Sara - Circus Custers / Achter de wolken schijnt de zon - Johan Verminnen

When the men from the Dutch group Het Goede Doel decided to record an album with different Dutch and Belgian artists, choosing a different artist for every track, deciding the best single from that album wasn't a very easy task.

The record company finally decided to release two tracks from the album on two one-sided singles in one bundle. As luck would have it, the two songs were exact counterparts of one another: 'Sara' is a sad tale of two people having a baby which turns out to have Down syndrome, whereas 'Achter de wolken schijnt de zon' ('Every cloud has a silver lining') is an optimistic tale of people who don't let themselves be brought down by life's negative twists and turns. The package did not become a hit, however.

My collection: 7" single no. 694
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, December 3, 1988
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Sara' (Circus Custers) // 'Achter de wolken schijnt de zon' (Johan Verminnen)

Come along - Duo Datz

Duo Datz consists of Orna and Moshe Datz. They are best known in Israel for their middle of the road type music and their series of children's dvd's.

In 1991, they represented Israel with the song 'Kan'. They finished third in a field of 22 competitors. This single features both the original and the English version of the song.

My collection: 7" single no. 1490
Found: Den Haag, July 7, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Come along' / 'Kan'

L'amour de ma vie - Sherisse Laurence

Sherisse Stevens was born as Sherisse Laurence in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. From 1978 to 1983 she hosted the show 'Circus' on CTV in Canada.

In 1986 she was chosen to represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest. Her song 'L'amour de ma vie' ('The love of my life'), performed first on the night, was written by Frank Dostal and Alain Garcia and composed by Rolf Soja. The song finished third with 117 points.

My collection: 7" single no. 4391
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'L'amour de ma vie' / 'The love of my life'

Hold me - Fleetwood Mac

In 1989, the record company shied away from releasing 'No questions asked', one of two new tracks on Fleetwood Mac's 1988 'Greatest Hits' album. Instead, they put it on the B-side of a re-release of the song 'Hold me', which was originally a hit in 1982. Written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton, it became one of Fleetwood Mac's biggest hits in the USA. Released in July 1982, it peaked at number 4 for seven weeks.

The 1989 re-release was not quite as successful. It reached number 94 in the UK singles chart and number 29 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 806
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, April 28, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Hold me' / 'No questions asked'

Nous on veut des violons - Morgane

Morgane was born as Ingrid Simonis in Blegny, Belgium on August 23, 1975. In 1992, she was selected to represent Belgium during the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Nous on veut des violons' ('We want violins'). It proved to be an unsuccessful entry, finishing 20th in a field of 23 competitors.

Morgane released several more records after the contest, but after a few years he gave up her own career to become the mother of three children. In 2009, she relaunched her career, now performing rock/gothic-influenced music.

My collection: 7" single no. 4393
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Nous on veut des violons' / 'Nous on veut des violons (instrumental)'

I'll set you free - The Bangles

'I'll set you free' was released as the fourth and final single from the Bangles' 1988 album 'Everything'. The track was remixed by Bernard Edwards, making it 24 seconds longer than the album version and featuring a vocal introduction by Susanna Hoffs.

Although the three previous singles were a big success, this single stalled at number 74 in the UK singles chart. It was also a minor hit in Australia, reaching number 81. No promotional film was made for the single, as the band had all but broken up.

My collection: 7" single no. 993
Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1989
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'I'll set you free (remix)' / 'Watching the sky'

I'm not satisfied - Fine Young Cannibals

Although I have the limited edition singles in a tin can from all four previous single releases from Fine Young Cannibals' 1989 album 'The raw and the cooked' (1989) - 'She drives me crazy', 'Good thing', 'Don't look back' and 'I'm not the man I used to be' - I have not been able to locate the fifth one. It's not even offered on eBay or similar websites these days. It's a frustration, but I do have the 'normal' single.

Written by lead vocalist Roland Gift and bassist David Steele, 'I'm Not Satisfied' depicts a man who criticizes the weekends for being too short, his girlfriend for being too possessive, and the city for being too depressing. This fifth single release from 'The raw and the cooked' (1989) reached number 46 in the UK singles chart, number 83 in Canada and number 90 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 1193
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, March 9, 1990
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'I'm not satisfied' / 'I'm not satisfied (The Nicci edit)'

Looking at midnight - Imagination

'Looking at midnight' was released in May 1983, while Imagination were very much a part of the chart scene. Produced and co-written by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain, the single followed a formula that had become familiar for the band: falsetto vocals and swirling synth sounds.

The single reached number 29 in the UK singles chart, but was the first after a long line of single releases to not chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3176
Found: February 19, 2000
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Looking at midnight' / 'Follow me'

No son of mine - Genesis

'No son of mine' was released as the first single from Genesis' 1991 album 'We can't dance'. The lyric tells the story of a boy who runs away from his abusive home, and - after some reconsideration - attempts to return, only to be rebuked by his father. In interviews, Phil Collins has said that the lyrics are deliberately vague as to whether the narrator or his mother is the victim of the abuse.

The track is notable for a distinctive sound heard during the intro and before the second verse. Referred to by the band as 'elephantus', the sound was created by Tony Banks recording Mike Rutherford's guitar with a sampler and then playing three notes on the bottom register of the keyboard, greatly lowering the pitch. The single relaunched Genesis' career after four years absence from the charts, peaking at number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 8 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1547
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, November 2, 1991
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'No son of mine' / 'Living forever'

Over de muur - Klein orkest

'Over de muur' ('Over the wall') can be considered an Eighties classic in Dutch pop music. It was recorded by Klein orkest in 1984, at the height of the cold war. The song bemoaned the existance of the wall in Berlin and the strange differences between the two sides of the city: the stern greyness of communism on one side, exorbitant behaviour of capitalism on the other side. 'Only the bird flying from west to east Berlin are not called back and not shot down'.

The single reached number 10 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1984. When the record company released a greatest hits compilation of the band in 1989, the single was re-released. Even now the wall had come down, the single was again a hit, peaking at number 25 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 1129
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, December 8, 1989
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Over de muur' / 'Achter elke deur'

Family man - Daryl Hall and John Oates

Mike Oldfield recorded 'Family man' as a track on his 1982 album 'Five miles out'. He wrote all of the music for the chorus, and verses were written by the other writers: Tim Cross, Rick Fenn, Mike Frye, Morris Pert and Maggie Reilly. Tim Cross has also claimed to have written the majority of the lyrics for the song, and cited Rick Fenn as the inspiration of the 'family man' mentioned in the song.

Daryl Hall & John Oates recorded their cover version a year later on their album 'H2O'. The single reached number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 15 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3172
Found: London, January 18, 2000
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Family man' / 'Open all night'

Frei zu leben - Chris Kempers and Daniel Kovac

'Frei zu leben' was performed during the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest by Chris Kempers and Daniel Kovac. Like more songs during that year's edition, the obvious theme was war and freedom, triggered by the fall of the Berlin wall in the autumn of 1989. Originally performed in German, the B-side of this single also featured a French version, while it was also recorded in English and Croation (since Daniel Kovac was born in Croatia).

The German entry was composed by Eurovision veteran Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Michael Kunze. It finished 9th in a field of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 4394
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Frei zu leben' / 'Laissez vivre'

It never rains in Southern California - Albert Hammond

'It never rains in Southern California' was written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood. The lyric of the song concerns the struggles of a singer who moves out to California to pursue a career in Hollywood but does not have any success and deteriorates in the process. In the chorus, Hammond sings, 'It never rains in California / but girl don't they warn ya / It pours, man it pours.'

The single was released in 1972 and reached number 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 26 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 398
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1986
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'It never rains in Southern California' / 'Anyone here in the audience'

Again - Janet Jackson

'Again' was included as the closing song of Janet Jackson's 1993 movie debut in 'Poetic Justice'. The song was, however, not included on the soundtrack album. It reappeared on Janet Jackson's own album 'janet.', also released in 1993.

The track became her seventh number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart and number 20 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 2081
Found: March 8, 1994
Cost: 8 guilders
Tracks: 'Again' / 'Again (Piano/Vocal)'

The tide is high - Blondie

'The tide is high' was written in 1967 by John Holt and performed by The Paragons with John Holt as lead singer. The song was popular in Jamaica and became popular amongst West Indians and skinheads in the UK when a deejay version by U-Roy was released in 1971. The song went mainly unnoticed in the rest of the world until it was rediscovered in 1980 by Blondie.

They recorded the song in a reggae/ska style that included horns and strings. It was released as a single from their fifth album 'Autoamerican'. It reached number 1 in the USA and the UK, while peaking at number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 119
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'The tide is high' / 'Suzy and Jeffrey'

Children, Kinder, enfants - Margo, Franck Olivier, Diane Solomon, Malcolm Roberts, Ireen Sheer, Chris Roberts

Sometimes you wonder why people don't think of the most obvious things. So why was the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest entry from Luxembourg performed by a group called Margo, Franck Olivier, Diane Solomon, Ireen Sheer, Malcolm and Chris Roberts? The group was sometimes referred to as 'The Internationals', since Margo is Dutch, Franck Olivier is Luxembourgian (the fourth Lucembourgish representative to actually be native to the Grand Duchy), Diane Solomon is American, Ireen Sheer is British, the late Malcolm Roberts (1944-2003) was British and Chris Roberts is German.

This was Ireen Sheer's third participiation in the Eurovision Song Contest, in 1974 she represented Luxembourg with 'Bye bye I love you' and in 1978 she sang 'Feuer' for Germany. 'Children, Kinder, enfants', a song about the positive qualities of children, finished 13th in a field of 19 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 4401
Found: Second Life Music, Amsterdam, December 30, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Children, Kinder, enfants (French version)' / 'Children, Kinder, enfants (International version)'

Ne t'enfuis pas - Kate Bush

I ordered Kate Bush's 1983 single 'Ne t'enfuis pas' some 10 years after its release, as described in this post. However, the disc never arrived in one piece and for years I only had the sleeve. When I wrote about this unlucky adventure a few days ago, I realised suddenly that the age of internet would have made this single readily available. I don't know why I didn't think of this before!

And so, I ordered another copy of this single, again from France, but this time at a much lower price. It's incredible: within days it was delivered - and in one piece, too. Long live the internet.

My collection: 7" single no. 4625
Found: Priceminister.com, received March 6, 2010
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Ne t'enfuis pas' / 'Un baiser d'enfant'

Magazines - Media

Henk Van Der Neut, Richard Emans, Rob Van Zomeren, Robert van der Tol and Robin van Vliet form Media in the mid-Eighties. They are signed by Sony Records in 1985. Dutch magazines like 'Oor' ('Ear') and 'Vinyl' compare their new wave music to the works of The Blue Nile, Talking Heads en Talk Talk.

They release three singles, one of which was this one, 'Magazines'. None of their singles have any commercial success. In 1987 the band breaks up.

My collection: 7" single no. 4624
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, March 5, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Magazines' / 'Down at Eddy's'

Girl I'm gonna miss you - Milli Vanilli

So Milli Vanilli didn't really sing themselves. Their music was produced by Frank Farian and the vocals were apparently performed by studio musicians who were too unattractive to become pop idols. And so Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were put into the limelight.

Partly thanks to their appeal, 'Girl I'm gonna miss you' became a number 1 hit in Australia, Switzerland, USA and the Netherlands. In the UK singles chart, the single reached number 2.

My collection: 7" single no. 4623
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, March 5, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Girl I'm gonna miss you' / 'Can't you feel my love'

Get down tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band

Band member Richard Finch has commented that 'Get down tonight' was inspired by the Gilbert O'Sullivan single 'Get down'. 'That record was really hot back then. And I was like, 'Okay, this guy has a great idea.' He's talking about 'get down'. But I didn't find out until later on he was talking about his dog.'

The single was released in the summer of 1975 and reached number 21 in the UK singles chart and number 5 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4622
Found: La La Land, March 5, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Get down tonight' / 'You don't know'