Them heavy people - Ray Shell

It should be no surprise that I love Kate Bush's music, just look at my collection of Kate Bush records on this blog. I also like cover versions, so any cover version of Kate Bush songs will catch my attention. The problem is: some are good, others can be very bad.

I'm not really sure in which category Ray Shell's disco version of 'Them heavy people' should belong. It's innocent fun, but could also be considered sacrilege. It's quite weird to sing about whirling dervishes on the disco handclap beat in this track. But for some reason, it does tickle me in a pleasant way. The fact that I've searched for this single a long time (it is usually much too expensive) makes the relief that I finally own it now that much bigger.

My collection: 7" single no. 5995
Found: Discogs.com, received February 5, 2019
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Them heavy people' / 'Them heavy people (version)'

Respectable - Mel & Kim

When I bought the Japanese single of 'Showing out', the same online dealer also offered the Japanese single of 'Respectable'. And these are the only two 7" singles from Mel & Kim ever released in Japan, so that makes a complete collection in this case.

Interesting on this release is the mention of the 'dub mix' on the B-side. It is actually the very same track that is listed as 'instrumental' on the European releases of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 5988
Found: Ebay.co.uk, received January 29, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Respectable' / 'Respectable (dub mix)'

Showing out (Get fresh at the weekend) - Mel & Kim

This single has been featured on this blog a few times before, both as a 7" single and as a 12" single (oh, and another 12" single). This Japanese 7" single is an interesting one, because it features the album version of 'Showing out', whereas the European versions had an edited single version.

Japanese singles are always interesting, of course, because the Japanese make a special package of every single: a record company sleeve with the disc in it comes with a special inlay that often features the song lyrics in English and Japanese and sometimes an extra photograph - and then there's the picture front which in this case is different from the European ones. The fact that I got this single for a low price also helped, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 5987
Found: Ebay.co.uk, received January 29, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Showing out (Get fresh at the weekend)' / 'System (House mix)'

Love is - Vikki

I have very few 12" singles of Eurovision entries. Not that many have been made, an some of the ones that have been made are overly expensive. But every once in a while I come across one for a reasonable price - and then of course I have to have it. Especially since the remixes on such 12" singles are very rare, because they have rarely been released on CD in later years.

A good example is my most recent acquisition: Vikki represented the UK with 'Love is' in 1985. The 12" single features a special remix. Clocking in at 4 minutes and 23 seconds, it's not very much longer than the original verison but still a different take on this slightly cheesy song.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received January 29, 2019
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Love is (special remix)' / 'Lead me through the darkness'

Two hearts beat as one - U2

U2 is an undeniably popular band, and so I am surprised that somehow I always get hold of these double packs. The unforgettable fire was produced in large quantities, but Pride (In the name of love) was a rather more limited edition, and this 'Two hearts beat as one' double pack is probably even rarer.

I'm not really a U2 fan, but I love limited editions like this and a remix of 'New years day' was just too delicious to pass up on. It's one of my favourite U2 tracks, and the intro of this remix is beautiful. The US remixes were created by François Kevorkian. 'Two hearts beat as one'  reached number 18 in the UK singles chart and number 2 in Ireland.

Tracks: 'Two hearts beat as one' / 'Endless deep' // 'New years day (US remix)' / 'Two hearts beat as one (US remix)'

Here it comes again - Black

So this is an odd one. I ordered this promotional 7" single because it only had one side - the B-side was reportedly empty. And indeed, although it looks like this side can be played, the only sound on side B is the sound of silence.

On the A-side this single features 'Here it comes again', the second single from Black's 1991 album. But while the commercially available 7" contains the album version of that track, this promotional 7" single features a remix! I knew this remix from a promotional cd-single released in the USA at the time - but this single was made in England! How very confusing. Why would the record company promote a remixed version of a track when it isn't available commercially? Answers on a postcard please...

My collection: 7" single no. 5986
Found: Ebay, received January 29, 2019
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Here it comes again [remix]'

Horsell Common and the Heat Ray - Jeff Wayne

I didn't know this single existed. It was released in 1981, when Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' album was edited into a single LP and released as 'Highlights from The War of the Worlds'. The single featured an edited version of 'Horsell Common and the Heat Ray', with an extra sprinkling of 'Ulla's here and there.

Oddly enough, this is an instrumental track and anyone could have foreseen that this wouldn't be a hit. But perhaps record company executives were more optimistic back then, I don't know. It is a nice addition to my ever growing collection of 'War of the Worlds' singles anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 5986
Found: Vinyl Tap, received February 1, 2019
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Horsell Common and the Heat Ray' / 'Dead London'