Puls(t)ar - Ben Liebrand

'Puls(t)ar' is the curious title of a Ben Liebrand production from 1990, and a cover version of the wellknown track by Vangelis. 

Although a commercial release with a picture sleeve certainly exists (it was 1990 after all, and vinyl singles were still commonly produced, although that would change within a few years) I was struck by this Spanish one-sided promo, which gives the listener exactly what he wants: just the one track, and no B-side. Were Spanish DJ's still using these singles at the time? I don't know.

My collection: 7" single no. 7625
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Puls(t)ar'

Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin) - Scritti Politti

This is one of those singles I thought I already had, but I didn't. I found this UK pressing and I thought I'd buy it because if I had it it would probably be the European version, but when I checked my collection, this title wasn't there at all. So that was a nice surprise. 

'Wood beez' reached number 10 in the UK chart, but didn't chart in Europe. The song's subtitle is a reference to 'I say a little prayer', Aretha Franklin's biggest UK hit. Arif Mardin, who produced this song for Scritti Politti had also produced Franklin.

My collection: 7" single no. 7624
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin)' / 'Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin) (version)'

I can't dance - Genesis

When you look at the music video for 'I can't dance', you can see Genesis at their most humorous. It's hard to believe that they were such a 'serious' prog rock band back in the seventies, but things evolved over time. 

Originally, the band did not think of the song as anything more than a joke recording that would be discarded quickly, because the song was too simple, too bluesy, and unlike Genesis' style. Tony Banks said in an interview: "It was one of those bits you thought was going to go nowhere. It sounded fun but wasn't really special". 

The single ended up peaking at number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK singles chart, but it topped the Dutch Top 40!

My collection: 7" single no. 7623
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'I can't dance' / 'On the shoreline'

 

Would you dance with a stranger? - Mari Wilson

I do have a few Mari Wilson singles, but I wasn't familiar with this one. The sleeve leapt out at me, because her name was on it but the woman on the sleeve didn't look anything like her! Turns out this is a track from a movie, and the woman on the sleeve apparently plays in it. (Fortunately a small picture of Mari Wilson herself appears on the back of the sleeve.)

Dance with a stranger is a British film from 1985, and the title track is a cover version of Peggy Lee's 1951 track. The film made a comfortable profit. Goldcrest Films invested £253,000 in the film and received £361,000, making them a profit of £108,000. Mari Wilson's single, however, didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7622
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Would you dance with a stranger?' / 'Ruth's bedroom (dialogue)', 'Jazz break'

Oh what a night (1988 remix by Ben Liebrand) - The Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli

In the second half of the Eighties many classic songs fell victim to the remix fad of the day. Many songs were remixed by DJ's with or without talent. Some results were quite terrible, others made the song slightly more appealing to the audience at the time.

Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand remixed 'Oh what a night' by the Four Seasons featuring Frankie Valli and re-released it as a single. The single didn't chart in 1988, but it was an interesting remix nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7621
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Oh what a night (1988 remix by Ben Liebrand)' / 'Oh what a night (original version)'

Winter melody - Donna Summer

Although Donna Summer was wellknown for her sighing and groaning on 'Love to love you', she appears on the sleeve of this single in winter clothes. 'Winter melody' is a soul ballad. The song speaks of a woman struggling to come to terms with the fact that her relationship has ended. As with much of Summer's material at that time (particularly with songs found on her concept albums), the song played for a considerable amount of time (over six minutes), however, the song was edited for its release as a single. 

The single was taken from the album Four Seasons of Love, and the song represented the "winter" phase of this concept album. It reached number 43 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 27 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7620
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Winter melody' / 'Full of emptiness'

Lay all your love on me / On and on and on - Abba

Although I bought a picture disc of the tracks on this single just last year, this American version from 1980 was just too interesting to resist. (And to be honest, I'd forgotten that I already had 'Lay your love on me' on any single.)

While these tracks were only released on a 12" single in Europe, America had the chance to buy them on a normal 7" single. Unfortunately the Americans didn't get a picture sleeve, and so this is a relatively anonymous release from the Swedish hitmakers.

My collection: 7" single no. 7619
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Lay all your love on me' / 'On and on and on'