Fernando - Abba

Like I wrote recently, the French do things differently, and that applies to this release of Abba's 'Fernando' as well. The Dutch and German versions of the single had 'Tropical Loveland' on the B-side, some other territories went for 'Hey hey Helen', but the French went for 'Dance (while the music still goes on)'. It is actually a better song than the other two in my opinion, so kudos to the French for this release.

In France, 'Fernando' reached number 2 in the singles chart, which was in line with most other countries, where it ended up either peaking at number 2 or topping the chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7376
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Fernando' / 'Dance (while the music still goes on)'

Some days I drink my coffee by the grave of William Blake - The The

'Some days I drink my coffee by the grave of William Blake' was released as the third single from The The's recent album Ensoulment. Matt Johnson said about the song: "It belongs to the family of songs I have written about London, including ‘Perfect’, ‘Flesh & Bones’, ‘Heartland’, ‘The Beat(en) Generation’, ‘Helpline Operator’, ‘Pillar Box Red’ and others. I have often drank my coffee by the grave of William Blake – though these days there are actually two gravestones dedicated to him in the small dissenters cemetery that he was thrown into when he died – on and off over the last 40 years I have lived close by and have always found it an inspiring place to sit and meditate upon life. Nostalgia is part of the human condition and change is inevitable in our lives and in the world around us. Large capital cities such as London often amplify the sense of change, although one thing that never seems to change is the cynicism of those in power."

It is certainly one of the most appealing songs on the album, and a great addition to the two singles that were already released.

My collection: 7" single no. 7374
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Some days I drink my coffee by the grave of William Blake' / 'Frozen clouds'

Cognitive dissent - The The

'Cognitive dissent' was released digitally in May this year as the first single from The The's new album Ensoulment. The limited edition physical 7" vinyl became available in June and sold out almost as soon as it arrived. I was too late to get a copy. 

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to get one of those 'bundles' at the record fair last weekend: three The The singles from the Ensoulment album. The fact that I already owned one of the three - 'Linoleum smooth to the stockinged foot' - didn't matter that much: it was more important to get my collection complete. Singles like this will only rise in value in the coming years.

My collection: 7" single no. 7373
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Cognitive dissent' / 'When is the heart of waiting'

Knowing me knowing you / The winner takes it all - Abba

It's no surprise that the Old Gold series would end up releasing an Abba single. And this one presents two excellent songs: 'Knowing me knowing you' from 1976 and 'The winner takes it all' from 1980. This single was released in 1989, before Abba would find a cultural reappraisal as a result of the compilation album Abba Gold. 

Having bought quite a few Abba singles recently this almost seems like overload, but it's a rather unique release and still a worthy addition to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7372
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Knowing me knowing you' / 'The winner takes it all'

Ain't no sunshine - Michael Jackson

Bill Withers was inspired to write 'Ain't no sunshine' after watching the 1962 movie Days of Wine and Roses. He explained, in reference to the characters played by Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon, "They were both alcoholics who were alternately weak and strong. It's like going back for seconds on rat poison. Sometimes you miss things that weren't particularly good for you. It's just something that crossed my mind from watching that movie, and probably something else that happened in my life that I'm not aware of." His version was released in July 1971.

In 1971, singer Michael Jackson recorded a rendition of Bill Withers' song for his debut album Got to Be There, released in early 1972. In the UK the song was released in July 1972 as the third (and final) single from the album (after the two singles 'Got to be there' and 'Rockin' Robin'). It was a hit, peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number 8 for 3 weeks in September 1972. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7371
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Ain't no sunshine' / 'Ben'

Heartless - Heart

It's quite ironic that a band called Heart releases a single called 'Heartless'. It was the lead single of their third album Magazine. Issues with the band's previous record label Mushroom caused a delay in the album's release and 'Heartless' was released as a single two years later, after the re-issue of their first single 'Crazy on you'. The lyrics involve a scorned lover who apparently can't get away from the grasp of her heartless partner.

The single reached number 24 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 18 in Canada. Although this copy was made in Germany, the single didn't chart at all in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 7370
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Heartless' / 'Here song'

Living on the frontline - Eddy Grant

'Living on the frontline' was originally Eddy Grant's debut single, released in 1979. The single reached number 11 in the UK singles chart. However, this single combines that song with a later single, 'Do you feel my love', which was originally released in 1980. That single was even more successful, peaking at number 8 in the UK singles chart. 

This single was actually released in 1983, after Eddy Grant had even more success with 'Electric Avenue', which reached number 2. This re-release couldn't match that success: it didn't chart at all.

My collection: 7" single no. 7369
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Living on the frontline' / 'Do you feel my love'