Don't go down that street - Culture Club

Culture Club's 'Don't go down that street' appears on the B-side of 'Love is love' and 'The medal song', but in Japan it was released as an A-side. And that's not surprising, given that there is some actual Japanese in the lyrics of this song!

The Japanese chatting was recorded by Miko, Boy George's friend at the time. The song was recorded especially to be a B-Side, after the other songs were recorded for the Waking up with the house on fire album. The B-side version clocks in on around six minutes, whereas the edited single version, found on this single, was released in Japan only.  

My collection: 7" single no. 8437
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2026
Tracks: 'Don't go down that street' / 'Mistake no. 3' 

6 years of Boney M hits - Boney M

I bought '6 años de exitos de Boney M' in 2017 without realising that this single was actually released elsewhere as well. You can see it here: it's the Japanese single '6 years of Boney M hits'. It's still the same medley, but with a different B-side this time.

The sleeve of this single is interesting as well: it's a photograph of various Japanese sleeves from all the hits included in this medley. And with a picture like this, it becomes clear that I really have to have all these singles myself, obviously.

My collection: 7" single no. 8436
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2026
Tracks: '6 years of Boney M hits' / 'Sad movies' 

 

Dancing queen - Abba

Any new releases by Abba will make use of their back catalogue, since the members of the group have said that Voyage from a few years ago would definitely be their last studio recording. It's a shame, but I guess the Swedish superstars have given us enough to live with anyway. 

This recent 10" single release celebrates the 50th anniversary (can you believe it?) of 'Dancing queen'. It combines the original song with a Spanish version that was recorded a few years later. The disc was pressed on black vinyl 'with sparkles'. Unfortunately those sparkles are a bit disappointing: they almost look like big dust particles. 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'Dancing queen' / 'La reina del baile'

 

Heaven knows - Jaki Graham

Jaki Graham's 'Heaven knows', the title track of her debut album, was originally released in 1984 as 'Heaven knows (feels so good)' with a different sleeve and a different B-side. This single, simply titled 'Heaven knows', is a re-release from 1985. 

The re-release was prompted by the success of her duet with David Grant, 'Could it be I'm falling in love', which reached number 5 in the UK singles chart. By comparison, 'Heaven knows' didn't do that well: it only reached number 59 in September 1985. Still, it was an improvement on the number 80 a year earlier!

My collection: 7" single no. 8429
Found: De Waterput, Bergen op Zoom, 17 September 2026
Tracks: 'Heaven knows' / 'Who's making up your mind' 

Fool if you think it's over - Elkie Brooks

A mere three years after Chris Rea recorded his unforgettable hit 'Fool (if you think it's over)' in 1978, Elkie Brooks decided to record a cover version for her album Pearls, which included eight new recordings plus four of her previous hit singles. Elkie said: 'Most of [Pearl's new] material had been chosen by [A&M exec] Derek Green or Gus Dudgeon. I had insisted that we did 'Fool'. Chris Rea has always been one of my favourite musicians and writers and I thought the song was pure class.' 

Her version reached number 17 in the UK singles chart. It was the first track played on Radio Caroline when the station resumed broadcasting at 10 a.m. on 20 August 1983, after a down period of 41 months. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8428
Found: De Waterput, Bergen op Zoom, 17 September 2026
Tracks: 'Fool if you think it's over' / 'Givin' it up for your love'

 

Staying with it - Vulcano

Before Vulcano started participating in national finals for the Eurovision Song Contest with songs in Dutch they recorded a total of five singles in English. 'Shut up and boogie' in 1981 was their first, 'Staying with it' would be their penultimate single in English a year later.

'Staying with it' is a cover version of the song by American folk singer Michael Johnson. His original version can be found on his 1980 album You can call me blue.

My collection: 7" single no. 8427
Found: De Waterput, Bergen op Zoom, 17 September 2026
Tracks: 'Staying with it' / 'Heaven so blue' 

Jennifer Juniper - Donovan

Donovan Leitch wrote 'Jennifer Juniper' about Jenny Boyd, shortly before she went with The Beatles and Donovan to Rishikesh. She married Mick Fleetwood and was, at one time, the sister-in-law of George Harrison and, later, Eric Clapton. The song was arranged by John Cameron and features a wind section with Cor anglais, flute, French horn and bassoon, plus shaker and harp. The last stanza of the song is sung in French. 

Oddly enough, the sleeve of the single puts the B-side in the spotlight. 'Poor cow' was written and recorded for the Ken Loach movie of the same name. The original title of the song was "Poor Love". The title was changed when the song appeared in the film. 

The single peaked at number 5 in the UK singles chart and at number 26 in the US Billboard Hot 100. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8426
Found: De Waterput, Bergen op Zoom, 17 September 2026
Tracks: 'Jennifer Juniper' / 'Poor cow'