Don't talk to me about love - Altered Images

This 12" single of Altered Images's most successful single 'Don't talk to me about love' contains an impressive 8 minute 30 seconds version of the track. And I say 'most successful', as it was the only single by the UK band to have almost made it into the Dutch Top 40.

'Don't talk to me about love' is included on a lot of Eighties compilation albums, but this extended version remains a rarity.

My collection: 12" single no. 526
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'Don't talk to me about love (extended version)' / 'Last goodbye'

Stage fright - Chic

By 1981, disco was out of style and most bands who were popular during the disco age were struggling. Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers were successful as producers - most notably with Diana Ross's 1980 album - but their own band Chic was suffering.

The album 'Take it off' and the only single from that album, 'Stage fright', went by unnoticed by the public. Truth be told, 'Stage fright' is a rather weak track in comparison to Chic's biggest hits. Maybe the bands from the disco age were just not inspired anymore.

My collection: 7" single no. 4562
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Stage fright' / 'So fine'

It's raining men - Weather girls

Martha Wash and Izora Armstead got together in the late Seventies as 'Two tons o' fun', who had three minor hits in America in 1980 and 1981. In 1982 they changed their group name to the Weather Girls, scoring an instant worldwide hit with the song 'It's raining men', selling over 6 million copies worldwide.

The song was originally offered to Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Cher and Barbra Streisand, but they all turned it down. After the success in 1983, the song has been covered numerous times by artists such as RuPaul and ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.

My collection: 7" single no. 4561
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'It's raining men' / 'It's raining men (longer)'

We'll be dancing - Time Bandits

In the beginning of 1987, Alides Hidding has finished writing songs for the new Time Bandits album, but the other members of the band are not enthusiastic about the material. Hidding decides to fire them all and look for a new band. He recruits Hugo de Bruin, Jean Monsou, Michel de Groot and Loek Coenraad to have it his own way.

After another writing session in America with Dan Hartman, the new album 'Can't wait for another world' and the single 'We'll be dancing' are released. Both are commercial disappointments. Hidding decides to end the Time Bandits and moves to America.

My collection: 7" single no. 4560
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'We'll be dancing' / 'Pasadena dream world'

Macho city - Steve Miller Band

'Circle of love' was the eleventh studio album by the Steve Miller Band, released in 1981. Side 2 of the original LP was a 16 minute track called 'Macho city'. An edit of this track was made for the single that was released in December 1981.

The single didn't chart in the UK, but reached number 33 in the Dutch Top 40. The B-side was an old classic of the band: the iconic 'Fly like an eagle'.

My collection: 7" single no. 4559
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Macho city' / 'Fly like an eagle'

My baby just cares for me - Nina Simone

Nina Simone recorded 'My baby just cares for me' in 1958 for her debut album, 'Little girl blue'. The track remained relatively obscure until 1987, when it was used in a UK television commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume.

To follow up this exposure, the track was released as a single, entering the UK singles chart in October 1987, becoming Simone's first hit after 19 years absence from the chart. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40. A claymation music video was produced by Aardman Animations, directed by Peter Lord.

My collection: 7" single no. 4558
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'My baby just cares for me' / 'Love me or leave me'

Colour my love - Fun Fun

Fun Fun is an acquired taste for me: in the Eighties I hated their simple dance tunes, now there's a bit of nostalgia and the realization that much of today's music is much worse than that.

The hit 'Colour my love' was an international smash hit. It reached number 10 in the Dutch Top 40 and also charted in most of Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 4557
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Colour my love' / 'Bonus beats'

Round and around - Jaki Graham

Jaki Graham had her first chart hit when she recorded the duet 'Could it be I'm falling in love' with David Grant in 1985. She followed up that single with 'Round and around', a track from her debut album 'Heaven knows'.

It became her first solo top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 9. While it was also released in Europe, the single failed to chart there.

My collection: 7" single no. 4556
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Round and around' / 'Victim of emotion'

December, 1963 (Oh, what a night) - The 4 seasons

So what happened in December 1963? The song was originally about the end of prohibition - the period from 1920-1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally in the USA - with the title 'December 5th, 1933', but the lyric was changed at the urgings of Frankie Valli and lyricist Judy Parker. Instead, the song became a nostalgic remembrance of a young man's 'first time' with a woman.

The single was released in December 1986 and reached number 1 in the UK singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as peaking at number 3 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4555
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'December, 1963 (Oh what a night)' / 'Slip away'

Touch by touch - Diana Ross

Diana Ross released the album 'Swept away' in 1984. Four singles were drawn from the album: 'All of you' (a duet with Julio Iglesias), 'Swept away', 'Missing you' and 'Touch by touch'. The last one reached number 47 in the UK singles chart and number 10 in the Dutch Top 40.

I found two copies of this single in the shop: one with a boring, basically grey sleeve featuring only the title of the song and the Diana Ross logo from the album (made in Germany), and this one (made in Holland). Since the German single had a better looking label, I swapped the discs and got the best of both worlds... But serious collectors would probably gasp at this blasphemy.

My collection: 7" single no. 4554
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Touch by touch' / 'Fight for it'

Mindless boogie - Hot Chocolate

The album 'Going through the motions' was released in 1979. It was a departure for Hot Chocolate in that it found the band making a conscious effort to appeal to Euro-disco audiences. The band's previous albums might have had the occasional Euro-disco track, but this time, the style is dominant.

The single 'Mindless boogie' was taken from the album, and besides being a very danceable track it also featured a rather ironic lyric. Back in the late Seventies, the death-to-disco crowd frequently described disco as 'mindless boogie' - and it wasn't a compliment. The single reached number 46 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4553
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Mindless boogie' / 'Don't turn it off'

Laat je gaan / Just let go - Petra and Co

Phil Sterman, Phil Wilde and A. Larson wrote 'Laat je gaan' / 'Just let go' and recorded it with vocalist Petra de Steur. It was the end of the Eighties and repetitive techno and house tracks were all the rage. The single was released in the autumn of 1989 and became a hit in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In the Dutch Top 40, the single reached number 19 in the Dutch Top 40. Petra & co continued for a couple of years, until producer Phil de Wilde moved on to other acts, such as 2 Unlimited.

My collection: 7" single no. 4552
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Just let go' / 'Laat je gaan'

No-one driving - John Foxx

After John Foxx left his group Ultravox, he embarked on a solo career in 1980. He achieved his first solo success with the single 'Underpass', which he followed up with this single, 'No-one driving'. While 'Underpass' reached number 31 in the UK singles chart, this single reached number 32.

Both tracks were featured on his debut solo album, 'Metamatic'. Foxx played most of the synthesizers and 'rhythm machines', as they were listed on the sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 4551
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'No-one driving' / 'Glimmer'

Pulling punches - David Sylvian

Perhaps the most striking feature of this single is the sleeve, being all white with punched out letters on it. It was the third single from David Sylvian's debut solo album 'Brilliant trees'.

'Pulling punches' reached number 56 in the UK singles chart during a two week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 4550
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Pulling punches' / 'Backwaters'

Dolce vita (remix) - Ryan Paris

Ben Liebrand has made some very interesting - and commercial successful - remixes in the Eighties, but by 1990 it seemed like he was moving more and more towards the house and techno movement. This remix of Ryan Paris's 'Dolce vita' is an example of how bad it really was: all the original music was removed and a rapper was added for instant aggravation.

Still, this 1990 remix of 'Dolce vita' did manage to become a hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 31 in the Dutch Top 40. The original version knocks spots off this one, though.

My collection: 7" single no. 4549
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dolce vita (Downtown radio edit)' / 'Dolce vita (Uptown radio edit)'

Dolce vita - Ryan Paris

Ryan Paris was born as Fabio Roscioli in Rome, Italy on 12 March 12, 1953. He gained international popularity in the summer of 1983 for the worldwide hit single, 'Dolce vita'. It was written and produced by Pierluigi Giombini. The single reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

Paris continued to release records in the second half of the Eighties and in the Nineties, but was never able to duplicate the success of his one big hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 4548
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dolce vita (part 1, vocal)' / 'Dolce vita (part 2, instrumental)'

Shout to the top - Style Council

'No! To abolition of the GLC & the local councils. Yes! To a nuclear free world. Yes! To the Bengali Workers Association. Yes! To the thrill of the romp. Yes! To all involved in animal rights. Yes! To fanzines. Yes! To belief'. This statement can be read on the back of the sleeve of this single, released by the Style Council in 1984. It was at the height of the Conservative Party's reign of terror in the UK, and the Style Council were offering some hope to all the people who had become jobless and hopeless in the country. It's quite ironic that the song was heavily featured at the 2009 Conservative Party UK Annual Conference in Manchester last year.

'Shout to the top!' reached number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 24 in the Dutch Top 40 back in 1984.

My collection: 7" single no. 4547
Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, February 4, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Shout to the top!' / 'Ghosts of Dachau'

Hold me - Teddy Pendergrass

On January 13 this year, Teddy Pendergrass died as a result of colon cancer. He had a successful career in music throughout the Seventies and Eighties. He was originally a drummer for the Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. His first solo album was released in 1977.

His biggest hit internationally was 1986's 'Hold me', a duet with Whitney Houston. The track featured on her debut album as well as Pendergrass's 1986 album 'Love language'. It reached number 22 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 44 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4546
Found: Any old time, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 0,1 euro
Tracks: 'Hold me' / 'Love'

Wonderful world - Sam Cooke

In 1986, old soul tracks had become a familiar sound on television, thanks to ad campaigns shamelessly using nostalgic feelings of the consumer. Levi's jeans advertised with a series of old songs, which in turn were re-released as a single and stormed up the charts. Sam Cooke's 'Wonderful world' was (mis)used for the Levi's 501, and subsequently reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 1 in the Dutch Top 40.

The song was originally written by Sam Cooke, Lou Adler and Herb Alpert and performed by Cooke with backing vocals by Lou Rawls. When the song was first released as a single in the spring of 1960, it reached number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 27 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4545
Found: Any old time, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 0,1 euro
Tracks: 'Wonderful world' / 'Chain gang'

Gentlemen callers not allowed - Gilla

Gilla was discovered by German producer Frank Farian who got her signed to Hansa Records in 1974. At first he tried to launch her as a German artist, singing songs in her native language only. Although she had some hits in Germany, her career started to fail pretty quickly.

Farian and Gilla decided to try and conquer the international market, releasing an international album in the summer of 1977. Entitled 'Help help', the album contained some original English material as well as English version of songs from her only German-language album, 'Zieh mich aus'. 'Gentlemen callers not allowed' (an English version of 'Herrn-Besuche nicht erlaubt') was released as a single and promoted with Boney M.'s charismatic male dancer Bobby Farrell on a few TV shows. It reached number 14 in the Dutch Top 40 but was a minor success in most other European countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 4544
Found: Any old time, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 0,1 euro
Tracks: 'Gentlemen callers not allowed' / 'Say yes'