Un banc, un arbre, une rue - Helmut Zacharias

The impact of the Eurovision Song Contest was much bigger, perhaps, when it was much younger. Winning songs were often covered by many artists, both in vocal and instrumental versions. An example of this is this single: 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue' by the German violinist Helmut Zacharias. 

Helmut (born 20 January 1920 in Berlin, Germany) first played violin at the age of two and played in public four years later. He was also known for the pseudonym Charly Thomas. After working at the Conservatory, he turned to pop music as well as, occasionally, jazz.More than 50 LP's bearing his name were released between 1950 and now. He died on 28 February 2002 in Brissago, Switzerland.  

My collection: 7" single no. 7397
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 October 2024
Tracks: 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue' / 'Love story'

We'll meet again - José Cid

José Cid represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 with 'Um grande, grande amor'. Besides the original Portuguese version, he also recorded the song in French, and also in English. The amusing thing is that the English version is presented in a sleeve that doesn't reference Eurovision at all, in contrast to the other two versions. It was released by Jupiter Records, owned by Eurovision legend Ralph Siegel, who founded the label in 1973. 

The English version is just as disco-informed as the other two versions, but (obviously) with English lyrics. It's a nice curiosity for any Eurovision fan. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7396
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 October 2024
Tracks: 'We'll meet again' / 'Barbara'

Wir wollen morgen auch so glücklich sein wie heut - Belle & Horst

The German duo Belle Schnetzler and Horst Hornung released one single in 1971, a cover version of 'In this world we live in', a song previously recorded by the Italian duo Remo & Josie. The German version received the lengthy title 'Wir wollen morgen auch so glücklich sein wie heut'. 

The real attraction on this single is the B-side. It's a German version of 'Jungle Jim', a song originally written by Ronnie Scott and Marty Wilde. Of course, this is the reason why I bought this single. I was especially pleased to receive it from a Dutch seller in mint condition. That's pretty impressive for a single that's 53 years old.

My collection: 7" single no. 7395
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 October 2024
Tracks: 'Wir wollen morgen auch so glücklich sein wie heut' / 'Jungle Jim'

In the clouds - All about Eve

Owning two versions of the 7" single and the original version of the 12" single and was obviously not enough for a completist like me: I also had to have All about Eve's 'In the clouds' on the re-released 12" single. And with good reason: this 12" single features an extended version of the song, plus an extra track on the B-side.

Eventually the extended version of 'In the clouds' appeared on the re-released double CD version of the band's eponymous debut album in 2015. But that was a long time after I bought this disc.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: [unknown], 1989
Tracks: 'In the clouds [extended version]' / 'She moves through the fair', 'Calling your name'

King ghost - Steven Wilson

Steven Wilson's album The Future Bites is a fantastic record, and I was very glad when I received the deluxe edition of that album on CD. Unfortunately I missed out on this 7" single, which was coupled with an edition of the magazine Electronic Sounds.

However, these singles sometimes pop up on unexpected places, and so I suddenly saw it and didn't have to think twice. This 'limited edition coloured vinyl seven-inch single by Steven Wilson' features extended remixes of two tracks from the album, and it's pressed on red vinyl. It puts my mind at ease when I find a gem like this.

My collection: 7" single no. 7394
Found: Flashback Records, London, 21 October 2024
Tracks: 'King ghost (extended remix)' / 'Eminent sleaze (extended remix)'

Back chat - Queen

At the beginning of the Eighties, Queen wasn't as popular as they would be later on in their career. This is proved by the single I bought recently: 'Back chat'. I'd never even heard of this single, but it was released in 1982 and taken from the album Hot Space, the album that spawned the hits 'Under pressure' and 'Body language', plus the lesser-known hit 'Las palabras de amor'. 'Back chat' only charted in the UK (peaking at number 40), Ireland (number 19) and Germany (number 69), so it's no wonder that this release didn't catch my attention at all back then. 

Not that it's a bad song. I heard it for the first time when I played this single and I felt it was a very funky, catchy track. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7393
Found: Flashback Records, London, 21 October 2024
Tracks: 'Back chat' / 'Staying power'

Mony mony (live) - Billy Idol

'Mony mony' was originally recorded in 1968 by Tommy James and the Shondells. The title was inspired by Tommy James' view of the "M.O.N.Y." sign atop the Mutual of New York Building on the New York City skyline from his Manhattan apartment.

Billy Idol made a studio recording of the song in 1981. Six years later the live version was released as a single and went to number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, coincidentally displacing Tiffany's cover of another Tommy James song, 'I think we're alone now', from the top spot. Idol's version gave rise to an interesting custom. When the song was performed live in concert or played at a club or dance, people would shout a certain formulaic (and usually obscene) variation of a particular phrase in the two measures following each line, for example, "Hey, say what… get laid get fucked!" Or "Hey, motherfucker… get laid get fucked!". This led to the song being banned at high-school dances across North America, although the custom continues at Idol concerts and sporting events today. It became so widespread that Idol would eventually commit the lyrics to record in the "Idol/Stevens Mix" of the song on the 2018 remix album Vital Idol: Revitalized. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7392
Found: Flashback Records, London, 21 October 2024
Tracks: 'Mony mony (live)' / 'Shakin' all over (live)'