'Diamonds', a single from Chris Rea's 1979 album 'Deltics', sounded a bit crude, not at all like the polished songs he would release during much of the Eighties. Still, it didn't totally put off the record-buying public: the single reached number 44 in the UK singles chart.
One other single was released from the album: 'Raincoat and a rose'. That single did not chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5189 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received July 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Diamonds' / 'Cleveland calling'
Released in February 1980, 'Kool in the kaftan' became B.A. Robertson's third chart hit in the UK. The single reached number 17 in the UK singles chart, but didn't reach the chart in other territories.
The single was released with a 'normal' sleeve and with a gatefold 'popup' sleeve. I bought the latter. The inner sleeve shows a hand with the 'V' sign.
My collection: 7" single no. 5088 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received July 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Kool in the kaftan' / 'Baby I'm a bat'
The uplifting dance music from The Beloved went mainstream when they had a hit with 'Sweet harmony'. Shortly thereafter, they went back underground, as the follow-up singles 'You got me thinking' and 'Outer space girl' didn't get the same kind of treatment from the fickle audience.
Still, 'Outer space girl' in particular is a beautiful piece of electronic dance music that still sounds about as fresh as it did when it was first released. This double 12" single package is a varied ensemble of mixes: some are faithful to the original tracks, and some are not. It never bores, which is quite rare for dance mixes.
My collection: 12" single no. Found: Fun Records, Berlin, July 9, 2011 Cost: 3,8 euro Tracks: 'Outerspace girl (Space cadet mix)', 'Outerspace girl' / 'Outerspace girl (Organism mix)', 'Outerspace girl (Space hopper mix)' // 'Outerspace girl (Destination moon mix)', 'Outerspace girl (Instrumental mix)' / 'Outerspace girl (Lost in bass mix)', 'Outerspace girl (Space dust mix)'
Janet Jackson shot to fame when she released 'What have you done for me lately', the first single from her third album 'Control', in 1986. Although I liked the song, it took some time for me to buy the 7" single because by the time it finished its chart run, I was pretty sick of it.
The 12" single took me even longer: a quarter of a century. Now that I bought it, I had the bad luck of getting a copy with a slight damage on the disc. The perils of mail order...
My collection: 12" single no. 563 Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received July 9, 2011 Cost: 1,95 euro Tracks: 'What have you done for me lately (extended)' / 'What have you done for me lately (dub)', 'What have you done for me lately (acapella)'
Next week my friend Puck is celebrating his birthday. On his wish list was a cd by Five Star, so I thought that would be a good occasion to dig out this 12" single with versions of one of their lesser known hits, 'R.S.V.P.'
Released in 1985 as a single from their album 'Luxury of life', the track was written by Paul Gurvitz and remixed by John Morales. This 12" single features three remixes of 'R.S.V.P. plus two B-side tracks.'
'Let it loose' was recorded by Chris Rea for the soundtrack of the movie 'Cross country'. The track also appeared on his 1983 album 'Water sign'.
Released as a single in February 1983, it only reached number 85 in the UK singles chart. At the time, the record company was barely interested in working with Rea, to a point that his album 'Water sign' was basically a collection of demos.
My collection: 7" single no. 5172 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Let it loose' / 'Urban samurai'
'Tokyo nights' was released as the third single from the Bee Gees 1989 album 'One', but in Europe only. In America, the track 'Bodyguard' was released as a single instead.
The single was not a commercial success; as far as I know it didn't chart in any territory.
My collection: 7" single no. 5139 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Tokyo nights' / 'Will you ever let me'
'One' is the second international single (and lead single in the U.S.) from the Bee Gees' 1989 album of the same name. This was the song that returned the Bee Gees back to American radio and would turn out to be their biggest US hit in the 1980s. It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989, and it stayed in the Top 40 for ten weeks.
Over in Europe, the single didn't do as well: it only reached number 37 in Germany, number 26 in Belgium and number 71 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5135 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'One' / 'Flesh and blood'
Some single releases are just ill-advised. Take for instance this single by the Belgian Bunker Boys. Released in 1979 on the unknown (and probably self-financed) Velpia Records label, it was a cover of that year's Eurovision winner 'Halleluja'. It's a beautiful song with a beautiful melody, but this instrumental version does not do any justice to it.
The Bunker Boys sound like a bunch of amateurs who by some freak of circumstances managed to get their rehearsals recorded and splurged out on vinyl. Well, it's a novelty record and a Eurovision cover - amusing enough to want to hear once.
My collection: 7" single no. 5186 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Hallelujah' / 'Espagnola'
In 1979, Andy Gibb performed along with the Bee Gees, ABBA, and Olivia Newton-John at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly, which was broadcast worldwide. After this, he returned to the studio to begin recording sessions for his final full studio album, 'After Dark'.
In March 1980, the last of Gibb's top 10 singles charted just ahead of the album's release: 'Desire'. A second single, 'I can't help it', a duet with family friend Olivia Newton-John, reached the top 20.
My collection: 7" single no. 5144 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I can't help it' / 'Someone I ain't'
Besides the Dutch version 'Ik zie een ster', Mouth & MacNeal also released the English version of their 1974 Eurovision Song Contest entry as a single in Europe. In the case of the Belgian pressing, the sleeve was a variation on the Dutch one, making it quite a beautiful set.
'I see a star' actually became a hit in the UK, peaking at number 8 in the singles chart during the summer of 1974. They remained one hit wonders in that country though: follow-up singles never charted.
My collection: 7" single no. 5183 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'I see a star' / 'My friend'
'Ik zie een ster' is the original Dutch version of the 1974 Eurovision entry by Mouth and MacNeal, 'I see a star'. Although they performed the song in English during the Contest - as a result of relaxed language rules - this single contains a version entirely in Dutch.
The song was released as a single in the Netherlands in March 1974 and reached number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. That's quite remarkable, as 'I see a star' finished third during the Contest as well. This Belgian pressing features a much more beautiful sleeve than the Dutch pressing.
My collection: 7" single no. 5184 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Ik zie een ster' / 'Liefste'
'Sussudio' was released as a single from Phil Collins' 1985 album 'No jacket required'. The main lyric came about as Collins was improvising lyrics to a drum machine track he had programmed: 'Suss-sussudio' was a wording that scanned improperly. After trying to find an alternative word to fit the rhythm, the singer decided to keep 'Sussudio' as the song title and lyric. The song is about a normal crush that a schoolboy may have on a girl and that by saying 'suss-sussudio' may raise speculations about the boy having a stutter.
The single reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 17 in Germany and number 12 both in the UK and the Netherlands.
My collection: 7" single no. 5159 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Sussudio' / 'The man with the horn'
'Massachusetts' is a song written, recorded, and released by the Bee Gees in 1967 and later appearing on their 1968 album, 'Horizontal'. It was their first Number 1 hit in the UK and eventually became one of the best selling singles of all times.
At the time of release, the Bee Gees consisted of Robin, Barry & Maurice Gibb plus Vince Melouney (lead guitar) and Colin Petersen (drums). Shortly after 'Massachusetts' was recorded, Beatles manager Brian Epstein told him that it was beautiful and would be the hit of the summer. These proved to be Epstein's last words to Maurice; Epstein died a few days later.
My collection: 7" single no. 5140 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Massachusetts' / 'Barker of the U.F.O.'
'Une petite française' was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in French by French singer Michèle Torr. The song was composed by Olivier Toussaint and Paul de Senneville, a very successful team whose compositions were recorded by major French singers such as Michel Polnareff, Christophe, Dalida, Petula Clark, Claude François and Mireille Mathieu all through the 60s and 70s.
'Une petite française' is a mid-tempo ballad, with Torr describing herself as an average Frenchwoman, rather than the cosmopolitan types more commonly associated with that country. She confides that she is no Marilyn, she never reads about her own life in the magazines, she doesn't own a Rolls, she doesn't consider herself an idol, she hasn't read Pascal, she rarely visits Paris, she hasn't changed her name, she leads a quiet provincial life with her children - she just happens to be country girl from Provence who likes to sing. She asks her audience to be the judge of whether she should have left her home for a career in music. Despite her peculiar voice, the jury apparently thought so, because she ended up in 4th place in a field of 18 contestants.
My collection: 7" single no. 5185 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Une petite Française' / 'Le mal de Mai'
'Eyes' is the third and final single from the album 'Cats without claws' by Donna Summer. Edited in length from the original version on the album, the single did not achieve chart success.
The song was mixed by the then very popular John ´Jellybean´ Benitez.
My collection: 7" single no. 5167 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Eyes' / 'It's not the way'
'I've gotta get a message to you' is a song recorded by the Bee Gees in 1968, which became their second number 1 single in the UK singles chart. The song is about a man who, awaiting his execution in the electric chair, begs the prison chaplain to pass a final message on to his wife.
Robin Gibb, who wrote the lyrics, said that the man's crime was the murder of his wife's lover. He came up with the idea following a quarrel with his wife and originally conceived the song with Percy Sledge in mind to record it. In fact, Sledge did record it in February 1970.
My collection: 7" single no. 5137 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I've gotta get a message to you' / 'Kitty can'
'Let your love flow' was written by Larry E. Williams, a former roadie for Neil Diamond, and made popular by the American country music duo The Bellamy Brothers. It was offered to Neil Diamond first, but he turned it down.
The single reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 7 in the UK singles chart and number 6 in the Dutch Top 40. In 2008 the song was used in an advert in the United Kingdom for Barclaycard (right - 'Let your money flow'...). Subsequently, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 21.
My collection: 7" single no. 5134 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Let your love flow' / 'Inside my guitar'
'I won't let the sun go down' was Nik Kershaw's debut single, released in 1983. The song was written during the latter part of the Cold War period when nuclear war between the two superpowers of the USSR and USA was still a very real concern, and the lyrics reflect a satirical view of politics and the threat of war with lines such as: 'old men in stripey trousers, rule the world with plastic smiles', and: 'forefinger on the button, is he blue or is he red?'
Originally the single only reached number 47 in the UK charts. However, the follow up single from the same album, 'Wouldn't it be good', reached the top five and on the back of that success 'I won't let the sun go down' was re-released and soared to number 2. It was also subsequently a major hit in several other countries and was responsible for bringing Nik Kershaw to greater public attention.
My collection: 7" single no. 5147 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'I won't let the sun go down' / 'Dark glasses'
'Something got me started' was the first single released from what would become Simply Red's biggest selling album, 'Stars'. The single eventually made number 11 in the UK and German charts, number 23 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2005, 'Something got me started' was one of the eight previously released Simply Red songs re-recorded for the album 'Simplified'. It also became the second single release from the album, as a double A-side with a new cover of the Leon Russell song 'A song for you'. This made it the only Simply Red song to date to be released as a single twice.
My collection: 7" single no. 5150 Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, June 9, 2011 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Something got me started' / 'A new flame'
'Diamonds', a single from Chris Rea's 1979 album 'Deltics', sounded a bit crude, not at all like the polished songs he would release during much of the Eighties. Still, it didn't totally put off the record-buying public: the single reached number 44 in the UK singles chart.
