Even aan mijn moeder vragen - Bloem

The Dutch band Bloem was formed in 1980 by Joost Timp, Cor Claessen, Juus Piek and Tom Sijmons. Their debut single 'Even aan mijn moeder vragen' ('Have to ask my mum') was an immediate hit, selling 45.000 copies in the Netherlands and reaching number 14 in the Dutch Top 40.

I didn't like that song, but I got to hear the B-side, which was fantastic. The lyric of 'Kassa's overdag' ('Tills at daytime') was written from the point of view of a shoplifter. I liked the track so much I even mutilated the sleeve of this single not so long after I bought it, making it seem like the B-side was the A-side. Defacing sleeves is a capital offence, of course. In my defense: I was very young.

My collection: 7" single no. 99
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Even aan mijn moeder vragen' / 'Kassa's overdag'

Electric avenue - Eddy Grant

'Electric avenue' is one of Eddy Grant's most popular tracks. It was taken from his 1983 album 'Killer on the rampage'. The song is named after Electric Avenue, a market street in the Brixton area of London, England.

The single reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK singles chart, and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2826
Found: February 1, 1997
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Electric avenue' / 'Walking on sunshine'

One day I'll fly away - Randy Crawford

Randy Crawford left the Crusaders in 1979 and started a solo career. It took off right away with this single, the beautiful ballad 'One day I'll fly away'. I remember it became a chart tip on the Dutch broadcaster TROS, played every hour on the radio. At the end of the day I wished she would really fly away.

The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40 in the autumn on 1980.

My collection: 7" single no. 822
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989
Cost: 1 guilders
Tracks: 'One day I'll fly away' / 'Last night at danceland'

Relax - Frankie goes to Hollywood

I don't have many Frankie goes to Hollywood singles (though that may still change when I get a chance), but this is one of them: the 1993 re-release of 'Relax', originally the band's debut single in 1983. It was re-released to promote the compilation album 'Bang! The Greatest hits of Frankie goes to Hollywood'.

The single featured a new 1993 version of 'Relax' on the B-side, although that one is basically just a slightly sped up version of the track. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the Dutch Top 40. Both peak positions were lower than ten years before.

My collection: 7" single no. 2059
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, December 3, 1993
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Relax' / 'Relax MCMXCIII'

One step ahead - Nik Kershaw

'The works' was Nik Kershaw's fourth album, released in 1989. Although it was intended to be his big comeback after two years away from the music scene, the album did not have the amount of success which was hoped for.

The first single from the album was 'One step ahead', a decent pop song with a slight retro sound when compared to its contemporaries. The single reached number 55 in the UK singles chart during a one week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 2143
Found: Utrecht, August 2, 1994
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'One step ahead' / 'When I grow up'

See you - Depeche Mode

After Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode, the remaining members were left to their own devices. Martin Gore stepped up and wrote the first post-Clarke single, 'See you'. It was still a rather innocent love song, showing once again how much has changed since then. If he would have written this song now, it would have been the point of view of a stalker, or something.

'See you' became the band's biggest hit up to that point, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart, which was higher than all three previously released singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 746
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'See you' / 'Now this is fun'

Control - Janet Jackson

'Control' was the fourth single taken from Janet Jackson's third album of the same name. The song was written by Jackson, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The lyric is about Jackson who wants to finally take control of her life. Its arrangement, built upon complex rhythmic tracks, showcased a state-of-the-art production.

Jackson has performed the song on almost all of her tours. The single reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 42 in the UK singles chart and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2323
Found: June 3, 1995
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Control' / 'Fast girls'

Love like a river - Climie Fisher

'Love like a river / It's flowing' is not one of the biggest poetic accomplishments of all time, but at least Climie Fisher managed to make a nice popsong with these words. They released 'Love like a river' in the autumn of 1988 and had a hit with it in various European countries. The single peaked at number 22 in the UK singles chart and hit number 18 in Austria.

This single was released in a limited edition with a free poster. I managed to score a copy years after its release.

My collection: 7" single no. 2887
Found: Beanos, East Croydon, London, October 29, 1997
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Love like a river' / 'Love changes everything'

Waves - Blancmange

When I heard Blancmange's 'Waves' for the first time, I thought it was a fascinating track. With an intro lasting for 40 seconds and an instrumental backing that was nothing short of overwhelming, it was one of those singles I simply had to own.

'Waves' was released in February 1983 and reached number 19 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single failed to chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 214
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Waves' / 'The game above my head'

Kid - Pretenders

I got to know the song 'Kid' by the Pretenders when they released an acoustic ballad version of the song in 1994. After I bought that cd-single I got curious about the original version, and it's that curiosity that made me buy this 7" single.

'Kid' was originally released as the second single from the Pretenders, taken from their self-titled 1979 debut album. The single reached number 33 in the UK singles chart and number 90 in Australia. It was their last single release before 'Brass in pocket', the song that would take them all the way to number 1 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2704
Found: House of Rhythm, London, July 3, 1996
Cost: 20p
Tracks: 'Kid' / 'Tattooed love boys'

You don't love me - Marilyn

Well, I've got the 12" single of 'You don't love me', but I've got the 7" single as well. It was Marilyn's third single, reaching number 40 in the UK singles chart, which was lower than his previous two efforts - but it was his first single to score in European charts. In the Dutch Top 40, 'You don't love me' reached number 14.

His debut album 'Despite straight lines' was released one year later, in 1985. The album failed to chart and subsequent singles were also unsuccessful. The momentum of Marilyn had gone as fast as it came.

My collection: 7" single no. 781
Found: All that music, Leiden, March 24, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'You don't love me' / 'Raining again'

Don't answer me - Alan Parsons Project

In 1984, Alan Parsons Project released their seventh and commercially most successful album 'Ammonia Avenue'. The first single from the album was 'Don't answer me', a track that had a 'wall of sound' production style made famous by Phil Spector.With lead vocals by Eric Woolfson and an animated music video, the track became a big hit all over Europe.

'Don't answer me' reached number 7 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 58 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3314
Found: March 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Don't answer me' / 'You don't believe'

Don't cry for me Argentina - Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad O'Connor released her version of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice song 'Don't cry for me Argentina' as the second single from her album 'Am I not your girl', an album of covers of mostly jazz standard. This particular track came from the musical Evita.

Sinéad O'Connor's version managed to reach number 53 in the UK singles chart, although it failed to chart in most other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 1802
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, December 19, 1992
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Don't cry for me Argentina' / 'Scarlet ribbons (live)'

Allan (live) - Mylene Farmer

The live version of 'Allan' was the first single taken from Mylene Farmer's first live album, 'En concert' (1989). The song, which originally appeared on Mylene's second album 'Ainsi soit je..', is a tribute to the American poet Edgar Allan Poe. One verse of the song contains the word 'Ligeia' which refers to the name of Poe's fairy tale published in 1837.

'Allan' was only performed during Mylene's 1989 live tour, and has not appeared on subsequent live concerts since then. This single reached number 32 in the French singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2111
Found: Record fair, June 4, 1994
Cost: 8 guilders
Tracks: 'Allan (live)' / 'Psychiatric'

I ran - A flock of seagulls

'I ran' was the third single of A flock of seagulls, taken from their self-titled debut album. The single peaked at number 1 in Australia, number 43 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In an interview, band member Mike Score said that he resents the song, but plays it live because people enjoy it.

My collection: 7" single no. 863
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 2, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'I ran' / 'Pick me up'

And the world turns on - Bolland and Bolland

The brothers Rob and Ferdi Bolland had become completely independent by the mid-Eighties. Originally performing artists, they started producing in the early eighties and even owned their own recording studio as well.

When they released one of their last singles in 1988, it had also become clear that they might have been in need of some outside advise. 'And the world turns on' is a nice enough song, but the production is so cluttered and the track is so full of sound effects, that there's hardly any song left. No wonder it didn't chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 702
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, December 17, 1988
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'And the world turns on (European mix)' / 'And the world turns on (USA mix)'

What you're proposing - Status Quo

Status Quo released their album 'Just supposin'' in October 1980. It was produced by the band and John Eden. The album was recorded at Windmill Lane Studio in Dublin. The recording sessions yielded enough tracks for this album and the follow-up, 'Never too late', released just five months later.

'What you're proposing' was the first single release from 'Just supposin'', a dynamic rock track that grooves like a madman. It reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 7 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2931
Found: Record fair, January 17, 1998
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'What you're proposing' / 'AB Blues'

My old piano - Diana Ross

Having had piano lessons between the age of 5 and 20, you would expect that I would have learned to play a mean bit of piano. But when I stopped playing for a year and then tried again, I realised I couldn't read any notes anymore and that the whole thing seemed to just have drifted away. I've never been any good at doing things alone: even in school, the only thing that kept my grades up were the group assignments.

However, I did always have a preference for keyboard-based music. And even a song like Diana Ross's 'My old piano', an ode to the instrument, caught my fancy. Produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic fame, it gave Diana Ross a worldwide hit, peaking at number 2 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 5 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 963
Found: All that music, Leiden, August 10, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'My old piano' / 'Give up'

Eeny meeny miny moe - Luv'

'Eeny meeny miny moe' was released in the summer of 1979 as a single from Luv's second album 'Lots of Luv'. As usual, the track was produced by Hans van Hemert and written by Janschen and Janschens, the duo that had given Luv' five Dutch top 10 hits in 1978 and 1979. This was the first single to peak outside the top 10 of the Dutch Top 40: at number 11.

The French edition of this single featured the B-side 'I.M.U.R.' as the A-side and vice versa.

My collection: 7" single no. 4183
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 8, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Eeny meeny miny moe' / 'I.M.U.R.'

Avanti la vie - Jacques Zegers

Jacques Zegers was born on June 25, 1947 in Brussels, Belgium. He began singing in cabaret at the age of 16 and continued to participate in song contests while he pursued a career as a journalist. In 1984, he was asked to record 'L.A. en Olympie', the official Belgian song for the 1984 Olympic Games.

In the same year, Zegers represented Belgium during the Eurovision Song Contest. His song 'Avanti la vie' finished fifth in the Contest in a field of 19 participants. It has become one of the lesser known Belgian entries for Eurovision.

My collection: 7" single no. 4154
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, November 7, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Avanti la vie' / 'Des etoiles dans le coeur'