Releasing the bombastic single 'We belong to the night' in the slipstream of the success of 'Paradise by the dashboard light', the famous Meatloaf track on which Ellen Foley performed the female lead vocals, was a smart move from the record company.
It was also rewarded: 'We belong to the night' became a number 1 hit in the Netherlands for Ellen Foley in the autumn of 1979. Amazingly, the single did not chart in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 4182 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'We belong to the night' / 'Young lust'
Taken from Fay Lovsky's 1983 album 'Origami', the track 'Ramon' was remixed for the single release. It was one of many Fay Lovsky singles that didn't reach the Dutch Top 40.
I've seen this single numerous times over the years, but it is only now that I've decided to collect all of her singles that I finally got around to buying this one. I didn't know the track so well, but I'm glad to say this is one of her better singles.
My collection: 7" single no. 4177 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Ramon (special dance mix)' / 'Window across the street'
Andrew Maurice Gold was born in Burbank, California on August 2, 1951. He recorded 'Lonely boy' in 1976 for his album 'What's wrong with this picture?' . The song features backing vocals by Linda Ronstadt. The lyric of the song follows the life of a child who is neglected by his parents after the birth of a younger sister. Many assume this song to be autobiographical, but Gold has denied this.
When released as a single in 1977, it reached number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 31 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4170 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Lonely boy' / 'Must be crazy'
'The friends of Mr. Cairo' is the title track of Jon & Vangelis' second album, released in 1981. On the album, the track lasts 12 minutes, but is edited down to a little more than 4 minutes for this single release. It is still a rather confusing track, which didn't have any commercial appeal.
The song is an ode to classic Hollywood films of the Thirties and Fourties. Most notable references are to the classic film noir 'The Maltese falcon'. The track incorporates sound effects and voice impressions of the stars of the era, most notably Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre.
My collection: 7" single no. 4168 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The friends of Mr. Cairo' / 'Beside'
Jona Lewie is best known for his wry lyrics in the songs he's recorded. This is why 'Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' is a remarkable single in his catalogue: it is an almost entirely instrumental track. It does feature a guitar part, performed by Juan Martin.
Instrumental tracks are rarely commercially successful, and this one is no exception: the single did not chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4166 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' / 'I'll be here'
Clannad recorded 'The hunter' as a new track on their 1989 compilation album 'Past present'. It is a re-worked version of the song 'Herne' from their 1984 album 'Legend'. The track was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studios in Bath.
The single did not chart in the UK, unlike the album 'Past present', which reached number 5 in the UK albums chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4164 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'The hunter' / 'Atlantic realm (The theme from)'
The Belle Stars made a name for themselves in the London club circuit when they started performing in 1981. Within a few months they appeared on the front cover of Sounds magazine. They were signed by Stiff Records.
The band's debut single, 'Hiawatha' was released in the late spring of 1981. This single failed to chart, just like the follow-up 'Slick trick'. Their third single was this EP, with the lead track 'Another latin love song'. Again, it failed to break into the charts. The band finally found success with their fourth single, a cover of the song 'Iko Iko'.
My collection: 7" single no. 4163 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Another latin love song', 'Miss world' / 'Stop now', 'Having a good time'
I wrote about 'I owe you nothing' once before, as I already owned the single for a long time. But this weekend, I managed to find three more copies of the single. Three more? Yes, because the single was actually released with four different sleeves. One was a compilation of the three others, featuring one member on the front sleeve each. Such was the popularity of Bros, that the single was not only released this way in the UK, but also in Europe.
When 'I owe you nothing' was released as Bros's debut single a year earlier, it failed to chart. The re-release was much more successful, as it managed to climb to the top of the UK singles chart this time around. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 4.
Finding these singles - the German pressings of them, by the way - saw me confronted with an administrative question: would I catalogue them as three separate singles? In the end, I decided to give them all the number 4162. After all, all three singles contain the same two tracks.
My collection: 7" single no. 4162 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro each Tracks: 'I owe you nothing' / 'I owe you nothing (The voice)'
Bananarama write and recorded 'Robert de Niro's waiting' on their self-titled second album, which was released in 1984. The track was apparently originally called 'Al Pacino's waiting', but was changed to 'Robert de Niro's waiting' because it fitted the music better. According to Siobhan Fahey: 'At Jolley [and] Swain's insistence the line 'Talking Italian' was added to add a 'romantic' edge.;
The single reached number 3 in the UK singles chart and number 25 in the Dutch Top 40. When Robert de Niro heard of the 'tribute' song, he arranged to meet the girls from Bananarama for drinks and dinner.
My collection: 7" single no. 4160 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Robert de Niro's waiting' / 'Push!'
After the release of the compilation album 'Absolutely' in 1990, ABC moved to a new record company and started recording their sixth studio album 'Abracadabra'. Just like with all previous albums, they radically changed their sound. This time, they opted for early Nineties techno sounds with a rather unemotional, distanced production.
The first single from the album was 'Love conquers all', which was received without much enthusiasm. It reached number 47 in the UK singles chart, but flopped everywhere else.
My collection: 7" single no. 4158 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Love conquers all' / 'What's good about goodbye?'
The album 'Homelands' by Ellis, Beggs & Howard was not a successful one, despite the fact that their debut single 'Big bubbles, no troubles' was a hit in some European countries. The second single from the album, 'Bad times', was a flop.
Despite this, a third single was released, the uptempo 'Where did tomorrow go?'. Unfortunately, this single also failed to make the chart. The trio started to record a second album in 1989, but it was not released in the end. The tracks did surface several years later as 'The lost years volume 1', including contributions from Warren Cuccurullo and Robert Fripp.
My collection: 7" single no. 4157 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Where did tomorrow go?' / 'Nobody knows'
In 1978, the soundtrack album for the movie 'The Wiz' was released. Chiefly produced by Quincy Jones, the soundtrack features cast performances by the stars of the movie, including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross, amongst others.
This quartet also starred on the first single taken from the soundtrack, 'A brand new day', which was released as a single in the summer of 1979. It reached number 1 in the Dutch Top 40. The soundtrack marks Jones' first collaboration with Michael Jackson; he would go on to produce Jackson's hit solo albums 'Off the wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad'.
My collection: 7" single no. 4155 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'A brand new day' / 'Liberation ballet: a brand new day'
You know a single is rare when it is offered on eBay for enormous amounts of money. It is even more rare when it isn't offered on eBay at all. Ever since I knew about the existance of New Musik's single 'The planet doesn't mind' (which really isn't that long ago) I have been searching for this single to no avail. A copy recently popped up on discogs.com, offered on sale for the amount of 20 euros.
How lucky I was to find this copy of the single for one tenth of that amount. It means that I am very close to completing my collection of New Musik singles. The only one I am looking for now is the title track of their third album, 'Warp'. For a reasonable price, of course. After all, all these singles flopped.
My collection: 7" single no. 4151 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'The planet doesn't mind' / '24 hours from culture (part 2)'
Novi Fosili (English: The new fossils) was a Croatian pop band, one of the most popular music acts in former Yugoslavia. They formed in Zagreb in 1969. They found success when composer Rajko Dujmić joined the band in 1976. That same year the band played at the Split Festival, where their song 'Diridonda' became a hit throughout the country. Their next several albums sold millions of copies and delivered many hits that are still aired on radios in Croatia today. The first female singer was Đurđica Barlović, in 1984 replaced by Sanja Doležal. The group's male vocalists were Vladimir Kočiš Zec and Rajko Dujmić.
In 1987 the band represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest. With their song 'Ja sam za ples' they reached fourth place. The single was released all over Europe, but this didn't bring them international success. The band disbanded when the former Yugoslavia fell apart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4150 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'I wanna dance' / 'Ja sam za ples'
The synthesizer wizards of Nova recorded two albums, but they will always be remembered for their debut single 'Aurora'. It's as if they never recorded anything else! But they did.
'Cygnus' was the first single from their second album 'Quo vadis', released in 1983. The single did not make a dent in the charts, although it didn't sound very different from the material on their first album. But perhaps that was the problem...
My collection: 7" single no. 4149 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Cygnus' / 'Jig'
'Starchild' was written by Wally Badarou, Mark King and Phil Gould. It was released in 1981 as a track on Level 42's debut studio album. It was subsequently released as a single.
The single peaked at number 57 on the UK singles chart and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.
My collection: 7" single no. 4148 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Starchild' / 'Foundation and empire part 1'
In 1989, Imagination released a compilation album entitled 'Like it is: revised and remixed classics'. To promote the album, this Megamix was released. The single did not chart in any territory.
I don't know many megamixes that were chart hits. Perhaps it's because, as this single demonstrates quite effectively, a megamix makes the entire catalogue of an artist sound like they've only made one song: everything blends together too much. Still, it is amusing to hear four Imagination tracks within five minutes.
My collection: 7" single no. 4147 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Megamix' / 'Burning up'
'Young 'n' Russian' was the debut single of the Korgis, back in 1979. The label Rialto records, on which it was released, was owned by their managers Nick and Tim Heath.
The single did not chart, but it would appear on their self-titled debut album, released a few months later.
My collection: 7" single no. 4146 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Young 'n' Russian' / 'Cold tea'
Things got rather confusing circa 1985. While James Warren recorded a solo album entitled 'Burning questions' in 1986, singles from this album were released under the band name 'The Korgis'. The title track was already released in 1985 as 'Burning questions' by the Korgis. The single did not chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4145 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Burning questions' / 'Waiting for Godot'
'Around and around' was another unsuccessful single by Frizzle Sizzle, which failed to reach the Dutch charts when it was released in September 1988. The song was written and produced by the Dutch duo Van Tijn and Fluitsma.
Frizzle Sizzle broke up in 1990, after releasing a terrible football-related single. The girls remained active in the entertainment business.
My collection: 7" single no. 4144 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Around and around' / 'Around and around (instrumental)'
Releasing the bombastic single 'We belong to the night' in the slipstream of the success of 'Paradise by the dashboard light', the famous Meatloaf track on which Ellen Foley performed the female lead vocals, was a smart move from the record company.
