Volare - Larry Page Orchestra

Domenico Modugno's Nel blu dipinto di blu became better known simply as 'Volare', a track that was covered by many other artists including Al Martino and John Raver. When I bought a few singles from a Spanish record dealer, I decided to order this single as well: an instrumental cover version by the Larry Page Orchestra.

Larry Page started his recording career in the mid-Sixties, continuing until the end of the Seventies. His albums contained instrumental versions of contemporary hits. This particular cover version, released years after the original, was an attempt at discofying this classic song. I'll let you decide whether that was a fortunate choice.

My collection: 7" single no. 5804
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 8, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'I'm hooked on you'

Listen to the song

What'cha gonna do for me - Jody Watley

Jody Watley had a nice career going in the Eighties, especially with singles like Looking for a new love and Still a thrill. By the end of the decade, not so much. This single faded into obscurity rather quickly and she didn't return into the charts until 1993, when her song 'When a man loves a woman' (not a cover version) reached number 33 in the UK singles charts.

'What'cha gonna do for me' was taken from her 1989 album 'Larger than life', but didn't reach the charts anywhere. The sleeve looks colourful enough, and the song isn't half bad either. I don't know what went wrong there...

My collection: 7" single no. 5808
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 8, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'What'cha gonna do for me' / 'What'cha gonna do for me (dub)'

Listen to the song

Oui, oui, oui, oui - Jean Philippe

France has been in the spotlights over the past few days due to their elections, but it's good to know that the French seem to have decided they will choose light over darkness, progress instead of isolation. That is, if Marine Le Pen actually does lose in the end, which seems so likely but it hasn't happened yet. Let's hope the French will be wiser than the English this time.

In that light, it's nice to listen to a French song from almost sixty years ago. The title is very positive indeed: 'Oui oui oui oui' competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959. He became third during the edition that was hosted in Cannes after France's win the previous year with André Clavau's Dors mon amour.

My copy unfortunately comes without a picture sleeve, but it is still a historic piece.

My collection: 7" single no. 5796
Found: Catawiki, received February 25, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Oui oui oui oui' / 'Ce serait dommage'

Listen to the song

6 años de exitos de - Boney M

There's nothing wrong with a bit of Boney M now and again, and regular visitors of this blog will know that I already own a pretty impressive row of Boney M singles - some of which I have bought for a second time in the mean time because those early singles were ruined by my younger self. The fact that my wife actually likes their music - which is a feat in itself, because for some strange reason she seems to prefer folk like Bach - also helps.

This Spanish single from 1982 presents a medley of the group's biggest hits. Listening to it you'll have to admit this sound more like a quickly edited track than a professional remix. I don't know if it was a hit in Spain, but it's a nice item nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 5805
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 8, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: '6 años de exitos de Boney M' / 'Rivers of Babylon'

Listen to the track

Ain't no sunshine - Bi Virtue feat. Joe McGann & Rebecca de Ruvo

It's not the first time that Joe McGann and MTV hottie Rebecca de Ruvo appear in this blog, as I've owned the 12" single of 'Ain't no sunshine' for 17 years now. I wrote about that one way back in December 2009.

When you compare the sleeve of that 12" single with the sleeve of this 7" single, I'm pretty sure you'll agree that this one looks way better. Why the record company decided to go with the ugly version for the 12" single remains a mystery. The song remains the same: a nice but unhistoric version of a classic song.

My collection: 7" single no. 5802
Found: Discogs.com, received April 4, 2017
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Ain't no sunshine' / 'Why can't we just be friends'

Listen to the song

Raggio di luna - Matia Bazar

When you say 'Matia Bazar', most people immediately scream 'Ti sento', but it is less well known that the band actually participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979. Formed in 1975 by Piero Cassano, Aldo Stellita, Carlo Marrale, Giancarlo Golzi and Antonella Ruggiero, they have released over 20 albums between then and now.

'Raggio di luna', the song they performed in 1979 at the Contest, representing Italy, was the very first Eurovision entry that didn't have an orchestral accompaniment, two decades before the orchestra was disposed of altogether. The song received 27 points and became 15th in a field of 19 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 5893
Found: Discogs.com, received March 8, 2017
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Raggio di luna' / 'Pero che bello'

Listen to the song

Ring dinge ding - Thérèse Steinmetz

In 1967, Thérèse Steinmetz represented the Netherlands during the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Ring dinge ding' written by Johnny Holshuyzen and Gerrit den Braber. Performed first on the night, it ended up at place 14 in a field of 17 competitors, with just 2 points.

Steinmetz was born on May 17, 1933 in Amsterdam. She played various theatre, television and film roles and in 1966 she was given her own TV series, Thérèse. After participating in the Eurovision Song Contest she won the Golden Stag Festival in Romania, making her very popular in that country. These days she lives in Cannes (France), where she has become a successful painter.

My copy of this single turns out to be rather damaged, but it is a promotional copy which makes it a bit more special. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5892
Found: Discogs.com, received March 8, 2017
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Ring dinge ding' / 'Zing'

Listen to the song

Fun - Blondie

One band that continues to release albums on a regular basis is Blondie. Their latest release 'Pollinator' is due soon, and this single, 'Fun', was out recently to signal that release. It's nothing very innovative, but still an entertaining pop song that respects the bands legacy and adds a little to their already impressive body of work.

I've always seen Blondie as a singles band, especially when the albums I bought from them ('No exit', 'Panic of girls' and 'Ghosts of download') were a bit disappointing in the end. Still, the new album is released as a box set of singles and I will definitely be buying that one. Now that's fun.

My collection: 7" single no. 5889
Found: Amazon, received February 23, 2017
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Fun' / 'My monster'

Listen to the song

Sex cymbal - Sheila E.

My wife came home with a few singles, and I had almost all of them. Still, no harm, because it allowed me to ditch the copies that were in lesser shape, and there was one I didn't know. It was this song by Sheila E., released in 1991.

'Sex cymbal' was taken from Sheila's fourth solo album, the first not to be made with any input from her mentor Prince. It has a very prominent house- and dance-focused sound that was popular in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. It's not her best single, but it's a decent effort nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 5878
Found: Kringloop Den Haag, December 27, 2016
Cost: 0
Tracks: 'Sex cymbal' / 'Bass base'

Listen to the song

I'm Mandy fly me - 10CC

10CC band member Eric Stewart recalled about this song, 'National Airlines used to have this beautiful poster that they displayed of this gorgeous stewardess inviting you onto the plane. Now her name wasn't Mandy actually, it was something like, er, oh gosh knows, "I'm Cindy", a very American name. "I'm Cindy, fly me" which was a quite sexual connotation as well, but I remember seeing in Manchester this beautiful poster and just below it was this tramp, I mean a serious tramp, quite a raggedy guy, looking up at this girl, and I thought God, do you know, there's a song there. I know he's never gonna get on an aeroplane, I don't think, except in his dreams. So I brought it back, the idea back to the studio, where we were writing for the How Dare You! album, and put it to the guys: "Anybody interested in this 'I'm Mandy Fly Me'". I'd switched it to Mandy. And Graham said "yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I've got some ideas, I've got some chords. Let's slot those things in, try it, mess it around". We wrote it, and we didn't like it. But, enter from stage left, ha ha, the "wicked villain" Kevin Godley, twiddling his moustache, says "I know what's wrong with it. Let's sit down again." He said "I think it just gets too bland, it just goes on, on one plane, your verses and your middles and your der-der-der, they're all going on the one plane. What it needs is someone to go 'Bash' on the side of your head". So we changed the rhythm completely, and we put two whacking great guitar solos in there, in the middle of this quiet, soft, floaty song. Once we'd got that idea in, it, it just gelled into something else. Again, impossible to dance to, as a lot of 10cc tracks were.'

I found this single in between a heap of old, uninteresting vinyl, but this one stood out because both the sleeve and record were in great condition. I couldn't let go of a classic track like this.

My collection: 7" single no. 5877
Found: Kringloop Den Haag, November 12, 2016
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'I'm Mandy fly me' / 'How dare you'

Listen to the song

I've got mine - UB40

UB40 was between albums when they released 'I've got mine' in 1983. It was just months before they hit the big time with their smash hit 'Red red wine', but while it was still very much a UB40 track -  reggae rhythm and all - it was more dynamic than songs like 'Love is all is alright' and 'Food for thought'.

I picked up this single at work, oddly enough. In the 'little white library' colleagues exchange books, but sometimes cd's and vinyl pop up as well. It's the newest way to add to my collection, I guess!

My collection: 7" single no. 5876
Found: Little white library, November 2016
Cost: 0
Tracks: 'I've got mine' / 'Dubmobile'

Listen to the song

Pas gentille - Jef Barbara

The song 'Pas gentille' was first recorded by Françoise Hardy in 1964. Based on Marty Wilde's 'Bad boy', she translated the lyrics herself and it became a rather beautiful French chanson. In 2012, this song was covered by Jef Barbara.

Born in Montreal, Jef Barbara is a pop star who seems to wander around the gender spectrum rather loosely: sometimes man, sometimes woman but always himself (or herself, depending on your views). The 2012 single with 'Pas gentille' (only available as a 7" vinyl single) showcases a beautiful voice in a subtle musical arrangement.

My collection: 7" single no. 5860
Found: Discogs.com, received July 26, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Pas gentille' / 'I have a friend'

Listen to the song

Skorápky orechu - Marie Rottrová

Every once in a while I buy a single not for the A-side, but for the B-side. This is a good example. Marie Rottrová's 1983 single 'Skorápky Orechu' is a bit of a rarity for Kim Wilde fans, since the B-side features the only known cover version of Kim's song 'Action city'. Entitled 'Já tvé sny znám', you won't easily find it, but fortunately the sleeve does actually mention 'Action city' between brackets (as you can see below).

Marie Rottrová was born in Ostrava-Hrušov (Czech Republic) on November 13, 1941. She was born and raised in a musical family, with her mother a singer and her father an organist. She initially started working as a bank clerk but after participating in a talent show in Ostrava she was discovered and became a member of groups like Františka Trnka, Octect, Samuel, Majestic and the Flamingos. Her first LP with the Flamingos was recorded in 1970. This self-titled debut album in the Czech language was re-recorded a year later in English as 'This is our soul'. Several solo albums followed.Rottrová still performs and records these days, although she never became as prolific as she was during the 1970's and the first half of the 1980's.

My collection: 7" single no. 5859
Found: Discogs.com, received July 1, 2016
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Skorápky orechu' / 'Já tvé sny znám'

Listen to the song

Jezebel - Marty Wilde

The last time I saw Marty Wilde live - which, I'm ashamed to say, is almost ten years ago now! - it was his song 'Jezebel' that made the biggest impression on me. It sounded every bit as vibrant as it did on this original recording from 1962. The man and his voice were every bit as powerful as they were when he was just in his twenties.

At the time of the release of this single, Marty had already become a songwriter in his own right, but this song 'Jezebel' was written by Wayne Shanklin and originally recorded by Frankie Laine. Wilde added his own composition on the B-side. This single became his last top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 19.

My collection: 7" single no. 5855
Found: Discogs.com, received June 24, 2016
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Jezebel' / 'Don't run away'

Listen to the song

Jezamine - Misty

If you hear the name Misty, you might think of a middle-aged sultry female singer, but in fact it was a duo consisting of Mark Eden and Mickey Fudge. They recorded a couple of singles which were released in 1977. Their first release was 'Jezamine', a cover of the track originally recorded by the Casuals, and written by Marty Wilde. They followed it up with 'Magic spell', which was an original track written by Fudge.

Their version of 'Jezamine' was typical Seventies disco fodder, although you could also recognize it as a proto-Level 42 track.

My collection: 7" single no. 5867
Found: Discogs.com, received September 7, 2016
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Jezamine' / 'That's no way'

Listen to the song

Eurovision songs - Groot Draaiorgel Mortier

This is probably the most mysterious single I've ever bought. It didn't come with a sleeve, so all I have is the disc and the info on the label. It is credited to Groot Draaiorgel Mortier, and since the single is made in Belgium I have to assume it's a Belgian barrel organ.

The songs played by this barrel organ all come from the 1960 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest: 'Niet voor mij', 'Wat een geluk', 'Looking high' and 'Tom Pillibi'. There is no information about Groot Draaiorgel Mortier on the web, so this single looks likely to remain a mystery.

Listen to one side
Listen to the other side

My collection: 7" single no. 5819
Found: Kringloop Den Haag, January 16, 2016
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Niet voor mij', 'Wat een geluk' / 'Looking high', 'Tom Pillibi'

Io senza te - Peter Sue & Marc

I already bought Io senza te by Peter Sue & Marc at the end of 2009 as part of a big stack of Eurovision singles. The B-side of that single featured the English version of the song. When I was in Vienna last month, I suddenly spotted the German version of that song, with the German version of the song on the B-side.

Nothing wrong with a little language variation here and there, and so I bought this single as well, especially since it was so cheap (if you ignore travel fares and hotel costs, that is). It just goes to show that you never know what you find when you go shopping for records in other countries!

Listen to the song

My collection: 7" single no. 5857
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, June 3, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Io senza te' / 'Ich ohne dich'

December - All about Eve

Ordering online can be a treat sometimes, especially when you're able to combine things and get a few interesting singles together. I was a little surprised when this one arrived in a picture sleeve. It is a promotional 7" single for All about Eve's 'December', featuring the single edit on one side and an even shorter radio edit on the other side.

This track is of course best in its unedited version, but to own an exclusive radio edit is a nice addition to my already impressive All about Eve collection.

Listen to the song

My collection: 7" single no. 5857
Found: Discogs.com, received July 1, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'December (radio edit)' / 'December [single edit]'

Hon går rakt fram - Leyla

Having a complete Kim Wilde collection also includes many cover versions. Through the years I have been able to identify over 250 cover versions of Kim Wilde songs, and more than half of those are cover versions of 'Kids in America'. So it really is a nice surprise when it turns out that not everyone has turned to Kim's debut hit for inspiration.

The Swedish band Cotton Club debuted in 1984 with a self-titled album full of cover versions from hits between 1981 and 1984. One of them was Kim Wilde's 'Love blonde'. All the songs were translated into Swedish, and so 'Love blonde' became 'Hon går rakt fram'. When the track was released as a single, the record company decided to release it as a solo single from the band's lead singer, Leyla Yilbar Norgren.

Listen to the song

My collection: 7" single no. 5865
Found: Discogs.com, received July 27, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Hon går rakt fram' / 'En enda rad'

The world would never turn again - Keith Potger

Keith Potger was a member of the Seekers, as the sleeve of his first solo single proclaims. The band had some success during the Sixties, until they disbanded in 1968.

'The world would never turn again' was released the next year, and although Potger would become a songwriter and producer, this first single was written by someone else. The B-side, interestingly, was provided by Frere Manston, which of course is a pseudonym of Marty Wilde. And there it is... the main reason for me to pick up this single. 

My collection: 7" single no. 5854
Found: Marktplaats, received June 22, 2016
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'The world would never turn again' / 'Santa Maria'