Brave new world - David Essex

I guess you could call this the Find Of The Day: during a record fair I found this single today, and it is one that I was aware of, but never found until now. 'Brave new world' was the third single taken from Jeff Wayne's impressive 'War of the worlds' album, released in the autumn of 1978.

The album version of this track clocks in at 12 minutes, and so it has been edited down to 5 minutes and 24 seconds, omitting mostly non-singing parts in the track. The single reached number 55 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4754
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, April 5, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Brave new world' / 'Streetfight'

Gonna make you a star - David Essex

'Gonna make you a star' was released in the autumn of 1974 as a single by David Essex. The song was written by himself and produced by Jeff Wayne. The record features a prominent use of the synthesizer.

The single reached number 1 in the UK singles chart, spending three weeks at the top in November 1974. In the Dutch Top 40, where it entered in January 1975, it peaked at number 12.

My collection: 7" single no. 4440
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'Gonna make you a star' / 'Window'

A winter's tale - David Essex

Today most of the country was covered in snow. It immediately made me think of David Essex's 1982 single 'A winter's tale'. The song is not necessarily a winter song, but rather a lovesong about a relationship gone sour.

In the UK singles chart, 'A winter's tale' reached number 2. In the Netherlands, where David Essex hadn't been in the charts in 1978, the single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2810
Found: Present @ Den Haag
Cost: -
Tracks: 'A winter's tale' / 'Verity'

Oh what a circus - David Essex

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote the musical Evita in 1976. The best known song from that musical is of course 'Don't cry for me Argentina', recorded by Julie Covington and Madonna, amongst others. The same melody line was used for this single, 'Oh what a circus', performed by David Essex. Like 'Argentina', this song was taken from the musical 'Evita'.

Essex had a hit with this single: it reached number 3 in the UK and number 18 in the Netherlands. It didn't become quite the classic that 'Don't cry for me Argentina' is now. My copy of the single was bought at Beanos, a wellknown record shop in the South of London. It's housed in a custom Beanos sleeve - probably because the original sleeve has gone missing.

My collection: 7" single no. 2889

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1997

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Oh what a circus' / 'High flying adored'