'S.O.S.' was the second single from ABC's second album 'Beauty stab'. Previous single 'That was then but this is now' was an obvious attempt to break with the band's glamorous pop image, performing loud rock music instead. But 'S.O.S.' seemed like a return to earlier singles.
It obviously confused the audience. The single only managed a lowly number 39 position in the UK singles chart.
Sometime in 1979 or 1980, someone had the brilliant idea of recording birdsong and scoring it with some laid back music. I think it must have been the first notion of so-called 'new age music'. The resulting single, 'Et les oiseaux chantaient' by the Sweet People, became a hit too. It felt really out of place in the post-punk charts of 1980.
But there it was, peaking at number 10 in the Netherlands and number 4 in the UK. I think I only started to like the track once it had left the charts and some time had gone by.
'Franse auto' was the fourth single from Het Goede Doel's 1986 album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar'. Even though the album brought forth several hit singles, this is not one of them. It didn't reach the Dutch charts at all.
The lyrics were probably a bit too eccentric for the audience: 'You're exactly like a French car / when the motor still wants to run the exterior is already rotten'. Oh well, there's always the instrumental version...
My collection: 7" single no. 520
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Franse auto' / 'Franse auto (instrumentaal)'
My wife went to a Kringloop store today and brought back a few singles for me. One of them was 'Surrender' by Jon Anderson. There were two problems with that: (1) I already had the singles and (2) the sleeve contained the wrong disc. And the latter was true for the other two singles as well. Well, at least the intention was good.
'Surrender' was a brilliant track from Jon Anderson, who is probably best known for his work with Yes and Vangelis. This single was taken from his solo album 'Animation' (1982). It gave him a top 10 hit in the Netherlands: 'Surrender' peaked at number 7 in June 1982.
Blue Angel consisted of John Turi, Arthur Neilson, Lee Brovitz, Johnny Morelli and Cyndi Lauper. The band was briefly popular in the New York club scene. They recorded one self-titled album in 1980. This album included the single 'I'm gonna be strong'. This track was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. It was originally recorded by Frankie Laine in 1963 and Gene Pitney in 1964.
The single did not chart in Europe, but it's still a fine demonstration of Cyndi Lauper's powerful vocals. She would of course go on to have a very successful solo career later on in the Eighties. She re-recorded this song for a compilation album of her solo hits in 1994.
My collection: 7" single no. 265
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'I'm gonna be strong' / 'Just the other day'
After the Three Degrees single 'My simple heart' reached number 9 in the UK singles chart, the group disappeared from the scene for half a decade. They released two albums on their own 3D label, 'Album of love' and 'Live in the UK', but neither charted.
They returned to the charts in 1985 with the single 'The heaven I need', written and produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, who were quickly conquering the pop scene at the time. The single peaked at number 42, which was not a very high placing, but it still became one of the more convincing dance tracks of the year.
Joe Jackson was born as David Ian Jackson on August 11, 1954. He released his debut album 'Look sharp!' in 1979. Prior to that, 'Is she really going out with him?' was released as his debut single in September 1978.
A flop in the UK, the single managed to become a radio hit in Europe, although this didn't lead to chart placings. In the Netherlands the single managed a few weeks in the bubbling under chart in April 1979. It took a re-release in August 1979 to become a number 13 hit in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 823
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Is she really going out with him?' / 'You got the fever'
Frazier Chorus changed track in 1990 when they released their second album 'Ray'. They positioned themselves as an act that had a certain danceability to them. The singles were remixed by prominent DJ's such as Paul Oakenfold and Chad Jackson.
This 12" single featuring three versions of a remix by Chad Jackson was an interesting find when I got it. I'd bought the single 'Nothing' during a holiday in London and thought it was one of their better singles. This remix appealed less to me, but I was still glad that I was able to find it. After all, Frazier Chorus were completely unknown in the Netherlands.
After the record company had released several singles from Tears for fears' debut album 'The hurting', the band released a new single, 'The way you are' towards the end of 1983. The single kept the band in the public eye while they were working on their second album. It peaked at number 23 in the UK and as such didn't live up to the expectations caused by the three top 5 singles taken from 'The hurting'.
The single, which heavily featured sampling and programmed rhythms, led to a departure in Tears for Fears' musical approach. In the liner notes to their 1996 B-sides album Saturnine Martial & Lunatic they wrote that 'this was the point we realised we had to change direction'. I had a hard time finding this single, since it wasn't released in the Netherlands. I finally found it in a second hand store while on holiday in London.
My collection: 7" single no. 1027 Found: Record exchange, London, October 17, 1989
Reportedly inspired by Raffaella Carra's 'A far l'amore comincia tu', 'U.O. me' was the third single release by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in early 1978. The single reversed their fortunes in a dramatic way: second single 'Dream dream' did not chart, after debut single 'My man' had been a top 20 hit in the Netherlands. 'U.O. me' peaked at number 3 in the Netherlands, but also provided them with an international breakthrough hit.
German Schlager singer Peter Petrel recorded a German cover version entitled 'Wer hat hier denn wohl wen verführt' later on in 1978.
After the enormous success of their debut album and the singles 'Misfit' and 'Down to earth', the second album proved to be more difficult for Curiosity killed the cat. The first single from their second album 'Getahead', 'Name and number', was still a hit, but its follow-up 'First place' performed less well and the band found themselves dropped by their record label.
Cutting their name short to Curiosity, the band tried again in 1993, with a cover of Johnny Bristol's 'Hang on in there baby', which became a UK top 10 hit. The next singles, 'I need your lovin'' and 'Gimme the sunshine' continued the downward trend however, which resulted in the album Back to Front only being released in Japan and selected overseas markets. After this, the band folded for good. Frontman Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot still tours as Curiosity killed the cat these days as part of the 'Here and Now' Eighties revival concerts.
'Little sister leaving town' was the second single taken from Tanita Tikaram's second album 'The sweet keeper' (1990). The single peaked at number 83 in the UK singles chart, continuing the trend of declining sales for each single Tikaram released since her debut album.
Nevertheless, 'Little sister leaving town' is one of Tikaram's more accomplished songs, creating an intimate atmosphere. The B-side was a demo version of 'I love the heaven's solo', which would become a single a few years later.
My collection: 7" single no. 1203
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, April 6, 1990
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Little sister leaving town' / 'I love the heaven's solo'
'Heart' was released as the fourth single from the Pet Shop Boys' second album 'Actually' (1987). The track was remixed for the single and the single itself was released in two different sleeves in the UK: one picturing Neil Tennant (above) and one with Chris Lowe (below).
The track 'Heart' was originally offered to Hi-NRG singer Hazell Dean and Madonna, but in the end the Pet Shop Boys recorded the track themselves. Originally recorded for the 1986 album 'Plase' with Shep Pettibone, the duo re-recorded it in 1987 with producer Andy Richards. The single became the band's fourth number one hit in the UK, topping the chart for three weeks in the summer of 1988. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 11.
My collection: 7" single no. 2677 / no. 2678
Found: Record exchange, London, July 2, 1996
Cost: 1 pound / 1 pound
Tracks: 'Heart' / 'I get excited (you get excited too)'
Lead vocalist Terry Sharpe and guitarist Pat Gribben first worked together when in 1978 they joined the punk band Starjets. This band disbanded in the early 1980s. Sharpe and Gribben then formed The Adventures in early 1984 with Gribben's wife, Eileen, Gerard Murphy, Tony Ayre and Paul Crowder. They signed to Chrysalis Records and were taken on by upcoming manager, Simon Fuller, who saw them achieve much publicity and promotion in the music press.
Their debut single 'Another silent day' was released in the summer of 1984. It was released as a limited edition double single featuring two bonus tracks. It peaked at number 71 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 2358
Found: Eastbourne, June 28, 1995
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'Another silent day' / 'Happy depression' // 'Nowhere near me (demo)' / 'Token'
After the release of Split Enz 1982 album 'Time and Tide', Tim Finn decided to give the band a break after 10 years. It was Tim's intention to take the time to work some of the new songs that he wanted to release, but felt were not Enz material. Tim later commented that he tried some of the songs out with the band, but it just wasn't working.
'Fraction too much friction' was one of those songs. It became Tim Finn's first solo single, taken from the 1984 album 'Escapade'. A huge hit in Australia in New Zealand, the single also peaked at number 2 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was played a lot on the radio at the time, which meant that I didn't want to hear the song for a quarter of a century. I recently bought the single. Now I can listen to the song again.
My collection: 7" single no. 3697
Found: Empire Records, May 5, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Fraction too much friction' / 'Below the belt'
'In the air tonight' is the debut single by Phil Collins, the first single taken from his 1981 album 'Face value'. Phil Collins himself commented about the lyric of the song: 'I don't know what this song is about. When I was writing this I was going through a divorce. And the only thing I can say about it is that it's obviously in anger. It's the angry side, or the bitter side of a separation.'
The song became a number 1 hit in New Zealand and Germany, peaking at number 2 in the Netherlands and the UK. The song's popularity increased later on in the Eighties after a nearly complete recording of it was featured in the pilot episode of the American television show Miami Vice ('Brother's Keeper'), thus becoming one of the first pop/rock songs to be featured as part of a TV programme in this manner.
I bought the single already in 1987, but recently found a limited edition version of it featuring a booklet with drawings by Phil's brother Clive Collins.
My collection: 7" single no. 568 (1 & 2)
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1987 & Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008
Cost: 1 guilder & 1 euro
Tracks: 'In the air tonight' / 'The roof is leaking'
'Magic man' was released as the second single from Heart's debut album 'Dreamboat Annie' (1976). With lengthy guitar solos, the song featured notable Minimoog synthesizer usage. Written by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by an older man (referred to as a Magic Man), much to the chagrin of her mother, who begs the girl to come home.
In interview, Ann Wilson revealed the 'Magic Man' was her then-boyfriend, band manager Michael Fisher, and part of the song was an autobiographical tale of the beginnings of their relationship. The single became Heart's first Top 10 hit in the United States, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 7, while it didn't chart in the UK.
Without a doubt, the most famous track by Israeli singer Ofra Haza is 'Im nin' alu', released in 1988. But before she conquered the world with this track, she participated in the 1983 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Israel. Haza reached second place in the competition.
The lyric of the song, written by Avi Toledano (who represented Israel himself in 1982 with 'Hora') states that the singer is still alive despite the 'thorns' she has endured. Later on in the song, this is revealed to be a metaphor for 'the nation of Israel' surviving various attempts at destroying it. The song had further profound meanings since it was performed on German soil with the Holocaust background and in the city of Munich, the site of the Munich massacre during the Olympic Games in 1972.
My collection: 7" single no. 3179 Found: Bea Records, April 16, 2000 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Hi' / 'High'
At the time of release of Mel & Kim's third single, during a promotional visit to Japan in June 1987, Mel Appleby became ill with a suspected spinal disc herniation, after complaining of a back problem for several months. Upon returning to the UK, Mel was diagnosed with secondary cancer of the spine, after previously being treated for liver cancer when she was 18, prior to the duo's rise to fame.
The sisters withdrew from publicity while Mel underwent treatment, and footage from their Montreux Festival performance was used to compile the music video for 'F.L.M.'. While the media speculated that Mel was terminally ill, both sisters categorically denied this, stating that Mel had suffered a debilitating back injury. 'F.L.M.', meanwhile, rose to number 7 in the UK singles chart, and peaked at number 10 in the Netherlands.
The single was released in two different sleeves: the European sleeve (pictured above) being different from the one released in the UK (pictured below).
My collection: 7" single no. 533 (1 & 2)
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987 & HMV, London, October 1987
America was formed in 1971 by Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. They recorded seven albums together until Peek left the band in 1977. Beckley and Bunnell went on together and recorded three albums without Peek. Their fourth album was 1983's 'Your move'. It was a collaboration with former Argent star Russ Ballard, who had been responsible for their 1982 hit 'You can do magic'.
In the end, Ballard wound up writing most of the songs and performing most of the instruments in addition to his production duties. Beckley and Bunnell were basically singers on an album that Ballard had made for them, although they did contribute some material of their own. On one track, Bunnell decided to rewrite Ballard's lyrics, and the hit song 'The border' was the result. Set to the backing of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the saxophone work of Raphael Ravenscroft, the single reached number 33 on the US charts in August 1983. The single also made number 24 in the Netherlands.
'S.O.S.' was the second single from ABC's second album 'Beauty stab'. Previous single 'That was then but this is now' was an obvious attempt to break with the band's glamorous pop image, performing loud rock music instead. But 'S.O.S.' seemed like a return to earlier singles.
