You'll always be a friend - Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate's career really took off with the song 'Emma' in 1974 - their first international hit. But before that, the band already had a string of hits in the UK. However, they were all non-album singles and nowadays pretty hard to find.

'You'll always be a friend' was released in 1972 and reached number 23 in the UK singles chart. The single was released in a RAK Records company sleeve, like all those early singles. Although it has to be noted that in some other territories - Italy and Germany - the record company gave the single an illustrated sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 6524
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'You'll always be a friend' / 'Go go girl'

Kick it out - Heart

The American band Heart has released some classic tracks like 'Magic Man', 'Alone' and, oddly, the one I always hear in the supermarket 'All I wanna do is make love to you', but some of their singles remain lesser known. Like this one.

'Kick it out' was taken from their 1977 album 'Little queen' and only charted in the USA (peaking at number 79) and Canada (peaking at number 67). This pressing comes from Germany, which is proof enough that it was released in Europe as well, but to no avail. In fact, their first hit in the UK was 'These dreams', whereas there is a gaping hole in the Netherlands between 1977's 'Barracuda' and 'These dreams' in 1986. I am quite pleased that I have a lot of singles by this band, although some are still missing. More to hunt for, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 6523
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Kick it out' / 'Dream of the archer'

Den dopper - De Strangers

Although the A-side of this single is De Strangers' take on 'Rivers of Babylon', a big hit for Boney M at the time, this single attracted me for its B-side: a version of 'A-ba-ni-bi', the song with which Izhar Cohen won the 1978 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

As always, the Belgian group made the song totally their own with a lyric in Antwerp dialect. What exactly 'Nie doeke-mieke doen, nee nee' means... I can't tell you.

My collection: 7" single no. 6518
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Den dopper' / 'Nie doeke-mieke doen, nee nee'

Wa d'hee die nen dikke nek - De Strangers

My collection of singles by the Belgian band De Strangers is still expanding, and it's all because they have recorded so many covers of Eurovision Song Contest songs. This single presents not one, but two songs from the annual songfest: versions of 'Lass die Sonne in dein Herz', the German entry, and the Belgian entry 'Soldiers of love'.

As always, they wrote new lyrics for these songs in Antwerp's dialect, full of Flemish expressions.

My collection: 7" single no. 6517
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Wa d'hee die nen dikke nek' / 'Eieren of joeng'

Non ho l'eta / Si - Gigliola Cinquetti

Released in 1977, this single combines the two Eurovision entries of Gigliola Cinquetti on one disc, with an attractive new sleeve. 'Non ho l'eta' was the 1964 entry with which she won the Eurovision Song Contest, whereas 'Si' was her attempt to win again in 1974, but she finished in second place... behind Abba's 'Waterloo'. 

In 1990, Gigliola released a new version of 'Non ho l'eta', which was equally unsuccessful in reaching the charts as this combined re-release single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6516
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta' / 'Si'

One more song - Halla Margret

Buying singles online can be a good way out for rare items, but one has to be careful not to be cheated out of huge amounts of money. This particular single, for instance, is currently for sale on Discogs for anything upwards of €15. However, during my visit to Chelsea Records I found a copy for one fifth of that amount. It is a matter of luck, of course, because this single is quite rare.

Halla Margrét Árnadóttir was born on 23 April 1964 in Reykjavík. She represented Iceland during the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, in Brussels. The song ended in 16th place in a field of 22 competitors.

My collection: 7" single no. 6514
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'One more song' / 'Haegt og hljótt'

Diamonds are forever - Shirley Bassey

The James Bond movies used to be accompanied by classic tunes, songs that would stand the test of time. Before the producers fell for the limited talents of Sam Smith and, god help us, Jack White and Alicia Keys, they employed real singers. Like for instance, Shirley Bassey.

'Diamonds are forever' was the theme tune for the movie of the same name in 1971. It was not Shirley's first James Bond song: in 1964 she recorded 'Goldfinger' and she would also record the song for 'Moonraker' in 1979. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6513
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Diamonds are forever' / 'Pieces of dreams'

Viens l'oublier - Jean Vallée

In 1978, Jean Vallee represented Belgium with 'L'amour ça fait chanter la vie'. I found that single 12 years ago in Chelsea Records. But it wasn't Jean's first attempt: in 1970 he had his first Eurovision experience with 'Viens l'oublier'. And lo and behold: it was again Chelsea Records where I found this particular single.

Jean Vallée was born as Paul Goeders in Verviers on 2 October 1941. He passed away on 12 March 2014 in Clermont-sur-Berwinne. He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Crown by HM Albert II in 1999. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6512
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Viens l'oublier' / 'Il y ferait bon dedans'

Le soleil donne - Laurent Voulzy

The majority of my Laurent Voulzy discs come from Antwerp, and this one is no exception. I bought the 7" single of 'Le soleil donne' at Chelsea Records 12 years ago, and now I found the 12" single in that same shop. 

I have a soft spot for Voulzy, not only because of his song 'Les nuits sans Kim Wilde', but also because of the brilliant songs I discovered on the compilation album 'Carib Islander'. Every single track on that one is great - and so obviously I was curious to hear the extended version of 'Le soleil donne' which features on this 12" single. In fact the extended version also appears on the compilation album (I didn't realise that) but the dub version is very interesting too.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Le soleil donne' / 'Le soleil donne (dub)', 'Le soleil donne [edit]'

Era troppo carina - Alain Barriere

It's always nice to find a Eurovision song in a different language than the original version, but performed by the original singer. And so, here is 'Era troppo carina', the Italian version of 'Elle était si jolie', by Alain Barriere. The single was released commercially with a picture sleeve, featuring a goodlooking woman walking over the Champs Elysées in Paris, but this here is a promotional jukebox version of that same single.

The tracks remain the same. The B-side is the Italian version of 'Plus je t'entends', which appears on the French EP of the song. The original RCA Italiana company sleeve is a nice surprise. You never know what you get when you order online...

My collection: 7" single no. 6509
Found: Discogs, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $4
Tracks: 'Era troppo carina' / 'E piu' ti amo'

Julie - Daniel

21 years after buying 'Julie' by Daniel, I bought it again... but this time it's the original Yugoslavian single, which features the original version 'Džuli' that went missing on the international release for some reason. This single came to me directly from Croatia, since I bought a couple of singles from a Croatian dealer on Discogs.

Even after almost three decades, this song is still as infectious as ever, although it may sound dated to some.

My collection: 7" single no. 6510
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $3
Tracks: 'Julie' / 'Džuli'

Der alte Musikant - Ben Cramer

Ben Cramer's Eurovision song 'De oude muzikant' featured on this blog before, not only in the original version but also in the English version. And it gives me great pleasure to present, not a month later, the German version of that song. 

Just like the English version, this single presents the A- and B-side in translated form. 'Der alte Musikant' is of course, 'De oude muzikant', and 'Komm Sylvia tanz mit mir' is a literal translation of the song 'Kom Sylvia dans met mij'. The pressing, of course, comes from Germany.

My collection: 7" single no. 6511
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Der alte Musikant' / 'Komm Sylvia tanz mit mir'

Moja generacija - Korni Grupa

Korni Grupa was a Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Formed in 1968, Korni Grupa was one of the first Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity, and the first Yugoslav supergroup. Since the beginning of their career, the band had developed a two-way musical development, one of commercial pop rock music aimed for mainstream popularity, and the other, an artistically influenced progressive rock sound crossed with influences of psychedelic, folk, jazz and symphonic rock music.

The band also performed at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Moja generacija'. The song reached 12th place, owing to which, along with the little success of their second album, the band had decided to split. They held two farewell concerts at the Novi Sad Studio M and disbanded on December 1, 1974. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6508
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 November 2021
Cost: $6
Tracks: 'Moja generacija' / 'Zbogom ostaj o,detinjstvo'

Thank you for the music - Abba

The current resurgence of Abba would have you think that I have suddenly started buying Abba singles. This could be true, of course, but this particular single has been on my wantlist for about two years. It just took me very long to find a decent copy for a decent price. 

This is, of course, a re-release of Abba's immortal 'Thank you for the music'. It was released in the UK in 1983 in a poster sleeve. It coincided with the release of a compilation album, also titled 'Thank you for the music', that same year. It was only a year after the release of 'The Singles: The first ten years' in 1982, the one that featured the group's last two singles. But between 1982 and this year, Abba has released dozens of compilation albums and also re-releases (and re-re-releases) of all their albums. And box sets, of course. I wonder how many re-releases 'Voyage' will get in decades to come...

My collection: 7" single no. 6506
Found: Ebay, received 17 November 2021
Cost: £5
Tracks: 'Thank you for the music' / 'Our last summer'

Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon - Manuela Bravo

In 1979 Manuela Bravo represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest with Sobe, sobe, balao sobe. Besides the original version in Portuguese, she also recorded the song in French as 'Tu t'envoles mon ballon, mon ballon, mon ballon' and in English as 'Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon'. The English version appears on this single, with the Portuguese version on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 6505
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Flying up with my balloon, my balloon, my balloon' / 'Sobe, sobe, balao sobe'

Claudia (Uno per tutte) - Louis Neefs

Belgian singer Louis Neefs is no stranger to the Eurovision Song Contest: he represented Belgium in 1967 with 'Ik heb zorgen' and in 1969 with 'Jennifer Jennings'. But there's more... In 1963 he recorded a cover version of the Italian Eurovision entry 'Uno per tutte'. Retitled 'Claudia', the song was rewritten in the Dutch language by Belgian songwriter, producer, publisher and label owner Louis Van Rymenant. 

Louis Neefs died on 25 December 1980 after a car accident. It was a tragic ending to a very successful career.

My collection: 7" single no. 6504
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Claudia (Uno per tutte)' / 'Wat zou de wereld zonder liefde zijn'

Auf der grossen Himmelsstrasse - Margot Eskens

Here's another single I didn't buy for the A-side, but for the B-side! 'Damals war alles so schön' is a great German version of Corry Brokken's winning Eurovision song 'Net als toen', and unsurprisingly this single was released in 1957, the year of this song's success.

Margot Eskens (born on 12 August 1939 in Düren) was most popular in the 1950's and 1960's. She continued to be a frequent guest on television programs into the 2000s. In 1966, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Die Zeiger der Uhr'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6503
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Auf der grossen Himmelsstrasse' / 'Damals war alles so schön'

Als je maar nooit bekent - Corry Brokken

'Als je maar nooit bekent' is a Dutch-language cover of 'N'avoue jamais', the song that was made famous by Guy Mardel, who represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. It is perhaps no wonder that this single by Corry Brokken - herself a Eurovision winner in 1957 - was also released in 1965. 

The other side of this single, 'Tommy-Tom' is also a cover version: 'Laura Lee' was written by Forrest Wood and Liam Sullivan and recorded by Eddy Arnold in February 1965. Corry's version, recorded with Bert Paige's orchestra, was released in June of that same year.

My collection: 7" single no. 6502
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Als je maar nooit bekent' / 'Tommy Tom'

 

Johnny Blue - Katri Helena

'Johnny Blue' was originally recorded by Lena Valaitis, and it was her entry for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Germany. The song was written by the infamous duo Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, who together wrote many songs for the Contest. 

Katri Helena's version was translated into Finnish by Kaisu Liuhala, who was a rather prolific song translator. Katri Helena, of course, represented Finland at Eurovision twice, in 1979 with 'Katson sineen taivan' and in 1993 with 'Tule luo'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6501
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Johnny blue' / 'Olet ystäväin'

Een sprookje - De Spelbrekers

De Spelbrekers represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with 'Katinka'. However, this wasn't the first brush with Eurovision repertoire. In 1959, they released the single 'Een sprookje' ('A fairytale') with on the B-side a cover version of 'Oui, oui, oui, oui', Jean Philippe's entry for France at Eurovision. Obviously, this is what drew me towards this single, which I could buy for almost nothing from a Dutch seller. 

Between 1950 and 1968, the duo released many singles, but it didn't give them any chart placings. However, their song 'Katinka' remains a classic in the Netherlands. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6500
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €1,5
Tracks: 'Een sprookje' / 'Oui, oui, oui'