Love goes up and down - Errol Brown

Although 2016 has confronted us with morality in a big way - with David Bowie, Prince and several other big names in music departing - last year was no small matter either. In February Visage's face Steve Strange passed away, and in May we lost Errol Brown, the frontman of Hot Chocolate.

It's easy to forget that beside his 18 years with that band, he also released a handful of solo releases in the late Eighties. 'Love goes up and down' was his fourth solo effort, which only got to number 89 in the UK singles chart. If you listen to the song here, you'll hopefully agree that the song was very much underrated.

My collection: 7" single no. 5853
Found: Moses Records, Vienna
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Love goes up and down' / 'Thank you'

Listen to the song

Young ones everywhere - Stephanie

Princess Stephanie from Monaco made a name for herself as a singer with the 1986 hit 'Ouragan' / 'Irresistible', and on the back of that success released an album of reasonably good pop songs. But royalty is almost obliged to do something for charity as well, and so one of the tracks from the album ended up being connected to Unicef in 1987.

'Young ones everywhere' was the appropriate title of the single, and it announced in large letters 'Stepahnie for Unicef'. It is not known whether this single raised a lot of money for Unicef, but since it wasn't a Europe-wide hit, the worst is to be feared.

My collection: 7" single no. 5847
Found: Discogs.com, received May 2, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Young ones everywhere' / 'Young ones everywhere (instrumental)', 'Besoin'

Listen to the song

Gone too soon - Michael Jackson

If you look at the list of singles by Michael Jackson on this blog, it's hard to believe that I haven't got them all already. But somehow I managed to miss this one. I only discovered it recently and fortunately I was able to get a copy of this single while I was buying a few others online.

As you can hear, the vinyl isn't exactly clean but as with most Michael Jackson tracks, I've already got it on CD anyway. Which probably makes you wonder why I need to have this on vinyl anyway. Well, you either have a collection or you don't. That's a logic in itself, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 5850
Found: Discogs.com, received May 10, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Gone too soon' / 'Gone too soon (instrumental)'

Listen to the song

Telefone - Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton recorded 'Telefone (Long distance love affair)' in 1983 for her album 'Best kept secret'. It was released as the album's lead single.  The song reached a disappointing number 84 in the UK singles chart. Amazingly, it was more successful in the US, where it became her fourth top 10 hit, peaking at number 9 late October 1983.

A year later, Easton added 'Telefono' to her Spanish album 'Todo me recuerda a ti', recorded for the Latin markets.

My collection: 7" single no. 5844
Found: Discogs.com, received May 2, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Telefone' / 'Wish you were here tonight'

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Bandido (Deep mix) - Azucar Moreno

Since this week is Eurovision Song Contest week, it shouldn't be a surprise that I have a few Eurovision singles for you, even if I depend on new acquisitions to fill this blog these days. I was particularly lucky to score this one, since I suspect it's rather rare: it's a one-sided promotional 7" single single from Spain, the country that competed in 1990 with the song 'Bandido' by Azucar Moreno.

This single contains a special remix of that song, a remix that I thought was only available on a cd-single - also promotional - which I bought a few years ago. It's great to own this track on vinyl since it is actually a nice remix.

My collection: 7" single no. 5849
Found: Discogs.com, received May 10, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Bandido (Deep Mix)'

Listen to the song

Miami Vice theme - Jan Hammer

The Miami Vice theme was created and performed by Jan Hammer as the theme to the television series Miami Vice. It was first presented as part of the television broadcast of the show in September 1984 and released as a single in 1985, peaking at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This picture disc 7" single presents three different edits of the theme, and only omits the 12" version that was released on the 12" single (and which clocks in on 6'54 minutes).

This picture disc presents lead role actors Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The series ran for five seasons between 1984 and 1989. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5841
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Miami Vice theme (TV version)' 1'00, 'Miami Vice theme (12 inch edit)' 4'30 / 'Miami Vice theme' 2'26

Listen to the song

En lille melodi - Anne Cathrine & drengene

A simple song was the English version of this single. Quite why the band was suddenly called Bandjo is unclear to me, because 'En lille melodi', the original Danish version, is credited to Anne Cathrine & drengene. (What does drengene mean? 'Boys'. Yes, Anne Cathrine and her boys...)

I bought this single from the kind people of Vinyl Tap at the latest record fair in Utrecht. British dealers selling a Danish single. The world really has gone mad.

My collection: 7" single no. 5840
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'En lille melodi' / 'Alle har brug for kaerlighed'

Listen to the song

Just what I needed - The Cars

'Just What I Needed', like many other tracks on The Cars' debut album, originated as a demo tape recorded by the band in 1977. It was released as a single, after the band signed to Elektra records, in 1978. It was the lead single of the band's self-titled debut album. The song peaked at number 27 in the US and number 17 in the UK.

Kim Wilde recorded a cover version of this track on her 2011 album 'Snapshots', which should explain why I was hunting for this single in the first place. Having found a picture disc, I'm rather satisfied.

My collection: 7" single no. 5839
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 28, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Just what I needed' / 'I'm in touch with your world'

Listen to the song

Dallas - Jerrold Immel

Two months ago, I got me a copy of Bobby Patrick Band's interpretation of the 'Dallas' theme, but that was of course not the original version. I didn't even know if it was ever released on vinyl, but it turns out that it was. And as a child of the Eighties, of course I had to have the track.

The track features on the B-side of this single, but the A-side is best left forgotten. Written by Michel Salva and Jean Renard, it's a French retelling of the TV series' story line. For some reason, CBS Records was interested in releasing this in France, but the inclusion of the original Jerrold Immel-conducted 'Dallas theme' on the B-side warrants the 50 eurocents I shelled out for this piece.

My collection: 7" single no. 5838
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dallas (Générique du feuilleton TV)' / 'Dallas theme'

Listen to the song

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

Some songs are classics that everyone should own. This blog is littered with them, of course, but there are some tracks that defy criticism. Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition' is one such tracks.

Released on October 24, 1972, it was the lead single for Wonder's 'Talking book' album and topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the USA, peaking at number 10 and 11 in the Netherlands and the UK respectively. I've owned this song on CD for years already, but it's nice to finally add a 7" single to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 5837
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Superstition' / 'You've got it bad girl'

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Love is fire - Doris Dragovic

The Yugoslavian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 was performed by Doris Dragovic. She sang the dramatic love ballad 'Zeljo Moja' ('My desire'), translated as 'Love is fire' for the international market. The song finished eleventh in the contest, in a field of 20 competitors.

Doris actually returned to the contest 13 years later, with the dynamic song 'Marija Magdalena', which fared a lot better: on that occasion she finished in fourth place.

My collection: 7" single no. 5836
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Love is fire' / 'Zeljo moja'

Listen to the song

Ich will, wenn ich wüsste, dass ich darf - Florian Haidt

Nik Kershaw had a big hit in 1984 with I won't let the sun go down. Such was the success of this single, that other artists were inspired to record their own version. At least, I stumbled upon a cover version from the same year, and a German translation at that.

A certain Florian Haidt released 'Ich will, wenn ich wüsste, dass ich darf' ('I would if I knew that I could') in Germany. The single was pressed on purple marbled vinyl, which added to the attraction - at least, for me. It's a chance to hear a rather unusual version of this classic Eighties song.

My collection: 7" single no. 5835
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 17, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ich will, wenn ich wüsste, dass ich darf' / 'Express (Instrumental)'

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Ding-a-dong - Teach In

Some singles are rather rare, and as a result, record dealers at record fairs are usually tempted to ask a high price for them. Then there are records that are not so rare, but associated to a certain event - let's say, the Eurovision Song Contest - and that's also a reason ask a minimum of 10 euros for the disc. And this one is a good example.

I found this copy in a mass of singles from a German dealer, all priced at a measly 1 euro each. Obviously, I bought it right away. Then, 10 minutes later and a few metres away, I saw another copy of this single, in a row of singles especially labeled 'Eurovision'. The price: 10 euros. And no, it didn't look any better than this one. You can imagine that I had a happy moment then and there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5832
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 16, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'Hey hello'

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Avrei voluto - Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali

Back in 1989, I bought a compilation CD featuring all the songs from that year's Eurovision Song Contest. For obvious reasons, that CD never appeared on this blog, however many songs did make it, since I bought so many of them on 7" singles. I like all of the songs from that year, although some songs were later to be accepted than others.

Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali's 'Avrei voluto' was one of them. The raspy voice of Fausto in the first seconds was reason enough for me to skip to the next track. It's a bit of a complicated song, 'Avrei voluto', and the fact that Anna Oxa does an impressive 'We are the world'-era Cyndi Lauper impression doesn't help matters much. An attack on the ears, but still, I've grown to like this song anyway.

My collection: 7" single no. 5824
Found: Discogs.com, received February 5, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Avrei voluto' / 'Avrei voluto (Strumentale)'

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Ever so lonely - Monsoon

Monsoon's 1982 single Ever so lonely is wellknown, as it got a Europe-wide release after relative success in the UK. The single displayed here is a rare gem, however. It is an independent release from 1981 and features four tracks. The A-side features 'Ever so lonely' and 'Sunset over the Ganges' as one continuous track (where on the 1982 single they are split into two separate tracks).

This version of 'Ever so lonely' also features slightly different lyrics and less instrumentation. Released on the Indipop label, this single may have been one of the reasons for a major label to sign the group. It was quite a shock to find this single - which I'd never seen before.

My collection: 7" single no. 5831
Found: Dig Vinyl, Liverpool, February 19, 2016
Cost: £1
Tracks: 'Ever so lonely', 'Sunset over the Ganges' / 'The mirror of your mind', 'Shout (Till you're heard)'

Listen to the A-side

Dallas - Bobby Patrick Band

The American series Dallas is an integral part of the Eighties experience, and as a child of the Eighties I was just as addicted to the show as anyone who grew up at the time. As a collector of music, I also got my hands on singles by Larry Hagman, Audrey Landers, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton and Victoria Principal in recent years.

But the theme of the series somehow never came into my possession. Until now, that is. At least, a version of it, because this is not the version that was used on television, unfortunately. The B-side features the theme of another famous series: The Waltons. Both tracks are performed by the so-called Bobby Patrick Band. When I bought this single, the woman in the shop seemed to be surprised she even had it in stock.

My collection: 7" single no. 5830
Found: Dig Vinyl, Liverpool, February 19, 2016
Cost: £1
Tracks: 'Dallas' / 'The Waltons'

Listen to the track

Soul on my boots - King

While I have been collecting singles for almost 40 years now, and I have been obsessed with Eighties music ever since the Eighties, there is still sometimes a single release that somehow managed to elude me all through these decades. This single is a perfect example.

King's debut single 'Love & pride' was a big hit, and so was its follow-up 'Won't you hold my hand now'. I did know, of course, that both singles had to be re-released to become such hits: the original releases in April 1984 and October 1984 respectively weren't so successful, but back then record companies didn't give up so easily, and so in early 1985 'Love & pride' became a number 2 hit in the UK, and in March 1985 'Won't you hold my hand now' was remixed and peaked at number 24.

What I didn't know, was that there was another single between those two, released in August 1984 (and failing to chart as well). I'd never even seen this single until now. And here it is: 'Soul on my boots'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5820
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 23, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Soul on my boots' / 'Ain't no doubt'

Listen to the song

Jag är en astronaut - Anne Mette Torp

Child star Anne Mette Torp from Hønefoss (Norway) had a great year in 1973, when she shot to fame with a cover version of Ricky Wilde's 'I am an astronaut'. The song was translated into Norwegian by Elvind Torp (presumably her father) as 'Jeg er en astronaut'. She also recorded a Swedish version, 'Jag är en astronaut', translated by Rolf Lönberg, which appears on this single.

In 1974, she released her debut (and only) LP 'Abra Ka Dabra', which did not include this song, but rather original songs, but also meant for children. After her singing career she took up ballet, and now runs the Ringerike Ballet School in Hønefoss.

My collection: 7" single no. 5823
Found: Discogs.com, received February 5, 2016
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Jag är en astronaut' / 'Jag skulle önska'

Listen to the song

Hey presto - Black

I first got to know the UK band Black in 1984, when the music video for 'Hey presto' appeared on television. I'm not sure whether it was this video (which I never saw again since 1984!) or repeated radio play which hooked me, but I was most certainly hooked. I never got to buy the single, because it was only released in the UK - or so I thought until recently.

Back in 1992, I met a fellow fan who owned a rare copy of 'Hey presto', made in the UK, which didn't contain the 'regular' studio version, but rather a demo version. It couldn't be distinguished from other UK pressings, so this was a really strange appearance. A year later, when we spoke to Colin Vearncombe, he explained that a run of copies was made for export to Australia, and WEA retrieved the demo version from the archives by mistake. I never found a copy of this rare run of pressings myself.

This month, after the tragic passing of Colin Vearncombe, I started looking for holes in my collection. It's one way to cope with the loss, I guess. I noticed that there was a German pressing of 'Hey presto', and there was one copy for sale. I decided to order it. The single arrived in my mailbox earlier today. Upon playing this disc, I discovered that this version, too, contained the demo versions of the A and B-side tracks. And just like on the UK pressings, there is no indication that this disc contains the demo versions instead of the regular studio versions. But you can safely assume that all German pressings are the same, since 'Hey presto' probably only had one run of pressings in Germany. Such a pleasant surprise!

My collection: 7" single no. 5827
Found: Discogs.com, received February 17, 2016
Cost: $5
Tracks: 'Hey presto [demo version]' / 'Stephen [demo version]]

Listen to the song

Everything's coming up roses - Black

The death of Colin Vearncombe, singer and sole member of the band Black, on January 26 this year, was a big blow. I have collected all of his music and saw the man live more times than my memory has allowed me to remember. The process of mourning continues for a long time I guess, but in the mean time I coped with the acquisition of a few Black items that I didn't own until now. (Which, as you can see on this page, shouldn't be too much, especially when you consider I never got round to posting my 12" singles.)

The most interesting item so far has to be this promotional 7" from the USA, with a remix version of 'Everything's coming up roses' on both sides. I already had the promotional cd-single from over there for 15 years, but as followers of this blog know: if it's released on vinyl, I gotta have it.

My collection: 7" single no. 5825
Found: Discogs.com, received February 9, 2016
Cost: $2
Tracks: 'Everything's coming up roses (remix)' / 'Everything's coming up roses (remix)'

Listen to the song