Sol och vår - Inger Berggren

Another EP I bought this weekend was Inger Berggren's 'Sol och vår'. I bought 'Sol och vår' just over three years ago, but that was the regular single with a black and white sleeve. 

This EP features two extra tracks and a colourful picture sleeve. The song was Sweden's 1962 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, which means that this EP was released 63 years ago. Hard to believe when you see the state of this item. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7633
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Sol och vår', 'Mamma, vad det är kul med twist' / 'Och flickan spann...', 'Du svek mej!'

Oui oui oui oui - Jean Philippe

Back in 2017 I bought this unsightly 7" single without a picture sleeve of Jean Philippe's 'Oui oui oui oui', assuming that it wouldn't be easy to get a better copy. But patience pays off, as this blog has proven so many times: this weekend I found a better copy, and not only that: it features four tracks instead of two. 

'Oui oui oui oui' was, of course, France's 1959 Eurovision entry. The song was covered many times by other artists, including a very successful version by Sacha Distel.

My collection: 7" single no. 7631
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Oui oui oui oui', 'Dis-lui que je l'aime' / 'Ce serait dommage', 'J'ai mis notre amour au monde'

C'est la vie - Claude

Although the Eurovision Song Contest gives me a right amount of pleasure, that pleasure doesn't often come from the Netherlands. Fortunately we've had the absolute worst last year, so things could only get better. I'm talking about the quality of the songs, of course, not even about all the madness that a certain Dutch artist caused during the event.

This year the Netherlands come up with a song that is normal again. It's not outstanding or especially moving, but at least it is a song. The single was released well in advance, and it is pressed on yellow vinyl too. Let's see what Claude can do next month!

My collection: 7" single no. 7030
Found: Official website, received 11 April 2025
Tracks: 'C'est la vie' / 'C'est la vie (instrumental)'

Strobe lights - Red Sebastian

The Eurovision Song Contest is still almost a month away, but the first vinyl single is already here. It's Belgium's Red Sebastian with the song 'Strobe lights'. And I'm using the term 'song' lightly, because it's mostly beats and a high-pitched voice. The comparison to last century's Eurovision songs isn't always very favourable, but I do think that people who are into dance music will like this one. 

As for me, I'll continue to collect Eurovision singles, especially when they are, like this one, pressed on red vinyl. It is a beauty. I'm not sure whether Red Sebastian will make the final. But we'll have to wait and see.

My collection: 7" single no. 7629
Found: Official website, 9 April 2025
Tracks: 'Strobe lights' / 'Strobe lights (extended mix)'

Annorstädes vals - Ingvar Wixell

Some would argue that the Eurovision Song Contest was "much better in the early days", and their eyes would fill with a nostalgic look. Indeed it's hard to imagine that a country like Sweden would send in a celebrated tenor to sing a classically oriented jazz song like 'Annorstädes vals' these days. But times have changed, and so has the music that people want to see on the TV screen.

Sweden didn't actually send in 'Annorstädes vals' back in 1965 either: they opted for the English translation called 'Absent friend'. This was a kind of protest against the fact that Carmela Corren had sung 'Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder' partly in English in 1963, because Austria should have stuck to their country's own language (as was the unwritten rule back then). The protest worked; the unwritten rule became a written rule and countries had to stick to their official languages from 1966 onwards. 

There is, of course, a single of 'Absent friend' as well, but so far I've only seen that one for thrice the price I paid for this one. And this one was already a bit on the expensive side.

My collection: 7" single no. 7628
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 April 2025
Tracks: 'Annorstädes vals', 'Förtrollad stad' / 'Stilla och tyst', 'Kommer var'

Don't you want me / Love action - Human League

Although my collection of Human League singles is complete, there are sometimes such curiosities as this one. It's a combination of two big hits by the band, brought together on a single, released in the A&M Memories series in the USA some years after their original release. How many years? There is no way of knowing, because there is no year of manufacture anywhere on the label of this single.

A little bit of research reveals that AM-8643 was released in 1982, so it looks likely that this single was released in 1982 or 1983. Some memories aren't really that old.

My collection: 7" single no. 7627
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Don't you want me' / 'Love action (I believe in love)'

Lucifer - Alan Parsons Project

'Lucifer' appeared on the B-side of 'You don't believe', a single by the Alan Parsons Project which I bought in January. The funny, thing is, 'You don't believe' in turn was a B-side of 'Don't answer me'. And now 'Lucifer' appears on an A-side as well; it was released in 1979, so actually five years before 'You don't believe'. I guess the record company wanted a good single to promote the greatest hits album in 1984. 

The album Eve, from which 'Lucifer' was taken, was the Alan Parsons Project's fourth album. The single scored particularly well in Germany and Austria, peaking at number 8 and 4 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 7626
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Lucifer' / 'I'd rather be a man'