Arcade - Duncan Laurence

Two weeks ago it was Black Friday, and for some reason this prompted various record companies to release limited edition records on vinyl. My recent purchase of 'No time to die' was one of them, and this 10" single is another one. 

This disc presents four different versions of Duncan Laurence's triumphant Eurovision song 'Arcade' - the one that gave him victory two years ago. Besides the two versions already on the 7" single, this disc presents a duet version with a certain Fletcher (no, I'd never heard of her either, but it appears she is an American singer/songwriter) and a remix by Sam Feldt (who the hell...?). 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Tracks: 'Arcade', 'Arcade (acoustic version)' / 'Arcade (feat. Fletcher)', 'Arcade (Sam Feldt remix)'

Heimcomputer - Kraftwerk

The story of this single is an interesting one. It was released as a bonus disc with the June 2021 issue of Musikexpress, a German magazine. I discovered this in August and decided to order the magazine from their official website. Within a week I received a letter with a note, thanking me for my order. I e-mailed them, saying that I'd like to get the magazine itself too... No reply. Another e-mail in October got replied to: they would resend the magazine. Nothing happened. Last week I decided to send another e-mail. Two days ago I got the answer: they would resend the magazine.

Imagine my surprise when I actually found it in my mailbox today! Well, I'm happy that it finally worked. And the single itself is a beauty: pressed on yellow vinyl, and with just one track - the B-side is empty. I would think this will be a collector's item in due time.

My collection: 7" single no. 6564
Found: Musikexpress website, received 8 December 2021
Cost: €10 (with magazine)
Tracks: 'Heimcomputer'

Hope in a hopeless world - Paul Young

Released in 1993, 'Hope in a hopeless world' was, for a change, not a cover version but an original song performed by Paul Young. The track was taken from his album 'The Crossing', after the lead singer 'Now I know what made Otis blue'. While that single was a reasonably big hit for Paul, this single was less successful: it only reached number 42 in the UK singles chart and number 51 in Ireland.

Paul wasn't as popular as he'd been during the Eighties. 'The Crossing' was the first not to be certified gold (or more) in the UK, and while this album reached number 27 in the albums chart, subsequent releases wouldn't reach this height anymore. However, he still is quite active in the live circuit these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 6529
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Hope in a hopeless world' / 'Half a step away'

Rumours - Hot Chocolate

The career of Hot Chocolate took off slowly, with a handful of hits in the UK. It was only when they released 'Emma' in 1974 that they became successful in other territories - and landed their first silver certification within the UK. 

The single that preceded 'Emma' was 'Rumours', a song penned by the band members Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The single peaked at number 44 in the UK singles chart and would be the last of eight non-album singles the band released until their debut album 'Cicero Park' in 1974. \

My collection: 7" single no. 6525
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Rumours' / 'A man needs a woman'

Je suis tombé du ciel - David Alexandre Winter

David Alexandre Winter was born as Leon Kleerekoper on 4 April 1943 in Amsterdam. He and his parents – of Jewish background – survived different German concentration camps, and were reunited in 1945 at the war's end in the Netherlands. From 1966 to 1968 Winter was the lead singer for The Hague-based band Daddy's Act. Under the name Johnny van Dooren, he was a DJ at Radio Veronica and later at Radio 227. In early 1968 while living in London he represented England at the Innsbruck Song Festival in Austria, where he obtained first prize and the coveted prix de press. 

In 1970 he was asked to represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Je suis tombé du ciel'. The song wasn't exactly successful: it received no points at all and ended up in the last of 12 places. Listening to both sides of this single, I would have to say that the word 'subtle' isn't exactly in David Alexandre's dictionary. Both songs are quite loud, and mostly because of the vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 6563
Found: Discogs.com, received 7 December 2021
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Je suis tombé du ciel' / 'Isabelle mon amour'

Potpourri nr. 62 - The 3 Jacksons

When I mention this band named the 3 Jacksons, your thoughts immediately drift towards Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. But nothing could be further from the truth... Dutch accordion players Piet Koopmans, Harry van de Velde & Piet van Gorp met in 1940 and started this trio. They started releasing records in 1946 and continued right up until 1971. During this time they released no less than 65 different potpourri's, i.e. medleys of usually six different songs, performed on their beloved instruments. They were very successful in the Netherlands and also had many gigs abroad. Harry van de Velde died in 1970, which meant the end of the trio.

Their 62nd potpourri caught my eye and that's because of one reason only: the fact that it includes Marty Wilde's classic song 'Abergavenny'. As such, this single belongs in my ever growing collection of cover versions of Wilde songs. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6562
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 4 December 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Ich bau dir ein Schloss / Ik kan geen kikker van de kant afduwen / Moest dat nou' / 'Abergavenny / Costa Brava / Callow la Vita'

Never the end - Kari Kuivalainen

Kari Kuivalainen was primarily a composer rather than a singer, and in 1986 he submitted his song 'Päivä kahden ihmisen', which was originally intended for singer Kaija Koo. However, she declined the chance to participate, so Kuivalainen decided to perform the song himself at the Finnish national final, where he was the choice of the jury (by a margin of only one point over former Eurovision participant Kirka) to go forward to represent Finland at the 31st Eurovision Song Contest.

Prior to the contest, Kuivalainen changed some of the lyrics to the song, and although it was sung in Finnish, the title was changed to 'Never The End', which appeared on screen on the night of the contest and is the name by which the song is commonly known. The song finished in 15th place in a field of 20 competitors. This single features the English version of the song rather than the Finnish one, hence the title... 'Never the end'. Kuivalainen subsequently became a member of band Menneisyyden Vangit, alongside another Eurovision veteran, Vicky Rosti.

My collection: 7" single no. 6561
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Never the end' / 'Sailing away with my dreams'