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' 

Tell me tomorrow - Princess

When I bought the pink vinyl version of 'Tell me tomorrow' online from a Danish dealer, he also had the blue vinyl version on offer. It was only logical that I would buy that one too, because it would only leave the white vinyl version for me to find. 

Next year the white vinyl version will undoubtedly arrive too, and that will complete the quartet. That's something to look forward to in 2026, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 7893
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2025
Tracks: 'Tell me tomorrow' / 'Say I'm your number one (original demo)' 

Tell me tomorrow - Princess

When I bought 'Tell me tomorrow' on yellow vinyl last month, I announced that the song would likely be featured a few more times on this blog, because the single was released in multiple colours of vinyl.

So here we are, with the pink vinyl edition of 'Tell me tomorrow'. While I found the yellow vinyl version at a record fair, I ordered this version online, just because I could. It was part of a larger order which included seven singles and a cd. The dealer was based in Denmark, which makes it rather surprising that he had this UK pressing of the single on offer.

My collection: 7" single no. 7892
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 November 2025
Tracks: 'Tell me tomorrow' / 'Say I'm your number one (original demo)' 

It's called a heart - Depeche Mode

'It's called a heart' was released in september 1985 as a single from the compilation album Singles 81 - 85, which was called Catching up with Depeche Mode in the USA. 

Band member Alan Wilder disagreed with releasing 'It's called a heart', instead suggesting that the song 'Fly on the windscreen' would be a superior choice. He said: 'I felt ['It's called a heart'] was really going backwards, it was so poppy and trite.' However, the rest of the band outvoted Wilder, and 'Fly on the windscreen' was released as the single's B-side. A year later, singer Dave Gahan admitted that 'It's called a heart' was a poor choice, and the band remixed and added 'Fly on the windscreen' to their next studio album, Black celebration. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7756
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 6 September 2025
Tracks: 'It's called a heart' / 'Fly on the windscreen' 

Get the balance right - Depeche Mode

My obsession with red vinyl editions of early Depeche Mode singles was a new one this year, and just before the year ends I need to enter the two remaining purchases of that subcollection. 

'Get the balance right' was a unique single for the band, because it wasn't included on any album (except obviously compilation albums that were released a few years later). For the first time the new band member Alan Wilder was involved in the recording process. 'Get the balance right' was not included on Depeche Mode's following album, Construction time again (1983), because the band felt that there was little in common with the songs and sound of their newer material. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7754
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 6 September 2025
Tracks: 'Get the balance right' / 'The great outdoors' 

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'