Hollow horse - Icicle Works

After the release of their self-titled debut album the Icicle Works struggled to match their initial commercial success. As a live band they did secure a loyal fan base in the UK and abroad. In September 1984 the band issued the single 'Hollow Horse', which continued to be a live favourite, but failed to reach the UK singles chart.

I bought this single recently on the assumption that it would be an interesting song, because I knew the band. The song turns out to have the same soaring quality as 'Love is a wonderful colour', but is less memorable. Still, a very nice single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3476

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, December 11, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Hollow horse' / 'The atheist'

Burning bush (Testify) - Savage progress

Savage Progress started off when Rik Kenton and Glynnis Thomas met one another in 1982. They recruited Ned Morant, Carol Isaacs and Andrew Edge. In 1984 they released their debut album 'Celebration', which contained the three singles that were released subsequently: 'My soul unwraps tonight', 'Heart begin to beat' and 'Burning bush'.

I got to know 'Burning bush' because of the video, which was played often on television, and as a track on a compilation double LP which I bought in 1985. I bought this single, a limited edition housed in a posterbag, in 2001.

My collection: 7" single no. 3363

Found: Record fair, 2001

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Burning bush (Testify)' / 'Tears of love'

Tell me there's a heaven - Chris Rea

The whole concept of heaven and the afterlife is one of mindboggling stupidity. It supposes that you have to be miserable your whole damn life and then, when you're dead, suddenly everything turns into a warm, fuzzy, mellow state of constant happiness. This is especially ridiculous when you consider all the people dying of hunger, war, murder and environmental disasters.

Chris Rea once wrote this song about it: 'Tell me there's a heaven'. The song was released at a time when death and unhappiness were all around me. I thought the lyric of this song was highly appropriate for the cynicism I felt about the things that were going on, and I still think it's one of the best songs ever written - lyrically as well as musically.

My collection: 7" single no. 2264
Found: Record fair, April 8, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Tell me there's a heaven' / 'And when she smiles'

I touch myself - Divinyls

The rock band Divinyls formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980. The band had several line-up changes, but at the time of their biggest hit 'I touch myself', the line-up consisted of core members Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee, plus Charley Drayton, Benmont Tench, Lee Borkman and Jim Hilbun.

'I touch myself', a song about masturbation, hit number 1 in Australia, number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 2621

Found: Record fair, February 24, 1996

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I touch myself' / 'Follow through'

No regrets - Walker Brothers

'No regrets' was originally written and performed by folk and blues singer Tom Rush in 1968. The Walker Brothers, who'd had a string of hit singles in the late Sixties, recorded it as their comeback single in 1976. It was also the title of the accompanying comeback album. It remains a standard to this day.

It was my big idol Midge Ure who introduced me to the song in 1981. His version of 'No regrets' was a thundering, synth-driven pop song, with all the emotion and despair of the Walker Brothers version, but perhaps more power. I heard the Walker Brothers version in the late Eighties - and it took me some years to find a single of it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1418

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, April 7, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'No regrets' / 'Remember me'

Mind of a toy - Visage

After the release of the classic 'Fade to grey', Visage followed it up with this beautiful song 'Mind of a toy'. It's classic synthpop stuff, with a very bewildering end. From the first time I heard this music box play out the song, I've always thought it was a touch of genius. It was the third single taken from Visage's self-titled debut album. It peaked at number 13 in the UK, but didn't chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1608
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Mind of a toy' / 'We move'

Heart of gold - Johnny hates Jazz

'Heart of gold' was the fourth single taken from Johnny hates Jazz's debut album 'Turn back the clock' (1987). The single featured a new (instrumental) track on the B-side: 'Leave it up to me'. To appeal to the collectors market, it was released in a numbered limited edition 7" box set. It included three badges, a postcard and a small poster featuring the lyric of 'Heart of gold' and a photograph of the band.

All this helped to make the single peak at number 19 in the UK singles chart, which meant that it fared slightly worse than its predecessors, but it was still a good hit. It would also be their last one: follow-up single 'Don't say it's love' didn't make the top 40, subsequent singles didn't even chart anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 2362

Found: London, July 1, 1995

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Heart of gold' / 'Leave it up to me'

Euro-vision - Telex

When Belgian synthpop group Telex entered the 1980 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, they did so before a stunned audience. They were asked by their manager to enter, and when they did, they performed the song 'Euro-Vision' with just their synthesizers and a perfectly executed song with banal lyrics about the Contest itself.

The audience seemed unsure how to react to the performance. At the end of it, frontman Marc Moulin took a photograph of the bewildered audience. There was mostly stunned silence, with scattered polite applause. The band then walked off amidst sounds of muttering. Apparently the band hoped to come last: 'We had hoped to finish last, but Portugal decided otherwise. We got ten points from them and finished on the 19th spot', said Marc Moulin afterwards.

My collection: 7" single no. 1238

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, 1990

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Euro-Vision (French version)' / 'Euro-Vision (English version)'

Change your mind - Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan

Bill Sharpe was keyboard-player with the band Shakatak when he decided to record a solo album. 'Famous people' was released in 1985 and featured collaborations with Tessa Niles and Gary Numan.

'Change your mind' was my favourite track of 1985. The attraction of the single was helped a lot by a great video and the 12" single which featured a great extended remix of the track. But the regular version was already a cracker. My only regret is that I never bought the UK pressing with a glossy sleeve instead of the German one with the toilet paper sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 264

Found: LP top 100, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 5,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Change your mind' / 'Remix, remake, remodel'

He's a whore / The model - Big Black

Big Black was an American noise rock band, founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. They weren't after mainstream success and didn't find it. Their aggressive music with pounding drums and screeching guitars was very influential, especially for industrial rock.

This single features two cover versions. 'He's a whore' was originally recorded by Cheap Trick, whereas 'The model' was originally recorded by Kraftwerk. The sleeve of this single imitates both single covers, with the three members of the band imitating Cheap Trick on one side and Kraftwerk on the other (the latter is pictured here). Both songs can be found on their second and final album 'Songs about fucking'.

My collection: 7" single no. 3033

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 23, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'He's a whore' / 'The model'

Joey - Concrete blonde

Singer/songwriter Johnette Napolitano formed the band Dream 6 with James Mankey in Los Angeles in 1982. In 1986, they signed with IRS records and changed their name to Concrete blonde. They were joined by drummer Harry Rushakoff on their debut album. Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson replaced Rushakoff for their second album 'Bloodletting', which spawned the hit single 'Joey'.

'Joey' peaked at number 14 in the Dutch Top 40, but didn't chart in the UK. As is obvious from the sleeve of my single, the song was used in the German television series Tatort, in the episode 'Zabou' which was televised on July 22, 1990 in Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 1360

Found: Den Haag, December 5, 1990 (present)

Cost: nothing

Tracks: 'Joey' / 'I want you'

'Ullo John! Gotta new motor? - Alexei Sayle

So I found the 7" single of ''Ullo John! Gotta new motor?' in 1995. I actually ordered it in 1985 from a mailorder company in England, but it was sold out. I stated the 12" single as an alternative (remember, these were the days when you actually had to send your order via snail mail and hope for your order to arrive two weeks later), and so I got that one. I was a bit disappointed, because even if the 12" single contains 'part 3' and 'part 4' of the track, it does go on a bit.

According to Wikipedia, the 12" version of the single achieved notoriety due to its extensive use of profanity. After listening, I'm sure you'll agree that they are referring mostly to part 4, which contains an impressive array of foul language.

My collection: 12" single no. 14

Found: Oldies Unlimited, UK, 1985

Cost: 4 pounds

Tracks: ''Ullo John! Gotta new motor? (part 3)' / ''Ullo John! Gotta new motor? (part 4)'

It's OK, it's alright - Fine Young Cannibals

After a very successful run of singles taken from their 1989 album 'The raw and the cooked', Fine Young Cannibals released a remix album entitled 'The raw and the remix' in 1990. From that album, the single 'It's OK, it's alright' was drawn. The A-side featured the original version of the song, recorded in 1988, the B-side contained a remix of 'Johnny come home' which was on the remix album.

The single didn't reach the chart anywhere and as such has become some kind of rarity. I know I was very surprised when I saw this single when I bought it, because I'd never seen it before - or since.

My collection: 7" single no. 2782

Found: Record Exchange, London, November 1, 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'It's OK, it's alright' / 'Johnny come home (Johnny takes a trip mix)'

Show me heaven - Maria McKee

Maria Louise McKee was born on August 17, 1964 in Los Angeles, California. She was a founding member of the band Lone Justice in 1982. When she was 19, she wrote 'A good heart', which became a hit for Feargal Sharkey in 1985. Her debut solo album appeared in 1989. A year later, she recorded 'Show me heaven' for the soundtrack of the movie 'Days of Thunder'.

Originally written by Joshua Rifkin and Eric Rankin, when McKee was first offered the song, she refused to record it unless she was allowed to change the lyrics. The single turned out to be a massive success for her, peaking at number 1 in the UK and the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 1310

Found: HMV, London, October 15, 1990

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Show me heaven' (Maria McKee) / 'Car building' (Hans Zimmer)

No self control - Peter Gabriel

If you think Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush worked together for the first time in 1986 when they recorded 'Don't give up', you wouldn't be alone in thinking that. But in reality, they got together as early as 1979, when Kate Bush recorded a television special for UK television. They sang 'Another day' together, and Gabriel performed 'Here comes the flood' solo in this special.

In 1980, Peter Gabriel recorded his third solo album. Kate Bush provided backing vocals on the tracks 'Games without frontiers' and 'No self control'. It might be a coincidence, but both tracks were released as a single in 1980. Being a Kate Bush fan, I had to have these singles, so I was very glad when I found a reasonably good copy of 'No self control' in 1995.

My collection: 7" single no. 2341
Found: Record Exchange, London, June 26, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'No self control' / 'Lead a normal life'
Download: Album 'Peter Gabriel [3]', including both tracks

Mother mother - Tracy Bonham

Tracy Bonham was born on March 16, 1969 in Eugene, Oregon. She is a classically trained violinist and pianist. In 1997 she received two Grammy nominations for her 'best alternative album' 'The burdens of being upright' and best female rock vocal performance for 'Mother mother'.

'Mother mother' is an aggressive-sounding song. In America, it was number one in the rock chart for a month. In the Netherlands it peaked at number 32 in the Dutch Top 40, whereas it was a top 10 hit in Norway and Australia.

My collection: 7" single no. 2772
Found: HMV, London, October 30, 1996
Cost: 2,5 pounds
Tracks: 'Mother mother' / '50 ft. Queenie (live)'

Sausolito summernight - Diesel

The Dutch rock band Diesel was formed in 1979 by producer Pim Koopman and Rob Vunderink. They recruited Mark Boon and Frank Papendrecht and started playing together, at first just for other acts which were produced by Koopman at the time. They had some hits in the Netherlands, but the single 'Sausolito summernight' brought them international success: it reached number 35 in the Dutch Top 40, but ironically did much better abroad, peaking at number 25 in the USA and at number 1 in Canada.

The song actually refers to Sausalito instead of Sausolito, but only few releases state the right spelling.

My collection: 7" single no. 1383

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

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Sausolito summernight' / 'Bite back'

So cold the night - Communards

The Communards had their biggest hit in 1986 with a cover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' 1975 soul classic 'Don't leave me this way' - although the Communards' version was inspired by the dance version recorded in 1976 by Thelma Houston. A year later they reached number 8 in the UK singles chart with 'So cold the night', which peaked at number 11 in the Netherlands.

A limited edition two record set of 'So cold the night' included the single 'Don't leave me this way' as the second disc. On all four tracks, Jimmy Somerville screams like a demented choirboy - but always with great effect.

My collection: 7" single no. 2755

Found: House of rhythm, London, October 29, 1996

Cost: 80p

Tracks: 'So cold the night' / 'When the walls come tumbling down' // 'Don't leave me this way' / 'Sanctified'

Road to nowhere - Talking Heads

Talking Heads had a worldwide hit with 'Road to nowhere' in 1985, at a time where music videos became increasingly important for chart success. The video to promote this single was a clever piece of work, with lots of shots in different environments. The video was shown on TV so often and the song played on the radio even more, that I got totally bored with the song.

Still, ten years later, it was a pleasant surprise when my friend Puck showed up with a copy of this single and gave it to me. It was a nice present, filling a gap in my collection of Talking Heads singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 2159

Found: Den Haag (present)

Cost: nothing

Tracks: 'Road to nowhere' / 'Television man'

Download: Album 'Little creatures', including both tracks

Heaven - Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs formed in England in 1977. The band initially consisted of Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Duncan Kilburn, Paul Wilson and Roger Morris. Morris and Kilburn left the band five years later, when the other members went to live in New York City. The album 'Forever now' (1984) spawned the UK hit single 'Heaven', which peaked at number 29 in the UK singles chart.

The song 'Heaven' didn't appeal much to me at all when I got to know it via this video in 1984. I thought the singer was behaving bizarrely by circling round in the rain like that. The fact that I finally bought the single was a strange case of belated insight: I got a bit melancholic about the past and suddenly realised that this song was worth owning after all. As it turned out, I got hold of a Portuguese pressing.

My collection: 7" single no. 1811

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 9, 1993

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Heaven' / 'Heartbeat (remix)'