Longer - Dan Fogelberg

I'm really shocked! I found this single of 'Longer' earlier today and while doing research for this blog I found out that Dan Fogelberg died on December 16, 2007. I didn't know this - and it's always a bit of a shock when someone you admire passes away.

Dan Fogelberg has made a couple of outstanding ballads, of which 'Longer' is probably one of his best known ones. It has become a standard on weddings for its highly romantic lyric. Fogelberg himself jokingly described 'Longer' in the liner notes to one of his retrospective albums as 'the song that put me on the elevators.' The single reached number 59 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4127
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Longer' / 'Along the road'

Volare - John Raver

'Volare' is probably one of the Eurovision Song Contest's best known songs ever. Amazingly, it did not win the Contest when Domenico Modugno performed it in 1958, representing Italy. But the song has been covered by an impressive array of artists, including Dalida, Frank Zappa, Richard Clayderman and David Bowie.

One of them was the Dutch artist John Raadtgever, who used the stage name John Raver. He recorded his 'Sinatra light' version of 'Volare' in 1981. The single did not chart. Raadtgever, who was born on July 7, 1943, died on August 31, 2002.

My collection: 7" single no. 4126
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'Blue moon'

Heaven must be missing an angel - Tavares

'Heaven must be missing an angel' was written by Freddie Perren and Keni St. Lewis. It was recorded by Tavares in 1976. The song was released as a single from their album 'Sky high!' and was split into two parts for the single.

The single reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK singles chart, it reached number 4. But it performed best in the Dutch Top 40, where it got to number 1. In 1985, Ben Liebrand made a remix of the track, which was also released as a single.

My collection: 7" single no. 4125
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Heaven must be missing an angel (part 1)' / 'Heaven must be missing an angel (part 2)'

Set me free - Jaki Graham

'Set me free' was the first single taken from Jaki Graham's second album 'Breaking away'. It is one of her better known songs, having reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 11 in the Dutch Top 40.

As per usual, the tracks on this single were written by her partner Derek Bramble.

My collection: 7" single no. 4124
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Set me free' / 'Stop the world'

The wild boys - Duran Duran

The idea for 'The wild boys' came from Duran Duran's video director Russell Mulcahy, who wanted to make a full-length feature film based on the 1971 novel 'The wild boys: a book of the dead' by William S. Burroughs. He suggested that the band might create a modern soundtrack for the film. Singer Simon Le Bon began writing some lyrics based on Mulcahy's quick synopsis of the book, and the band created a harsh-sounding instrumental backdrop for them.

Although the movie never came to be, Mulcahy did direct the ambitious music video for 'The wild boys', which cost over one million dollars to make (a staggering sum for a music video at the time) and also delivered an urban myth about Simon le Bon supposedly nearly drowning while he was strapped to a windmill. The single reached number 1 in Germany and Canada and number 2 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4123
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'The wild boys' / '(I'm looking for) Cracks in the pavement (live)'

Wonderland - Paul Young

'Wonderland' was the first single taken from Paul Young's third solo album 'Between two fires'. The song was written by Betsy Cook, who would record the track herself a few years later. That single has been in my collection for years now, so I decided to add this cover version as well.

Paul Young's version of 'Wonderland' reached number 24 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4122
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Wonderland' / 'Between two fires'

Era - Wess e Dori Ghezzi

Last month,Wess Johnson, one half of the duo Wess & Dori Ghezzi passed away. Wess and Dori were a very successful duo in Italy. They represented their country during the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Stockholm after Abba's historic victory the year before.

The song they performed was 'Era', an Italian love song. The song finished third in the Contest.

My collection: 7" single no. 4121
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Era' / 'Sempre tu'

Are you hearing (what I hear)? - Level 42

Level 42 released their third album 'The pursuit of accidents' in 1982. The first single from the album was 'Are you hearing (what I hear)?'. The song had a bouncy quality that the band would become famous for later on in their career.

This single didn't become an international hit, and only reached number 49 in the UK singles chart. The B-side is an interesting non-album track.

My collection: 7" single no. 4120
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Are you hearing (what I hear)?' / 'The return of the handsome rugged man'

Que sera mi vida - Gibson Brothers

All I can say is that my Spanish wasn't very good when I was eight years old. I always thought that 'Que sera mi vida' meant 'How are you, I'm okay', but it actually means 'How would my life be'. Oh well, lessons learned.

This disco hit sold over five million copies worldwide. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4119
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, October 24, 2009
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Que sera mi vida' / 'West Indies'

Angeleyes / Voulez-vous - Abba

In the UK, 'Angeleyes' and 'Voulez-vous' were released as a double A side, because the record company believed 'Angeleyes' would appeal more to the record buying public than 'Voulez-vous', which was released as the A-side track in most other countries. They were not wrong: the single peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart.

'Angeleyes / Voulez vous' was the first Abba single in the UK to be released in a picture sleeve, as all previous Abba singles were released in a standard 'Epic' company sleeve. The single was also issued in several different colours of vinyl, although my copy is pressed on 'standard' black vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 2016
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 19, 1993
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Angeleyes' / 'Voulez-vous'

How are you - The Kinks

'How are you' was released as the first single from the Kinks' 1986 album 'Think visual'. The title track from that album was an attack on the very MTV video culture the band seemed to be enjoying so much during the earlier part of the decade.

The song 'How are you' was a more innocent song. The single did not chart in any territory. I noticed the song during a showing of the music video on Dutch television. It stuck in my head, so I bought it a few years later.

My collection: 7" single no. 1185
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 3, 1990
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'How are you' / 'Killing time'

The king is dead - Go west

After their debut album was very successful, with four hit singles lifted off it, Go West's second album 'Dancing on the couch' paled in comparison. The first two singles 'True colours' and 'I want to hear it from you' landed just outside the UK top 40, and the singles 'Don't look down - The sequel' and 'From Baltimore to Paris' didn't chart at all.

In an attempt to reverse the band's fortunes, a fifth and final single was taken from the album. It was 'The king is dead', a track notable for the backing vocals by Kate Bush. The single did reach the UK singles chart, but stalled at number 67. Go West would return to the UK top 40 with their next singles. Perhaps their second album just wasn't very appealing to most...

My collection: 7" single no. 1926
Found: June 5, 1993
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'The king is dead' / 'Little Caesar (live)'

Dream on - Aerosmith

Long before Aerosmith became The Most Irritating Band On Earth, they debuted in 1973 with 'Dream on'. The power ballad written by band leader Steven Tyler became their first major hit, reaching number 59 in the US chart. It was re-released in 1976 when it reached number 6.

I bought this single after hearing the track on a compilation cd my sister had bought. Soon after, the band would continue to haunt the charts with worse songs every time. Their 1987 reunion should never have taken place.

My collection: 7" single no. 1135
Found: Leiden, December 28, 1989
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Dream on' / 'Sweet emotion'

Don't look back - Peter Tosh

Peter Tosh was born as Winston Hubert McIntosh on October 18, 1944. He became a core member of The Wailers, Bob Marley's backing band. In 1976 he launched a solo career with the debut solo album 'Legalize it'.

His big international breakthrough came in 1979, when he recorded the Temptations song 'Don't look back' together with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The single only reached number 43 in the UK singles chart, but topped the Dutch Top 40 in early 1979. Tosh died in 1987 when a three man gang raided his house.

My collection: 7" single no. 2430
Found: August 19, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Don't look back' / 'Soon come'

James Cagney - Nik Kershaw

'James Cagney', a song named after the actor of the same name, was taken from Nik Kershaw's 1986 album 'Radio Musicola', and released as a single in Germany only in early 1987. The single did not chart.

I bought the single a year later, although I didn't know the song. I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and played it. It would take me more than 20 years to find the 12" single with an extended mix of this great track.

My collection: 7" single no. 681
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, November 12, 1988
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'James Cagney' / 'Radio Musicola'

Don't let the sun go down on me - George Michael and Elton John

'Don't let the sun go down on me' was originally a hit for Elton John in 1974. The single peaked at number 16 in the UK singles chart. However, it was this live version, performed together with George Michael, that made the song even more popular.

The track was recorded live at a concert in Wembley Arena on March 25, 1991, where Elton appeared as a surprise guest star of George Michael, the duet became a massive hit. It reached number 1 in the USA, the UK and the Netherlands. The proceeds from the single were divided among 10 different charities for children, AIDS and education.

The B-side of this single is a live performance of the Stevie Wonder song 'I believe (when I fall in love it will be forever)'. The first verse sounds a lot like Mel & Kim's 'Who's gonna catch you'. Or rather, I think it's the other way around...

My collection: 7" single no. 3256
Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 20, 2000
Cost: 60p
Tracks: 'Don't let the sun go down on me' / 'I believe (when I fall in love it will be forever)'

Something's jumpin' in your shirt - Lisa Marie with Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra

'Something's jumpin' in your shirt' was the second single taken from Malcolm McLaren's 1989 album 'Waltz darling'. The song comes with a peculiar lyric, which I'm sure is about tits. And I'm not sure there are that many hit singles about that particular subject (Well, excluding the whole hiphop genre, of course - I'm talking about music here).

The single reached number 29 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the Dutch Top 40. I remember buying the cd-single for a guilder during an open air market in Hoorn almost a decade later from a little kid who was just about 10 years old. I was wondering what that little boy was doing with this particular song...

My collection: 7" single no. 967
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, August 19, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Something's jumpin' in your shirt' / 'All night long'

Don't give up - Peter Gabriel

The Italian promo single is a strange phenomenon. There are several in my collection, and without exception they are white label promos, released in a custom white sleeve, with two A-side tracks from different artists on them. In this case: 'Don't give up' by Peter Gabriel and 'In too deep' by Genesis.

I'm not up on Italian chart placings, but it's safe to assume that both singles were a hit in Italy. What's interesting about this single is that in a way it reunites the old line-up of Genesis. But that's a rather pointless observation. It's a nice collector's item for fans of Genesis, Peter Gabriel... and Kate Bush of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 1718
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 19, 1992
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Don't give up' (Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush) / 'In too deep' (Genesis)

This is your land - Simple Minds

'This is your land' was released as the second single from the Simple Minds' 1989 album 'Street fighting years' in April 1989. The song was written and composed by the band and features Lou Reed as guest vocalist.

The single peaked at number 13 in the UK singles chart and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40. It's quite a long single, as both sides clock in at over six minutes. Great value for money!

My collection: 7" single no. 878
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, June 10, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'This is your land' / 'Saturday girl'

Closer to your heart - Clannad

With less folk influences, a clear rhythm and intelligable lyrics, 'Closer to your heart' was widely considered to be Clannad's first 'pop' single. The single was taken from the band's 1985 album 'Macalla'.

Amazingly, this great song did not chart in any territory. My copy of the single bears a sticker with the text 'Not for resale' on the back.

My collection: 7" single no. 1465
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 30, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Closer to your heart' / 'Buachaill on eirne'