Red hot! - Princess

I've bought quite a few 12" singles by Princess recently, and this one was still missing in my collection. It's her last hit single, called 'Red hot!'. The 7" single was pressed on red vinyl, but unfortunately the 12" single was not. The extended mix on this disc is actually a bit dull, as it is just a slightly extended version of the single mix. Things get slightly better on the B-side, as there's a dub mix on there.  

When I bought this disc it was quite filthy, but fortunately after cleaning it the record was still playable. I think I rescued this disc from the skip!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'Red hot! (extended mix)' / 'Red hot! (Dub mix)', 'Programmed to love you'

Panaya mou - Mariza Koch

Some countries are currently boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest because Israel is embroiled in a war against Palestinians. They seem to think that this is the best way to deal with issues these days. Back in the Seventies countries handled this differently: when Greece participated in the 1976 edition they simply wrote a song protesting the invasion of Cyprus by Turkey. And so, 'Panaya mou' was performed live on stage. 

The organizers informed Mariza Koch that they were not responsible for her safety, as there were threats that armed Turks would be present at the venue and shoot her on stage. She signed a waiver stating that she would sing at her own risk. I can't imagine things like this happening next year. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8415
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 August 2026
Tracks: 'Panaya mou' / 'Kato apo tin vrohi'

Avant de partir - Roch Voisine

Roch Voisine had only one hit in the Netherlands ('On the outside' in 1991) but in the French-speaking world he is better known. He has released 29 albums (including a few Christmas albums) and many more singles. 

'Avant de partir' was released in 1990 and I found this mint copy for just 50 eurocents, so I decided to check out the song. It's not a spectacular piece, but a nice song nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 8414
Found: Soundcheck, Kaiserslautern (Germany), 22 August 2026
Tracks: 'Avant de partir (nouvelle version)' / 'Avant de partir (instrumental)' 

Sam - Olivia Newton-John

Whenever I am in a city I check out the local record shops and I am rarely disappointed. Last week I was in Kaiserslautern and the local record shop was tiny but filled to the brim with cd's and lp's. Fortunately they also had a few boxes with 7" singles at just 50 eurocents each, so I had to check them all out. One of the items I snatched was this German pressing of Olivia's 'Sam'. 

Of course, I bought an American promotional single of 'Sam' in 2000, but contrary to that one, this one has a picture sleeve and a different B-side. I can't pass up on a cheap Olivia single, so here we are...

My collection: 7" single no. 8412
Found: Soundcheck, Kaiserslautern (Germany), 22 August 2026
Tracks: 'Sam' / 'Changes'
 

Når jeg går tur med dig i by'n - Johnny Reimar

The Danish singer Johnny Reimar was born on 12 June 1943 in Odense, Denmark. He was an actor, singer and writer and released dozens of albums and more than 70 singles. He passed away on 4 April 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

In 1970 he released his single 'Hvis jeg var sheik'. This release was extra special because the B-side featured a cover of a Marty Wilde song. 'Når jeg går tur med dig i by'n' was credited to Manston (Wilde's pseudonym) and Gellar, with a Danish text by Bent Thøger Olesen. Now, I am sure I've heard this melody before, but I haven't been able to identify the original by Marty Wilde. If you can help, please comment below. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8411
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'Hvis jeg var sheik' / 'Når jeg går tur med dig i by'n'

Once bitten twice shy - Vesta Williams

Mary Vesta Williams (1 December 1957 – 22 September 2011) was an American singer-songwriter. Originally credited as Vesta Williams, she was simply known as Vesta beginning in the 1990s. 

Although Williams never had any albums certified gold nor any top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, she became internationally known for the song 'Once bitten twice shy', released in 1986. It reached number 14 in the UK singles chart and number 11 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 8410
Found: Walk-in, Zutphen, 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'Once bitten twice shy' / 'My heart is yours' 

Ravel's Bolero - Thijs van Leer

The movie 10, featuring Bo Derek, was quite sensational in 1979. On the tones of Ravel's Bolero, sensual scenes create a minor controversy in cinemas and the press. 

Another controversy ensued when Dutch musician Thijs van Leer recorded a version of the composition. The choir is from the world-famous Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The track was recorded at the 10CC Strawberry studio in Manchester. Producer Eddy Ouwens turned it into a disco version and before they knew it, they had a Dutch Top 40 hit on their hands. The single reached number 29, but then the heirs of Ravel protested and the single was quickly pulled from the market. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8409
Found: Walk-in, Zutphen, 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'Ravel's Bolero (Disco version)' / 'Ravel's Bolero (Classical version)'

High under the moon - Tambourine

Tambourine was a short-lived, 1960s revival, Dutch pop band formed in 1987. The main bandmembers were: Jac Bico (guitar), Bart van Poppel (bass) and Saskia van Oerle (vocals). I never noticed them myself, until Puck pointed them out to me some time around the turn of the century. 

'High under the moon' was their biggest hit, reaching number 21 in the Dutch Top 40. Tambourine disbanded in 1992.

My collection: 7" single no. 8408
Found: Walk-in, Zutphen, 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'High under the moon' / 'Cherry baby' 

Stay the night - LaToya Jackson

Between appearances in Playboy magazine, strange comments about her brother Michael and several other controversial career moves, LaToya Jackson never managed to become the worldwide superstar her sister Janet and her brother Michael were.

'Stay the night' is a track from her second album My Special Love, released in 1981. The song was originally written and recorded by Billy Ocean in 1980. The lyrics were slightly re-written to reflect the gender change from Ocean's version. The B-side, 'Camp Kuchi Kaiai' was written by LaToya with her sister Janet.

My collection: 7" single no. 8407
Found: Walk-in, Zutphen, 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'Stay the night' / 'Camp Kuchi Kaiai' 

The entertainer - Marvin Hamlisch

'The entertainer' is a 1902 classic piano rag written by Scott Joplin. It was sold first as sheet music in Missouri and in the 1910s as piano rolls that would play on player pianos. The first recording was by blues and ragtime musicians the Blue Boys in 1928, played on mandolin and guitar.

As one of the classics of the ragtime genre, it returned to international prominence as part of the style revival in the 1970s, when it was used as the theme music for the 1973 Oscar-winning film The Sting. Composer and pianist Marvin Hamlisch's adaptation reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 25 in the UK singles chart. As you can see on the sleeve of this single, it was proclaimed 'Alarmschijf' in the Netherlands and went on to reach number 6 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1974.

My collection: 7" single no. 8406
Found: Walk-in, Zutphen, 15 August 2026 
Tracks: 'The entertainer' / 'Solace'

Taste of bitter love - Gladys Knight & the Pips

Gladys Knight is at the center of a controversy at the moment, and it's all because the 82-year-old singer appeared on stage looking a bit confused. There are worries that she is being 'forced' to perform live. Nothing surprises me anymore after having watched a very frail Frankie Valli on stage recently.

Rolling back to 1980, that's when Gladys Knight and the Pips released 'Taste of bitter love', a catchy song that I heard on the radio recently and I was lucky enough to find a copy for one euro in a second hand shop. The single reached number 35 in the UK singles chart, but narrowly missed out on the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 8405
Found: Walk-in, Zutphen, 15 August 2026
Tracks: 'Taste of bitter love' / 'Add it up' 

Those first impressions - Associates

Back in 1984, when I was addicted to Sky Channel and Music Box, the video for 'Those first impressions' was on high rotation. So much so, that I became bored with the song and the video. This lasted for decades, but finally I decided to buy this single recently, and it ain't half bad.

'Those first impressions' was released as the first single from the third studio album of the band, called Perhaps. The single reached number 43 in the UK singles chart, signalling a decline in popularity for the band. Later singles never improved on this chart position.

My collection: 7" single no. 8404
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 Augustus 2026
Tracks: 'Those first impressions' / 'Thirteen feelings' 

I do what I do - John Taylor

John Taylor is best known as a member of Duran Duran, but through the years he has also released some solo work. His first solo release was for the soundtrack of the movie 9½ weeks in January 1986. 

The song was written by Jonathan Elias, Michael Des Barres and John Taylor, after Des Barres was approached about writing a song for the movie's soundtrack. It was originally intended to be sung by Lisa Dalbello, but she bowed out at the last minute and John decided he could do the song instead. Still Dalbello does backing vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 8403
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'I do what I do' / 'Jazz' 

Histoire d'O - Pierre Bachelet

Histoire d'O is an erotic novel written by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage, with the original French text published in 1954 by Jean-Jacques Pauvert. Desclos did not reveal herself as the author until 1994, 40 years after the initial publication. Desclos stated she wrote the novel as a series of love letters to her lover Jean Paulhan, who had admired the work of the Marquis de Sade. The novel shares with the latter themes such as love, dominance, and submission.

French director Henri-Georges Clouzot wanted to adapt the novel to film for many years, which was eventually done by director Just Jaeckin in 1975 as Histoire d'O, produced by Eric Rochat and Gérard Lorin, starring Corinne Cléry and Udo Kier. The music of the film was performed by Pierre Bachelet and released as an album. This single features two tracks from that album, most importantly the main theme of the film, which is a beautiful melody.

My collection: 7" single no. 8402
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'Histoire d'O' / 'O' et la rencontre' 

F.L.M. - Mel & Kim

Although I have a few editions of Mel & Kim's third single 'F.L.M.', somehow this 12" single eluded me until now. It's the 'Two Grooves Under One Nation' remix of the track, which features elements of 'Le freak' by Chic.

It's an interesting remix, but the disc itself is perhaps even better, pressed on splattered brown/grey vinyl.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'F.L.M. (Two grooves under one nation remix)' / 'F.L.M. (Two grooves under one nation dub mix)'

Louise (We get it right) - Jona Lewie

There's a certain amount of repetition in this blog when I buy singles in different formats. I bought the 7" single of Jona Lewie's 'Louise (We get it right)' in 2009, but I was lucky enough last week to find the 10" version. On this disc an extended version of the song appears.

On the runout groove the name 'J. Lewie' appears in die-cut. I wonder if this happened with all the 10" singles, or if someone has just had a creative moment with this disc. Who knows...

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered] 
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'Louise (We get it right) (extended version)' / 'It never will go wrong' 

Dreiklangs dimensionen - Rheingold

Second hand shops hold their own mysteries, and this item presents one of them. Just how did a Spanish 12" single of Rheingold's 'Dreiklangs dimensionen' end up in a rural area of the Netherlands? It's fascinating.

This 12" single presents an extended version of this techno pop classic, and I was lucky to find this copy, even if the sleeve was falling apart. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'Dreiklangs dimensionen [extended]' / 'Fluss' 

Obscene phone caller - Rockwell

Three decades ago I bought the single 'Obscene phone caller' by Rockwell. It is one of those songs that you would enjoy if you heard it but forget about almost as quickly. Still, when I saw this 12" single it made me buy it instantly.  

The extended version of the song is just a minute longer, and doesn't really add much. But the instrumental version on the B-side of this 12" single is even longer than the extended version, curiously enough. I bet someone could make a really good extended version with just a few smart edits.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Vinylparadijs, Geesteren, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'Obscene phone caller (extended club version)' / 'Obscene phone caller (instrumental)'

Schlager cocktail - Various artists

This 'Schlager cocktail' EP is a collection of songs that were popular in the early Sixties. None of the songs are performed by the original artists, but that's what makes it more interesting, I think. Especially when one of the songs is a Eurovision Song Contest track! 

'Zwei kleine Italiener' is performed here by Virginia Markus & Emilio Vallati. Although it doesn't stray too far from the original song by Conny Froboess, it does have a few differences, especially in the vocals. The instrumental 'Claire de lune à Maubeuge' is especially nice to listen to.

My collection: 7" single no. 8400
Found: Variaworld, Utrecht, 12 August 2026
Tracks: ' Quando quando quando' (Jean Couroyer), 'Tanz mit mir in den Morgen' (Otto Markert), 'Tango Italiano' (Jean Couroyer), 'Zwei kleine Italiener' (Virginia Markus & Emilio Vallati) / 'The lion sleeps tonight' (Jean Couroyer), 'La Chansonette' (Jean Couroyer), 'Michael' (The Streetsingers), 'Claire de Lune à Maubeuge'

Warum, nur warum / Merci Cherie - Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens competed in the Eurovision Song Contest three times, but 'Warum, nur warum' and 'Merci, Chérie' were the best known songs of the three. And so they appear on this French single in the Superhits series. 

According to the back of the sleeve, many more of these singles were released, featuring songs by Donovan, The Kinks, Dionne Warwick, Petula Clark and the Isley Brothers, among others. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8399
Found: Variaworld, Utrecht, 12 August 2026
Tracks: 'Warum, nur warum' / 'Merci, Chérie'