Hotel California - Eagles

Although I do own 'Hotel California' on one of those re-release singles from the 'Old Gold' series, it always feels a bit like cheating to just have that. I wasn't exactly inclined to buy the original single, until I saw this Japanese beauty at the record fair. This is the original Japanese single from 1976, and it features a slightly edited version of that classic track: it's 20 seconds shorter than the orginal album version.

It's no wonder that the guitar solo at the end of this track is often quoted as one of the best guitar solos of all time. It takes up the last two minutes of the track (which originally runs at 6½ minutes) and includes some impressive twists and turns. Would such a track still become a hit these days? When hell freezes over, perhaps.

My collection: 7" single no. 6458
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 2 October 2021
Cost: €6
Tracks: 'Hotel California' / 'Pretty maids all in a row'

Here in my heart / Aldri i livet - Finn Kalvik

For the first time in two years, I went to a real record fair this weekend. It was quite great to see a bunch of dealers at the Ahoy in Rotterdam, not in open air (like the minor record fairs in Den Haag of recent months) but in a real hall. There was still a relatively limited amount of international sellers, but the atmosphere was great and it almost felt like old times. I actually scored a few rare items, too.

The first rare item I saw was this single by Norwegian singer Finn Kalvik, who represented his country at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 with 'Aldri i livet'. The single was produced by Benny Andersson from Abba, which makes it a collectors item for certain fans I guess. I was quite shocked by the price on this one - until I saw that the dealer was selling everything at half price! Considering I have been looking for this one for years, it was a great find.

My collection: 7" single no. 6457
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 2 October 2021
Cost: €7,50
Tracks: 'Here in my heart' / 'Aldi i livet'

Oxygene 2 - Jean Michel Jarre

It's time for a much needed break from the Eurovision repertoire on this blog, and it comes in the shape of French synthesizer god Jean Michel Jarre. His single 'Oxygene IV' is probably his best known track. I was quite surprised to find out there was also a single of 'Oxygene 2', another track from his album 'Oxygene'. The tune is very different, but just as arresting. 

The record-buying public seemed less interested at the time: whereas 'Oxygene IV' was a major hit worldwide, this second single only managed to reach number 61 in Australia (and didn't even chart in his native France!). His career was far from over: Jarre continues to release music to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 6456
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 September 2021
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Oxygene 2' / 'Oxygene 6'

A force de prier - Nana Mouskouri

For the longest time I have been searching for a good and cheap copy of 'A force de prier'. I bought the English version, 'The one that got away' for almost nothing 2½ years ago, but finding the original version has been much more difficult. I am glad to say that I finally succeeded, for only slightly more than I wanted to pay for this.

'A force de prier' was Nana Mouskouri's Eurovision entry for Luxembourg back in 1963. According to her: "It was a beautiful song, but when I listened to the other participants, I understood that I would not win". It must have been a disappointment to land on 8th place. It has to be said that the winning song, 'Dansevise' was a true classic, but this song should at least have been in the top 5.

My collection: 7" single no. 6455
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 September 2021
Cost: €6
Tracks: 'A force de prier', 'Ensemble' / 'Laissez-moi pleurer', 'Les yeux pour pleurer'

Ballare stretti - Sergio Dalma

Sergio Dalma represented Spain with 'Bailar pegados' in 1991. By that time, recording songs in other languages had become less fashionable (it was pretty common especially in the Sixties and Seventies), but he decided to record his song in Italian as well. This version was entitled 'Ballare stretti'. 

There are a few releases of this song. The commercially-released version fetches some amazing amounts these days, but this Italian promo, amazingly, was quite cheap. There's also the added bonus of a track by a certain Federico Vassallo on the other side of this single, and it is a nice contrast to the rather downbeat ballad by Sergio.

My collection: 7" single no. 6454
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2021
Cost: €5.50
Tracks: 'Siamo qua' (Federico Vassallo) / 'Ballare stretti' (Sergio Dalma)

Ho sognato te / La danza delle note - Sandie Shaw

When I wrote an entry on 'Wiedehopf im Mai' last month, I already promised that the Italian version of 'Puppet on a string' would follow soon. And indeed it does: I received this single just a few days ago. Incredibly, that Italian version entitled 'La danza delle note' appeared on the flipside of 'Ho sognato te', which is the Italian version of 'Had a dream last night', which was the B-side of 'Puppet on a string' in most territories.

It has to be said that the sleeve of this single is probably the most beautiful one of all the international versions of 'Puppet on a string'. I'm satisfied that I now have all the versions of that song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6453
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2021
Cost: €2.20
Tracks: 'Ho sognato te' / 'La danza delle note'

A la folie ou pas du tout - Christian Lorant

Serge & Christine Ghisoland performed 'A la folie ou pas du tout' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972. Apparently there was some interest in this song in Belgium, because it was actually covered by Christian Lorant almost at the same time.

This Christian Lorant remains a mysterious figure, since he doesn't appear on the sleeve and he only released this one single. Needless to say, this single wasn't a hit and it has become a bit of a curiosity. There are actually more cover versions of the song; these may appear in this blog in the future yet. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6452
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 September 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'A la folie ou pas du tout' / 'Madame'