The Mike Oldfield EP - Mike Oldfield

When Mike Oldfield went on tour in Germany in 1982 (remember tours?) this limited edition EP was released. It is an interesting collection of songs, because it brings together the A- and B-sides of the singles 'Mistake' and 'Family Man', which were released separately in the same year. 

The tour took Mike all through Western Germany on 26 dates between 30 September and 29 October 1982. This we learn from the back cover, where all the albums he'd released up until then were shown as well. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6429
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 August 2021
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Mistake', '(Waldberg) The Peak' / 'Family Man', 'Mount Teide'

Romantica - Achille Togliani

If the title 'Romantica' seems familiar, it's because it was performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960 by Renato Rascel. This cover version by Achille Togliani, an Italian singer and actor who released an enormous amount of singles between 1950 and 1966. He also participated in the Italian San Remo festival - the festival that usually delivered the artist who would represent Italy on the Eurovision Song Contest. 

I'm not in the habit of buying every cover version of every Eurovision song - it would take a while and lots of money to do that - but when I come across one, for instance at a record fair, I can't resist.

My collection: 7" single no. 6425
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 August 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Romantica' / 'Perderti'

Bold as brass - Split Enz

About 25 years ago I had a friend with whom I shared the same sense of appreciation for certain kinds of music. During one of my visits she played me the album 'Dizrythmia' by Split Enz. Most of that album went past me, but the opening track 'Bold as brass' certainly made an impression. So much so that I contemplated buying that LP a couple of times over the past decades.

Imagine my surprise when I suddenly saw this single at a record fair recently. (Yes, a real record fair! We haven't had one of those in a long time either...) Obviously I bought this single. And obviously I never saw it before - nor did I ever think this track was released as a single, for some reason. It's great to have this now. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6428
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, 7 August 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Bold as brass' / 'The woman who loves you'

Made in Spain (La chica que yo quiero) - La decada prodigiosa

It's been a long time since I last posted a 12" single on this blog, so I am happy that I have a good find right now. It's the extended remix of Spain's 1988 Eurovision entry by La decada prodigiosa, 'Made in Spain (La chica que yo quiero)'. For the longest time I didn't know there was an extended version of this song, but here it is.

Perhaps the funniest aspect of this song is that the group consistently sings 'Made in Espain', which is logical from a Spanish point of view, but it sounds a bit strange to those of us who are more acquainted with the English language. This extended version is a delightful Eighties-style remix: adding instrumental parts instead of replacing almost everything but the vocals. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 August 2021
Cost: 7,5 euro
Tracks: 'Made in Spain (La chica que yo quiero) [extended version]' / 'Sí, sí, mañana'

Don't ever cry - Put

When Yugoslavia fell apart in a wave of violence, the separate provinces were quick to enter into Eurovision separately. In 1992, Yugoslavia was still there (represented by Extra Nena), a year later we had Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia all competing side by side.

Croatia was represented by Put, a group put together by Vivien Galletta, Angela Jeličić, Melita Sedić, Naim Ajra, Petar Cucak Migliaccio and Olja Desic.Their song 'Don't ever cry' was a rather sentimental tune, pleading for peace and ending with the line 'Don't ever cry, my Croatian sky'. It was a kind of nationalism that hadn't really been seen on the Eurovision stage before - but several Eastern European countries would follow in these footsteps in the following years and decades. In the English version, the line in the chorus suddenly changes from 'Don't ever cry' to 'Why should we cry?'. I wonder why.

My collection: 7" single no. 6423
Found: Bea Records, received 3 August 2021
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Don't ever cry (original version)' / 'Don't ever cry (English version)'

Hot summer - Prince

The prolific Prince has recorded so much music during his lifetime that we can probably expect new albums to appear regularly for decades to come. Not everything will be great, but it's usually enjoyable nonetheless.

This single was released in Germany with the August issue of Rolling Stone magazine, and I happened to come across it on the last day of my holiday there, in Cologne. A cover single is usually a good reason to buy a magazine, and the fact that this is a 'worldwide exclusive' made it even more attractive. Fortunately, 'Hot summer' is a nice song, taken from the new album 'Welcome 2 America', which was released a week ago. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6422
Found: Köln Hbf, 28 July 2021
Cost: 9,90 euro (with the magazine 'Rolling Stone')
Tracks: 'Hot summer' / 'The bird (live)'

Notre vie c'est la musique - Laurent Vaguener

Laurent Vaguener is actually a pseudonym: his real name was Jean Baudlot. He was born in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine on 16 February 1947, and died only recently, on 24 March 2021. During the 1970's he was best known as a composer, writing songs for Joe Dassin, Michele Torr and Gérard Croce among others.

In 1979 he wrote 'Notre vie c'est la musique' for the Eurovision Song Contest, and ended up performing the song on stage as well, using the pseudonym Laurent Vaguener. At the close of voting, it had received 12 points, placing 16th in a field of 19. Following this result, Monaco withdrew from the Contest for 25 years. 

Meanwhile, Baudlot continued to compose music in the following decades, eventually also composing for video games during the Nineties and for documentaries during the last two decades. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6420
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Notre vie c'est la musique' / 'Israel connection'

Singing this song - Renato

Malta has an interesting history at the Eurovision Song Contest. The country first participated in 1971 and 1972 with songs in Maltese. Both entries finished in last place. They took two years off, and then returned in 1975 with Renato's 'Singing this song'. It was the first Maltese entry in English, and they were rewarded with a better placing: the song finished in 12th place. 

Despite this, Malta disappeared from Eurovision for no less than 15 years. Since their return in 1991, Malta has consistently chosen to enter songs in English and this was a good decision for them: during the Nineties they rarely finished outside the top 10. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6421
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Singing this song' / 'Without your tenderness'

E2 - Emiliana Torrini

I've been critical about the Emiliana Torrini remix singles that were released two decades ago. It could have been a fun project, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Take this single for instance: the A-side takes one line from the song 'Fingertips' ('From the oceans to the skies') and repeats it throughout the remix. After that, there's the first track of the B-side. A certain Adam Pierce, who calls himself Mice Parade, thinks it's a great idea to deliver three minutes of noise. And the third track bears no resemblance to the original song 'To be free' whatsoever. 

My collection is almost complete, but I can't really claim that I enjoy these singles. It's a shame, because the Emiliana Torrini albums that these remixes vaguely allude to is an excellent album.

My collection: 7" single no. 6412
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Fingertips (The Phone Home remixes)' / 'Unemployed in summertime (Unemployed butcher in the summertime)', 'To be free (Mùm remix)'

Maman (German version) - Jean-Jacques

Back in 1969, Jean-Jacques represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Maman'. I actually bought the single back in 2010, and then the Spanish version in 2015. With mathematical precision (well, almost!) the German version became mine recently. 

No fancy photo sleeve on this single, but at least the title of the song is clear (why didn't they change it into the German 'Mama'?) and the name of the performer is also hard to miss. However, somehow they forgot to mention that this was the German 'Originalaufnahme' of this song.

My collection: 7" single no. 6417
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Maman (German version)' / 'Paris, du meine Liebe'

Så går vi til enkebal - Katy Bødtger

I haven't suddenly developed a taste for bizarre Danish songs (and the A-side surely is one), but this single by Katy Bødtger has a special attraction: as you can see, the B-side is called 'Popcorn'. And it is indeed a version of the Gershon Kingsley track, but, and this is where it gets interesting, with Danish vocals. 

Gustav Winckler wrote the lyrics for this version, but my Danish isn't good enough to understand what Katy is singing about. The single isn't very rare - it has already been listed on the Popcorn-song website, for instance - but it is surely one of the more quirky versions I've ever had the pleasure of owning. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6416
Found: Ebay, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Så går vi til enkebal' / 'Popcorn'

Break away - Bill van Dijk

Although Bill van Dijk wasn't very successful at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Jij en ik', he still recorded the song in English. It's even more remarkable when you think the single wasn't even a hit in the Netherlands, the country he represented.

The song was composed by Dick Bakker and the lyrics were written by Liselore Gerritsen, a Dutch singer and songwriter who died last year on 25 November 2020, aged 83. Bill van Dijk went on to become a successful performed in musicals.

My collection: 7" single no. 6415
Found: Ebay, received 15 July 2021
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Break away' / 'Blame it all on love'

Festival Eurovision 1967 - Los Stop

The Spanish band Los Stop consisted of Maria Del Carmen (Cristina) Arévalo Latorre (vocals), Juan Comellas (organ), José Maria Serra (guitar), Fernando Cubedo (bajo) and Andrés Gallego (drums).In 1967 they released no less than 10 singles, and even slightly more in 1968. They specialized in cover versions, and this EP of four songs from the 1967 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is a good example of just how well executed their tracks were.

There were, of course, some liberties in their cover versions. Sandie Shaw's 'Puppet on a string' was covered in Spanish ('Marionetas en la cuerda'), just like 'Quel coeur vas-tu briser' (which became 'Que corazon sera'). The beautiful Spanish song 'Hablemos del amor', originally performed by Raphael, takes on a different guise when it is sung by the female lead singer of this band. The four tracks on this EP are worth a spin, and certainly aren't inferior to the original versions, which all became immortal in their own way.

My collection: 7" single no. 6414
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 July 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Marionetas en la cuerda', 'Boum badaboum' / 'Hablemos del amor', 'Que corazon sera'

Siempre hay algun milagro - Katja Ebstein

Katja Ebstein represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 with 'Wunder gibt es immer wieder'. She recorded the song in various languages, and this Spanish version was one of them. Even the B-side was recorded in Spanish, too. 

Other versions in Italian, Japanese, French and English also exist - but those singles are very rare and very hard to come by. So if you're reading this, and you have the inclination to do me a favour, send me one of them and I'll feature it on this blog. Deal? Miracles do happen, Katja said it herself.

My collection: 7" single no. 6413
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 July 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Siempre hay algun milagro' / 'Yo le quiero'.

E5 - Emiliana Torrini

Try as you might, it's not exactly easy to like these remix 7" singles, credited to Emiliana Torrini. It's as if remixers got the thought to cut up the vocals and put weird sounds underneath it. The practice leads to experimental, but also annoying tracks. It's a bit of a nightmare for a collector, to be honest.

The tracks on this single, number 5 in the series, were created by Lucky Kitchen and Team Doyobi. Lucky Kitchen apparently consisted of Aeron Bergman, Alejandra Salinas and Daniel Raffel, but it looks like they quit after just one album (and rightly so). The British electronic music duo Team Doyobi, comprised of Christopher Gladwin (born 1976) and Alexander Peverett (born 1976), stuck it out a little longer, releasing three albums between 2001 and 2006. They never managed to produce anything coherent, though, either.

My collection: 7" single no. 6404
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Unemployed in summertime (Lucky Kitchen remix)' / 'Tuna fix (Team Doyobi remix)'

If you do like my music - Stella

I bought the single 'Si tu aimes ma musique' almost 12 years ago, but I never knew there was an English version until quite recently. I also found out that Stella, who was born in the Netherlands, but represented the French-speaking part of Belgium in 1982, didn't speak French very well, so she learned the lyrics of that song by having it written out phonetically. One would presume she had less trouble with the English version, since she already participated with French language song 'A million in 1, 2, 3' as part of Dream Expess five years earlier. 

Anyway, I went looking for this single and I found one online, along with a few others, from a Spanish seller. And indeed, this is the Spanish pressing - apparently this single was only released in Spain!

My collection: 7" single no. 6412
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 July 2021
Cost: 3,9 euro
Tracks: 'If you do like my music' / 'Renegade'

E8 - Emiliana Torrini

The last single in the series of eight, 'E8', featured two remixes of Emiliana Torrini's song 'Summer Breeze'. According to a promotional sticker that I don't have, but found on the web, 'Transient Waves go for a dubbed out affair, while Di-Lacuna go for a lo-fi guitar wig out'. 

Di Lacuna was a "post-rock oriented band from Sheffield", formed in 1998. Transient Waves was formed by Eric Campbell, Loren Jackson and Sid Tucker from Dearborn, MI. They were active in the 'post rock scene' and released 3 albums and 4 singles between 1996 and 1999. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6403
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Summer breeze (Di Lacuna remix)' / 'Summer breeze (Transient Waves remix)'

夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi [Non ho l'età]) - Gigliola Cinquetti

Japanese versions of Eurovision songs, performed by the original artist, are a rarity in themselves. I don't know if there are more, but I was aware of Gigliola Cinquetti's version for quite some time now. However, I never thought that I would own a copy! Much to my satisfaction, I found a copy online for a reasonable price from a Japanese seller, and since I could combine it with this single by Marco Polo and the Japanese single of 'Non ho l'eta' (the original Italian version, which was also released in Japan apparently) it worked out quite well. 

'夢見る想い' or 'Yumemiru omoi' was translated by Japanese lyricist Hiroshi Arakawa (Real name 牧野 剛 or Makino Gou). Quite how young Cinquetti managed to pronounce the Japanese I don't know. Perhaps the lyrics were written down for her phonetically. Anyway, it is a very nice rarity. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6408
Found: Discogs.com, 19 June 2021
Cost: ¥1,590
Tracks: '夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi [Non ho l'età])' / 'Penso alle cose perdute'

E7 - Emiliana Torrini

Another single in the series of eight, featuring remixes of Emiliana Torrini's songs on her album 'Love in the time of science'. Nothing wrong with a bit of experimentation, of course, but again I find myself wondering if these tracks bear any resemblance to those songs at all. Getting the eight singles together is a challenge itself, but listening to them all is another challenge altogether...

The remixes are provided by Immense and Fonn. According to Discogs, Immense is a collaboration between Dave Collingwood, Mark Toghill, Matt Wiltshire, Patrick Case and Tom Davies, whereas Fonn is a stage name for a certain James McKechan (although a picture shows six people - quite a mystery there). 

My collection: 7" single no. 6402
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Easy (Immense remix)' / 'To be free (Fonn remix)'

Les amours oubliées - Michèle Arnaud

The very first Eurovision Song Contest was won by Lys Assia, but there were other contestants too, of course. Not all of the songs were released on single, but Michèle Arnaud's two songs from that edition appear on this EP. Representing Luxembourg, she performed 'Ne crois pas' and 'Les amants de minuit'. Since only the winner was announced in 1956, we'll never know what the juries thought of these two songs. 

It wasn't the only 'first' in her career: on 11 July 1962, she appeared in the first-ever live television transmission via satellite from France to the United States. Because of the orbital path of the newly launched American satellite, Telstar, the program lasted only twenty minutes. Also appearing that evening was Yves Montand.

My collection: 7" single no. 6411
Found: Discogs.com, received 23 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Les amours oubliées', 'Les amants de minuit' / 'Ne crois pas', 'Les mots qu'on vous dit à l'oreille'

C'est pour demain - Sandra & Andres

I already had three singles by Sandra & Andres and they are all the same song. It's their Eurovision Song Contest entry for 1972: 'Als het om de liefde gaat'. The duo recorded the song in several different languages. I already owned the German and English versions, but recently I was fortunate enough to also find the French version.

It's interesting that the sleeve of this single differs a lot from the three others. It looks like this will be the last Sandra & Andres single I buy, since I don't know any other versions of this song. But who knows, I might be surprised.

My collection: 7" single no. 6409
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'C'est pour demain' / 'Dans chaque mélodie'

Dschingis Khan - Marco Polo

The band Dschingis Khan had considerable success with their 1979 Eurovision entry Dschingis Khan - even if it seemed a bit tasteless for a German band to go to Israel to sing a song about a mass murderer. But there was also another band who recorded the track. Confusingly, that band was named Marco Polo and all their singles were released in Japan only. It remains unclear whether 'Marco Polo' was a German band, although it seems to be the case. 

The track appears in two versions on this single: in English and in German. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6406
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 June 2021
Cost: ¥290
Tracks: 'Dschingis Khan [English version]' / 'Dschingis Khan (German version)'

E4 - Emiliana Torrini

Eight singles with remixes of Emiliana Torrini songs sounds like a good proposition, but when you expect all remixes to be great, this single will come as a disappointment. At least it did for me. The tracks have strange names and the sounds coming from these grooves are even stranger. 

I wonder why some remixers feel it's okay to create something that has absolutely nothing in common with the original tracks? At least back in the 1970's and 1980's, extended remixes were just that: extended versions of songs you knew and loved. By the end of the 1980's, some remixers started experimenting and this single is perhaps the worst example of such practices. Shame on Antenna Farm and Motion, I say.

My collection: 7" single no. 6404
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Ambush Emiliana (Antenna Farm remix)' / 'Tracking Misalignment (Motion remix)'

Η Αγαπη Ακομα Ζει - Stavros & Dina

Cyprus was represented by the duo Stavros & Dina, singing 'Η Αγαπη Ακομα Ζει' ('I agapi akoma zi'), a plea for unity and peace on a folk-inspired musical backing. 

Stavros Sideras is a successful singer/songwriter, having been awarded two platinum and three gold albums during her career. Dina (a.k.a. Constantina) is equally successful - her career actually started with this Eurovision appearance but she's released more than 20 albums since then.

My collection: 7" single no. 6405
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 June 2021
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Η Αγαπη Ακομα Ζει' / 'Love is still alive'

Twilight zone / When the lady smiles - Golden Earring

The annual Record Store Day is a feast for collectors and those who sell items on for ridiculous amounts of money on Ebay. But sometimes there are some scraps for casual buyers like me. I found not one, but about twenty copies of this Record Store Day release last week. Apparently a limited edition of 3000 copies on yellow vinyl was more than enough to satisfy everyone in the Netherlands.

I already had the single 'Twilight zone' already - I bought it back in 1982 - but the single 'When the lady smiles', which appears on the other side of this release, was still missing. That single became a classic for its controversial music video, although 'controversial' couldn't apply to a music video like that nowadays. Violence and nudity have become regular ingredients in music videos these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 6398
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Twilight zone' / 'When the lady smiles'

E6 - Emiliana Torrini

When I discovered these singles by Emiliana Torrini I was lucky enough to find an online seller who had five singles of the eight in the series. Unfortunately, one of them went missing, but he still sent me four of them. This number six contains another two remixes from her 1999 album 'Love in the time of science'.

Foehn is the working alias of Bristol-based Debbie Parsons. She's released three albums between 1998 and 2000 and a few self-released tracks more recently. Chasm is Robert Hampson, who to date has only released on 12" single himself.

My collection: 7" single no. 6401
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Wednesday's child (Foehn remix)' / 'Dead things (Skywave) (Chasm remix)'

E3 - Emiliana Torrini

This single has no indication of track names, or artist name: it just says 'E3' on the sleeve, and that's all. I would never have bought this single in a shop, but in the online world, things are different. I discovered this single, along with seven others, on Discogs as a release by Emiliana Torrini. Apparently these singles were released in October 2000, a year after the release of her remarkable album 'Love in the time of science', which was produced by Tears for Fears' Roland Orzabal.

Each of these singles contain two remixes of tracks from that album. The remixes are sometimes reminiscent of the original tracks, sometimes they can't be recognized. These two fall in the second category.

My collection: 7" single no. 6400
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Wednesday's child (Professor Ludlow & Dr. Smith remix)' / 'Love in the time of science (Stromba remix)'

Anna-Marie Elena - Andy Paul

The singer/songwriter Andy Paul immigrated from Cyprus to the UK in the early Sixties. He was influenced by artists like Elvis, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. He won a talent contest imitating his childhood idol Elvis and got a recording contract on the strength of this. 

In 1984 he was asked to represent Cyprus with the song 'Anna-Marie Elena', a song he wrote himself. The song ended up in 15th place in a field of 19 contestants. The recordings on this single were produced by Pete Waterman, while the English version of this song was translated by Matt Aitken. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6399
Found: Discogs, received 16 June 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Anna-Marie Elena (English version)' / 'Anna-Marie Elena (Greek version)'

Female intuition / Body and soul - Mai Tai

Another re-release single by Mai Tai, also released by SMG last year, this time on purple vinyl. 

'Female intuition' reached number 9 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 54 in the UK in early 1986, whereas 'Body and soul' reached number 9 in the UK in the summer of 1985 and number 31 in the Dutch Top 40 near the end of 1984. 

Mai Tai fell apart in the 1980's but they had several reunions. They are actually performing live this December - Covid permitting - but the days of them having chart hits will probably never return.

My collection: 7" single no. 6397
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Female intuition' / 'Body and soul'

History / Am I losing you forever - Mai Tai

Although this single features two tracks that I already own on 7" single, I still couldn't resist buying this. It is actually a recent re-release and pressed on orange vinyl. Nice bonus on this single: 'Am I losing you forever' appears in the full length version, instead of the single edit. 

The SMG label (Suburban Music Group, apparently) specializes in releasing 7" singles of old hits, and so far they have released singles by Petula Clark, Gerard Joling and Hardwell - not very interesting for me despite the fact that those singles were also pressed on various colours of vinyl.

But as you know, I usually only buy singles with songs I like, and so this one did make the cut. Both 'History' and 'Am I losing you forever' were released in 1985 and reached number 22 and 27 in the Dutch Top 40 respectively. In the UK, 'History' reached number 8, while 'Am I losing you forever' only got to number 78.

My collection: 7" single no. 6396
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'History' / 'Am I losing you forever'

Oui, oui, oui, oui - Sacha Distel

The sleeve of this single proclaims that 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' is a song from the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, and that is correct - however, on the Eurovision stage this song was performed by Jean Philippe, not Sacha Distel. However, Distel recorded this song, presumably to profit from the Contest's popularity at the time. After all, the song ended up in a respectful third place at the time.

There's another remarkable thing about this EP: although 'Oui, oui, oui, oui' is listed as the first song, it is actually on the B-side of this EP. There are more cover versions on the EP: 'Dis! O Dis!' is a cover version of 'Everybody loves a lover', a hit for Doris Day in 1958, and 'Oh! Quelle Nuit' is a version of 'Lonesome me', which was released by Don Gibson, also in 1958. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6395
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 12 June 2021
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Dis! O Dis!', 'Quand Tu Es Partie...' / 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', 'Oh! Quelle nuit'

Colours of love - Vicky Leandros

Back in 1967, Vicky Leandros competed in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. She was just seventeen years old at the time, but had already released her first album, 'Songs Und Folklore' in October 1966. Although she lived in Germany since she was eight (having been born on the Greek island Corfu) she was asked to represent Luxembourgh with the song 'L'amour est bleu'. 

It's not easy to find a copy of that song on a single for a reasonable price, however I did recently buy a copy of the English version of that song. 'Colours of love' was released in the UK only (as far as I know) in a record company sleeve only. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6394
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 June 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Colours of love' / 'Who can tell'

I cried - The Wilde Three

Nothing, but nothing makes me happier than getting my hands on an ultra rare single. And this is certainly a good example. A year ago, I was happy to finally find Since you've gone, the first single by the Wilde Three. Their second release was to be their last: 'I cried' was released on 10 September 1965, five months after their first single. 

Four months after that, Justin Hayward released his debut solo single, the self-penned 'London is behind me'. He joined the Moody Blues and the rest became history. Meanwhile, Marty carved out a career as a songwriter - and a pretty successful one at that - and of course made a pop star of his daughter in the 1980's. The Wilde Three was a shortlived project, and only released four songs, but they are an essential piece of music history - and I am very glad to finally have these two discs.

My collection: 7" single no. 6393
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 June 2021
Cost: enough
Tracks: 'I cried' / 'Well who's that'

Printemps (Avril Carillonne) - Jean-Paul Mauric

When a song starts with 'Bing et bong et bing et bong' you know you're in for something interesting. This is how Jean-Paul Mauric started his song 'Printemps (Avril Carillonne)' in 1961 at the Eurovision Song Contest. Mauric was born on 17 June 1933 and started his career in music in 1957 after winning a talent contest. He released a series of EP's and was chosen to represent France in 1961. 

The lyric of 'Bing et bong et bing et bong...' is often cited as setting a precedent which would become very prolific in later Eurovisions. He ended up in fourth place in a field of 16 competitors. Although he released less records in the 1960's he still performed live a lot, until he was taken ill in December 1970.
On 5 January 1971 he died from complications of cardiomyopathic disease, aged just 37. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6392
Found: Ebay
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: Printemps (Avril Carillonne), Tendresse / C'est Joli La Mer, Les filles du midi

Summer is over - Aylin Vatankoş

It would be nice to see Turkey back in Eurovision, because they usually managed to enter with remarkable songs. That said, it would be nice if Turkey wasn't led by a maniac, but let's not go into politics here. 'Yaz Bitti' was Turkey's song for the 1992 edition and it's a relatively traditional ballad. 

Aylin Vatankoş was born in 1970 in Izmir and studied music in Istanbul. She represented her country in 1992 and ended up in 19th place in a field of 23 competitors. Her music career continued after this adventure: she released two albums, in 1995 and 2010. 

This single was released by the Belgian record company Madierpo, which specialized in releasing Eurovision songs throughout the 1990's. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6391
Found: Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'Summer is over' / 'Yaz bitti'

S.O.S. - Helen Patroklou

Two songs from the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest really made a big impression on me, and they were not the two songs that were competing for the win that year. Instead, I focused on the two Greek songs: 'I Anixi' by Sophia Vossou and 'S.O.S.' by Helen Patroklou. Both singles aren't exactly easy to get, but I finally managed to get at least the latter. 

Patroklou was born in Nicosia in 1968. She began her musical career studying guitar and piano when she was just ten years old. She completed her musical studies in Vienna and Cyprus and received her music diploma in 1989. The song 'S.O.S.' earned her ninth place in the Eurovision Song Contest that year, out of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6390
Found:  Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'S.O.S. (Greek version)' / 'S.O.S. (English version)'

Tell me - Dulce

Dulce José Silva Pontes was born on 8 April 1969 in Montijo, near Lisbon. She trained as a pianist, and started a career in singing after entering a competition in her hometown at the age of 18. She soon became an actress on Portuguese television and theatre. In 1991 she won the national music festival with her song 'Lusitana Paixão', which led her to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest. She finished 8th in the competition, which is to date the fourth-best finish for a Portuguese performer

Dulce Pontes started her career as a mainstream pop artist, but over the years she has evolved to become a world music singer. She blends traditional fado with contemporary styles and searches out new forms of musical expression. Her career continues to this day.

My collection: 7" single no. 6389
Found: Bea Records, received 27 May 2021
Tracks: 'Tell me' / 'Lusitana Paixão'

 

Krasi, thalassa ke t'agori mou - Marinella

Marinella was born as Kyriaki Papadopoulou on 20 May 1938 in Thessaloniki. She released her first song 'Nitsa Elenitsa' ('Little Helen') in 1957. Her early career was marked by her collaboration with singer Stelios Kazantzidis. Together they managed to become the greatest duet of Greece, unsurpassed even today. Starting at the night club "Luxembourg" in Thessaloniki where they enjoyed great success, they later moved to Athens, the capital, where they became widely known. Marinella married him on 7 May 1964 and they toured together in Germany and the United States. They divorced in September 1966. 

Marinella then began a solo career. In 1974 she represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Krasi, thalassi ke t'agori mou' ('Wine and sea and my boyfriend and me'). It was the first time Greece competed. Originally the Greek rock band Nostradamos would have had the honour but due to a scandal they were embroiled in, Marinella was sent instead. She ended up in 11th place in a field of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6388
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Krasi, thalassi ke t'agori mou' / 'Xipna feggari mou'

Onde vais rio que eu canto - Sergio Borges

After the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest was won by four different artists - a result of a lack of rules in case of a tie - five countries decided not to participate in the 1970 edition. Portugal was one of them, but bizarrely enough, they had already selected a song and participant before they decided not to enter. And so Sergio Borges released 'Onde vais rio que eu canto' without actually going to the Netherlands, where the Contest was to be held.

The song is interesting enough, with its up-tempo ending and its pensive melody. This single was one of three I received from Portugal this month - proof that collecting Eurovision singles is truly an international endeavour these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 6385
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Onde vais rio que eu canto', 'A voz do chao' / 'Velho Sonho', 'Raining in my heart'

Save your kisses for me / Fernando

So who performed these two cover versions? There's no information on the sleeve or label. All we know is that this single was released in Portugal and there's a decidedly seductive sleeve on this one.

'Save Your Kisses For Me' is, of course, a cover version of Brotherhood Of Man's winning Eurovision song from 1976, whereas 'Fernando' was originally recorded by Abba in the same year (and by Frida from that band a year earlier). The Eurovision cover sounds a lot like the original, the other one... well, not so much. Still, it is an interesting rarity that I ordered together with two Portuguese Eurovision songs.

My collection: 7" single no. 6386
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 May 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Save Your Kisses For Me' / 'Fernando'

Desfolhada Portuguesa - Simone

Simone de Oliveira was born on 11 February 1938 and raised in Lisbon. Her Portuguese mother had black African roots in São Tomé and Príncipe (then a Portuguese territory), and her father was Belgian. She started singing in high school. She first represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965 with 'Sol de inverno'. 'Desfolhada Portuguesa' was her second attempt, in 1969.

The song deals with the love of Portugal - the first occasion on which this was the theme of the Portuguese entry, but far from the last. The song compares the love from the conception of a child to patriotic love. At the close of voting, it had received 4 points, placing 15th in a field of 16 competitors. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6384
Found: Discogs.com, received 25 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Desfolhada Portuguesa', 'Cinco quadras cinco pedras' / 'Avé-Maria do Povo'

Shine - Five Star

Like many other acts, Five Star had trouble maintaining their success when the Eighties ended and the Nineties began. House and techno music were ruining the charts and pop stars were not as popular as before, audiences opting for anonymous acts and DJ's instead. Having said that, in the case of Five Star their material was becoming a bit bland too. Having made exciting pop hits in the mid-Eighties and a more aggressive style during their Another Weekend phase, 'Shine' (1991) sounded slightly bland.

As a result, 'Shine' did not chart and the accompanying album didn't either. It took them four years to return into the UK charts, although '(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons' and 'I Give You Give' would only reach number 84 and 83 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 6375
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 May 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Shine' / 'Feelings'

Come back to stay - Dickie Rock

Richard Rock, nicknamed 'Dickie' was born in the North Strand, Dublin and raised in Cabra on Dublin's Northside. Between 1963 and 1972 he was one of the frontmen of the Miami Showband. (The two tracks on the B-side of this EP are actually with that band.) 

In 1966 he represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Come Back to Stay'. A number one hit in Ireland, it finished in fourth place in the Contest. Rock went solo in 1973, although still performed occasionally with the Miami Showband after this. He continues to tour in his eighties (as of 2020), after a career spanning almost sixty years. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6382
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Come back to stay', 'Can't make up my mind' / 'One by one', '(I lost my heart) In San Francisco'

Une chanson c'est une lettre - Sophie

Sophie was born on 9 October 1944 in Dax (France) as Sophie Hecquet. Early in her career, as Jenny Ann, she toured with French rock 'n roll legend Johnny Hallyday. In 1962 she appeared in a short film directed by Claude Lelouch. She started her recording career, as Sophie, in 1963, and appeared in Michel Boisrond's film Cherchez l'idole. She released a succession of singles and EPs for Decca Records in France, as an exponent of the yé-yé style, arranged by either Eddie Vartan or Jacques Loussier. She often recorded French language versions of American or British pop songs. After a break, she resumed a singing career in the early 1970s. In 1975, she represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Une chanson c’est une lettre', co-written and arranged by André Popp, finishing in 13th place.

Her career continued after this, working in radio and television, presenting children's programmes, among other things. In the early 2000s she opened the restaurant 'La Maison de Sophie' in Uccle, Belgium. In 2012, she was moved to Paris for an operation on a ruptured aneurysm, but died in hospital there, aged 68, on 28 October 2012.

My collection: 7" single no. 6381
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Une chanson c'est une lettre' / 'Madame à la faux'

Die Zeiger der Uhr - Margot Eskens

This single has been on my wantlist for some time. It's one of the prettiest cover photos from the Sixties-era Eurovision singles, partly because it ties in so neatly with the title of the song. 'Die Zeiger der Uhr' ('The hands of time') was the German entry to the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest. The song is a ballad, with Eskens singing about the feelings brought on by reading old love letters and seeing photographs from an old relationship. As she explains, however, 'The hands of time only turn / forwards, forwards and never backwards'. The song ended up in tenth place in a field of 18 competitors. 

Eskens' career continued for decades, although her success was limited to German-speaking countries only. In 2005 she celebrated 50 years on stage. She has sold over 40 million records during her long and impressive career.

My collection: 7" single no. 6380
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 May 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Die Zeiger der Uhr' / 'Nur deine Bilder'

Moskow Diskow / Eurovision - Telex

Nothing is more appropriate this month than highlighting that classic Belgian song 'Euro-vision' by Telex. They performed it on the Eurovision stage in The Hague in 1980. I do have the original single, of course, but more recently the track was re-released on a special cover 7" single with the magazine Electronic Sound. That issue - number 74 - is actually a few months old but I only discovered this one recently, and ordered it straight away.

This single presents the English version of 'Euro-vision' together with the track 'Moskow Diskow' on yellow vinyl. The hallucinating sleeve image requires you to look away after a few seconds in order to avoid going crazy - or getting a headache. Other than that, this is a brilliant little collector's item. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6379
Found: Electronic Sound magazine website, received 8 May 2021
Cost: 8 pounds
Tracks: 'Moscow Diskow' / 'Eurovision'

Voor altijd - André van Duin

During an impressive career of six decades, André van Duin started out as a comedian and did theatre shows, TV programmes, even performed as a support act for the Rolling Stones in the Netherlands. In recent years, he has reinvented himself as a 'serious' entertainer, acting in a dramatic series and presenting the Dutch version of the Great British Bake-off. 

After losing his partner Martin last year and going through treatment against a medical condition, things became increasingly serious. He made an impressive speech on 4 May on Remembrance Day in Amsterdam and, also recently, recorded this single. 'Voor altijd' ('For always') was dedicated to his late partner and benefits the Dutch Cancer Society. Although the song was co-created with the massively overrated Dutch artist Danny Vera it is actually quite beautiful. For the first time in months I had the chance to buy a single in a regular shop, and so I did.

My collection: 7" single no. 6378
Found: Paagman, Leidschendam, 8 May 2021
Cost: 9 euro
Tracks: 'Voor altijd' / 'Voor altijd (instrumental)'

Soldi - Mahmood

Alessandro Mahmood represented Italy during the 2019 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Born in Milan to an Italian mother from Sardinia and an Egyptian father, he was raised around Gratosoglio, a district of Milan.When he was five years old, his parents divorced and he was subsequently raised by his mother.

Mahmood revealed he started writing the song while hanging out with some friends. Its lyrics explore Mahmood's relationship with his father. It depicts a lying, contradictory and unreliable father, whose main priority is money instead of his own family. Mahmood explained that the song's lyrics "evoke a memory" and that "there's a lot of anger" in it. This was reflected during his performance: he looked angry throughout his appearance on the Eurovision stage, which surprisingly didn't affect the score: he finished in second place during the Eurovision final. 

This 7" single was sold together with the album 'Gioventù Bruciata' in Italy. Both the CD and this single feature two versions of the song 'Soldi'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6374
Found: Amazon Germany, received 24 April 2021
Cost: 20 euro (CD + single)
Tracks: 'Soldi' / 'Soldi (feat. Gue Pequeno)'

The wrong place - Hooverphonic

This month, the Eurovision Song Contest will finally take place in Rotterdam. Last year the Contest did not take place because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant that the Netherlands held the title of Eurovision winner for another year. The 2021 edition will still be a sad affair: although an audience will be present, it will only be half the capacity of the Ahoy hall where the event is taking place and where other countries have benefited greatly from tourists flocking in from all over Europe, Rotterdam will only host Dutch people (and perhaps a few lost people from other countries - although that seems unlikely).

To make things even worse, it seems that record companies have given up on physical products for their Eurovision acts. So far, only the Belgian band Hooverphonic have released their Eurovision song on 7" vinyl. And that, of course, is to be applauded. 'The wrong place' is an excellent song, although it doesn't seem likely that it will win this year's edition. We can only hope that the winning song will also be released on the 7" vinyl format. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6373
Found: Velvet Music, Leiden, received 24 April 2021
Cost: 8 euro
Tracks: 'The wrong place' / 'The wrong place (instrumental)'

Refrain, du goldner Traum aus meiner Jugendzeit - Lys Assia

Only two years ago I was able to buy Refrain, the 7" single of the first ever winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song made Lys Assia part of history. She would continue to be a special guest in the audience of the Contest even in recent years, until she passed away in March 2018. 

I was always aware that she recorded a German version of her winning song, but like the original single it wasn't easy to get hold of a copy. After all, this is a single that is hunted after by many Eurovision fans and it's 75 years old. But I was quite surprised two weeks ago when I saw one on Ebay for a few euros. I placed my bid and waited until last Saturday, when the auction would end. As usual, the bidding went crazy in the last few minutes, but I was successful in the end - even if I had to spend just a little more than I really wanted to. Never mind - now that record fairs are a thing of the past and the next one won't happen until 2025, probably, I have some budget to spare. I am grateful to the Austrian seller of this little piece of history.

My collection: 7" single no. 6372
Found: Ebay.co.uk, received 15 April 2021
Cost: 13,20 euro
Tracks: 'Refrain, Du Goldner Traum Aus Meiner Jugendzeit' / 'Addio, Bella Napoli'