Opstalan - Monica Aspelund

Monica Aspelund represented Finland during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with 'Lapponia', a happy song about a region in the nordic country.

Some marketing genius in the Netherlands made possible something you'd never expect to see nowadays: a promotional single featuring a Dutch version of the song to promote Opstalan isolation plates, made of Finnish plywood. Although Monica's pronunciation of Dutch leaves a little to be desired, it is a remarkable feat for a Finnish woman to record a song entirely in Dutch, especially when the lyrics suggest a product is 'strong as our reindeers'.

I was aware of this single and had seen the sleeve pictured online, so when I saw this copy in real life, I immediately grabbed it. The price was worth it: online it is always more expensive, especially when it's in such a good state as this copy.

My collection: 7" single no. 6062
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 4, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Opstalan', 'En Karneval' / 'Jojk', 'So you're having an affair'

De do do do de da da da - The Police

The Police recorded their nonsensical 1980 single 'De do do do de da da da' in two languages other than English: in Japanese and Spanish. It's not easy to find a good copy of this single in mint condition, so I was rather stunned to find one in the centre of Den Haag during today's record fair.

Unusually for an American 7" single this copy has a small centre hole. And it has to be said, hearing Sting sing in Japanese is an interesting experience, although Japanese readers of this blog would have to say whether his pronounciation is good enough. I would also venture that the Japanese version is better than the Spanish one.

My collection: 7" single no.  6059
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, May 4, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'De do do do de da da da (Japanese)' / 'De do do do de da da da (Spanish)'

Jerusalem - The Divine Comedy

This single features three different bands, but my reason for buying was undoubtedly the band featured on the A-side: The Divine Comedy. I own most of their albums (the earliest one are still hard to find) and most of their singles (again, the earliest ones are hard to find) so this is a nice addition. 'Jerusalem' also appeared on the Divine Comedy's debut mini album 'Europop'.

The other bands on this EP are A House and The Frank And Walters, also signed to the Setanta label. The two tracks on the B-side didn't grab me much - but perhaps you like them.

My collection: 7" single no. 6058
Found: Discogs.com, received May 3, 2019
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Jerusalem' (The Divine Comedy) / 'I lied' (A House), 'Daisy chain' (The Frank And Walters)

Ready boy & girls? - Tears for fears

Strangely enough, 'Ready Boy & Girls?' is the only new release by Tears for fears this decade. This is as much a statement of fact as it is a prediction. A new album by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal has been awaited for the last few years, but nothing seems to be forthcoming. They are performing live, but if we were to believe Curt Smith on Twitter, the partnership is hanging by its fingernails right now - he almost didn't come along on tour this year.

So here it is, a white vinyl 10" vinyl record, featuring three cover versions done in Tears for fears style, released in a limited edition of 3000 for Record Store Day 2014. The songs on this record were originally recorded by Animal Collective, Arcade Fire and Hot Chip respectively. It took me five years to get this record, because Record Store Day releases are infamous for their ridiculous prices and their limited availability - especially since the region where I live has no record shops anymore. But lo and behold, I found a good copy for a reasonable price.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received May 2, 2019
Cost: 9 pounds
Tracks: 'My girls' / 'Ready to start', 'And I was a boy from school'

Som en dröm - Östen Warnerbring

In 1967, Sweden was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by Östen Warnerbring, the kind of artist you wouldn't find in the contest these days anymore. He started out as a jazz musician but over the years, he became known as a singer of popular music, schlager music, and of Swedish poetry put into music by himself.

His first record was released in 1952. His talents as a singer were discovered by Arne Domnérus in the mid-1950s, and in 1964 he started touring folkparks. His major breakthrough came in 1965, when he sang 'En röd blomma till en blond flicka', a Swedish version of 'Red Roses for a blue lady'. In 1967, on the Eurovision stage, he sang 'Som en dröm' ('Like a dream'). At the close of voting, it had received 7 points, placing eighth in a field of 17 competitors.


Warnerbring died in San Augustin, Canary Islands on January 18, 2006.

My collection: 7" single no. 6056
Found: Discogs.com, received April 30, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Som en dröm', 'En valsfan' / 'En serenad till dej', 'Tänk ej mer pa mej'

Tom tom tom - Marion

'Tom tom tom' was the Finnish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in English by Marion Rung. This was Rung's second Eurovision entry, in 1962 she had made her debut in the Contest as a 16-year-old with 'Tipi-tii', which finished in 7th position. 'Tom tom tom' was performed first on the night and ended up in sixth place in a field of 17 contestants.

Marion went on to perform at the Polish Sopot festival in 1974 and 1980. During the Seventies and Eighties she had numerous TV shows. In 1995 she had a tour celebrating her 50th birthday. As one of the most popular Finnish female singers, Marion is still active. In 2000 she had a successful tour in Finland together with Katri Helena, Paula Koivuniemi and Lea Laven, three other popular Finnish female artists.

My collection: 7" single no. 6055
Found: Discogs.com, received April 30, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Tom tom tom' / 'My son John'

Man gratuliert mir - Cliff Richard

In 1968, Cliff Richard sang the UK's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, 'Congratulations', written and composed by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. He came second behind Spain's infamous winning song 'La La La'. Nevertheless, 'Congratulations' was a huge hit throughout Europe and Australia, and another number 1 hit for Cliff in April 1968.

Cliff Richard also recorded his Eurovision song in German: the lyrics in German for 'Man gratuliert mir' were written by Klaus Fleming. The song was only released in Germany, which makes this single a bit of a one-off.

My collection: 7" single no. 6054
Found: Discogs.com, received April 30, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Man gratuliert mir' / 'Ich kann treu sein'

If I could choose - Sean Dunphy

In 1967, Ireland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by Sean Dunphy, who was 29 years old at the time. Born on November 30, 1937, he became famous in his home country as lead singer with The Hoedowners, a showband led by trumpeter Earl Gill. Between 1966 and 1973, fourteen singles by Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners entered the Irish Charts including, in 1969, two number ones: 'Lonely Woods of Upton' and 'When The Fields Were White With Daisies'.

'If I could choose' narrowly missed winning the Contest in 1967, finishing in second place behind Sandie Shaw's 'Puppet on a string'. Dunphy went on to have two further hits as a solo artist. He died at his home in Baldoyle, County Dublin on May 17, 2011.

My collection: 7" single no. 6053
Found: Discogs.com, received April 30, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'If I could choose' / 'Yellow bandana'

The look of love - ABC

Unbelievably, I never owned a copy of ABC's 'The look of love' despite owning all of the band's albums, nearly all of their singles and even a few 12" singles and CD-singles. This strange situation has now been rectified. I ordered a beautiful copy of the UK 7" singles recently.

I can understand, however, how I never bought this single. It was played a lot on the radio during the Eighties and there were loads of other singles that I wanted to own and play. I really didn't need to hear this one - in fact for most of the Eighties and Nineties I'd had enough of this track. It's one of ABC's signature songs and having not heard it in a long time, I can now listen to it and enjoy it again.

My collection: 7" single no. 6051
Found: Discogs.com, received April 17, 2019
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'The look of love (part 1)' / 'The look of love (part 2)'

What comes after goodbye - Respect featuring Philip Oakey

The Sheffield-based band Respect had a short but sweet career. This single was released just a few days before Christmas 1990 with the result that it only appeared on the shelves in the gap between Christmas and New Year and was gone by the time 1991 came.

It's a pity, because with the contribution of Human League's Philip Oakey they managed to make quite an interesting track. The sound is reminiscent of the Human League, but slightly poppier. The band released one album in 1991, entitled 'The kissing game', and then broke up. What remains is this very listenable single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6049
Found: Discogs.com, received April 17, 2019
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'What comes after goodbye' / 'The ghost in me'

Non ho l'eta - Dora Manganello

The Eurovision Song Contest brought forth many evergreens in the Sixties, and one of them was 'Non ho l'eta', the Italian song that won the 1964 edition. Many cover versions of the song exist, and this is one of them.

Dora Manganello didn't really become a household name, but she sang this version of the song on an EP that was released by Grosjean, a French manufacturer of cheeses. Perhaps this is why this EP is a bit cheesy, with a French cover of Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the wind' and two instrumentals on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 6038
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta' (Dora Manganello), 'Écoute dans le vent' (Fiona) / 'Ne te moque plus', '23 heures 30' (Hully-Gully Party)

Escapade - Janet Jackson

There is something special about UK pressed 7" singles, which is why every now and again I do buy some copies of singles I already own, but in their European counterparts. The latest delivery contained a few handfuls of such singles, coupled with a few I didn't already have. This single was one of them.

Of course I already did own a version of Janet Jackson's 'Escapade', but the UK version is notably different because both mixes on this disc do not appear on the other single I have. These mixes were created by Shep Pettibone, and it's interesting that these were preferred over the original single version that was used elsewhere.

My collection: 7" single no. 6048
Found: Discogs.com, received April 17, 2019
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Escapade (We've got it made 7")' / 'Escapade (Housecapade 7")'

Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen - Udo Jürgens

After competing in the Euovision Song Contest 1964 with Warum nur, warum, Udo Jürgens represented his country Austria again the next year. The song 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen' has a strong melody and a rather sad message. Jürgens is telling a friend what to tell a former lover. He explains that the lover must be told that he sends his regards and that he is doing fine, but that his hope that she might come back to him must not be mentioned. He ends, however, with the instruction that 'in spite of that, tell her I love her'.

The song was slightly more successful in the Eurovision jury system: while 'Warum nur, warum' made it to sixth place, this 1965 entry made it to fourth place. It may have contributed to sending Jürgens to the Eurovision stage again in 1966 with 'Merci Cherie', with which he finally won the contest. This French EP features the Eurovision song along with three more German language songs.

My collection: 7" single no. 6042
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Sag ihr, ich lass sie grüssen', 'Du darfst nicht geh'n' / 'Frag' nie', 'Ich traum' noch von Jenny'

Goodbye little Colombus - Chris Rea

I have many singles by Chris Rea. The man is a solid songwriter and his singles rarely disappoint. Bewilderingly, there's never been a complete singles collection of the man's output. I once made one myself, but this was in the days before Discogs and Wikipedia, so the 2 CDR set I made was not complete.

Proof of this fact is provided in the form of this single, which I never knew existed. Taken from his self-titled 1982 album, this is actually a promotional version of 'Goodbye little Colombus' from Germany. The back cover states that the song is presented in the TV programme 'Café in Takt' on August 12, 1981. Probably 1982 I'd think....

My collection: 7" single no. 6046
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Goodbye little Colombus' / 'If you choose to go'

Warum nur, warum - Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens made a name for himself in Eurovision history by winning the 1966 edition with 'Merci Chérie'. What many people don't know or seem to forget is that he actually represented Austria in three consecutive editions. He started in 1964 with 'Warum nur, warum'.

In the song, Jürgens wonders why flowers are dying and the object of his affection is ignoring him. The song finished in sixth place in a field of 16 competitors. This French EP features two songs in German and two in English, showing the multilingual qualities of the singer.

My collection: 7" single no. 6040
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Warum nur, warum', 'Beautiful dreamgirl' / 'Kiss me quick', 'Tausend Träume'

Mama - Kim Appleby

Basically I was looking for a UK copy of Kim Appleby's 'Mama' because recently I have acquired UK versions of her other singles as well. When I found this copy I was surprised to find a review stuck to the front cover and a sticker correcting the track listing on the back cover. Turns out this is a promotional copy of this single - and quite an interesting one, too.

While the commercial version of 'Mama' contains the earlier single 'Don't worry' on the B-side, this single contains the acoustic version of 'Mama' on the B-side. It was no problem to part with one euro to get this disc into my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6044
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 20, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Mama' / 'Mama (acoustic version)'

Liberty town - Perfect Day

After the single Jane, Perfect Day released 'Liberty town', a track produced by Ricky Wilde. I managed to find this single during last Saturday's record fair in Utrecht, not long after finding 'Jane' with the same dealer.

Released in January 1989, it fared slightly better than its predecessor, but still didn't manage to get into the UK singles top 40. The band released two more singles before packing it in.

My collection: 7" single no. 6034
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Liberty town' / 'On the right side'

Absolutely immune - Act

Claudia Brücken and Thomas Leer formed Act after Brücken left her previous band Propaganda. 'Absolutely immune' was released as the couple's second single, after the hit single Snobbery and decay. This single didn't reach the chart, unfortunately.

It is a pity that Act broke up after the release of their debut album. Judging from the contents of this single, they could have released much more interesting tracks. 


My collection: 7" single no. 6045
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Absolutely immune' / 'Bloodrush'

Keep me warm - Carita

I have acquired many Eurovision Song Contest singles through the years, especially in the last few years. The more I have collected, the more obscure the new additions get. I'd never seen the 1974 entry from Finland before last Saturday - and now I saw this single with two different dealers during the Utrecht record fair. I bought this single the first time I saw it, which is just as well since the other dealer asked two more euros for it.

Carita Elisabeth Holmström was born on February 10, 1954 in Helsinki. She represented Finland with the song 'Keep me warm'. She finished in 13th place in a field of 17 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6043
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Keep me warm' / 'Shadow on the wall'

Revolutions - Jean Michel Jarre

'Revolutions' was the ninth studio album by French synth wizard and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, first released in August 1988. The album spans several genres, including symphonic industrial, Arabian inspired, light guitar pop and ethnic electro jazz. The album reached number number 2 in the UK charts, Jarre's best chart position since 'Oxygène'. The majority of the album was played with a Roland D-50 synthesizer, with the majority of sound programming gathered from custom sound banks, compiled into a single bank and later released for French Keyboards magazine

This single presents an edited version of the album's title track, backed with the entire 'part 2' of 'Industrial revolution' as it appears on the album. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6047
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 13, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Revolutions' / 'Industrial revolution: part 2'