Downtown - Lloyd Cole

It is very possible that Lloyd Cole is one of Britain's best songwriters, but he is also largely ignored. His first four solo albums made the album top 40 in the UK, but after that (from 2000 onwards) they didn't make a dent anymore, except in Sweden where two of his albums made the top 20.

'Downtown' comes from his first solo outing, and was released as its third single. It didn't chart, despite its catchy hook. I bought that solo album some time ago and when I saw this single I decided to pick it up. I think Lloyd Cole needs more recognition.

My collection: 7" single no. 6168
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 21, 2019
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Downtown' / 'A long way down (live)'

Miss me blind - Culture Club

'Miss me blind' was released as the third single from Culture Club's album 'Colour by numbers'in the USA, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in spring 1984. This gave the band its sixth consecutive top 10 hit, as well as its final top 10 hit there to date.

This single is the French pressing. For some reason, the single was not released in the UK, but it reached number 28 in France and number 32 in Italy - which says something about the popularity of this track in this part of the world. It is a nice single, though, and I was glad to add this to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6167
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 21, 2019
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Miss me blind' / 'Colour by numbers'

Hit me with your rhythm stick '91 (The Flying remix) - Ian Dury & the Blockheads

Usually I know what I am buying, but I like to experiment a little from time to time as well. In the case of this single, I'd never heard this remix of the classic 'Hit me with your rhythm stick'. I already owned the Paul Hardcastle version from 1984, but I'd never heard of this 1991 version until I found it online recently. I decided to buy this single.

It is an interesting enough remix, but I think it's a shame that it omits one of the best sax solos ever. Fortunately, the original version can be found on the B-side, so the record-buying public at the time still had a chance to hear it.

My collection: 7" single no. 6166
Found: Discogs.com, received September 20, 2019
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Hit me with your rhythm stick '91 (The Flying remix)' / 'Hit me with your rhythm stick (original version)'

My computer - Prince feat. Kate Bush

In November 1996, Prince released 'Emancipation', a massive three disc set of 36 songs. The single 'Betcha by golly wow', a cover of the Stylistics song, was the album's only big hit, but there were a few more interesting tracks on the album.

One of them was 'My computer', a song that was a collaboration with Kate Bush. Its lyrics examined the burgeoning online dating scene and its implications on how romantic relationships can develop in the internet age. What's interesting is that Kate can hardly be heard on this track. Some reports say that she sings backing vocals from 0'29 onwards, but who can tell? Still, this single, released with the October 2019 issue of the German magazine Musikexpress, belongs in my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6164
Found: Musikexpress (Germany), received September 18, 2019
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'My computer' / 'Shhh (x-cerpt)'

Se a vida é - Pet Shop Boys

When the Pet Shop Boys released 'Bilingual' in 1996, there were suspicions that their holidays in Spanish speaking countries had gotten the best of them. There were quite a few Spanish expressions on the album, most visibly on the song 'Se a vida é', which was released as the album's second single. It reached number 8 in the UK singles chart.

On the B-side of this jukebox-only 7" single there's the single mix of the previous single, 'Before'. Released on April 22, 1996 it reached number 7 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 6163
Found: Discogs.com, received September 17, 2109
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Se a vida é' / 'Before (single mix)'

Paninaro '95 - Pet Shop Boys

For a long time, I believed the Pet Shop Boys didn't release a vinyl single in the 1990's after Liberation, but it turns out I was wrong. A recent discovery on Discogs was the release of a handful 7" singles from that era, although they were only produced for the apparently lively jukebox circuit.

'Paninaro '95' was released to promote the B-side compilation 'Alternative'. It was a re-recording of a song that originally appeared on the B-side of the single Suburbia. The new recording included a rap in the middle of the song, newly written by Chris Lowe; it laments the loss of the "lover" referred to in the pre-existing lyrics. The written lyrics in the final are also changed to "were" rather than "are" in referring to the lost love.

My collection: 7" single no. 6162
Found: Discogs.com, received September 17, 2019
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Paninaro '95' / 'In the night'

West end girls '86 - Pet Shop Boys

The Pet Shop Boys became famous with their 1985 single 'West end girls', but the song was actually recorded before the version that made them famous. That version was produced by Bobby Orlando, and released in 1984. And of course I have that single, I bought it back in 1986.

But this single is a different beast: while the Pet Shop Boys were riding high in the charts with their first handful of singles and their debut album, ZYX Records decided to release a 'remix' of the original version of 'West end girls'. The track was remixed by Tess at Hurricane Studio Munich, and that probably tells you all you need to know. It's the sound of a record company trying to make money off a product that probably shouldn't have been made at all. Although I have to say that I do like this version.... actually.

My collection: 7" single no. 6161
Found: Ebay.com, received September 13, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'West end girls (remix '86)' / 'Theme for the Pet Shop Boys'