Trojan horse - Luv'

Released in the autumn of 1978, 'Trojan horse' was the fifth single by Luv'. Heavy on bagpipes, this third hit single for the group reached number 1 in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Poland. Thanks to this success, Luv' established itself as one of the most popular Dutch pop acts of the late Seventies.

The song was used in the soundtrack of the Dutch movie 'Spetters', directed by Paul Verhoeven. When Luv' played a cameo role in the 1979 German movie 'Cola, Candy, Chocolate' they performed this song.

My collection: 7" single no. 32
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1979
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Trojan horse' / 'Life is on my side'

Mated - David Grant and Jaki Graham

Jaki Graham (born September 15, 1956 in Birmingham, UK) and David Grant (born August 8, 1956, Hackney, London, UK) recorded a duet called 'Could it be I'm falling in love' in Early 1985. The success of this duet led to a further recording together, 'Mated', released in autumn of that same year.

Written by Todd Rundgren, this duet was less successful, peaking at number 20 in the UK and number 15 in the Netherlands. But it's a glossy Eighties production and worth a spin or two.

My collection: 7" single no. 3865
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Mated' / 'The facts of love'

Whose side are you on - Matt Bianco

'Whose side are you on' was the title track from Matt Bianco's debut album. The single was released in the summer of 1984, and was promoted with a music video which still sticks in my head despite the fact that I haven't seen it for two decades.

The single was a hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 23. It was not released in the UK and America.

My collection: 7" single no. 3866
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Whose side are you on' / 'The other side'

Jimmy Mack - Risqué

'Jimmy Mack' was written by Lamont Dozier and Brian and Edward Holland in 1964 and recorded by Martha and the Vandellas that same year. The song was shelved because the Motown Quality Control team felt the recording was not suitable for release with the Vietnam War going on. It was pulled from the vault two years later and released as a single in early 1967. By that time, the Vietnam War had become a highly debated issue among the American public. Thus, Reeves' sentiment that her 'Jimmy Mack' return took on a different meaning for many listeners, particularly those stationed overseas.

The Dutch girl group Risqué recorded a cover version of the song in 1984, but it didn't find success. The song did not reach the chart despite some airplay.

My collection: 7" single no. 3858
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Jimmy Mack' / 'Love supply'

Muscles - Diana Ross

Why Diana Ross wants muscles has always been a mystery to me. I wouldn't know what she would need them for. But anyway, 'Muscles' was the title of her 1982 hit single taken from the album 'Silk electric', written and produced by Michael Jackson. The song, which was named after Jackson's pet snake and was written for Ross and her 'desire' for a muscle-bound lover, also gave Ross her twelfth and final Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The single reached number 10 on the Dutch Top 40 and number 15 on the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3863
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Muscles' / 'I am me'

Windsurfin' - The Surfers

In 1978, Windsurfing was the world's new big thing. Dutch producer Jaap Eggermont decided to write a song about it. It was to be performed by members of the group Catapult, who just started a side project Rubberen Robbie. The song was not suitable for that group, and so The Surfers were thought up. Nico Fontijn, Paul Braaksma, Iwan Groeneveld, Patrick Elalouf and backing singers Esther Overbeek, Marijke Meyer and Cathy Leonupun were brought together to perform the song during TV programmes and live performances, while the studio version was recorded by members of Breeze and The Internationals.

The song became a number 2 hit in Belgium and the Netherlands. The success of the group proved to be short-lived. Esther Overbeek continued as a member of the Dolly Dots, other members disappeared into obscurity after The Surfers folded in 1980.

My collection: 7" single no. 3864
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Windsurfin'' / 'Nite at the beach'

Shadow of your heart - Risqué

I don't know exactly what the 'shadow of your heart' is, but Risqué made a nice popsong with this title. It was not a hit for the girl group, one of many chart-missers.

The B-side featured a 'scratching version', essentially an extended mix with some scratching sounds in it. Scratching was the new sound of 1983, flown in from the black neighbourhoods from America.

My collection: 7"single no. 3860
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Shadow of your heart' / 'Shadow of your heart (Scratching version)'

Als ik de bouw van Arnold Schwarzenegger had - Het Goede Doel

'Als ik de bouw van Arnold Schwarzenegger had' ('If I was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger') was a new single by het Goede Doel to coincide with the release of a compilation album in 1991. It was the last single by the band before they broke up. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit.

Having acquired a stack of singles by this band a few weeks ago (some of which have already featured on this blog), this was the only one still missing from my collection. It was great to finally get this one - even if I didn't know it was released on 7" vinyl! I wonder if the bodybuilding Californian politician knows about this song. I bet he'd feel flattered to be mentioned to be in a Dutch track.

My collection: 7" single no. 3861
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Als ik de bouw van Arnold Schwarzenegger had' / 'De muren zijn te dun'

Yé ké yé ké - Mory Kante

Mory Kanté was born on March 29, 1950 in Kissidougou, Guinea. He was brought up in the Mandinka griot tradition in Guinea and sent to Mali at the age of 7, where he learned to play the kora harp. In 1971 Kanté became a member of the Rail Band, in which Salif Keïta was a singer. Keïta left the band in 1973, leaving Kanté as the singer.

Several years later he started a solo career. His biggest success was 'Yé ké yé ké', a single released in 1987. It became an international hit in 1988, reaching number 1 in the Netherlands and reaching the top 5 in several European countries. It became the first ever African single to sell over one million copies.

My collection: 7" single no. 3862
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Yé ké yé ké' / 'Akwaba beach'

Hold on tight - Electric Light Orchestra

'Hold on tight' was the first single to be released from ELO's 1981 album 'Time' and was their last top 10 hit in the UK, reaching number 4 in the summer of 1981. In the Netherlands, where the single reached number 5, they would have one more top 10 hit single with 'Rock and roll is king' in 1983.

The song is quite unique for an English band, because it contains a verse sung in French. The words are a direct translation of the English verse sung earlier on in the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 3859
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Hold on tight' / 'When time stood still'

Annie I'm not your daddy - Kid Creole and the Coconuts

Kid Creole and the Coconuts enjoyed the biggest hit of their career in the autumn of 1982, when 'Annie I'm not your daddy' reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. It became the signature song for the band.

Thomas August Darnell Browder, who renamed himself Kid Creole in 1980, described his persona as 'inspired by Cab Calloway and the Hollywood films of the Thirties and Fourties. The Kid fills out his colorful zoot suits with style and grace, dancing onstage with his inimitable, relentless and self-proclaimed cool'. Well, a line like 'If I was in your blood, then you wouldn't be so ugly' is decidedly icy.

My collection: 7" single no. 3857
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Annie I'm not your daddy' / 'You had no intention'

(You is) A guarantee for love - Smithereens

Smithereens was a short-lived Dutch rock band who enjoyed no chart success at all. Their single '(You is) A guarantee for love' was released in December 1985 and was played on the radio for a while, but without any commercial success. The band should not be confused with the American rock band the Smithereens.

My collection: 7" single no. 3867
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: '(You is) A guarantee for love' / 'Promiscuous'

Sketches of Spain - The Nits

The single 'Sketches of Spain' was a gripping tale of the Spanish civil war, taken from the Nits' 1983 album 'Kilo'. The single was the third hit single for the band, reaching number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.

I recorded the song - like many others - from the radio in 1983, but I never realised that I didn't have this single until I bought it today. Well, that's one error corrected then!

My collection: 7" single no. 3855
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Sketches of Spain' / 'Bild am Sontag (As usual)'

UFO (We are not alone) - Bolland and Bolland

The brothers Rob and Ferdi Bolland enjoyed a handful of hit singles in the Netherlands during the Seventies, but this single, 'UFO (We are not alone)' was the beginning of a tough time for them. It was the first of many singles that wouldn't reach the charts. In fact, only one more single would do that - and that was in 1990.

This single was released in 1978, around the time when Jeff Wayne was enjoying lots of success with his 'War of the worlds' epic. The brothers could not profit from that success with this release.

My collection: 7" single no. 3856
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, July 18, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'UFO (We are not alone)' / 'Funkadelic man'

Fragile - Sting

'Fragile' was released as a single from Sting's 1987 album 'Nothing like the sun'. It was released as a limited edition with a poster sleeve and a standard edition with a beautiful glossy cardboard sleeve, both of which I have. It is a perfect song to play on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning.

According to Wikipedia, the song is a tribute to Ben Linder, an American civil engineer who was killed by the Contras in 1987 while working on a hydroelectric project in Nicaragua. Meanwhile, Sting was touring the world with some indian with a frisbee in his lip to promote the problems of the South African rainforests. It's this kind of blathering that made Sting such a bore during the second half of the Eighties. The single, meanwhile, was a number 10 hit in the Netherlands, while in the UK it only made number 70.

My collection: 7" single no. 614 (1 & 2)
Found: Free Record Shop, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders + 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Fragile' / 'Frágil (Portuguese)'

Who is it - Michael Jackson

'Who is it', to me, is one of the standout tracks on Michael Jackson's 1991 album 'Dangerous'. Michael Jackson sang it a cappella during his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, and the positive reaction to this prompted Sony to issue it as a single in the U.S. instead of the planned 'Give in to me'. The single peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 10 on the UK singles chart and number 15 on the Dutch Top 40.

Vinyl pressings exist from various countries, but this limited edition from the UK is by far the most interesting. It contains a free-standing cutout portrait of Michael, like it says on the sleeve. In the days after Michael's death, the price of this item shot up to 20 pounds, so I was very relieved to find a more reasonably priced copy in an online shop.

My collection: 7" single no. 3852
Found: Disc Covery records, received July 15, 2009
Cost: 4 pounds
Tracks: 'Who is it' / 'Rock with you (Masters at Work remix)'

The first picture of you - The Lotus Eaters

'The first picture of you' was the debut single by the Lotus Eaters. The song was first recorded during a John Peel Radio 1 session in 1982 and when aired, stimulated a bidding war between major UK record labels. It took some time for the band to find the right producer for this delicate, acoustic sound, but they eventually teamed up with Nigel Gray, who had previously produced The Police and Siouxsie & the Banshees.

The song, after its release, received more UK radio plays in 1983 than any other song. It becpeaked at number 15 in the UK singles chart after the band had appeared on 'Top of the Pops' twice.

My collection: 7" single no. 2169
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 26, 1994
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'The first picture of you' / 'The lotus eaters'

I call your name - A-ha

'I call your name' was released as the second single from A-ha's fourth album 'East of the sun west of the moon'. As a single release, it was another disappointing one for the fans because it only contained two album tracks. At this point in the band's career, they were very greedy with bonus tracks and remixes.

Maybe this is why the sales were disappointing: the single only charted in France, Germany in the UK, reaching number 45, 37 and 44 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 1367
Found: Melody Maker, December 29, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'I call your name' / 'The way we talk'

Boogie nights - Heatwave

'Boogie nights' was released in 1976 as the debut single by British band Heatwave. The band consiseted of Americans Johnnie Wilder and Keith Wilder, Spaniard Mario Mantese, Czechoslovakian Ernest Berger, Jamaican Eric Johns plus British members Rod Temperton and Roy Carter.

The song became their signature song, peaking at number 2 in the UK and America, and number 17 in the Neherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 960
Found: All that music, Leiden, August 10, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Boogie nights' / 'All you do is dial'

See the day - Dee C. Lee

Dee C. Lee was born as Diane Catherine Sealey in Balham, South London on June 6, 1961. She was a backing vocalist for Wham! in the early Eighties, but left the group when she joined Paul Weller's new band the Style Council. At the same time, she launched a solo career. She later married Weller (although they have already divorced again by now), and they have two children, Nathaniel and Leah.

The self-penned ballad 'See the day' was released in 1985 and peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart, the first and biggest hit of her solo career. The song was covered in 2005 by Girls Aloud.

My collection: 7" single no. 381
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'See the day' / 'The Paris match'