Where were you - Flash and the Pan

'Where were you' by Flash and the Pan is one of those songs that seems so familiar but you can't quite remember where you know it from. It was a track on the band's third album 'Headlines' and released as a single in certain territories only (which might explain why it's not listed in the discography on the band's Wikipedia page).

The single was not a hit - but it is a song that stands up well, even after almost three decades.

My collection: 7" single no. 4930
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, October 8, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Where were you?' / 'Don't vote'

Early morning wake up call - Flash and the Pan

The title track of Flash and the Pan's 1985 album 'Early morning wake up call' was released as a single. It wasn't a commercial success, but it is quite a catchy track in the style of this Australian band.

My collection: 7" single no. 4888
Found: Da Capo, Utrecht, May 28, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Early morning wake up call' / 'Look at that woman go'

Midnight man - Flash and the Pan

'Midnight man' is a track from Flash and the Pan's fifth studio album 'Early morning wake up call'. The album was produced by Harry Vanda and George Young themselves, like all their albums.

The track was edited for the single release. The single reached number 66 in Australia and number 23 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 289
Found: Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Midnight man' / 'Fat night'

And the band played on (Down among the dead men) - Flash and the Pan

'And the band played on (Down among the dead men)' was the follow-up to Flash and the Pan's debut single 'Hey St. Peter' and it sounds very similar to that track. In fact, I still have trouble distinguishing the two when I play them sometimes. Both tracks were taken from Flash and the Pan's self-titled debut album, released in 1979.

The lyric of the song was about the sinking of the Titanic. The single reached number 4 in Australia and number 54 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1387
Found: February 22, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'And the band played on (Down among the dead men)' / 'The man who knew the answer'

Waiting for a train - Flash and the Pan

Longtime readers of this blog will know that I bought the '89 remix of 'Waiting for a train' last year, but obviously I've got the original version too.

When it was released in April 1983, the single reached number 7 in the UK singles chart but it flopped in the Netherlands. The single was re-released in July 1983 there, and on that occasion, it managed to reach number 21 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 371
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Waiting for a train' / 'Waiting for a train (instrumental version)'

Hey, st. Peter - Flash and the Pan

The Australian band Flash & the Pan made their international chart debut with the 1977 single 'Hey st. Peter', written by band members Harry Vanda and George Young. The single reached number 76 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart nd number 8 in the Dutch Top 40.

Remarkably, the 1977 single only appeared on an album in 1979, when the band released their self-titled debut album.

My collection: 7" single no. 619
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 26, 1988
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Hey, st. Peter' / 'Walking in the rain'

Waiting for a train '89 - Flash and the Pan

Flash and the Pan was an Australian new wave band, formed in the late Seventies by Harry Vanda and George Young. They had several hits in Europe, although in the UK they only had a minor hit with 'And the band played on (Down among the dead men)' in 1978 and a top 10 hit with 'Waiting for a train' in 1983.

When Flash and the Pan released a compilation album of their singles in 1989, this remix of 'Waiting for a train' was released as a single to promote it. It was very different when compared to the single released in 1983, but still it didn't achieve any commercial success.

My collection: 7" single no. 3549

Found: All that music, Leiden, January 24, 2009

Cost: 1,6 euro

Tracks: 'Waiting for a train '89' / 'Hey St. Peter'

Download: here