Nothing compares 2 u - Prince

Since Prince's death in April 2016, his estate has been rather generous in releasing music from his personal vault. Several compilations of his unreleased work were released during the past three years, and this single, released in 2018, also contains a previously unreleased track.

'Nothing compares 2 u' was made famous by Sinéad O'Connor in 1990. This version, recorded by Prince and featuring saxophone by Eric Leeds and backing vocals by Susannah Melvoin and St. Paul Peterson, is actually the weaker of the two. You can't help wondering if this is why Prince never released this recording - and why it was released now. Still, it is a nice peek into the man's work.

My collection: 7" single no. 6256
Found: Amazon.co.uk, received January 31, 2020
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Nothing compares 2 u (edit)' / 'Nothing compares 2 u (full length version)'

Muzika i ti - Tereza Kesovija

Several years after releasing Doći Ćeš Sam - the EP that included a Eurovision cover - Tereza Kesovija made it to the Eurovision stage herself. She represented Yugoslavia during the 1972 edition with 'Muzika i ti' ('Music and you'), a pleasant little song in which Kesovija sings that music and her lover are the two things in which she has found happiness.

At the close of voting, the song had received 87 points, placing 9th in a field of 18 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6255
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Muzika i ti' / 'Prvi cvijet'

Addio, addio - Claudio Villa

'Addio, addio' ('Goodbye, goodbye') was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1962, performed Claudio Villa (born January 1, 1926). With music by Domenico Modugno and lyrics by Franco Migliacci (the same duo had collaborated on Modugno's previous entry 'Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)'), the song is a ballad, in which Villa attempts to deal with the end of a relationship.

At the close of voting, it had received 3 points, placing 9th in a field of 16 competitors. The comparatively high place for a low-scoring song is partly explained by the fact that four entries at this Contest failed to record a point.

In 1967, Villa would return to the Eurovision stage with 'Non andare più lontano'. He died on February 7, 1987.

My collection: 7" single no. 6254
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Addio, addio' / 'Quando il vento d'aprile..'

Dan ljubezni - Pepel in kri

'Dan ljubezni' ('A day of love') was the song entered into the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest by Yugoslavia. It was performend by the band Pepel in kri (credited on TV as 'Ashes and blood'). At the close of voting, it had received 22 points, placing 13th in a field of 19 competitors.

The song calls for a day of love in the whole world that never ends. Little did they know that Yugoslavia would be embroiled in a war that would cost many lives just two decades later.

My collection: 7" single no. 6253
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Dan ljubezni' / 'Tvoj prvi rock 'n roll'

Doći Ćeš Sam - Tereza Kesovija

I haven't suddenly developed an interest in folk music from Yugoslavia, although this single certainly serves up some of the Balkan nation's loudest and most unnerving tracks. The title track, 'Doći Ćeš Sam' isn't very friendly to these Western European ears, but that isn't why I bought this EP anyway.

Track one on side B is called 'Još Mnogo Jače' and is a cover version of 'Bien plus fort', the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966. I was interested to get this one as part of a bigger online order from Serbia. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6252
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Doći Ćeš Sam', 'Tad Podimo' / 'Još Mnogo Jače', 'Madre mia'

Colorado - Xandra

Sandra Reemer renamed herself Xandra for the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, singing 'Colorado'. I already owned the Dutch version of 'Colorado' and the English version of 'Colorado'. So when I saw this single, it was mainly the different sleeve that attracted me. The english version, announced on the sleeve, wasn't new to me, but I loved the sleeve variation, so I quickly decided to pick this single up.

I got home, looked at the singles a little closer, and suddenly I noted the other side of the sleeve, announcing a "deutsch. Version". And so I ended up buying a different version of this Eurovision song without really knowing it!

My collection: 7" single no. 6250
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, January 24, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Colorado (English version)' / 'Colorado (Deutsche Version)'

The freeze - Spandau Ballet

I thought I already owned all Spandau Ballet singles, but somehow this one stayed under my radar until now. 'The freeze' was the band's second single release, peaking at number 17 in the UK singles chart in early 1981. Taken from their debut album 'Journeys to glory', it has a cold, hard sound that was the band's trademark at the time.

The single also features a nice alternative version of the track on the B-side, a trick they would employ a few more times in later singles. I was glad to find a fine UK pressing of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6249
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, January 24, 2020
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'The freeze' / 'The freeze (version)'