Perfect skin - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

It was 1984 when this video appeared on television regularly - say, every other hour. The new band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions appeared on the scene with this single and eventually scored a hit with it in the UK, peaking at number 26. For reasons I could never explain, the single did not chart in the Netherlands.

It was even stranger that I didn't buy this single, leaving me to search for it for over a decade. Truth be told, I didn't have to buy it the first couple of years because I'd seen and heard it so often that I wouldn't play the single anyway...

My collection: 7" single no. 2377

Found: Record Exchange, London, July 1, 1995

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Perfect skin' / 'The sea and the sand'

A gentleman's excuse me - Fish

Some songs attach themselves to you and take on different, totally personal meanings. This is a good example. 'A Gentleman's excuse me' was released in May 1990, just before I got infatuated with a girl I knew. A love song in the best of traditions, with full orchestral backing, Fish hit the nail on the head with this song for me. I played it endlessly and bought all the editions that existed.

First of all, I got the standard German pressing, which was available everywhere in the Netherlands. Then at a record fair I found the limited edition red vinyl pressing from the UK, pictured below. And finally, I got the regular UK pressing with it's beautiful glossy cardboard sleeve.

'A Gentleman's excuse me' was a minor hit, peaking at number 30 in the UK and number 34 in the Netherlands. Still, I can't imagine I will ever forget this song - it's made a lasting impression on me.

My collection: 7" single no. 1207

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, April 13, 1990 / Record fair, Den Haag, April 22, 1990 / Record Exchange, London, 1990

Cost: 6 guilders / 10 guilders / 1 pound

Tracks: 'A Gentleman's excuse me' / 'Whiplash'

My camera never lies - Bucks Fizz

Released a year after their debut single and Eurovision winner 'Making your mind up', 'My camera never lies' was Bucks Fizz's third number one hit in the UK. The song was a track from the group's second album 'Are you ready', released two months later. In the Netherlands, the single only managed to get to number 30.

The song was written by band member Andy Hill and Nichola Martin, who had put the group together in 1980 and co-wrote songs for them. The lyrics concern a man who has become obsessed with a woman, who is clearly not interested, but he thinks differently and has convinced himself that she is lying to herself and so he pursues her. The 'camera' of the title denotes his view of the situation.

I ended up buying two versions of the single. After buying the 'normal' version in 1994, I found the limited edition posterbag version a decade later. I simply had to have it. My sister had bought it back in 1982 when the single came out - but the shop didn't have anymore copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 2127 / no. 3244

Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, July 30, 1994 / Record exchange, London, 2002

Cost: 2 guilders / 1 pound

Tracks: 'My camera never lies' / 'What am I gonna do'

I O U - Freeez

The British group Freeez consisted of John Rocca, Peter Maas, Andy Stennet and Paul Morgan. Their biggest hit 'I O U' was recorded in New York and produced by Arthur Baker. It was used in the 1984 movie 'Beat street', featuring the hip hop culture of the early Eighties. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK and the Netherlands.

Although I hated the song when it was in the chart, I started appreciating its charm in the Nineties, when chart music had deteriorated so badly that even the bad songs from the Eighties turned out to be extremely good by comparison.

My collection: 7" single no. 2577

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I O U' / 'I dub U'

Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys

'Suburbia' was released as the fourth single from the Pet Shop Boys' debut album 'Please' (1986). The song's primary inspiration is the 1984 Penelope Spheeris film 'Suburbia'. In addition to this the tension of the Brixton riots of 1981 and 1985 led Neil Tennant of the duo to writing about the boredom of suburbia and the underlying tension among disaffected youth.

The single was released as a limited edition double single featuring three extra tracks on disc two, including a 'part two' of Suburbia, which was never released on cd in this form.

My collection: 7" single no. 2225

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 17, 1994

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Suburbia' / 'Paninaro' // 'Love comes quickly (Shep Pettibone mix)' / 'Jack the lad', 'Suburbia part two'

Life in a northern town - Dream Academy

The Dream Academy was formed by singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes; multi-instrumentalist Kate St John plus keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. Their debut single was 'Life in a Northern town', a tribute song to Nick Drake. The lyric is a reference to Tanworth-in-Arden (England) native Nick Drake, who died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974.

The single became the most successful of their career, peaking at number 7 in America and number 15 in the UK. The chanting backing vocals of the song were sampled by English dance act Dario G for their 1997 hit 'Sunchyme'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2910

Found: Record exchange, London, November 31, 1997

Cost: 50p

Tracks: 'Life in a Northern town' / 'Test tape no. 3'

Etienne - Guesch Patti

Guesch Patti was born as Patricia Porasse in Paris, France on March 16, 1946. She decided to begin a singer career and recorded two discs in 1965 that passed unnoticed. In 1984, Patti participated in the trio named 'Dacapo', and had her first solo hit in 1988 with 'Étienne', which was certified gold disc in France. It was a number one hit in France and Italy. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 22. It was played often on the radio, but I was not impressed.

It was only later, when I discovered the album 'Labyrinthe' and some great songs on it, that this single became interesting: the B-side is 'Un espoir', one of the standout tracks on the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 2210

Found: Record fair, November 13, 1994

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Etienne' / 'Un espoir'

Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut nacht nicht ein) - Münchener Freiheit

The band Münchener Freiheit, composed of Stefan Zauner, Aron Strobel, Rennie Hatzke, Michael Kunzi and Alex Grünwald formed in the early Eighties. Between 1982 and 1985, they released three studio albums in German. The single 'Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut nacht nicht ein)' was their first convincing chart hit in Germany, also showing the direction the band was taking towards a more polished pop sound.

In the Netherlands, this single did chart. However, Dutch singer Erik Mesie recorded a cover version in Dutch, called 'Zonder jou'. That version peaked at number 8 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1986.

My collection: 7" single no. 3150

Found: October 23, 1999

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Ohne dich (schlaf ich heut nacht nicht ein)' / 'Tochter der Venus'

I know I can do it - Lisa Hall

When you collect singles you come to a point where you think you have pretty much everything and you're up for experiments. Especially when it comes to new singles. During a holiday in London I picked up this single by one Lisa Hall. I didn't know her, I didn't know the song - the sleeve just appealed to me, that's all.

Released in 1999, this single did not chart in the UK, and not in Europe either. The track sounds a bit like Garbage (the band), although the B-side 'Julianne' sounds different altogether. A nice find.

My collection: 7" single no. 3114

Found: HMV, London, May 14, 1999

Cost: 1,5 pounds

Tracks: 'I know I can do it' / 'Julianne'

I won't let you down - Ph.D.

Jim Diamond, Tony Hymas and Simon Phillips formed Ph.D. in 1980. Their self-titled debut album (1981) featured the hit single 'I won't let you down', which went number 1 in the Netherlands and number 3 in the UK. Part of the success could be attributed to the rather funny video that accompanied the single.

My collection: 7" single no. 895

Found: All that music, Leiden, June 23, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'I won't let you down' / 'Hideaway'

Thank you - Pale Fountains

Michael Head, Chris McCaffery, Thomas Whelan and former Dislocation Dance trumpeter Andy Diagram formed The Pale Fountains in Liverpool in 1980. They released their debut album 'Pacific street' in 1984. Their sole UK singles chart top 50 single was 'Thank you', released two years before that. It reached number 48.

I heard 'Thank you' on a compilation album a few years later and quite liked the track. When I finally found the single in 1993, I was very happy to finally own it.

My collection: 7" single no. 1830

Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Thank you' / 'Meadow of love'

Tom Pillibi - Jacqueline Boyer

Jacqueline Boyer was born as Jacqueline Docus on April 23, 1941. She represented France during the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tom Pillibi', the winning song during that year's edition. This EP features four songs, with 'Tom Pillibi' being the first and most important one.

The lyric of the song describes Tom Pillibi who owns two castles, ships and has plenty of other women wanting to be with him. Then the singer admits that he has 'only one fault', being that he is 'such a liar' and that none of what she had previously said about him was true. Nonetheless, she sings, she still loves him.

My collection: 7" single no. 3711

Found: Marktplaats.nl, received May 15, 2009

Cost: 6 euro

Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi', 'Gouli gouli dou' / 'Le village de Sainte Bernadette', 'Toute jeune'

Back stabbers - O'Jays

Vindictive? Moi? I guess so. Every time I hear this song I think back to my student years, when I had to deal with a few teachers who were always grinning when I talked with them, but when it came down to re-evaluating a grade I got which was too low (by all accounts) they wouldn't listen to reason. So this one is for Swante and Henk.

The O'Jays had a hit with this back in 1972, peaking at number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, number 14 in the UK and number 11 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2808
Found: Record fair, January 26, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Back stabbers' / 'Sunshine'

Silent all these years - Tori Amos

Listening to Tori Amos these days you can't help but wonder what happened to the magic of her earlier work. It seems to have completely disappeared. But it would be difficult to keep performing on that level: 'Silent all these years', coupled with 'Me and a Gun' was a stunning debut. The latter, originally presented as the A-side of the single, was an acapella song about rape.

Tori herself commented: 'In the song I say it was 'Me and a Gun' but it wasn't a gun. It was a knife he had. And the idea was to take me to his friends and cut me up, and he kept telling me that, for hours. And if he hadn't needed more drugs I would have been just one more news report, where you see the parents grieving for their daughter. And I was singing hymns, as I say in the song, because he told me to. I sang to stay alive. Yet I survived that torture, which left me urinating all over myself and left me paralysed for years. That's what that night was all about, mutilation, more than violation through sex.'

'Silent all these years' was a more accessible song, and so radio stations began to play that instead. Ultimately the single was re-released with nearly identical packaging but retitled as 'Silent all these years'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1949

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Silent all these years' / 'Me and a gun'

I wanna dance - Kat-mandu

Kat Mandu is Jimmy"Bullet"Ray. Born and raised in Guyana, Jimmy began singing at an early age. As a lead singer and guitarist he became so well recognized that he was invited to appear with renowned artists including: Sam & Dave, Ben E. King, and Carla Thomas. Jimmy first toured England with the Telstars and remained in London for 2 years performing with Dave Clark on a hectic club date schedule.

After this, Jimmy began his own recording career in New York by co-authoring and recording three albums under the name of Kat-mandu producing such hits as 'The break’ and ‘Don’t stop keep on’. His single 'I wanna dance' was a hit in Canada, America and various European countries. In the Netherlands the single stalled just outside the Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 124

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1982

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'I wanna dance' / 'I wanna dance'

Turaluraluralu - Trio

The German pop band Trio consisted of Stephan Remmler, Gert Krawinkel and Peter Behrens. Formed in 1979 they became part of the 'Neue Deutsche Welle' movement in the early Eighties. Their single 'Da da da I don't love you' (1982) was a worldwide hit.

In 1984 they released 'Turaluraluralu (ich mach BuBu, was machst du' (also released in an English version titled 'Tooralooralooraloo (is it old and is it new)'. It was their last hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 34. Personally I thought it was their best single for its unashamed relaxedness and simple melody.

My collection: 7" single no. 3348

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2002

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Turaluraluralu (ich mach BuBu, was machst du' / 'Immer noch einmal'

Hymn to her - The Pretenders

The fourth album by the Pretenders was released in 1986 and was titled 'Get close'. The first single taken from that album was 'Don't get me wrong', an up-tempo pop/rock track with a music video that looked like a tribute to the TV series 'The Avengers'.

The second single was 'Hymn to her', a ballad that was popularly interpreted as a hymn to the Goddess. The single peaked at number 8 in the UK and only managed a number 35 placing in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1251

Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 24, 1990

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Hymn to her' / 'Room full of mirrors'

On the air tonight - Willy Finlayson

Willy Finlayson is a singer from Scotland who first came to London in the late 60's with Scottish Soul band The Writing On The Wall. He went on to become a core member of the band Meal Ticket and Bees make Honey. Willy then formed his own band The Hurters with Micky Moody, Matt Cheadle, Nigel Portman Smith and Alan Coulter.

This band ran parallel with a solo career that spawned the top 20 hit and video with Pete Barden's 'On the air tonight'. Released in 1985, I picked up the track from a local radio station that played the song regularly, despite it not becoming a hit in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 280

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 3,5 guilders

Tracks: 'On the air tonight' / 'After the fall'

Street life - Crusaders

The Crusaders formed in 1961 as the Jazz Crusaders. Since then, they have released over fourty albums, including some live and compilation albums. Their biggest hit was the 1979 single 'Street life', with vocals performed by Randy Crawford, who would go on to have a very successful solo career. 'Street life' peaked at number 5 in the UK and number 13 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 2478

Found: October 14, 1995

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Street life' / 'The hustler'

Through the years - Tim Finn

'Through the years' was released as the last single from Tim Finn's solo debut album 'Escapade'. It was a nice upbeat song, which saw him conquer the charts in Canada (where the single peaked at number 34) and the Netherlands (number 34).

Tim's next release was 'Home for my heart', released from the soundtrack of the movie 'The Coca-cola kid', in which he also made an appearance for about five minutes.

My collection: 7" single no. 2463

Found: April 9, 1995

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Through the years' / 'Grand adventure'