Waarom? - Jan Schoepen

Such was the popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest in those early years that pretty much every song was covered by a handful of artists. Even a song like 'Waarom?' by Jacques Raymond, which finished in 10th place, got worked on by a colleague. 

In this case, it's a version by Jan Schoepen, a Belgian singer about whom not much is known. He released four singles in the early Sixties, including one in German ('Für Immer'). His version of 'Waarom?' is quite charming.

My collection: 7" single no. 7228
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 June 2024
Tracks: 'Waarom?' / 'Zilvere maan'

Dumb as a death's head - The The

Although I was quite a fan of The The ever since their single 'Uncertain smile', I never knew that they released an exclusive track on a flexidisc, free with the 21 May 1983 issue of Melody Maker magazine. I only found out about that recently while I was looking through an online seller's inventory. It doesn't really happen that you find something unexpected online, but there you go.

This flexi disc was the only official release of this particular The The track, although it does appear on an unofficial 7" single and an unofficial compilation called Early rarities. It's a rather primitive-sounding track but it fits with other early The The repertoire. Quite a find!

My collection: 7" single no. 7230
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 June 2023
Tracks: 'Dumb as a death's head' (The The) / 'Johnathon' (The Sines)

Brothers in arms - Dire Straits

Although I already own 'Brothers in arms' on a 7" single (and on CD), the 10" single format has a bit of an attraction for me. I have recently been on a bit of a hunt for 10" singles and sometimes that pays off. In this case, it's a 10" single of 'Brothers in arms' which in effect contains exactly the same as the 7" single. You wouldn't expect the Dire Straits to do a remix or anything anyway.

The song was written during the Falklands War and is described by some as an anti-war song. Knopfler disbanded the group temporarily in 1987, following an exhausting tour in support of the album Brothers In Arms. He reunited them for 1991’s On Every Street, then disbanding them permanently a year later.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2024
Tracks: 'Brothers in arms' / 'Going home (live)'

Angelique - Dario Campeotto

In December 2021 I bought a blue vinyl EP of 'Angelique' by Dario Campeotto, the Danish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. It was a nice addition to the 'regular' 7" single of 'Angelique' which I'd bought back in 2014. 

However, recently I found this red vinyl single of 'Angelique', which features one of the tracks of the EP on the B-side. It seems that the track was quite popular back in 1961, with all these different editions being released.

My collection: 7" single no. 7225
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 June 2024
Tracks: 'Angelique' / 'Nella bella cita'

T.L.C. - Gemini

I already own a few singles by Gemini, the duo formed by Karin and Anders Glenmark. What's interesting about this duo is that they worked intensively with Björn and Benny from Abba. Even more interesting is the fact that this didn't lead to commercial success. And to top it off, the songs aren't actually very catchy. 

I wanted to try out this single when I saw it online, but I have to say that I do understand that this single didn't become an international hit. I'm not sure about those vocals, they sound a bit weird. Sometimes a record buyer experiments a bit, but not always with positive results. I guess that sums up my opinion about this single. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7226
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 June 2024
Tracks: 'T.L.C.' / 'Nearly there'

Voi Voi - Nora Brockstedt

In 1960, Norway debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest with a song called 'Voi Voi', performed by Nora Brockstedt (born 20 January 1923). The song was written by Georg Elgaaen. The lyrics set the scene of a little valley lit by the midnight sun in the distant north of Norway and tell of a song that the performer hears. Brockstedt then takes on the persona of a young Sámi woman who awaits her lover to come down from the tundra. The title ‘Voi Voi’ is a well-known sign of exclamation in Sámi. 

I was very lucky to finally find a copy of this legendary single online. It's pretty rare and usually commands very high prices. This time around, not so much. 

Nora’s career spanned more than 60 years. She passed away on 5 November 2015, aged 92. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7223
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 June 2024
Tracks: 'Voi Voi', 'Lilla Lilli-Ann fran Lillesand' / 'Ett Sommaräventyr', 'En dröm är allt'

Les aveux - Elton John & France Gall

While Elton John was recording what would become his 1980 album 21 at 33, he recorded about a dozen extra songs. Five of them would appear on his next album, The Fox. Two other songs were French-language songs as duets with the French singer France Gall. 'Les aveux' and 'Donner pour donner' appear on this single, released in France

I'd never heard of this release, but when I saw this single it intrigued me enough to want to buy it. It turns out that 'Les aveux' actually made the Dutch Tipparade, peaking at number 4, just missing out on the Dutch Top 40. Personally I think the B-side is better...

My collection: 7" single no. 7222
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 1 June 2024
Tracks: 'Les aveux' / 'Donner pour donner'