Girls just want to have fun - Cyndi Lauper

In 1983, 1984 and beyond, Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls just want to have fun' was unavoidable. It was on the radio, on Music Box and Sky Channel, and everywhere else, so it seemed. I became sick of the song.

It's taken four decades, but I can finally listen to the song again. It's odd that I have quite a bit of Cyndi Lauper singles, but not her biggest hit. I finally got the chance to rectify that, because this copy popped up and I didn't even have to pay much for it. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8337
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Girls just want to have fun' / 'Right track, wrong train' 

Amiga Quartett - Ofra Haza

Readers of this blog will be familiar with the formula of the Amiga Quartett EP's: a collection of hits from a certain artist, like A-ha, Nena or Sandra. In the case of Ofra Haza, there was only one hit that really counted: the remixed version of 'Im nin' alu'. Three other tracks were added on this disc, but they were never chart hits in most territories - although 'Galbi' actually reached number 20 in the West German singles chart. 

Amiga, of course, was the state-owned record company of East Germany, before the Berlin wall fell. These days it's not too difficult to get your hands on these EP's, but obviously before the Nineties they were strictly available in the German Democratic Republic only.

My collection: 7" single no. 8336
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Im nin' alu', 'Galbi' / 'Eshal', 'Love song'

My number one - Luv

The trio Luv released their first album with Patty Brard in 1980 and 'My number one' was the first single to be taken from that album. The German pressing of the single had a slightly different picture sleeve, compared to the Dutch version. 

The song was a top five hit in the Netherlands and in Flanders (Belgium). It was Luv's last chart entry outside Dutch-speaking countries, ending the group's succession of export hits. It reached number 60 in Germany. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8334
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'My number one' / 'The show must go on' 

What is love / New song - Howard Jones

The Old Gold series were quite popular at the end of the Eighties. It was a way to buy old hits as new singles - even if there was no picture sleeve. For completists, it was a nightmare of course, because if you wanted to have all the singles of a certain artist, you had to buy this Old Gold release as well.

Howard Jones's first singles 'New song' and 'What is love' ended up on one of these Old Gold singles. As a collector of Howard Jones singles, I couldn't pass on this one. Fortunately, it was just 1 euro in this shop.

My collection: 7" single no. 8330
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'What is love' / 'New song' 

On the road again - The Catch

The Catch were an English new wave duo active in the 1980s whose members were Don Snow and Chris Whitten. They released two albums and several singles and had chart success in Europe, most notably with the single '25 Years'.

In 1984 they released 'On the road again', a cover of the Canned Heat song, written by Floyd Jones and Alan Wilson and released in 1968. Don Snow wrote the B-side, 'Understood', which is a catchy reggae-style piece. And then, of course, there's the sleeve. Arty.

My collection: 7" single no. 8328
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'On the road again' / 'Understood'

Mariana - Gibson Brothers

I have a few singles by the Gibson Brothers, but so far, every single I bought were songs that I was familiar with. Not so with 'Mariana', my latest catch. The single was released in 1980 and became a hit in Germany, Finland and the UK only. In the UK it was actually their third biggest hit, peaking at number 11. ('Ooh, what a life' reached number 10 and 'Que sera mi vida' no. 5.) 

'Mariana' was the lead single from the brothers' fifth album On the riviera. It is a repetitive track. In my opinion, the soulful 'All I ever want is you' is more melodious and engaging.

My collection: 7" single no. 8327
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Mariana' / 'All I ever want is you' 

Love enough for two - Prima Donna

The sleeve of this German version of the single 'Love enough for two' is a vast improvement over the Dutch version, which I bought in 2009. It's full colour! How wonderful! 

The group was formed around former New Seekers member Danny Finn. Sisters Kate Robbins and Jane Robbins (nieces of Paul McCartney), Sally Ann Triplett, Alan Coates, and Lance Aston (brother of Jay Aston, who performed with Bucks Fizz, the winners of the contest the following year) completed the lineup. Two days before the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 in The Hague, Kate Robbins lost her voice due to a bout of flu. She was ordered to rest her voice until the performance on Saturday evening. The song ended up in third place in the competition.

Triplett returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982 as half of the group Bardo. Danny Finn passed away after a short illness on February 22, 2016, at the age of 71. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8326
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Love enough for two' / 'Missing out on love' 

Time to let go - Eddy Grant

Much to my surprise, I already owned both tracks on this single - but both as B-sides of other singles. 'Time to let go' was released in 1984 as the B-side of 'Boys in the street' and 'California style' became the B-side of 'Till I can't take love no more' in 1983.

However, this single was released in 1981 and was never a hit. The album Can't Get Enough, from which the track was taken, was actually the first of his albums to chart in the UK. It was actually his sixth studio album.

My collection: 7" single no. 8324
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany)
Tracks: 'Time to let go' / 'California style' 

I wantcha' back - Delegation

While I was going through hundreds of singles, the title '12th house' leapt out at me. I am, of course, familiar with that title, because it is a track by New Musik from the early Eighties. And I am also familiar with the version by Delegation, because I bought it four years ago.

However, this single is a bit more interesting because it actually has a picture sleeve and a different A-side. 'I wantcha' back' is a good example of the sort of 'soul/dance' track that was popular in the Eighties. It's actually fun to add this single to my collection. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8323
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'I wantcha' back' / '12th house' 

Hold me now - Thompson Twins

A long, long time ago I bought the picture disc of the Thompson Twins' 'Hold me now'. When I saw the regular single - a German pressing - a few days ago I realized that I never bought it, and for just 1 euro, I couldn't pass it up. It was also the start of a "crate digging" session, if I can call it that. I visited a shop just across the border in Germany with the aim of buying as much singles as I wanted to buy, and this was a good start. 

'Emotionally, it was written as the result of some argument that was resolved between Alannah and myself', explained Tom Bailey in an interview. 'We actually decided, well, this is an interesting emotional subject. What it feels like to get back together again after separation and the kind of ideas that come up and the way that emotion and physicality somehow are brought together.'

My collection: 7" single no. 8322
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Hold me now' / 'Let loving start'

London Town - Bucks Fizz

Former Eurovision winners Bucks Fizz had an excellent run of hit singles between 1981 and 1983, and so a Greatest Hits album was a logical decision at the time. The album featured all of the eleven hit singles, including this one: 'London Town', released just two months before the album. Lead vocals on the track are by member Bobby G, although he was unhappy with the way his vocals were mixed, giving them a distorted quality, claiming that he "sounded like a munchkin".

Of course I already bought the single back in 1992, but the picture disc is a recent acquisition - in fact, I received it earlier today! And a pretty one it is, too.

My collection: 7" single no. 8320
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 June 2026
Tracks: 'London town' / 'Identity'

 

 

Bad - Michael Jackson

The recent resurgence of Michael Jackson (thanks to the excellent biopic Michael, released earlier this year) prompted me to go through my singles and find out whether I have 'everything'. The brackets signify that I will never have everything, of course, but those all important Eighties singles have to be present and accounted for. 

Turns out that I didn't have the UK version of 'Bad', which has a different B-side than the single 'Bad' that I've owned for the past thirty years. This one comes with an edit of the dance mix that appears on the 12" and cd-singles back in the day.

My collection: 7" single no. 8314
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 June 2026
Tracks: 'Bad' / 'Bad (dance remix radio edit)' 

Digging your scene - Blow Monkeys

40 years ago I bought the single 'Digging your scene' by the Blow Monkeys. I can't say that I actually played it much, but when I saw the 10" single recently I was still motivated to buy it. This was motivated by the remix of the track - and I am always curious about remixes from the Eighties.

This is actually a four track 10" single, which is also quite rare: usually a track listing like this would be released on a 12" single. (Actually, the 12" single features a totally different track listing, with three mixes of 'Digging your scene'.) 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered] 
Found: Record Mania, Amsterdam, 1 June 2026
Tracks: 'Digging your scene (re-mix)', 'I backed a winner (in you)' / 'Digging your scene (instrumental)', 'Man from Russia (re-mix)'

Sweet memory - Belle Stars

I bought a single of 'Sweet memory' in 2023, but that one was a German release of the song, with 'Sign of the times' on the B-side. This picture disc represents the UK release of 'Sweet memory', with the song 'April fool' on the B-side.

The single reached number 22 in the UK singles chart. It was to be their last single to reach the UK Top 40, as subsequent releases only got to the lower reaches of the chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8313
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 June 2026 
Tracks: 'Sweet memory' / 'April fool'

Manhattan - G'Race

Back in 2010 I bought the single 'Manhattan' by G'Race. It's the kind of hit single that sticks in your ear once you've heard it a few times, and I always felt slightly iffy about it. But then I came across this 12" single for a euro and I thought I might as well check it out - especially since those extended versions from the Eighties are always very interesting. A remix like this is unlikely to pop up on any compilation like the Now 12"-compilations that have been released recently. 

Just as I thought, this extended version is actually more interesting than the single version. Nothing beats the drumbreak in this version.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record Mania, Amsterdam, 1 June 2026
Tracks: 'Manhattan [extended]' / 'Manhattan part II'

Loving you - Feargal Sharkey

The unique voice of Feargal Sharkey became a bit of a fixture in the mid-Eighties when he celebrated his biggest successes with 'You little thief' and 'A good heart'. This was before his first two solo singles weren't very successful outside of the UK.

'Loving you' was his second single and it was quite surprising to find a 12" single of this song. I don't think I've ever come across it before. On the label the playing time appeared, fortunately, so that I could conclude that this was most probably an extended version (there was no indication of that on the sleeve or label). It's a very nice extended version, actually!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record Mania, Amsterdam, 1 June 2026
Tracks: 'Loving you [extended]' / 'Is this an explanation?'

The wounds of fate - Ray Manzarek

Ray Manzarek became famous as one quarter of the famous band The Doors, playing those keyboards like a madman. After lead singer Jim Morrison died, he soldiered on with the two other members of the band, until they faced ever decreasing success.

A musician never stops, of course, and so Ray started making music on his own. He released two albums in 1974, and then went on to create the album Carmina Burana, which was released in 1983. It was based on the famous classical work, but with a modern twist. From that album this single was released. It's an interesting piece of work!

My collection: 7" single no. 8308
Found: Record mania, Amsterdam, 1 June 2026
Tracks: 'The wounds of fate (Fortune Plango)' / 'The roasted swan (Olim Lacus)' 

Just for you - Spargo

The Dutch group Spargo made some catchy songs in the early Eighties, although some were embarrassing ('Hip hap hop' anyone?). Fortunately, 'Just for you' is one of their better singles and became a hit in various European countries.

Lead singer Lilian Day-Jackson, stepdaughter of jazz drummer Art Blakey, passed away in April 2023, aged 63. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8305
Found: Plato, Leiden, 27 May 2026
Tracks:  'Just for you' / 'Fandango's invitation'

Latin America - Gibson Brothers

The Gibson Brothers were very successful at the height of the disco craze with songs like 'Non stop dance', 'Cuba' and 'Que sera mi vida'. In 1980 they released 'Latin America', and it would be their last hit outside their native France. It reached number 18 in the Dutch Top 40.

A song like 'Latin America' almost writes itself: in the chorus the phrase of the title is alternated with countries and cities from that region. Still, it's a catchy song and quite enjoyable.

My collection: 7" single no. 8304
Found: Plato, Leiden, 27 May 2026
Tracks: 'Latin America' / 'Latin America (part two)'

Party girl - Grace Jones

Grace Jones followed up her monumental album Slave to the rhythm (1985) with the rather less engaging Inside Story (1986), which spawned a few singles. The single 'Party girl' was the least successful of the three, as it only reached number 82 in the UK singles chart and number 53 in Germany. 

The song was remixed by Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero for single release and another Inside Story track, "White Collar Crime", was used as the single B-side.  

My collection: 7" single no. 8299
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 May 2026
Tracks: 'Party girl' / 'White collar crime'