Float on - The Floaters

The Floaters was formed by the former Detroit Emeralds singer James Mitchell, with his brother Paul Mitchell, Larry Cunningham, Charles Clark, and the unrelated Ralph Mitchell. Most of The Floaters were from the Sojourner Truth housing project, on Detroit's Eastside.

James Mitchell apparently came up with the idea and tune for their one major hit, 'Float on' in a dream. The lyrics spotlighted each member of the band, who introduced themselves with their name and astrological sign. The single became a world wide hit in 1977, reaching number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 in the UK Singles Chart. In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 5.

My collection: 7" single no. 4436
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'Float on' / 'Everything happens for a reason'

Break it out - Lisa

Lisa was born as Lisa Schulte Nordholt in Breda, the Netherlands on January 26, 1956. As Lisa Boray she forged a career as a singer in the Seventies as a member of the Houseband and the band Navel. As a session singer she can be heard on most Dutch albums of the first half of the Eighties. In 1982 she is part of the background choir during the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, Bill van Dijk's 'Jij en ik', and again in 1988 when Gerard Joling represents the Netherlands with 'Shangri-la'.

'Break it out' is a single taken from her solo album 'Searchlight', credited simply to Lisa. The single reached number 9 during an eight week chart run in the Dutch Top 40. In 1991, she sings the theme song for the Dutch soap opera 'Goede tijden slechte tijden' ('Good times bad times') together with Louis de Vries. When this is released as a single, it again reaches number 9 during an eight week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 4435
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'Break it out' / 'Break it out (instrumental)'

A good heart - Feargal Sharkey

'A good heart' was written by Maria McKee about her relationship with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboard player Benmont Tench. The track was recorded in 1985 by Feargal Sharkey and produced by David A. Stewart from the Eurythmics. It was released as Sharkey's debut solo single, after having been in the band the Undertones for seven years.

It was a very successful debut, topping the charts in the UK and the Netherlands in November 1985 and February 1986 respectively.

My collection: 7" single no. 4434
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'A good heart' / 'Anger is holy'

Talking out of line - Bardo

Bardo represented the United Kingdom during the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with 'One step further'. That song sounded a bit like a poor man's Bucks Fizz, and that was even more obvious with this follow-up single, 'Talking out of line'. The song was even written by Andy Hill and Nichola Martin, who were responsible for bringing together both Bucks Fizz and Bardo, so that's no real surprise then.

While 'One step further' reached number 2 in the UK singles chart, this single, released just two months later, did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4433
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'Talking out of line' / 'Always thinking of you'

What kinda boy you're lookin' for (girl) - Hot Chocolate

'What kinda boy you're lookin' for (girl)' was the twelfth top 10 hit for Hot Chocolate in the UK singles chart, peaking at number 10 in the spring of 1983. In the Dutch Top 40, it was the group's penultimate hit single, peaking at number 21.

Written by lead singer Errol Brown and produced by Mickie Most, the track used a formula that had become familiar by 1983: a catchy refrain and soulful vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 4432
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'What kinda boy you're lookin' for (girl)' / 'Got to get back to work'

It ain't over 'til it's over - Lenny Kravitz

I've always ignored Lenny Kravitz singles in the Nineties, mainly because I felt they were quite repetitive: they seemed to be remakes of his debut hit 'Let love rule'. In later years, I discovered a few songs that I still find worthwhile to own. 'It ain't over 'til it's over' is one of them.

The song was released as the second single from Kravitz's second album 'Mama said' (1991). The horn line at the end of the song is performed by the Phenix Horns from Earth, Wind & Fire. 'That song just came out one day, and I knew it had a classic vibe. And I still love that song very much today', Lenny Kravitz commented in 2000. The title of the song is based on a quote from the Baseball player and manager Yogi Berra.

My collection: 7" single no. 4431
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'It ain't over 'til it's over' / 'The difference is why'

Arabian affair - The Abdul Hasssan Orchestra

'Arabian affair' sounds a bit Middle Eastern, but in fact it was made by a Dutch group. Behind the scenes, Dutch musician and producer Hans van Eijck was experimenting with Eastern melodies, combined with disco beats for the fun of it. He enlisted some session musicians to create the single 'Arabian affair', which became a big hit in the Netherlands: the single reached number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

When the success crossed over to Germany, the project turned out to be lucrative enough to warrant a complete album, which you can find here.

My collection: 7" single no. 4430
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'Arabian affair' / 'Desert dance'

More more more - Andrea True Connection

Andrea True was born on July 26, 1943 in Nashville, Tennessee. After graduation, she sought fame and fortune in the showbusiness, but wasn't very successful. She moved into the hardcore porn industry instead. During this time, she was hired by a real estate business in Jamaica to appear in their commercial ads. While there, a political crisis gripped Jamaica, and no one was allowed to leave with any money. True asked her friend, record producer Gregg Diamond, to travel to the island and produce a track for her, which she would finance locally. Diamond arrived with a composition in hand, to which True added lyrics. The result of their collaboration was 'More more more'.

The track became a favourite in discotheques and nightclubs. It reached number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in Germany. An album, also titled 'More more more' soon followed. After three albums, True briefly returned to porn, but soon realized that there were significantly fewer opportunities in the porn industry for a woman in her late Thirties. She was also unable to return to music, because of a goiter that developed on her vocal cords requiring surgery, which in turn ended her singing ability. And so she went on to live a more private life.

My collection: 7" single no. 4429
Found: Kringloop, Sassenheim, January 23, 2010
Cost: 0,12 euro
Tracks: 'More more more (part 2)' / 'More more more (part 2)'

Johnny Panic and the bible of dreams - Tears for Fears

Although this 7" single is in no way different from the 12" single except for the size of the disc and sleeve, I still had to have it. I'm primarily a singles collector, of course!

The track, which is an alternative version of Tears for Fears's 1989 hit single 'Sowing the seeds of love', originally appeared as the B-side to their 1990 single 'Advice for the young at heart'. The song was later remixed by producer/DJ Fluke and released as a single in 1991. The single did not chart in the UK and has since become quite a collectors item among Tears for Fears fans.

My collection: 7" single no. 3072
Found: Record Exchange, London, May 10, 1999
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Johnny Panic and the bible of dreams (mix 1)' / 'Johnny Panic and the bible of dreams (mix 2)'

Life was made for living - Dollie de Luxe

Eurovision entries by Scandinavian countries have regularly had a certain Abba-esque quality to them. The duo Dollie de Luxe represented Norway in the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Lenge leve livet', a great example of this fact.

The song is a modern ballad, with the duo singing the praises of life. They explain that it makes sense to live to the full, because nobody knows for sure what the future may bring. The song finished 17th in a field of 19 competitors. For the single, the English version was promoted to the A-side, which is probably a wise choice. The limited vocal qualities of the duo meant that the single didn't chart outside of Scandinavia.

My collection: 7" single no. 4388
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Life was made for living' / 'Lenge leve livet'

Can't let go - Mariah Carey

There's a certain bombastic quality to 'Can't let go', the 1992 single by Mariah Carey. As much as I hate the woman's voice, which seems to be inspired mainly by constipation, I couldn't pass up on this single when I saw it for half the price around the time it was released.

The single was a big success in the USA and Canada, peaking at number 2 and 7 respectively, and also reached number 20 in the UK singles chart. In mainland Europe, the single was largely ignored.

My collection: 7" single no. 1571
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, January 12, 1992
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Can't let go' / 'To be around you'

Sweet nothings - Renée

Renée was originally called René and the Alligators, and only changed names when Anja Nodelijk joined the band. Before they moved into the pop scene, they released a few singles that were true to their rock 'n' roll roots.

'Sweet nothings', released in July 1978, was their first hit single, peaking at number 14 in the Dutch Top 40. The B-side is a firm reminder of the band's previous incarnation.

My collection: 7" single no. 3283
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, February 24, 2001
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Sweet nothings' / 'Alligator boogie'

Music - John Miles

John Miles was born as John Errington on April 23, 1949 in Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, England. He started his career in music in the Sixties, as a drummer with Roxy Music and his own band, the John Miles Set. In 1971, he went solo. During the Seventies, he released four albums and 18 singles.

His most successful song was 'Music', a track on his 1976 album 'Rebel'. The track features several 'movements', both classic and rock-oriented. The single reached number 3 in the UK singles chart and number 2 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1976. In the Netherlands, the song was re-released in 1982, reaching number 5 on that occasion.

My collection: 7" single no. 296
Found: Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'Music' / 'Putting my new song together'

If you go away - Terry Jacks

Most people know the classic melodramatic song 'Ne me quitte pas', a song written and performed by Jacques Brel in 1959. The English lyrics were written by Rod McKuen as part of a project to translate Brel's work. Entitled 'If you go away', it has become a pop standard, recorded by artists like Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Marc Almond, Emiliana Torrini, Alison Moyet, Dusty Springfield and Cyndi Lauper.

This version by Canadian musician Terry Jacks was released in 1974. It reached number 8 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 890
Found: All that music, Leiden, June 16, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'If you go away' / 'Me and you'

Do it for love - Sheena Easton

Most people assume that Sheena Easton's career basically consisted of two main periods: working in Europe and working with Prince in America. The truth, of course, is more complicated than that. Easton collaborated with Prince on her 1984 album 'A private heaven' and in 1987 on his track 'U got the look', but in 1985, she released the album 'Do you', which was produced by another musical legend, Nile Rodgers.

It's easy to understand why this album was overlooked, as it was only successful in America. In Europe, the album and this single 'Do it for love' was a flop.

My collection: 7" single no. 1765
Found: London, October 20, 1992
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Do it for love' / 'Can't wait till tomorrow'

Live like kings - Clouseau

The Belgian band Clouseau released two albums in English. Whereas their first, 'Close encounters' (1991), mainly consisted of translations of their songs in Dutch, the second one, 'In every small town' (1993) featured only original material, and was recorded in Los Angeles.

'Live like kings' was the first single lifted from the album. I bought the cd-single immediately after the release, because I thought it was a very pretty rock song. A year later, I found a 7" single - these things hardly ever turned up in record shops anymore. The single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 2069
Found: Record fair, February 19, 1994
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Live like kings' / 'Every single time'

And the band played on (Down among the dead men) - Flash and the Pan

'And the band played on (Down among the dead men)' was the follow-up to Flash and the Pan's debut single 'Hey St. Peter' and it sounds very similar to that track. In fact, I still have trouble distinguishing the two when I play them sometimes. Both tracks were taken from Flash and the Pan's self-titled debut album, released in 1979.

The lyric of the song was about the sinking of the Titanic. The single reached number 4 in Australia and number 54 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1387
Found: February 22, 1991
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'And the band played on (Down among the dead men)' / 'The man who knew the answer'

Crazy little thing called love - Queen

Freddie Mercury composed 'Crazy little thing called love' on the guitar in just five to ten minutes. Other accounts say that he wrote it while lounging in a bubble bath in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich during one of Queen's extensive Munich recording sessions. He took it to the studio shortly after writing it and presented it to bandmates Roger Taylor and John Deacon. The three of them, with their new producer Mack, recorded it at Musicland Studios in Munich. The entire song was reportedly recorded in less than half an hour (although Mack says it was six hours).

The single was released in October 1979 and reached number 1 in Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA. In the UK singles chart, the single reached number 2.

My collection: 7" single no. 1579
Found: Record fair, January 25, 1992
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Crazy little thing called love' / 'We will rock you (live)'

De do do do de da da da - The Police

According to Sting, The Police's 'De do do do de da da da' is about the attraction people have towards simple songs: 'I was trying to make an intellectual point about how the simple can be so powerful. Why are our favourite songs 'Da doo ron ron' and 'Do wah diddy diddy'? In the song, I tried to address that issue. But everyone said, 'This is bullshit, child's play.' No one listened to the lyrics. Listen to the lyrics. I'm going to remake it again and put more emphasis on what I was talking about.'

The song was actually re-recorded in 1986, when the Police also made a re-recording of 'Don't stand so close to me'. It was dropped from the album 'Every breath you take: the singles', but finally saw a release in 1995 on a re-release of this album.

My collection: 7" single no. 3091
Found: Record Exchange, London, May 12, 1999
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'De do do do de da da da' / 'A sermon'

Judy et Cie - Pierre Rapsat

Pierre Rapsat was born as Pierre Raepsaet on May 28, 1948 in Brussels, Belgium. In 1973, he launched his career in music and became a very successful singer/songwriter in Belgium and other French-speaking countries.

In 1976, Rapsat composed 'Judy et Cie' ('Judy and Co.)'. It was chosen as Belgium's entry for the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest. It was an unusual and atypical song for Eurovision at that time. It finished eighth in a field fo 18 competitors. The single reached number 31 in the Dutch Top 40. Rapsat died on April 20, 2002 in Verviers, Belgium.

My collection: 7" single no. 4428
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 22, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Judy et Cie' / 'Djumbo l'Averick'