The sun always shines on TV - A-ha

When A-ha were at the start of their career, they were involved in various promotional duties. They appeared in magazines in silly photoshoots and had to record 'special messages' for their fans. While they craved being taken seriously as artists, they were boxed in as 'teen idols' for most of the Eighties.

Documentary evidence of this was presented by No. 1 magazine in the UK. A special booklet was made in which they answered questions like 'What is your favourite Duran Duran song?' and 'Would you marry a girl who wasn't Norwegian?'. This flexi disc was added in the next issue of the magazine, on which the members of the band recorded a short message. Fortunately the disc also includes a dance mix of 'The sun always shines on TV'. The fact that it was edited from the original remix makes this rather a collectable item.

My collection: 7" single no. 5763
Found: Discogs.com, received 1 July 2016
Tracks: 'The sun always shines on TV (dance mix) [edited]' 

Wonderful life - T.J. Davis

'Wonderful life' by Black is probably one of the best songs ever written, which is why it has been covered many times by various artists. One of those covers was released in 2001 by Teresa Jane Davis. She was a backing vocalist for artists such as Gary Numan, D:Ream, Tom Jones, Stereophonics and Burt Bacharach. 

Her version of 'Wonderful life' was released on a cd-single, which I bought back in the day, but it only features three versions that are not on this 12" single. So it's a worthwhile addition: this disc presents four remixes that were only ever released on vinyl.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 October 2026
Tracks: 'Wonderful life (Nylon remix)', 'Wonderful life (Nylon accapella mix)' / 'Wonderful life (Original mix)', 'Wonderful life (Silverstone mix)'

Wuthering heights - Wanda Fisher

Italy has produced a lot of cover versions of Kate Bush songs, and this is just one of them. Wanda Fisher was born as Vanda Radicchi on 28 October 1947 in Crotone. She began her career as a vocalist in Italy after she left the States with a singing and sol-fa degree obtained at the Saint Cecil’s conservatoire.

Her version of the Kate Bush song 'Wuthering Heights' appears on the B-side of this 12" single, alongside the single 'Meteor Man', which was a big hit in Southern Europe.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 October 2026
Tracks: 'Meteor Man' / 'Wuthering heights'

Mon coeur est libre - Gemma Barra

Gemma Barra was born in 1936 in Quebec, Canada. She combined the activities of actress and songwriter in the early Fifties before becoming a performer and then a radio host. Over the next few decades, she hosted a television series and became a screenwriter, writer and publisher. 

In 1964 she recorded 'Mon coeur est libre', a cover version of Mike Hawker and Marty Wilde's 'My heart is free', originally recorded by Jimmy Gilmer, with French lyrics by Paul Bébard. Wilde enjoyed a run of hit singles in the UK between 1958 and 1962, after which he devoted much of his time to songwriting for other artists. This single proves that his songs ended up far beyond the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 8483
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2026 
Tracks: 'Mon coeur est libre' / 'J'aime danser'

With one look (The wildest dream) - Rupert Hine & Cy Curnin

Rupert Hine was one of the world's best producers, having worked with Howard Jones, Noa and Stevie Nicks, among many others. He also released some very great singles on his own, like 'Blue flame' and 'Eleven faces'. The name Cy Curnin might not ring a bell with everyone, but he is the lead vocalist of the new wave band The Fixx. 

Together they recorded 'With one look (The wildest dream)' for the soundtrack of the movie Better Off Dead, a romantic teen comedy starring John Cusack. That soundtrack also featured a song called 'Arrested by you', performed by Rupert Hine. That song was later covered by Dusty Springfield.

My collection: 7" single no. 8482
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2026
Tracks: 'With one look (The wildest dream)' / 'With one look (The wildest dream)'

Say you really want me - Kim Wilde

Last Friday a new deluxe edition of Kim Wilde's 1986 album Another Step was released, featuring 3 cd's en a dvd. It collects all the tracks she released in 1986 and 1987, including several versions of 'Say you really want me'. When I say 'several versions', I mean twelve versions. That's how much was released at the time, owing to the fact that it was first released in America and Canada, and a year later, in remixed form, in the UK.

One of the remixes was the so-called 'CHR version', released in the US and Canada in 1986. I was very pleased to find a Canadian promotional single of that version recently, and ordered it straight from Canada in fact. You'd think by now I had all of Kim Wilde's output, but of course I don't. 'Close', would be my best guess. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8481
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2026
Tracks: 'Say you really want me (CHR version)' / 'She hasn't got time for you' 

Vox - Sarah McLachlan

Although I have the commercial version of Sarah McLachlan's 'Vox' on 7", it's always a pleasure to find rare promotional discs, and this one was released in Canada only. As usual for promotional discs, it features the same track on both sides, so that DJ's wouldn't inadvertedly play the B-side of the single.

Sarah went on to make many fabulous albums, but her debut still stands out as probably the most pure collection of her early songwriting craft. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8480
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2026
Tracks: 'Vox (radio remix)' / 'Vox (radio remix)'