A letter to Elise - The Cure

The Cure have consistently released albums and singles until about ten years ago. The recent revival with their excellent new album Songs from the lost world came after a few unremarkable albums - in my opinion then.

'A letter to Elise' came from their last great album before that, Wish. It reached number 28 in the UK singles chart, but it failed to chart in the Netherlands, like all the singles after that. For the longest time I didn't think this single was released on vinyl, so I was quite surprised to find this one after all these years.

My collection: 7" single no. 7585
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 February 2025
Tracks: 'A letter to Elise' / 'The big hand'

Days are OK - The Motels

The singles 'Suddenly last summer' and 'Footsteps' are pretty iconic to me, but I am not really familiar with the Motels's other work. I kept coming across picture discs of 'Days are OK' in shops and record fairs however, and I decided to check the song out. It was OK, I felt. 

The single was released in 1980, and so it actually precedes the other two. It features a louder sound from the band, which I guess is logical: most people mellow with age. The picture disc is a beauty, and so I finally decided to get me a copy. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7584
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 February 2025
Tracks: 'Days are OK' / 'Slow town'

Can't wait for another world - Time Bandits

The Time Bandits enjoyed success in the first half of the Eighties, but by 1986 the singles struggled to get into the charts. Their last hit was 'I won't steal away'. Subsequent singles 'Only a fool', 'We'll be dancing' and 'Wildfire' didn't get into the Dutch Top 40, but did end up in the 'bubbling under' Tipparade chart. 

The latter two were taken from the album 'Can't wait for another world', and the title track was released as the third single from that album. It was the first time a single from the band didn't even get into the Tipparade. They called it quits after that - although lead singer Alides Hidding soldiered on with changing line-ups after that. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7582
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 February 2025
Tracks: 'Can't wait for another world' / 'Sail'

Tooralooralooraloo - Trio

I didn't really notice it at the time, but the German band Trio had a bilingual career. Their most famous single 'Da da da' was recorded in German and English, and it turns out that 'Turaluraluralu' also had an English counterpart. The title makes it look like a throwaway track, but it is actually a very enjoyable song. 

It didn't earn them a lot of international success, unfortunately. The single didn't chart in the UK at all. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 34 in the Dutch Top 40 during a three week chart run. After this, Trio was heard outside of Germany no more.

My collection: 7" single no. 7581
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 February 2025
Tracks: 'Tooralooralooraloo (is it old is it new)' / 'Immer noch einmal'

Ice in the sun - Status Quo

Although I already had a single featuring 'Ice in the sun' on the B-side of 'Pictures of matchstick men' on an unsightly 'old gold' release, I always wanted to have the original single as well - but for a fair price. When I finally saw one I snapped it up. 

'Ice in the sun' was written by Marty Wilde, of course, together with Ronnie Scott. They created many songs during the Sixties, but this was one of the better known ones. 'Ice in the sun', reached number 8 in the UK and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7565
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 19 January 2025
Tracks: 'Ice in the sun' / 'When my mind is not live'

I need a man - Eurythmics

When I ordered a few singles from the UK I accidentally also ordered this one, because I thought I didn't have it. Obviously I did: I bought 'I need a man' a mere six years ago. But! It was a different sleeve and a different B-side. And this one is just too good to go. We call it 'bijvangst' in Dutch. 

And so, here is 'I need a man' again, with the alternative B-side 'I need you'. It's different from the US edition, and that's because this one was made in the UK. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7576
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 February 2025
Tracks: 'I need a man' / 'I need you'

Fallen angel - Robbie Robertson

I recently rediscovered Robbie Robertson's singles and then I realized that one was still missing from my collection. It's 'Fallen Angel', a track from the same album that contains 'Somewhere down the crazy river' and 'Showdown at big sky'. Both are excellent, but this one even more so. I mean, it contains vocals by Peter Gabriel! 

'Fallen angel' was actually the second single taken from Robbie's self-titled album, and also the least successful, inexplicably. It only made it to number 95 in the UK singles chart. Some things are just too weird for me.

My collection: 7" single no. 7575
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 February 2025
Tracks: 'Fallen angel' / 'Hell's half acre'