Love me baby - Sheila B. Devotion

Sheila (born Annie Chancel in Créteil, France on August 16, 1945) scored numerous hits in her homeland during the 1960s and the 1970s. Among her chart toppers were 'L'École est finie' (1963), 'Vous les copains' (the French cover version of Manfred Mann's 'Do wah diddy diddy' in 1964), 'Petite fille de Français moyens' (1968) and 'Les rois mages' (a cover version of 'Tweedle dee tweedle dum', originally performed by Middle of the Road in 1971). Her success helped her producer Claude Carrere to launch his label Carrere Records.

In 1977, Sheila completely changed her public image when Sheila & B Devotion was formed. Because Carrere did not want to shock Sheila's public and the French media, the debut single of the group ('Love me baby') was released anonymously in May 1977 in France. The first pressings of the record mentioned the obscure name of S.B Devotion. The song was a radio and club hit. The identity of the group was rapidly revealed and the quartet was officially named Sheila B. Devotion. The single became a mainstream top 10 hit all over Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 5787
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 6, 2017
Cost: 0
Tracks: 'Love me baby' / 'Love me baby (instrumental)'

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Tomorrow is now - Howard Jones

After Howard Jones'contract with Warner Bros. ended, I lost track of him for a couple of years. I was quite surprised when I found out that he'd steadily released albums like 'Working in the back room' and 'People' while I wasn't paying attention. Thanks to the internet, I quickly reconnected at the end of the Nineties. I bought the albums and some CD-singles, and all was good in the world again.

Last week I found out that one of his late Nineties tracks was also released as a 7" single in the USA. 'Tomorrow is now' features 'Let the people have their say' on the B-side, and both were released as CD-singles at the time. It's great to finally have this 7" single as well, even if it's just a jukebox release.

My collection: 7" single no. 5842
Found: Discogs.com, received May 24, 2017
Cost: £3
Tracks: 'Tomorrow is now' / 'Let the people have their say'

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Say it again - Precious

The girl band Precious was formed at the end of 1998 by Sophie McDonnell and Jenny Frost. A set of auditions saw the remaining members join, these were: Anya Lahiri, Kalli Clark-Sternberg and Louise Rose. In 1999 they were chosen to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel. While the single went to number 6 in the UK singles chart, their success at Eurovision was more limited, as they ended up in 12th place.

After three more singles (two of which were hit sigles) and a debut album which failed to chart, the group were dropped by their label and it was decided that the individual members should pursue separate careers. Sophie McDonnell started presenting for BBC TV and Radio including their CBBC brand, Jenny Frost replacing Kerry Katona in the band Atomic Kitten, and Anya Lahiri returning to her modelling activities. Lead singer Louise Rose also become an actress, her credits include the 2008 mini-series "Diamonds". Kalli Clark-Sternberg has since become a session singer.

My collection: 7" single no. 5841
Found: Discogs.com, received May 24, 2017
Cost: £ 3
Tracks: 'Say it again (Cutfather & Joe mix)' / 'Essential love'

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Où sont-elles passées - Romuald

'Où sont-elles passées' ('Where have they gone') was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964, performed in French by French singer Romuald. The song was composed by noted French orchestra leader Francis Lai, best known for his film scores. Romuald laments the departure of the girls of his youth, explaining that as he grows older he loses the enjoyment and mystery of his early romances. It was a successful song for Monaco that year, ending up in third place.

Romuald ended up participating in the Eurovision Song Contest two more times: in 1969 for Luxembourg with 'Catherine' and in 1974 for Monaco once more with 'Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5840
Found: Discogs.com, received May 18, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Ou sont-elles passées', 'Demain' / 'A jamais', 'Toi ma blonde'

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Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again - Marty Wilde

Released in 1958, 'Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again' was one of the earliest Marty Wilde singles ever released. At this stage, singles were still being released as 78 rpm discs as well, but while I'm still after those, it was good to find this little gem.

Marty Wilde and his band the Wildcats recorded this track which was originally released by Jimmie Rodgers who had a hit with it in the USA. Marty's version failed to chart but he still managed to have five top 10 hits in 1958 and 1959. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5836
Found: Discogs.com, received May 16, 2017
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Oh-oh I'm falling in love again' / 'Sing boy sing'

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Single - Everything but the girl

'Single' was the third single taken from Everything but the girl's 1996 album 'Walking wounded'. After two top 10 hits in the UK, this single only peaked at number 20, despite being perhaps the best track of the three of them - in my opinion of course.

I was already quite happy to find a single of the previous single Walking wounded, but it turns out that 'Wrong' and 'Single' were released as a 7" single as well - albeit just for jukebox purposes. It's just a matter of finding them online because it's nearly impossible to find these singles any other way.

My collection: 7" single no. 5838
Found: Discogs.com, received May 16, 2017
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Single' / 'Corcovado (Quiet night of quiet stars)'

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Ooh aah... Just a little bit - Gina G

One of the most successful Eurovision entries for the United Kingdom in recent decades was Gina G's 'Ooh aah... Just a little bit'. It was a top 10 hit in the UK even before she took to the stage at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway on 18 May 1996. Dressed in a short thigh-skimming glittery metal dress, her vocals turned out to be too weak to carry the song in a live situation, causing her to only make it to eighth place in a field of 23 competitors.

I wasn't aware that this song had even been pressed onto 7" vinyl, until I found this jukebox copy online. No picture sleeve unfortunately, because jukebox singles usually don't come with those, but the song remains one of the best efforts from the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 5839
Found: Discogs.com, received May 18, 2017
Cost: $4
Tracks: 'Ooh aah... Just a little bit (Motiv8 radio edit)' / 'Ooh aah... Just a little bit (Motiv8 extended vocal mix)'

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