Jona Lewie had one of his biggest successes with 'Louise (We get it right)'. Although the single was ignored in Europe and the UK, it reached number 2 in Australia.
'Genetic engineering' was released as the first single from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's fourth studio album 'Dazzle ships'. The album was co-produced with Rhett Davies, who was best known for his work on lusher-sounding albums by Roxy Music.
'More more more' was originally recorded in Jamaica by the porn star Andrea True, who performed under the name Andrea True Connection. The song became a worldwide disco hit.
'Say it' was the second single release from ABC's 1992 album 'Abracadabra'. The track was remixed by the people behind the house group Black Box.
'Theme from Mahogany (Do you know where you're going to)' was written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin, and originally recorded in 1973 by Thelma Houston. Diana Ross recorded her version for the soundtrack of the 1975 Motown/Paramount movie Mahogany. Recorded with a full orchestral accompaniment, the track became one of the most recognizable elements of the movie.
Exactly a year ago, this blog started with what I consider to be my very first single. A year later, I have posted more than 3000 entries, and I'm three quarters through my collection. Looks like early next year, all I'll need to do is post my new acquisitions.
Laurent Voulzy recorded the song 'Les nuits sans Kim Wilde' in 1985, a tribute to the English singer and a remarkable pop song. I bought the compilation album 'Carib islander' a decade later and found out that Voulzy actually made several remarkable pop songs - and some lovely chansons as well.
When the record company released a compilation album of Jimmy Somerville's work with Bronski Beat and the Communards in 1991, they also decided to release a single to promote the collection. Bronski Beat's debut single 'Smalltown boy' was remixed by Stephen Hague and released in January 1991.
'Keep each other warm' was released as the fifth and final single from the 1986 Bucks Fizz album 'Writing on the wall'. Despite positive reviews from the music press, the single didn't reach the UK top 40, stalling at number 45.
'(I'm always touched by your) Presence dear' was written by Gary Valentine, for his then girlfriend, before he left Blondie. The song was included on their album 'Plastic letters', and subsequently released as the second single off the album.
Those who are familiar with Princess's biggest hits will be very surprised upon hearing this single. I know I was. I bought this single because I quite like her dance songs, but this nostalgic track is very different - but I do like it a lot. It turns out that Princess does actually have a better voice than I always assumed...
Fun Fun are the Italian singers Francesca Merola and Roberta Servelli. They made themselves famous with their early Eighties blend of dance music and simple pop songs.
Kayak singles have become hard to get, and even if they do pop up, it's usually the same titles. That's why I was quite excited to find this mint copy of 'Starlight dancer' - in Belgium, of all places.
'Rich' is a single taken from Lloyd Cole & the Commotions' second album 'Easy pieces', released in 1985. The B-side of this single is taken from their debut album 'Rattlesnakes'. For me, the reason for buying this single was the B-side, but I'm glad to say that the A-side is actually very good too.
'Breaking away' is the title track from Jaki Graham's second album, released in 1986. The album reached number 25 in the UK albums chart.
Attentive listeners will recognise the voice of Robert Palmer on backing vocals on this single. 'Living in sin' was released as a single from Rupert Hine's 1983 album 'The wildest wish to fly'. Although very successful as a producer, none of his single releases have actually charted.
'Cars and girls' was the first single taken from Prefab Sprout's 1988 album 'From Langley Park to Memphis'. The song is a response to Bruce Springsteen's perceived lyrical style and alleged narrow song repertoire. McAloon suggests that Springsteen's worldview is too restricted and that 'some things hurt more, much more, than cars and girls'.
Although Luv' had their biggest successes in the late Seventies and early Eighties, someone thought it would be a good idea to release a Megamix of their biggest hits in 1989. The 'Hitpack', as it was called, was mixed by Peter Slaghuis, a moderately wellknown Dutch DJ around that time, and he put together the Luv' singles 'Casanova', 'U.O. me', 'You're the greatest lover' and 'Trojan horse'. The nonsensical B-side finished the job.
Releasing the bombastic single 'We belong to the night' in the slipstream of the success of 'Paradise by the dashboard light', the famous Meatloaf track on which Ellen Foley performed the female lead vocals, was a smart move from the record company.
Taken from Fay Lovsky's 1983 album 'Origami', the track 'Ramon' was remixed for the single release. It was one of many Fay Lovsky singles that didn't reach the Dutch Top 40.
Andrew Maurice Gold was born in Burbank, California on August 2, 1951. He recorded 'Lonely boy' in 1976 for his album 'What's wrong with this picture?' . The song features backing vocals by Linda Ronstadt. The lyric of the song follows the life of a child who is neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical, but Gold has denied this.
'The friends of Mr. Cairo' is the title track of Jon & Vangelis' second album, released in 1981. On the album, the track lasts 12 minutes, but is edited down to a little more than 4 minutes for this single release. It is still a rather confusing track, which didn't have any commercial appeal.
Jona Lewie is best known for his wry lyrics in the songs he's recorded. This is why 'Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' is a remarkable single in his catalogue: it is an almost entirely instrumental track. It does feature a guitar part, performed by Juan Martin.
Clannad recorded 'The hunter' as a new track on their 1989 compilation album 'Past present'. It is a re-worked version of the song 'Herne' from their 1984 album 'Legend'. The track was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studios in Bath.
The Belle Stars made a name for themselves in the London club circuit when they started performing in 1981. Within a few months they appeared on the front cover of Sounds magazine. They were signed by Stiff Records.
I wrote about 'I owe you nothing' once before, as I already owned the single for a long time. But this weekend, I managed to find three more copies of the single. Three more? Yes, because the single was actually released with four different sleeves. One was a compilation of the three others, featuring one member on the front sleeve each. Such was the popularity of Bros, that the single was not only released this way in the UK, but also in Europe.
When 'I owe you nothing' was released as Bros's debut single a year earlier, it failed to chart. The re-release was much more successful, as it managed to climb to the top of the UK singles chart this time around. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 4.
In the end, I decided to give them all the number 4162. After all, all three singles contain the same two tracks.
Bananarama write and recorded 'Robert de Niro's waiting' on their self-titled second album, which was released in 1984. The track was apparently originally called 'Al Pacino's waiting', but was changed to 'Robert de Niro's waiting' because it fitted the music better. According to Siobhan Fahey: 'At Jolley [and] Swain's insistence the line 'Talking Italian' was added to add a 'romantic' edge.;
After the release of the compilation album 'Absolutely' in 1990, ABC moved to a new record company and started recording their sixth studio album 'Abracadabra'. Just like with all previous albums, they radically changed their sound. This time, they opted for early Nineties techno sounds with a rather unemotional, distanced production.
The album 'Homelands' by Ellis, Beggs & Howard was not a successful one, despite the fact that their debut single 'Big bubbles, no troubles' was a hit in some European countries. The second single from the album, 'Bad times', was a flop.
In 1978, the soundtrack album for the movie 'The Wiz' was released. Chiefly produced by Quincy Jones, the soundtrack features cast performances by the stars of the movie, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross, amongst others.
You know a single is rare when it is offered on eBay for enormous amounts of money. It is even more rare when it isn't offered on eBay at all. Ever since I knew about the existance of New Musik's single 'The planet doesn't mind' (which really isn't that long ago) I have been searching for this single to no avail. A copy recently popped up on discogs.com, offered on sale for the amount of 20 euros.
Novi Fosili (English: The new fossils) was a Croatian pop band, one of the most popular music acts in former Yugoslavia. They formed in Zagreb in 1969. They found success when composer Rajko Dujmić joined the band in 1976. That same year the band played at the Split Festival, where their song 'Diridonda' became a hit throughout the country. Their next several albums sold millions of copies and delivered many hits that are still aired on radios in Croatia today. The first female singer was Đurđica Barlović, in 1984 replaced by Sanja Doležal. The group's male vocalists were Vladimir Kočiš Zec and Rajko Dujmić.
The synthesizer wizards of Nova recorded two albums, but they will always be remembered for their debut single 'Aurora'. It's as if they never recorded anything else! But they did.
'Starchild' was written by Wally Badarou, Mark King and Phil Gould. It was released in 1981 as a track on Level 42's debut studio album. It was subsequently released as a single.
In 1989, Imagination released a compilation album entitled 'Like it is: revised and remixed classics'. To promote the album, this Megamix was released. The single did not chart in any territory.
'Young 'n' Russian' was the debut single of the Korgis, back in 1979. The label Rialto records, on which it was released, was owned by their managers Nick and Tim Heath.
Things got rather confusing circa 1985. While James Warren recorded a solo album entitled 'Burning questions' in 1986, singles from this album were released under the band name 'The Korgis'. The title track was already released in 1985 as 'Burning questions' by the Korgis. The single did not chart.
'Around and around' was another unsuccessful single by Frizzle Sizzle, which failed to reach the Dutch charts when it was released in September 1988. The song was written and produced by the Dutch duo Van Tijn and Fluitsma.
Frizzle Sizzle continued releasing singles until the end of 1988, although their last hit single was 'Second chance', released in August 1987. 'Daddy' was the follow-up to that one, but it did not chart at all.
'The bed's too big without you' was originally written by Sting and recorded by the Police on their 1979 album 'Reggatta de Blanc'. The song was covered in 1981 by Sheila Hylton, who reached number 35 in the UK singles chart with it.
For some strange reason, the track 'School' from Supertramp's 1974 album 'Crime of the century' was never released as a single. It achieved a cult status in the Netherlands, as it appeared in Radio Veronica's Top 100 of all times every year.
Donna Summer's 1979 album 'Bad girls' continued to produce successful singles. Donna Summer had fulfilled her contract with Casablanca records with this albums, and while she was moving on with Geffen Records, recording and releasing a new album with them, Casablanca continued to release singles from this album.
Brenda Russell wrote 'Dinner with Gershwin', which was recorded in 1987 by Donna Summer. It was the first single from her album 'All systems go', Summer's first album of new material in four years. The single reached number 13 in the UK singles chart and number 34 in the Dutch Top 40.
'I'm cryin'' was another single from Shanice Wilson's 1991 album 'Inner child'. It's a typical American ballad, produced by Narada Michael Walden, who co-wrote the song with Wilson.
'Si tu aimes ma musique' ('If you like my music') was the Belgian entry for the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Stella. The song finished 4th in a field of 18 competitors.
Beatriz Teresa 'Betty' Missiego was born January 1, 1945 in Lima, Peru. She began her career as a dancer in Peru, but had to stop this career after an injury. In 1969 she moved to Spain to pursue a singing career. She took on Spanish citizenship in 1972.
This French version of the single 'Honey honey' by Abba features a photograph of their performance of 'Waterloo', the song that gave them a Eurovision victory earlier on in 1974. 'Honey honey' was released as the followup to that hit around the world, with the exception of the UK.
