Love is blue (L'amour est bleu) - Ted Heath and his music

Received on the same day as the version by Santo & Johnny, here's another cover version of 'L'amour est bleu'. Ted Heath led what is widely considered Britain's greatest post-war big band, recording more than 100 albums, which sold over 20 million copies. They were the most successful band in Britain during the 1950s.

Their version of 'L'amour est bleu'  was released in 1968 - a year after Vicky Leandros' performance at the Eurovision Song Contest. Ted Heath died the year after that, in 1969. His band remained in existence, surviving his passing until 2000.

My collection: 7" single no. 6616
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 January 2022
Cost: 30 SEK
Tracks: 'Love is blue (L'amour est bleu)' / 'Cherokee'

Catherine - Romuald

I predicted this last month, and here it is: 'Catherine' by Romuald. I received the Spanish version exactly a month ago, and this EP features the original verion in French. 

Romuald Figuier represented Luxembourg when he performed this song on the Eurovision stage in Spain, and he finished in 11th place. His song was covered by Daniele Vidal - but regular readers of this blog already know that, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 6607
Found: Ebay, received 18 January 2022
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Catherine', 'Seul notre amour n'a pas changé' / 'Meme un enfant', 'Les tambours du vent'

Sommar'n som aldrig säger nej - Malta

'Sommar'n som aldrig säger nej' was the winner of the Swedish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973. The duo Malta, consisting of Claes af Geijerstam and Göran Fristorp, ran into a problem when they went on to the international Contest: their name was similar to a country - and although Malta did not participate in 1973, they still had to change their name. They became Nova, and their song was translated into English, and became 'You're summer'. 

This single features the original Swedish version, and to add to the excitement the sleeve has been signed by Claes and Göran. I don't have an official confirmation, but the signatures look authentic enough. The B-side 'Här kommer sol' is a Swedish version of - you guessed it - the Beatles' 'Here comes the sun'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6615
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 January 2022
Cost: 30 SEK
Tracks: 'Sommar'n som aldrig säger nej' / 'Här kommer sol'

12th House - Delegation

Buying singles online goes a little bit different than in a real shop. Often you search for songs or artist you already know. In this case, I was searching for singles that were produced by Tony Mansfield - one of my favourite producers - and I came across this interesting little disc.

I knew the song '12th house' as a track by New Musik. It was released as a B-side to their single 'All You Need Is Love'. However, the track was also recorded by a band called Delegation. It turns out their version was actually first released in 1980 - a year before the New Musik version. The track was written - and in the case of Delegation, not produced - by Tony Mansfield. I ordered this single as a matter of interest and I was not disappointed. It's a nice take on a song that I am very familiar with. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6614
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 January 2022
Cost: 29 SEK
Tracks: '12th house' / 'Singing'

La belle amour - Paule Desjardins

This EP presents four songs by Paule Desjardins, who represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 with 'La belle amour'. It's interesting how little is known about this song. It was composed by Guy Lafarge (5 May 1904 - 17 December 1990) and written by Francis Carco (3 July 1886 - 26 May 1958). 

The song finished in second place, behind Corry Brokken's 'Net als toen', the first time the Netherlands took home the prize. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6618
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 January 2022
Cost: 100 SEK
Tracks: 'La chanson de Lima', 'La belle amour' /  'Amour perdu', 'Dis-moi quelque chose de gentil'

Love is blue - Santo & Johnny

Vicky Leandros participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'L'amour est bleu' in 1967. Despite the fact that the song didn't win, a whole load of cover versions of the song exists, including the most famous one - an instrumental version by Paul Mauriat and his Orchestra.

This single also presents an instrumental version, but it has to be said that the sleeve of this single is a lot more attractive than the Paul Mauriat one. The designers opted for a bodypainted model, with all the lettering and design that was so popular around that time. Santo & Johnny were an American duo from Brooklyn, New York, composed of brothers Santo Farina (born on 24 October 1937) and Johnny Farina (born on 30 April 1941). They continued to release albums and singles until the end of the Seventies.

My collection: 7" single no. 6612
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 January 2022
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Love is blue' / 'Hello goodbye'

April, april - Lill-Babs

Lill-Babs represented Sweden in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'April, april'. It had been performed by Siw Malmkvist and Gunnar Wiklund in the national final, but Lill-Babs was selected to perform the song in Cannes. The song was not particularly successful: it finished in 14th place in a field of 16 competitors. 

Lill-Babs continued her career throughout the following decades. A two-part documentary was broadcast on Swedish TV4 in 2017 called 'Lill-Bas, Leva livet' ('Lill-Babs, to live life'), which presented her life and career. She died on 3 April 2018 after suffering from cancer and heart failure.

My collection: 7" single no. 6613
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 January 2022
Cost: 100 SEK
Tracks: 'April april', 'Hem hem till lilla järvsö' / 'Gummi-boll', 'Fröken Blyg'