Zwei kleine Italiener - Jan und Kjeld

Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1962 by Conny Froboess with 'Zwei kleine Italiener', a song that ended up being very popular despite not winning. This was evidenced by Conny herself, when she recorded the same song in Dutch as 'Twee kleine Italianen', but there were also cover versions by other artists who wanted to profit from the song's success as well.

Enter Jan und Kjeld, a musical duo from Denmark, consisting of brothers Jan and Kjeld Wennick, both singers and banjo players. The duo, active in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was especially successful in Germany with a number of schlager-style songs. The duo is perhaps best known for their 1960 song 'Banjo Boy'. In the U.S. the song was their only chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 58. By comparison, their single 'Zwei kleine Italiener' was less successful.

In 1983, Kjeld (born 3 February 1944) founded a record company, Mega Records and signed the Swedish pop group Ace of Base. In 2001, he sold the record company and music publisher to Edel Records. He was subsequently a judge at a number of talent shows on Danish television. He died of cancer on 31 May 2020, aged 76. Jan (born 27 July 1946) is still alive.

My collection: 7" single no. 7346
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Zwei kleine Italiener' / 'Kommen Sie mal nach Kopenhagen'

Further - Longview

I discovered Longview thanks to a remix done by Ulrich Schnauss, an electronic music wizard I've been following for more than two decades now, thanks to a former colleague who recommended his music to me. The album Mercury is pretty good, but the track that made the biggest impression on me was 'Further'. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find this single, pressed on purple vinyl, and with a US version of the track. It also includes a small poster of the band. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7345
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Further (US version)' / 'I want a reaction (demo)'

You got the style - Athlete

Having bought the 10" single recently, I knew that I didn't have the normal 7" single yet. The thing is, the 10" single was the original release from 2002, whereas this 7" single was a re-release from 2003. But after a little research - well, one look at the Discogs website - I found out there was no 7" single in 2002. Which makes my Athlete vinyl collection almost complete in fact.

'You got the style' was a good success for the band, reaching number 37 in the UK singles chart and number 42 upon its re-release. Of course, their biggest hit 'Wires' was yet to come.

My collection: 7" single no. 7343
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 September 2024
Tracks: 'You got the style' / 'Hot sun pavement'

Free? - Beat

Beat were a Finnish band who represented their country in Eurovision Song Contest 1990. The group was composed of members Janne Engblom, Kim Engblom, Tina Krause and Tina Pettersson. They performed the song 'Fri?' ('Free?') in Swedish and finished 21st out of 22 countries, scoring 8 points.

This single features the English version on the A-side and the Swedish version on the B-side. A single with the Finnish version also exists, but that one, titled 'Vapaa?' is hard to get. So if you have a copy, let me know. I might want to buy it from you.

My collection: 7" single no. 7344
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 September 2024
Tracks: 'Free?' / 'Fri?'

Spitting games - Snow Patrol

'Spitting games' was released as the lead single from Snow Patrol's third album, Final Straw (2003).The album became a big success for the band, especially because of their next single 'Run', which is when I discovered the band. No wonder, then, that I missed out on this single. 

Better late than never, of course. After I played the album recently I started looking at my singles and discovered this omission. There's a few more omissions, so if I find more singles from this era at a reasonable price, they will certainly appear here.

My collection: 7" single no. 7339
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Spitting games' / 'Steal'

Everything must change - Paul Young

A double single was not enough to promote Paul Young's 'Everything must change' into the charts, there was also a limited edition with a poster sleeve. The record company did their best, and it paid off: the single peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart at the end of 1984. 

The content of the single was no different from disc one of the double single, with the title track and 'Give me my freedom' on the B-side. The poster included a calendar for 1985. It probably adorned the wall of many a teenage girl back then.

My collection: 7" single no. 7342
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Everything must change' / 'Give me my freedom'

Under attack - Abba

In 1982 Abba released their 'last' single, 'Under attack'. In the UK the single was also released as a picture disc - and a very pretty one, I have to add. The photograph was also used on the compilation The Singles - The First Ten Years, on which this song was presented for the very first time.

Flash forward 42 years and the band is about the release The Singles - The First Fifty Years. You would almost expect them to deliver more material during the next fifty years, but that seems highly unlikely. Meanwhile, it's items like this that will keep fans happy for a long time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7341
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Under attack' / 'You owe me one'