Pump pump - Fredi ja Ystävät

Having bought 'Pump pump' and 'Schon wieder macht mein Herz bump bump', obviously I was curious whether I could get hold of the original Finnish version of Fredi & Ystävät's legendary Eurovision entry from 1976. 

Lo and behold, I actually found the single - albeit without its picture sleeve - during last week's record fair. The funny and catchy song was released in three languages, which means that I now have all versions.

My collection: 7" single no. 7151
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Pump pump' / 'Kun ita hämärtyy'

Schon wieder macht mein Herz bump bump - Fredi & Friends

Earlier this year, on 23 April, Matti Kalevi Siitonen passed away. He was known professionally as Fredi and he represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions. His second and last appearance happened as part of the group Fredi & Friends with the song 'Pump Pump' in 1976. 

When I bought that single, I didn't know there was also a German version of the song. I was only made aware of this a few weeks ago. And as luck would have it, I found this copy a few weeks after that. Admittedly the sleeve is a bit damaged (with a stamp on the front) but it doesn't detract from the vinyl itself. And so I am quite satisfied with this little addition.

My collection: 7" single no. 6560
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Schon wieder macht mein Herz bump bump' / 'Zeig mir bei Nacht die Sterne'

Pump pump - Fredi & Friends

One of the reasons why the Eurovision Song Contest is derided by some people, is that some of the acts on stage have a certain dodgy quality. It's hard to explain why, but sometimes these dodgy act are what makes the contest so much fun.

One has to wonder, for example, whether Fredi & Friends, coming from Finland in 1976, seriously thought they had a chance with 'Pump pump'. The song was slightly catchy, but the group looked like they'd only rehearsed it a couple of times before losing their minds completely during the live broadcast. The enthusiasm of the female singer was a big contrast with the inertia displayed by frontman Fredi. Still, 'Pump pump' ended up on 11th place in a field of 18 contestants, so it wasn't too bad after all. And very funny, too.

My collection: 7" single no. 5586
Found: KG Records, Sweden, received August 1, 2014
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Pump pump' / 'Listen to the rolling sea'