Brand new friend - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions

'Brand new friend' was the first single from Lloyd Cole & the Commotions' second album 'Easy pieces'. The title betrayed the content of the album: Lloyd Cole was never known for making 'easy' music. This single is a fine example of a carefully crafted song with subtle instrumentation.

The single actually did better than all of the singles before it, reaching number 19 in the UK singles chart, while also reaching the Irish singles chart for the first time, peaking at number 11.

My collection: 7" single no. 5195
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 14, 2011
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Brand new friend' / 'Her last fling'

The fame and fortune EP - Various

The UK magazine Record Mirror sometimes released a 7" single as a freebie, featuring rare and exclusive tracks. Fortunately, decades later, these EP's still pop up in second hand stores now and again - a great opportunity to still get your hands on these tracks.

In this case, it was the remix of the Beloved's 'Your love takes me higher' I was after. The other three tracks, unfortunately, aren't much to write home about.

My collection: 7" single no. 5194
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 14, 2011
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'I'll be with you' (Brother Delphi), 'Your love takes me higher (Depth & Desire mix)' (The Beloved) / 'Rave on' (Happy Mondays), 'I dream of you' (Adamski)

For America - Red Box

The biggest hit from the duo Red Box is undoubtledly 'For America'. For some reason, neither the 7" single nor the 12" single have made it onto this blog so far (but I am sure they will) - but this 10" single is quite a rare find.

It features a different mix of the track, although it is only slightly different from the album mix. Both B-sides also turn up on the 12" single.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 14, 2011
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'For America (Boys Own mix)' / 'Ain't got no... I got life', 'R 'n' A'

That's the way it is - Mel and Kim

The excellent remastered and expanded edition of Mel & Kim's only album, 'F.L.M.' by Cherry Pop, released last year, collected a lot of remixes of their singles, but these 'acid' remixes of their last hit single 'That's the way it is' were omitted.

Stylistically they're very different from most of the remixes on that package, so that could be an explanation for this, but it's also possible that they couldn't be found in the archives. They're probably never going to be released on cd, so enjoy these rare gems while you can.

My collection: 12" single no. 64
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'That's the way it is (Acid House remix)' / 'That's the way it is (Acid dub)', 'You changed my life'

Is this love - Alison Moyet

Alison Moyet released 'Is this love' as a single in 1986, and as evidenced by this 12" single, it was released in the USA too. Featuring an extended remix by Mike Shipley, it is a longer and slightly more exciting version of this pleasant pop song.

The B-side also features a long version of the non-album track 'Blow wind blow', which unfortunately is a less inspired affair.

My collection: 12" single no. 360
Found: Record fair, 2000
Cost: 3 guilders
Tracks: 'Is this love? (LA mix)' / 'Is this love? (single version)', 'Blow wind blow (long version)'

Feel like change - Black

Apparently, Black's single 'Feel like change' became quite big in South Africa. At the time, the country was slowly getting rid of its Apartheid regime, and so a song called 'Feel like change' sung by a white guy called Black would have been quite apt.

This 12" single doesn't feature any remix, but instead it offers four tracks: the title track, a new track called 'Nice', a cover of a Michael McDonald track and of course the wellknown hit 'Wonderful life'.

My collection: 12" single no. 589
Found: Discogs.com, received October 8, 2011
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Feel like change', 'Nice' / 'I can let go now', 'Wonderful life'

Newborn friend - Seal

Not a very wellknown single, this 'Newborn friend' by Seal. Released after 'Kiss from a rose' as the third single from his second album in October 1994, it faded into obscurity almost everywhere. It still managed to reach number 45 in the UK singles chart and number 24 in New Zealand, but that was pretty much it.

The track was remixed by Brothers in Rhythm, Tom Elmhirst, Ronin and David Morales. This promotional 12" single features four remixes by David Morales, who actually created quite a few different remixes from this track. As I'm sure you'll hear, they sound pretty much the same though.

My collection: 12" single no. 218
Found: Big Company Records, London, October 1994
Cost: 4,5 pounds
Tracks: 'Newborn friend (Morales Club mix)', 'Newborn friend (Morales Dub)' / 'Newborn friend (Morales Radio mix)', 'Newborn friend (Mo-Mo's Bass mix)'

House of thorns - Fiat Lux

While I was not impressed with the 7" single of 'House of thorns' by Fiat Lux (see it here), this 12" single pleases me more. It features a remix of the title track plus two B-side tracks.

The remix of 'House of thorns' makes it sound less like a demo and more like a track that could actually be danceable. The first B-side, 'Threes company' appears on the 7" single too, but the second B-side, 'Sally free and easy' is a bonus, and a good one at that: it's a modern version of a folk song written in the 1950's by Cyril Tawney. It's how Enya would sound if she was a bit more experimental.

My collection: 12" single no. 409
Found: Record Exchange, London, 2000
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'House of thorns [remix]' / 'Threes company', 'Sally free and easy'

The day it rained forever - Aurora

When Aurora released 'The day it rained forever' as a single, two promotional double 12" single sets were released. I already wrote about one set here, an attractive set with seven remixes.

This second set, alas, is a different matter. It features just four remixes of the track, created by Headfunk and Thick Dick (no, I'm not making this up). Have a listen and I'm sure you'll agree that the other set is the better of the two.

My collection: 12" single no. 580
Found: Discogs.com, received August 5, 2011
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'The day it rained forever (Thick Club mix)' / 'The day it rained forever (Deep in my head mix)' // 'The day it rained forever (Thick Dub)' / 'The day it rained forever (Deep in my dub mix)'

Scarlet - All about Eve

All about Eve were in the business of creating beautiful songs, but they were also smart enough to saturate the market with many different versions of their singles. In 1990, they released 'Scarlet' as the third single from their second album 'Scarlet and other stories' on 7", 12" and two different cd-singles.

The 12" single was very special because of its gatefold sleeve, free poster and the four tracks. Three of them were included on the cd-singles as well, but the live version of 'Scarlet' could be found on this 12" single only. Longtime All about Eve fans were especially pleased with a live version of the early single 'Our summer'. A cracking version it is, too.

My collection: 12" single no. 136
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1993
Cost: 3,50 pounds
Tracks: 'Scarlet (live)', 'Candy tree (live)' / 'Tuesday's child (live)', 'Our summer (live)'

Hi! Hi! Hi! - Sandra

Being a Sandra fan these days can be considered very uncool, given her recent albums, but back in the Eighties she was still dealing out the pleasant pop songs effortlessly. 'Hi! Hi! Hi!' was another example of a chart-friendly song, although Sandra didn't get to the charts outside of Central Europe.

This 12" single features both the A- and the B-side of the 7" single, but also an extended remix of the title track, which is actually quite good. Give it a virtual spin and I'm sure you'll agree.

My collection: 12" single no. 311
Found: Record fair, 199X
Cost: 10 guilders
Tracks: 'Hi! Hi! Hi! (extended)' / 'You'll be mine', 'Hi! Hi! Hi!'

All nite (don't stop) - Janet Jackson

'All nite (Don't stop)' was released as the third single from Janet Jackson's 2004 album 'Damita Jo'. The song contains a sample of Herbie Hancock's 1975 track 'Hang up your hang ups'. This 12" features two remixes of the track.

After what has become known as the 'Superbowl incident' in which Jackson flashed a boob during prime time on American television, MTV refused to air the video, leading to a failure of the single. However, in 2008 the single still reached number 40 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 12" single no. 583
Found: Discogs.com, received August 5, 2011
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'All nite (Don't stop) (Sander Kleinenberg Club Mix)' / 'All nite (Don't stop) (Low End Specialists Main Mix)'

Hey Presto - Black

Back in 1984, music videos were an integral part of my daily routine. Watching television for a few hours a day just to catch my favourite videos (and songs) was a bit crazy in retrospect, but it did huge favours for developing my own taste in music.

One of the videos I saw back then was Black's 'Hey Presto'. It's one of very few videos I never saw again - and I'm still searching for it now. I bought the 7" single years later and I only found the 12" single now. It was never a hit for Black, although he would be more successful in 1987 with his eternal classic 'Wonderful life'. To hear what the man is up to these days read my entry on Any colour you like.

My collection: 12" single no. 587
Found: Discogs.com, received October 5, 2011
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Hey Presto' / 'Stephen', 'Liquid dream'

Kids in America - Euphrasia

Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America' has been covered by numerous singers, punk rock bands, death metal bands and even the occasional dance acts.

Euphrasia was a Belgian outfit, apparently consisting of Peter Neefs and Jan Voermans. Their version of 'Kids in America', released in 1992, is quite dynamic. It has a few nice sound effects, and although the track never becomes better than 'average', it's still an interesting take on a classic track. This 12" single features a 12" version that wasn't available on the cd-single at the time.

My collection: 12" single no. 588
Found: Discogs.com, received October 5, 2011
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Kids in America (12" version)' / 'Kids in the house (12" version)'

Worlds apart - The Sinceros

Mark Kjeldsen, Bobby Irwin and Ron François first played together in a London R&B band called The Strutters. The Sinceros were primarily a vehicle for Kjeldsen's composing talents. He sang lead vocals on most of the band's material although François contributed more songs on their later albums.

Their first album, The Sound of Sunbathing, was produced by Joe Wissert and recorded at Wessex Studios in London. The band achieved considerable radio play with its first single, 'Take me to your leader'. The single 'Worlds apart' was released in September 1979 and although it didn't chart in the UK, it managed to reach number 33 in the Dutch Top 40 a month later. I totally forgot about this song, but I remembered the sleeve. And so I finally decided to buy the single today - and memories slowly came back to me. This is a great new wave track.

My collection: 7" single no. 5193
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, September 17, 2011
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Worlds apart' / 'Girl I realise (live)'

State of the world - Janet Jackson

'Rhythm nation' was perhaps Janet Jackson's most serious album, with lyrics about themes like racism, social injustice and more things like that. 'State of the world' was one of the essential tracks on the album, although it wasn't released as a single in most territories.

This promotional double 12" single features no less than 10 versions of the track, including a 'State of the world Suite' that lasts an impressive 14 minutes. Listening to all the remixes in one go is not recommended: a collection like this needs to be ingested with care.

My collection: 12" single no. 584
Found: Discogs.com, received August 31, 2011
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'State of the world (United Nations 12")', 'State of the world (United Nations Dub)', 'State of the world (United Nations instrumental)' / 'State of the world (Third world 7"), 'State of the world (Third world dub)', 'State of the world (Third world instrumental)' // 'State of the world (Suite)' / 'State of the world (State of the house 12")', 'State of the world (Make a change dub)', 'State of the world (World dance mix)'

Easier said than done - Shakatak

Although 'Easier said than done' by Shakatak is hardly the best song ever, it was interesting enough to want to try out this 'special mix long version' when I found this 12" single. It's a mostly instrumental track after all, and I've nothing against a longer version of an instrumental track.

No wonder that this 12" single does exactly as promised: a longer version that keeps you listening. Nothing shocking, but pleasant easy listening.

My collection: 12" single no. 320
Found: [unknown], 1995
Cost: [unknown]
Tracks: 'Easier said than done (special mix long version)' / 'Late night flight'

Doesn't really matter - Janet Jackson

'Doesn't really matter' was the lead single from the Universal Pictures film soundtrack 'Nutty Professor II: The Klumps', in which Jackson co-starred with actor Eddie Murphy. It was used as the official theme song for the movie. It became Jackson's ninth number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and her first in the 2000s, staying at the top for three weeks, and also making Jackson the first artist in history to score number-one singles in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

An alternate mix of the song was later included on Jackson's seventh studio album, 2001's 'All for You'. This 12" single features three remixes of the track, one of which didn't appear on the cd-single at the time. The three remixes on the B-side are basically instrumental versions of these remixes and thus less interesting.

My collection: 12" single no. 586
Found: Discogs.com, received August 31, 2011
Cost: 6 euro
Tracks: 'Doesn't really matter (Rockwilder mix)', 'Doesn't really matter (Jonathan Peters club mix)', 'Doesn't really matter (SpenSane Get Up extended mix)' / 'Doesn't really matter (Rockwilder instrumental)', 'Doesn't really matter (Jonathan peters Soundfactory dub mix)', 'Doesn't really matter (SpenSane Get Up dub mix)'

Little girl - Sandra

I have the 7" single of Sandra's 'Little girl', so it's no surprise that I would buy the 12" single as well. Like the single, this maxi has two tracks, but the A-side comes in an extended version.

Like many 12" singles of the mid-Eighties, the extended version is just that: an extended version of the regular track. It contains some interesting variations on the song, including a drum track that keeps the listener interested.

My collection: 12" single no. 200
Found: Marik, Vienna, July 1994
Cost: 99 Schilling
Tracks: 'Little girl (extended version)' / 'Sisters and brothers'

Any colour you like - Black

Although this blog is dedicated to music on vinyl (the name says it all) I would like to make an exception and make you an offer you can't refuse. There's a lot of music on here you can listen to for free, but this time I'm asking for $1. That's not a lot, is it?

Black has been making beautiful music for 30 years now. In the Eighties he was very successful with the song 'Wonderful life' and subsequent releases. His vinyl output during that time has been featured on this blog (see it here). After that, things became less commercially successful - although the music has always been beautiful. You can hear it for yourself on the new compilation 'Any colour you like', which was released today. You can download it here and if you use the discount code 'mrg4song' it will cost you just £0.75 - 10% of the original price! If you like this blog you MUST download this compilation. If only to do me - and yourself - a favour.