Play it cool - Freiheit

The German band Münchener Freiheit started their international career in 1987 with an English language album entitled 'Romancing in the dark'. The single 'Play it cool' was taken from this album. It showcased their slight formulaic but effective pop.

The single was very successful in Europe, reaching number 3 in the Netherlands and top 10 in various other European countries. It was another one of those singles I didn't buy because it was played so often on the radio - only years later I still wanted to get my hands on a copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 1856

Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, January 30, 1993

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Play it cool' / 'Hide away'

Whole lotta Rosie - ACDC

'Whole lotta Rosie' can be described as the ultimate superficial rock song. The song was apparently based on singer Ron Scott's actual sexual experiences with an obese woman, whose first name was Rosie. The song's first verse reveals Rosie's physical measurements (42"-39"-56"), and that she weighs nineteen stone (approximately 120 kilograms).

The song was an annual appearance on Dutch radio station Veronica's Top 100 of all times, which is where I finally got interested in this song. Upon its release in 1978, it peaked at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. Two years later, it reached number 36 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1706

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 19, 1992

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Whole lotta Rosie' / 'Dog eat dog'

Unless - Pale Fountains

When I found 'Thank you' after a couple of years searching, I also found this single, 'Unless'. I decided to give it a try - and I wasn't disappointed. It's the same kind of elegant pop music that they made on 'Thank you'.

'Unless' was released in January 1984 and didn't reach the charts - much like all their other singles. The Pale Fountains split up soon after this release, leaving Mick Head to form Shack and Andy Diagram to join James. Bassist Chris McCaffery died in 1986 of a brain tumour.

My collection: 7" single no. 1831

Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Unless' / 'Natural'

Bon anniversaire - Guesch Patti

Released as the final single from her 1988 album 'Labyrinthe', 'Bon anniversaire' was another spirited track by Guesch Patti and her band Encore. I got to know the track because my sister had bought the album and I played this track more than a few times. It was only a year after the release when I found out that it had been released as a single.

Of course, it was not a hit in the Netherlands - where French music usually has a hard time breaking through - but it did reach the charts in a few French-speaking countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 1139

Found: All that music, Leiden, December 28, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Bon anniversaire' / 'Backstage d'une star'

All cried out - Alison Moyet

'All cried out' was released as the second single from Alison Moyet's debut album 'Alf'. Produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain, the track reached number 8 in the UK singles chart and number 19 in the Dutch Top 40. On various complilation cd's usually an extended version of this song is used, making this single cut a rare treat.

In 2002, 'All cried out' was covered by the German pop band No Angels. A year later the song was also covered by German electro-industrial act Wumpscut on their 2003 studio album 'Preferential Legacy'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2462

Found: September 9, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'All cried out' / 'Steal me blind'

Tule luo - Katri Helena

Katri Helena represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 1979 and 1993. 'Katson sineen taivaan' finished 14th in 1979, whereas 'Tule luo' ('Come to me') only managed 17th place. It should have been a good warning for the Netherlands, but they were stubborn and sent Willeke Alberti to the Contest only a year later.

That's not to say that 'Tule luo' was a bad song: if anything, it was melodious - a lot more melodious than many other Finnish entries around that time. But perhaps Katri Helena, who was born on March 17, 1945 had become a little too old for the young viewing audience of the Contest.

My collection: 7" single no. 1973

Found: Bea Records, October 17, 1993

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Tule luo' / 'Viesti'

Hurricane - Athlete

Part one of 'Hurricane' was already featured on this blog, so here is part two. I bought this one earlier in fact, so the search was on since then. This second part of the double single features a new track, which did not appear on the album 'Beyond the neighbourhood'. The single was pressed on orange vinyl, to add to the collectability even more.

As written before, the single only managed to reach number 31 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3486
Found: eBay, received December 20, 2008
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Hurricane' / '09/05 Speyside'

Stop for a minute - Sandra

'Aus dem Tatort 'Salü Palü'', says this sleeve, which means that Sandra's 'Stop for a minute' was used in the soundtrack of an episode of the German detective series 'Tatort'. The song was a new one, not having appeared on Sandra's two albums that were released up to that point. The track would appear as a new track on her first compilation album 'Ten on one', which was meant to close the gap between Sandra's second and third album.

I didn't know this song when I bought the single - I was simply attracted by the beautiful (and glossy) sleeve. It's one of Sandra's stronger pop tracks, so I have no regrets.

My collection: 7" single no. 1607

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Stop for a minute' / 'Two lovers tonight'

Pearl in the shell (live) - Howard Jones

The Howard Jones fanclub released three different live singles in the course of a few years. This second single was recorded by Radio Clyde, but a date and venue are not mentioned on the label.

The live tracks are 'Pearl in the shell' (originally released on Howard Jones' debut album 'Human's lib') and 'Things can only get better' (originally released on Howard Jones' second album 'Dream into action').

My collection: 7" single no. 2792

Found: Howard Jones fanclub, received November 28, 1996
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Pearl in the shell (live)' / 'Things can only get better (live)'

Shout - Tears for fears

'Shout' is commonly referred to as Tears for fears' signature song. Roland Orzabal commented: 'A lot of people think that 'Shout' is just another song about primal scream theory, continuing the themes of the first album. It is actually more concerned with political protest. It came out in 1984 when a lot of people were still worried about the aftermath of The Cold War and it was basically an encouragement to protest.'

The single was a big success, topping the charts in Australia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland. In the UK, the single peaked at number 4. I bought the single when it was brand new, right before I would become sick of hearing it. But it's still a great song.

My collection: 7" single no. 253

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, December 1984

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Shout' / 'The big chair'

Niemand weet dat jij bestaat - Het Goede Doel

Although I pretty much kept up to date with the releases by het Goede Doel, I completely missed the release of this single. Presumably, 'Niemand weet dat jij bestaat' ('No-one knows that you exist') was released in early 1990 as the third and last single from their 1989 album 'Souvenir'. The single did not chart.

I only found out about this release because I bought a stack of Goede Doel singles from a private seller. I completed my collection of this group all at once!

My collection: 7" single no. 3770

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received June 3, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Niemand weet dat jij bestaat' / 'Niemand weet dat jij bestaat (instrumental)'

Lovetown - Peter Gabriel

The soundtrack of the motion picure 'Philadelphia' contained a famous Bruce Springsteen track, 'Streets of Philadelphia'. But strangely enough it is less well known that the soundtrack also contained a new Peter Gabriel track, entitled 'Lovetown'.

That's unfortunate, because the track is simply mesmerizing. The single only managed a number 47 placing in the UK, and did not chart in most other territories. The B-side was taken from Peter Gabriel's then-current album 'Us'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2506

Found: Record fair, October 30, 1995

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Lovetown' / 'Love to be loved'

Pretty good year - Tori Amos

Released as the second single from Tori Amos' second album 'Under the pink', 'Pretty good year' was an emotional ballad, quite different from her previous singles. By this time, Tori's cult following had grown into thousands and they followed her every move almost religiously. The cd-singles of 'Pretty good year' contained four different bonus tracks, one of which appeared on the B-side of this 7" vinyl single: 'Honey'. Tori has often stated that in hindsight she regretted not including that track on the album.

The single peaked at number 7 in the UK, but was not released in America. Around this time, Tori Amos was touring Europe - and I've got a signed cd-single of 'Pretty good year' to prove that I, too, was there. Her concerts in Nijmegen and Scheveningen are still amongst the best concerts I've ever witnessed.

My collection: 7" single no. 2084

Found: Record fair, March 26, 1994

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Pretty good year' / 'Honey'

Head over heels - Abba

'Head over heels' was the second single taken from Abba's 1981 album 'The visitors'. The song was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The lead vocal was sung by Agnetha Fältskog, singing about her 'very good friend', played in the accompanying music video by Anni-Frid Lyngstad, an overactive high-society woman who rushes through the shops, with her hapless and exhausted husband (played by Ulvaeus) following behind.

The single was not the big success previous singles were, only managing a top 10 placing in France, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium. In the UK, the single only peaked at number 25, breaking a run of 18 consecutive top 1o hits in that country.

I bought the single as soon as it came out, as had become usual for Abba singles around that time. Fourteen years later, I found the UK edition with a different - but beautiful - picture sleeve (pictured below).

My collection: 7" single no. 107 / no. 2700
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1982 / House of Rhythm, London, July 3, 1996
Cost: 6 guilders / 1 pound
Tracks: 'Head over heels' / 'The visitors'

Ploem ploem jenka - Trea Dobbs

After a few unsuccessful years in Eurovision, the Dutch broadcaster decided to organise the National final in a different way. Between February 8 and 12, every night a different artist sang three songs. A jury selected the songs for the final on February 13. Conny van den Bos won the national selection with ''t Is genoeg'.

The concept proved to be a successful one, as various songs from that week were popular. One of them was Trea Dobbs' 'Ploem ploem jenka', released by Decca as a single. While this was a rather simple song, 'Stad' ('City') on the B-side, a melancholy ballad about lost love, was thoroughly impressive.

My collection: 7" single no. 3753

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 23, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Ploem ploem jenka' / 'Stad'

I love the heaven's solo - Tanita Tikaram

'I love the heaven's solo' was already a B-side of Tanita Tikaram's 1990 single 'Little sister leaving town', before it was re-recorded for her 1991 album 'Everybody's angel'. This version was released as the second single from that album.

The single did not chart, and so no further singles were taken from the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 2550

Found: Record exchange, London, November 2, 1995

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'I love the heaven's solo' / 'Only in name'

Together in electric dreams - Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oakey

The film 'Electric dreams' was director Steve Barron's first full feature film. Barron had made a name for himself conceiving and directing music videos, such as the Human League's 'Don't you want me'. For his film, Barron enlisted Giorgio Moroder as director of music. He wrote most of the score. Barron wanted the end credits to roll to 'an emotional song'.

Moroder wrote 'Together in electric dreams' which was to be a male solo vocal. When he asked who Barron would like to sing the lyrics, Barron immediately thought of his former associate Philip Oakey. When Oakey recorded the song it was over very quickly, after the first full recording Moroder told Oakey that the first take was 'good enough, as first time is always best'. Oakey who thought he was just rehearsing insisted on doing another take. Moroder let him but to this day Oakey is convinced that Moroder still used the first take on the final production.

The song soon overshadowed the success of the film. Oakey states that it is ironic that a track that took literally ten minutes to record would become a worldwide hit, while some of his Human League material that took over a year to record didn't.

My collection: 7" single no. 492

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 4 guilders

Tracks: 'Together in electric dreams' / 'Together in electric dreams (instrumental)'

Forbidden city - Electronic

'Forbidden city' was the first single taken from Electronic's second album 'Raise the pressure'. It was written by Bernard Sumner, Johnny Marr and ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos.

The song was not a huge hit, peaking at number 14 on the UK singles chart, but did receive substantial radio play in Britain. It remains one of Johnny Marr's favourite Electronic songs and opened up their best of compilation in 2006, with stills from its Tom Merriton-directed video used for the front cover and inside the booklet.

My collection: 7" single no. 2713
Found: HMV, London, July 4, 1996
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Forbidden city' / 'Imitation of life'

The plastic age - The Buggles

'The plastic age' was the second single by the Buggles. Hopes were high, since 'Video killed the radio star', their debut single, was a worldwide hit. The futuristic song only charted in the UK and the Netherlands, peaking at number 16 and 27 respectively.

The song alludes to plastic surgery and the stress of modern culture. The Buggles also created an unusual, futuristic and illusion-like music video to promote the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 1096

Found: All that music, Leiden, November 11, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'The plastic age' / 'Island' [mistitled 'The plastic age' on the label]

One love to give - Stephanie

More than the previous single 'Ouragan/Irresistible', 'One love to give' showed the vocal inadequacies of Princess Stephanie of Monaco. With a synth-heavy backing (which was so popular in the Eighties) and a rather strong composition, Stephanie wasn't able to keep up. But still she was rewarded with a number 1 hit in Sweden and a number 10 placing in the German singles chart.

French speaking countries preferred the version in their own language: 'Flash' went to number 4 in France and number 28 in Switzerland.

My collection: 7" single no. 2999

Found: June 20, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'One love to give' / 'Le sega Mauricien'

Winter in America - Doug Ashdown

Whenever a Dutch artists covers a beautiful song, my heart breaks. Unless, of course, I don't know it's a cover. This happened in 1988, when Rene Froger had a top 5 hit in the Netherlands with 'Winter in America'. I liked the song but couldn't stand the voice of the man. And then I found out that the original was recorded in 1978 by Doug Ashdown. What a relief!

Doug Ashdown was an Australian singer/songwriter, who only had this one hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 13. His version is, of course, far superior.

My collection: 7" single no. 771

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 16, 1989

Cost: 1 guilders

Tracks: 'Winter in America' / 'Skid row'

Won't you hold my hand now - King

While everyone remembers 'Love and pride' by King, the next single 'Won't you hold my hand now' is less wellknown. In the Netherlands, it didn't even chart, whereas in the UK it only managed a number 24 placing in the singles chart.

I bought this limited edition 4 track double single as part of a deal where the seller offered a discount on five singles bought together. (One of those 'buy 5 pay 4' deals). I already had four singles I really wanted to have, and then spotted this double single. Well, double singles are always nice to have - even if the live tracks aren't all that great.

My collection: 7" sigle no. 913

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Won't you hold my hand now' / 'Fish (reprise) (live)' // 'Won't you hold my hand now (live)' / 'And as for myself (live)'

Fix you - Coldplay

'Fix you' was the second single taken from Coldplay's third album 'X&Y'. Chris Martin said about the song: 'My father-in-law Bruce Paltrow bought this big keyboard just before he died. No one had ever plugged it in. I plugged it in, and there was this incredible sound I'd never heard before. All these songs poured out from this one sound. Something has to inspire you, and something else takes over. It's very cloudy.'

The single was a big success, reaching number 4 in the UK and Canada, number 59 in the USA and number 8 in Ireland.

My collection: 7" single no. 3415

Found: hmv.co.uk, 2005

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Fix you (edit)' / 'The world turned upside down'

The beat(en) generation - The The

In hindsight, I was always surprised that The The introduced their new album 'Mind bomb' with one of the less surprising tracks, 'The beat(en) generation'. For lack of a better description, I would qualify it as a straightforward rock track. But the strategy did pay off: the single peaked at number 18 in the UK singles chart.

Meanwhile, The The was an actual band again, Matt Johnson having recruited ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, ex-Nick Lowe bassist James Eller and ex-ABC drummer David Palmer as members.

My collection: 7" single no. 811

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 12, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'The beat(en) generation' / 'Angel'

Dancing in the dark - Kim Wilde

Kim Wilde always got a lot of criticism for singing the songs that were written and composed by her father Marty and her brother Ricky. So for 'Dancing in the dark', help was brought in. Nicky Chinn and Paul Gurvitz wrote the song, and it was included on Kim's third album 'Catch as catch can'.

The single was the biggest flop of her career so far, reaching only number 69 in the UK singles chart. It was still a top 10 hit in Denmark and Switzerland, but it didn't help matters much. Despite a pretty cover and a nice rocking B-side, this single was the first signal that there was a crisis at hand. And rather than just sit and wait, the Wilde team decided to take matters into their own hands. RAK Records was about to be abandoned.

My collection: 7" single no. 217
Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 5,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Dancing in the dark' / 'Back street driver'

Amiga Quartett - A-ha

Amiga was the state record company in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany, before the wall came down. They released four track EP's of 'western' artists, as long as the songs were deemed 'clean' enough. The infectuous pop music of the Norwegian band A-ha apparently was innocent enough to be released in the country.

This Amiga Quartett (as the series of EP's was called) featured four tracks from A-ha's debut album 'Hunting high and low'. I really like the idea of owning records made in a country that does not exist anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2842

Found: Record fair, April 5, 1997

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Take on me', 'Train of thought' / 'The sun always shines on TV', 'And you tell me'

Download: Album 'Hunting high and low', including these tracks (password: http://newalbums2007.blogspot.com/)

Wild hearted woman - All about Eve

I had only just discovered All about Eve, when I found this single in my favourite second hand record shop. And cheaply, too! Naturally, though I didn't know the song, I had to try it out. And I'm glad I did, because it helped me to decide to buy the band's debut album. The up-tempo rock track 'Wild hearted woman' was coupled with the soft, beautiful ballad 'Appletree man', which showed the great diversity the band already had.

Frontwoman Julianne Regan commented in 1998: 'Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the boys wrote the 'boy' songs and I wrote the 'girly' ones, when the truth is that (...) Tim was the one behind 'Appletree man'.' The single peaked at number 33, improving again on the previous single's chart performance in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 703

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, December 17, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Wild hearted woman' / 'Appletree man'

Wedding bells - Godley and Creme

The title of this song can be misleading. When you read 'Wedding bells', you expect a romantic song, but the lyric is actually about a man who wants to avoid those wedding bells. The song was taken from Godley & Creme's 1981 album 'Ismism' (released as 'Snack attack' in the USA).

While 'Under your thumb', also taken from the album, had already reached number 3 in the UK singles chart, this was another top 10 hit for the duo, peaking at number 7.

My collection: 7" single no. 955

Found: All that music, Leiden, August 10, 1988

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Wedding bells' / 'Babies'

One small day - Ultravox

The first single from Ultravox's 1984 album 'Lament' was an unusual track in their catalogue, because for the first time in a long time, the band omitted the use of synthesizers in favour of a more guitar-driven rock song. As such, I always considered it to be one of the band's worst singles.

The single still made number 27 in the UK singles chart and number 16 in Ireland. But in Europe, the single did not chart. I finally bought the single in 1999, simply because of the fact that I have most of the band's singles - and this one was pressed on clear vinyl. The instrumental B-side is an intriguing piece, anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 3062

Found: House of Rhythm, London, May 9, 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'One small day' / 'Easterly'

Absent friends - The Divine Comedy

'Absent friends' was the title track of The Divine Comedy's 2004 album, and released as its second single. The song was a return to form, sounding like many tracks on the 1998 album 'Fin de siecle'. The B-side featured a track that was exclusive to the 7" vinyl format.

The single peaked at number 38 in the UK singles chart, not the big success the band and the record company were hoping for. As such, it was the last single to be released from the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 3406

Found: hmv.co.uk website, 2004

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Absent friends' / 'Anthem for bored youth'

Theater - Katja Ebstein

Katja Ebstein was born on March 9, 1945 in Girlachsdorf, Germany (now Gniewków, Poland). She released her debut album 'Katja - die Stimme' in 1970. That same year she represented Germany during the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder', reaching third place. This encourages her to try again in 1971. But the song 'Diese Welt' again reached third place in the Contest.

Nine years and several albums later, Katja participated in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Theater'. Written by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, this reached second place. If Ebstein would have participated once more, who knows... she might have won. We'll never know.

I actually bought this single in 1980 for 1 guilder. One or two years later, after barely playing the single, I exchanged it with my sister for Visage's 'Fade to grey'. In my current administration, this would have been single no. 61. Now it has become number 3744.

My collection: 7" single no. 3744
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 23, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Theater' / 'Getrennt von Tisch und Bett'

Give it up - Talk Talk

'Give it up' was released as the third single from Talk Talk's 'Colour of spring' album. I appreciated this single a lot more than 'Life's what you make it' and 'Living in another world', because it wasn't played on radio and television on a daily basis. Which also meant that it didn't become a hit. It only charted in the UK, reaching number 59.

In fact, 'Give it up' started a trend. Talk Talk would never chart in most countries except the UK, Ireland and (once) Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 446
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, August 9, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Give it up' / 'Pictures of Bernadette'

I could fall in love with you - Erasure

'I could fall in love with you' was released in April 2007 as the first single from Erasure's 13th studio album 'Light at the end of the world'. It was the first 7" single release by Erasure since 'Run to the sun' (1994). The single peaked at number 21 in the UK singles chart.

Vince Clarke explained about the song: 'Before we started this album, I was really keen for it not to be mid-tempo - I'm having a mid-tempo crisis! Our albums seem to have got slower and slower, so I started searching for classic funk or disco bass lines, put some ideas together with chord changes and bass lines underneath, and emailed them to Andy for him to sing over the top. The song, like this album, is quite 'up' and uptempo because we're both in good spaces right now.'

My collection: 7" single no. 3498

Found: eBay, received December 23, 2008

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'I could fall in love with you (Jeremy Wheatley radio mix)' / 'I like it'

Vibeology - Paula Abdul

I had high hopes for 'Vibeology' when it was released as the fourth single from Paula Abdul's 1991 album 'Spellbound'. Unfortunately the release was marred by bad remixes in a house style. I had a lot of doubts whether I would even buy this single, but since I had the other singles I couldn't let this one go. I did wait a couple of years, though.

It was still a reasonable success in various countries: in America it peaked at number 16, it went to number 19 in the UK and in the Netherlands the single got to number 13. The biggest success of this track was in Canada, where it made number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 2351
Found: Record Exchange, London, June 26, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Vibeology' / 'Vibeology (Hurley's House 7")'
Download: here (password: http://popgems.blogspot.com)

Cornflake girl - Tori Amos

The first single from Tori Amos' second album 'Under the pink' was 'Cornflake girl'. The title was inspired by Alice Walker's novel 'Possessing the secret of joy', about a young African woman going through the ritual of female genital mutilation. Amos was angered by the idea that a mother could subject her daughter to such a brutal act, and the song arose as an exploration of the idea of betrayal between women.

Accompanied by a weird music video, the song still managed to peak at number 4 in the UK singles chart and even broke the Dutch Top 40, where Amos had never had a chart placing before. In the Netherlands it rose to number 26.

My collection: 7" single no. 2082

Found: Record fair, March 8, 1994

Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Cornflake girl' / 'Sister Janet'