Les chants magnétiques (part 4) - Jean Michel Jarre

I am familiar with 'Magnetic fields part 2', which was a hit in the Netherlands, but I didn't know that part 4 was also released as a single. I found this out last week, while I was ordering singles from a French seller. The track may not be as instantly catchy, but it is still a beautiful melody. I did think it was confusing that the title was 'Les chants magnétiques', because I always thought the title was 'Les champs magnétiques' in French.  

Turns out that it is a play on words. The literal English translation of the French title 'Les chants magnétiques' is 'Magnetic songs'. However, the French word for 'fields' (champs) is a homophone of the French word for 'songs' (chants), so in French, if the title is spoken out loud, it can be interpreted as either magnetic fields or as magnetic songs. Les Champs magnétiques was a surrealist book published in 1920.  

My collection: 7" single no. 8366
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 July 2026
Tracks: 'Les chants magnétiques (part 4)' / 'Les chants magnétiques (part 1, extrait)' 

Fernando - Abba

I was lucky to buy a few Austrian pressings of Abba singles last year while I was in Vienna, but I was very surprised to find one online in the inventory of a French seller. These singles are usually sold for high prices, but in this case the seller only wanted three euros for it. It was an easy decision to grab this one. 

The design of this sleeve is quite wonderful. It uses the same photograph used on many European sleeves, but with a different 'Abba' logo and a colourful background. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8365
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 July 2026
Tracks: 'Fernando' / 'Tropical loveland'

A-ba-ni-bi - Izhar Cohen & the "Alpha-Beta"

After the German pressing of 'A-ba-ni-bi', featured recently on this blog, I found myself confronted with the French one, which features another picture sleeve, featuring a photograph of Izhar Cohen. It has to be said: the design of this sleeve is even better. 

The back of the sleeve (not shown here) contains a photograph of the complete group, taken during the national final in Israel in 1978, shortly before they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978. It was a sensational win for the country, making Izhar Cohen a national hero right then and there.

My collection: 7" single no. 8364
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 July 2026
Tracks: 'A-ba-ni-bi' / 'Illusions' 

E1 - Emiliana Torrini

In 2021 I bought seven of the eight 7" singles featuring remixes of tracks from the excellent album Love in the time of science. When you read back the entries on this blog (here) you can conclude that I wasn't impressed by those remixes, and that's what stopped me from buying 'E1', because it was only available from sellers in the US - with expensive shipping costs. 

Recently I found a French seller with a copy of this single, and in order to at least complete the set I ordered it. And once again, I find myself wondering 'why?'. Why do these people create 'remixes' like this? Answers in the comments section please...

My collection: 7" single no. 8363
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 July 2026
Tracks: 'Dead things (Grain remix)' / 'Telepathy science (Process remix)'

Close (to the edit) - Art of Noise

The song takes its title from the fifth studio album Close to the edge (1972) by the band Yes. Its working title was 'Close to the edge". Paul Morley said: 'We created the music through editing, and so changed the title. Being perverse and provocative I put the brackets in.' The song also samples the 1983 songs 'Leave it' and 'Owner of a lonely heart' by the same band, both of which were produced by Trevor Horn. The single heavily features the recorded sample of a car, a Volkswagen Golf owned by a neighbour of band member J. J. Jeczalik, stalling and restarting. The short spoken-word vocal and the "Hey!" sample was the voice of Camilla Pilkington-Smyth. Jeczalik's girlfriend at the time taught at a girls' school in Ascot and brought Pilkington-Smyth, one of her pupils, to his attention. The sample of her voice was recorded by Jeczalik in a chapel using a Revox A77 tape recorder. 

This single is a US promotional pressing with a sleeve which is very different from the UK version. The track appears on both sides, as per usual on many promotional 7" singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 8362
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Close (to the edit)' / 'Close (to the edit)' 

Jezebel / Your cheatin' heart - Frankie Laine

I ended up buying this 'wall of fame' single featuring 'Jezebel' by Frankie Laine, mainly because I forgot I already had this song on a different single: 'High noon / Jezebel', which I bought last year. How quickly we forget. 

Fortunately, the other side contains another cracking song by the American singer, who was born as Francesco Paolo LoVecchio in Chicago on 30 March 1913. 'Your cheatin' heart' was written by Hank Williams, who passed away just before Frankie Laine recorded his version. He ended up having a hit with the song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8361
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Jezebel' / 'Your cheatin' heart' 

Dreamin' - Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard has released more than 100 singles during his career, so it's only logical that one wouldn't remember each and every one of them. I had totally forgotten about 'Dreamin'' until I heard it on the radio recently. 

The single was released in 1980. It was composed by Alan Tarney with lyrics by Leo Sayer. When recording the song, Richard was concerned that it was pitched too high for his range. However, Tarney told him "it was fantastic and asked [him] to try to sing it in this key". The single reached number 8 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 8360
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Dreamin'' / 'Dynamite' 

San Remo 59 - Bruno Martino

In december 2021 I bought a single by Bruno Martino featuring a cover version of 'Piove'. Of course, while I was ordering some singles this month I had forgotten all about it and when I saw this great EP I ordered it instantly. Well, at least this one has a picture sleeve and two extra tracks.

His first recording, 'Mocambo Bongo' was released on a 78rpm shellac record. He continued to release music until the early Nineties, and passed away on 12 June 2000. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8356
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026 
Tracks: 'Piove', 'Li per li' / 'Sempre con te', 'Un bacio sulla bocca'

Piove - Los Españoles

The five members of Los Españoles were Manuel Perez ("Lito") on saxophone, clarinet, guitar and violin; José Luis Muñoz on guitar and bass; Marcelino López ("Candelas") on drums, trumpet, and violin, all from La Coruña; Miguel Laiz on piano and accordion, from León; and Antonio Moldes, on trumpet, guitar, violin, and bass, from Pontevedra.

Together they released a handful of albums during the Sixties and Seventies, as well as 50 singles and EP's. This EP was released in 1959, shortly after Domenico Modugno participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Piove'. That song appears as the final track on this EP, but obviously this was the reason why I bought it.

My collection: 7" single no. 8355
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Sevilla mambo', 'S'agapó (Ti ein avtó pou to lene agápi)' / 'La paloma', 'Piove (Ciao ciao bambina)' 

I've been waiting for you - Joan Ellis

If this title seems familiar to you, then you're a true Abba fan. I am not, because the only reason I found this single is that I was looking for 'Ulvaeus' in the sales collection of a Discogs seller. It's a habit, of course, because I like to find Abba cover versions, but this one was unexpected. 

Joan Ellis was born as Annemarie van Splunteren in Amsterdam in 1952. This single was her debut. Famous Dutch musician and presenter Jan Rietman arranged and produced it. Joan released three singles in three years, then released her debut album Not the first mistake in 1981. Her take on the Abba song is admirable, but not as refined as the original.

My collection: 7" single no. 8357
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'I've been waiting for you' / 'Nobody knows' 

Merci Cherie - Ray Anthony

Ray Anthony (born Raymond Antonini on 20 January 1922) is an American retired bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his tenure as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, from 1940 to 1941, and later for successfully leading his own big band. Anthony continued to tour around the United States in big bands before retiring in 1998. At the age of 104, he is the last living member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Back in 1966 he recorded this instrumental cover version of 'Merci Cherie', the famous song by Udo Jurgens. And that is, of course, a great way to end up in my record collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 8354
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Merci Chérie' / 'Goodbye my love (Il silenzio)' 

Respectable / Showing out (Get fresh at the weekend) - Mel & Kim

Mel & Kim Appleby didn't release a lot of singles, but I managed to buy quite a few copies through the years with different sleeves and configurations. The latest addition is this single in the Atlantic Oldies Series, presumably released some time after their success in 1986 and 1987. 

The single brings together 'Respectable' and 'Showing out', their first two singles under the professional guidance of Stock, Aitken & Waterman. There's an interesting exhibition of Mel & Kim memorabilia at the V&A museum in London right now, check it out if you can.

My collection: 7" single no. 8353
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Respectable' / 'Showing out (Get fresh at the weekend)'

Someone's in love - Five Star

'Someone's in love' was a track from Five Star's 1988 album Rock The World, and it was released as a single in the US only. The 12" single had an interesting picture sleeve, but the 7" single was more modest and came in an RCA record company sleeve.

The single presented a '7" radio mix' which was also on the US pressing of the album. Doris sang the lead vocals on this track rather than sister Denise, who was lead singer on all of Five Star's singles up to this point. The single only charted in the specialized R&B chart in the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 8352
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Someone's in love (7" radio mix)' / 'Rare groove'

Gimme some love - Gina G

Earlier this year I bought the promotional 10" single of Gina G's 'Gimme some love' and when I wrote the entry about it on this blog I discovered there was also a 7" single of that song. It took me a while to find a good (and cheap!) copy of that single, but here we are.

This 7" single presents the album version and the Eurobeat mix of the song, and as you can hear they are very similar. The CD-singles presented more remixes of the song, and they were all collected in an impressive little box set released by Cherry Red last year.

My collection: 7" single no. 8351
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 July 2026
Tracks: 'Gimme some love' / 'Gimme some love (Eurobeat mix)' 

Die schönsten Blumen blühen auf dem Land - Michèle Torr

Michèle Torr certainly knew her languages. When she represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with 'Une petite Française', she wasted no time in recording different versions of the song with completely different lyrics. The English title became 'I'm just (a simple country girl from France)', and for the German market she recorded 'Die schönsten Blumen blühen auf dem Land'. 

The German lyrics were provided by Werner Schüler-Steger, a German bassist, songwriter, producer and founder of Daxhill Studio in Munich, Germany. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8350
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 July 2026
Tracks: 'Die schönsten Blumen blühen auf dem Land' / 'Le mal de mal'

Live in Japan '86 - Heart

This single was exclusively released in Japan. It features two live tracks, recorded at the NHK Hall in Tokyo in June 1986. It was released as a companion to the album Bad Animals in Japan, but fortunately I was able to buy the single on its own. (I don't collect LP's anymore, since they take up so much space.)

In recent interviews Nancy Wilson described how the band were pushed towards a certain style by the record company during the Eighties. 'I think we felt like we have to wear these clothes, and we need to make these videos, and we have to take the suggestion of the record company and try out these songs. We listened to stacks of demo songs by all these hit songwriters. Some obviously were a great fit, but when we went into rehearsals and tried to learn all these songs, it felt like we were giving up our territory as artists, because it was someone else's style.'

My collection: 7" single no. 8349
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026 
Tracks: 'Magic man (live)' / 'Barracuda (live)'

 

 

Voodoonight - Boney M

'Voodoonight' was a track from the Boney M album Nightflight to Venus. It was released as a single in Japan only (although a South African single also exists, with the A- and B-sides flipped). The single also features the album track 'Heart of gold', which is a cover version of the Neil Young song. 

The sleeve of this single proudly proclaims 'Disco No. 1 hit!!', but I have no way to verify this claim. Perhaps it was indeed such a big hit in Japan, but more probably it was a way to promote this single to buyers.

My collection: 7" single no. 8347
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Voodoonight' / 'Heart of gold' 

Sunny - Boney M

Bobby Hebb wrote 'Sunny' and recorded it in 1963. Hebb wrote the song after his older brother, Harold, was stabbed to death outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by the event and many critics say it inspired the lyrics and tune. According to Hebb, he merely wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a "sunny" disposition over a "lousy" disposition following the murder of his brother.

Boney M turned the song into a disco hit in 1976. It became a huge hit all over Europe, But it also made the charts in Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. Whether the song was a hit in Japan I don't know, but the single was released there with a totally different sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 8346
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Sunny' / 'New York City' 

Head over heels - Abba

It's been a while since I last bought an Abba single, but here we are again. This is the Japanese single for 'Head over heels', which amusingly has a different B-side: 'Lay all your love on me' from the band's preceding album Voulez-vous. Perhaps the original B-side, 'The visitors', was too dark for the Japanese record company. 

There aren't many variants of the 'Head over heels' single. It wasn't a big hit for the Swedish quartet, and it signalled the end for them. Fortunately they recorded two more singles after this, before they disappeared from the scene for many decades in 1982.

My collection: 7" single no. 8345
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Head over heels' / 'Lay all your love on me' 

Save your kisses for me - Brotherhood of man

The United Kingdom won the Eurovision Song Contest a few times, but the best known song is probably Brotherhood of Man's 'Save your kisses for me', which provided the country's victory in 1975. The UK pressing of the single can be found in thrift shops all over Europe, but this Japanese single is pretty rare.

In an interview the band explained: 'We wanted something cheerful, it had to be catchy, and thematically, of course, it had to be something everyone could identify with. Lee came up with the melody quite quickly, but what should the lyrics be about? We could sing about animals; everyone loves animals, right? But then we decided to make it about a child, and that decision was probably the right one.’ 

My collection: 7" single no. 8344
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Save your kisses for me' / 'Let's love together'