Just a little bit of peace in my heart / Please go - Golden Earring

Back in 1988, I spent a week in hospital for minor surgery. One of the joys of this was the fact that I had to do absolutely nothing except spend my time reading magazines and listening to the radio. One of the tracks I heard there was Golden Earring's 'Just a little bit of peace in my heart', an old track from 1968, when it reached number 2 in the Dutch Top 40.

I found this re-release single from 1988 a few months later. The B-side was another hit from the band: 'Please go', which reached number 10 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1965.

My collection: 7" single no. 859
Found: June 2, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Just a little bit of peace in my heart' / 'Please go'

Absolute beginners - David Bowie

David Bowie was a good friend of Julien Temple, who directed the movie 'Absolute beginners' in 1986. Not only did he land a supporting role in the movie, he also agreed to record the theme tune for the movie.

The sessions, at Abbey Road Studios, were set up in a novel way, with a group of session musicians all receiving a card to work at the studio with 'Mr X', who turned out to be Bowie. The sessions were completed rapidly, but the release of the single was delayed, because the record company wanted the release to tie in with the film's opening. The single reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 411
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Absolute beginners' / 'Absolute beginners (dub mix)'

The miracle of love - Eurythmics

'The miracle of love' was recorded by the Eurythmics in 1986 on their sixth album 'Revenge'. It was subsequently released as the third single from the album, although the single was not released in the United States.

It reached number 31 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 23 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 488
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'The miracle of love' / 'When tomorrow comes (live)'

Children say - Level 42

The 1987 album 'Running in the family' by Level 42 had been a great success, spawning four hit singles through the year, but still it was decided to release one further single from the album. It was 'Children say', which was remixed by Julian Mendelsohn for the single release.

The song was more successful than expected in the Netherlands, peaking at number 9 in the Dutch Top 40. In the UK singles chart, the single peaked at number 22.

My collection: 7" single no. 2305
Found: May 27, 1995
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Children say (remix)' / 'Starchild (remix)'

Kontakt - Frank Boeijen Groep

'Kontakt' was the third and final single from Frank Boeijen Groep's fourth album of the same name. You don't have to understand Dutch to hear how powerful the music in this track is: with great drums and an uplifting guitar solo at the end, it's hard to deny the attraction of this single, which was released in the summer of 1984.

Although I have to add that this single did not chart in the Netherlands. Possibly because most people already had the album and this single did not add anything new (except for the fact that the single version was a remix), but more probably because the demise of the Netherlands' most popular group Doe Maar caused a disinterest for any music that was recorded in the Dutch language. These days you'd wish that disinterest would have endured...

My collection: 7" single no. 239
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1984
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Kontakt' / 'Macho (live)'

Something about the way you look tonight / Candle in the wind 1997 - Elton John

Yesterday it was twelve and a half years ago that Diana, Princess of Wales, affectionately known as Lady Di, was killed during a mysterious road accident in a tunnel in Paris. The outpouring of grief in the UK was unprecedented, but also set a trend that equalled mass hysteria whenever somebody famous died.

Part of the funeral service was Elton John's performance of 'Candle in the wind', the lyric of which was rewritten to suit the circumstances of Diana's life and death. When the song was released as a single, the official A-side was the song 'Something about the way you look tonight', a track from his then-current album 'The big picture'. The single reached number 1 around the world.

My collection: 7" single no. 2924
Found: Record fair, November 30, 1997
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Something about the way you look tonight' / 'Candle in the wind 1997'

The prisoner - Howard Jones

The music video for Howard Jones' 'The prisoner' was notably innovative at the time, mixing multiple photo and video editing tricks at a time when computer-based graphics effects were not widely in use.

Although this, the second single from Howard's 1989 album 'Cross that line', didn't reach the UK singles chart, it did peak at number 30 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1000
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'The prisoner' / 'Rubber morals'

Never let me down again - Depeche Mode

'Never let me down again' was released as the second single from Depeche Mode's 1987 album 'Music for the masses'. The single's cover art features a fragment of a Soviet map showing the northern part of Russia adjacent to the Arctic Ocean.

The single reached number 22 in the UK singles chart, but in Germany it peaked at number 2, while it was also a top 10 hit in most other European countries. In the Netherlands, like many other Depeche Mode singles, 'Never let me down again' was ignored.

My collection: 7" single no. 906
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Never let me down again' / 'Pleasure little treasure'

My lucky love - Marty Wilde

Marty Wilde's career took off after he released his fourth single, 'Endless sleep', which reached number 4 in the UK singles chart. But if you think it was smooth sailing from then on, you're badly mistaken: his next two singles failed to hit the charts just like his first three did.

The first of those two was 'My lucky love', released in September 1958. It was followed by the equally unsuccessful 'No one knows'. 1959's 'Donna' was to revive Marty's career, after which he had three more consecutive top 10 hits in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 4610
Found: eBay.co.uk, received March 1, 2010
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'My lucky love' / 'Misery's child'

Sea of love - Marty Wilde

'Sea of love' was written by John Philip Baptiste and George Khoury. Baptiste, who was working as a bellboy in Lake Charles, Louisiana (USA), wrote the song for a love interest. He was introduced to local record producer George Khoury, who brought Baptiste into his studio to record the song. At Khoury's request, Baptiste took the stage name of Phil Phillips. It was his only chart hit in the USA; subsequent singles failed to chart.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the song was recorded by Marty Wilde and released simultaneously with Phillips' version. It reached number 3 in the UK singles chart, only one place lower than its predecessor, 'A teenager in love'.

My collection: 7" single no. 4609
Found: eBay.co.uk, received March 1, 2010
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Sea of love' / 'Teenage tears'

A teenager in love - Marty Wilde

In June 1959, Marty Wilde released the single that he would forever be associated with, the immortal 'A teenager in love'. It reached number 2 in the UK singles chart during a 17 week chart run. Although his career as a teenage idol was short (and cut short partly because he got married six months later), his hits gave him an appeal that lives on even to this day. Having been at two live concerts, I have seen with my own eyes how his fans of those days are still enraptured by his stage presence whenever he performs in the UK.

During one of these performances, Marty commented that it's quite strange to see a man in his sixties complaining that he is 'a teenager in love'. But such is the power of music.

My collection: 7" single no. 4608
Found: eBay.co.uk, received March 1, 2010
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'A teenager in love' / 'Danny'

Somewhere somebody - Five Star

Shep Pettibone was commissioned to remix 'Somewhere somebody', the third single from Five Star's third album 'Between the lines'. The result was included on this 12" single, released in December 1987: three versions of his remix work, of which the 'short version' is an edit of the 'Pettibone remix'.

'Somewhere somebody' was released while the band was touring. Hence, live photographs were used on the sleeve.

My collection: 12" single no. 535
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Somewhere somebody (The Pettibone remix)', 'Somewhere somebody (Dub beats)' / 'Somewhere somebody (Short version - The Pettibone remix)', 'Have a good time'

There goes my baby - Donna Summer

'There goes my baby' was written by Ben E. King and the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The Drifters recorded the song in 1959, with Ben E. King performing lead vocals.

Donna Summer recorded a cover version of this song in 1984, which was released as the first single from her album 'Cats without claws'. At this time Summer had a contract with Geffen Records who had refused to release much of her work, including the previous album which in the end was released by Mercury Records. After the success of that album, Geffen hired its producer, Michael Omartian to produce Summer's new album. This single reached number 31 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4575
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'There goes my baby' / 'Maybe it's over'

Haus der drei Sonnen - Nena

Having bought the 12" single of 'It's all in the game' and the 7" single of 'Haus der drei Sonnen', it's obvious that I still had to have the 7" single of the former and the 12" single of the latter. The mission continues, but half of it has been successful: I found the 12" single of 'Haus der drei Sonnen'.

The 12" mix of this track is not different from the English version, but of course it is sung in German. The B-side is the same as the B-side of the 7" single.

My collection: 12" single no. 532
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Haus der drei Sonnen (extended)' / 'Ein Brief'

Little river - Audrey Landers

Written by the Germans Bernd Dietrich, Gerd Grabowski and Engelbert Simons, 'Little river' has all the hallmarks of a real German Schlager song. Audrey Landers recorded it as a single in 1983, to follow up the great summer hit 'Manuel goodbye'.

This single, however, failed to dent the charts outside of Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 4596
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Little river' / 'Give me back my heart'

You take my breath away - Dollar

Dollar's 1982 album 'The Paris collection' was recently re-released by Cherry Pop records, adding several bonus tracks to the tracklisting. I won't be buying it, because singles by Dollar is quite enough, I have to say. There is this undeniable kitch appeal, but I couldn't stand it for a whole album.

This limited edition picture disc was released to boost sales of the single 'You take my breath away'. It didn't work, as the single did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4605
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'You take my breath away' / 'Don't change your life'

Pandora's box - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

By 1991, the cd-single had become a dominant format in the record industry. The 12" single was quickly losing ground, and this problem was tackled by including exclusive tracks on them. This record of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 'Pandora's box' is a good example: it features one remix that was not released on cd, the 'Abstract mix'.

Like the single version, it was created by Steve Anderson, and as such it can be considered an 'extended version'.

My collection: 12" single no. 530
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Pandora's box (Constant Pressure 12"mix)', 'Pandora's box' / 'Pandora's mix (Abstract mix)'

That's just the way it is - Phil Collins

'That's just the way it is' was written by Phil Collins as an anti-war ballad, about the conflict in Northern Ireland, The Troubles. Collins commented: 'It's about Northern Ireland as far as I am concerned. (...) If you are living in England and you just sort of constantly people getting blown to smithereens because this thing that's been going on for the last twenty years. You see newsreels of kids throwing petrol bombs because their brothers throw them and then their dads throw them and their dads dads and it's just bred, inbred now this violence. I just thought someone somewhere, and it's got to be from both sides, has got to say 'Hang on, life means more than this. This has got to stop.''

The B-side of the single is 'Broadway chorus', a demo version of the previous hit single from the album, 'Something happened on the way to heaven'. The single reached number 26 in the UK singles chart and number 10 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 4598
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'That's just the way it is' / 'Broadway chorus'

Giving you the benefit - Pebbles

Pebbles released her second album 'Always' in 1990. Ahead of the album, the first single 'Giving you the benefit' was released in late 1990. The track was produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, giving it a very contemporary dance feel (i.e. it sounds quite dated now).

The single reached number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it stalled at number 34 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4589
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Giving you the benefit' / 'Giving you the benefit (Benefitstrumental)'

Heaven - Chris Rea

'Heaven' was the second single from Chris Rea's 1990 album 'Auberge', released in early 1991. After the UK top 20 hit 'Auberge', 'Heaven' was a relative disappointment, peaking at number 57 in the UK singles chart.

The B-side is a beautiful instrumental track, not included on the album.

My collection: 7" single no. 4573
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, February 26, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Heaven' / 'Theme from the Pantile Journals'