Volare - Al Martino

Al Martino (October 7, 1927 - October 13, 2009) was an American singer and actor. His greatest successes as a singer took place between the Fifties and Seventies.

One of his many successes was this disco version of 'Volare', originally performed by Domenico Modugno as 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' during the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest. It reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40 in early 1976.

My collection: 7" single no. 4379
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'You belong to me'

Suddenly - Billy Ocean

After a string of uptempo hit singles, Billy Ocean surprised many with the slow ballad 'Suddely'. It was the title track of his 1984 album, but released a a single in 1985. Such was the success of this ballad, that he would release further slow songs like 'There'll be sad song (to make you cry)' in later years.

The single peaked at number 4 in the UK singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, while peaking at number 23 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 821
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, May 13, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Suddenly' / 'Lucky man'

Back on the chain gang - The Pretenders

'Back on the chain gang' was originally going to be about Ray Davies, with whom Chrissie Hynde had a relationship. They also had a daughter together. The meaning of the song changed when James Honeyman-Scott, guitarist of the Pretenders, died of a drug overdose at the age of 25 in 1982.

The song was released as a single in 1982 and later included on the Pretenders' 1984 album 'Learning to crawl'. The single reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 17 in the UK singles chart and number 30 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2313
Found: June 3, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Back on the chain gang' / 'My city was gone'

Miss you like crazy - Natalie Cole

Natalie Maria Cole was born in 1950 as the daughter of Nat King Cole and former Duke Ellington Orchestra singer Maria Cole. She started singing herself from an early age and had her first performance aged 11. Her father died of lung cancer just four years later. After graduation in 1972, she started singing in small clubs. She released her first album, 'Inseparable', in 1975. Many albums followed, until 1989's 'Good to be back' gave her the biggest hit of her career: 'Miss you like crazy'.

The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart, number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 18 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1425
Found: April 7, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Miss you like crazy' / 'Good to be back'

Ev'ry time we say goodbye - Simply Red

Cole Porter wrote 'Ev'ry time we say goodbye' in 1944 for the musical revue 'Seven lively arts'. The song became a jazz standard, recorded by classic artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Carly Simon and many others.

Simply Red recorded the song on their 1987 album 'Men and women'. It was released as a single just before the end of the year, reaching number 11 in the UK singles chart and number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 596
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, February 18, 1988
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'Ev'ry time we say goodbye' / 'Love for sale'

Kiss - Prince

'Kiss' started as a short acoustic demo with one verse and the chorus. Prince gave the song to the funk band Mazarati for their debut album. They reworked the song and gave it its stripped down sound. When Prince heard this version, he took back the song for himself, replacing their lead vocal, adding a guitar break in the middle. Mazarati were credited for their backing vocals, which Prince left intact. He added the song at the last minute to the album 'Parade'.

When 'Kiss' was released as a single, it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the Dutch Top 40 it reached number 2, and number 6 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3204
Found: September 30, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Kiss' / '♥ or $'

November rain - Guns n' Roses

'November rain' is a very long single, clocking in at 8 minutes and 57 seconds. Axl Rose had been working on the song since at least 1983. An early live version by the band, released in Australia in 1985 is an acoustic version with guitar, lead vocals and backing vocals, but without guitar solos or the outro. An 18 minute version was recorded in 1986 with guitarist Manny Charlton from the band Nazareth. The version on this single comes from Guns n' Roses' 1992 album 'Use your illusion'.

The single peaked at number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 4 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single charted twice: in April 1992, it reached number 13 during a six week chart run, and in September, 'November rain' reached number 4 during a 12 week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 1720
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, September 26, 1992
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'November rain' / 'Sweet child o' mine'

Gold - Spandau Ballet

Back in 1983, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were the two biggest bands around. While Duran Duran's biggest peak would be 1984's 'The reflex', Spandau delivered their two flagship songs in 1983.

After the very successful 'True', taken from their third album of the same name, 'Gold' was another big hit, peaking at number 2 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40, while also reaching number 29 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2152
Found: Concerto, Amsterdam, September 1, 1994
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Gold' / 'Gold (instrumental)'

Whole lotta love / Immigrant song - Led Zeppelin

I first heard 'Whole lotta love' as part of a top 100 of all times somewhere in the Eighties. It was a fascinating rock track and although I usually don't really like guitar-based tracks, this was one big exception.

Led Zeppelin recorded 'Whole lotta love' in 1969. According to Jimmy Page, 'It was put together when we were rehearsing some music for the second album. I had a riff, everyone was at my house, and we kicked it from there.' The single reached number 4 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1969. In the UK, the track only hit the charts in 1997, when it reached number 21 during a two week chart run. The main guitar riff was subsequently used for the leader of the popular UK TV programme 'Top of the pops'.

My collection: 7" single no. 1844
Found: January 23, 1993
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Whole lotta love' / 'Immigrant song'

I wanna be loved by you - Marilyn Monroe

If you were to compare Madonna with Marilyn Monroe, there are actually some similarities: both tried their hand at singing despite not having a very good singing voice, for instance. Both are American women and both were perceived as sex symbols, although in the case of Madonna you can wonder whether that is a just perception.

Marilyn Monroe oozed sexiness all through her career until her tragic death in 1962. She recorded 'I wanna be loved by you' for the 1959 movie 'Some like it hot'. It was re-released in 1989 during the hype of remixed oldies that went down at the time. This remix of 'I wanna be loved by you' adds some unnecessary rhythms, and sounds very dated by now as a result. The original version, which fortunately is included on the B-side of this single (and was my reason for buying it in the first place), stands out as one of the best recordings from that era.

My coollection: 7" single no. 828
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, May 20, 1989
Cost: 4 guilders
Tracks: 'I wanna be loved by you (Mr. President mix)' / 'I wanna be loved by you'

Waiting for a train - Flash and the Pan

Longtime readers of this blog will know that I bought the '89 remix of 'Waiting for a train' last year, but obviously I've got the original version too.

When it was released in April 1983, the single reached number 7 in the UK singles chart but it flopped in the Netherlands. The single was re-released in July 1983 there, and on that occasion, it managed to reach number 21 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 371
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Waiting for a train' / 'Waiting for a train (instrumental version)'

You came - Kim Wilde

Despite the absence of a sexual connotation, a lot of people could relate to the lyric of Kim Wilde's 1988 hit single 'You came'. Kim wrote the lyric of the song after the birth of her nephew Marty, son of her brother Ricky. It also helped that at the time of this single's release, Kim was touring Europe supporting Michael Jackson on his 'Bad' tour. More people heard her songs, and so more people bought them.

'You came' reached number 1 in Denmark and was a top 10 hit all over Europe - with the exception of the Netherlands, where it only reached number 13. In the UK singles chart, 'You came' reached number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 639
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 9, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'You came' / 'Stone'

Female intuition - Mai Tai

Mai Tai's 'Female intuition' was released in January 1986. It became the group's first top 10 hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 9. This was quite in contrast with the developments in the UK, where they had just had two top 10 hits during 1985: this single only managed to reach number 54 in the UK singles chart.

This copy of the single was made in the UK and has a different sleeve when compared to the European version.

My collection: 7" single no. 3194
Found: September 16, 2000
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Female intuition' / 'Female intuition (Compressed dance mix)'

Right here waiting - Richard Marx

The soppy ballad 'Right here waiting' was the second single from Richard Marx's 1989 album 'Repeat offender'. It was an understated ballad while many bands were releasing so-called 'power ballads'. It featured none of the heavy drums and synths popular at the time, with Marx's vocal accompanied only by guitar and keyboards.

The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. It was a number 1 hit in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the USA.

My collection: 7" single no. 1423
Found: April 7, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Right here waiting' / 'Wait for the sunrise'

Wishing / I ran - A flock of seagulls

So this is a weird one: the front cover only states 'A flock of seagulls', whereas on the back of the sleeve you can find a photograph of that band plus a track listing. This single contains two hits by the band: 'Wishing' and 'I ran'. So where does this come from?

The single was made by Tonpress, which is a wellknown Polish record label from the Eighties. It belonged to Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza (The National Publishing Agency), one of many government-controlled publishing units in Poland during that time. Tonpress was disactivated in 1990, when the new democratic Polish government decided to discontinue running many of the state-controlled publishing houses and agencies. Tonpress' Polish catalogue was split between various private-owned music labels.

My collection: 7" single no. 2578
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, December 16, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)' / 'I ran'

On the beach - Chris Rea

This limited edition double single includes two live tracks recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in London on May 2, 1986. Rea had just completed his 'On the beach tour' when this single was released, the title track from his 1986 album 'On the beach'. The track was remixed for the single release.

While the single only reached number 57 in the UK singles chart, it was a bigger hit for Rea in the Netherlands, where it got to number 33 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2347
Found: June 26, 1995
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'On the beach (special remix)' / 'If anybody asks you' // 'One golden rule (live)' / 'Midnight blue (live)'

In fortune's hand - Clannad

Clannad started the Nineties with a slightly livelier sound. The single 'In fortune's hand', taken from their 1990 album 'Anam', was a full band effort, using more instrumentation than on previous singles.

This did not mean that commercial success awaited them: the single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1479
Found: Breda, July 3, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'In fortune's hand' / 'Dobhar'

Microkid - Level 42

'Microkid' is a track on Level 42's fourth album 'Standing in the light'.

When it was released as a single in October 1983, it reached number 37 in the UK singles chart. The single was unsuccessful in other territories.

My collection: 7" single no. 3064
Found: House of Rhythm, London, May 9, 1999
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Microkid' / 'Turn it on (live version)'

Nescio - The Nits

The Dutch band The Nits released the track 'Nescio' in February 1983 as a single from their album 'Omsk'. The track features Dutch singer Mathilde Santing on backing vocals. It became the band's first top 10 hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 8 in the Dutch Top 40.

My copy of the single comes in a standard record company sleeve, although it was released in a picture sleeve. I have seen picture sleeve editions recently, but they're usually quite expensive. So for now, this'll do.

My collection: 7" single no. 431
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 29, 1986
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Nescio' / 'Man of straw'

Picture this - Blondie

'Picture this' was a track on Blondie's 1978 album 'Parallel lines', written by Chris Stein, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri. Although all three were the main song writers for the band's albums, this is the only time when Harry and Stein would collaborate with Destri, who has written several later hit singles for Blondie on his own.

The track was released as the first single from 'Parallel lines' in the UK, reaching number 12 in the autumn of 1978. This copy of the single was pressed on yellow vinyl.

My collection: 7" single no. 1732
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 17, 1992
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Picture this' / 'Fade away and radiate'