I ordered this single especially because of this different sleeve. I've been aware of it for years, but singles like this command unusually high prices. Fortunately, this particular copy was not as ridiculously priced.
Interestingly, the same photograph was used on the sleeve of the Yugoslavian pressing of the accompanying album, 'The Kick Inside'.
My collection: 7" single no. 6819
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 December 2022
Tracks: 'The man with the child in his eyes' / 'Moving'
What I didn't know was that they also released an extended version of this English version. What's more, this extended version was only released in Australia. It took me a while to find a copy at a half-decent price, but I finally managed to find one - but it still had to be flown in from Australia. The 12" version adds a couple of choruses and comes in a standard record company sleeve. It should have been an Astor record company sleeve, but I'll take the CBS one as a beautiful substitute.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 December 2022
Tracks: 'Genghis Khan' / 'Desert land'
This EP completes the set of Polish singles I received from my friend in Poland. It was an interesting ride and I've discovered quite a few things about Polish music that I didn't know. My favourite of the eleven discs has to be the one by Kombi. Which is hardly a surprise, as this one is the most futuristic sounding. For the early Eighties, that is.
My collection: 7" single no. 6818
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Przyda się do kartoteki', 'Na bohaterów popyt minął' / 'Pieśń o cegle', 'Czysty zysk'
The band boasts a number of well-known and well-liked hits. This single, 'Adriatyk, ocean gorący' ('Adriatic, hot ocean') was released in 1983 and also included on their second studio album 'Wolne Od Cła'.
My collection: 7" single no. 6817
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Adriatyk, ocean gorący' / 'Dwa Słowa, dwa Światy'
In 1983 alone, the group performed live 369 times. The same year they released this single, 'Wciąż bardziej obcy' ('Still more alien'). After another three years the total number of live shows grew to over 800, a record at the time in Poland. On November 30, 2000 Lady Pank played a jubilee concert in Wrocław, celebrating the group's 18th birthday.
My collection: 7" single no. 6816
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Wciąż bardziej obcy' / 'Zamki na piasku'
That album was released in late 1982, in a period when martial law was introduced in Poland. A year later, Perfect released their first live album. Subsequently, they disbanded, only occasionally appearing on stage – in 1987, 1989 and in the early 1990s, when they toured in the United States twice. Before 2021, the band wanted to do a farewell tour, they released their last single 'Głos' in 2020 and started touring all across Poland. On the 27 April 2021, Grzegorz Markowski announced via the Facebook page of his daughter that his health was going down. The rest of the band said they would play on "for Grzegorz". That never happened. Instead, a few weeks later the band disbanded.
My collection: 7" single no. 6815
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Zamieniam się w psa' / 'Dla zasady nie ma sprawy'
Piotr Fronczewski was chosen as the vocalist during the recording of the soundtrack to the film Akademia Pana Kleks (1983). In 1983, a single with the songs "King Bruce Lee karate master" and "Dysk Jockey" was released, and the next year a full-length vinyl record. Over time, CD reissues of the album appeared - in 1991, in 1999 and in 2008.
My collection: 7" single no. 6814
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'King Bruce Lee karate mistrz' / 'Dysk Dżokej'
The single actually features two very accessible synthpop songs that were probably unknown to most people on the western side of the iron curtain.
My collection: 7" single no. 6813
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Zimne kino' / 'Tvoja Lorelei'
The band consisted of Lech Janerka (bass guitar/vocals), Krzysztof Pociecha (guitar/backing vocals), Wiesław Mrozik (guitar/backing vocals) and Marek Puchała (drums/backing vocals). Janerka went on to a long-term solo career; Pociecha collaborated with Janerka on two more albums. From 1986 to 1989 Mrozik and Puchała, joined by Paweł Chyliński (guitar/vocals), Jacek Fedorowicz (bass guitar) and Zbigniew Kapturski (guitar/vocals), continued to perform under the name 'Klaus Mit Foch'; this latter line-up released the album 'Mordoplan' in 1988.
My collection: 7" single no. 6812
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Jezu Jak Się Cieszę' / 'O glowie'
What's amazing, is that this lady is still going strong. She still plays live, performs in movies and TV series and acts as a coach in the Polish version of The Voice Senior. From what I can gather online, she still has the looks too.
My collection: 7" single no. 6811
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Brylanty' / 'Nic naprawdę'
This EP is their first release, featuring four tracks. Of the four tracks included her, I mostly prefer 'Bla Bla Bla', an aggressive piece of rock with impressive vocals. It is pretty standard rock fare that wasn't unusual before 1981, the year of this EP's release.
My collection: 7" single no. 6810
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Chcemy Być Sobą', 'Coś Dzieje Się W Mej Biednej Głowie' / 'Bla, Bla, Bla', 'Nie Płacz Ewka'
This single, 'Hi-Fi', was actually their debut single. Interestingly they pronounce the title as 'High-fee', but the lyrics are obviously about the wellknown sounds system. The chorus goes: "Hi-Fi super star super hit / Discjockey szczerzy kły znad konsolety / Hi-Fi super star super hit / Na zwariowane sny świat ma apetyt" ("Hi-Fi super star super hit / The discjockey bares its fangs from above the console / Hi-Fi super star super hit / The world has an appetite for crazy dreams").
My collection: 7" single no. 6809
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Hi-fi' / 'Nie będę Julią'
Kombi was a successful pop rock music band from Poland, founded in 1976 in Gdańsk by Sławomir Łosowski. In the beginning group played mostly rock music, later their style turned towards synth pop. Kombi was the first Polish band to use the Commodore 64 as a MIDI sequencer, a Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer, Simmons SDS-V electronic drum kit and Yamaha RX-11 drum machine. This single, 'Linia zycia' stands the tests of time very well and could easily be compared to superior bands like Ultravox who were active in the West at the time.
My collection: 7" single no. 6808R
Found: Received 21 November 2022
Tracks: 'Lynia zycia' / 'Komputerowe serce'
All that has changed. I found out about this 12" single earlier this year - now it was just a question of getting a copy. And a copy at a reasonable price, of course. All the 12" singles are available from Israeli sellers only, it seems no copies made it to other countries since 1991. (Well, they must have, but people are obviously not selling them here.) I was lucky enough to find a copy recently, and now I am the proud owner of five remixes of the track; three in Hebrew and two in English. It's just a shame that same old James Brown sample is overused.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 November 2022
Tracks: 'כאן (12" dance mix)', 'כאן (12" instrumental mix)', 'כאן (a capella)' / 'Come along (The Two Inch Remix)', 'Come along (The Two Inch Edit)'
I found this record in a collection of a German seller, and he had two different versions of this 12" - the other sleeve doesn't feature the picture that is nicked from Mike's original album. Of course I found this one more attractive.
The version created by Keyboards Affair offers all the things you would expect from a production in the early 1980's: big drums, electronic music and a straightforward copy of the melody. It is kitsch, but still very nice.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Tubular bells' / 'Commando'
The thought occured that there was never a Bee Gees 12" singles compilation on CD - this could be a great idea. But as we know, record companies are not big on great ideas lately.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'You win again (extended version)' / 'You win again', 'Backtafunk'
I found this 12" single during a record fair - one of those unexpected purchases that you wouldn't find online, simply because I never even knew there were extended versions of these tracks. It's what I always say: with the disappearance of record shops and the occurance of record fairs also getting ever more rare, these chance encounters will become more difficult as time goes by.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Three times a lady' / 'Brick house'
In 1988 they released 'Pretty boys and pretty girls', a nice pop song, but I bought it for the B-side: a cover of Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular bells'.
My collection: 7" single no. 6807
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 November 2022
Tracks: 'Pretty boys and pretty girls' / 'Tubular bells'
I think that with this single I've bought all the versions of 'Vienna' that exist in the world, but you never know what happens in the future...
My collection: 7" single no. 6804
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Vienna [edit]' / 'Vienna (album version)'
He also, almost predictably, recorded his version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', the famous song by Domenico Modugno, in 1970. I bought the Argentine promo single, which is a nice rarity. In Italy the sides were flipped and 'Victoria' was the A-side. The B-side was called 'Volare' on the Italian sleeve, because that is the more familiar title the song goes by.
My collection: 7" single no. 6803
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' / 'Victoria'
She came to Germany in the early 1960s and started a successful career there as a schlager singer. At the beginning of the 1970s, Dorthe took a step back from the limelight but continued to record songs in the years that followed. In 1980 she recorded a German version of 'Papa Pingouin', Luxembourg's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest that year. Like the original version it was produced by Ralph Siegel and released on his record label.
My collection: 7" single no. 6802
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Papa Pinguin' / 'Immer wenn Kinder träumen'
I'd been looking for this single for a long time, but it was never available for a reasonable price - until I stumbled on this near mint copy for a mere 5 euros. Maybe the dealer didn't know what he was selling - it was my only purchase from him but I was very happy.
Later in the year, Niels-Jørgen Kaiser became the head of entertainment at DR, Denmark’s national broadcaster. He hated the Contest and made sure that Denmark would not compete again - until he left his post in 1978. Ulla Pia died of cancer on 22 August 2020.
My collection: 7" single no. 6801
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Stop - mens legen er go' / 'Kom og dans en Bossa Nova'
Online I could only find copies without the picture sleeve, and that would be a waste because the sleeve was so creatively put together. As you can see here, a photograph of Ronnie was superimposed on some very creative hand lettering. My copy of the sleeve is a bit tattered and torn, but a mint copy would probably cost thrice as much as what I paid for it. If not more.
My collection: 7" single no. 6800
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Someday' / 'I feel like crying'
She also recorded her song in English and Spanish. 'Fernando y Felipe' is the Spanish version, released by the Spanish record company Belter in a surprisingly sturdy cardboard sleeve.
My collection: 7" single no. 6799
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Fernando y Felipe' / 'Ya no me quieres'
It was released in France - obviously - with a different sleeve than the other three. The German version, 'Karussel des Lebens' has a different sleeve entirely - also in colour - but the only copy that is available online right now costs €150. I'm not that crazy.
My collection: 7" single no. 6798
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Le monde tourne comme un manege' / 'Ce monsieur qui passe'
There's only the German and Italian versions of this song to go, and I am pretty sure that I will get those if I am patient enough. After all, this is one of Belgium's better entries of the Sixties.
My collection: 7" single no. 6797
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Jennifer Jennings' / 'Au risque de te perdre'
What's interesting is that the single was released in Finland without a picture sleeve, but the Spanish version comes with a picture sleeve. It is usually hideously expensive on places like Ebay and Discogs, but I was lucky enough to find a copy at a more reasonable price.
My collection: 7" single no. 6796
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Kuin silloin ennen' / 'Et mennä saa'
Gunnar would record more Eurovision covers in 1966 on this EP.
My collection: 7" single no. 6794
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Angelique', 'Du kan vara säker på' / 'April, April', 'Spela på regnbågen'
Maxi was actually called Meike Gärtner.When she grew up she acquired a solid music education. She appeared in several major musicals and had a big hit in Austria with ‘Ich Kann Dich Heilen’ as part of the group Aschenputtel in 2005.
My collection: 7" single no. 6793
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 12 November 2022
Tracks: 'Song for a friend' / 'Chant pour un ami'
And so it happened that 'De diepte' was released two weeks ago, and the Spanish entry 'SloMo' followed last week - both six months after the Contest took place. Granted, this release is an interesting one: it's a shaped picture disc that functions as a 7" vinyl but still contains four tracks. The weird shape of the disc was caused by a mango, pictured on the A-side of this disc, because of the lines "Te gusta to' lo que tengo / Te endulzo la cara en jugo de mango" ("You like everything I have / I sweeten your face in mango juice"). Chanel's song loses some of its appeal without the engaging stage show, but this is still a nice pop song.
My collection: 7" single no. 6792
Found: FNAC Spain, received 11 November 2022
Tracks: 'SloMo (single version)', 'SloMo (acoustic version)' / 'SloMo (Eurovision's Dancebreak Edit)', 'SloMo (Karaoke version)'
Having been a fan of Black almost since the beginning (well, since 1984) it took me some time to get hold of his early singles, but I succeeded when I finally managed to get a copy of 'Human features' in 1998. It was Black's earliest release on the Rox label, and although the man himself disowned his earliest material, I very much enjoyed it.
I was quite surprised when a limited edition of this single was released this year. It was released on the Optic Nerve label, in their series of Optic Sevens. Apparently it is a series of re-releases of "classic indie singles", always on coloured vinyl and with a poster and postcard. In this case, it is pressed on white vinyl. It is a lovely release and a new chance to get acquainted with these two fabulous tracks.
My collection: 7" single no. 6776
Found: HHV (Germany), received 14 September 2022
Tracks: 'Human features' / 'Electric church'
And so, a quarter of a century later, I acquired it from a Dutch seller on Discogs - an American promotional 12" single with two mixes on it. Actually, the 7" edit on this one also sounded different to me, because at 2'17 lead singer Camilla Griehsel sings 'This is no time in a village for a while', a line I never heard on the three discs I mentioned before. So, three 'new' tracks by One 2 Many - that's a good catch.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 November 2022
Tracks: 'Downtown (Way Downtown mix)' / 'Downtown (7" edit)', 'Downtown (2 Down Dub)'
It was recorded with the orchestra of maestro Nello Ciangherotti for the TV series La luna nel pozzo - although I'm not sure if that claim holds true for both tracks on this single. I can say for sure that 'Pazzo amore' was featured on that TV show. The modernized and slightly 'discofied' version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' is what is the real attraction on this disc for me, however.
My collection: 7" single no. 6784
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2022
Tracks: 'Pazzo amore' / 'Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)'
Proof of this is found in this Mexican copy of the song. It is actually an EP, featuring four tracks by the band. I got my hands on it when I ordered the 12" single of 'Parlez-vous Français', which was released in Mexico only. But this is a very nice item too, and probably quite rare in this part of the world.
My collection: 7" single no. 6777
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 September 2022
Tracks: 'Eres tu', 'Rin ron' / 'Adios amor', 'Ayer (fue un dia feliz)'
In recent years we've done pretty well with unknown artists. Duncan Laurence won a few years ago and this year's entry met critical acclaim. 'De diepte' ('The depth') reached 11th place in the contest and was released on 7" vinyl just recently. There were actually two versions: one on black vinyl and one on pink vinyl. The sleeve remained the same, and the tracks as well. One point of criticism: the 'acoustic live session' on the B-side sounds like a home tape.
My collection: 7" single no. 6786 & 6787
Found: Top Notch website, received 12 October 2022
Tracks: 'De diepte' / 'De diepte (acoustic live session)'
This quartet mops up singles from their last two albums, plus the track 'Under attack' that was released as the last original Abba single back in 1982. The cover actually features a photograph of the band, which didn't happen often on these Amiga releases. As far as I know, there's only two more singles to go. I'm sure they will pop up on here sometime.
My collection: 7" single no. 6778
Found: Discogs.com, 1 October 2022
Tracks: 'Super trouper', 'Head over heels' / 'One of us', 'Under attack'
Anyway, 'All souls night' is one of the singles I bought on that cold and dark December afternoon, just before a birthday party in the same city. I think this single must have been on this blog in the early days, but back then Blogger used to honour "copyright claims" from unknown parties who apparently protested against me writing about "their" records. Fortunately this doesn't happen anymore. So here it is, just a few days too late because the traditional Irish All Souls' Night happened a few days ago.
My collection: 7" single no. 2230
Found: Grammophoonwinkel, Utrecht, 30 December 1994
Tracks: 'All souls night (edit)' / 'Bonny Portmore'
'Liebe, so heisst meine Welt' is the German version of 'C'est la chanson de mon amour', with which she represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972. I bought that single almost a year ago, and this one is the only other version of that song. Even the B-side was translated into German: 'Quand le printemps revient' became 'Der Frühling kommt niemals allein'.
My collection: 7" single no. 6791
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2022
Tracks: 'Liebe, so heisst meine Welt' / 'Der Frühling kommt niemals allein'
A recent discovery was the 12" single of this song, which featured an extended version of the song. It still contains the rather bombastic sound of the single recording, but adds an instrumental part in the middle. It wouldn't be hard to construct this extended version using the single, since that one already contains the instrumental as well as the vocal version of the song, but there you go.
My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 October 2021
Tracks: 'Nur ein Lied [extended]' / 'Nur ein Lied (instrumental)', 'Nur ein Lied'
Surprisingly, 'King of emotion' was the bigger hit of the two, reaching number 16 in the UK singles chart, whereas 'The Big One' only made it to number 54. In Italy it was the other way around: 'The Big One' reached number 17 whereas 'King of emotion' did not chart. I would be tempted to call that justice.
My collection: 7" single no. 6581
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 December 2021
Tracks: 'The big one' (Black) / 'King of emotion' (Big Country)
Interestingly enough, the band reunited two decades after breaking up in 1981. Since then, they have released two new albums. The last one, 'The Tiger Must Jump' (2010) included a new version of 'Out on the ropes'.
My collection: 7" single no. 6789
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 October 2022
Tracks: 'Out on the ropes' / 'Maybe, maybe not'
This single had been on my wantlist for four or five years, and suddenly, earlier this month, one copy was offered for sale. Naturally I had to buy it. The single features a rather ugly single edit (fading out much earlier than the album version) and a beautiful B-side. It is certainly worth a listen, even if you don't understand Dutch.
My collection: 7" single no. 6788
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 October 2022
Tracks: 'Tot bloedens toe' / 'Stormvogels'
And that's funny, because this promo features an Enya track on the B-side. 'Only if...' was released as a new track on the compilation album 'Paint the sky with stars', also in 1997. The song was only released on a 7" in the USA and on this Italian promo.
My collection: 7" single no. 6785
Found: Discogs, received 8 October 2022
Tracks: 'The Mummers' dance' (Loreena McKennitt) / 'Only if...' (Enya)
I was therefore very happy when I found a listing of the single with an original record company sleeve. It is the next best thing. CGD released this single back in 1961 and it's great to have an original CGD sleeve with this disc. It almost completes my Italian Eurovision singles collection. Now I just need that elusive 'Corde della mia chitarra' by Nunzio Gallo.
My collection: 7" single no. 6783
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2022
Tracks: 'Al di la' / 'Vicino a te'
I was lucky enough to find a copy of the German version online, for a price that wasn't too ridiculous. The title, 'Ich sehe dich weinen', is not a direct translation of the Italian original. Two pressings of this version exist: a Swiss one and a Dutch one. This is the Dutch one.
My collection: 7" single no. 6772
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2022
Tracks: 'Ich sehe dich weinen' / 'Buon giorno, signorina'
The search for this single wasn't exactly easy, because most people ask more for it than it's really worth. But I found a bargain, and that's always nice.
My collection: 7" single no. 6779
Found: Discogs.com, received 1 October 2022
Tracks: 'Der Tingler singt für euch alle' / 'Nur Liebe zählt'
The song was also covered by Siouxie and the Banshees, and I bought that single back in 1996. I never bought the Driscoll version, partly because I thought I already had it. But I didn't, and I found out when I came across this copy. It is a German double single featuring four tracks by the band. I needn't really have bothered because aside from the first track this isn't really the kind of thing I take pleasure in listening to, but it's good to finally have this track nonetheless.
My collection: 7" single no. 6778
Found: Discogs.com, received 1 October 2022
Tracks: 'This wheels on fire' / 'Road to Cairo' // 'Save Me, part 1', 'Tramp'
What I am hearing: the A-side presents a sort of demo version of the song, whereas the B-side is the same as the A-side of the European version of the single. There is no answer to the question if the record company messed up somehow.
My collection: 7" single no. 6773
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 September 2022
Tracks: 'Go' / 'Go (live version)' [sic]
Imagination's 'Just an illusion' is a good example. There was nothing wrong with this Jolley and Swain production, but still Mike Pickering and Graeme Park thought they could improve on the track. The 1989 remix was released in, er, 1989, and failed to trouble the charts, predictably. The single was taken from a remix album called 'Like it is: hot sensational re-mixes', but this album also failed to chart. Sometimes people prefer to hear songs like they are.
My collection: 7" single no. 6774
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 September 2022
Tracks: 'Just an illusion (the 1989 remix)' / 'LTO (Love's taking over) (L.J.´s Blues Mix)'
Unfortunately, Salomé's version doesn't come close to the subtle beauty of Iglesias' version; it is a bit bland to be honest. Still, with singles like this it is always interesting to add a bit of history to your collection.
My collection: 7" single no. 6768
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 August 2022
Tracks: 'Gwendolyne' / 'Llévatelo'
