King of fools - Perfect day

Having bought 'Jane' and 'Liberty town' in April, I followed up last month with the acquisition of 'King of fools', another single by Perfect Day. As with the previous two, the involvement of Ricky Wilde made me want to check this one out: the B-side 'Step out' is produced by him and contains some of the hallmarks that makes Kim Wilde's music so glorious.

This single was released in a special gatefold sleeve, probably in an attempt by the record company to make this a more attractive package. Unfortunately this didn't help: this was to be the band's final release.

My collection: 7" single no. 6066
Found: Discogs.com, received May 10, 2019
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'King of fools' / 'Step out'

I love Paris / Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu) - The 'Go' Sound of the Kirby Stone Four

Domenico Modugno's 'Nel blu dipinto di blue' - better known as 'Volare' is one of the Eurovision Song Contest's best known songs ever, and it has been covered by many different artists including David Bowie and the Gypsy Kings. Collecting all those cover versions is not something I will attempt, but whenever I see a cheap one, I won't leave it behind.

And so I picked up this single by the Kirby Stone Four, apparently made in the Netherlands or Belgium. It wasn't even listed on Discogs.com yet, so that makes it rarer than most singles. As for this version, you will probably enjoy it. It's quite amazing to hear this kind of music sixty years after its original release.

My collection: 7" single no. 6097
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'I love Paris' / 'Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)'

Se piangi, se ridi - Bobby Solo

Collecting Eurovision singles is a confusing business, especially when there are so many different releases of the same song in different territories. I didn't realise that I already had this song on an EP I bought two years ago when I found this one.

So this is the Dutch release of 'Se piangi, se ridi', the song that represented Italy during the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Bobby Solo. This single presents two songs, as opposed to the Festival San Remo 65 EP that I bought in 2017.

My collection: 7" single no. 6095
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, March 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Se piangi, se ridi' / 'Saro' un illuso'

Call of the wild - Midge Ure

I didn't just find Midge Ure's 'Dear God' on clear vinyl recently, but also his lesser known single 'Call of the wild'. For the longest time I believed I already had this one, but that was a mistake.

'Call of the wild' was released in 1986, after three singles taken from his debut solo album 'The gift'. Despite the fact that it was a new song, it didn't quite deliver in terms of chart success: it only reached number 27 in the UK singles chart. As a result, the song did not appear on Ure's next album, 'Answers to nothing'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6092
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Call of the wild' / 'When the winds blow (live at Wembley Arena, 23 December 1985)'

Chiquitita - Nana Mouskouri

Having bought my first ever Nana Mouskouri single in February ('The one that got away') it looks like 2019 might be her year - at least in my record collection. 'A force de prier' - the original version of 'The one that got away' - is one that I will probably get before the end of this year, and here is her cover version of that immortal Abba song, 'Chiquitita'.

Nana Mouskouri recorded this song in 1984, with French lyrics by French musical theatre lyricist  Alain Boublil. The single was taken from the album 'La Dame De Coeur', also released in 1984.

My collection: 7" single no. 6094
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Chiquitita (Dis-moi pourquoi)' / 'La fin du voyage'

Erasure-ish - Björn Again

When Erasure released their Abba-esque EP, it was almost a given that Björn Again, one of several Abba cover bands, would come up with the idea of covering Erasure songs. And sure they did. 'Erasure-ish' was released in 1992 and reached number 25 in the UK singles chart.

Björn Again was created in 1988 in Melbourne, Australia by Rod Stephen and John Tyrrell. After the first Björn Again show at a pub in the inner Melbourne suburb of Collingwood called The Tote Hotel on May 6, 1989 the show's popularity increased quickly, which first took the group Australia-wide and then overseas to international acclaim. Original members for the first six years of the band included Gavin Charles (Bjorn), Janette Stuart (Agnetha), Dorina Morelli (Frida) and Peter Ryan (Benny). Both Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have lauded Björn Again a number of times over the years, and after Abba's former members made their intentions known that they were not going to perform together any longer, Andersson was quoted as saying in 1999, 'Björn Again are the closest you can get to seeing Abba. Abba will never reform!'

My collection: 7" single no. 6093
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'A little respect' / 'Stop!'

Hit me with your rhythm stick (Paul Hardcastle remix) - Ian Dury

During the Seventies I was already watching Toppop, thanks to my older brother and sister. They had their own interpretations on what the 'rhythm stick' that was mentioned in this song was, and as an impressionable youngster I immediately got the joke myself. The song has remained a fun 'double entendre' ever since.

Paul Hardcastle remixed the track in 1984, giving the song a well-deserved second outing. The remixed version peaked at number 55 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 6088
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, May 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Hit me with your rhythm stick (Paul Hardcastle remix)' / 'Sex & drugs & Rock & Roll (Paul Hardcastle remix)'