Piove - Domenico Modugno

I already bought a clear vinyl copy of Domenico Modugno's 'Piove' five years ago, but I was pretty surprised to find another version recently online. It was also pressed on clear vinyl, but this time the disc featured four tracks and a picture sleeve. It looks like this EP was produced in 1959, the year of Modugno's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song.

The three tracks accompanying 'Piove' on this EP are a nice representation of Italian music at the end of the 1950's. It's oldfashioned but still quite attractive. Especially 'Farfalle' is a catchy tune.

My collection: 7" single no. 7130
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 March 2024
Tracks: 'Piove', 'Farfalle' / 'Io', 'Come prima'

The girls are back in town - Risqué

Probably for the last time I can please this blog's reader and avid Risqué-fan Jos with a record by the Dutch girl group Risqué. This record represents the last one that I still needed to complete the collection - and it is actually their debut single, in 12" format.

'The girls are back in town' was remixed to make it a six minute epic - and what's nice about this 12" single is that the B-side was also remixed and extended. This one was pressed in Canada, as I was ordering some records from over there anyway. No picture sleeve, alas, but the music remains the same as on other pressings.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2024
Tracks: 'The girls are back in town [extended]' / 'Risqué Disco [extended]'

Volare - Explosivo

When you buy a record from the other end of the world - in this case, Canada - it would be stupid not to buy more than one record. And so I went searching for a little bit more. Being still in a Eurovision mood, it was a no-brainer to get this 12" single: a version of the legendary 'Volare', but in a dsico guise.

Explosivo was a short-lived outfit, having released just this one 7" and 12" single back in 1981. I found out later that the 7" single contains exactly the same tracks, but the A-side, 'Volare', is edited on the 7" single. So it's good to get this full length version, going on for over five minutes. For some reason, the verses are omitted in this cover version, so you get a few repetitions of the chorus - with a disco beat, of course.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2024
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'Latin express'

Michael Caine - Madness

Such is the shake-up of my record collection that all of the Madness singles except 'Driving in my car' have been binned. Most of them looked pretty tattered anyway and I have a cd with all of those hits which makes the singles somehow superfluous.

Of course, there are exceptions. Poster sleeves and picture discs are always interesting, and so I am introducing this double single featuring 'Michael Caine' and a picture disc of 'The sun and the rain' almost at the same time. The song is about an informant during the Troubles, and the lyrics suggest a state of paranoia and mental disintegration. It is named after English actor Michael Caine and includes his vocal samples, recorded specifically for this song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7128
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2024
Tracks: 'Michael Caine' / 'If you think there's something' // 'The sun and the rain' / 'Fireball XL5'

I'm a wonderful thing (baby) - Kid Creole & the Coconuts

'I'm a wonderful thing baby' appears on the B-side of this single of 'Stool pigeon', but it was also released as a single in its own right. And, to make matters even more interesting, it was pressed on red vinyl in the Netherlands. It was the first single released from the album Tropical Gangsters and their first major hit reaching a peak of number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. In the Netherlands it got to number 21 in the Dutch Top 40.

In 1993, the single was remixed by Brothers in Rhythm and released as a single to promote the compilation album Cre~Olé: The Best of Kid Creole & the Coconuts.

My collection: 7" single no. 7127
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2024
Tracks: 'I'm a wonderful thing (baby)' / 'Table manners'

 

 

Hey you - Chris Rea

One of Chris Rea's lesser known singles is 'Hey you', taken from his fifth studio album Water sign, which yielded the hit single 'I can hear your heart beat'.

According to the sleeve notes in the 2019 deluxe version of Shamrock Diaries, the record company would not fund Water Sign, "forcing [Rea] to use tracks that had been intended as demos". As a result, Rea plays most instruments on the album, and – unusually – drum machines feature. In an interview, Chris Rea said: "I turned in the Water Sign tapes as demos. And they said, that's it, put them out. And it looked like once they'd released that album they were gonna drop us." At that time he was ready to throw in the towel, quit the music business and open an Italian restaurant. "Then a guy from Ireland phoned Magnet Records and said, 'I really like Water Sign. Will Chris come over and do a concert?' Then it all started to come good in Ireland. I went over there, it was like Beatlemania! So I stayed there a while, did a large tour." 

My collection: 7" single no. 7126
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 March 2024
Tracks: 'Hey you' / 'Love to love'

Love is life - Hot Chocolate

It's always great to find a Hot Chocolate single. They released a lot of them in the Seventies, driven by music mogul Mickie Most and his RAK Records label, which demanded hit records from all the artists they signed. 

'Love is life' was the band's first chart success back in 1970. It peaked at number 6 in the UK singles chart during a chart run of 12 weeks. After this, they had two hits every year on average, right until 1983! In the Netherlands their success was more limited; 'Love is life' didn't chart and they only had 13 hits in the same period.

My collection: 7" single no. 7125
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 March 2024
Tracks: 'Love is life' / 'Pretty girls'

Baby come back - Eddy Grant

As I was going through my singles collection it dawned on me that I had a few Eddy Grant singles in red vinyl. I was intrigued and I started looking for more red vinyl singles by Eddy Grant. And so I came across this one: 'Baby come back'. 

It was originally a hit for the Equals, taken from their 1967 album Unequalled Equals. It was a number one hit in the UK, Belgium, South Africa and Rhodesia. The song was actually written by Eddy Grant; he was a member of the Equals. In 1984, after his solo career had taken off in a big way, he decided to re-record the song, but this version was less successful. But still, it was released on red vinyl in Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 7124
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 March 2024
Tracks: 'Baby come back' / 'Political bassa bassa'

A word about numbers

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have always numbered the 7" singles featured on this blog. (12" singles are always unnumbered, because I never kept a record of them myself.) Recently I have updated my own log of 7" singles, because over the years I have sold some singles and I also bought certain single which I never logged. This discrepancy started to bother me more over the past few years, especially when I sold about 200 singles early last year. 

I used some spare time this month to get the log up to date. This means: clearing out all the singles I don't own anymore (although virtually I do, because they were featured on this blog!) and describing all the singles that I never logged before (this includes certain special editions, picture discs etc. because I already owned the 'normal' versions of those singles). It turns out that the discrepancy isn't that big after all: until 9 March my log showed that I owned 7155 singles, and today, after all these actions, I own 7119 pieces. 

You will notice, of course, that the next single on this blog will state the number 7120 (or higher), although that number already featured on this blog before. Now you know why...

Eurovision - Telex

I have a big subcollection of Eurovision singles and within that subcollection there's another subcollection: 12" singles of Eurovision songs. You'd be surprised how many 12" singles of Eurovision songs actually exist, and many have already featured on this blog anyway. But one eluded me, and I consider it the ultimate Eurovision 12" single: it's 'Eurovision' by Telex.

It's quite a rare one, because it was only released in the USA as a promotional disc. But it contains an extended version of that song, and as far as I know this version has never been released anywhere else. I've had to search for this one for quite a long time, and I am really glad to finally have it. Even if I had to have it sent over from Canada!

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2024
Tracks: 'Eurovision [extended]' / 'Dance to the music', 'Twist a Saint-Tropez'

Coming up (live at Glasgow) - Paul McCartney

In 1980 Paul McCartney released 'McCartney II', a solo album created almost entirely on his own, aided only by his wife Linda. When the album was released in the USA, it came with a free 7" single featuring one track: a live version of 'Coming up'. This live version also appeared on the 7" single of 'Coming up', actually. 

I only bought this single because it came with an order of a few 12" singles, and it is a nice curiosity. It's not often one gets to buy a McCartney promo for the price of half a bread.

My collection: 7" single no. 7155
Found: Discogs.com, received 9 March 2024
Tracks: 'Coming up (live at Glasgow)'

Open up the red box - Simply Red

I'm not entirely sure if I would have bought this single if it wasn't a double single. I am just a sucker for special editions. 'Open up the red box' was Simply Red's fifth and final single release from their debut album 'Picture book'. This double single features previous single 'Holding back the years' as a bonus. Smart move, as that one had just reached number 2 in the UK singles chart. On the other hand, most people probably already owned that single - and so 'Open up the red box' stalled at number 61 in that same chart. 

No need to panic: Simply Red continued their success with subsequent albums, with hits right into the new century.

My collection: 7" single no. 7150
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Open up the red box' / 'Look at you now' // 'Holding back the years' / 'Drowning in my own tears'

Amiga Quartett - Bangles

The GDR record company Amiga released so-called 'Amiga Quartett' EP's, featuring several tracks from a certain act. In this case, an EP from 1989 mopped up a few single and album tracks from the American band The Bangles. They were enjoying great success with 'Eternal flame' in 1989, something that didn't escape the attention of the Eastern German record company bosses. Their music was deemed suitable for the youth behind the iron curtain. The B-side of this EP features two tracks from the album 'Everything'. 

After Germany's reunification Amiga ceased to exist. In fact, it looks like this was the last interesting - to me at least - EP's from the label. Nine more followed, from artists like Monika Herz, Jürgen Hart, Neneh Cherry and Udo Jürgens. Amiga was sold to BMG National Berlin in 1994. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7153
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Eternal flame', 'In your room' / 'Something to believe in', 'Some dreams come true'

Hot hot hot !!! - Cure

'Hot hot hot!!!' was the fourth single released from the album 'Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me'. In early 1988, it spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 45 on 20 February of that year. In the United States, the song reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached its highest chart position in Spain, peaking at number 8. 

For this single release, both tracks were remixed by François Kevorkian. The B-side, 'Hey you!!!' was also a song from the album, but the original CD release of 'Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me' omitted this track as to facilitate a single CD. In 2006 the track did appear on CD1 of a deluxe 2CD edition of the album. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7154
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Hot hot hot !!!' / 'Hey you !!!'

West end girls - Pet Shop Boys

Now that the Pet Shop Boys have established themselves as one of the premier acts of UK pop, it's hard to imagine that there was once a time when these two gentlemen still had to fight their way into the recording industry. This single, 'West End Girls', comes right from the beginning of their career in 1984. It's a French release, because apparently there were some companies out there that believed in this Bobby O-produced slice of pop. It is not, of course, the hit version that followed in 1985. 

Orlando played most of the instruments on this version of the track, including the jazz riff at the end. Lowe played one chord and the bassline. It included a drum part lifted from Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean', and an arrangement involving what Tennant called "Barry White chords". Orlando was thrilled by the song's production; his idea was to make a rap record in a British accent. In April 1984, 'West end girls' was released, becoming a club hit in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and a minor dance hit in Belgium and France. In March 1985, after long negotiations, Pet Shop Boys cut their contractual ties with Orlando, and hired manager Tom Watkins, who signed them with EMI.

My collection: 7" single no. 7151
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'West end girls' / 'Pet Shop Boys'

Stop the world - Captain Sensible

After considerable success with the single 'Wot!', Captain Sensible's career stalled. The next single 'Croydon' didn't chart anywhere, and the single after that was 'Stop the world'. It only got to number 82 in the UK singles chart, and number 72 in Germany. His only other big hit would happen a year later with 'Glad it's all over'.

The biggest redeeming quality of all these singles was that they were produced by Tony Mansfield, of New Musik fame. You can his recognizable synth sounds on this single. Apparently there's a 12" single version as well - which will probably feature on this blog soon as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7146
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Stop the world' / 'Back to school?'

Cuba - Gibson Brothers

A year before the Gibson Brothers had a hit with 'Que sera mi vida', they had a hit with a similarly Latin America-oriented single called 'Cuba' in 1979. The single peaked at number 32 in the Dutch Top 40, and reached number 41 in the UK singles chart. It fared better in the UK in 1980 when it was re-released: it reached number 12.

They actually had two more hits in the UK: 'Mariana' (1980) and 'My heart's beating wild' (1983). Neither of those charted in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, my musical interests had shifted to other bands as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7145
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Cuba' / 'Cuba (instrumental)'

The love parade - Dream Academy

The Dream Academy never got much recognition beside their greatest hit 'Life in a northern town', but obviously there was more to the band than just the one song. They released three albums and twelve singles, but only three singles ever made the UK singles chart. 

One of them was 'The love parade', released in early 1986 as a track from their self-titled debut album. It reached number 68 in the UK singles chart but fared a bit better in Belgium where it peaked at number 30. In the American Adult Contemporary chart it even reached number 13. 

'The love parade' is the only song on the Dream Academy's eponymous album not to be produced by David Gilmour. Instead, the band recruited Alan Tarney to work with them on the track. Tarney was brought in at the suggestion of Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis to work on the song. "What happened was, we had a pretty good demo for 'Love Parade' and we loved it, and when we made the record with David, somehow we never got 'round to it". Lead vocalist Nick Laird-Clowes noted that Tarney brought some "real special techniques" to the table: he tracked the vocals "12 or 15 times" during certain portions of the song. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7144
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'The love parade' / 'Girl in a million (for Edie Sedgwick)'

Shaggy raggy - Jona Lewie

Released in 1981, 'Shaggy raggy' was one of Jona Lewie's lesser known singles. It never charted and in fact I have never seen this single before - even though I have scoured a lot of record shops and record fairs in my lifetime.

The single came after two of his more successful attempts: the 1980 Christmas hit 'Stop the cavalry' and 'Louise (We get it right)', which didn't chart in the UK but did reach number 2 in Australia. The B-side of this single is an interesting take on the same track; putting the two together could have made an interesting 12" single.

My collection: 7" single 7142
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Shaggy raggy' / 'Shaggy raggied'

Modern girl - Sheena Easton

It's quite funny to collect singles by Sheena Easton: usually they're not very expensive and they always pop up at record fairs, second hand shops and the like. Through the years I've bought quite a few of her singles and I never had to spend much money on them. 

And this is also how I got my hands on this single of 'Modern girl'. Dirt cheap, and as a bonus it isn't quite complete. At least, while the sleeve is Dutch, the record comes from the UK. Something tells me this single wasn't sold that way, but I'll take it nonetheless. There's no sense in spending more after all.

My collection: 7" single no. 7141
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 March 2024
Tracks: 'Modern girl' / 'Paradox'

I'll come back - Dora

Another Spanish promotional single went into my collection, and it's an interesting one for sure. It's got only one playable side and it features the English version of 'Voltarei', titled 'I'll come back'.

'Voltarei', of course, was released in 1988 when Dora represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest. Quite why the Spanish decided to choose the English version instead of the Portuguese one is a mystery to me, especially because this promotional single is housed in the original sleeve - meaning that 'Voltarei' is announced at the front and 'I'll come back' at the back. Curiosities like this make me very happy.

My collection: 7" single no. 7140
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'I'll come back'

Love is stronger than death - The The

Why would I buy another copy of 'Love is stronger than death' by The The? After all, I already owned that single. I bought it in August 2021, and I still remember doing so.

True, but this is a special one. It's a Spanish promotional 7" single with only one playable side! I love promotional singles like that - and besides, it wsa part of a bigger order from a Spanish seller. Just one track then, and no picture sleeve. But it is in its original record company sleeve, and so it's still worth owning. A little curiosity to make me happy.

My collection: 7" single no.
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Love is stronger than death'

La, la, la - Filippo Carletti Quinteto

When Spain won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968 with  'La, la, la' by Massiel, other acts were quick to jump on the bandwagon. One of those acts was the Filippo Carletti Quinteto, consisting of Francesco Costa (bass, vocals) Erasmo Palmieri (vibraphone, organ, vocals) Carlo Piazza (guitar, vocals) and Joaquín Liebanas (drums) and of course the titular Filippo Carletti. 

What's interesting, is that this single also contains a Spanish version of 'Nous vivrons d'amour', the entry from Luxembourg that year. Quite why they chose that song instead of one of the other songs that competed that year I don't know. But it certainly adds to the attractiveness of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7137
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'La, la, la' / 'Nuestro amor'

Questions in a world of blue - Julee Cruise

Anyone who has ever seen Twin Peaks and the movie Twin Peaks: Fire walk with me will probably remember Julee Cruise, the singer who performed the theme song 'Falling'. As pretty as that song was, it can't even stand in the shadow of this moving epic 'Questions in a world of blue'. 

Theme song of the movie Fire walk with me, it underlines the sad fate of its main character Laura Palmer as she descends into a spiral of selfdestruction (or was she destructed by others? Was she destructed at all? We'll probably never know.) This promotional 7" single was released in Spain, and it remains the only physical single release.

My collection: 7" single no. 7136
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Questions in a world of blue' / 'Questions in a world of blue'

Boys and girls - Mandy Smith

It's an amazing coincidence that I should buy two singles named 'Boys and girls' from the same (online) dealer, but here it is: after 'Boys and girls' by the Human League I found this one by Mandy Smith. 

The level of success that Human League achieved during the Eighties could not be replicated by Mandy, however. This single was the third one taken from her debut, and only, album 'Mandy', and it failed to chart. That in itself was quite amazing since the single was produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman who at the same time had a lot of success with acts like Mel & Kim, Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue and countless others. Mandy was probably just unlucky. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Boys and girls' / 'He's my boy'

Boys and girls - Human League

The Human League started out in 1977 as a group consisting of Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, Philip Oakey and Adrian Wright. When Ware and Craig Marsh left the group in 1980 (subsequently forming B.E.F. and Heaven 17) the other two were left with the obligation to fulfill a tour and more releases. Recruiting the girls Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall they soldiered on, and 'Boys and girls' became their first single release in early 1981.

Amazingly, 'Girls and boys' went on to become the band's biggest hit since their debut 'Being Boiled', peaking at number 48, which in itself was a lowly chart placing, but it did offer the group some hope that things would turn around in their favour. Indeed it did: subsequent singles became bigger hits and between 1981 and 1983 they scored five top 10 hits, including one charttopper.

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Boys and girls' / 'Tom Baker'

Absolutely fabulous - Pet Shop Boys

Although I have been quite successful in collecting Pet Shop Boys singles (with only a few titles missing), somehow I missed this one. It's not that surprising, because I felt that 'Absolutely fabulous' wasn't the duo's finest moment back in 1994. I did buy the CD-single a few years later, but the 7" single escaped my attention completely. Until recently, that is. I was going through my Pet Shop Boys singles (I take out some acts' singles from time to time) and noticed that this one was missing. In the age of Discogs it's not that hard to rectify such omissions, and so a few weeks later it landed in my mailbox.

'Absolutely fabulous' was, of course, a successful TV series based on the French and Saunders sketch, 'Modern Mother and Daughter', created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saunders, who also starred as one of the main characters with Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha. The B-side of this single contains an 8 minute remix, but unfortunately it is a bit, er, dull and soulless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7132
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 February 2024
Tracks: 'Absolutely fabulous' / 'Absolutely fabulous (Dull Soulless Dance Music Mix)'

Tom Pillibi - Les petits chanteurs a la croix de bois

Les petits chanteurs a la croix de bois ('The little singers with the wooden cross') are a Christian boys choir. It was founded in 1907 and the choir is still active at present. Through the years the choir recorded a few dozen albums and more than a few singles.

This particular single is a bit of a rarity, because of its connection to the Eurovision Song Contest. The choir performs a version of 'Tom Pillibi'. As far as I could find out, the choir didn't record any other Eurovision-related songs. Another interesting addition is a version of 'La mer', performed with its original performer Charles Trenet.

My collection: 7" single no. 7127
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi', 'L'enfant au tambour' / 'La mer'

La, la, la - Los Stop

After the EP 'Festival Eurovision 1967', Los Stop were back the next year with an EP featuring a Eurovision song. This time, they recorded a cover version of the winning song 'La, la, la' - coincidentally a Spanish entry. The other three tracks have no connection to the Contest.

Los Stop continued to release singles and EP's until 1975. 'La, la, la' remained the last Eurovision-related song they released.

My collection: 7" single no. 7125
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'La, la, la', 'La grua' / 'Yo te dare', 'Toledo'

Tom Pillibi - Terry van Ginderen

Esther Van Ginderen-Verbeeck (8 September 1931 – 30 January 2018), also known as Tante Terry (Aunt Terry), was a Belgian Flemish-speaking television presenter and businesswoman. She was best known as a host of children's TV shows, often alongside Bob Davidse, better known as Nonkel Bob (Uncle Bob).  Their best known show was 'Kom toch eens kijken'. 

Besides television Terry van Ginderen also recorded a handful of singles. In 1960 she recorded a Flemish version of 'Tom Pillibi', the song that had won that year's Eurovision Song Contest. The lyrics weren't translated literally but the content of the song stays virtually the same.

My collection: 7" single no. 7126
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi' / ''t Staat in the sterren'

On and on and on - Cashmere

Sometimes I buy singles out of curiosity. That can be a good thing at times, but sometimes it's not such a good thing. 

I guess it takes guts to cover an Abba song, even back in 1980, when the Swedish band wasn't as revered as it is now. Abba released 'On and on and on' on 12" single only, and so the Dutch duo Cashmere thought it was a clever idea to release that same song on a 7" single. It could have worked, but unfortunately the vocals are a bit rough and this version ends up being... not very good. And so the single failed to reach the charts.

My collection: 7" single no. 7124
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'On and on and on' / 'Hey you'

This is my night - Chaka Khan

After the phenomenal success of 'I feel for you', which topped the UK singles chart in late 1984, Chaka Khan followed that single up with 'This is my night', a comparatively weaker track. It's still got a funky hook, but other than that nothing spectacular happens. Hence, the single only reached number 14 in the UK singles chart. 

Still, it was the last time Chaka reached the UK top 20 for many years. Only remixes of her old hits, 'I'm every woman' and 'Ain't nobody', would help her back in the UK top 10 in 1989, but after that, she only managed to scrape the lower reaches of the chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7121
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: 'This is my night' / 'Caught in the act'

20/20 - George Benson

'20/20' was the title track of George Benson's 1985 album. The song was released as a single. In the UK, the single reached number 29 in the singles chart, but in the Netherlands the single did not chart at all.

I still remember the song from the many times that I watched Sky Channel and Music Box, the two premier satellite channels that used to play music videos for most of the day. Somehow the song crept back into my mind recently, and so I thought it would be nice to own the single after all these years. The B-side is a jazzy instrumental.

My collection: 7" single no. 7120
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 February 2024
Tracks: '20/20' / 'Shark bite'

Refrains - Cora Vaucaire

Cora Vaucaire was a French chanson singer, born 22 July 1918 in Marseille (France) and died 17 September 2011 in Paris (France). She recorded over a dozen singles and a handful of studio albums. She was known for singing songs from the middle ages, but this single is a bit different.

It features a cover version of the very first winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest, 'Refrain' by Lys Assia. I was particularly impressed, upon receiving this single, that it is absolutely flawless: the sleeve is in mint condition, the disc is flawless as well. That's pretty astonishing for a single from 1957. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7119
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 February 2024
Tracks: 'Refrains' / 'Gregory'

Piano piano - Mariella Farré & Pino Gasparini

Switzerland won the very first Eurovision Song Contest, but after that... nothing. For decades they tried and tried, but nothing ever became as successful. When you listen to some of those entries, you understand why: it regularly borders on the inane.

This entry from 1985 is a good example. 'Piano piano' is a good show tune, but couldn't compete with some of the other songs in that year's edition (although it still amazes me that the boring 'La det swinge' won that year). The song was performed by Mariella Farré and Pino Gasparini. Gasparini was previously on the Eurovision stage with the Pepe Lienhard Band in 1977, and Farré in 1983 with 'Io così non-ci sto'. This new attempt was rewarded with a mediocre 12th place. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7118
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 January 2024
Tracks: 'Piano piano' / 'Donna'

Macedomienne - Philippe Lafontaine

Philippe Lafontaine (born 24 May 1955) spent a short time in a Jesuit college that he left at 17 to pursue a career in music.His first successes came from the writing and recording of jingles for television commercials, including Stella Artois and Coca-Cola. The song 'Cœur de loup' was his first big hit and launched his career. 

In 1990 he represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb with his own composition 'Macédomienne', dedicated to his Macedonian wife, ending in 12th place. Although a limited edition of singles was pressed - featuring only one track; the B-side remained empty - Lafontaine famously smashed the matrix of the disc, proclaiming that he didn't want the song to be commercialized. And so, this 7" single of 'Macedomienne' became a true collectors item, since only these promotional singles were ever made. Obviously these singles now command extremely high prices, but I still managed to buy a copy. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7117
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 January 2024
Tracks: 'Macedomienne'

Heroes (live) - David Bowie

'Heroes' is undoubtedly one of the highlights of David Bowie's genre, perhaps bridging the gap between lovers of 'Seventies Bowie' and 'Eighties Bowie'. This particular single seems to be an unofficial released by Reel to Reel Records, featuring two different live versions of the track.

The first recording was made live at Montreal Forum on 13 July 1983, the second was recorded live at the Tokyo Dome, 16 May 1990. The two don't sound very different really, but it's a nice item for fans nonetheless. The added attraction of it being a picture disc drew me in - after all, there have been quite a few picture disc releases of Bowie during the last decade.

My collection: 7" single no. 7116
Found: Sounds, Delft, 27 January 2024
Tracks: 'Heroes (live at Montreal Forum, Montreal, Canada, 13th July 1983)' / 'Heroes (live at Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan, 16 May 1990)'

Every breath you take - The Police

Record Store Day has been vilified on this blog a few times before, just like it should be. Singles one could buy for a few quid in the Eighties are sold for extortionate prices four decades later. Certainly the popularity of vinyl has grown since the turn of the century, but record companies are all too eager to earn money from vinyl discs, even going as far as declaring the CD dead, while that is still the format on which the most units are sold (but since CD's are much cheaper, record companies make more money from vinyl, get it?) 

Anyway, on last year's Record Store Day this double single of 'Every breath you take' was sold, featuring a second disc with the previously unreleased track 'Every bomb you make'. That track was recorded for Spitting Image in 1985 with new vocals by Sting. The instrumental version of 'Every breath you take' is an added bonus.

My collection: 7" single no. 7115
Found: Sounds, Delft, 27 January 2024
Tracks: 'Every breath you take' / 'Murder by numbers' // 'Every bomb you make' / 'Every breath you take (instrumental)'

Melodie einer Nacht (T'en vas pas) - Esther Ofarim

With 'T'en vas pas' Esther Ofarim represented Switerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963. I bought the single in January 2020, just before the whole Covid thing had its way with the world. 

I didn't know at the time that Ofarim also recorded her song in German. I was happy to find a copy of 'Melodie einer Nacht' along with a few Eurovision CD-singles in the Discogs account of one of my oldest and best known dealers. Here's to good old Bea Records!

My collection: 7" single no. 7114
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 January 2024
Tracks: 'Melodie einer Nacht (T'en vas pas)' / 'Komm doch zu mir'

Populaire Hoogtepunten Op-De-Plaat Van 1960 - Concertgebouworkest o.l.v. Dolf van der Linden

The esteemed orchestra of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw recorded many things, mainly classical music, but in 1960 they filled two EP's that were sold during a record promotion week in the Netherlands. One EP was devoted to classical music (of course), the other to a more popular genre. This is the latter.

The orchestra plays a medley (well, two, actually) of popular songs, of which Domenico Modugno's 'Piove' is one, and Jacqueline Boyer's 'Tom Pillbi' is another. It's very interesting to hear a more classical rendition of these two Eurovision songs. It's a good deal, too: if you bought this for 1 guilder (approx. 45 eurocents these days, but more like 5 eurocents if you take inflation into account) you got this EP with almost 15 minutes of music!

My collection: 7" single no. 7113
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Sleighride in Alaska, Tom Pillibi, Piove, Marina, Kriminal Tango, Una Marcia in Fa' / 'Kleine Lucienne, Morgen, Elisabethan Serenade, Mack the Knife, Petite Fleur, Milord'

Accordeon Potpourri no. 41 - The 3 Jacksons

In December 2021 I bought two singles by the 3 Jacksons; one because of their version of 'Abergavenny', and one because of their version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu'.This month I added one more single by this accordeon-crazy group, because of their inclusion of no less than two Eurovision songs in the 41st potpourri. 

'Piove' opens the proceedings, and it is followed by 'Sing little birdie'. Both songs were performed in the 1959 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. I wouldn't say that I am exactly a fan of music on accordeons, but this single is a nice curiosity nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7112
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Piove, Sing Little Birdie, Una Marcia in Fa' / 'Tom Dooley, Mandolins in the moonlight, Li per li'

Which way you goin' Billy? - The Poppy Family

Seventeen-year-old Susan Pesklevits met Terry Jacks in the mid-1960s when he appeared as a guest on the national teen TV show Music Hop where she was a regular performer. She later called Jacks to accompany her on rhythm guitar for one of her live appearances. Eventually, although she continued to do solo shows on television, with the addition of Craig McCaw on lead guitar, Susan decided that all her live performances would be as part of her newly formed trio. Susan and Terry married in 1967 and Susan Pesklevits became Susan Jacks. Craig McCaw later introduced Satwant Singh on tabla drums from India and the Poppy Family's unique sound was complete. 

'Which way you goin' Billy?' was their first big hit. Although they'd released two singles before that, those two only reached the lower part of the Canadian singles chart, but this single became a charttopper. It also reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 in the UK singles chart. The B-side, 'Endless sleep', had been a hit for Marty Wilde in 1958.

My collection: 7" single no. 7111
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Which way you goin' Billy?' / 'Endless sleep'

Tom Pillibi - Les Scarlet

Back in 1960, Jacqueline Boyer won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tom Pillibi'.You wouldn't think so these days - Loreen's 'Tattoo' came and went and no other artist even tried to cover the song - but back then artists were scrambling all over the place to record their own versions of songs that won the Contest.

Les Scarlet was a French girl group that was quick to try their hand at the song, using the services of an orchestra directed by James Award. It isn't necessarily a very original take on the song - with the exception of the intro that starts with a nice harmony from the girls.

My collection: 7" single no. 7110
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi' / 'Rossel Cadet'

Little lies / Songbird - The Corrs

I didn't have any 7" singles of the Corrs yet, although I do have all their CD's and a lot of their CD-singles. The Irish band of the four siblings named Corr was very successful just after the turn of the century, before going on hiatus in 2006. When they returned as a band in 2015 with the albums 'White light' (2015) and 'Jupiter calling' (2017), their success was not quite as big, and for some reason they recently only play live in Australia and surrounding countries. 

But there was one new release recently: this double A single of Fleetwood Mac covers, as a tribute to Christine McVie who passed away on 30 November 2022. The single did not chart, but it's a nice one nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7108
Found: Dig! webstore, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Little lies' / 'Songbird'

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl

Shane MacGowan, the illustrious frontman of the Pogues, passed away last year after an eventful drug- and drink-filled life. Whatever you might think of him, he certainly wasn't a boring character. On 30 November 2023, after receiving last rites, MacGowan died from pneumonia at his home in Dublin with his wife by his side; he was 65.

Warner Records thought it was a fitting idea to rush-release this vinyl single with the man's most famous performance, on the Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York'. It would of course have been great if this song was the UK's Christmas number 1 of 2023, but that honour went to another dead man: George Michael of Wham! Still, this single is a great item because it features an instrumental version of that famous Christmas tune. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7109
Found: Dig website, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Fairytale of New York' / 'Fairytale of New York (instrumental)'

 

Mile after mile - Jahn Teigen

Although Jahn Teigen wasn't exactly successful with his 'Mil etter mil' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978, he did record the song in English. It was surprisingly difficult to get this single for a reasonable price, even online. In the end, I wound up buying this copy together with three rarer Norwegian singles from a Norwegian seller late last year.

Jahn even recorded the B-side 'Claudius' in English. This copy was made in Norway; the single was also released in Germany with a different sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 7107
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Mile after mile' / 'Claudius'

Småting - Grethe og Benny

'Småting' is a Norwegian pop song that won the Melodi Grand Prix 1972, and was Norway's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest the same year. The melody and lyrics were written by Kåre Grøttum and Ivar Børsum, and the song was performed by Grethe Kausland (3 July 1947 - 16 November 2007) and Benny Borg (born 13 November 1945 in Gothenburg). The song is a ballad, where the duo compares the great successes of human life ("inheriting a castle, landing on the moon") with small things, such as watching the sunset, which they sing are higher experiences.

In the international final, the song received 73 points, placing it 14th out of 18 contestants. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7106
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Småting' / 'Har du noengang'

Kom sol, kom regn - Inger Jacobsen

'Kom sol, kom regn' is a Norwegian ballad that won the Melodi Grand Prix 1962, and was Norway's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest the same year. The song was sung by Laila Dalseth in the Norwegian final, and by Inger Jacobsen in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was composed by Kjell Karlsen, with text by Ivar Andersen.  

In the song, Jacobsen sings about her feelings for her lover and says that "come sun, come rain" she will always be happy when she is with him. In the international final, the Norwegian entry received 2 points and came in joint tenth place among 16 participants. This was Norway's worst position in the competition until then. Inger Jacobsen was born in Christiania on 13 October 1923 and passed away on 21 July 1996 in Oslo.

My collection: 7" single no. 7105
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Kom sol, kom regn' / 'Nå har jeg gjort hva som gjøres kan'

Stress - Odd Børre

The new year started with the receipt of an order I placed with a Norwegian seller. Four rare singles finally came to me after a delay of about a week (thanks, Dutch mail!). The first of the four was Odd Børre's 1968 Eurovision entry 'Stress', a song so fast that it actually could cause stress. The song starts with the lines "Must must must must must hurry up / Go go go go go go so I can / Now now now now last bus home / Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha that's right / Good good good good good don't forget to / Take, take, take, take sleeping pills / Small doses are good, need to relax a bit / Turn on your radio, you're asleep". In Norwegian, of course!

Odd Børre Sørensen (born on 9 August 1939) was a Norwegian pop singer. He retired from full-time professional singing in 1970 and became an insurance company agent (although he did perform in the Norwegian national finals in 1971 and 1977 and was one of the judges in the 1978 final). After retiring in the early 2000s, Odd Børre teamed up again with Kjell Karlsen and performed with him.  Børre died on 28 January 2023, at the age of 83.

My collection: 7" single no. 7104
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Stress' / 'Jeg har aldri vært så glad i noen som deg'

Penthouse and pavement (The Tommy D remix) - Heaven 17

In 1993, Heaven 17 released a series of singles featuring remixes of their Eighties hits. 'Temptation (Brothers in Rhythm remix)' and '(We don't need this) Fascist groove thang (Rapino Brothers remixes)' were quite accomplished, but I feel that 'Penthouse and pavement (The Tommy D remix)' doesn't quite hit the spot. 

I bought this single to complete the set, but upon playing the A-side I was left wondering what, exactly, Tommy D had added to the original version. It looks like more people were left with the same question, as this single didn't do as well as the other two: it peaked at number 54 in the UK singles chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7103
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'Penthouse and pavement (Tommy D's master edit)' / 'Penthouse and pavement (original version)'

There's the girl - Heart

After the success of 'Alone' and 'Who will you run to', Heart released a third single from their 1987 album 'Bad Animals': 'There's the girl'. It wasn't quite as successful as the two previous singles, but still peaked at number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it also rose to number 34 in the UK singles chart. The single version was remixed when compared to the original album version.

The B-side of the single features the title track of the album, 'Bad animals', which is also a strong track. Personally I feel the band were at their peak in 1987, but I recently read an article in which Ann and Nancy Wilson expressed some regret about this period, feeling they were being used as puppets by the record company. Still, the earnings must have made up for something, as they never equalled the success of 'Bad Animals' again.

My collection: 7" single no. 7102
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'There's the girl' / 'Bad animals'