Modern girl - Sheena Easton

It's quite funny to collect singles by Sheena Easton: usually they're not very expensive and they always pop up at record fairs, second hand shops and the like. Through the years I've bought quite a few of her singles and I never had to spend much money on them. 

And this is also how I got my hands on this single of 'Modern girl'. Dirt cheap, and as a bonus it isn't quite complete. At least, while the sleeve is Dutch, the record comes from the UK. Something tells me this single wasn't sold that way, but I'll take it nonetheless. There's no sense in spending more after all.

My collection: 7" single no. 7141
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Modern girl' / 'Paradox'

I'll come back - Dora

Another Spanish promotional single went into my collection, and it's an interesting one for sure. It's got only one playable side and it features the English version of 'Voltarei', titled 'I'll come back'.

'Voltarei', of course, was released in 1988 when Dora represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest. Quite why the Spanish decided to choose the English version instead of the Portuguese one is a mystery to me, especially because this promotional single is housed in the original sleeve - meaning that 'Voltarei' is announced at the front and 'I'll come back' at the back. Curiosities like this make me very happy.

My collection: 7" single no. 7140
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'I'll come back'

Love is stronger than death - The The

Why would I buy another copy of 'Love is stronger than death' by The The? After all, I already owned that single. I bought it in August 2021, and I still remember doing so.

True, but this is a special one. It's a Spanish promotional 7" single with only one playable side! I love promotional singles like that - and besides, it wsa part of a bigger order from a Spanish seller. Just one track then, and no picture sleeve. But it is in its original record company sleeve, and so it's still worth owning. A little curiosity to make me happy.

My collection: 7" single no.
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Love is stronger than death'

La, la, la - Filippo Carletti Quinteto

When Spain won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968 with  'La, la, la' by Massiel, other acts were quick to jump on the bandwagon. One of those acts was the Filippo Carletti Quinteto, consisting of Francesco Costa (bass, vocals) Erasmo Palmieri (vibraphone, organ, vocals) Carlo Piazza (guitar, vocals) and Joaquín Liebanas (drums) and of course the titular Filippo Carletti. 

What's interesting, is that this single also contains a Spanish version of 'Nous vivrons d'amour', the entry from Luxembourg that year. Quite why they chose that song instead of one of the other songs that competed that year I don't know. But it certainly adds to the attractiveness of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7137
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'La, la, la' / 'Nuestro amor'

Questions in a world of blue - Julee Cruise

Anyone who has ever seen Twin Peaks and the movie Twin Peaks: Fire walk with me will probably remember Julee Cruise, the singer who performed the theme song 'Falling'. As pretty as that song was, it can't even stand in the shadow of this moving epic 'Questions in a world of blue'. 

Theme song of the movie Fire walk with me, it underlines the sad fate of its main character Laura Palmer as she descends into a spiral of selfdestruction (or was she destructed by others? Was she destructed at all? We'll probably never know.) This promotional 7" single was released in Spain, and it remains the only physical single release.

My collection: 7" single no. 7136
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Questions in a world of blue' / 'Questions in a world of blue'

Boys and girls - Mandy Smith

It's an amazing coincidence that I should buy two singles named 'Boys and girls' from the same (online) dealer, but here it is: after 'Boys and girls' by the Human League I found this one by Mandy Smith. 

The level of success that Human League achieved during the Eighties could not be replicated by Mandy, however. This single was the third one taken from her debut, and only, album 'Mandy', and it failed to chart. That in itself was quite amazing since the single was produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman who at the same time had a lot of success with acts like Mel & Kim, Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue and countless others. Mandy was probably just unlucky. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Boys and girls' / 'He's my boy'

Boys and girls - Human League

The Human League started out in 1977 as a group consisting of Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, Philip Oakey and Adrian Wright. When Ware and Craig Marsh left the group in 1980 (subsequently forming B.E.F. and Heaven 17) the other two were left with the obligation to fulfill a tour and more releases. Recruiting the girls Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall they soldiered on, and 'Boys and girls' became their first single release in early 1981.

Amazingly, 'Girls and boys' went on to become the band's biggest hit since their debut 'Being Boiled', peaking at number 48, which in itself was a lowly chart placing, but it did offer the group some hope that things would turn around in their favour. Indeed it did: subsequent singles became bigger hits and between 1981 and 1983 they scored five top 10 hits, including one charttopper.

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Boys and girls' / 'Tom Baker'