Ahava hi shir lishnayim - Ilanit

Back in 1977 Ilanit represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time. She'd been the country's first representative in 1973 but she was invited back when the entries of the years after that didn't deliver the goods. While Ilanit had reached fourth place, Poogy only managed seventh place, Shlomo Artzi only got to place 11 and while Chocolate Menta Mastik reversed the county's fortunes by landing on sixth place, it wasn't enough for the ambitious Israeli broadcaster.

And so, Ilanit came back with the song 'Ahava hi shir lishnayim' ('Love is a song for two'), not exactly the most accessible title but a melodious song nonetheless. Ilanit also recorded the song in French as 'Ensemble' and in German as 'Ein Lied ist wie ein Vogel'. The song ended up in a slightly disappointed 11th place. In 1978 Israel would go for gold with Izhar Cohen.

My collection: 7" single no. 7161
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Ahava hi shir lishnayim' / 'Hene halaila'

Das war eine schöne Party - France Gall

In September 2021 I wrote: "France Gall only recorded a French and Japanese version of ['Poupée de cire, poupée de son'], as far as I know", but how wrong I was. She also recorded the song in Italian and German. It's the German version that landed in my collection last week.

It was released, obviously, in Germany, but confusingly, the sleeve was very similar to the German sleeve of the original version. Fortunately the title of the song is printed prominently next to the photograph, otherwise buyer would never have known the difference. Listening to this version, it's quite impressive how France Gall managed to pronounce German in this song.

My collection: 7" single no. 7152
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Das was eine schöne Party' / 'Meine erste grosse Liebe'

Pump pump - Fredi ja Ystävät

Having bought 'Pump pump' and 'Schon wieder macht mein Herz bump bump', obviously I was curious whether I could get hold of the original Finnish version of Fredi & Ystävät's legendary Eurovision entry from 1976. 

Lo and behold, I actually found the single - albeit without its picture sleeve - during last week's record fair. The funny and catchy song was released in three languages, which means that I now have all versions.

My collection: 7" single no. 7151
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Pump pump' / 'Kun ita hämärtyy'

Twee kleine Italianen - Conny

Conny Froboess represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with 'Zwei kleine Italiener', a song that went on to become a bit of a classic. Such was its popularity, that Conny recorded the song in three other languages besides German: English, Italian and Dutch!

The Dutch version can be quite hard to get hold of - several copies online are being sold without its picture sleeve. So I felt rather lucky when I found a good copy at last week's record fair. 'Twee kleine Italianen' roughly follows the lyrics of the original song  Even the B-side was recorded in Dutch.

My collection: 7" single no. 7150
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Twee kleine Italianen' / 'Hallo, hallo, hallo'

Ein kleiner gold'ner Ring / Einmal sehen wir uns wieder - Lale Andersen

Lale Andersen (23 March 1905 – 29 August 1972) was a German chanson singer-songwriter, born in Lehe (now part of Bremerhaven). She is best known for her interpretation of the song 'Lili Marleen' in 1939, which by 1941 transcended the conflict to become World War II's biggest international hit. Popular with both the Axis and the Allies, Andersen's original recording spawned versions, by the end of the War, in most of the major languages of Europe, and by some of the most popular artists in their respective countries.

 In 1961, she participated as the West German representative in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Einmal sehen wir uns wieder', which only reached 13th place with three points. Fifty-six years old at the time, she held the record of the eldest participant at Eurovision for over 45 years – surpassed only in 2008 by the 75-year-old Croatian entertainer 75 Cents. Her Eurovision song was, oddly, only released on the B-side of a single, this 'Ein kleiner gold'ner Ring'. Finding a copy was hard... but I finally did it!

My collection: 7" single no. 7149
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Ein kleiner gold'ner Ring' / 'Einmal sehen wir uns wieder'

Un premier amour - Jean-Paul Mauric

'Un premier amour' was the winning song of the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest. It was performed by Isabelle Aubret, but as per usual back then, other artists were quick to cash in on that success. One of them was Jean-Paul Mauric, who represented France a year ealier with 'Printemps (Avril carillone)', a song that was met with rather less enthusiasm. 

This EP presents four songs by the singer, displaying a wide range of musical styles. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7145
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Twist avec maman', 'Un premier amour' / 'Qu'est ce que c'est', 'Un printemps'

Angel - David Gates

Ex-Bread singer David Gates thought he would make it on his own and released a few albums on his own, before reuniting with his old band. His second solo album was 'Never let her go', from which this single, 'Angel' was taken. I was curious enough to want to take this single home.

I was quite surprised when I found that this single was listed for sale on Discogs by three people, with prices starting at €50. However, I also learned that the single has never sold on there, so I guess these people are just very optimistic. Anyway: it's a German promotional disc, which I guess does count for something. Maybe not €50 though.

My collection: 7" single no. 7143
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Angel' / 'Never let her go'

It's great fun - Hearts of Soul

The Hearts of Soul represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 with 'Waterman', and continued to release singles in the years after that. 'It's great fun' was actually their last single, before they moved to Antwerp and formed Dream Express after that. 

This promotional German single features a special promo sleeve (quite usual for German promotional singles around that time) with a short blurb about the trio. 'It's great fun' didn't chart, although it did make an appearance in the Dutch 'Tipparade', the top 30 of candidate Top 40 singles, where it peaked at number 5.

My collection: 7" single no. 7142
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'It's great fun' / 'Dream'

Do or die - Grace Jones

'Do or die' was the first and in most parts of the world the only single release from Jones' Fame, her second disco album. On Fame it made up the first part of the A-side non-stop medley 'Do or die /Pride / Fame'. The 7" single featured a heavily edited version (3:22) with the French-language non-album track 'Comme un oiseau qui s'envole' as the B-side, included as a bonus track on the Canadian edition of the Fame album. 

'Do or die' reached number 13 in the Spanish chart but only reached dance charts in the USA and Canada. Eartha Kitt recorded a cover of the song for her 1989 album I'm Still Here. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7141
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Do or die' / 'Comme un oiseau qui s'envole'

Limousine - Hubert Kah

One of my weaknesses is I can't resist coloured vinyl. There was a time in Germany where they released red vinyl singles as limited editions, and I actually have quite a few of those. In the case of this Hubert Kah single, I didn't know the track, but I was vaguely familiar with the work of producer Michael Cretu, who during this time was also producing Sandra and made some excellent singles with her.

So, because this single was pretty cheap, I decided to take it and I didn't regret it. It's a typical mid-Eighties song. It pays to buy a single on a whim from time to time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7140
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Limousine' / 'Drowning'

Native love (Step by step) - Divine

They were called transvestites in those days: men who dressed as women. In the case of Divine, you had a rather voloptuous man, Harris Glenn Milstead, looking like a cross between an overweight housewife and a glamorous pop star. After some success appearing in film productions during the Seventies, Divine first appeared in 1979 at a gay club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where his unscripted act included shouting "fuck you" repeatedly at the audience and then getting into a fight with another drag queen, a gimmick that proved popular with the club's clientele. Subsequently, he saw the commercial potential of including disco songs in with his act.

In 1982, he joined forces with young American composer Bobby Orlando, who wrote a number of Hi-NRG singles for Divine. Among them was this single, 'Native love (Step by step)'. It was his first hit in the Netherlands, reached number 34 in the Dutch Top 40. Subsequent singles 'Shoot your shot' and 'Shake it up' would prove to be even more successful.

My collection: 7" single no. 7139
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Native love (Step by step)' / 'Native love (Step by step) (Remixed version)'

Heart begin to beat - Savage progress

The racial mix within Savage Progress was never fully stressed in the media, but had a definite effect on their music: Glynnis Thomas was born in Zimbabwe to mixed race/African parents, Rik Kenton came from Nottingham, Carol Isaacs was English-Jewish, Ned Morant had Indian parentage, and Andrew Edge was from Leeds, in northern England. 

This mix of differing cultures proved to be advantageous for Savage Progress' music, as Kenton infused their songs with as many cultural influences as possible. 'Heart begin to beat' is an example of their work, sounding slightly weird and certainly not your standard chart fodder. Although the music video was shown regularly on channels like Sky and Music Box in 1984, the single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7138
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Heart begin to beat' / 'Dark town'

Lead me to the water - Gary Brooker

'Lead me to the water' was Gary Brooker's second solo album, released in 1982. The title track was released as a single, but like most of his solo singles, it didn't chart. What's interesting about the sleeve of this single, is that it's very similar to the one of 'The Angler'. 

While Gary Brooker wasn't that successful as a solo artist, he was a much sought after musician, appearing on albums by Alan Parsons Project and Kate Bush. He remains best known, of course, for founding Procol Harum, the band which he reformed in 1991 and toured with during the three decades that followed until his untimely death on 19 February 2022.

My collection: 7" single no. 7137
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Lead me to the water' / 'Badlands'

Walk like an Egyptian - Bangles

Although I already own a copy of 'Walk like an Egyptian' on 7", that one is a re-release and this is the original one. In fact this version was also included in the double pack of 'Walking down your street', complete with the B-side 'Not like you', but who could resist a poster sleeve? I never could.

'Walk like an Egyptian' was actually the third single release from the Bangles' album 'Different light'. It became a number one hit in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United States. In the UK, where this poster sleeve was released, the single only reached number 3, amazingly enough. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7136
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Walk like an Egyptian' / 'Not like you'

White winter hymnal - Fleet foxes

'White winter hymnal' is the first single from Fleet Foxes' debut 2008 self-titled album. Released by European label Bella Union in July 2008, the single was issued on 7" vinyl as well as digital MP3 format. The B-side is the non-album track 'Isles'. 

Former Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde, the head of record label Bella Union, was considering shutting his label down due to financial troubles, but after hearing a demo version of 'White winter hymnal', he was motivated to continue going on and signed Fleet Foxes to the label based on how much he liked the song. The single ended up selling more than 200,000 units and was certified silver. The song was covered by Kim Wilde, together with her dad Marty and her brother Ricky, on her album 'Wilde winter songbook', which is how I got to know this track. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7135
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'White winter hymnal' / 'Isles'

Ah! Quelle histoire (Congratulations) - Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, but the amount of singles that spawned is quite amazing. Thanks, of course, to the fact that he recorded his Eurovision songs in numerous languages. I already had 'Congratulations' on 7", as well as 'Man gratuliert mir', the German version of that song, and of course 'Congratulations' in Spanish.

And then... here's 'Ah! Quelle histoire', the French version of 'Congratulations'. The only version I don't have yet is the Italian one. Something tells me it will be just a matter of time...

My collection: 7" single no. 7134
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Ah! Quelle histoire' / 'Girl you'll be a woman soon'

A cidade (até ser dia) - Anabela

During the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 Portugal was represented by Anabela with the song 'A cidade (até ser dia)', written by Pedro Abrantes, former Eurovision entrant Paulo de Carvalho, and Marco Quelhas. The song was arranged by the song writer's brother Fernando Abrantes, who also performed it at the piano live on stage together with the singer Anabela during the Eurovision final in Ireland. The song ended up in tenth place.

Since 1993 the single has become quite rare. When you search for it online you can get a decent copy for more than 25 euros, which in my book is much too high a price. And so I have to say that going to record fairs really is a good thing if you know where to look. In this case, I ended up with a seller who had some Eurovision singles - not too much - and in between the expected titles by Bucks Fizz, Johnny Logan, Celine Dion and others, there it was: a good copy of 'A cidade (até ser dia)'. I've searched for this one for quite a long time, and finding it during the first hour of my visit to the record fair in Den Bosch was a really good start of the day.

My collection: 7" single no. 7133
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'A cidade (até ser dia)' / 'Nightfall in the city'

Always on my mind - Pet Shop Boys

Back in August 1987, a TV special was broadcast on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. Various artists, including Kim Wilde, Boy George and others, performed Elvis songs with some of Elvis' original musicians. One of the artists performing were the Pet Shop Boys, who did a version of 'Always on my mind'. Their performance was released on this special Japanese 7" single, free with copies of the album 'Actually' in that country. 

Of course, the Pet Shop Boys recorded the track and had a number one hit single with it at the end of the year, but this single features the original version as performed on that TV special, which makes this quite a rare single. I found a copy without the accompanying LP - which is fine, because I don't really 'do' LP's anymore. So guess what? I'm quite pleased with this find.

My collection: 7" single no. 7132
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 13 April 2024
Tracks: 'Always on my mind' / 'Heart (dub)'

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'