Questo amore - Ricchi e Poveri

'Questo amore' ('This love') was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed by Ricchi e Poveri, at the time a quartet consisting of Franco Gatti, Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu and Marina Occhiena. At the close of voting, the song received 53 points, placing 12th in a field of 20 competitors.

I bought this single in one of the strangest record shops I've had the pleasure to visit in Vienna this week. All of the singles cost more than 3 euros (most of them more than 5 euros) and the owners of the shop seemed more interested in their dog than they were in selling. I waited some time before I could pay, then left quickly. I'm not so fond of dogs.

My collection: 7" single no. 5864
Found: Sing Sing Records, Vienna, September 27, 2017
Cost: 3,5 euro
Tracks: 'Questo amore' / 'Anima'

Keeping the love alive - Air Supply

The band Air Supply rarely disappoint, if you like their music. It is almost formulaic but always melodious and catchy. They formed in Australia in 1975 and have included various accompanying musicians and singers.

'Keeping the love alive' was one of the band's lesser known singles, although it was released in Japan and achieved a top 10 status over there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5862
Found: Teuchtler records, Vienna, September 25, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Keeping the love alive' / 'Don't turn me away'

Do I have to - Inga Humpe

Inga Humpe (born January 13, 1956 in Hagen) is a German singer, composer and lyricist. With bands like Neonbabies, DÖF and Humpe & Humpe, she is one of the best-known musicians of the New Deutsche Welle. She is the younger sister of Annette Humpe.

Her solo career started in 1989 with the single 'Something Stupid'. A year later, she released this single, a cover of a Pet Shop Boys B-side. The single was taken from her only solo album 'Planet Oz', also released in 1990. These days she is active as a member of the band 2raumwohnung, together with Tommi Eckart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5866
Found: Moses Records, September 27, 2017
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Do I have to' / 'Falling (forward)'

Sold gold easy action - T Rex

'Solid Gold Easy Action' was released as a single in 1972 and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. While the song's musical style lies rooted in the Rock and roll of the 1950s, its lyrics are surrealistic and a typical example of Bolan's nonsense poetry. This song, like many of Bolan's hit singles, uses words such as "satisfaction" and "action". Combined with the rhythm and fast guitar strumming pattern on the song, Bolan creates an image of teenage sexual frustration.

Kerrang! magazine founder Geoff Barton, wrote in an article for Classic Rock magazine that the first two lines of the song, "Life is the same and it always will be / Easy as picking foxes from a tree", appeared to predict Marc Bolan's own death in 1977. The license plate of the car Bolan was in during the fatal collision with a tree was FOX 661L. This is one of many supposed 'prophesies' surrounding Marc Bolan's death.

My collection: 7" single no. 5863
Found: Teuchtler, Vienna, 25 September 2017
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Solid gold easy action' / 'Born to boogie'

In the heat of a passionate moment - Princess

Sometimes buying records involves a little luck as well as knowledge. I didn't recognise the sleeve of this single, a Princess release from 1986. But when I looked at my collection, of course, I already had a single called In the heat of a passionate moment. That one was the German release, featuring a remixed version of the single.

But this is the original single! And it doesn't contain the remix, but the original version. It sounds very much like a Stock/Aitken/Waterman production, like all of their output circa 1986. And a worthy addition to my singles collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 5865
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, September 27, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'In the heat of a passionate moment' / 'In the heat of a passionate moment (Garage mix)'

Working with fire and steel - China Crisis

Sometimes I like to upgrade my collection. Through the years I have bought many singles from Europe, whereas everyone knows that the UK pressings are much prettier. When I came across this mint copy of 'Working with fire and steel' by China Crisis, I thought it would be a much better one than the one I had.

When I came home, I found out that I didn't have this single at all! It's one of those omissions that you never really notice until you go search for it. Glad to have bought this single, then.

My collection: 7" single no. 5867
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, September 27, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Working with fire and steel' / 'Dockland', 'Forever I and I'

Love today - Mika

I don't know if anyone even remembers Mika these days. He was very popular when he released his debut album ten years ago, but I don't hear his name anymore. That's not to say that he stopped making music: his recent album 'No place in heaven' (2015) was pretty good, though perhaps not as good as 'The origin of love' (2012).

Anyway, I never bought the 7" singles from his debut album because they were only available for ridiculous prices. I was lucky enough to pick up the single Grace Kelly for just 2,5 euro seven years ago, and again this time, 'Love today' was there for me for just three euros. I wonder if, in time, I can find the other singles this cheap as well.

My collection: 7" single no. 5861
Found: Record Bag, Vienna
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Love today' / 'Stuck in the middle (acoustic)'

Turks Fruit - Rogier van Otterloo

It is kindof strange that as a Dutchman you need to go to Austria to find a single that was made by Dutch people and released mainly (but I guess not exclusively) for the Dutch version of Record Store Day. But here we are.

'Turks Fruit' is still the most popular movie ever made in the Netherlands, and not only for its scenes of gratuitous sex (although that helped, obviously). The music was also integral to the success of the movie. This single, pressed on clear red vinyl, features the two main themes of the movie. Central to the theme on the B-side is the harmonica played by Toots Thielemans, who passed away earlier this year. The music was originally released in 1973, whereas this single was released in 2016.

My collection: 7" single no. 5860
Found: Record Bag, Vienna
Cost: 12,90 euro
Tracks: 'Turks Fruit' / 'Dat Mistige Rooie Beest'

Take on me - A-ha

Ah... Record Store Day. The annual feast during which record companies release expensive products that are snapped up by people who actually have record stores in their neighbourhood - if the products they want are actually stocked by those stores.

The picture disc of 'Take on me' by A-ha eluded me until now, because Den Haag no longer has decent record shops anymore. I actually saw a copy in a store once but they asked 40 euros for it. 40 euros! I mean, seriously? Online these things cost less than half that - but the added postage makes it more expensive again. Which is why I was happy to find this copy during my trip to Vienna earlier this week. Sure, I still paid too much for it, but a chance like this never comes up again, I am sure. The single is special because of the picture disc, and the B-side, which is a live version from Dermot O'Leary's Saturday Sessions on BBC Radio 2 on 25 July 2009.

My collection: 7" single no. 5858
Found: Record Bag, Vienna
Cost: 19,90 euro
Tracks: 'Take on me' / 'Take on me (live)'

Listen to the song

Bad Boy - Freddie Starr

Marty Wilde's 'Bad Boy' has been covered a good many times, and some versions are more rare than others. I couldn't find Freddie Starr's version online, so there was nothing I could do except buy the single. These days you can buy singles online so easily, it only depends what you're prepared to pay for them. I try to be as selective as I can.

Freddie Starr, born 9 January 1943, was an English comedian who was previously the lead singer of the Merseybeat pop group the Midnighters. He released several solo albums during the 1970's and 1980's. 'Bad boy' was released in 1975, but it wasn't a hit. After the death of sex offender Jimmy Saville, Starr became one of the suspects but the Crown Prosecution Office decided not to bring charges on the grounds of 'insufficient evidence'. He lost a subsequent court case against his accuser, causing him to flee to an apartment in Spain.

My collection: 7" single no. 5857
Found: Discogs.com, received 21 September 2017.
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Bad boy' / 'Only sixteen'

Listen to the song

Romancing the stone - Eddy Grant

In 1984 Eddy Grant composed the song 'Romancing the stone' for the movie of the same name. Strangely enough, the song was not used. The movie’s producers left nearly all of the song on the cutting room floor and completely off the soundtrack album. Only a remnant of the song — a guitar solo — can be heard in the scene when Douglas and Turner are in a small house in the jungle.

Eddy Grant then decided to release the track himself on his album 'Going for broke'. Released as a single, it was not a hit in the UK. However, across the Atlantic, it romanced its way into the Top 30 and became his first hit since 'Electric avenue'. 

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record Exchange, London, 1994
Cost: 30p
Tracks: 'Romancing the stone (alternative version)' / 'My turn to love you (live)'

Fallen - Sarah McLachlan

Although I have a near-complete collection of Sarah McLachlan albums and singles on CD, she rarely features on this blog, and that's because there's not a whole lot of stuff on vinyl from her - especially when I focus on tracks that are only available on vinyl.

This 12" single is a nice exception. These two remixes of 'Fallen', a track from her 2003 album 'Afterglow', both appear on the remix album 'Bloom', released in 2005 - although the 'Satoshi Tomiie Interpretation' only appears on the Japanese edition as a bonus track, and the '
Gabriel & Dresden Anti-Gravity Mix' is over 2 minutes shorter than on this 12" single. So basically, I bought this disc for those two minutes. In my defence, it was an extra disc in a bigger order I received last year.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 2016
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Fallen (Gabriel & Dresden Anti-Gravity Mix)' / 'Fallen (Satoshi Tomiie Interpretation)'

Physical love - Beloved

The oft-neglected third album by the Beloved 'X' (1996) was not a commercial success, but there were many releases from the album - although most of them were so-called 'white label 12 inches', records pressed mainly for distribution among DJ's and clubs.

One of them was this release, 'Physical love' c/w 'Three steps to heaven'. Both tracks were remixed to almost 10 minute versions, well suited for nighttime club life. Whether these mixes are actually any good.... You be the judge. I do like them in a sort of strange way.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 2016
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Physical love' / 'Three steps to heaven'

No! Dance with me - Marty Wilde

Released in 1963, 'No! Dance with me' was one of the first singles released by Marty Wilde not to chart after his run of hit singles between 1958 and 1962. The song was written by Marty himself, as might well be the B-side, which is incorrectly credited to Gerald Goffin and Carole King. They did indeed write a song with a similar title, but it does not resemble this song here.

This single was one of five Marty Wilde singles I ordered back in May, but for your pleasure I've spread the posting of them a little bit. After all, this is not a Marty Wilde tribute website - although I am quickly completing my collection now. There's still a handful of - rather expensive - singles missing, but I'll get there eventually.

My collection: 7" single no. 5822
Found: Recordsale.de, received May 11, 2017
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'No! Dance with me' / 'Little miss Happiness'

Don't look now - Torch Song

It was becoming a bit weird: on the day I bought Ode to Billy Joe, I was quite shocked that I still didn't have a copy of the 7" of Torch Song's 'Don't look now'. Sure, I have the 12" single, but the single remained elusive. So I did what any sensible collector would do: I ordered a copy online. I immediately noticed that apparently no commercial copies were ever made: all I could find was a promotional version, with a radio edit of the song. Which is fine by me: if there is no commercial single to be had, I'll happily make do with a promotional version.

I finally received the single yesterday so here it is, in all its glory. And if you know the full length version of this track you will notice that this edit was cut quite randomly. Which might explain why it didn't become a hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 5856
Found: Discogs.com, received July 31, 2017
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'Don't look now (radio edit)' / 'P2E (remix) (radio edit)'

Hollywood seven - Alides Hidding

Alides Hidding was born in Schoonoord, the Netherlands on January 30, 1954. He founded the Dutch band the Time Bandits that enjoyed international success. But before that, he released a solo single which even in the Netherlands is not so well known. This is surprising, because it was a hit.

'Hollywood seven' was released in June 1980 and reached number 25 in the Dutch top 40. It was a very American sounding song. I remember being very surprised when I found out this was actually a Dutchman.

My collection: 7" single no. 1820

Found: Record palace, Amsterdam, January 13, 1993

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: Hollywood seven / All alone

Reach out - Time Bandits

When a 12" single announces that a special re-mix is provided by Ben Liebrand, you know you're in for a treat. During the Eighties, Ben Liebrand made a name for himself by making remixes of chart hits on a weekly basis for a Dutch radio programme. Also, at the end of the year he would make a 60 minute remix containing much of the best and biggest hits of the year.

'Reach out' was released by the Time Bandits in 1984, when they had their biggest success with previous singles 'Listen to the man with the golden voice' and 'I'm only shooting love'. 'Reach out' doesn't quite have the same impact but this remix does make the song that much more attractive.


My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, July 14, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Reach out (special re-mix by Ben Liebrand)' / 'Ushi girl'

More than the sun - Black

Despite keeping rather up to date on what happened in the UK in the Eighties, partially thanks to a local radio station I listened to on a daily basis and the satellite TV channel Music Box, I didn't know about this single when it came out. I had seen and heard its predecessor 'Hey presto' numerous times so I knew about the band Black already, but I would only find out about Black again in 1987, when 'Sweetest smile' hit the TV screen.

The tracks on this 12" single came to me via a compilation album released by WEA in 1987 after 'Wonderful life' was such a success. After buying that album, the hunt for this 12" single was on, but it would take me some years to get hold of it. Best track on this one? Without a doubt, 'Butterfly man'. A mysterious piece of music that wouldn't be out of place in the current (third) season of Twin Peaks.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'More than the sun', 'Butterfly man' / 'I could kill you', 'Widemouth', 'Stephen'

Duel - Propaganda

It took Propaganda a year to release a follow-up to Dr Mabuse. Or rather, their record company because after the phenomenal success of Frankie goes to Hollywood they seemed a little fazed.But when 'Duel' was finally released, it was a big success, especially in the Netherlands where the single peaked at number 5. In the UK, the single only reached number 21.

The 12" single featured extended versions of both the A- and B-side. 'Jewel', on the B-side, was simply a different, more industrial-sounding version of 'Duel'. As always, the record company ZTT made the sleeve of the 12" single look very different from the 7" version, creating a very interesting item for fans and collectors.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: unknown
Cost: 7,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Duel (Bittersweet)' / 'Jewel (Cut rough)'

Elizabeth's eyes - Nik Kershaw

Released in 1989, Nik Kershaw's fourth album 'The Works' wasn't the commercial success it might (or should) have been. Only two singles were taken from the album, of which 'Elizabeth's eyes' was the second. This 12" single features an extended version of the track as well as a dub version.

According to Nik: "The single is a song written from the point of view a guy called Willie Darden, who was America's longest serving death row prisoner. He was on death row for fifteen years and during the last twelve years of his life he corresponded with a lady in Essex called Elisabeth Allen who's a school teacher. The two never met and they sort of developed a relationship over the years, which is very strange 'cause they never actually existed, a lot of it existed in the mind of Darden. I was trying to imagine how he felt - I've read some of the letters which are absolutely unbelievable - they're poetry, they're love letters, they're incredible things." The song's final line of the third verse reads "Tuesday at seven I will find my heaven, and I'll see you there", which is accurate to the time and death of Darden in reality, on Tuesday, 15 March 1988 at 7am.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'Elisabeth's eyes (extended version)' / 'My friend John', 'Elisabeth's eyes (club dub)'