Det blir alltid värre framat natten - Björn Skifs

Two months ago, I bought 'When the night comes', the English version of 'Det blir alltid värre framat natten'. It was only a matter of time, of course, until I would get the original Swedish version as well - so here it is.

As you can see, the sleeve is virtually the same as the English version, however this single is made in Sweden and not in Germany like the other one. I ordered this single along with a few others from Norway.

My collection: 7" single no. 6241
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Det blir alltid värre framat natten' / 'Part time love'

Dag efter dag - Chips

I already owned 'Day after day', the English version of this single, but as a Eurovision collector it was worth picking up the original Swedish version of the single as well. This single presents the original Swedish version 'Dag efter dag' along with a B-side called 'Här kommer solen' ('Here comes the sun'), which is not, as you might expect, a cover of the Beatles song.

Chips was founded by Kikki Danielsson and Lasse Holm in 1979.In 1980 they released their self-titled debut album, followed by 'Having a party' in 1982. This album included the two versions of 'Dag efter dag': in English and in Swedish. That album sold over 100.000 copies in Sweden. They toured the northern parts of Europe and had a successful 1982. However, the group split in 1983, due to limited success outside Sweden and Norway, and also because both members had solo careers.

My collection: 7" single no. 6239
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dag efter dag' / 'Här kommer solen'

I wanna change the score - Nik Kershaw & Tony Banks

Tony Banks is best known as founding member of the rock band Genesis. However, he is also a prolific solo artist, releasing six solo albums that range through progressive rock, pop, and classical music.

In 1991, he released his third solo album called 'Still'. On the album he collaborated with Fish from Marillion on one track, and with Nik Kershaw on two tracks. The song 'I wanna change the score' was released as a single from the album. Despite a fairly heavy promotional effort by Giant Records, the album and the single failed to sell well.

My collection: 7" single no.  6238
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'I wanna change the score' / 'Hero for an hour'

Arabesque / Orphans - Coldplay

Released on October 24, 2019, 'Arabesque' and 'Orphans' are two tracks from Coldplay's eighth studio album 'Everyday life', released a month later. The album was divided in a 'sunrise' and 'sunset' part, and the single follows that pattern: 'Arabesque' is taken from the former and 'Orphans' from the latter.

The single wasn't the big hit that it might have been suspected to be: it only peaked at number 27 in the UK singles chart. It is a result, perhaps, of being labelled 'uncool' by many over recent years. Which is odd, because at the beginning of this century Coldplay was deemed to be the best invention since sliced bread. So you see, celebrity is a fleeting thing. Well, at least the band still knows how to make great music.

My collection: 7" single no. 6237
Found: Amazon.co.uk, received January 21, 2020
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Arabesque' / 'Orphans'

Infernal machines - The Divine Comedy

Although I am a big Divine Comedy fan, I wasn't entirely convinced by their latest album, 'Office politics'. The idea of creating a themed album did appeal to me, but I haven't yet been able to get through the entire album. It isn't exactly easy listening.

Buying this single was a given, of course. And thankfully it contains two of the better tracks from the album: 'Infernal machines' (with a certain Depeche Mode vibe) and 'You'll never work in this town again', with all its "real instruments".

I have almost all of the Divine Comedy 7" singles, so this was a worthy addition. Now if I could only find the last few that I miss....

My collection: 7" single no. 6236
Found: Amazon.co.uk, received January 21, 2020
Cost: 6 pounds
Tracks: 'Infernal machines' / 'You'll never work in this town again'

Dreamland - Pet Shop Boys

The world would be a better place if there were more magazines like the German Musikexpress, which regularly offers a free 7" single with their monthly issues. After having bought their recent issue featuring the amazing single 'My computer' by Prince and Kate Bush, they managed to improve on that by including a Pet Shop Boys single with their current issue.

'Dreamland' was the first single from their album 'Hotspot', which is released this week. Since then we've had the single 'Burning the heather', which was released on 7" vinyl, but 'Dreamland' wasn't, until now. This exclusive 7" single features a live track on the B-side; a medley of 'Always on my mind' and 'The pop kids'. And it's pressed on blue vinyl, too! Even if you can't read German, you will buy this magazine if you collect Pet Shop Boys singles. Which probably is the point of all this, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 6235
Found: Musikexpress (Germany), received January 18, 2020
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Dreamland' / 'Always on my mind/The pop kids (live)'

J'veux d'la tendresse - Elton John

I don't know if many people know that Elton John recorded a French song. 'J'veux d'la tendresse' was written by Jean-Paul Dréau and released by the female singer Janic Prevost in 1980. While on holiday in St. Tropez, Elton heard the song and asked his lyricist Gary Osborne to write English lyrics to the melody. That song became 'Nobody wins'.

However, Elton also recorded the song with the original French lyrics. I didn't know this myself until it recently popped up during a search in the database of the same dealer that sent me 'Rock and roll crazy'. It's always better to buy more than one single if you're paying for postage anyway, so I did. And I do think this version is better than the English one.

My collection: 7" single no. 6234
Found: Discogs.com, received January 8, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'J'veux d'la tendresse' / 'Fools in fashion'