Belly dance - Amina

Before Amina represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991, she already had a little career of her own. The album 'Yalil' was released in 1989, and featured the single 'Belly dance'. The single was remixed by Paul Oakenfold, who was already a big name in dance circles.

After Eurovision, Amina released one more album in 1992 before disappearing from the scene, only to reappear with another album in 1999. Her success remained limited to France.

My collection: 7" single no. 5928
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Belly dance (Oakenfold edit)' / 'Belly dance'

Always something there to remind me - Naked Eyes

Record companies can be strange, especially when different strategies are employed in different territories. In the UK, EMI released Naked Eyes' 'Always something there to remind me' in a perfectly great picture sleeve featuring a photograph of the band, but somehow EMI in Germany decided to use the same design while omitting the photograph. I thought the difference was weird enough to make me want to have this version as well.

Of course, the songs remain the same, so this is mainly an opportunity for me to repost the tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 5927
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Always something there to remind me' / 'Pit stop'

Dallas - Frank Barber Orchestra

Regular readers of this blog will know that I already posted a version of the 'Dallas' theme two years ago, in a version by the Bobby Patrick Band and the original version by Jerrold Immel. The single here also claims to contain the original version, and despite being quite sure that it wasn't, I was still curious enough to buy this piece.

Sure enough, this single has a decent version of the 'Dallas' theme, but not the original. The B-side features a version of the theme from 'Knots Landing', a 'Dallas' spinoff that I never had the chance to see myself. Perhaps if it is released on DVD someday.

My collection: 7" single no. 5926
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dallas' / 'Knots Landing'

The two of us - Earth & Fire

Released in April 1983, 'The two of us' was the last single by Earth & Fire to reach the Dutch Top 40. The band had a lot of hits since 1970, but by 1983, their time was up. They only reached number 32 with this single, and not long after this, they broke up.

There was a brief reunion before the end of the decade, with the single French word for love as a result, but that reunion was short-lived. Later on, singer and frontwoman Jerney Kaagman made a career out of being a jury at inane television talent shows like 'Idols'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5925
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'The two of us' / 'Love is to give away'

Built for the future - The Fixx

For many years, the Fixx was the band that gave me Stand or fall and Red skies, two singles that ended up in my collection very quickly. Other releases ended up in here years later, and didn't achieve quite that mythical status.

I did become familiar with their album 'Walkabout' when my sister bought it on CD near the end of the Eighties, and the single Secret separation already ended up in my collection nine years ago. This one, 'Built for the future', followed recently. Arguably, the B-side track, 'Camphor', also from the album, is even better.

My collection: 7" single no. 5924
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Built for the future' / 'Camphor'

The world keeps turning - Heddy Lester

Heddy Lester represented the Netherlands with the song 'De Mallemolen', with a fairly depressing lyric. I wrote about that nine years ago. I didn't know back then, that there was also an English version of the song. It seems to have a more positive stance: even the title is 'The world keeps turning', which seems to offer a glimmer of hope.

Heddy recorded her song in four different languages: in Dutch, English, German and France. The latter two are very hard to come by, but who knows... as long as the world keeps turning there might be a chance for those to turn up in my collection and on this blog.

My collection: 7" single no. 5923
Found: Discogs.com, received August 28, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'The world keeps turning' / 'Never saw him laughing'

A ave e a infancia - Marie Myriam

'A ave a infancia' is the Portuguese version of 'L'oiseau et l'enfant', the song that won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977. I ordered a few singles from Portugal recently and this one came up as well, so I thought I might as well take it. I've always had a soft spot for Eurovision songs by the original artists in a different language.

French singer Marie Myriam is actually of Portuguese descent, so her pronunciation of this version is probably spot on. She also recorded the song in English, German and Spanish. I'm still looking for those singles...

My collection: 7" single no. 5922
Found: Discogs.com, received August 28, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'A ave e a infancia' / 'On garde toujours'