Ja, ja, ja - Louis Neefs

Louis Neefs recorded a cover version of Jean Philippe's 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', the French Eurovision entry of 1959. He did so incorrectly, because he named his version 'Ja, ja, ja', omitting the last 'oui' from the title. Otherwise it's a great version, sung in that typical style of his.

This single came without a picture sleeve, unfortunately, and it was apparently a promotional copy, as the sticker is still on the label. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7443
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Ja, ja, ja' / 'Zigeunerkind'

Vaer som du var - Birthe Wilke

When Corry Brokken appeared on the Eurovision stage to perform 'Net als toen' in 1957, Danish singer Birthe Wilke was one of her fellow contestants. She sang 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' for Denmark. After returning to her home country, she recorded this EP, featuring a Danish version of 'Net als toen'. 

'Vaer som du var' was given Danish lyrics by Knud Pheiffer. The rest of the EP is interesting too: it presents a variety of styles, from ballads to poppy light music. Birthe went on, of course, to represent Denmark once again in 1959 with 'Uh jeg ville ønske jeg var dig'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7440
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Huset i Canada', 'Vaer som du var' / 'Hvide syrener', 'Chocolata'

Nel blu dipinto di blu - Miguel Amador

The Argentinian singer Miguel Amador Pontón settled in France in the late Fifties. He released more than just a few EP's, featuring cover versions of songs that were wellknown at the time.

No song is more wellknown than de Italian entry of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958, 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', and it's the title track of this EP. Amador's version is sung in French, and is titled 'Dans le bleu du ciel bleu'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7431
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Dans le bleu du ciel bleu', 'Hoy' /  'Diana', 'Bon voyage'

Dors, mon amour - André Claveau

'Dors, mon amour' was the first Eurovision song to be won by a male soloist. André Claveau (29 December 1911 – 4 July 2003) was a popular singer in France from the Fourties to the Sixties. Winning at the age of 46 years and 76 days made him the oldest winner of the contest until 1990, being the first and only winner prior to 1990 to triumph in their forties.

This EP presents four tracks by the singer, plus a picture sleeve. The French were quite quick to embrace picture sleeves, which makes this early Eurovision singles quite a nice thing to collect.

My collection: 7" single no. 7401
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 9 November 2024
Tracks: 'Dors, mon amour', 'Helena' / 'Le coeur en platre', 'Aie mon coeur'

Piove - Lars Lönndahl

Lars Gunnar "Lasse" Lönndahl (19 August 1928 – 26 December 2022) was a Swedish singer and actor. He was considered the most well-known Swedish singer of the Fifties and Sixties with nicknames including "The Swedish Frank Sinatra" and "World's Oldest Teenager".Even though by the mid-Seventies his career had slowed down, he was still considered arguably Sweden's most popular singer of all time and was long a very popular figure in media. 

In 1959 he recorded a Swedish-language cover of 'Piove', the Eurovision song by Domenico Modugno. This EP features four songs by Lars, including a version of Li' per li', another popular song from the San Remo festival.

My collection: 7" single no. 7400
Found: Discogs.com, received 7 November 2024
Tracks: 'Piove', 'Den enda i världen' / 'Li' per li', 'Pa en regnig gata'

Volare - Alan Dale

Alan Dale was born in Brooklyn, New York on 9 July 1925. He began his career at age 9 when his comedian father was running short on his program and called on Aldo to sing. Though Aldo fainted immediately upon completing his song, he was good enough that he became a regular on his father's program. 

Considered to have one of the top pop voices, Alan Dale had a career that spanned three decades and 16 record labels. He was a crooner who later flirted with rock 'n' roll. His version of 'Volare' was released in 1958, almost immediately after Domenico Modugno sang it at the Eurovision Song Contest.

My collection: 7" single no. 7336
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'Weeping willow in the wind'

San Remo Hits - Various

The 'Populaire Platen Kring' ('Popular Records Circle') was a Dutch phenomenon from the early Sixties. The labels do not bear dates. It is completely unknown how often a new edition appeared on the market. What is known is that most items contain imitated songs, a bit like the later English Top of the Pops albums.

This edition features hits from the San Remo festival - and indeed the Eurovision Song Contest. Of particular interest for me was the version of 'Addio Addio', performed by one Jean Couroyer and 'Romantica' by Togliani. Modugno himself appears with 'Nel blu dipinto di blu'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7333
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Quando quando quando' (Jean Couroyer), 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' (Modugno), 'Gondoli' Gondola'' (Jean Couroyer), 'Le mille bolle blu' (Renatino) / 'Addio addio' (Jean Couroyer), '24 milla baci' (Rondinella), 'Tango Italiano' (Jean Couroyer), 'Romantica' (Togliani)

Augustin - Siw Malmkvist

There's something odd about the sleeve of this single. With Siw & Lilian Malmkvist prominently on it with their names above, the song 'Augustin' seems to have been recorded by both. But upon further inspection it becomes clear that the sisters only recorded the two songs on the B-side of this EP, and Siw Malmkvist actually sings 'Augustin' on her own.

'Augustin' is of course a cover version of Sweden's 1959 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, originally performed by Brita Borg. Which should tell you all you need to know why I wanted to have this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7281
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Augustin', 'Det Är Min Melodi' / 'Cocktail Tango', 'Nya Fågelsången'

Piove - Domenico Modugno

I already bought a clear vinyl copy of Domenico Modugno's 'Piove' five years ago, but I was pretty surprised to find another version recently online. It was also pressed on clear vinyl, but this time the disc featured four tracks and a picture sleeve. It looks like this EP was produced in 1959, the year of Modugno's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song.

The three tracks accompanying 'Piove' on this EP are a nice representation of Italian music at the end of the 1950's. It's oldfashioned but still quite attractive. Especially 'Farfalle' is a catchy tune.

My collection: 7" single no. 7130
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 March 2024
Tracks: 'Piove', 'Farfalle' / 'Io', 'Come prima'

Refrains - Cora Vaucaire

Cora Vaucaire was a French chanson singer, born 22 July 1918 in Marseille (France) and died 17 September 2011 in Paris (France). She recorded over a dozen singles and a handful of studio albums. She was known for singing songs from the middle ages, but this single is a bit different.

It features a cover version of the very first winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest, 'Refrain' by Lys Assia. I was particularly impressed, upon receiving this single, that it is absolutely flawless: the sleeve is in mint condition, the disc is flawless as well. That's pretty astonishing for a single from 1957. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7119
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 February 2024
Tracks: 'Refrains' / 'Gregory'

Populaire Hoogtepunten Op-De-Plaat Van 1960 - Concertgebouworkest o.l.v. Dolf van der Linden

The esteemed orchestra of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw recorded many things, mainly classical music, but in 1960 they filled two EP's that were sold during a record promotion week in the Netherlands. One EP was devoted to classical music (of course), the other to a more popular genre. This is the latter.

The orchestra plays a medley (well, two, actually) of popular songs, of which Domenico Modugno's 'Piove' is one, and Jacqueline Boyer's 'Tom Pillbi' is another. It's very interesting to hear a more classical rendition of these two Eurovision songs. It's a good deal, too: if you bought this for 1 guilder (approx. 45 eurocents these days, but more like 5 eurocents if you take inflation into account) you got this EP with almost 15 minutes of music!

My collection: 7" single no. 7113
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Sleighride in Alaska, Tom Pillibi, Piove, Marina, Kriminal Tango, Una Marcia in Fa' / 'Kleine Lucienne, Morgen, Elisabethan Serenade, Mack the Knife, Petite Fleur, Milord'

Accordeon Potpourri no. 41 - The 3 Jacksons

In December 2021 I bought two singles by the 3 Jacksons; one because of their version of 'Abergavenny', and one because of their version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu'.This month I added one more single by this accordeon-crazy group, because of their inclusion of no less than two Eurovision songs in the 41st potpourri. 

'Piove' opens the proceedings, and it is followed by 'Sing little birdie'. Both songs were performed in the 1959 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. I wouldn't say that I am exactly a fan of music on accordeons, but this single is a nice curiosity nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7112
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Piove, Sing Little Birdie, Una Marcia in Fa' / 'Tom Dooley, Mandolins in the moonlight, Li per li'

Sei ehrlich - Teddy Scholten

In 1959, Teddy Scholten represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest with ''n Beetje' ('A little bit'). She won the contest, and an interesting time began: besides doing theatre shows with her husband she also found time to record her song in other languages.

'Sei ehrlich' ('Be honest') is the German version of the song. She also recorded Italian and French versions, and even performed the song in English and Swedish, apparently - both those versions were never released on a record. The song was recorded with the orchestra led by Jack Bulterman; the orchestra also performs the B-side, an instrumental version of the UK entry, 'Sing little birdie'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7081
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 November 2023
Tracks: 'Sei ehrlich' / 'Sing little birdie'

More of Marty - Marty Wilde and his Wildcats

An EP called 'More of Marty' offers, indeed, more of Marty Wilde: four tracks instead of two. This EP was released in Denmark, which is evidenced by the short bio on the back of the sleeve.

The EP features two singles of the man: 'Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again' and 'Endless sleep', plus their respective B-sides. Both singles were originally credited to Marty Wilde and his Wildcats, as is this EP. There were many more EP releases back in the day, but it's not easy to find them for an affordable price. And that's important, because I'm not going to pay top dollar for tracks that I already own a few times - both on vinyl and CD!

My collection: 7" single no. 7033
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 September 2023
Tracks: 'Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again', 'Sing boy sing' / 'Her hair was yellow', 'Endless sleep'

Ma petite chatte - Fud Leclerc

Having bought the previous 11 singles from one dealer, I asked whether he had some rare gems hidden under the table. He did, and some of them were already in my collection and featured on this blog. But one item was especially rare and I was rather stunned when I grabbed it: a real copy of 'Ma petite chatte' by Fud Leclerc.

You should know that Fud Leclerc represented Belgium four times at the Eurovision Song Contest, but only two of those songs were ever released on a 7" single: 'Mon amour pour toi' from 1960 and this song, 'Ma petite chatte' from 1958. The other two, 'Messieurs les noyés de la Seine' (1956) and 'Ton nom' (1962) remained unreleased.

This particular single seems to come from the archive of the INR - NIR, Belgium's national broadcasting institute, which existed until 1960. I just hope it wasn't stolen from their archives.

My collection: 7" single no. 7062
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Ma petite chatte' / 'Volare (Dans le bleu du ciel bleu)'

Aan het Wolga-strand / Straatdeuntje - Jean Walter

In 1957, Bobbejaan Schoepen represented Belgium at the second edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Straatdeuntje', composed by Harry Frekin and written by Eric Franssen.The strange thing is that his version was never released on a 7" single, whereas this single by Jean Walter does contain the song - albeit on the B-side. 

Jean Walter was born in Sint-Niklaas on 11 February 1922 and died on 5 June 2014. During his lifetime he only released one album, but between 1950 and 1960 he released more than a dozen singles. He never achieved the legendary status that Bobbejaan got in Belgium, but this particular single remains a highlight for Eurovision collectors.

My collection: 7" single no. 7043
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 October 2023
Tracks: 'Aan het Wolga-strand' / 'Straatdeuntje'

L'enfant que j'étais - Lys Assia

The legendary Lys Assia won the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, but she returned the next year, representing Switzerland again with 'L'enfant que j'étais'. I was quite surprised to find this EP with a picture sleeve, featuring not only that song but also three others. Picture sleeves weren't all that usual back in the 1950's. 

'L'enfant Que J'étais' ('The Child I Was') was written by Émile Gardaz and composed by Géo Voumard, the same duo who wrote the previous year's Swiss entry and Eurovision winner. The song is about looking back at childhood.

My collection: 7" single no. 7038
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Histoire d'un amour', 'L'enfant que j'étais' / 'Buenas noches mi amor', 'Scusami'

Amami se vuoi - Tonina Torrielli

The very first Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1956. Not all songs were released as a single, but some were. During this first edition every country was allowed two songs, and some countries also sent out two different artists. Italy sent Franca Raimondi with 'Aprite le finestre' and Tonina Torrielli with 'Amami se vuoi'. 

Both songs were released on single, but they are obviously quite hard to get these days. I was happy to find this EP featuring Tonina Torrielli's song. Torrielli wasn't necessarily impressed with her Eurovision song: “I never loved it very much", she said in an interview, "it was a little song. I loved poetry very much, I studied lyrics which was a whole other thing. Singing cheesy songs with lyrics like "I'm yours, forever yours in your arms," I didn't like.”

My collection: 7" single no. 7037
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 October 2023
Tracks: 'Andalucia', 'La violetera' / 'Amami se vuoi', 'L'edera'

Oui, oui, oui, oui / Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove) - Frédérica

Not much is known about Frédérica Pietra, except the release of her singles between 1956 and 1960. She even released one album (on a 10" disc) in 1953.

This EP from 1959 features four tracks by the singer, including two from the Eurovision Song Contest of that year. They are 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', originally performed by Jean Philippe for France, and 'Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove)', originally performed by Domenico Modugno for Italy. Both songs were incredibly successful that year, and so it's no surprise that Frédérica also tried her luck with these tracks.

My collection: 7" single no. 7031
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 September 2023
Tracks: 'Rendez-vous à cinq heures, chéri', 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' / 'Les innocents', 'Ciao, ciao, bambina (Piove)'

International - Lys Assia

When Lys Assia won the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 it wasn't immediately clear that she'd performed a classic song, but 'Refrain' has definitely acquired the title 'legendary'. I was happy to buy the German version 'Refrain, du goldner Traum aus meiner Jugendzeit' two years ago, but I was still searching for this EP. Mainly because it's the only version I know that actually has a picture sleeve. 

This EP features 'Refrain, du gold'ner Traum', as well as three other songs also performed in German. I think my collection of 'Refrain' singles is complete now - although you never know!

My collection: 7" single no. 7020
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2023
Tracks: 'Jolie Jacqueline', 'Blaue Veilchen, weisser Flieder' / 'Refrain, du gold'ner Traum', 'Nachts in Paris'