Bette Davis Eyes EP - Various artists

The thing I like most about my record collection is that I've got some singles from strange countries. And this one is from a country that doesn't even exist anymore: the German Democratic Republic, otherwise known as East Germany. There have been some fascinating documentaries about life in that country recently, but there's not so much information about the state record company Amiga.

Which is why this EP is pretty hard to find background information on. It contains cover versions of four hits from the year 1981. 'Bette Davis Eyes', originally by Kim Carnes, Kim Wilde's 'Chequered love', 'Hands up' , originally by Ottawan and Abba's well-known song 'Lay all your love on me'. I bought this EP when I saw it because of the cover of 'Chequered love'. Interestingly, Petra Zieger is still in the music business these days as a singer of German Schlagers. That's a long way from this 'painting by numbers' cover of 'Chequered love'.

The quality of the vinyl leaves a bit to be desired, but the tracks are incredibly rare.

My collection: 7" single no. 2925

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 13, 1997

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Bette Davis Eyes' (Familie Silly), 'Chequered love' (Petra Zieger) / 'Hands up' (Cantus Chor), 'Lay all your love on me' (Cantus Chor)

Cry for freedom - White Lion

White Lion is an American/Danish glam metal band that formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. They recruited Nicki Capozzi and Felix Robinson to complete the line-up. However, both of them left the band soon. Capozzi was then replaced by Greg d'Angelo and Robinson by James LoMenzo.

Their first and only hit in the Netherlands was the lengthy rock song 'Cry for freedom', taken from the 1989 album 'Big game'. I remember hearing it in the school canteen one afternoon and thinking it was a nice song. Soon after, I bought the single. I can't say I've played it much, though...

My collection: 7" single no. 1208

Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 13, 1990

Cost: 6,5 guilders

Tracks: 'Cry for freedom' / 'Dirty woman'

Blue - Fine Young Cannibals

The second single from the Fine Young Cannibals' debut album was 'Blue', released in the autumn of 1985. It fared significally less well than the debut single, 'Johnny come home'. It was only a hit in the UK and Australia, peaking at number 41 and 13 respectively. It would take a cover of the song 'Suspicious minds' to get the band back in the international consciousness a few months later.

This double single features a second disc with an alternative version of 'Blue' and a cover version of the track 'Love for sale'. The band would re-record this track for the 'Red Hot & Blue' compilation album a few years later.

My collection: 7" single no. 3464

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008

Cost: 1,25 euro

Tracks: 'Blue' / 'Wade in the water' // 'Blue (version)' / 'Love for sale'

La paix sur terre - Nicole

Nicole recorded various versions of the song that gave her victory in the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, 'Ein Bisschen Frieden'. On this blog, you've already seen 'En smule fred' and 'Een beetje vrede', and now here's the French version, 'La paix sur terre'. The B-side is also performed in French.

I spent some time trying to find this single, and of course I found it after some time on eBay. It's just about the only place to find rare singles these days. There are a few more versions, but they are even harder to find. I'm still looking for the Spanish and Italian singles...

My collection: 7" single no. 3608

Found: eBay, France, received March 20, 2009

Cost: 3 euro

Tracks: 'La paix sur terre' / 'Thank you, merci, danke'

Nancy - Mo

The sleeve of this single proclaims that the songs are being performed by 'The Mo'. They were a new band at that time, but later they would be known as 'Mo'. As you can see, this is a rather simplistic sleeve. The 'Back Door' image comes from the record label, and on the back there's only an advert for starting bands to send their demos to Back Door.

For a debut single, 'Nancy' is a pretty impressive effort. The single stalled just outside the Dutch Top 40. But Mo would have some chart success later in their career.

My collection: 7" single no. 3219

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, October 12, 2000

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Nancy' / 'Release me'

Felicita - Al Bano e Romina Power

Albano Carrisi was born on May 20, 1943. Romina Power was born October 2, 1951 in Los Angeles. They met during the filming of the movie 'Nel Sole', named after one of his songs, in 1967. The two married on July 26, 1970 in Cellino San Marco. Together, the couple shot seven films, based on their songs, between 1967 and 1983.

The duo broke a record in Italy in 1982 with four songs being the Italian hit parade at the same time. In the same year they participated in the San Remo Music Festival with the song 'Felicità' and came in second place. They sold 6 million copies of the song in Germany and also reached number 10 in the Netherlands with the single.

My collection: 7" single no. 2966
Found: Record fair, February 9, 1998

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Felicita' / 'Arrivederci a Bahia'

Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben - Atlantis 2000

In Dutch we call this 'a dragon of a song', meaning that it is fascinatingly bad. One has to wonder why this got through the national final, to be performed at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest. 'Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben' ('This dream must never die') was performed by a sextet calling themselves Atlantis 2000. The group consisted of Alfons Weindorf, Jutta Niedhardt, Helmut Frey, Eberhard Wilhelm, Klaus Pröpper and Clemens Weindorf. The song was composed by Weindorf and Frey, but could easily have come from the infamous duo Siegel and Meinunger.

The syrupy ballad hints at the unity of East and West Germany, while the lyric states that humanity must learn to overcome its tendency towards hate in order to achieve unity.

My collection: 7" single no. 3602

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben' / 'Eines Tags'

Yesterday's men - Madness

After all the fun and games of Madness' previous work, 'Yesterday's men' suddenly sounded stern and serious. What's more, the single signalled the beginning of the end for the band. Mike Barson, who was one of the founders of Madness and a principal songwriter, left the band in October 1983, partly because he lived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The band left their label Stiff records in 1984 and started releasing records on their on Zarjazz label. In 1985, that label released the album 'Mad not mad', from which 'Yesterday's men' was taken. The single peaked at number 18 in the UK charts. Two further singles stalled below that position.

The band then attempted to record a new album, but after recording 11 demo tracks the band cited 'musical differences' as a reason to split.

My collection: 7" single no. 1013

Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1989

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Yesterday's men' / 'All I knew'

You're the voice - John Farnham

John Farnham was born on July 1, 1949. Between 1982 and 1985 he was the lead singer of the Australian band Little River Band. He went solo after that and released 'You're the voice' in October 1986. The song was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson

In Australia, the song was one of the biggest hits of the year, topping the singles chart for many weeks. It is also Farnham's biggest international success, reaching the top 10 in many European countries. In the Netherlands, it stalled at number 15.

My collection: 7" single no. 1533

Found: Brussels, October 11, 1991

Cost: 70 Belgian Francs

Tracks: 'You're the voice' / 'Going, going, gone'

The lover in me - Sheena Easton

'The lover in me' was the first single from Sheena Easton's 1988 album of the same title. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 12 in the Netherlands and number 15 in the UK. The track was produced by L.A. and Babyface and the sleeve of the single confirmed Sheena Easton's image as a seductive vamp.

The 12" single contains three versions of the track, which all sound alike but have different lengths. The extended version is not a big surprise: it is indeed extended, but really nothing exciting happens. Oh well, the bigger version of the sleeve is enough of a convincing reason to buy it.

My collection: 12" single no. 493

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'The lover in me (extended version)' / 'The lover in me (radio edit)', 'The lover in me (instrumental)'

Dum dum girl - Talk Talk

'Dum dum girl' was the third single taken from Talk Talk's second album 'It's my life'. Released in the summer of 1984, it reached number 74 in the UK singles chart, but ended up at number 20 in Germany, number 32 in Switzerland and number 24 in the Netherlands. Not their biggest hit, obviously, but certainly a reasonably good chart performance.

I bought two different issues of this single, because the sleeves were so different from eachother. The first one I bought was the Dutch one, featuring an illustration by James Marsh, who made more illustrations for Talk Talk's record covers. That some illustration appeared on the UK sleeve, but smaller and together with a photograph of the band. It's the only UK sleeve featuring a band photograph, as far as I know!

My collection: 7" single no. 2148 / no. 2897

Found: Record Palace, Amsterdam, August 25, 1994 / Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1997

Cost: 2 guilders / 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Dum dum girl' / 'Without you'

New thing from London town - Sharpe and Numan

Another single by Bill Sharpe and Gary Numan, released in 1986. While their first collaboration 'Change your mind' was released by the record company Polydor, to which Sharpe was signed, this single appeared on Gary Numan's own record label Numa Records.

'New thing from London town' was a less surprising track from the duo. Gary's phrasing sounds a little forced and the song is slightly middle of the road. Still, it's a great track with lush synthesizer sounds.

My collection: 7" single no. 2934

Found: Record fair, Leiden, January 24, 1998

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'New thing from London town' / 'Time to die'

Hey little girl - Icehouse

'Hey little girl' was released by Icehouse in 1982 on their album 'Primitive man'. It was the first Australian recording to feature a Linn drum machine. The single became a hit in the Netherlands in November of that year. Before that, it peaked at number 7 on the Australian singles chart.

The song has a certain atmosphere that always appealed to me a lot: a bit mysterious and melancholy, somehow. It's another one of those singles which I had to search for a lot time. I ordered it a couple of times from the mailorder company 'Oldies Unlimited' in England, but it was always out of stock.

My collection: 7" single no. 731
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 3, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Hey little girl' / 'Love in motion'

On my radio - The Selecter

Two Tone was the big hype of the late Seventies and early Eighties. Fronted by bands like the Specials, Madness and The Beat. The Selecter was another band making music in this genre, which mixed elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae and pop. The band consisted of Pauline Black, Compton Amanor, Charley Anderson, Charley 'H' Bembridge, Desmond Brown, Neol Davies and Arthur Hendrickson.

Their first track appeared on the B-side of the Specials' hit song 'Gangsters'. Then they released 'On my radio' (1979), which became a top 10 hit in various countries. It peaked at number 8 in the UK and number 10 in the Netherlands. After this, they released several more singles, of which only one made the Dutch Top 40. They continued to have some success in the UK until the end of 1980. They reformed in 1991 to minimal success.

My collection: 7" single no. 92
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'On my radio' / 'Too much pressure'

On the turning away - Pink Floyd

'On the turning away' was the second single taken from Pink Floyd's 1987 album 'A momentary lapse of reason', the first album without Roger Waters. The song lyric is about poverty and oppression, lamenting on the tendency of people to turn away from those afflicted with such conditions. The B-side was recorded live in Atlanta on November 5, 1987.

I didn't hear this single when it was released, but picked it up from my brother's collection soon after. When I played the single, I realised it was a beautiful power ballad I really wanted to have myself. By then, the disc had disappeared from the shops, and I had to wait for a couple of years to finally find my own copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 1419

Found: Record fair, Den Haag, April 7, 1991

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'On the turning away' / 'Run like hell (live)'

It's your conscience - Deniece Williams

Deniece Williams was born on June 3, 1950. She started her career with the 1976 album 'This is Niecy', containing the hit single 'Free'. Every year she released a new album, until a short break in 1980. In 1981, her album 'My melody' was released, containing this single, 'It's your conscience'. Like most of her material, it was a softpop song.

I heard this song on a compilation album I bought in the late Eighties. A decade later, I bought the single. Just for completeness sake: if you know a good single, you have to have it, right?

My collection: 7" single no. 3122
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'It's your conscience' / 'Sweet surrender'

I will be with you - T'pau

It could have been too much to ask for, but the fifth single from T'pau's debut album 'Bridge of spies' was, like the four previous ones, a big hit in the UK. It peaked at number 14 in the singles chart. Outside of the UK, the single did nothing - and I don't think it was even released in most countries.

'I will be with you' is a beautiful powerballad, a bit like 'Valentine' and 'China in your hand' but different. Part of the attraction was this special limited edition gatefold sleeve, in which frontwoman Carol Decker looks quite delicious.

My collection: 7" single no. 647
Found: Sister Ray, London, 1989
Cost: 2,5 pounds
Tracks: 'I will be with you' / 'Still so in love'

Walk through the fire - Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel contributed the track 'Walk through the fire' to the soundtrack of the 1984 movie 'Against all odds'. It's interesting to note that other Genesis members contributed to the soundtrack as well: Mike Rutherford contributed the song 'Making a big mistake' and Phil Collins recorded the well-known title track.

It's interesting how little is known about this track by Peter Gabriel: I couldn't find any background information about it on the web. I did find out that it peaked at number 69 in the UK. So not a big hit, then.

My collection: 7" single no. 2481
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1995
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Walk through the fire' (Peter Gabriel) / 'The race' (Larry Carlton)

Autobahn - Kraftwerk

Perhaps Kraftwerk's best known track, 'Autobahn' is an ode to the German expressways. The track is intended to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn: from the high-speed concentration on the fast lane, to tuning the car radio, to the monotony of a long trip. For the single version, the original 22 minute track was edited down to a mere three minutes.

Released in 1975, the single peaked at number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Netherlands. The album of the same name was equally successful, peaking at number 4 in the UK and number 9 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2686

Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, July 3, 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Autobahn' / 'Kometenmelodie 1'

Download: here

Un banc, un arbre, une rue - Severine

Severine was born as Josiane Grizeau on October 10, 1948 in Paris. She represented Monaco in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue'. The lyric of the song focuses on the loss of childhood innocence, and people following their dreams. Severine recorded the song in French, English, German and Italian. This single features the original French version.

She won the Contest, but this did not result, as is usual, in the 1972 Contest being hosted in Monaco, as the country did not have the resources. Instead, it took place in Edinburgh, UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3598

Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, March 14, 2009

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue' / 'Viens'

Download: here