Les illusions de nos 20 ans - Peter, Sue & Marc

'Les illusions de nos vingt ans' was the Swiss entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Dublin performed by Peter, Sue and Marc. This was the first of four attempts at the contest for the trio, and they became the first group to ever perform at Eurovision with the allowance of groups no more than six people on stage. The song finished in 12th place in a field of 18 competitors.

While the other efforts of the trio were pretty easy to find - especially 'Io senza te' which pops up in many a second hand shop in Europe - this single is a rarity. I was happy to finally find a copy online. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7280
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Les illusions de nos 20 ans' / 'Legende de mon pays'

Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears for fears

Another 10" single by Tears for fears - but this time it's one that I bought a long time ago already. Just like 'Head over heels', this 10" single is basically an enlarged 7" single, because it contains exactly the same tracks. 

'Everybody wants to rule the world' was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes, and produced by Hughes. The song was a "last-minute" addition during recording sessions of Songs from the Big Chair (1985). The decision to include the song in the album came after Orzabal played two chords on his acoustic guitar for Hughes. It was recorded in two weeks and added as the final track on the album.In an interview with Mix magazine, Hughes said that "as a piece of recording history, [the song is] bland as hell". Orzabal's unimpressed reaction to the track during their songwriting sessions prompted Hughes to convince him to record it, in a calculated effort to garner American chart success. That goal was met: it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it only peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart. 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Free Record Shop, 1985
Tracks: 'Everybody wants to rule the world' / 'Pharaohs'

The dreamer - All About Eve

It's hard to imagine now, but in the early Nineties vinyl was on its way out. Record companies embraced the CD format (just as quickly as they are dropping it now) and didn't have much time for decent vinyl releases anymore. 

However, some record companies stuck by the format, and there were really some attractive releases in the early Nineties still. This 12" single of All About Eve's 'The dreamer', for instance, featured four tracks and the sleeve was signed by all four members of the band. It was a numbered limited edition, and I got number 4947. Both remixes of 'The dreamer' remain unreleased on CD until now.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, 1991
Tracks: 'The dreamer (extended remix)' / 'Frida of blood and gold', 'Road to Damascus', 'The dreamer (Nightmare mix)'

Do you believe in shame? - Duran Duran

Last November I bought three 7" single of Duran Duran's 'Do you believe in shame?'. Three different sleeves and the B-sides were also different. However, I also own the 10" single of that same song, and it comes with another track that isn't on these 7" singles.

It's a live version of 'Notorious', recorded at the Ahoy in Rotterdam in 1987. No date is given on the sleeve, and since the band played there twice in 1987, it could have been recorded on 7 or 8 May. The track also appears on the rare 12" Duran Goes Dutch, released in the USA in 1987. 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 1990
Tracks: 'Do you believe in shame?', 'The Krush Brothers LSD edit' / 'Notorious (live)'

I found out - The Christians

A little while ago I discovered that I never bought the 7" single of the Christians' 'I found out'. There's probably a good reason for that: I didn't have a lot of money in 1990 and I made some choices. I did buy the 10" single of that song, because it came with an attractive art print (pictured here). There was no need to buy the 7" single after that. Which is not to say that I could have bought it at some later date in the 34 yeas after that, but who knows, I may find a copy sometime soon.

Meanwhile, this is the 10" single, which features three tracks, just like the CD-single (which I also bought at some point). 'I found out' reached number 56 in the UK singles chart, but didn't reach the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 1990
Tracks: 'I found out' / 'Save us from our friends', 'Sent here to shine'

Cambodia - Pulsedriver

Kim Wilde's 'Cambodia' has been covered by many different artists, but it was at the turn of the century when the track became almost omnipresent on the dance floors. Acts like Nobody, Marco V, Vorwerk and DJ Rasputin all got in on the action. And so did Pulsedriver.

Slobodan Petrovic jr. uses the name Pulsedriver for his projects in the dance music field. He began his career as a DJ in 1990 in northern German clubs and played mostly house, techno and trance music. His first hit was 'Kiss that sound', followed by a handful of other singles. In 2001, he recorded his version of 'Cambodia', which gave him a hit in Germany (peaking at no. 11) and Austria (no. 5). In 2002 he remixed Kim Wilde's unexpected hit single 'Loved'. This 10" single features club mixes of 'Cambodia' and the B-side 'Recycle'. Many more remixes of 'Cambodia' were made, but only released on CD.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 2002
Tracks: 'Cambodia (club mix)' / 'Recycle (club mix)'

Head over heels - Tears for fears

You may find my collecting of Tears for fears 10" singles a bit weird, but there's just no explanation for this particular insanity. I just like 10" singles and I like Tears for fears. I actually completed this subcollection recently with the purchase of 'Head over heels'. (Although there are two more Tears for fears 10" singles in my collection which haven't been featured on this blog yet - so watch this space!)

This one replicates the tracks on the 7" single, which I also own. This version is just a bit bigger.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2024
Tracks: 'Head over heels' / 'When in love with a blind man'