Silent night - Sinéad O'Connor

For a while in the nineties, Sinéad O'Connor was as daft as a doorknob. She was always in the news with strange stories and weird incidents. In 1991, she was recording with Peter Gabriel in his Real World Studios. And of course, news reports started coming that she'd fallen in love with him.

Whatever that was all about, it resulted in her performing back vocals on Gabriel's album 'Us', and this single: a rendition of the traditional Christmas song 'Silent night'. The B-side, 'Irish ways and Irish laws', was recorded live in Holland.

My collection: 7" single no. 2166

Found: Record Exchange, London, September 26, 1994

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Silent night' / 'Irish ways and Irish laws'

Download: here

Peace on earth/Little drummer boy - David Bowie & Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby was born on May 2, 1903. He will always be remembered for his rendition of 'White Christmas' (1954). In 1977, he recorded his last television Christmas special in England. Special guests during this occasion were model Twiggy and singer David Bowie. His duet with Bowie generated so much interest that it was released as a single. It become a regular holiday classic.

At the end of the century, the American magazine 'TV Guide' listed the Bowie/Crosby duet as one of the 25 most memorable musical moments of 20th century television. Even if the two seemed a bit awkward together...

My collection: 7" single no. 3044

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 12, 1998

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Peace on earth/Little drummer boy' / 'Fantastic voyage'

Download: Peace on earth/Little drummer boy

Merry Christmas mr. Lawrence - Ryuichi Sakamoto

Not a Christmas song, but the theme from the movie of the same name. Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the soundtrack and this theme was released as a single. It didn't make the charts. However, a vocal version released after this, became a big hit. It was Sakamoto and David Sylvian's 'Forbidden colours'.

Although not a Christmas song, it is still a very beautiful melody which I like to play during this festive season.

My collection: 7" single no. 3111

Found: Big Company records, London, May 13, 1999

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' / 'Sowing the seed'

Download: here

One Christmas catalogue - Captain Sensible

Captain Sensible, formerly a member of the English band The Damned, made a Christmas single that sounded nothing like a traditional Christmas track in 1984. Produced by Tony Mansfield, formerly a member of the synthpop band New Musik, produced 'One Christmas catalogue', a track laden with synths and vocal samples. It wasn't a hit anywhere and the only reason I got to know it was because the local radio station was playing it a lot during Christmas 1984, 1985 and 1986.

The B-side includes a cover of 1984's biggest hit: 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This, too, was produced by Tony Mansfield and sounds very different from the original...

My collection: 7" single no. 2720
Found: August 10, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'One Christmas catalogue' / 'Relax'
Download: here

Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid

The song that embodied the Christmas spirit in the Eighties was Band Aid's 'Do they know it's Christmas?'. The project initiated by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof started when the two met up and worked out this song Bob had written in a rather rudimentary way. They phoned up the musician friends they knew and before you knew it you had a media spectacle of unprecedented size.

I bought the single as soon as it came out, although, strangely, I didn't like the song that much. There were just so many of my eighties idols participated that I felt I couldn't pass up on this historic single. Two decades later, it's somehow reassuring (or troubling) that everything has stayed the same in Africa: it's still a continent of war, hunger and drought.

My collection: 7" single no. 249

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1984

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Do they know it's Christmas?' / 'Feed the world'

Download: 12" single 'Do they know it's Christmas?', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com )

Christmas was a friend of mine - Fay Lovski

Somehow Dutch singer Fay Lovski managed to create a Christmas classic without even having a big hit with it. 'Christmas was a friend of mine' entered the Dutch top 40 on January 9, 1982, reached number 37 and left the chart after only two weeks. But still, when you're in Holland during this festive season, you will hear the song on the radio daily.

Admittedly, it is a beautiful song. Perhaps it was a bit too complicated for the general public to appreciate, though. I didn't mind buying the single for a discount price, a few years after it came out.

My collection: 7" single no. 361

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Christmas was a friend of mine' / 'All the same'

Download: here

Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a lovely guy) - Max Headroom

After the TV character Max Headroom had a hit with Art of Noise in the summer of 1986 ('Paranoimia'), I guess some people got a bit overboard. They thought, 'a Christmas hit with Max Headroom - now there's a possibility'. And so this song was created. It's an over the top ode to Santa Claus, complete with orchestras, a singing choir and of course the stuttering mutterings of that computer generated person, Max Headroom.

The song didn't reach the UK singles chart and wasn't released in other territories. No further attempts were made. I guess the record company was sensible after all...

My collection: 7" single no. 3493

Found: Record Exchange, London, 2004

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a lovely guy)' / 'Gimme shades'

Download: here

Everything she wants / Last Christmas - Wham!

For many people, 'Last Christmas' by Wham is the ultimate Christmas song. I didn't like it much when it came out, and these days I prefer the cover version by All About Eve (an edit of which you can hear on this page).

Still, I do own the track on 7" vinyl, because of the early 1985 release of 'Everything she wants', a double A-side with 'Last Christmas'. 'Everything she wants' is an early example of George Michael's songwriting capabilities, which he would develop further as the years progressed.

My collection: 7" single no. 1043

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Everything she wants' / 'Last Christmas'

Download: cd-single 'Last Christmas', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com)

Riu Riu - Chorale

'Riu Riu' by the English group Chorale entered the Dutch Top 40 on December 16, 1978 and reached the no. 28 position. I think the song was performed on some TV shows at the time, but I can't be sure. I am sure, however, that I was completely unaware of this song's religious connotations. A few years later I went to church for the Christmas mass, and heard this song performed by the local choir. I was stunned.

'Riu Riu' is a Spanish composition of the type known as a 'villancico', dating from the sixteenth century. The lyric concerns the shepherds in the biblical Christmas story and observes, among other things, the 'one born today is actually his mother's father and the one who created her is said to be her son.' A good message, now that Christmas is almost upon us. Even for us unbelievers.

My collection: 7" single no. 898

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 23, 1989

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Riu Riu' / 'Come the night time'

Download: here

Heart and soul - Exile

Exile's most famous song is 'Kiss you all over'. In the UK and the Netherlands, they had two minor hits after this, the last one being 'Heart and soul'. It reached no. 30 in the Dutch Top 40, and as a regular listener of this chart it was no wonder that I got to know this song.

Exile performed pop/rock songs up to this point. In America, they prolonged their career by turning into a country band, even moving to Nashville to achieve this. It's a shame that from that point onwards, they didn't make more great songs like this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 592

Found: All that music, Leiden, February 16, 1988

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Heart and soul' / 'Your love is everything'

Download: here

One step from heaven - The Adventures

During my 1989 shopping spree in London, I bought several singles 'by association'. I'd heard from the artist and assumed that the single I didn't know would be as good as the ones I did know. 'One step from heaven' by the Adventures is one of the best examples. I liked 'Broken land' and 'Drowning in the sea of love', both singles from the album 'The sea of love', but I absolutely loved this single when I finally heard it after the holiday. It's got everything: a good melody, strong drums, powerful vocals. It's a mystery to me why it didn't become a hit anywhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 1039

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'One step from heaven (remix)' / 'The trip to bountiful (When the rain comes down)'

Download: here

Follow you anywhere - Sad Café

The band Sad Café formed in Manchester in the late 1970's. Their best known song is 'Every day hurts', which was a big hit worldwide. By comparison, Sad Café's 1981 album 'Olé' fared less well. Fact is, I didn't even know this song, 'Follow you anywhere', when I bought the single. It was cheap and I was kindof convinced that this band would be able to produce more than one great song. I was rewarded: 'Follow you anywhere' is a powerballad in the best traditions.

My collection: 7" single no. 1668

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, June 20, 1992

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Follow you anywhere', '# Nine'

Download: here

Uncle - Big Mouth and Little Eve

When Mouth and MacNeal broke up in the mid-70's, Mouth (a.k.a. Willem Duyn) went to look for a different singing partner to continue a successful duo. Ingrid Kup had worked as a singer in the orchestra led by Freddy Golden and took on the guise of Little Eve. They had one hit entitled 'Uncle' in 1975, reaching number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. In 1977 the duo broke up and Willem Duyn went solo.

'Uncle' was one of my first singles. I have no idea why I bought this one, all I know is that it came from the same record store where I bought all my first singles for 1 guilder.

My collection: 7" single no. 4

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1976

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Uncle' / 'Hi, hey, ho and hello'

Download: here

Just a dream - Nena

Sometimes when you're in a record shop, going through the racks, you get this 'what's this?'-experience. Finding this 12" single was such a moment. I was buying a few 12" singles and while I was browsing I saw this sleeve. It was an English version of Nena's hit 'Nur geträumt', and both the sleeve picture and the title of the record instantly drew my attention to it. I wanted to try it out, because the original German track was eighties pop at its best.

Unfortunately, the 12" version of 'Just a dream' is a tad too experimental for my taste. A bunch of echo effects, lots of repetition and more drums than you can shake a stick at.

My collection: 12" single no. 380

Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, 2001

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Just a dream (Mega-dream-mix)' / 'Nur geträumt (German version)', 'Indianer'

Download: here

The man mountain - Bow wow wow

After the split of Bow wow wow was announced, RCA still released another single from their album 'When the going gets tough the tough get going'. The brooding ballad 'The man mountain' was as untypical for a punk band as it can be: it was melodious and slow. It was actually the first Bow wow wow single I ever bought, because the track really appealed to me.

My collection: 7" single no. 201

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'The man mountain' / 'Aphrodisiac'

Download: Album 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going', including both tracks

Ocean blue - ABC

I have to admit that I missed the release of 'Ocean blue' when it happened and only found out about it some time after the fact. I bought the single via mailorder, and the 12" single just appeared out of nowhere in a shop some time after that.

ABC's album 'How to be a zillionaire' was not one of their most successful ones, even though the first single 'Be near me' broke the US market. The Ecstacy mix of that track on this 12" single is a bit tedious, though. The two versions of 'Ocean blue' are worthy of a spin or two; they're beautifully arranged tracks.

My collection: 12" single no. 117

Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, 1991

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Ocean blue (Atlantic mix)', 'Tower of London' / 'Be near me (Ecstacy mix)', 'Ocean blue (Pacific mix)'

Download: here

Adventure - Rupert Holmes

A strong melody is what always appeals to me most. I buy a lot of pop singles because they often have this, but sometimes a more (soft)rock-oriented track comes into my collection. And 'Adventure' by Rupert Holmes fits the description: it is a very strong melody, worthy of the title of the track: it is truly an adventure.

'Adventure' is taken from the album of the same name, recorded and released in 1980. I bought the single a few years after my sister had. Not surprisingly, she inspired me to want to have it by playing it for me repeatedly.

My collection: 7" single no. 409

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Adventure' / 'The mask'

Cars ('E' Reg Model) - Gary Numan

Originally released in 1979, 'Cars' was remixed and re-released in 1987. The ''E' Reg Model' version featured more synth sounds and a fuller sound than the sparse original. According to Gary Numan, the song's lyrics were inspired by an incident of road rage: 'I was in traffic in London once and had a problem with some people in front. They tried to beat me up and get me out of the car. I locked the doors and eventually drove up on the pavement and got away from them. It's kind of to do with that. It explains how you can feel safe inside a car in the modern world... When you're in it, your whole mentality is different... It's like your own little personal empire with four wheels on it.'

My collection: 7" single no. 2841

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 5, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Cars ('E' Reg Model)' / 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'

Download: here

The Slightest Touch - Five Star

In 1987, the family holiday destination was London. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, my sister and I were off to the nearest record shop, which on the first day was Tower Records in Kensington High Street. I couldn't believe my eyes when I stepped into that store: it was much bigger than any record shop in Holland. The amount of 7" singles on display at the back of the store seemed endless. The first single I picked out of that collection was Black's 'Sweetest smile', and this was the second one: a box set from Five Star, including a free second single, which carried two older tracks 'Hide and seek' and 'Crazy'. I didn't know at the time they had been released as a single before. Adding to the two singles, the box set also contained five colour photographs of the band members. A collectable box set indeed!

My collection: 7" single no. 545

Found: Tower Records Kensington, London, 1987

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'The Slightest touch' / 'Stone court' // 'Hide and seek' / 'Crazy'

Download: here

What makes the world go 'round - Kiss

When our grandparents went on holiday to England, my sister and I, 16 and 10 years old respectively, asked them for a souvenir in the guise of a Kiss record. We were still big fans of the group, ever since their breakthrough with 'I was made for loving you'. It was the kind of youthful excitement that is very common at that age. We were very surprised when they returned with this single, one for each of us. In Holland, 'Talk to me' had just been released, but the UK had obviously preferred to release 'What makes the world go 'round'. It was not a successful release: the single didn't make the charts. My grandparents, meanwhile, were very surprised that we were into 'these painted men'.

My collection: 7" single no. 66

Found: present

Cost: 0

Tracks: 'What makes the world go 'round' / 'Naked city'

Download: Album 'Unmasked', including both tracks