Keep me warm - Carita

I have acquired many Eurovision Song Contest singles through the years, especially in the last few years. The more I have collected, the more obscure the new additions get. I'd never seen the 1974 entry from Finland before last Saturday - and now I saw this single with two different dealers during the Utrecht record fair. I bought this single the first time I saw it, which is just as well since the other dealer asked two more euros for it.

Carita Elisabeth Holmström was born on February 10, 1954 in Helsinki. She represented Finland with the song 'Keep me warm'. She finished in 13th place in a field of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6043
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Keep me warm' / 'Shadow on the wall'

Revolutions - Jean Michel Jarre

'Revolutions' was the ninth studio album by French synth wizard and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, first released in August 1988. The album spans several genres, including symphonic industrial, Arabian inspired, light guitar pop and ethnic electro jazz. The album reached number number 2 in the UK charts, Jarre's best chart position since 'Oxygène'. The majority of the album was played with a Roland D-50 synthesizer, with the majority of sound programming gathered from custom sound banks, compiled into a single bank and later released for French Keyboards magazine

This single presents an edited version of the album's title track, backed with the entire 'part 2' of 'Industrial revolution' as it appears on the album. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6047
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Revolutions' / 'Industrial revolution: part 2'

Pomme pomme pomme - Monique Melsen

Luxembourg is a small country, which is why it is allowed to attract artists from other countries to represent it during the Eurovision Song Contest. In the history of the Contest, only eight native Luxembourgians have represented their own country. One of them was Monique Melsen, born on February 24, 1951 in Ettelbruck.

In 1971 she sang 'Pomme pomme pomme' ('Apple apple apple'), a song about eating an apple. Yes, this is how simple a song can be. Doing so reminds her that it is spring, which causes her to wonder if she will find love during that season, or whether she will only find 'the snake'. The song finished on 13th place, in a field of 18 contestants.

My collection: 7" single no. 6041
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Pomme pomme pomme' / 'Fa fa fa'

Make it with you - Bread

Hard to believe, but the Bread song 'Make it with you' was recorded by only two people: Mike Botts (drums) and David Gates (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass & strings). Gates also wrote the song. It was released in June 1970 and became their first top 10 hit in the USA, peaking at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The single also did well in the UK (where it peaked at number 5), Canada (number 2), New Zealand (number 6) and Australia (number 7). In France, where the single I bought was made, it didn't chart at all.

My collection: 7" single no. 6036
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Make it with you' / 'Why do you keep me waiting'

Shake - Andrew Ridgeley

As one half of the duo Wham!, Andrew Ridgeley has been much maligned after he and George Michael went their separate ways. It was often said that he didn't bring much more to the duo than his looks. History has shown that there was more to the story than that - without Andrew, George might never have become the pop star he became.

When you listen to this single, you may understand where all the criticism came from. 'Shake' really isn't a very good song and Andrew's vocals sound too lightweight for what should sound like a rough, tough track. I bought the single out of curiosity, although I did vaguely remember what it sounded like - but the poster sleeve was too nice to resist.

My collection: 7" single no. 6039
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Shake' / 'Hangin''

Un día, un niño - Frida Boccara

One of the most beautiful Eurovision melodies of the Sixties must surely be 'Un jour, un enfant' by Frida Boccara. She was one of four winners in the 1969 edition, together with the Spanish, Dutch and UK entries.

Boccara recorded the beautiful ballad in five languages: the original French version, English, German, Italian - and this Spanish version. It is not easy to find these versions for a reasonable price, so I was happy to snap up this Spanish single for the tiny amount of 1 euro.

My collection: 7" single no. 6037
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Un día, un niño' / 'Bella de dia'

Jane - Perfect Day

In the mid-Eighties, Perfect Day was formed by Mark Jones (vocals), Kevin Howard (guitar), Andy Wood (bass) and Mark Stott (drums). After recording a demo they were picked up by London Records in 1987. They released their debut single 'Jane'  in the summer of 1988. The track was produced by Christopher Neil, with additional production and remix by Ricky Wilde. This is, of course, why I became interested in this particular release.

The single was not a chart success, but the band did manage to get a small fan following quite quickly. A fanclub was even formed before they ever made a chart appearance, which is an interesting feat for any band.

My collection: 7" single no. 6035
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Jane' / 'Preying on my mind'