Caterina - Silvio Francesco

Silvio Francesco (Paris, July 13, 1927 – Lugano, August 20, 2000) was an Italian schlager singer, entertainer, clarinetist, guitarist, dancer and actor. He was born into a family of artists. His mother, Maria Valente, was an internationally renowned musical clown, and his father, Giuseppe, was a famous accordion virtuoso. He grew up in the world of circus and entertainment. In his early childhood, he learned to play several instruments. He became an excellent guitarist and clarinetist. With his youngest sister, Caterina Valente, he sang several duets under the pseudonyms Club Manhattan, Club Honolulu, Club Argentina, Club Indonesia or Club Italia. A super hit by the duo was the hit 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu-Strand-Bikini'.

This single, titled 'Caterina', features a cover version of 'Ring-a-ding girl' in German on the B-side: 'Das muss Amore sein'.

My collection:  7" single no. 7248
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 June 2024
Tracks: 'Caterina' / 'Das muss amore sein'

Das bist du - Mocedades

Although 'Eres tu' is considered a Eurovision classic by many, the fact that Mocedades recorded the song in many other languages is not as wellknown. Unfortunately those other versions are rather hard to find, because the market was flooded by the original version. 

'Das bist du' is the German version. The German lyrics were provided by Fred Jay, who is best known for adding the lyrics to the melody of the track 'Soleado', which then became track 'When A Child Is Born', performed by many artists over the years. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7247
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 June 2024
Tracks: 'Das bist du' / 'Si, si, señor'

Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen - Jimmy Fields

An EP like this is slightly frustrating, because I only bought it for one track, but I get four of them, which aren't necessarily attractive for me. Which is why this entry is named after that one track. Charlotte Marian, Jimmy Fields and Udo Spitz are engaged to sing four tracks on this EP with the orchestra Teddy Todd and the orchestra Rolf Andy. 

The real catch here is, of course, the cover version of 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen', the Austrian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. Jimmy Fields delivers a solid version of the Udo Jürgens classic.

My collection: 7" single no. 7245
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 June 2024
Tracks: 'Küsse unterm Regenbogen' (Charlotte Marian), 'Schenk mir doch ein Bild von dir' (Jimmy Fields) / 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen' (Jimmy Fields), 'Tanz die ganze Nacht mit mir' (Udo Spitz)

Weak in the presence of beauty - Alison Moyet

Quite why Alison Moyet decided to record a cover version of 'Weak in the presence of beauty' is not something I know. The original was not a hit, but Alison's version actually reached number 6 in the UK singles chart. It just proves that sometimes a good song just needs a wellknown singer. 

Floy Joy's lead singer Desy Campbell was asked if he felt cheated that the song was a hit for Moyet, but not for Floy Joy. He said, "On the contrary, my association with that song has and continues to open many doors for me and I'm very proud to have been part of a little piece of pop history."

Moyet, on the other hand, later confessed that she didn't actually like the song. In an interview she said: "'Love Letters' and 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty' – neither song I enjoy now – they're both my fault. I found them. That was when I was feeling smart, thinking that I knew what a hit was - I don't know what's a fucking hit! But they were hits, and now I'm forever to fucking sing them years later!"

My collection: 7" single no. 7243
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 June 2024
Tracks: 'Weak in the presence of beauty' / 'To work on you'

Teddybeer / De tijd staat niet stil - Reggy van der Burgt

Dutch singer Reggy van der Burgt was born on 14 September 1944 in Uden. She started singing early on, but things really took off when she is offered a permanent engagement with dance orchestra The Continentals from Den Bosch. In between performances with The Continentals, she works freelance with various other dance orchestras and combos. She became the winner of the singing competition 'Miss Talent' in 1965. Soon after that she lands a recording contract. 

In 1966, her second single 'Teddybeer' becomes a hit. Some 40.000 copies were sold. The B-side of the single is 'De tijd staat niet stil', a Dutch version of 'Die Zeiger der Uhr', the German entry of the Eurovision Song Contest that year.Reggy's career was pretty successful for a couple of years, but by 1968 it ended when she met her husband and started raising their daughter. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7241
Found: Discogs.com, 25 June 2024
Tracks: 'Teddybeer' / 'De tijd staat niet stil'

Gwendolyne - Lola Flores

Flamenco is the national pride of Spain, a music style with a lot of pathos and drama. Lola Flores could be seen as one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the country, having acted in several films and recorded many studio albums. She is considered an icon of the Gypsy and Roma community in Spain, particularly since she married into a gypsy family.

In 1970 she recorded a version of 'Gwendolyne', the song originally written and performed by Julio Iglesias at the Eurovision Song Contest that year.  Lola's version is very different, being influenced by her flamenco style, but it's equally compelling.

My collection: 7" single no. 7240
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 June 2024
Tracks: 'El Lerele', 'Gwendolyne' / 'Mojamachis', 'Somos'

Paradise - Sade

In Spain, promotional singles were often made in a special edition of only one side. The B-side remained blank, and for some people, including me, that means they are desirable collector's items. I try to not go overboard with this, because there are limits to my budget, but every now and then I like to order some of these beauties. 

Sade released 'Paradise' in 1988, a track from her third album Stronger than pride. It was remixed for the single release, because the album version was a bit too long. This single has - you guessed it - one side, but the sleeve remains the same as the commercial one, announcing an instrumental version of 'Paradise' on the B-side. I guess DJ's could do without it.

My collection: 7" single no. 7238
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 June 2024
Tracks: 'Paradise (remix)'