Portugal no coração - Os Amigos

Now that I own pretty much all of the 'obvious' Eurovision 7" singles, I am heading towards the more obscure - and usually more expensive - releases. It is an art to spend as little as possible while also getting more and more Eurovision entries on 7" vinyl.

Who remembers the Portuguese entry from the 1977 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest? I would guess not many people do, but the sleeve of this single is a joy to watch - especially when it is in such good shape. I bought it from a Portuguese dealer at the record fair in Utrecht last Saturday, who promised more when he comes to the next edition in November. Here's hoping he'll help me find more great rarities.

'Portugal no coração' reached 14th place in the contest. The song is a ballad in praise of Portugal itself. The song is about freedom, brotherhood and hope. Many of the verses of the lyrics are acclamations of the end of the dictatorship that lasted for 48 years, and the end of the wars that the Portuguese people had been forced to fight on the African colonies by that dictatorship. It's also a love hymn from Portuguese people to their ex-colonies people, whom they had fought.

My collection: 7" single no. 5896
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 14, 2018
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Portugal no coração' / 'Cantiga de Namorar'

Falling - One-eyed Jacks

I am currently re-watching Twin Peaks, after having been consumed by the third season of this epic series last year. The story is bewildering, the music is enchanting. With Julee Cruise on vocals, 'Falling' became the soundtracks of the time, but several other acts had a go at this song and being the collector that I am, I wanted to get them as well.

So far, this single eluded me. I did find a cd-single some time ago, but to have it on vinyl is of course best. This version of 'Falling' includes a George Michael-style loop, and substandard vocals. But anyway, this is a 'nice to have'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5895
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 14, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Falling (Log Lady mix - short version)' / 'Falling (The Ronette Pulaski mix)'

Please please please let me get what I want - Dream Academy

I am pretty pleased and surprised when I find a single I never saw before of a band I know and love - and with this one it was a case of 'well, it's cheap, I may as well check it out'. Most people know the Dream Academy for their mid-Eighties hit Life in a Northern town only, but I checked out a few other singles by them and I was never disappointed.

This particular single was released in 1985, pretty soon after The Smiths released the song as a B-side to their 1984 single 'William, it was really nothing'. The single reached number 83 in the UK singles chart. A later cover version by Slow Moving Millie in 2011 was more successful: it peaked at number 31.

My collection: 7" single no. 5894
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 14, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Please please please let me get what I want' / 'In places on the run'

The right side won - What Fun!

When I hear 'The right side won' I can't help but think back to the year 1983 when my life revolved around pirate radio stations and watching music videos on television. My school results suffered, of course, but that was no big problem - or so I thought.

What Fun! was a pop/reggae group based in Haarlem, Netherlands. Within two years, the group grew rapidly in size to a total of ten members. Their single 'The right side won' was the band's biggest hit, reaching number 3 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was inspired by the Falklands war. By 1989, after a few singles and albums, What Fun! had run out of steam and the members went their separate ways, only to reform again in 2005 with five of the original members and three new ones.

My collection: 7" single no. 5786
Found: Kringloop Den Haag, January 6, 2017
Tracks: 'The right side won' / 'The right side won (instrumental)'

Strange phenomena - Kate Bush

I guess I didn't really need this 7" single by Kate Bush, but the fact that 'Strange phenomena' was never released as a single in other territories and the fact that this single came all the way from Argentina made it a bit of an irresistable purchase at last year's record fair in Utrecht. The fact that the EMI record company sleeve is in pretty good shape was another good argument to lose money for.

This single plays at 33rpm, which I guess is normal in South America - because I also have a few Brazilian singles (from other artists, mind you) that are 33rpm too. The B-side of this single is 'Wow', which of course was a single for Kate in other parts of the world.

My collection: 7" single no. 5882
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 11, 2017
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Strange phenomena' / 'Wow'

V Patek Nevolej - M. Javurek

This is an interesting one. If you were to listen to 'V Patek Nevolej', the A-side of this single, you would think I have truly lost my mind. It is a sort of country-inspired song from Czechoslovakia, released in 1984. Not too good, is it?

But, of course, I bought this single for the B-side. 'At zivot ma svuj dej' is still sung in the Czech language, by Jirina Urbanova this time, but it is actually a cover version of Kim Wilde's 'Cambodia'. How did I find this rare track? Thanks to Discogs.com of course - my main source of rare records these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 5890
Found: Discogs.com, January 31, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'V Patek Nevolej' (M. Javurek) / 'At zivot ma svuj dej' (J. Urbanova)

Little girl - Marty Wilde

More Marty Wilde fun with these two singles of 'Little girl'. If I am to believe the labels of these singles, they are both promotional discs. However, it probably is only the white label one that is the true promotional 7" single; the yellow label one only has a 'for demonstration use only' sticker glued onto it - a simple way to change a commercial record into a 'rare' promotional one.

Anyway, these two singles were the other two of the four American 7" singles I bought in one go a few months ago, along with the two 'Bad boy' singles. Here's hoping tomorrow's record fair in Utrecht will give me a few more of these beauties.

My collection: 7" single no. 5885 & no. 5886
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 11, 2017
Cost: 3 euro each
Tracks: 'Little girl' / 'Your seventeenth spring'

Bad boy - Marty Wilde

It doesn't happen very often that you find rare American singles you've been searching for as a bargain. But that's exactly what happened in November, when I was at the Record Fair in Utrecht. One dealer had four American singles of Marty Wilde, at just 3 euros each. What's more, they were in great condition as you can hear on this first disc. I actually found two versions of this one, with slight label variations as you can see.

'Bad boy' appeared on the US Epic label with a different B-side when compared to the UK version, featuring 'Teenage tears' instead of 'It's been nice'. In the UK, 'Teenage tears' was the B-side of Sea of love.

My collection: 7" single no. 5883 & 5884
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 11, 2017
Cost: 3 euros each
Tracks: 'Bad boy' / 'Teenage tears'

Wildfire - Time Bandits

As mentioned before, Wildfire was the original Time Bandits' last single, released in 1987. This 12" single represents the original European 12" release - a very different 12" single was released in the United States (more about that later on this blog...). The remix on this 12" single was created by Rutger Kroese.

I bought this record as part of a bigger collection of Time Bandits 12" singles. There's a couple more to follow, so if you're a fan, stay tuned...

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, July 14, 2017
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Wildfire (Special Meltdown remix)' / 'Wildfire (instrumental dance mix)', 'Wildfire'

Ease the pressure - Beloved

The double 12" package of 'Ease the pressure' should have contained all the remixes of that track, you would think, but no... there were even more remixes than that. It is evidenced by this 12" single, which I bought some time ago.

This promotional only 12" single was worthwhile because it contains two remixes exceeding the 10 minute mark. But are they any good? Well, there is a hint of repetitiveness in both of them, but as with most Beloved tracks, these mixes are quite uplifting. Enjoyable club fodder, I'd say.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, August 2016
Cost: 2,5 pounds
Tracks: 'Ease the pressure (Red Nail Enhanced Club mix)' / 'Ease the pressure (Guitarapella Bonus Freaks Bass Dub)'

Wonderful life - Black

I have several singles of Black's 'Wonderful life', but when I found this one online I was a bit puzzled. The sleeve looked a bit generic and it was a Czechian pressing. Chechoslovakia - as it was known back then - wasn't known for its expansive record industry, and I wondered how this single ended up being released over there.

The mystery became even bigger after I received the single, as the B-side, 'Everything's coming up roses', sounds a bit different from the 'regular' single version. Listen to the intro and you'll know what I mean.

My collection: 7" single no. 5891
Found: Discogs.com, received January 31, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Wonderful life' / 'Everything's coming up roses'

Conquistador - Da Vinci

Portugal won the Eurovision Song Contest last year with a beautiful ballad. Perhaps they should have tried this earlier, because the country rarely even got into the top 10 with their efforts. This 1989 effort by Da Vinci is an example: although it is typical Eighties fare, the song only reached number 16 during the night.The song reminisces about the former Portuguese colonial possessions worldwide, and how the singer has been to Brazil, Praia, Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Goa, Macau and Timor.

Personally, I know the English version (featured on the B-side here) best, because it appeared on a Eurovision 1989 compilation CD. I am still trying to get all the entries on single, but some of them are selling online for upwards of 50 euro - which is a bit too rich for my blood.

My collection: 7" single no. 5989
Found: Discogs.com, received March 5, 2018
Cost: 7,5 euro
Tracks: 'Conquistador' / 'Love conquistador'

Fake - Alexander O'Neal

Here's another single I already owned - and I bought it just last year. However, I decided to get this one not only for its poster sleeve (I love poster sleeves) but also for the B-side which contains an instrumental version of the track. As luck would have it, the instrumental version is also longer than the A-side.

'Fake' reached number 33 in the UK singles chart and number 25 in the US Billboard Hot 100. In the Netherlands, the single reached number 15 during a six week chart run.

My collection: 7" single no. 5977
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 11, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Fake' / 'Fake (instrumental)'

Do it again, a little bit slower - Ricky Wilde

I already owned the Swedish single of 'Do it again, a little bit slower' since 2011, but recently I got my hands on the Portuguese version, and as you can see here, that sleeve is very different from the Swedish one. And also, not unimportant, the pressing turns out to be better too.

When you listen to the song it turns out that 'it' is simply kissing and holding, which is already a bit startling for a 12 year old, but when you listen to the flipside, Ricky promises to never get married, because he wants to 'Love around'. Whatever were dad Marty and producer Jonathan King thinking? Well, perhaps things were very different in the Seventies.

My collection: 7" single no. 5990
Found: Discogs.com, received March 5, 2018
Cost: 7,50 euro
Tracks: 'Do it again, a little bit slower' / 'Love around'

I'm only foolin' myself - Paul Young

According to the German press blurb included in my copy of this single, 'I'm only foolin' myself' was released on January 13, 1992. It was written by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight. The song was remixed by Michael Brauer, who previously worked with the Rolling Stones.

The single was taken from Paul's 'greatest hits' album 'From Time To Time' (1991), which was a triple platinum album in the UK. Released as that album's fourth single, it didn't get into the charts.

My collection: 7" single no. 5978
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 11, 2017
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'I'm only foolin' myself'' / 'Thinking about'

Fifth of May - Ph.D.

Although 'I won't let you down' remains their only big hit, Ph.D. did release some more singles. That much is evident from this blog already, but I found another single which I didn't know about. 'Fifth of May' was taken from the band's second album 'Is it safe?' and was apparently released in Italy only (although a promotional 7" single from the USA also exists).

The band reformed in 2009 and released a third album, appropriately titled 'Three', but that one wasn't a commercial success either.

My collection: 7" single no. 5979
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 11, 2017
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Fifth of May' / 'Johnny'

Light my fire - The Doors

It's hard to believe that the debut single of the Doors was released 50 years ago. The band has been around for such a short time - not counting their post-Jim Morrison output - but have impressed every generation since.

This single was made this year to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary, using the Japanese single's original artwork. It is a curious release because Japanese singles didn't come in cardboard sleeves, but this remade single does. Nevertheless, this is a nice little item and I'm pretty satisfied to have picked this up during a visit to London, saving a little on the online price and a lot on postage (although obviously you could argue that a return flight to London is much more expensive. But anyway.)

My collection: 7" single no. 5874
Found: Fopp, London, October 27, 2017
Cost: 8 pounds
Tracks: 'Light my fire' / 'The crystal ship'

Silly love songs - Wings

Recorded on January 16, 1976, 'Silly love songs' was a song written as a rebuttal to music critics who criticized Paul McCartney for writing lightweight love songs. According to McCartney, "The song was, in a way, to answer people who just accuse me of being soppy. The nice payoff now is that a lot of the people I meet who are at the age where they've just got a couple of kids and have grown up a bit, settling down, they'll say to me, "I thought you were really soppy for years, but I get it now! I see what you were doing!""

The single was released in April and reached number 2 in the UK and number 1 in the USA. The label of this single mentions 'Wings at the speed of sound', which is of course the album from which it was taken.

My collection: 7" single no. 5872
Found: Record exchange, Greenwich, London, October 27, 2017
Cost: 25p
Tracks: 'Silly love songs' / 'Cook of the house'

The number one song in heaven - Sparks

The Mael brothers have been making records for decades now and their band Sparks seems to get a new lease of life every few years or so. Their recent album 'Hippopotamus' has put them in the spotlights once again.

Back in 1979, they released this single, a disco track co-written and produced by legendary producer Giorgio Moroder. In the UK the single peaked at number 14, whereas in the Netherlands it never came near the charts. In addition to the standard black vinyl, both the 7" and 12" versions of the single were issued in a variety of coloured vinyl releases (red, blue, and green). Unfortunately, this single is the 'standard' black vinyl edition. But what can you expect, at this price.

My collection: 7" single no. 5873
Found: Record exchange, Greenwich, London, October 27, 2017
Cost: 25p
Tracks: 'The number one song in heaven' / 'The number one song in heaven (long version)'

Sad songs (say so much) - Elton John

Every once in a while I buy a single that I thought I already had bought long ago but I didn't. 'Sad songs (say so much)' by Elton John is a song that I confuse with I guess that's why they call it the blues for some strange reason.

That single was released a year earlier. 'Sad songs' was another big success for Elton. It reached the top 10 everywhere except in Germany where the single stalled at number 18. Even weirder, the single never even made the Top 40 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 5871
Found: Record exchange, Greenwich, London, October 27, 2017
Cost: 25p
Tracks: 'Sad songs (say so much)' / 'A simple man'