Chcemy Być Sobą - Perfect

Although the official founding date of Perfect is considered to be 1980, its beginnings date back to the turn of 1977-1978. The group was founded in Warsaw on the initiative of drummer Wojciech Morawski and bass guitarist Zdzisław Zawadzki. The group's original name, suggested by Tabaka, was Perfect Super Show and Disco Band. It came from the name of Christine Perfect-McVie, who sang and played keyboards in the band Fleetwood Mac. 

This EP is their first release, featuring four tracks. Of the four tracks included her, I mostly prefer 'Bla Bla Bla', an aggressive piece of rock with impressive vocals. It is pretty standard rock fare that wasn't unusual before 1981, the year of this EP's release.

My collection: 7" single no. 6810
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Chcemy Być Sobą', 'Coś Dzieje Się W Mej Biednej Głowie' / 'Bla, Bla, Bla', 'Nie Płacz Ewka'

Hi-fi - Wanda i Banda

Wanda i Banda (also known as Banda i Wanda) is a Polish rock band, founded in 1982. They debuted at the turn of 1982 and 1983 in the New Year's Eve broadcast on Polish Radio. Their debut album, released in 1984, turned out to be a success. It included hits such as 'Nie będę Julią' ('I will not be Julia'), 'Hi-Fi' and 'Chcę zapomnieć' ('I want to forget') and it was certified gold. 

This single, 'Hi-Fi', was actually their debut single. Interestingly they pronounce the title as 'High-fee', but the lyrics are obviously about the wellknown sounds system.  The chorus goes: "Hi-Fi super star super hit / Discjockey szczerzy kły znad konsolety / Hi-Fi super star super hit / Na zwariowane sny świat ma apetyt" ("Hi-Fi super star super hit / The discjockey bares its fangs from above the console / Hi-Fi super star super hit / The world has an appetite for crazy dreams"). 

My collection: 7" single no. 6809
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Hi-fi' / 'Nie będę Julią'

Linia zycia - Kombi

I recently got a present from Poland: a stack of singles by various Polish artists from the Eighties. Any perceptions I might have had of the lands behind the iron curtain were immediately shattered. This first single is a good example. 

Kombi was a successful pop rock music band from Poland, founded in 1976 in Gdańsk by Sławomir Łosowski. In the beginning group played mostly rock music, later their style turned towards synth pop. Kombi was the first Polish band to use the Commodore 64 as a MIDI sequencer, a Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer, Simmons SDS-V electronic drum kit and Yamaha RX-11 drum machine. This single, 'Linia zycia' stands the tests of time very well and could easily be compared to superior bands like Ultravox who were active in the West at the time.

 My collection: 7" single no. 6808R

Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Lynia zycia' / 'Komputerowe serce'

Come along - Duo Datz

A long time ago, I bought the single 'Come along' by the Israeli Duo Datz, just two months after they represented their country at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Hebrew version of that song, 'Kan'. I didn't know then that there was also a 12" single of the song. How could I know? The world was very different in 1991, there was no internet to find out about Israeli releases.

All that has changed. I found out about this 12" single earlier this year - now it was just a question of getting a copy. And a copy at a reasonable price, of course. All the 12" singles are available from Israeli sellers only, it seems no copies made it to other countries since 1991. (Well, they must have, but people are obviously not selling them here.) I was lucky enough to find a copy recently, and now I am the proud owner of five remixes of the track; three in Hebrew and two in English. It's just a shame that same old James Brown sample is overused. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 November 2022
Tracks: 'כאן (12" dance mix)', 'כאן (12" instrumental mix)', 'כאן (a capella)' / 'Come along (The Two Inch Remix)', 'Come along (The Two Inch Edit)'

Tubular bells - Keyboards affair

When you look at this sleeve you probably notice the amusing spelling mistake in the title. Fortunately the label of this 12" single shows the correct title, i.e. 'Tubular bells'. 

I found this record in a collection of a German seller, and he had two different versions of this 12" - the other sleeve doesn't feature the picture that is nicked from Mike's original album. Of course I found this one more attractive.

The version created by Keyboards Affair offers all the things you would expect from a production in the early 1980's: big drums, electronic music and a straightforward copy of the melody. It is kitsch, but still very nice.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Tubular bells' / 'Commando'

You win again - Bee Gees

In another installment of 'unexpected surprises', there's this 12" single of the Bee Gees' 'You win again'. For me this was a strong comeback of the Gibb brothers, back in 1987, and a very different sound compared to what they produced in the late Seventies.

The thought occured that there was never a Bee Gees 12" singles compilation on CD - this could be a great idea. But as we know, record companies are not big on great ideas lately.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'You win again (extended version)' / 'You win again', 'Backtafunk'

Three times a lady / Brick house - Commodores

It's fair to say that the Commodores had one of the coolest logos of any band ever, and with 'Three times a lady' they had one of the best ballads of the late Seventies in their repertoire. This 12" single features extended versions of that song and the previous hit 'Brick house', a beautiful soul/disco stomper that made the band a household name. 

I found this 12" single during a record fair - one of those unexpected purchases that you wouldn't find online, simply because I never even knew there were extended versions of these tracks. It's what I always say: with the disappearance of record shops and the occurance of record fairs also getting ever more rare, these chance encounters will become more difficult as time goes by.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Three times a lady' / 'Brick house'