Profiles in gold, album 1 - Abba, Spinners, Firefall, England Dan and John Ford Coley

In 1978, Burger King and the Coca-Cola Company in the USA conspired to release two EP's called Profiles in gold, featuring two tracks each from four different acts. The first one is probably the most collectable, since it features two tracks by Abba (and I would think that there are more Abba fans in the world than there are of other acts on this and the other EP). 

Playing at roughly 33rpm, this disc manages to fit in eight tracks in total. I would think that the A-side is the most interesting one, with the two Abba tracks and two cracking tunes by the Spinners, while the very American-sounding other side is standard radio far, with the most interesting song lyrics-wise is Firefall's second track. It says that if the world has crumbled, you're feeling lonely and have been abandoned by almost everyone, "Just remember I love you". That should make everything alright, then.

My collection: 7" single no. 8293
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Fernando', 'Waterloo' (Abba), 'I'll be around', 'One of a kind (love affair)' (Spinners) / 'You are the woman', 'Just remember I love you' (Firefall), 'Gone too far', 'We'll never have to say goodbye again' (England Dan and John Ford Coley) 

Fernando / Dancing queen - Abba

The label BR Music specialized in releasing singles with hits from earlier decades. In 1986 they released this Abba single - a few years before Abba would be re-evaluated and re-appreciated thanks to the Abba Gold compilation album. As far as I know, it's one of very few singles released by a different record company than their own (Polydor or Epic). 

The single has become rare. In fact, I've seen it a couple of times at previous record fairs and the last one with one dealer who was asking 30 euros for it. Fortunately this time there was also another dealer who asked much less for this single - and so I snapped it up.

My collection: 7" single no. 8292
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Fernando' / 'Dancing queen' 

Waterloo - Abba

Now this is a special one. I've been searching for the Japanese single of Abba's 'Waterloo' for some years now, ever since I bought a few lesser known Eurovision songs on Japanese vinyl. But unfortunately, when you would order this single online, combined with shipping, you're bound to lose close to 100 euros, which I think is a bit steep.

I was really happy to find a copy of this single during the weekend's record fair. Best of all, I also managed to haggle about 20% off the stated price. And so here it is: a near mint copy of Abba's winning Eurovision song from 1974 on Japanese vinyl. It's an item that not many people in Europe own, I'm sure.

My collection: 7" single no. 8278
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Waterloo' / 'Watch out' 

Wir glauben an Morgen - Mary Roos

Karina represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971 with 'En un mundo nuevo'. She also recorded the song in German as 'Wir glauben an Morgen'. 

It gets better: the German version of the song was also recorded by Mary Roos, who got her own shot at Eurovision fame the next year with 'Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben' - a song she also recorded in English and French. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8276
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Wir glauben an Morgen' / 'Komm, komm, komm' 

London Town - Wings

Paul McCartney and Denny Laine began writing 'London Town' in Perth, Australia, in late 1975 during the Wings Over the World tour, but they completed it later in Scotland. The recording features a lead vocal by Paul McCartney and backing vocals by Linda McCartney and Laine. It was one of the first songs recorded for the album of the same name, prior to the departures of Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch, who play drums and guitar, respectively, on the track.

The lyrics of 'London Town' describe "ordinary people" and everyday life in London. According to Beatles biographer John Blaney, it "presents a romanticized view of London; part reportage and part fantasy." Blaney elaborates that it combines "idealisation with acute observations of everyday street life." 

My collection: 7" single no. 8282
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'London Town' / 'I'm carrying' 

Let's begin again (Amanece) - Malcolm Roberts

'Amanece' was performed by Jaime Morey, representing Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972. The song was picked up that same year by Malcolm Roberts, a British singer who became best known for representing Luxembourg at the same contest in 1985 as part of a group that sang 'Children, Kinder, enfants'. 

The song 'Amanece' was given new English lyrics by Norman Newell, a successful British record producer in the Fifties and Sixties, as well as a songwriter. Newell became particularly known for his recorded productions of West End musicals. This version of 'Amanece' is a fine accomplishment for both Roberts and Newell.

My collection: 7" single no. 8275
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Let's begin again (Amanece)' / 'He ain't heavy, he's my brother'

 

Jack in the box - Clodagh Rodgers

In 1971, Clodagh Rodgers was internally selected to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. During a national final she had to sing six songs. Due to a postal strike, viewers were unable to cast votes for the songs this year, so 8 regional juries, consisting of 10 jurors with just one vote each for their favourite song, were constructed from members of the public. These juries were located in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Norwich. The winning song was 'Jack in the box'. 

This EP, recorded in mono, presents four of the six songs. ('Look left, look right' was later released on the album Rodgers and heart, while 'In my world of beautiful things' has never been officially released in any form.) I bought this EP because of the low price and the birth of Venus-imitating photo on the sleeve!

My collection: 7" single no. 8273
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Jack in the box', 'Another time, another place' / 'Someone to love me', 'The wind of change' 

Baby baby - Nicole & Hugo

The Belgian duo of Nicole and Hugo represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with the song 'Baby baby'. They recorded the song in several languages, including this French version. As luck would have it, I found this French pressing of the song. 

The duo became famous for their outlandish costumes in purple, with a flamboyant choreography, earning them the name 'purple flamingoes' in later years. Still, decades later, 'Baby baby' is still a catchy song.

My collection: 7" single no. 8272
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 April 2026
Tracks: 'Baby baby' / 'Ton amour et moi'

Bad Boy - Tex Rubinowitz

Marty Wilde made history when he had a hit with his self-penned song 'Bad Boy'. It was quite unusual for Rock 'n' Rollers to write their own material, but Marty tried his hand at it when good songs were hard to come by at the end of the Fifties. 

Perhaps not amazingly, the song was picked up years later by the American rocker Tex Rubinowitz, who recorded 'Bad Boy' on 16 December 1978. Rubinowitz was born on 10 October 1944 in Abilene, Texas, where his father, an Army officer, was stationed during part of World War II. He recorded a lot of rockabilly material through the Eighties, although chart success eluded him.

My collection: 7" single no. 7929
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 February 2026
Tracks: 'Bad Boy' / 'Feelin' right tonight' 

Min kärlekssang till dej - Lars Berghagen

In 1974 the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, called Melodifestivalen, had ten competitors. One of them was Lars Berghagen, who competed with his self-penned 'Min kärlekssang till dej'. It was a quaint litte song that almost made it to the top. Almost, because he was surpassed by a quartet called Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Anni-Frid - who called themselves ABBA and performed a song called 'Waterloo'. 

Can you imagine what would have happened if Lars Berghagen had won? I can: he wouldn't have stood a chance against Olivia Newton-John and Mouth & MacNeal. I'm not sure what would have happened to ABBA. The outcome that actually did happen meant that Lars would compete again the next year, and in 1975, he represented Sweden with 'Jennie, Jennie'.  

My collection: 7" single no. 7925
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, 24 January 2026
Tracks: 'Min kärlekssang till dej' / 'De' e' slut'

I'm the man - Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson released the album I'm the man in October 1979, just nine months after his first album Look sharp!. On his website, he explained: 'This is really Part Two of Look Sharp! – it was released less than a year later. I don't know how I even had the time to write and record a slightly more mature record, but I think it is, and the best of the first three.'

Besides the LP version, there was also a box set of five 7" singles, featuring all ten tracks of the album (one on each side), as well as a poster of the sleeve image. I was surprised to find a copy of this box set in such great condition for just 10 euros, and I bought it despite the fact that I only knew one track: the single 'It's different for girls'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7921
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'On your radio' / 'The band wore blue shirts' // 'Geraldine and John' / 'Don't wanna be like that' // 'Kinda kute' / 'Amateur hour' // 'It's different for girls' / 'Get that girl' // 'I'm the man' / 'Friday' 

Rivers of Babylon - Boney M

I was glad to buy a Japanese single of Boney M's 'Rasputin' a little over six years ago, because of the radically different sleeve of that one. Well, it happened again, when I went to a record fair in Amsterdam last week, and the first thing I found was the Japanese edition of 'Rivers of Babylon'. 

Quite why the Japanese decided on using a very small picture of the group, in the corner of a generic 'tropical island' image is a mystery to me, but it is a nice little rarity to add to my collection. Of course, Japanese singles are almost always in an impeccable state, and this one is no exception.

My collection: 7" single no. 7915
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'Rivers of Babylon' / 'Brown girl in the ring' 

Summer night city - Abba

The recording sessions for 'Summer night city' began in early 1978. The new recording studio, Polar Music, had opened in May 1978, but it wasn't ready to use, so the primary backing track had been recorded at Metronome Studio. Allegedly, mixing the single took at least a week, far more than it took to mix any other track in ABBA's recording history. In the end, the song had an enormous amount of compression applied to it to give it a more "driving" sound.

The Hungarian edition of the single has a sleeve with glossier paper than its Western European counterparts. The photographs of the band members are much clearer on this sleeve than on any other edition.

My collection: 7" single no. 5891
Found: Discogs.com, received on 31 January 2018 
Tracks: 'Summer night city' / 'Medley: Pick a bale of cotton / On top of old Smokey / Midnight special'

Dancing queen - Abba

'Dancing queen' was released in 1976 with a photograph of the members of Abba wearing hats. The photograph was used in most territories, but the sleeve design was different in almost every country. The Swedish version (which I don't have yet) was the most straightforward one, with the photograph splashed across the front, but in other countries the record companies wanted some fancy borders.

Take for instance the German version, with its orange border and the logo of the band taking centre stage. Or the French one, where the title of the song takes up almost half of the front sleeve.  

Some people will think I'm mad for collecting all these different sleeves, but I quite enjoy watching them. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7608 / no. 7609
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 March 2025
Tracks: 'Dancing queen' / 'That's me' 

Does your mother know - Abba

Although 'Does your mother know' was one of Abba's big hits, I never really connected with the song. As a result, I only had one copy of the single for a long time, until I started collecting more pressings of Abba singles quite recently. 

Earlier this year I found the French pressing of 'Does your mother know'. The sleeve is slightly different from other versions, because it doesn't announce the new album Voulez-Vous on the front cover and because the back cover is the standard template that the Vogue label used for their singles. This made it a nice addition to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7836
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'Does your mother know' / 'Kisses of fire' 

Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord - Boney M

I have a few different versions of this single, all of them bought at the same place in 2019. But this French version approaches the design differently, which made it interesting for me to buy this one as well. It was a steal, anyway, at just 1 euro.

Contrary to the different versions released in the Netherlands and Germany, this version comes with a dark blue background, while most of the design remains the same. The Christmas song on the A-side remains a yuletide classic, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 7889
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 15 November 2025
Tracks: 'Mary's boy child / Oh my Lord' / 'Dancing in the streets'

It's gonna be a cold cold Christmas - Dana

Dana was the sweet innocent Irish singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 with 'All kinds of everything'. In 1977 she released 'Fairytale', the song I remember from my childhood and which I bought back in 1992. 

In between, there was this seasonal hit: the wistful 'It's gonna be a cold cold Christmas'. When I say 'hit', I don't mean in the Netherlands, because the single didn't chart over here. But in the UK it reached number 4. Dana went on to become a politician in Ireland, saying all kinds of unfortunate things about abortion. She was also vocal for her opposition to divorce and same sex marriage, along with a Eurosceptic line on the EU. She may have a good singing voice, but I'd rather she'd keep her mouth shut to be honest.

My collection: 7" single no. 7612
Found: Discogs.com, 17 March 2025
Tracks: 'It's gonna be a cold cold Christmas' / 'The goodbye song' 

Komm, komm, komm - Monique Melsen

How do you translate a song called 'Pomme, pomme, pomme' into German? German producer and songwriter Fred Wyrich came up with 'Komm, komm, komm', and wrote the lyric for this Eurovision song for the German market.

Monique Melsen performed her song at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971 for Luxembourg, with medium success. She could have scored higher if she hadn't worn a red blouse, red stockings and rather strange dungarees, I think.

My collection: 7" single no. 7903
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2025
Tracks: 'Komm, komm, komm' / 'Fa-fa-fa' 

Wake me early in the morning - Mary Roos

In 1972 Mary Roos represented Germany during the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Nur die Liebe lässt uns leben'. She also recorded the song in English. The song 'Wake me early in the morning' is contained on this single, along with a B-side that is also translated. 

I bought the French version 'Nous' just a month ago, and it's funny how the singles of these two versions are housed in sleeves with a similar design - but with totally different photographs. This is the kind of thing I really like about having a physical collection, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 7904
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2025 
Tracks: 'Wake me early in the morning' / 'When you're singing (don't forget)'

Fernando - Abba

Rumour has it that Abba's old hit 'Fernando' is getting a resurgance because of the appearance of the song in the latest series of Stranger Things (you know, the one with the 'open marriage' adept David Harbour). I haven't noticed any chart placings for the song yet, but who knows. 

Of course I have a few copies of this single (some of them have appeared on this blog already) but this is an original German pressing. I thought it would be nice to feature it here while the song is hot, so to speak. Some people are still hoping for new Abba songs - I think they won't appear anymore. Thanksfully I still have a backlog of Abba singles to feature on here for a while yet. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7103
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 2023
Tracks: 'Fernando' / 'Tropical loveland'