Emma - Hot Chocolate

The dramatic story of 'Emma' gave Hot Chocolate their first significant hit. It became a number 3 hit in both the UK and the Netherlands in 1974. 

The song details the love of the (nameless) singer and a girl called Emmaline from the age of 5 all through a wedding at 17 until her suicide at an unspecified later date. Emma wanted to be a 'movie queen' but never got a break, eventually killing herself, explaining in a suicide note: 'I just can't keep on living on dreams no more'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7735
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Emma' / 'Makin' music' 

Funky town - Pseudo Echo

In 1980 Lipps Inc. released 'Funkytown', a single that was a big hit in discotheques and charts worldwide. Quite why the Australian band Pseudo Echo decided to record a cover version of the song 1987 is a bit of a mystery, but it was a charttopper in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Back in the UK it reached number 8, while it didn't chart in the Dutch Top 40 at all.

The band still exists, after a period of hiatus through much of the Nineties. By now, they have released six albums and some 20 singles. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7734
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Funky town' / 'Lies are nothing' 

El Lute - Michael Holm

Michael Holm recorded the 'Deutsche Originalversion' of 'El Lute', a song originally recorded by Boney M. Many German artists had the opportunity to simply translate hit songs and have a local hit with it because it was recorded in the language that literally everyone spoke (and still speaks) in the country. 

Holm was born on 29 July 1943 and started his career in 1961. Between then and now he released many dozens of singles and some 20 albums, nearly all of them in German. I saw this single while browsing through a few hundred discs, and thought it interesting enough to bring it home.

My collection: 7" single no. 7732
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'El Lute' / 'Wer lügt, gewinnt' 

Yester-me, yester-you, yesterday - Stevie Wonder

In 1966 Chris Clark recorded 'Yester-me, yester-you, yesterday', a song written by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells. Stevie Wonder recorded the song a year later, but the single was released in 1969, when he was going through some vocal problems and was required to wait before recording a song. Motown decided to release some tracks that were recorded earlier, and so his version of the song saw the light in September 1969. 

It was a big success: the single reached number 7 in the US BIllboard Hot 100 and number 2 in the UK singles chart, making it at that time, Wonder's biggest UK hit.

I found this disc during the annual family holiday while going through some singles in a record store in Darmstadt. That record store was a highlight of the week for me. Oddly, because I went to that same shop in 2018 and found exactly nothing!

My collection: 7" single no. 7733
Found: Come Back, Darmstadt (Germany), 4 August 2025
Tracks: 'Yester-me, yester-you, yesterday' / 'I'd be a fool right now'

The blood that moves the body - A-ha

Back in 1988, I bought a single of 'The blood that moves the body', not knowing that there was a much more interesting release in the UK. This limited edition pack included three postcards of the band, which in itself isn't exactly earth-shattering, but as I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to limited edition packages, I still wanted to have it when I found out about it 35 years later. It took me almost two years to find a near mint copy, and of course I had to find it online.

In fact, I was tipped off by a friend, and I think I bought this copy from a friend of that friend. I don't really care: it makes my A-ha collection that much more interesting. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7730
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 July 2025
Tracks: 'The blood that moves the body' / 'There's never a forever thing'

Slow emotion replayed - The The

When The The announced their most recent single 'Slow Emotion Replayed' last month via their newsletter, I was very disappointed when it was already sold out when I looked. Mind you, I read that newsletter within an hour after it dropped in my mailbox. This month another newsletter dropped, and lo and behold, it was announced that more copies were available to order! I didn't hesitate, of course, because the The The collection needs to be complete. Well, as complete as it can be. 

'Slow emotion replayed' is a new version of 'Slow emotion replay', recorded after their successful recent tour. I missed out on those live gigs, because I hate standing for hours, so this is a fine replacement. The B-side is a bit of wordplay on the title of the A-side and is an instrumental track that is inspired on the A-side as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7729
Found: The The website, received  22 July 2025
Tracks: 'Slow emotion replayed' / 'Crow commotion displayed'

Kids in America - Kim Wilde

Since I am catching up on older acquisitions, I think it's time I highlight my Japanese pressings of Kim Wilde singles. I started last week with the exclusive release 'Take me tonight', and today I went for her debut single, the immortal 'Kids in America'. 

On the internet there's the recurring debate about the line 'New York to East California' in the song, with people wondering why exactly Kim chose to sing about East California while there's really nothing there to sing about. The simple explanation given by dad Wilde, who wrote the song, was that it sounded better than 'West California'. In pop, things usually are that simple.

In Japan, 'Kids in America' was released twice, and with different sleeves. In the absence of any chart data I have to assume that the first release wasn't successful enough, and so the record company went for a re-release after worldwide success became evident. 

My collection: 7" single no. 1838 / no. 3340
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 23 January 1993 / Ebay, 2001
Tracks: 'Kids in America' / 'Tuning in tuning on'