To diko sou asteri - Mariana Efstratiou

Before Mariana Efstratiou represented Greece with one of the most beautiful song titles in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest ('Emis forame tou himona anixiatika', in 1996), she participated with 'To diko sou asteri' in 1989. Although very different from her 1996 entry, and a lot more subtle, it is also a great example of what Greek songwriters were capable of back then. 

Composed by Yannis Kyris and Marianna Efstratiou with lyrics by Villy Sanianu, the song is an inspirational ballad, with Mariana exhorting her listeners to "find your own star" in their lives. It ended up in ninth place in a field of 22 competitors. I was familiar with the English version first, when I bought a CD of the majority of the 1989 entries a few years after the fact, but now that I finally have the original version as well, I'm very glad.

My collection: 7" single no. 7669
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'To diko sou asteri' / 'Your star (A star that shines on you)'

The real me - Kiev Connolly

Although Ireland was very successful in the Eurovision Song Contest during the Eighties and Nineties, they also sent in some duds from time to time. At least, this is what the viewing public thought when they made the Irish entry end up somewhere near the bottom of the scoreboard. 

Kiev Connolly was born on 5 April 1956 and he formed his band The Missing Passengers during his stay in Germany from 1978 onwards. He also wrote 'The real me', which became Ireland's Eurovision entry for 1989. It finished in 18th place with 22 points. This was, at the time, Ireland's worst Contest result.

My collection: 7" single no. 7670
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'The real me' / 'Haze on Mizen Head'

Sufi - MFO

Of course, I already have the 12" single of 'Sufi', but nothing is more desirable than the 7" single - at least, that's what I think. Like the 12" single, the 7" single was released by ZYX records, with the same sleeve. The English version appears on the A-side, and the original Turkish version on the B-side.

MFÖ’s career continued in the ensuing decades, with a lot of success, mainly in Turkey. They have participated in charity events especially on street animals, education, spinal cord paralysis. On 8 July 2023 member of the band Özkan Uğur died due to a relapse of the lymphoma cancer he had previously survived.

My collection: 7" single no. 7671
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'Sufi (English version)' / 'Sufi (Original version)'

 

Take him home - Jump the gun

Jump the Gun were an Irish pop and rock band, best known for competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with the song 'Take him home'. They finished eighth in the contest. The group consisted of Roy Taylor on lead vocals and bass guitar with Eric Sharpe on guitar, Peter Eades on piano and keyboards, Brian O'Reilly on drums, and Ciaran Wilde on saxophone. Wilde joined the group shortly before Eurovision 1988, the other members of the group had all been members of Irish show bands during the 1980s.  

Getting hold of this single wasn't easy: it was released on Monitor Records, which I guess was a small record company in Ireland, and copies are pretty scarce these days. So it was a pleasure to be able to order this one, along with a few other rare Eurovision singles.

Singer and bass player Roy Taylor died after a battle with motor neurone disease on 1 June 2023.

My collection: 7" single 7668
Found: Ebay, received 24 April 2025
Tracks: 'Take him home' / '(A little bit) closer'

Vuelve otra vez - Mache

Very little is known about Mache. It seems to be a band, but Marcela Sánchez is mentioned as the only member, and it is certainly she who sings this song. Mache previously released the single 'Rompiendo mi corazón', which featured a cover of Sheena Easton's 'A little tenderness' in Spanish ('Un poquito de temura') on the B-side.

This single, 'Vuelve otra vez' is a Spanish version of Kim Wilde's 'Water on Glass'. And that's an interesting choice, considering most Kim Wilde cover versions are reserved for her first single, 'Kids in America'. And it gets even more interesting: Mache comes from Peru. Not the most obvious country to record a Kim Wilde cover, I would think.

This single was released in 1984. I was lucky enough to order a copy all the way from Peru, and it is in relatively good shape, considering its age!

My collection: 7" single no. 7675
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 April 2025
Tracks: 'Vuelve otra vez' / 'Vuelve otra vez (instrumental)'

Amiga Quartett - Fleetwood Mac

The last Amiga Quartett EP I bought last week at the record fair was this one by Fleetwood Mac. The band seems to be very popular these days; copies of their old LP's are selling like crazy. I think a new generation is discovering the band, which can only be a good thing because they made some amazing music.

This EP features some of their early Eighties tracks, including 'Hold me' and 'Gypsy', two singles that are among my favourites. The other two tracks are less familiar, but equally great.

My collection: 7" single no. 7660
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Hold me', 'Eyes of the world' / 'Oh Diane', 'Gypsy'

Amiga Quartett - MIke Oldfield

Did I really need this MIke Oldfield EP? Sure I did, because I didn't have all the tracks on vinyl yet. 'Shadow on the wall' is a firm favourite, of course, as is 'Moonlight shadow', but I didn't yet own the other two tracks. 

'In high places' features guest vocals by Jon Anderson, and 'Foreign affiar' is a song I got to know via a cover version many years ago. All in all, another attractive package from those East German Amiga guys.

My collection: 7" single no. 7658
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Moonlight shadow', 'In high places' / 'Shadow on the wall', 'Foreign affair'

Gimme, gimme, gimme - Cantus-Chor

By chance I saw a German dealer at the record fair last week who had prstine looking Amiga singles. I bought a bunch, and this one was the first: a single by Cantus-Chor with cover versions of 'Gimme, gimme, gimme' and 'A walk in the park'.

Cantus-Chor was a German (GDR-) background-chorus, solo-choir and showgroup, founded in  December 1976 by Vlady Slezák. They released a handful of singles, two albums and appeared on a lot of compilation albums and EP's.

My collection: 7" single no. 7656
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Gimme, gimme, gimme' / 'A walk in the park'

Delirious - Prince

'Delirious' was taken from Prince's third album '1999' and released as its third single. I missed out on it, because it was never released in Europe. Hence this simple single with a record company sleeve, I guess.

'Delirious' is a standard 8-bar blues number that tells how Prince is being driven crazy by a beautiful woman. The song teases the listener with sexual metaphors for cars and racing, hidden enough to avoid being censored. The track begins with a trademark Linn drum machine loop and a bit of synth bass before the synthesizer hook introduces the song. A rubbery bass guitar gives the track a rockabilly feel. The B-side to the track is "Horny Toad", which is very similar in rockabilly style and instrumentation. Some of the sexually charged lyrics were interpreted as sadistic at the time and were the source of some controversy. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7655
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Delirious' / 'Horny toad'

Wishing (If I had a photograph of you) - A Flock of seagulls

One of my favourite songs from the early Eighties is A flock of seagulls' 'Wishing'. You would know that if you saw my previous entries on this song. Two singles would be enough for most people, but when I spotted this picture disc, I simply couldn't resist.

A flock of seagulls have enjoyed a bit of a comeback recently, and their new album Some dreams was released in December 2024. Without the strange haircuts, because even Eighties artists get older.

My collection: 7" single no. 7648
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)' / 'Committed'

Miazoume - Takis Biniaris

Some Eurovision singles tend to be overly expensive when you go look for them online. This particular single demands 300 euros on Discogs - at least, if you want it with the picture sleeve. Fortunately, I found my copy for a lot less, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.

'Miazoume' was the Greek Eurovision entry from 1985, performed by the singer Takis Biniaris with his dramatic timbre. The song is a ballad with Binaris declaring that despite his and his lover's differences they are alike. The song finished in 16th place in a field of 19 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 7646
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Miazoume' / 'Matia mou'

Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne - Seyyal Taner & Grup Lokomotif

In 1987 Turkey participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne', written by Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz. The song was performed by Seyyal Taner & Grup Lokomotif. During their performance the conductor seemed to be in a hurry, because the orchestra played the song a lot quicker than it had to be. As a result, the performers had to jump around and try to keep up.

At the close of voting Turkey had received no points (or, as Eurovision fans refer to the phenomenon, nul points) placing Turkey last out of 22 entries. At the time this was the worst last placing for a country as it was the largest contest. This was also the third time Turkey came last in the contest and the second time they had received zero points. This is the final contest to date in which Turkey finished last. 

The single is a rare item and very hard to get these days. The disc is housed in a sort of envelope, because the back folds out in three ways.

My collection: 7" single no. 7642
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 April 2025
Tracks: 'Şarkım Sevgi Üstüne' / 'Une mélodie'

Don't you want me / Love action - Human League

Although my collection of Human League singles is complete, there are sometimes such curiosities as this one. It's a combination of two big hits by the band, brought together on a single, released in the A&M Memories series in the USA some years after their original release. How many years? There is no way of knowing, because there is no year of manufacture anywhere on the label of this single.

A little bit of research reveals that AM-8643 was released in 1982, so it looks likely that this single was released in 1982 or 1983. Some memories aren't really that old.

My collection: 7" single no. 7627
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Don't you want me' / 'Love action (I believe in love)'

Lucifer - Alan Parsons Project

'Lucifer' appeared on the B-side of 'You don't believe', a single by the Alan Parsons Project which I bought in January. The funny, thing is, 'You don't believe' in turn was a B-side of 'Don't answer me'. And now 'Lucifer' appears on an A-side as well; it was released in 1979, so actually five years before 'You don't believe'. I guess the record company wanted a good single to promote the greatest hits album in 1984. 

The album Eve, from which 'Lucifer' was taken, was the Alan Parsons Project's fourth album. The single scored particularly well in Germany and Austria, peaking at number 8 and 4 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 7626
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Lucifer' / 'I'd rather be a man'

Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin) - Scritti Politti

This is one of those singles I thought I already had, but I didn't. I found this UK pressing and I thought I'd buy it because if I had it it would probably be the European version, but when I checked my collection, this title wasn't there at all. So that was a nice surprise. 

'Wood beez' reached number 10 in the UK chart, but didn't chart in Europe. The song's subtitle is a reference to 'I say a little prayer', Aretha Franklin's biggest UK hit. Arif Mardin, who produced this song for Scritti Politti had also produced Franklin.

My collection: 7" single no. 7624
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 30 March 2025
Tracks: 'Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin)' / 'Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin) (version)'