Non ho l'eta - Gigliola Cinquetti

Although I already own several copies of 'Non ho l'eta', I never saw this one. It's an EP, released soon after her impressive win at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964, featuring four tracks. 'Non ho l'eta' and 'Sei un bravo ragazzo' appear on the original 7" single, and 'Penso alle cose perdute' was the B-side of the Japanese version of 'Non ho l'eta'. 

This EP seems to have been made in Belgium, and the label states that it was distributed across the Benelux. There must have been many copies of this EP, but I have never seen it before.

My collection: 7" single no. 7841
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta per amarti', 'Quando vedo che tutti si amano' / 'Sei un bravo ragazzo', 'Penso alle cose perdute'

Jedan dan - Dubrovački Trubaduri

I bought a copy of 'Jedan dan' in 2009, the song by Dubrovački Trubaduri from the Eurovision Song Contest 1968. Like I wrote back then, various countries released the single, and they appeared in various different sleeves. 

This Belgian version is a good example. Despite its basic sleeve, the song made it to number 15 in the Flemish Ultratop chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7840
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Jedan dan' / 'Trubadurska serenade' 

Romantica - Marino Marini ed il suo quartetto

Marino Marini was quite invested in the Eurovision Song Contest; in the Fifties and Sixties he recorded several cover versions of the songs Italy sent in to the annual music fest. I already had a copy of his version of 'Uno per tutte', but three years before that he released this EP, featuring a version of 'Romantica', which was a big favourite in 1960 - numerous cover versions exist.

The EP also contains a version of 'Libero', which was the winning song of the San Remo festival in 1960. The original version was performed by Domenico Modugno, who co-wrote the song himself.

My collection: 7" single no. 7839
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Romantica', 'Notte mia' / 'Libero', 'E' vero' 

Volare / Ciao ciao bambina - Domenico Modugno

It's no wonder that Domenico Modugno's song 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', better known as 'Volare', became such an immortal song: it was re-released numerous times after its original release in 1958. In this case, we're looking at a Belgian single in the 'Golden Original Oldies' series from the early Eighties. 

'Volare' was coupled with that other Eurovision oldie, 'Ciao ciao bambina' a.k.a. Piove, which was Modugno's other big Eurovision hit from 1959. The single presents both songs in their original incarnations in a simple black and white sleeve. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7838
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Volare (Nel blu, dipinto di blu)' / 'Ciao ciao bambina (Piove)' 

Komm komm zu mir - Edina Pop

Edina Pop was born in Budapest as Marika Késmárki on 4 February 1941. She came to Germany in 1969 and forged a singing career in German. Some of her singles were actually cover versions of Eurovision singles, and this is one of them: 'Komm komm zu mir' is actually a version of Mary Hopkin's 'Knock, knock who's there' - and this is proudly proclaimed on the sleeve of this single.

'Komm komm zu mir' was the first of two of her singles that made the charts in Germany. It reached number 35 in June 1970. The other one, 'Tomatenrote Lippen', followed in January 1971 and only got to number 39. In 1979 she was recruited by Ralph Siegel for his group Dschinghis Khan.

My collection: 7" single no. 7823
Found: Wienyl, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Komm, komm zu mir' / 'Alle Tränen die ich weine' 

Trödler & Co - Peter, Sue & Marc, Pfuri Gorps & Kniri

Fifteen years ago I bought 'Trödler & Co' by Peter, Sue & Marc, Pfuri Gorps & Kniri. It was the original Swiss pressing with a bright sleeve. The German version, shown here, comes in a considerably darker sleeve, but it is actually more stylish. 

'Stylish' isn't exactly a description of this song, because it was made with gardening tools and weird sounds. Pfuri, Gorps & Kniri were actually held up at the airport when they arrived in Israel on their way to the Eurovision Song Contest, because of the strange stuff they brought with them. Still, they made it to the stage and represented Switzerland in their own unique way.

My collection: 7" single no. 7819
Found: Wienyl, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Trödler & Co' / 'Groovy Musik' 

 

Boom boom - Mabel

While it is lovely to have a French copy of Mabel's 'Boom boom', after fifteen years I saw this German version and I was impressed by the design of this sleeve. Quite why the band wanted to be seen inside a heart was not immediately clear to me, but of course the lyrics speak of 'a feeling in my heart'.

The other side of this single contains 'I'm only here to rock 'n' roll', which was a hit for the band in 1977. 'Boom boom' was, of course, their Eurovision entry for Denmark in 1978, which made this release an attractive package for German record buyers.

My collection: 7" single no. 7812
Found: Lenny's Music Store, Vienna, 17 October 2025
Tracks: 'Boom boom' / 'I'm only here to rock 'n' roll' 

Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus - Egon Egemann

Two singles by Egon Egemann made it into my collection until now: 'A song goes out around the world', featuring the English and German version and 'A song goes out around the world' with an instrumental version on the B-side. But the original version is of course this Swiss pressing, featuring 'Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus' on the A-side and the English version on the B-side.

The song was of course the Swiss entry of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990. Egon Egemann made 11th place with it.

My collection: 7" single no. 7803
Found: Seven Star Records, Vienna, 14 October 2025
Tracks: 'Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus' / 'A song goes out around the world' 

A million in 1, 2, 3 - Dream Express

Dream Express was pretty successful when they participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977. They ended up being 7th in a field of 18 participants and the single reached number 2 in the Belgian singles chart. This German edition of the single has a rather efficient sleeve.

Patricia Maessen left the group in 1979, and Luc Smets, Bianca Maessen and Stella Maessen continued as LBS until 1980. Stella represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest again as a solo artist with 'Si tu aimes ma musique'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7795
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'A million in 1, 2, 3' / 'Spinning top' 

Raggio di luna - Matia Bazar

Although 'Raggio di luna' already ended up in my collection back in 2017, I was quite surprised to find a German pressing of that same single with a slightly different sleeve. The funny thing is that on both sleeves the same photograph was used, but on this one it is shown entirely, whereas on the French edition it is cropped.

All this aside, 'Raggio di luna' was a daring Eurovision entry from Italy back in 1979, as the decision was made not to use the orchestra. As a result, the song ended up sounding a bit 'empty' and became 15th in a field of 19 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 7792
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'Raggio di luna' / 'Pero che bello' 

Mathema solfege - Pascalis, Marianna, Robert and Bessy

For a long time, 'Mathema solfege' was Greece's most successful Eurovision entry. Its chorus of 'do fa fa fa, sol fa sol fa mi do ti mi mi mi, do ti do ti sol ti do' was recognizable for people all over Europe, even if they didn't understand Greek. These tricks were often employed back when countries had to enter songs in their own national languages. A trick like that wouldn't work anymore these days, but it certainly did in 1977: the song ended up in fifth place in a field of 18 competitors.

The quartet performing the song consisted of Paschalis Arvanitidis (born on 24 August 1946), Marianna Tolli (3 October 1952), Robert Williams (4 December 1949) and Bessy Argyrake (4 April 1957). They recorded one album together and then followed their own solo careers, with Bessy being the most successful one of the four.

My collection: 7" single no. 7790
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'Mathema solfege' / 'I love, I love, I love you' 

Se piangi, se ridi - Bobby Solo

I already have an EP and a single featuring 'Se piangi, se ridi', so why buy this one? Well, the answer is simple: because I really prefer this sleeve. It's in colour, for one thing, and Bobby Solo looks a lot like the rock 'n' roll stars of his days on this one. Adding to that, this is the original Italian single, where we find out that the song is recorded with 'orchestra diretta da Gianni Marchetti, con il Coro di Nora Orlandi'. 

'Se piangi, se ridi' was a number 1 hit in Italy and Brazil, and also reached number 2 in Belgium, number 3 in Uruguay (of all places!) and number 4 in Argentina. Why this didn't chart in the Netherlands and the UK I don't know. It's a classic song.

My collection: 7" single no. 7789
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'Se piangi, se ridi' / 'Saro' un illuso'

Džuli - Daniel

I never knew that the original version of 'Julie' was released in Germany, but then I saw this single. It comes in a sleeve that is quite similar to the one featuring the English version, but it announces that this one features the 'Jugoslawische originalversion' and the 'Jugoslavenska originalnaverzija', which is German and Croatian for 'Yugoslavian original version'. 

After a few seconds of being very surprised by this one, I checked the label of the disc, and it did indeed announce 'Džuli' as the A-side track. What's more, the B-side includes another original track by Daniel, which doesn't appear on the Yugoslavian single. I guess my collection is now complete.

My collection: 7" single no. 7777
Found: Alt & Neu, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'Džuli' / 'Bio sam naivan'

Child of earth - Karoline Krüger

There have been several 'environmentally friendly' Eurovision songs, but the Norwegian entry from 1988 was not recognized as such by most people because of the difficult language Karoline Krüger had to sing in. So she did what any sensible artist would do: she also recorded an English version.

I bought 'For vår jord' in 2022, thinking I might never get this English version because it was a bit on the expensive side. But look, a few years later the single isn't that expensive anymore and I got to order a copy from Norway. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7775
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 October 2025
Tracks: 'Child of earth' / 'For vår jord'

New fashioned waltz - Rita Reys, Rob de Nijs & the Pim Jacobs Combo

Back in 1966, Sweden was represented by Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson singing 'Nygammal vals'. I still haven't been able to buy a copy of that song, although I do have a cover version by Gunnar Wiklund. 

However, there was another cover version, and a very interesting one at that. It was recorded in the Netherlands by two artists who both forged decades-spanning careers for themselves. Rita Reys became a celebrated jazz singer, whereas Rob de Nijs had a career that lasted almost exactly until his death earlier this year (with a moving farewell concert in June 2022). They recorded 'New fashioned waltz', an English-language version of the Swedish song. 

I have been looking out for this single for a few years now. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at a record fair, and seeing this very single standing right at the front on one of the dealers' racks. It was in a very good condition - the pushout center wasn't even dinked - and it wasn't even expensive. That was a very nice start for an enjoyable little record fair.

My collection: 7" single no. 7767
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 5 October 2025
Tracks: 'New fashioned waltz' / 'Side by side'

Deshojada - Simone

In 1969 Simone de Oliveira represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Desfolhada Portuguesa'. In a year when the contest had four winners, Simone landed in penultimate place with her song. 

The event took place in Spain, and it was perhaps logical that Simone also recorded her song in Spanish. 'Deshojada' was released in French as well, but the EP with that version requires a buyer to shell out 750 euros. I wouldn't pay that much for a vinyl disc in 750 years.

My collection: 7" single no. 7760
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 September 2025
Tracks: 'Deshojada' / 'Cinco pedras, cinco quadras'

Que daria yo - Alan Sorrenti

Alan Sorrenti represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 with the song 'Non so che darei'. Due to the success of his song at the contest, he decided to record several versions of the song. The English version, 'If you need me now', was released in several countries, and the Spanish version was released in Spain and South America. 

My copy of 'Que daria yo' is a promotional disc, meaning that the label is white and says 'disco promocional - prohibida su venta'. That's always a bonus in my book.

My collection: 7" single no. 7753
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 August 2025
Tracks: 'Que daria yo' / 'Todo es magico de noche'

Katson sineen taivaan - Katri Helena

This is a single which has been on my wantlist for a few years. I bought the English version of this song, 'I will follow starlight', five years ago, and that was when I was already searching for this original Finnish version.

Katri Helena represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979 with 'Katson sineen taivaan', and listening to this song will immediately put you in a good mood. It does me, anyway. There's something about this song. Katri Helena is saying her professional goodbyes this year in Finland, and so I find it rather appropriate that I finally managed to buy a copy of this great single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7744
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 August 2025
Tracks: 'Katson sineen taivaan' / 'Kevät' 

Pour qui, pourquoi - Maribelle

Although I would certainly understand it if people called 'Ik hou van jou' a bit of a twee song, the melody of it is undeniably beautiful - especially when it's played by a full orchestra. After I disliked the song for a few years, I ended up buying the single in 1993 and the English version ('In love with you') five years after that. 

Obviously I was aware of the French version of the song pretty soon after that, but finding the single was hard - especially in the days before lively trade on the internet. Just a few months ago I was offered this single for 100 euros on a record fair. I finally found a decent copy on Discogs from a Czech seller - and for a decent price too. This copy has one playable side only - which is enough in this case.

My collection: 7" single no. 7743
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 August 2025
Tracks: 'Pour qui, pourquoi' 

Alla andra får varann - Inger Berggren

Although Siw Malmkvist performed 'Alla andra får varann' for Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960, she never recorded it in the studio. And so, no single of this song by her exists. Fortunately the song was recorded by two other artists. I bought the version by Östen Warnerbring last year, and this year it's Inger Berggren's version that ended up in my collection.

Inger is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest, of course: in 1962 she would go on the represent Sweden herself with 'Sol och vår', which I bought twice.

My collection: 7" single no. 7739
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2025
Tracks: 'Alla andra får varann', 'Underbar så underbar' / 'Concert d'amour', 'Zigenare'