'Sister of mercy' was the fourth single taken from the Thompson Twins' hugely successful 1984 album 'Into the gap'. The single version was different from the album version, in that it started out as a ballad. The B-side was a megamix of wellknown Thompson Twins tracks, such as 'We are detective', 'Into the gap' and 'Hold me now'.
The single reached number 11 in the UK singles chart, but did not chart in other territories.
My collection: 7" single no. 238 Found: LP Top 100, Den Haag, 1984 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Sister of mercy' / 'Out of the gap'
'When the snow falls' was originally Ten Sharp's debut single back in 1985. The single did not chart, and since subsequent singles were not a big success either, the band broke up in 1987. When they returned in 1991 with the single 'You', they had a European hit on their hands. The album 'Under the water-line' consisted of nine new tracks, but also a version of 'When the snow falls'.
This version was edited and released as the fourth single from the album. This version is slightly different from the original single and it also contains a different B-side. It didn't bring the band the success they might have hoped for: again, it failed to reach the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 1967 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 25, 1993 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'When the snow falls' / 'Some sails'
I cited the words 'I could be your friend, I could be your slave, I could be anything you want me to / But please, don't be aggressive' to a friend back in 1992, when she wanted to hit me because I was pulling her hair again. The words stuck in my mind, and subsequently I bought the single just after it had failed to reach the Dutch Top 40.
Written by Michael Cretu and Klaus Hirschburger, 'Don't be aggressive' sounded a lot like a track by Enigma, the newly created project by Cretu. The single reached number 17 in Germany and was only a top 10 hit in Norway, where it peaked at number 7.
My collection: 7" single no. 1592 Found: Free Record Shop, March 21, 1992 Cost: 3 guilders Tracks: 'Don't be aggressive' / 'Seal it forever'
Whenever I play this song, I'm very curious what drove the record company to release this as a single. The quirky song with its strange title was not exactly chart material and anyone with one ear could easily admit that. After the commercial failure of 'This side of love', this single was sure not to improve matters much.
Still, the single did manage to reach number 55 in the UK singles chart. It is a success of sorts, since 'This side of love' only managed number 83. I didn't think this single was released on 7" single, until I found it five years after its release.
My collection: 7" single no. 2520 Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, November 1, 1995 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'To know someone deeply is to know someone softly' / 'Loose variations on a dead mans vibe in C# M'
Technotronic finally managed to create one track which did not include rapping. The singing on this track was still pretty substandard, but at least it was a kindof decent tune. The lyric is another poetic masterpiece: 'Rockin' over the beat / Rollin' over the melody'.
The single reached number 9 in the UK singles chart and went top 20 all over Europe. In the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the single managed to get to number 95. And this single concluded by Technotronic collection. Yes, it got out of hand a little.
My collection: 7" single no. 1280 Found: August 23, 1990 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Rockin' over the beat' / 'Raw'
Roland Orzabal surprised many when he returned in 1993 on his own under the Tears for Fears band name. Curt Smith had left the group and the album 'Elemental' was created without him. The song 'Fish out of water' on the album was apparently about Curt Smith. Roland has often referred to this song as his 'How Do You Sleep', in reference to the scathing song John Lennon wrote about former bandmate Paul McCartney. Curt released a formal response to this tune four years later, in the song 'Sun King' from his album 'Mayfield'.
'Break it down again' is a less explosive song. It was released as the first single from 'Elemental' in May 1993 and reached number 20 in the UK singles chart and number 16 in the Dutch Top 40. In the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, it reached number 25.
My collection: 7" single no. 1918 Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, June 5, 1993 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Break it down again' / 'Bloodletting go'
'Radio Musicola' is the title track from Nik Kershaw's third album. Both the album and the single were released in 1986 by MCA Records. The album deals with subjects of integrity, media skepticism (particularly towards tabloid journalism), privacy, insecurity and mass produced run-of-the-mill pop.
All this intelligence was probably too much for the audience to handle: the single only reached number 43 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 3065 Found: House of Rhythm, London, May 9, 1999 Cost: 60p Tracks: 'Radio Musicola' / 'L.A.B.A.T.Y.D.'
I still remember vividly the first time I heard 'Belfast child' by the Simple Minds. It was a Saturday evening and I had a splitting headache. I'd taken a few pills to combat this, and started playing some music. As always, I'd borrowed the new cd-singles my sister had bought, and this was one of them. I was listening to this new track with a lot of attention and was very impressed with the buildup and climax near the end of the track. When the song was over, my headache was gone.
The song uses the music from the Irish folk song 'She moved through the fair', but has completely different words. Jim Kerr commented: 'I first heard the melody a few days after the Enniskillen bombing, and like everybody when you see the images I was sick. In the second part of the song, I'm trying to relate to people in Northern Ireland who lost loved ones. I'm trying to talk about the madness, the sadness and the emptiness. I'm not saying I have any pearls of wisdom, but I have a few questions to ask.' The single, released in early 1989, reached number 1 in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.
My collection: 7" single no. 735 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 7, 1989 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Belfast child' / 'Mandela Day'
Newgrange (Irish: Sí an Bhrú) is a passage tomb of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Louth. It was originally built between c. 5500 and 2900 BC. It is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, and indeed the most famous of all Irish prehistoric sites.
It is also the title of this Clannad song, released as the third single from their 1982 album 'Magical ring'. It reached number 65 in the UK singles chart during a one week chart run.
My collection: 7" single no. 2682 Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, July 3, 1996 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'Newgrange' / 'Seachràn Charn tSiail'
Taken from their debut album of the same name, 'Adolescent sex' was the first hit for Japan, reaching number 27 in the Netherlands and number 20 in Japan. The single did not chart in the UK, where it was not played on the radio because of the title.
The song sounds very different from Japan's later material, and these days many people find it hard to believe that this is actually a track sung by David Sylvian.
My collection: 7" single no. 2942 Found: Record fair, Leiden, January 31, 1998 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Adolescent sex' / 'Sometimes I feel so low'
Released in October 1987, 'Fight fire with fire' was the last single by Mai Tai to reach the Dutch Top 40. It reached number 31 during a four week chart run. The single was taken from their 1987 album 'Cool is the rule'.
In 1988, a compilation album was released, after which the members of Mai Tai went their separate ways.
My collection: 7" single no. 4091 Found: Marktplaats.nl, received September 25, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Fight fire with fire' / 'If it don't turn you on'
The new single by Madonna notwithstanding, the most famous song called 'Celebration' was originally released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang, a number 1 hit in America for the band. Kylie Minogue, who cited the song as one of her alltime favourite songs, recorded for her fourth studio album 'Let's get to it' in 1991, but it was not included.
The track appeared a year later as a new song on her Greatest Hits album. Released as a single, it reached number 20 in the UK singles chart. This song was the last single Kylie made with PWL and Stock Aitken Waterman.
My collection: 7" single no. 3331 Found: Record fair, Utrecht, March 24, 2001 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Celebration' / 'Let's get to it'
'Sounds like a melody' was the second single taken from Alphaville's debut album 'Forever young'. Released in May 1984, the single reached the top 10 all over Europe, including a number 6 position in the Dutch Top 40 and number 3 in Germany and Austria.
Besides this 7" single I also own the 12" single, which fortunately contains an extended version of this great song.
My collection: 7" single no. 608 Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 7, 1988 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Sounds like a melody' / 'The Nelson highrise (Sector one: the elevator)'
Not content with having a European hit with 'Nur geträumt', the German band Nena recorded the track in an English version entitled 'Just a dream'. This English version was the follow-up to '99 red balloons', the English version of her hit '99 Luftballons' which reached number 1 in the UK.
'Just a dream' did much worse in May 1984, reaching number 70 during a two week chart run. It was also the last Nena single to chart in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 3074 Found: Record Exchange, London, May 10, 1999 Cost: 1 pound Tracks: 'Just a dream' / 'Indianer'
'Just a shadow' was the third and last single released from Big Country's third album 'Steeltown'. Like the two before, the single was only a significant success in the UK. The single peaked at number 26 in the UK singles chart in January 1985.
Back then, Big Country singles really didn't excite me much. I took in most of my music through television and all of their music videos were very boring. It's only a few years later that I started to appreciate this song. Eventually, I bought the single.
My collection: 7" single no. 1305 Found: Record Exchange, London, October 15, 1990 Cost: 30p Tracks: 'Just a shadow' / 'Winter sky'
Time for some dodgy Nineties music now. Timmy T was born as Timmy Torres in Fresno, California on September 21, 1967. He released his biggest hit 'One more try' in 1991. The song was written and performed by Timmy himself. The inspiration for the lyric was the breakup with a girlfriend.
Nothing really shocking there. But here is comes: when you listen to this, you will hear the cheap, tinny sounds and the low production standards of the track. You would think this would have been a minor hit, but instead this track topped the charts in America and the Netherlands. Only the people in the UK were sensible: there, the single did not chart. And why did I buy it? Dunno. Must have been a blackout.
My collection: 7" single no. 1436 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, April 26, 1991 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'One more try' / 'What will I do'
Contrary to public belief, Roxette did not debut with the single 'The look', which gave them worldwide fame. Instead, this single, 'Neverending love' was the start of their career together. Per Gessle had been a member of Gyllene Tider, a Swedish pop group, and Marie Fredriksson had a successful solo career in Sweden.
This song was originally called 'Svarta glas' and was written for another Swedish artist, Pernilla Wahlgren. She turned it down and gave it to her brother, Niclas Wahlgren, who decided to record it. This release was cancelled when Roxette's record company found out that writer Per Gessle had recorded an English version of the song with Fredriksson. 'Neverending love' was released all over Europe, but only charted in Sweden, where it reached number 3.
My collection: 7" single no. 2963 Found: Record fair, February 9, 1998 Cost: 5 guilders Tracks: 'Neverending love' / 'Neverending love (Love mix)'
'Don't drop bombs' was released as the second single from Liza Minelli's 1989 album 'Results'. Like the album, the single was produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Julian Mendelssohn. The track was written by the Pet Shop Boys and featured background vocals by Tessa Niles.
The single was a club favourite, but stalled at number 46 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 1944 Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, August 11, 1993 Cost: 1 guilder Tracks: 'Don't drop bombs' / 'Don't drop bombs (instrumental)'
'The lovers are losing' was the second single taken from Keane's 2008 album 'Perfect symmetry'. It was released in October 2008.
Despite being the first physical release taken from the album ('Spiralling' was released as a digital download only in the UK), the single only reached number 52 in the UK singles chart. It had a three week chart run.
My collection: 7" single no. 3517 Found: eBay.com, received December 30, 2008 Cost: 3 pounds Tracks: 'The lovers are losing' / 'Time to go'
The second single from Earth & Fire's 1982 album 'In a state of flux' was the radiofriendly 'Jack is back', an unpretentious pop song from the band that had slowly moved away from their progressive rock roots.
The single reached number 29 in the Dutch Top 40. Although all three singles from 'In a state of flux' reached the Dutch Top 40, it was also the last album by the band - until a reunion album in 1989, that is.
My collection: 7" single no. 430 Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 29, 1986 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'Jack is back' / 'Hide away'
'Sister of mercy' was the fourth single taken from the Thompson Twins' hugely successful 1984 album 'Into the gap'. The single version was different from the album version, in that it started out as a ballad. The B-side was a megamix of wellknown Thompson Twins tracks, such as 'We are detective', 'Into the gap' and 'Hold me now'.
