Pressure - Billy Joel

Billy Joel is best known for his soppy ballads ('Honesty', 'Piano man', 'Leningrad') and his emotional anti-war statements ('Goodnight Saigon'). His work has not always been met with favourable criticism. I for one can't stand his 'Uptown girl' and 'River of dreams'. But 'Pressure' is the one song that defines Billy Joel's best work: well written, melodic and aggressive.

Throughout the eighties it was one of my favourite songs, one that I liked more than 'Goodnight Saigon' even. I bought my copy of the single in 1993, during a record fair in the Houtrusthallen in Den Haag. Those have since been torn down - a great loss.

My collection: 7" single no. 1985

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, October 17, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Pressure' / 'Laura'

Download: Album 'The Nylon Curtain', including both tracks

My love won't let you down - Nathalie

Nathalie was a Belgian girl who had the amazing luck to work with Peter Godwin, a guy who made some great records in his own right in the early eighties. (More about him later on this blog.) 'My love won't let you down' was the english language version of Nathalie's single 'Mon coeur qui craque', which apparently did well in French speaking countries.

I heard the song in 1983 when it roamed the Dutch charts, and it stuck in my mind as a nice pop song. I finally bought a copy of the single pictured here above in 1994. But that wasn't all: shortly before that I'd gotten my hands on the 12" single, with its striking image of the singer on the cover. Fortunately it wasn't just the cover that made an impression.

I really like the things Peter Godwin produced, and am - again - amazed that he didn't achieve a higher level of success. Whatever happened to Nathalie? As far as I know, she didn't release anything but this single. But I could be wrong of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 2132; 7" single no. 3280; 12" single no. 148

Found: Record Palace, Amsterdam, July 30, 1994; unknown, February 9, 2001; Record Palace, Amsterdam, 199X

Cost: 2 guilders; 2 guilders; 2,5 guilders

Tracks:

7": 'My love won't let you down' / 'My love won't let you down (instrumental)'

12": 'My love won't let you down [extended]' / 'My love won't let you down (instrumental)'

Download: here

Oude Maasweg - Amazing Stroopwafels

A week ago I saw a live performance of the Amazing Stroopwafels. The first song they performed was also their most famous one: 'Oude Maasweg'. It's not a habit on this blog to write about songs in the Dutch language, but for this one I'll gladly make an exception. And it's bilingual anyway: one verse is in Dutch, the other verse is in English. It's worth a listen now that you get a chance.

By their own admission, they have performed live hundreds of times and released dozens of singles, but it never led to huge amounts of success. 'Oude Maasweg' narrowly missed the Dutch Top 40 in January 1982. However, it has become one of the nation's best loved classics.

My collection: 7" single no. 916

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Oude Maasweg' / 'Kolen uit Polen'

Download: here

Sure know something - Kiss

The records don't show it and my memory can't recall where, but I know I got Kiss's second single from their 'Dynasty' album pretty quickly after I got I was made for lovin' you. 'Sure know something' got to number 3 in the Dutch charts in the autumn of 1979. Amazingly, it didn't reach the UK charts at all, and in France it was released as the B-side to 'Dirty Livin''. It's this French edition that's part of my record collection now. I might have bought it in Paris, because we were on holiday in that city that year. But as I said, there's no way of knowing...

My collection: 7" single no. 29

Found: ?

Cost: ?

Tracks: 'Dirty livin'' / 'Sure know something'

Download: Album 'Dynasty', including both tracks

Mammoth - Kayak

The Dutch rock band Kayak is not so well known outside of the Netherlands, but when you hear a track like this, you have to wonder why. Incorporating a street organ into a rock song is something that doesn't happen too often - and it sounds so well in this track, 'Mammoth'. It was the second song by Kayak to reach the Dutch Top 40, way back in 1973.

When I bought my copy of the single, I'd recently heard it again after a long time. I knew I had to have it and I seized the opportunity when it came up.

My collection: 7" single no. 1391

Found: All that music, Leiden, February 22, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Mammoth' / 'Ballet of the cripple'

Download: Album 'See see the sun', including both tracks

Child come away - Kim Wilde

The fourth Kim Wilde single I bought was Kim's sixth. By then, I thought all I was missing still was Kim's single 'Cambodia', but I hadn't been able to find that one. Otherwise, I was satisfied. I bought 'Child come away' pretty soon after it had been released. I loved the colourful cover, although I remember I thought her hair was a bit too big.

'Child come away' was a new track, not included on Kim's second album 'Select'. The B-side, 'Just another guy' was new as well. For the longest time I didn't know it, but the twelve inch version of this single is quite a rarity, because it was not a chart success and so a very limited quantity of it was pressed.

My collection: 7" single no. 163

Found: Studio Echo, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Child come away' / 'Just another guy'

Download: here

Versailles - White Soxx

White Soxx was a project by French musicians Frederic Mercier and David Fairstein. As far as I know, the single 'Versailles' was the only thing they released. It was recorded in 1980 for MCA Records, and barely missed the Dutch Top 40 in August 1981. Since 2002, the song appears in the Top 2000 chart of all times, which is compiled by listeners of Dutch Radio 2 at the end of each year.

According to the sleeve of the single, 'Versailles' is a musical interpretation of 'strange events in the grounds of Versailles Palace at the turn of the century'. What these events were, remains as mysterious as the group that made this single...

My collection: 7" single no. 159

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Versailles (edited version)' / 'Versailles (full length version)'

Download: edited version / full length version

Nature's way - Harmony Ambulance

When bands fall apart, separate members often go on to do other things. Sometimes solo, sometimes in other bands. In the case of All About Eve, singer Julianne Regan got together with Gilbert Gabriel to form Harmony Ambulance. They released one single on the Rough Trade label in April 1993. And then - poof - the duo ceased to exist. (Of course, Julianne would go on to form Mice and then reform with All About Eve - but that's a different story.)

As always, it was next to impossible to find this single in the Netherlands. During a holiday in London in 1994, I went to the Rough Trade shop, hoping to find it. But unfortunately, they didn't. They did, however, offer to send it via mail order. I paid upfront in the shop, and a few weeks later there it was. Two great tracks. It's a mystery why they were never released since.

My collection: 7" single no. 2207

Found: Rough Trade shop, London & mail order, 1994

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Nature's way' / 'All this and heaven'

Download: here

Young girl - Sue Saad and the Next

In 1980 there were some female fronted bands around. Blondie, obviously, started the trends, but later bands like the Pretenders would take their example and build on it. A short-lived band like Sue Saad and the Next was another example. They released one album in 1980. Their first single from that album was 'Young girl'. It reached the Dutch chart in April 1980 and stayed in there for six week, reaching no. 20.

It was a great example of new wave rock, which impressed me as a young radio listener. I simply had to buy this single, and I did so as soon as I could. I never regretted it. I also remember losing this single: for two years I didn't know where this record had gone. Until one day, the room I had in my parents's house was remodelled and I found it behind a radiator of the central heating. Miraculously enough, it hadn't even bent.

My collection: 7" single no. 46

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Young girl' / 'Cold night rain'

Download: Album 'Sue Saad & the Next', including both tracks

Ma Baker - Boney M

If you've never seen this sleeve before, you're not hallucinating: it's one I made myself. All I've had since the beginning is the 7" record, and when I got a little older I made a sleeve out of white paper and put a few photos, taken from a magazine, on it. Well, it's the music that counts after all.

Boney M was founded by Frank Farian, the German music producer who rose to fame with band who mimed to studio-recorded vocals. In the eighties he would bring together Milli Vanilli, but in the seventies it was all about Boney M. They had a string of hits in Europe with their upbeat disco, sometimes touching on weird subjects like Rasputin, El Lute and, in this case, Ma Baker. It was their second of four number one hits in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 8

Found: unknown

Cost: unknown

Tracks: 'Ma Baker' / 'Still I'm sad'

Download: Album 'Love for sale', including both tracks

Nasty girl - Vanity 6

Thanks to my record collection, I know a thing or two about revisionism. I think I was pretty quick to buy 'Nasty girl' by Vanity 6. It was a chart hit in November 1982, when I was only twelve years old. Pretty strange, when you think about it, that I would buy this saucy song, but on the other hand I was pretty naive and when Vanity sang 'I want seven inches or more' I thought she was talking about records.

When I found out the real meaning I threw the record out of my collection. In the end, it ended up in my brother's record collection. Many years later, in 2002, I came across the single again, and bought it. Despite all of its sexiness (or maybe because of it!) it's a great song.

My collection: 7" single no. 3362

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2002

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Nasty girl' / 'Drive me wild'

Download: 12" single 'Nasty girl', including both tracks (password: DjPaulT)

Tragedy and mystery - China Crisis

Another one of yesterday's finds is this twelve inch record. I've been listening more to China Crisis recently and I started to become curious about their extended remixes. They have never been compiled, and still there are quite a few around. My collection already contains a couple of those twelve inches, but this one I didn't have yet. I was very pleased to see that this version is longer than the single version, because it's such a beautiful song.

'Tragedy & mystery' was released in May 1983 and performed poorly in the charts: where Christian had gone to no. 12 in the UK earlier in the year, this one didn't come any higher than no. 46. There were enough formats around: there was a 7" single, a 7" picture disc and this 12" single, so the record company had done enough to promote the song. I'll never understand why such beautiful songs don't connect to bigger audiences...

My collection: 12" single no. 453

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Tragedy & mystery [extended]' / 'A golden handshake for every daughter'

Download: here

Forever and ever - Slik

Slik were formed as the Glasgow band Salvation in 1970. After several personnel changes they changed their name to Slik in 1974. One of the members of the band was Midge Ure, who would achieve great successes when he joined the band Ultravox in the late Seventies. His first success, however, came when Slik released the single 'Forever and ever'. It was a number one hit in the UK in February 1976. Shortly after that, it made number 2 in the Netherlands.

I bought my copy yesterday at the 30th edition of the international record fair in Utrecht. It's not a single I've been searching for for years, but I wanted to have it nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 3458

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Forever and ever' / 'Again my love'

Download: here

Every inch a lady - Kai Olsson

Okay, I admit it. There is one reason, and one reason only, why I bought this single. I didn't know Kai Olsson, I'd never heard the song, but when I saw this sleeve I simply thought I had to have it. It's a beautiful photograph, slightly arty, and it goes on on the other side of the sleeve. It's sexy but tasteful.

As for the song, well, it turned out to be a very good buy. Kai Olsson had listened to Abba very well, it's got the trademark piano sound, the background vocals, the simple but effective melody... It was a great find. All thanks to the sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 2379
Found: Record Exchange, London, July 1, 1995
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Every inch a lady' / 'Over the rainbow'
Download: here

The winner takes it all - Abba

My sister and I were both Abba fans. We also had a record collection each. As she's older than me, her collection was bigger than mine for a long time. I was always jealous. One holiday I had an opportunity to beat my sister to the punch. On the last day, when she said she had spent all her money, I spotted a new single by Abba. And I still had some money left. If my parents would give me the equivalent of 1 euro, I would actually have this single!

It was my sister who talked me out of it. I might not like this song, I'd never heard it, and how was I to know it would be any good? We were both Abba fans, as I said, but it kindof made sense. And so the single stayed in Vienna. A week later, my sister bought the single at home. And I had to wait for months to get mine after it left the charts for half price... The single was 'The winner takes it all', one of my all time favourite Abba tracks. There's some irony in that.

My collection: 7" single no. 67

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'The winner takes it all' / 'Elaine'

Download: Album 'Super Trouper', including both tracks

I am the beat - The look

When The Look released 'I am the beat', I think my sister bought the single. Hearing it from her repeatedly, I got fascinated by this single. It did something that nowadays couldn't be done on a compact disc: at the end of the A-side the groove kept repeating the last few seconds. The song would only end if you took the needle from the record (which some players did automatically anyway).

I always confused The Look with The Jam. Which means I never really knew who performed this song when I was young. In 1995 I finally bought this single myself.

My collection: 7" single no. 2443

Found: Record fair, August 26, 1995

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'I am the beat' / 'You do these things to me'

Download: here

I owe you nothing - Bros

For a year or two, Bros was the hottest pop band in the UK. Their popularity was indescribable. Young girls were spending fortunes on Bros records and memorabilia. Their music was catchy, lead singer Matt Goss had a voice that resembled Michael Jackson sometimes. 'I owe you nothing' was the most energetic song of their only successful album, 'Push'.

As was customary in those days, the single 'I owe you nothing' was released in a multitude of formats. There were three different sleeves for the 7" single (each featuring a different band member) and there were various 12" singles with different remixes on them. From those, the 'Over 18 mix' was the most interesting. Shep Pettibone, Ric Wake, Nicky Graham, Gary Crowley and Steve Shin collaborated to create a remix of the track that lasted for 18 minutes and 1 second. It's worth a spin - if you have the time. The B-side groove of this 12" looked very interesting, but the sound included, as the title suggested, 'Nothing'.

My collection: 12" single no. 405

Found: Beanos, East Croydon (UK), May 1999

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'I owe you nothing (Over 18 mix)' / 'Nothing'

Download: here

I was made for lovin' you - Kiss

When I was asked what presents I wanted to have for my ninth birthday, I immediately replied that I would like some chart singles. They were too expensive for me to buy on my weekly allowance, but there were always titles that I desired. My wish was granted, and so I got Kiss for my birthday.

'I was made for lovin' you' was the nation's number one single at that time, and I was very proud that I had it. As a child you could believe that your purchase - even if someone else bought it for you - really mattered. The fact that the pressing came from France made my happiness even greater. Not that I understood the significance of different pressings, but France seemed like an exotic, far away country. The single itself, of course, is a classic.

My collection: 7" single no. 28
Found: Birthday present, August 31, 1979
Cost: nothing!
Tracks: 'I was made for lovin' you' / 'Hard times'
Download: Album 'Dynasty', including both tracks

Change of heart - Cyndi Lauper

I dare say that this is one of the best 12" singles in my collection. Cyndi Lauper's 'Change of heart' is a very energetic, bouncy song, and the remixes of the track on this record are adding to that vibe.

When I bought this record, I was scouring a row of 12" singles in a temporary shop in a building that was about to be knocked down in the centre of Den Haag. For some reason they stocked loads of English 12" singles and they were all made available for ridiculously low prices. The sleeve of this record was a big plus towards buying it, proving that good photography is essential if you want to sell records.

My collection: 12" single no. 76

Found: Haags Modehuis temporary store, Den Haag, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Change of heart (extended version)', 'Heart beats' / 'Change of heart (instrumental remix)', 'What a thrill'

Download: American 12" including the three remixes and What a thrill

Echo beach - Toyah

'Echo beach' was originally recorded by the Canadian band Martha & the Muffins in 1980. I liked that song a lot, and so it's no surprise that I would also be interested in cover versions. Toyah's version of the song was released in 1987, but I didn't find out about it until more than a decade later. That's when I found this 12" single.

It was an interesting find, because even though I like the song and Toyah's delivery of it isn't bad, it doesn't have quite the same magnetic quality the original had. The 'Surf mix' of the track is longer but doesn't add much to the song either. I would have to say that I haven't quite made up my mind on this one. But judge for yourself...

My collection: 12" single no. 387

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 1999

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Echo Beach (Surf mix)' / 'Echo Beach (7" mix)', 'Plenty'

Download: here