A gentleman's excuse me - Fish

Some songs attach themselves to you and take on different, totally personal meanings. This is a good example. 'A Gentleman's excuse me' was released in May 1990, just before I got infatuated with a girl I knew. A love song in the best of traditions, with full orchestral backing, Fish hit the nail on the head with this song for me. I played it endlessly and bought all the editions that existed.

First of all, I got the standard German pressing, which was available everywhere in the Netherlands. Then at a record fair I found the limited edition red vinyl pressing from the UK, pictured below. And finally, I got the regular UK pressing with it's beautiful glossy cardboard sleeve.

'A Gentleman's excuse me' was a minor hit, peaking at number 30 in the UK and number 34 in the Netherlands. Still, I can't imagine I will ever forget this song - it's made a lasting impression on me.

My collection: 7" single no. 1207

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, April 13, 1990 / Record fair, Den Haag, April 22, 1990 / Record Exchange, London, 1990

Cost: 6 guilders / 10 guilders / 1 pound

Tracks: 'A Gentleman's excuse me' / 'Whiplash'

My camera never lies - Bucks Fizz

Released a year after their debut single and Eurovision winner 'Making your mind up', 'My camera never lies' was Bucks Fizz's third number one hit in the UK. The song was a track from the group's second album 'Are you ready', released two months later. In the Netherlands, the single only managed to get to number 30.

The song was written by band member Andy Hill and Nichola Martin, who had put the group together in 1980 and co-wrote songs for them. The lyrics concern a man who has become obsessed with a woman, who is clearly not interested, but he thinks differently and has convinced himself that she is lying to herself and so he pursues her. The 'camera' of the title denotes his view of the situation.

I ended up buying two versions of the single. After buying the 'normal' version in 1994, I found the limited edition posterbag version a decade later. I simply had to have it. My sister had bought it back in 1982 when the single came out - but the shop didn't have anymore copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 2127 / no. 3244

Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, July 30, 1994 / Record exchange, London, 2002

Cost: 2 guilders / 1 pound

Tracks: 'My camera never lies' / 'What am I gonna do'

I O U - Freeez

The British group Freeez consisted of John Rocca, Peter Maas, Andy Stennet and Paul Morgan. Their biggest hit 'I O U' was recorded in New York and produced by Arthur Baker. It was used in the 1984 movie 'Beat street', featuring the hip hop culture of the early Eighties. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK and the Netherlands.

Although I hated the song when it was in the chart, I started appreciating its charm in the Nineties, when chart music had deteriorated so badly that even the bad songs from the Eighties turned out to be extremely good by comparison.

My collection: 7" single no. 2577

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I O U' / 'I dub U'

Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys

'Suburbia' was released as the fourth single from the Pet Shop Boys' debut album 'Please' (1986). The song's primary inspiration is the 1984 Penelope Spheeris film 'Suburbia'. In addition to this the tension of the Brixton riots of 1981 and 1985 led Neil Tennant of the duo to writing about the boredom of suburbia and the underlying tension among disaffected youth.

The single was released as a limited edition double single featuring three extra tracks on disc two, including a 'part two' of Suburbia, which was never released on cd in this form.

My collection: 7" single no. 2225

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 17, 1994

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Suburbia' / 'Paninaro' // 'Love comes quickly (Shep Pettibone mix)' / 'Jack the lad', 'Suburbia part two'

Life in a northern town - Dream Academy

The Dream Academy was formed by singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes; multi-instrumentalist Kate St John plus keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. Their debut single was 'Life in a Northern town', a tribute song to Nick Drake. The lyric is a reference to Tanworth-in-Arden (England) native Nick Drake, who died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974.

The single became the most successful of their career, peaking at number 7 in America and number 15 in the UK. The chanting backing vocals of the song were sampled by English dance act Dario G for their 1997 hit 'Sunchyme'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2910

Found: Record exchange, London, November 31, 1997

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Life in a Northern town' / 'Test tape no. 3'

Etienne - Guesch Patti

Guesch Patti was born as Patricia Porasse in Paris, France on March 16, 1946. She decided to begin a singer career and recorded two discs in 1965 that passed unnoticed. In 1984, Patti participated in the trio named 'Dacapo', and had her first solo hit in 1988 with 'Étienne', which was certified gold disc in France. It was a number one hit in France and Italy. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 22. It was played often on the radio, but I was not impressed.

It was only later, when I discovered the album 'Labyrinthe' and some great songs on it, that this single became interesting: the B-side is 'Un espoir', one of the standout tracks on the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 2210

Found: Record fair, November 13, 1994

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Etienne' / 'Un espoir'

Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut nacht nicht ein) - Münchener Freiheit

The band Münchener Freiheit, composed of Stefan Zauner, Aron Strobel, Rennie Hatzke, Michael Kunzi and Alex Grünwald formed in the early Eighties. Between 1982 and 1985, they released three studio albums in German. The single 'Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut nacht nicht ein)' was their first convincing chart hit in Germany, also showing the direction the band was taking towards a more polished pop sound.

In the Netherlands, this single did chart. However, Dutch singer Erik Mesie recorded a cover version in Dutch, called 'Zonder jou'. That version peaked at number 8 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1986.

My collection: 7" single no. 3150

Found: October 23, 1999

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut nacht nicht ein)' / 'Tochter der Venus'

I know I can do it - Lisa Hall

When you collect singles you come to a point where you think you have pretty much everything and you're up for experiments. Especially when it comes to new singles. During a holiday in London I picked up this single by one Lisa Hall. I didn't know her, I didn't know the song - the sleeve just appealed to me, that's all.

Released in 1999, this single did not chart in the UK, and not in Europe either. The track sounds a bit like Garbage (the band), although the B-side 'Julianne' sounds different altogether. A nice find.

My collection: 7" single no. 3114

Found: HMV, London, May 14, 1999

Cost: 1,5 pounds

Tracks: 'I know I can do it' / 'Julianne'

I won't let you down - Ph.D.

Jim Diamond, Tony Hymas and Simon Phillips formed Ph.D. in 1980. Their self-titled debut album (1981) featured the hit single 'I won't let you down', which went number 1 in the Netherlands and number 3 in the UK. Part of the success could be attributed to the rather funny video that accompanied the single.

My collection: 7" single no. 895

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 23, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I won't let you down' / 'Hideaway'

Thank you - Pale Fountains

Michael Head, Chris McCaffery, Thomas Whelan and former Dislocation Dance trumpeter Andy Diagram formed The Pale Fountains in Liverpool in 1980. They released their debut album 'Pacific street' in 1984. Their sole UK singles chart top 50 single was 'Thank you', released two years before that. It reached number 48.

I heard 'Thank you' on a compilation album a few years later and quite liked the track. When I finally found the single in 1993, I was very happy to finally own it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1830

Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Thank you' / 'Meadow of love'

Tom Pillibi - Jacqueline Boyer

Jacqueline Boyer was born as Jacqueline Docus on April 23, 1941. She represented France during the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tom Pillibi', the winning song during that year's edition. This EP features four songs, with 'Tom Pillibi' being the first and most important one.

The lyric of the song describes Tom Pillibi who owns two castles, ships and has plenty of other women wanting to be with him. Then the singer admits that he has 'only one fault', being that he is 'such a liar' and that none of what she had previously said about him was true. Nonetheless, she sings, she still loves him.

My collection: 7" single no. 3711

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received May 15, 2009

Cost: 6 euro

Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi', 'Gouli gouli dou' / 'Le village de Sainte Bernadette', 'Toute jeune'

Back stabbers - O'Jays

Vindictive? Moi? I guess so. Every time I hear this song I think back to my student years, when I had to deal with a few teachers who were always grinning when I talked with them, but when it came down to re-evaluating a grade I got which was too low (by all accounts) they wouldn't listen to reason. So this one is for Swante and Henk.

The O'Jays had a hit with this back in 1972, peaking at number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, number 14 in the UK and number 11 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2808
Found: Record fair, January 26, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Back stabbers' / 'Sunshine'

Silent all these years - Tori Amos

Listening to Tori Amos these days you can't help but wonder what happened to the magic of her earlier work. It seems to have completely disappeared. But it would be difficult to keep performing on that level: 'Silent all these years', coupled with 'Me and a Gun' was a stunning debut. The latter, originally presented as the A-side of the single, was an acapella song about rape.

Tori herself commented: 'In the song I say it was 'Me and a Gun' but it wasn't a gun. It was a knife he had. And the idea was to take me to his friends and cut me up, and he kept telling me that, for hours. And if he hadn't needed more drugs I would have been just one more news report, where you see the parents grieving for their daughter. And I was singing hymns, as I say in the song, because he told me to. I sang to stay alive. Yet I survived that torture, which left me urinating all over myself and left me paralysed for years. That's what that night was all about, mutilation, more than violation through sex.'

'Silent all these years' was a more accessible song, and so radio stations began to play that instead. Ultimately the single was re-released with nearly identical packaging but retitled as 'Silent all these years'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1949

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Silent all these years' / 'Me and a gun'

I wanna dance - Kat-mandu

Kat Mandu is Jimmy"Bullet"Ray. Born and raised in Guyana, Jimmy began singing at an early age. As a lead singer and guitarist he became so well recognized that he was invited to appear with renowned artists including: Sam & Dave, Ben E. King, and Carla Thomas. Jimmy first toured England with the Telstars and remained in London for 2 years performing with Dave Clark on a hectic club date schedule.

After this, Jimmy began his own recording career in New York by co-authoring and recording three albums under the name of Kat-mandu producing such hits as 'The break’ and ‘Don’t stop keep on’. His single 'I wanna dance' was a hit in Canada, America and various European countries. In the Netherlands the single stalled just outside the Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 124

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'I wanna dance' / 'I wanna dance'

Turaluraluralu - Trio

The German pop band Trio consisted of Stephan Remmler, Gert Krawinkel and Peter Behrens. Formed in 1979 they became part of the 'Neue Deutsche Welle' movement in the early Eighties. Their single 'Da da da I don't love you' (1982) was a worldwide hit.

In 1984 they released 'Turaluraluralu (ich mach BuBu, was machst du' (also released in an English version titled 'Tooralooralooraloo (is it old and is it new)'. It was their last hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 34. Personally I thought it was their best single for its unashamed relaxedness and simple melody.

My collection: 7" single no. 3348

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2002

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Turaluraluralu (ich mach BuBu, was machst du' / 'Immer noch einmal'

Hymn to her - The Pretenders

The fourth album by the Pretenders was released in 1986 and was titled 'Get close'. The first single taken from that album was 'Don't get me wrong', an up-tempo pop/rock track with a music video that looked like a tribute to the TV series 'The Avengers'.

The second single was 'Hymn to her', a ballad that was popularly interpreted as a hymn to the Goddess. The single peaked at number 8 in the UK and only managed a number 35 placing in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1251

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 24, 1990

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Hymn to her' / 'Room full of mirrors'

On the air tonight - Willy Finlayson

Willy Finlayson is a singer from Scotland who first came to London in the late 60's with Scottish Soul band The Writing On The Wall. He went on to become a core member of the band Meal Ticket and Bees make Honey. Willy then formed his own band The Hurters with Micky Moody, Matt Cheadle, Nigel Portman Smith and Alan Coulter.

This band ran parallel with a solo career that spawned the top 20 hit and video with Pete Barden's 'On the air tonight'. Released in 1985, I picked up the track from a local radio station that played the song regularly, despite it not becoming a hit in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 280

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'On the air tonight' / 'After the fall'

Street life - Crusaders

The Crusaders formed in 1961 as the Jazz Crusaders. Since then, they have released over fourty albums, including some live and compilation albums. Their biggest hit was the 1979 single 'Street life', with vocals performed by Randy Crawford, who would go on to have a very successful solo career. 'Street life' peaked at number 5 in the UK and number 13 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2478

Found: October 14, 1995

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Street life' / 'The hustler'

Through the years - Tim Finn

'Through the years' was released as the last single from Tim Finn's solo debut album 'Escapade'. It was a nice upbeat song, which saw him conquer the charts in Canada (where the single peaked at number 34) and the Netherlands (number 34).

Tim's next release was 'Home for my heart', released from the soundtrack of the movie 'The Coca-cola kid', in which he also made an appearance for about five minutes.

My collection: 7" single no. 2463

Found: April 9, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Through the years' / 'Grand adventure'

Glam slam - Prince

'Glam slam' was the second single taken from Prince's 1988 album 'Lovesexy'. The title originates from the sexual quote 'Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am,' which is an allusion to the popularized line from glam-rock star David Bowie's 'Suffragette City'.

In late 1989, Prince opened a nightclub in Minneapolis named after the song. After eight years of frustration he sold it to new owners, who renamed it The Quest. The club had since become one of the premier nightspots, rivaling First Avenue as a live music venue, before closing in 2006.

My collection: 7" single no. 652

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, September 10, 1988

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Glam slam (edit)' / 'Escape (edit)'

Doin' la bamba - Pussycat

Released in July 1980, 'Doin' la bamba' was to be the last top 10 hit for Pussycat in the Netherlands. The single peaked at number 6 in August. In subsequent years, the group slowly lost its members until only a quartet was left in 1983. The group fell apart in 1985.

I don't have much Pussycat singles, because most of their early material doesn't really interest me. This is a strong enough track, although it always amazes me that a Dutch group would sing about Latin American fiestas.

My collection: 7" single no. 1451

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 15, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Doin' la bamba' / 'On the corner of my life'

Answers to nothing - Midge Ure

Having already written about the 12" single of 'Answers to nothing', there's not so much to add here. Except this: the 7" single contains the original version of the track, which is the same as the album version. And a limited edition was available on clear vinyl. I'd already bought the normal version when I found the clear vinyl pressing. Obviously, I bought that one as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 2375

Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 1, 1995

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Answers to nothing' / 'Honorare'

School's out - Cretu and Thiers

Michael Cretu was born on May 18, 1957 in Bucharest, Romania. In the Seventies he started his music career playing keyboards and producing for German producer Frank Farian. In the Eighties, he played keyboards during Arabesque's live shows. This is how he met Sandra, whose albums he started to produce once she went solo in 1985. The couple got married in 1988.

A year before that, he teamed up with producer Manfred Thiers to form 'Cretu & Thiers'. Their debut single was a poppy cover of Alice Cooper's 'School's out'. Although this single didn't become a hit, the B-side 'Collage' was a first peek at what was to come: in 1990 Cretu started his Enigma project, which sounds a lot like this track.

My collection: 7" single no. 2803

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 4, 1997

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'School's out' / 'Collage'

Song to the siren - This mortal coil

Ivo Watts-Russell had founded the record label 4AD in 1980, and it quickly established itself as one of the key labels in the British post-punk movement. One of the label's earliest signings was Modern English. In 1983, Watts-Russell suggested that the band re-record two of their earliest songs, 'Sixteen days' and 'Gathering dust', as a medley. At the time, the band was closing their sets with this medley, and Watts-Russell felt it was strong enough to warrant a re-recording. When the band rebuffed the idea, Watts-Russell decided to assemble a group of musicians to record the medley: Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins; Gordon Sharp of Cindytalk; and a few members of Modern English. An EP, Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust, resulted from these sessions.
Recorded as a b-side for the EP was a cover of Tim Buckley's 'Song to the siren', performed by Fraser and Guthrie alone. Pleased with the result, Watts-Russell decided to make this the A-side of the 7" single version of the EP, and the song quickly became a hit, peaking at number 66 in the UK and number 29 in the Netherlnads. The band subsequently recorded three albums, until the name was retired in 1991.

My collection: 7" single no. 666

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Track: 'Song to the siren' / 'Sixteen days (reprise)'

The Beatles and the Stones - The house of love

Guy Chadwick, Terry Bickers, Andrea Heukamp, Chris Groothuizen and Pete Evans formed The House of Love in 1986 in Camberwell, London. They released three singles and a debut album while signed to Creation records. After this, they switched to Fontana records and released their second album, which was, like the first, untitled. Three singles were released from this album, of which 'The Beatles and the Stones' was the third. It reached number 36 in the UK singles chart.

This limited edition release included a poster and a foldout sleeve. I bought it mainly because of this, since I wasn't that impressed with the track at the time. Now, almost two decades later, I actually think it's a great track.

My collection: 7" single no. 2512

Found: October 30, 1995

Cost: 1,2 pounds

Tracks: 'The Beatles and the Stones' / 'Love IV'

Trapped - Colonel Abrams

'Trapped' was Colonel Abrams' biggest hit in 1985, just after he signed a contract with MCA Records. So much so, that it was re-released in remixed form in 1997 and 2005. This is the original single, which peaked at number 3 in the UK. Colonel Abrams (his real name, incidentally!) never matched this success in later years.

Producers Stock Aitken and Waterman, who had created Rick Astley's 'Never gonna give you up' in 1987, were accused of lifting key elements of Abrams' single for their own music, however there was no successful lawsuit regarding this claim.

My collection: 7" single no. 3251

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000

Cost: 20p

Tracks: 'Trapped' / 'Trapped (acapella)'

Dinge-dong - Teach-In

It's not so strange that the Netherlands didn't get through to the final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest with the so-called Toppers. The song was too wordy, the lyric was full of platitudes, the three fat men looked ridiculous in their suits and the whole thing was just too bad for words.

I do wonder how I would have felt about Teach-In back in 1975 if I'd been older. The lyric of this song isn't exactly highbrow and the music was pretty much the same as any popsong at the time. These days, we only know it as the last song that won Eurovision for the Netherlands. The fact that it's 34 years ago makes it rather painful. We hear this song every damn year! But still, it's essential to have in my Eurovision collection, which is why I bought it. And I'm very glad this copy is in excellent condition.

My collection: 7" single no. 3709

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received May 13, 2009

Cost: 3,5 euro

Tracks: 'Dinge-dong' / 'Ik heb geen geld voor de trein'

Fine time - Yazz

Yazz was born as Yasmina Evans on 19 May 1960 in Shepherd's Bush, London. Her first commercial success came in early 1988, when she supplied the vocals on Coldcut's 'Doctorin' the house'. This led to a solo career on Big Life records, a label set up by her future husband Jazz Summers. Her debut single 'The only way is up' was one of the big summer hits in 1988. I thought the song was atrocious, and lost all interest in Yazz.

Only a few years later I picked up on the song 'Fine time', a laid back reggae track that reached number 9 in the UK, but did not chart in the Netherlands. I bought the single seven years after its original release.

My collection: 7" single no. 2710

Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 3, 1996

Cost: 80p

Tracks: 'Fine time' / 'Dream'

Lay your hands on me (US remix) - Thompson Twins

After the release of the original version of 'Lay your hands on me', a US remix version followed pretty quickly. Remixed by one John Potoker, the track had become different, but not necessarily better or worse.

While the original version was released in a limited edition posterbag, this US remix appeared in a gatefold sleeve. I got very confused: did I have this already or not? In the end, I took the gamble. I'm glad I did, now I've got both versions.

My collection: 7" single no. 3465

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Lay your hands on me (US remix)' / 'The Lewis Carol'

Pale shelter - Tears for fears

There are two different versions of Tears for Fears' track 'Pale shelter': the original version, produced by Mike Howlett, released as 'Pale shelter (You don't give me love)', and this version, produced by Chris Hughes and Ross Collum, released just after Tears for Fears' debut album 'The hurting' in 1983. To provide a chart push this second time around, Mercury took full advantage of the picture disc and coloured vinyl gimmicks that were popular at the time. In all, eleven different variations of the reissued single were available for purchase. It helped get the single to peak at number 5 in the UK singles chart in April 1983.

I got the green vinyl version of 'Pale shelter' during one of the first record fairs I ever visited. My sister bought the single in three other colours. I've never seen those singles since, so I'm still looking for them to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 274
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, April 22, 1990
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Pale shelter' / 'We are broken'

Paris latino - Bandolero

'Paris Latino' was released by Bandolero in 1983. The single, featuring raps in French, was written by brothers Carlos and José Perez. It reached number 2 in Switzerland and number 12 in the Netherlands.

In 2002, the track was covered by contestants of the French TV programme 'Star Academy'. Their version topped the charts in Belgium (Wallonia) and France.

My collection: 7" single no. 2853

Found: June 21, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Paris Latino' / 'El bandido caballero'

Now those days are gone - Bucks Fizz

Released as the second single from Bucks Fizz's second album 'Are you ready' (1982), 'Now those days are gone' was the first ballad released as a single by the group. The B-Side was a first, in that it was written and produced by the group themselves. The style of the song was slightly more hard-hitting than the group's usual output, with a lengthy intro, overlapping vocals and a full, but somewhat cluttered production.

Although unreleased in many other countries, it was a success in the UK, peaking at number 8, and Ireland, peaking at number 5. This limited edition picture disc caught my eye and I decided to buy it, without actually remembering the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 3229

Found: October 17, 2000

Cost: 4 guilders

Tracks: 'Now those days are gone' / 'Takin' me higher'

Radio gaga - Queen

Queen released 'Radio gaga' as the first single from their new album 'The works' in February 1984. After having been absent from the music scene for almost two years, it was perceived as a 'comeback' single. It performed better than any single they'd released in the Eighties up until that point and went number 1 in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. In the UK the single peaked at number 2.

The song was a commentary of the invention of television overtaking radio's popularity, and how one would listen to radio for their favorite comedy, drama, sci-fi programs and so on as well as the advent of the music video and MTV. The 12" single featured an extended version of the track, as well as an instrumental version. (The instrumental version actually contains some vocals.) Both were longer than the original album version.

My collection: 12" single no. 497

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, 2003

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Radio gaga (extended version)' / 'Radio gaga (instrumental)', 'I go crazy'

Whenever you need me - T'pau

After an absence from the pop scene for three years, T'pau returned in 1991 with a new album, 'The Promise' and a new single, 'Whenever you need me'. The single was a bigger success than any of the three singles drawn from the previous album 'Rage', peaking at number 16 in the UK. However, the band had lost its European appeal, because the single did not chart on the continent.

Personally I felt that T'pau had regained the power of their debut album, and I bought 'The Promise' very soon after it came out. It was one of my favourite albums of the year.

My collection: 7" single no. 1440

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 18, 1991

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Whenever you need me' / 'All the love'

Little girl - Sandra

Released as the third and final single from Sandra's debut album 'The Long Play', 'Little girl' rose to number 2 in Israel and number 3 in Italy. In other countries, the chart performance was disappointing, peaking at number 12 in Germany and not charting in the Netherlands at all.

Perhaps it's not surprising: 'Little girl' wasn't the big surprise 'Maria Magdalena' and 'In the heat of the night' were. Sandra and her husband Michael Cretu were smart enough to realise that new material was needed; later on in 1986 they would release Sandra's second album with new singles to accompany it.

My collection: 7" single no. 2110

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, June 4, 1994

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Little girl' / 'Sisters and brothers'