Tourada - William Carlos

Although this EP is nameless and it contains four tracks, I mainly bought it for the cover version of 'Tourada', the song originally performed by Fernando Tordo at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973. William Carlos included the track as the last of four.

Information about William Carlos is scarce. It seems this EP was all he ever released. According to the text on the back sleeve: "The Canberra newspapers say wonderful things about him. However, this EP shows us little of his true potential, especially since it responds to a "request" made by the Australian market, where his music is beginning to receive attention. Let us therefore welcome this young man with enthusiasm and demand from him everything he can give us."

My collection:  7" single no. 7256
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'You and me', 'Sun keep on shining' / 'Semente', 'Tourada'

Sobe, sobe, balão sobe - Alice Amaro

Between 1960 and 1980, Portuguese singer Alice Amaro released almost 20 singles and one album. The last single she seems to have released was a cover version of the song 'Sobe, sobe, balão sobe', originally performed by Manuela Bravo during the Eurovision Song Contest 1979.

Alice's version is a bit faster and more electronically-driven. Remarkably, the logo of RTP, the Portuguese broadcaster, appears on the sleeve of the single, although Alice was not even one of the performers during the Portuguese preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was probably an attempt to make the version look like the official one. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7255
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Sobe, sobe, balão sobe' / 'Zé Brasileiro Portuguese de Braga'

Hallelujah - Grupo Alpha

Although another group called Grupo Alpha was active in the Seventies, they recorded in Spanish and released most of their records in the USA. This Grupo Alpha only released one single and sang exclusively in Portuguese.

This single presents two songs from the Eurovision Song Contest 1979: the winning song 'Hallelujah', as well as the Danish entry, the pleasantly quirky 'Disco Tango'. Both versions are well done, but also very different from the originals - mainly because of the language.

My collection: 7" single no. 7254
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Hallelujah' / 'Disco Tango'

Den är din, denna jord - Inger Öst

Katja Ebstein made an impression with her performance of 'Diese Welt', with which she represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971. The song was interesting enough for Inger Öst to want to record a cover version of the song. Her version was recorded in Swedish, and became 'Den är din, denna jord'.

Inger was no stranger to Eurovision songs: she would also record 'Rör vid mej', a cover version of 'Eres tu' two years later. In 1974 she teamed up with Torsten Wallin to record 'Du hör en sang', a cover version of 'I see a star'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7250
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Den är din, denna jord' / 'Du gör att livet är skont'

Sku' du spørg' fra no'en - Kirsten & Søren

Although I own the single 'Catch me if you can' by Hot Eyes, I never actually bought the original Danish version. It wasn't high on my list of priorities, but it does feel a bit odd not to have the "original version" by Kirsten & Søren, performed on the Eurovision stage in 1985, while I do have the 'Hot Eyes' version with the English translation on the A-side. It feels good to finally have a copy of the single, and in mint condition too.

The song is actually more catchy than I remember it from almost 40 years ago, when I felt this duo was a bit stupid and the song was rather vacuous. Getting milder as we're getting older, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 7253
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Sku' du spørg' fra no'en' / 'Du ka' tro nej'.

 

Vi gratulerar! - Östen Warnerbring

'Congratulations' was a big hit for Cliff Richard, despite the fact that he didn't win the Eurovision Song Contest with it, and many artists wanted a piece of the pie. Even abroad, because several European artists tried their hand at the song. 

In the case of Östen Warnerbring, he recorded a Swedish version of the song. 'Vi gratulerar!' with lyrics by Bo Göran Torulf Edling, a Swedish saxophone-player and composer. His version is almost as spirited as the original.

My collection: 7" single no. 7251
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Vi gratulerar!' / 'Hej här har du mej!'

Rör vid mej - Inger Öst

Lilian Inger Elisabeth Öst was born on 1 February 1949 into a musical family and already at the age of ten she toured together with her mother on the weekends. She was exempted from ninth grade to tour with the singing group Family Four. In the late 1960s, she began her career as a solo artist. In 1969 participated for the first time in Melodifestivalen with the song 'Du ser mig inte'. Five years later, she participated again, this time with 'En grön dröm om mej'.

During the first half of the 1970s, she toured with, among others, Siw Malmkvist and Marie Bergman. She had several hits on the Svensktoppen, the biggest one was called 'Rör vid mej', the Swedish version of Spain's ESC entry 'Eres tu' which was on the list for 19 weeks in 1973, including seven weeks in first place. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7252
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Rör vid mej' / 'Det kallar jag kärlek gosse'

Tom tom tom - Emigranterna

Marion Rung represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with 'Tom tom tom', an upbeat song that certainly could have done better in the competition if it weren't for the complicated Finnish language. 

The Swedish band Emigranterna thought they could do something with the song, and so they recorded a version in Swedish. Not only that, they also added the popular song 'Eviva España' on the flipside. I don't know how well the song did in Sweden at the time - there were no official charts in Sweden at the time - but I bet it was at least more accessible for most Scandinavians.

My collection: 7" single no. 7249
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 July 2024
Tracks: 'Tom tom tom' / 'Eviva España'

Stand by me - Maurice White

Most people will be familiar with 'Stand by me' through the version by Ben E. King. But in 1985, Earth Wind & Fire member Maurice White started his solo career with a cover version of that song. It wasn't quite the success he might have hoped for: the single didn't chart in the UK and only nearly made it into the Dutch Top 40.

I heard the track on a compilation album some 30 years ago, but I never actually bought the single. When I bought some 12" singles online I spotted this one and decided I wanted to check out the 'extended dance remix' on this disc. It sounds more like an extended version, but it's an interesting addition to my collection nonetheless.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 June 2024
Tracks: 'Stand by me (extended dance remix)' / 'Stand by me (instrumental)'

West End girls - Pet Shop Boys

The Pet Shop Boys released 'West End girls' in 1984 and it wasn't very successful. After signing to a major label, 'West End girls' was quickly re-released, and that release came with a 12" single featuring a remix of the track. The remix was created by the Pet Shop Boys themselves, together with Frank Roszak. 

There are at least two slightly different versions of this mix. The original version appears on this 12" single and on the album Essential. A remastered version with a slightly longer fade (mostly silence) on the Further Listening bonus disc with the Please reissue.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 June 2024
Tracks: 'West End girls (dance mix)' / 'A man could get arrested', 'West End girls'