) - Risqué

Valapucci (real name: Mike Wilkinson) was the head of programming and president of 'Disconet', which was a remix service for DJ's in America. He created the remix of 'Burn it up (Mr. DJ)' that was released on this 12" single. The remix was originally found on Disconet volume 6 program 2, but apparently Polydor (Risqué's record company) was so impressed with it, they released it as a 12" single in its own right.

Next to the original extended version of 7 minutes, this 12" single also features a vocal and dub version, also created by Valapucci. And it has to be said: this remix improves on the original track quite a bit.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received August 11, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Burn it up (Mr. DJ) (Club mix)' / 'Burn it up (Mr. DJ) (Vocal)', 'Burn it up (Mr. DJ) (dub)'

Wildfire - Time Bandits

Here's another American 12" single from the Time Bandits. You can't say that the record company didn't try: this release is from 1988, when the band was all but finished in the Netherlands. 'Wildfire' didn't make the Dutch Top 40 when it was released in 1987, and no further singles made it into the charts.

'Wildfire' was produced by Dan Hartman, and the remixes on this disc were made by John Potoker. Perhaps this is why Columbia felt that this single would be successful in the USA - but it wasn't. Still, I quite like these remixes.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received August 16, 2017
Cost: $4
Tracks: 'Wildfire (extended)' / 'Wildfire (dub)', 'Wildfire (instrumental)'

Dancing on a string - Time Bandits

Not one, but two different extended remixes exist of Time Bandits' 1986 single 'Dancing on a string'. The 12" single I featured last year had a remix by Ben Liebrand, a big name in the remix world, but this one, created for the American market and released by Columbia in the USA, features a slightly shorter extended remix by Michael Brauer.

One has to wonder whether it is the same Michael Brauer who got so much acclaim recently for his work with Coldplay - but this remix, being 30 years old, could be from a namesake. Fact is, I just don't know.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 August 2017
Cost: $4
Tracks: 'Dancing on a string (extended version)' / 'Dancing on a string (single version)', 'Dancing on a string (dub version)'

Crystal wave - Beloved

A 8'54 version of 'Crystal wave' appears on the Beloved's 1996 album 'X', but this 12" single, released that same year, features a longer version. Adding a further three minutes or so, it resembles the album version but adds more beats and sounds. It is a rather anonymous dance track with no vocals or lyrics. Despite this 'hard' sound, I do like the track but I could understand if anyone didn't. After all, this is the kind of stuff that is played (loudly) in clubs and usually combined with a heavy dose of pills or other weird drugs. Usually I'm not into this kind of stuff, but I just can't resist any Beloved track.

The other side of this 12" is empty. So you only get one track, but at least it's a long one.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received August 2016
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Crystal wave'