Them heavy people - Kate Bush

When Kate Bush released the On Stage EP, promotional singles were made for 'Them Heavy People', which was the lead track of the EP. This promotional single omits the two tracks on the B-side, and simply presents the two tracks from the A-side of the EP as this single's A and B-side.

The story could end there, but it is quite interesting how difficult it is to find a good copy of this single. Of course, it's a release from 1979 which makes it a bit antique, but it is amazing how many of these singles have been mutilated: the middle has often been dinked. People are still asking a lot of money for those mutilated copies, of course. So I was lucky to find a copy that was both cheap and intact. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7386
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 October 2024
Tracks: 'Them heavy people' / 'Don't push your foot on the heartbrake'

The Tower - Luna

Physical releases of Eurovision songs from this year have been very scarce, unfortunately. So far, I've only been able to get Olly Alexander's 'Dizzy' on 7" vinyl, CD-single and USB and the CD-single of the winning song from Switzerland. However, recently Poland's Luna has come through with a beautiful 12" single, and it looks quite impressive.

'The Tower' didn't reach the final, unfortunately, but it's a decent song that deserves some repeated play. This 12" single is pressed on red vinyl and presents four versions of the song. The acoustic version is probably the most different of the four, as it strips down the track to the basics. The other three versions are actually very similar. A good extended remix could have made this package even more appealing. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Luna website, received 17 October 2024
Tracks: 'The Tower', 'The Tower (acoustic)' / 'The Tower (revamp)', 'The Tower (radio edit)'

Die Roboter - Kraftwerk

The German magazine Musikexpress released three Kraftwerk singles over a period of a few years. I bought the magazine with singles of 'Heimcomputer' and 'Tour de France', but I missed out on the first one, 'Die Roboter', released in 2017. 

Of course, there is always the internet. I found a copy on Discogs.com recently for a price actually lower than a magazine would have cost me. I can live without the magazine, but I really needed to have this single! The B-side has a simple etching of 'Kraftwerk' and the number 1 through 8. The version of 'Die Roboter' comes from the album 3-D Der Katalog, a box set that I still need to buy. There is always something to hunt down!

My collection: 7" single no. 7384
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 October 2024
Tracks: 'Die Roboter'

Amiga Quartett - Robin Gibb

I was ordering some singles online and this one popped up with the same seller for just one euro. As you know I'm a sucker for Amiga EP's, I snapped it up despite already owning both tracks on side A. Which is why I was so pleasantly surprised by the two other tracks. 'Robot' in particular is a song you wouldn't expect from one of the Bee Gees.

My quest for Amiga Quartett EP's will continue for some time, because these East German discs have a special kind of appeal - especially when they contain music from artists that I know and like.

My collection: 7" single no. 7383
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2024
Tracks: 'Juliet', 'How old are you' / 'Boys do fall in love', 'Robot'

Clean clean - Bruce Woolley

I knew 'Clean clean' as a song by the Buggles, but I wasn't aware that it was a cover version of a song originally recorded by Bruce Woolley. 

His version was released as a single on 2 November 1979. The song was actually written by Woolley with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, so it isn't really a surprise that the song would turn up on the Buggles' debut album The age of plastic. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7382
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2024
Tracks: 'Clean clean' / 'Flying man'

Rock bottom - Lynn Thomas & Paul Clark

Nobody knows who Lynn Thomas and Paul Clark were, but they recorded a cover version of 'Rock bottom', the song with which Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977. 

The B-side of this single, which was released in Portugal only, is a cover of the Leo Sayer song 'You make me feel like dancing'. And so this single perfectly captures the music scene of 1977.

My collection: 7" single no. 7381
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2024
Tracks: 'Rock bottom' / 'You make me feel like dancing'

Elle était si jolie - Roland Barth

In 1963 Alain Barriere represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Elle était si jolie'. Back then it wasn't unusual that Eurovision songs got several cover versions even in the same year, and often on singles that were available for a reduced price.

This single presents a version by Roland Barth, an unknown singer whose version was released on several different EP's on the Tiercé Panorama label in 1963. Three versions are listed on Discogs, all of them featuring a photograph of a glamorous lady. Perhaps that was the way to get people to buy these discs.

My collection: 7" single no. 7380
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2024
Tracks: 'Elle était si jolie' (Roland Barth) / 'Slow, always' (James Award)