Skibet skal sejle i nat - Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler

Having bought 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' a year ago on a 78rpm record, it shouldn't be surprising that I would eventually get the 7" vinyl EP as well. It took some time because most copies are overly expensive and I am not one for paying three figure prices for 7" singles.

But lo and behold, here it is: the original 1957 EP of 'Skibet sjal sejle i nat', with four tracks by Birthe Wilke with different duet partners. The cover may show some wear, but that is no surprise after 65 years. It's just a pleasure to own one of those early Eurovision singles. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6846
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 January 2023
Tracks: 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' (Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler), 'Tre piger fra Jylland' (Birthe Wilke & Dirch Passer) / ''Militaer tango' (Birthe Wilke), 'Kaerlighedens cocktail' (Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler)

Skibet skal sejle i nat - Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler

It was 1957, and two Danish performers were selected to perform a duet called 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' ('The ship will sail tonight') at the Eurovision Song Contest. Birthe Wilke was a young, innocent singer and Gustav Winckler, 10 years her senior, the experienced crooner with a string of hits to his name. They famously finished their performance with a kiss that lasted for 11 seconds - apparently because someone forgot to say 'cut' at the end. This in turn shocked the international juries, so much so that they didn't award them as many points as predicted beforehand. They finished in third place in a field of 10 competitors.

This disc is the original 78rpm record, released at the time. I've taken some interest in these old discs because I can finally play them. And playing such old records is a real nostalgic sensation, I can tell you. 

My collection: 78rpm [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' / 'Kaerlighedens cocktail'

Das Schiff geht in See heute Nacht - Gunnar Winckler & Bibi Johns

This is an extremely old single, but it's also in an unusually fine state. You won't find that many 64 year old singles sounding this good. It's also in its original record company sleeve. Online purchases can be disappointing sometimes, but this certainly exceeded my expectations.

What this single is, is a German version of a Danish entry to the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest. On stage, Gunnar (a.k.a. Gustav) Winckler and Birthe Wilke performed 'Skibet skal selje i nat', but for this German version Birthe made way for Bibi Johns, a Swedish singer and film actress. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6493
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 November 2021
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Das Schiff geht in See heute Nacht' / 'Gin und Rum'