Pale shelter (You don't give me love) - Tears for fears

Owning Pale shelter, Pale shelter, Pale shelter and Pale shelter was not quite enough. While that last one is the 12" single of the re-released version of 'Pale shelter', the accompanying 7" single was still missing from my collection. But here it is, after some searching, and it was the last single I bought at the record fair in Den Bosch earlier this month - exactly at 5pm when the fair closed. 

Buying one Tears for fears single every year seems to have become a trend - see this page - although I seem to have missed out last year. Guess I will have to make up for that this year. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6702
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Pale shelter (You don't give me love)' / 'The prisoner'

Boum badaboum - Minouche Barelli

During the Sixties there was – not for the last time – fear for a nuclear disaster. The Cuban missile crisis in 1962 was still fresh in everyone’s memory and the Cold War would rage on for two more decades.When Monaco asked Serge Gainsbourg to write a song for their representative Minouche Barelli, he played on these fears and wrote a song that would really shock the audience. Minouche almost shouted her lines and at regular intervals an ominous countdown is heard, which counts down the seconds to the big bomb.

The song was rewarded with a fifth place during the Eurovision Song Contest of 1967, and Minouche went on to record her song in English, German and Italian, with the same title. I've been searching for this single for a long time, and was glad to find a copy during the big international record fair in Den Bosch earlier this month. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6700
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Boum badaboum' / 'Il faut dire'

I have a dream - Nana Mouskouri

After Nana Mouskouri covered Abba's hit single 'Chiquitita' in 1984, she probably thought she could take on another song from the Swedish band. It would have been refreshing if she had chosen an uptempo song this time, but instead she went for 'I have a dream', a song that was pretty similar to 'Chiquitita' in atmosphere and tempo. 

This cover version was released as a single after the worldwide hit 'Only Love', that had reached number one in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. The album, from which this single and 'Only Love' were taken, reached number 14 in the Netherlands and number 19 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 6697
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'I have a dream' / 'Recuerdos'

I don't wanna take this pain - Dannii Minogue

MCA Records was pretty smart when it came to selling their singles. They probably knew that the interest in Dannii Minogue was at least in part driven by her visual appeal, and so her singles usually came in limited edition poster sleeves, in order to drive sales. This 1991 single of 'I don't wanna take this pain' is a good example: it promises a poster sleeve and a 1992 calendar. 

The tactic seems to have worked out: the single entered the UK singles chart on 14 December 1991 and reached number 40 during a five week run. It wasn't a very big hit, but at least she got noticed.

My collection: 7" single no. 6696
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'I don't wanna take this pain' / 'I don't wanna take this pain (saxstrumental)'

Baby love - Dannii Minogue

'Baby Love' is a 1986 song by American singer Regina. The song was written by Stephen Bray, Regina Richards & Mary Kessler and shouldn't be confused by the song of the same name by the Supremes. Bray had written several hits for Madonna, and "Baby Love" was actually intended for her to record. After she declined, Regina recorded the vocal herself in late 1985, though with Bray's production it sounded similar to Madonna's other recordings of the time and was sometimes mistaken for one.

The song was covered by Dannii Minogue (Kylie's little sister) for her debut album, 'Love and Kisses' (1991). The single reached number 14 in the UK singles chart - partly thanks to this limited edition booklet sleeve with a pull out poster. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6695
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Baby love (Smoove radio edit)' / 'Baby love (Album edit)'

Hou toch van mij - Bob Benny

Two years before Bob Benny represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'September gouden roos', he appeared on the Eurovision stage for the first time with 'Hou toch van mij', which is translated rather randomly as 'Love me anyway'. It is a quite desperate invitation to an unnamed someone to love the singer. 

The song was rewarded with a sixth place during the 1959 edition of the Contest, which was a lot better than 'September gouden roos' which ended in last place in 1961. Personally I prefer the 1961 song, but then I've always been a sucker for those losing Eurovision songs. Finding these two singles was a real treat: it's nearly impossible to find singles from the earliest years of Eurovision.

My collection: 7" single no. 6694
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Tracks: 'Hou toch van mij' / 'Een enkel woord'

September gouden roos - Bob Benny

‘September, Gouden Roos’ was written by Wim Brabants (pseudonym for Clem de Ridder) and Hans Flower. Belgium was in the middle of the Congo crisis: the prime minister Lumumba is murdered two months before the Eurovision Song Contest. Belgium was criticized for its meddling in the former colony.

When Bob Benny arrived in Cannes, one of the organizers told him that he wouldn’t get any points. And indeed, he only gets one point, and finishes as joint last. A Belgian newspaper writes: ‘Bob Benny is a victim of Lumumba’. Blaming failures on politics would prove to be a trick that would last through the history of the competition.

My collection: 7" single no. 6693
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 April 2022
Tracks: 'September gouden roos' / 'Blijf bij mij'