Sunday, 14 June 2009
Ride on time - Black box
Easier said than done - Shakatak
Le dernier qui a parlé... - Amina
Her debut solo album 'Yalil (Night)' was released in 1990. A year later, she was awarded 'Le prix Piaf' as Best Female Singer of the Year. Also in 1991, Amina represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest with a song of her own, entitled 'Le dernier qui a parlé...'. She tied with the swedish participant Carola for the first place but due to insane EBU rules, the French entry ranked second and the award was given to Sweden. However, this single was the artistic triumph of the two. In the Netherlands, it was also a bigger hit: the single peaked at number 35 in the Dutch Top 40, whereas Carola's single flopped.
My collection: 7" single no. 1442
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, May 24, 1991
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Le dernier qui a parlé...' / 'Neila'
Building a bridge to your heart - Wax
Dirty mind - Shakespear's sister
The record-buying audience duly rewarded this effort: the single only spent one week in the UK singles chart, at number 71. And that was probably because the original version was on the B-side, which is why I bought it.
My collection: 7" single no. 1198
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, March 30, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Dirty mind (1990 version)' / 'Dirty mind'
Love is just the great pretender - Animal Nightlife
You don't need someone new - The Lotus eaters
Friday, 12 June 2009
Super freak - Rick James
The single reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40. The song is also well known because it was sampled by MC Hammer in his 1990 hit 'U can't touch this'. That being a hip hop track, it was of course unlistenable.
My collection: 7" single no. 1782
Found: November 7, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Super freak' / 'Super freak (instrumental)'
1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins
This inspired Corgan to finish it in four hours. The next day, Flood heard '1979' once and decided immediately to put it on the album. The song features a sample of Corgan's voice repeated throughout. During recording, Corgan was singing "ooh" as the melody line, so he and Flood decided to record him singing to a tape. The pair electronically manipulated several samples and looped them against a drumbeat. The single was the band's first international big hit, peaking at number 16 in Australia and the UK and number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100.
My collection: 7" single no. 2834
Found: Record fair, February 8, 1997
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: '1979' / 'Bullet with butterfly wings'
Good thing going - Sugar Minott
Elettrochoc - Matia Bazar
Summer night city - Abba
Although the band was critical of their own song, the record-buying audiences were impressed. The single topped the charts in Finland, Ireland and Sweden and peaked at number 5 in the UK and the Netherlands.
The B-side medley was actually a remix of the original 1975 version that had been issued on the German charity album 'Stars im zeichen eines guten sterns'. It was a medley of the traditional songs 'Pick a bale of cotton', 'On top of old smokey' and 'Midnight special'. The recording is unique because it's the only cover version(s) that Abba have ever recorded in the studio.
My collection: 7" single no. 2299
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, May 27, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Summer night city' / 'Medley: Pick a bale of cotton/On top of old Smokey/Midnight special'
Forget about you - The Motors
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Diva lady - The Divine Comedy
Smokers outside the hospital doors - Editors
I bought this single after I had become hooked to the Editors album 'An end has a start', which I'd bought in the summer of 2008. I still rate it as one of the best albums of the year.
Smokers outside the hospital doors - Editors
God - Tori Amos
Human - Human League
Jam and Lewis wrote three of the ten tracks on the album 'Crash', the lead single 'Human' was one of them. 'Human' became the second number one single for The Human League on the US Billboard Hot 100 after 'Don't you want me'. In the UK, 'Human' peaked at number eight in the UK singles chart and in the Netherlands the single reached number 13.
Bicycle race - Queen
Against the wind - Máire Brennan
I need you - Paul Carrack
Without you - Nilsson
American generation - The Ritchie Family
It was this line-up that released the 1979 album 'American generation' and the single of the title track. An infectious disco track, it reached the charts all over the world. In the Netherlands the single peaked at number 13.
My collection: 7" single no. 2795
Found: Record fair, Roterdam, December 14, 1996
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'American generation' / 'Music man'
Merci, Chérie - Udo Jürgens
Soul destruction - T'pau
Something's gotten hold of my heart - Marc Almond and Gene Pitney
My girl (Gone, gone, gone) - Chilliwack
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Arms of a dream - Laurie Freelove
She was 'discovered' by Nigel Grainge of Chrysalis/Ensign Records at a music conference in Austin, Texas. Recognizing her potential as a break-through artist, she was signed to the English label within the week, and that year recorded her first solo CD 'Smells like truth'. 'Arms of a dream' was the first single taken from the album, but the single did not chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 2327
Found: June 3, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Arms of a dream' / 'O my heart'
King without a crown - ABC
Unfortunately my opinion differered once again from that of the general public. In the UK the single peaked at number 44, in the Netherlands at number 31, making it the worst selling single of the three. After this single, ABC's career once again took a nosedive with ABC's next disastrous album, which ironically was titled 'Up'.
My collection: 7" single no. 752
Found: V&D, Den Haag, February 17, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'King without a crown' / 'The look of love (live in Boston)'