Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt - Peter Horten

On 22 September Austrian singer-songwriter Peter Horton passed away, aged 82. His 'Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt' was on my wishlist for some time now and this fact caused me to buy this single the same evening. You could expect that the man's singles would only become more expensive, and this one wasn't particularly cheap to begin with. But I lucked out, because I found a French copy for a reasonable price.

Why 'Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt', you ask? Well, because it was the song he performed on the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. It is perhaps his biggest claim to fame, because the rest of his career brought him mainly fame in Austria and surrounding countries. His Eurovision song is marvellously oldfashioned.

My collection: 7" single no. 7034
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 September 2023
Tracks: 'Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt', 'Lass sie laufen' / 'Nur im traum', 'Ich weiss nicht wie'

Oui, oui, oui, oui / Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove) - Frédérica

Not much is known about Frédérica Pietra, except the release of her singles between 1956 and 1960. She even released one album (on a 10" disc) in 1953.

This EP from 1959 features four tracks by the singer, including two from the Eurovision Song Contest of that year. They are 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', originally performed by Jean Philippe for France, and 'Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove)', originally performed by Domenico Modugno for Italy. Both songs were incredibly successful that year, and so it's no surprise that Frédérica also tried her luck with these tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 7031
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 September 2023
Tracks: 'Rendez-vous à cinq heures, chéri', 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' / 'Les innocents', 'Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove)'

Liebe - Laurent Voulzy

Slowly but steadily I am getting more and more singles by Laurent Voulzy; tracks that apppear on his compilation album 'Carib islander' which started my love affair with the man's music. One of the tracks on that compilation is 'Liebe', which turns out to be a single from 1983. 

The B-side of this single consists of two very short songs (90 and 110 seconds respectively) that Laurent  wrote with Elain Rowen and D. McNeil respectively. Usually he collaborates with Alain Souchon (as with the A-side), so this is a bit of a surprise.

My collection: 7" single no. 7029
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 September 2023
Tracks: 'Liebe' / 'Cadillac cruise', 'Meu samba pra voce'

Albatross - Fleetwood Mac

'Albatross' was released on a red vinyl 12" single for Record Store Day earlier this year. Obviously this was on the occasion of the fact that the single was originally released 55 years ago. It's a curious choice because both tracks aren't especially long, so why press a 12" single? It must have been inspired by the higher price you could give the item. Record companies simply think that way. 

To be honest, I am more content with this original single of 'Albatross', which features the same two tracks. I already own this single, with two of the band's early hits, but nothing beats the original release, of course. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7026
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 10 September 2023
Tracks: 'Albatross' / 'Jigsaw puzzle blues'

Erotica - Man

Man is a rock band from Wales. Formed in November 1968 as a reincarnation of the Welsh vocal group the Bystanders, Man is renowned for the extended jams during their live performances. Man was initially signed to Pye Records, for which it recorded its first two albums with John Schroeder. Their debut album 'Revelation' (January 1969) was noted for the simulated orgasm on the track 'Erotica'. 'Erotica' was released as a single, amazingly, and caused a stir in the UK, where it was banned.

I heard this track some 30 years ago for the first time, and searched for the single for some time. I wasn't successful and forgot all about it... until last week when I suddenly saw a copy during an outdoors record fair! Sometimes life throws you some unexpected surprises.

My collection: 7" single no. 7025
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 10 September 2023
Tracks: 'Erotica' / 'Don't just stand there'

Light my fire - Jose Feliciano

Nothing beats the original by the Doors, of course, but Jose Feliciano still made some waves when he recorded his version of 'Light my fire' in 1968. The Puerto Rican vocalist and guitarist got to number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts for three consecutive weeks, and also peaked at number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.

In a 1969 interview, Feliciano said that he liked the song when he first heard it, but felt that he should wait a year before releasing the song. Songwriter Robby Krieger said in an interview about the cover: "It's really a great feeling to have written a classic. I think I owe a big debt to Jose Feliciano because he is actually the one, when he did it, everybody started doing it. He did a whole different arrangement on it." 

My collection: 7" single no. 7024
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 10 September 2023
Tracks: 'Light my fire' / 'California dreamin''

I ain't gonna stand for it - Stevie Wonder

Through the years I've bought some Stevie Wonder singles, sometimes even without knowing the song. You can't really go wrong with acts like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Bee Gees; they always deliver.

This single was completely unknown to me, Still, 'I ain't gonna stand for it' reached number 31 in the Dutch Top 40 in early 1981. It was even more successful in the UK, where it reached number 10 in the singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7023
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 10 September 2023
Tracks: 'I ain't gonna stand for it' / 'Knocks me off my feet'

International - Lys Assia

When Lys Assia won the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 it wasn't immediately clear that she'd performed a classic song, but 'Refrain' has definitely acquired the title 'legendary'. I was happy to buy the German version 'Refrain, du goldner Traum aus meiner Jugendzeit' two years ago, but I was still searching for this EP. Mainly because it's the only version I know that actually has a picture sleeve. 

This EP features 'Refrain, du gold'ner Traum', as well as three other songs also performed in German. I think my collection of 'Refrain' singles is complete now - although you never know!

My collection: 7" single no. 7020
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2023
Tracks: 'Jolie Jacqueline', 'Blaue Veilchen, weisser Flieder' / 'Refrain, du gold'ner Traum', 'Nachts in Paris'

A song goes out around the world - Egon Egemann

I bought a copy of 'A song goes out around the world' in 2009, on a cold winter's day in Amsterdam - a visit I remember all too well because the shop offered a whole box of Eurovision singles I didn't have yet. 

When I ordered a few singles from a Swedish seller recently, this one appeared on offer and the B-side caught my eye. Where the other single offered the original version of the song in German, this single features an instrumental version. Now, if this single would have been very expensive I wouldn't have bought it of course, but it was interesting enough to pick up for a few euros. As kitchy as the song is, the melody is just irresistible.

My collection: 7" single no. 7021
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2023
Tracks: 'A song goes out around the world' / 'A song goes out around the world (instrumental)'

I want 2 B U - The The

Occasionally The The releases a new single, and then it takes a while for me to buy it due to the insane prices commanded by new singles these days. You could easily spend at least 20 euros if you consider postage and import charges from the UK. 

This time I lucked out because a Dutch seller had a copy, combined with another item I was interested in. And so I've finally got this single, which was released in 2020 - three years after 'We can't stop what's coming'. It's a great little song, borrowing some inspiration from The The's early single 'This is the day'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7019
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2023
Tracks: 'I want 2 B U' / 'Velvet muscle scream'