Guarda os teus beijos para mim - Acetato

There's some more Portuguese covers of Eurovision songs in the batch of singles I received recently. This one was released in 1976 and features the number 1 and 2 of that year's competition: 'Save your kisses for me' (UK) and '1, 2, 3' (France). In Portuguese, that would be 'Guarda os teus beijos para mim' and 'Um dois tres'. 

The tracks were recorded by Acetato, an anonymous act who released nothing else, just this one single. As a result, the names of the four members of Acetato, pictured on the back sleeve, remain unknown.

My collection: 7" single no. 6918
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2023
Tracks: 'Guarda os teus beijos para mim' / 'Um dois tres'

Eurovisão 1966 - Isabel Fontes

I do love covers of Eurovision songs, for some reason, and sometimes there's a particular twist that really interests me. This EP features not one, but four Eurovision covers, all from the year 1966, in Portuguese. It includes the winning song from that year, 'Merci Chérie' (Austria), 'Dio, come ti amo' (Italy), 'Ne vois-tu pas?' (Switzerland) and 'Yo soy aquel' (Spain).

The EP was recorded by Isabel Fontes, a Portuguese singer who has gone missing in the mists of time. A listing on Discogs reveals that she released three EP's between 1966 and 1977, but Wikipedia has no information about her at all. These days, Isabelle Fontes is a Brazilian model who lives in the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 6917
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2023
Tracks: 'Deus, como te amo', 'Mas, tu nao ves?' / 'Merci Cheri', 'Eu sou aquela'

Um grande, grande amor - José Cid

Although I already own 'Un grand, grand amour' 13 years already, somehow I never got my hands on the original Portuguese version of this Portuguese entry of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980. Fortunately I was finally able to correct this omission recently by way of an order from a Portuguese dealer on Discogs.

'Um grande, grande amor' finished seventh in a field of 19 competitors, which was Portugal's best result up until then. It's easy to see why: with its catchy refrain of  'Addio, adieu, auf Wiederseh'n, goodbye / Amore, amour, meine Liebe, love of my life' it was accessible to all those who couldn't understand Portuguese and the disco tempo also did its thing.

My collection: 7" single no. 6916
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2023
Tracks: 'Um grande, grande amor' / 'Barbara'

Ka' du se hvad jeg sa'? - Kirsten & Søren

Kirsten & Søren represented Denmark three times during the Eighties, and always with schlager-informed ditties that were either infectious or irritating depending on your own preferences. I already owned the original version and the English and French versions of their last attempt, but I didn't know until recently that there was also a 12" single featuring four versions of 'Ka' du se hvad jeg sa'?'. 

This 12" single, housed in a beautiful picture sleeve by the way, adds a German version and it completes the set for me. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 7 March 2023
Tracks: 'Ka' du se hvad jeg sa'?', 'Who is wrong and who's right?' / 'Hab ichs dir nicht gesagt?', 'Ecoute moi mon amie?'

Efter stormen - Marie Fredriksson

I discovered Marie Fredriksson's solo material after she joined Per Gessle and started the Roxette phenomenon. During the Nineties they were always on the radio with their pop songs, sometimes great, sometimes inane. But what Marie did as a solo artist was much more interesting. Certainly her albums 'Den standiga resan' and 'I En Tid Som Vår' are among my alltime favourite albums by any artist.

'Efter stormen' was taken from an earlier album of the same name, released just after Roxette had started, in 1987. The title track is a decent pop track although the rest of the album never really grabbed me. 'Efter stormen' was Marie's first top 10 hit in Sweden, peaking at number 7. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6915
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 March 2023
Tracks: 'Efter stormen' / 'Varmt och djupt'

Djingis Khan - Vikingarna

The song 'Dschinghis Khan' by the band of the same name was a big success in 1979. So much so, that several acts recorded cover versions of the song. This blog already featured versions by 5 Carat and Marco Polo, and here's another one: by the Swedish act Vikingarna.

Vikingarna were formed in 1958 in Arvika as Ji-Coo and the Vikings, a rock-and-roll and skiffle group. By the 1973, the band had changed both line-up and style several times, and settled on the new Swedish sound: dansband. The band released their first album that same year and their second the year after, before securing a record deal with Mariann Records in 1975. In 1975 they released "Kramgoa Låtar 1", the first album in a series of more than twenty records. After that, the band released a new album on a yearly basis, whilst touring between recording sessions. In 1992, after the release of "Kramgoa Låtar 20", the band went on hiatus, but returned in 1995 for new albums. In December 2003, they announced their retirement, and played their final concert on July 7, 2004 in Arvika to a record audience. By then, the band had sold more than 11 million records. 

Their version of 'Dschinghis Khan' is very much comparable to the original version even if it is sung in a lower key, but the real surprise is the B-side: a beautiful orchestral version of John Denver's classic 'Annie's song'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6913
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 March 2023
Tracks: 'Djingis Khan' / 'Annie's song (instrumental)'

Hullu yö - Kaija Kärkinen

Although Finland only ever won the Eurovision Song Contest once with Lordi's 'Hard Rock Hallelujah', there's another hard-edged song that I find a lot more interesting. Kaija Kärkinen represented Finland in 1991 with 'Hullu yö' ('Crazy night'), a title that had presenter Toto Cotugno stuttering his way through (like he did throughout the broadcast). 

Finding a copy of this single wasn't easy for sure, and impossible in those internetless days. Even with internet the single commanded such high prices that I had to wait until recently to get a good copy for a decent price. 'Hullu yö' is finally mine.

My collection: 7" single no. 6912
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 March 2023
Tracks: 'Hullu yö' / 'Ammu selkään'