Escapade - Janet Jackson

There is something special about UK pressed 7" singles, which is why every now and again I do buy some copies of singles I already own, but in their European counterparts. The latest delivery contained a few handfuls of such singles, coupled with a few I didn't already have. This single was one of them.

Of course I already did own a version of Janet Jackson's 'Escapade', but the UK version is notably different because both mixes on this disc do not appear on the other single I have. These mixes were created by Shep Pettibone, and it's interesting that these were preferred over the original single version that was used elsewhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 6048
Found: Discogs.com, received April 17, 2019
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Escapade (We've got it made 7")' / 'Escapade (Housecapade 7")'

Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen - Udo Jürgens

After competing in the Euovision Song Contest 1964 with Warum nur, warum, Udo Jürgens represented his country Austria again the next year. The song 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen' has a strong melody and a rather sad message. Jürgens is telling a friend what to tell a former lover. He explains that the lover must be told that he sends his regards and that he is doing fine, but that his hope that she might come back to him must not be mentioned. He ends, however, with the instruction that 'in spite of that, tell her I love her'.

The song was slightly more successful in the Eurovision jury system: while 'Warum nur, warum' made it to sixth place, this 1965 entry made it to fourth place. It may have contributed to sending Jürgens to the Eurovision stage again in 1966 with 'Merci Cherie', with which he finally won the contest. This French EP features the Eurovision song along with three more German language songs.

My collection: 7" single no. 6042
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen', 'Du darfst nicht geh'n' / 'Frag' nie', 'Ich traum' noch von Jenny'

Goodbye little Colombus - Chris Rea

I have many singles by Chris Rea. The man is a solid songwriter and his singles rarely disappoint. Bewilderingly, there's never been a complete singles collection of the man's output. I once made one myself, but this was in the days before Discogs and Wikipedia, so the 2 CDR set I made was not complete.

Proof of this fact is provided in the form of this single, which I never knew existed. Taken from his self-titled 1982 album, this is actually a promotional version of 'Goodbye little Colombus' from Germany. The back cover states that the song is presented in the TV programme 'Café in Takt' on August 12, 1981. Probably 1982 I'd think....

My collection: 7" single no. 6046
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Goodbye little Colombus' / 'If you choose to go'

Warum nur, warum - Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens made a name for himself in Eurovision history by winning the 1966 edition with 'Merci Chérie'. What many people don't know or seem to forget is that he actually represented Austria in three consecutive editions. He started in 1964 with 'Warum nur, warum'.

In the song, Jürgens wonders why flowers are dying and the object of his affection is ignoring him. The song finished in sixth place in a field of 16 competitors. This French EP features two songs in German and two in English, showing the multilingual qualities of the singer.

My collection: 7" single no. 6040
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Warum nur, warum', 'Beautiful dreamgirl' / 'Kiss me quick', 'Tausend Träume'

Mama - Kim Appleby

Basically I was looking for a UK copy of Kim Appleby's 'Mama' because recently I have acquired UK versions of her other singles as well. When I found this copy I was surprised to find a review stuck to the front cover and a sticker correcting the track listing on the back cover. Turns out this is a promotional copy of this single - and quite an interesting one, too.

While the commercial version of 'Mama' contains the earlier single 'Don't worry' on the B-side, this single contains the acoustic version of 'Mama' on the B-side. It was no problem to part with one euro to get this disc into my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6044
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 20, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Mama' / 'Mama (acoustic version)'

Liberty town - Perfect Day

After the single Jane, Perfect Day released 'Liberty town', a track produced by Ricky Wilde. I managed to find this single during last Saturday's record fair in Utrecht, not long after finding 'Jane' with the same dealer.

Released in January 1989, it fared slightly better than its predecessor, but still didn't manage to get into the UK singles top 40. The band released two more singles before packing it in.

My collection: 7" single no. 6034
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Liberty town' / 'On the right side'

Absolutely immune - Act

Claudia Brücken and Thomas Leer formed Act after Brücken left her previous band Propaganda. 'Absolutely immune' was released as the couple's second single, after the hit single Snobbery and decay. This single didn't reach the chart, unfortunately.

It is a pity that Act broke up after the release of their debut album. Judging from the contents of this single, they could have released much more interesting tracks. 


My collection: 7" single no. 6045
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Absolutely immune' / 'Bloodrush'