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'

One of us - Abba

After the recent influx of Abba picture discs in my collection, I suddenly realized that the band also released a few picture discs back in the day. I knew of at least one: 'One of us', a picture disc released in the UK which I spotted at record fairs quite a few times. Buying them seemed like a bridge too far, but now that I'm the owner of the majority of their picture disc releases, it didn't seem so weird anymore.

And so I went online and found a seller who had this, and another picture disc on offer - and for a reasonable price, too. This disc shows the men on the A-side and the women on the B-side. Seems like a bit of sexual discrimination was going on there...

My collection: 7" single no. 7340
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'One of us' / 'Should I laugh or cry'

Hot in the city - Billy Idol

I bought Billy Idol's 'Hot in the city' a long time ago. I didn't know back then that there's also a promotional version of that single, featuring a remix of the track. The 'Exterminator fix' is a shorter version of the 'Exterminator mix' that appears on the album Vital Idol, that was released in 1985. 

This single was released in 1987, making it obvious that Billy actually had success with some of his songs for several years.

My collection: 7" single no. 7337
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Hot in the city (Exterminator fix)' / 'Catch my fall (Remix fix)'