Mata Hari - Anne-Karine

Those who paid attention last May remember that there was a song at this year's Eurovision Song Contest called 'Mata Hari'. It was a nice enough song, but the idea was not new: already 45 years ago someone else performed a song called 'Mata Hari' at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was Norwegian singer Anne-Karine Strøm, representing Norway. 

Anne-Karine was no stranger to the Contest: she'd already performed on the Eurovision stage in 1973 as part of the Bendik Singers, singing 'Å for et spill' and in 1974 singing 'Hvor er du'. 'Mata Hari' placed last of the 18 participating songs in 1976. Prior to the contest the song was expected to do well, but it was suggested afterwards that Strøm's rather odd outfit and performance on the night may have cost votes. In the late 1970s Strøm began performing in musical cabarets with Øystein Sunde and her then husband Ole Paus. She released three albums between 1978 and 1986, which reflected a move towards a more serious style of music.

My collection: 7" single no. 6567
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Mata Hari' / 'Please don't go away'

Accordeon Potpourri no. 39 - The 3 Jacksons

I found a single by the 3 Jacksons just eight days ago: Potpourri nr. 62 featuring their take on the Marty Wilde classic 'Abergavenny'. My subcollection of Marty Wilde cover versions was happy. 

Imagine my surprise when my eyes fell on this single, 'Accordeon Potpourri no. 39', featuring the 3 Jacksons' version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', Domenico Modugno's immortal Eurovision song from 1958. It is a worthy addition to my subcollecton of Eurovision covers, and more specifically, covers of the song that became best known as 'Volare'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6566
Found: Rataplan Kringloop, Den Haag, 12 December 2021
Cost: €0,50
Tracks: 'Veel bittere tranen / La Paloma / De verloren zoon' / 'Nel blu dipinto di blu / Love letters in the sand / Colonel Bogey'

On the beat - Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band

I recently found a little journal of mine from the 1980's in which I mentioned this song. I had totally forgotten about it, but apparently I was pretty enthousiastic about it back in 1981. It was a big hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 13 in October of that year. Strangely the band had less success in the UK: 'On the beat' only reached number 41 and their biggest hit over there was 'Dreamer', released in 1986 and peaking at number 35.

Jacques Fred Petrus, together with Mauro Malavasi, brought together a group of musicians to form the BB&Q Band. They released a total of four albums and a number of compilation albums. With the mysterious death of producer Jacques Fred Petrus in 1987, the band also came to an end.

My collection: 7" single no. 6565
Found: Rataplan Kringloop, Den Haag, 12 December 2021
Cost: €0,50
Tracks: 'On the beat' / 'Don't say goodbye'

 

Arcade - Duncan Laurence

Two weeks ago it was Black Friday, and for some reason this prompted various record companies to release limited edition records on vinyl. My recent purchase of 'No time to die' was one of them, and this 10" single is another one. 

This disc presents four different versions of Duncan Laurence's triumphant Eurovision song 'Arcade' - the one that gave him victory two years ago. Besides the two versions already on the 7" single, this disc presents a duet version with a certain Fletcher (no, I'd never heard of her either, but it appears she is an American singer/songwriter) and a remix by Sam Feldt (who the hell...?). 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Tracks: 'Arcade', 'Arcade (acoustic version)' / 'Arcade (feat. Fletcher)', 'Arcade (Sam Feldt remix)'

Heimcomputer - Kraftwerk

The story of this single is an interesting one. It was released as a bonus disc with the June 2021 issue of Musikexpress, a German magazine. I discovered this in August and decided to order the magazine from their official website. Within a week I received a letter with a note, thanking me for my order. I e-mailed them, saying that I'd like to get the magazine itself too... No reply. Another e-mail in October got replied to: they would resend the magazine. Nothing happened. Last week I decided to send another e-mail. Two days ago I got the answer: they would resend the magazine.

Imagine my surprise when I actually found it in my mailbox today! Well, I'm happy that it finally worked. And the single itself is a beauty: pressed on yellow vinyl, and with just one track - the B-side is empty. I would think this will be a collector's item in due time.

My collection: 7" single no. 6564
Found: Musikexpress website, received 8 December 2021
Cost: €10 (with magazine)
Tracks: 'Heimcomputer'

Hope in a hopeless world - Paul Young

Released in 1993, 'Hope in a hopeless world' was, for a change, not a cover version but an original song performed by Paul Young. The track was taken from his album 'The Crossing', after the lead singer 'Now I know what made Otis blue'. While that single was a reasonably big hit for Paul, this single was less successful: it only reached number 42 in the UK singles chart and number 51 in Ireland.

Paul wasn't as popular as he'd been during the Eighties. 'The Crossing' was the first not to be certified gold (or more) in the UK, and while this album reached number 27 in the albums chart, subsequent releases wouldn't reach this height anymore. However, he still is quite active in the live circuit these days.

My collection: 7" single no. 6529
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Hope in a hopeless world' / 'Half a step away'

Rumours - Hot Chocolate

The career of Hot Chocolate took off slowly, with a handful of hits in the UK. It was only when they released 'Emma' in 1974 that they became successful in other territories - and landed their first silver certification within the UK. 

The single that preceded 'Emma' was 'Rumours', a song penned by the band members Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The single peaked at number 44 in the UK singles chart and would be the last of eight non-album singles the band released until their debut album 'Cicero Park' in 1974. \

My collection: 7" single no. 6525
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Rumours' / 'A man needs a woman'

Je suis tombé du ciel - David Alexandre Winter

David Alexandre Winter was born as Leon Kleerekoper on 4 April 1943 in Amsterdam. He and his parents – of Jewish background – survived different German concentration camps, and were reunited in 1945 at the war's end in the Netherlands. From 1966 to 1968 Winter was the lead singer for The Hague-based band Daddy's Act. Under the name Johnny van Dooren, he was a DJ at Radio Veronica and later at Radio 227. In early 1968 while living in London he represented England at the Innsbruck Song Festival in Austria, where he obtained first prize and the coveted prix de press. 

In 1970 he was asked to represent Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Je suis tombé du ciel'. The song wasn't exactly successful: it received no points at all and ended up in the last of 12 places. Listening to both sides of this single, I would have to say that the word 'subtle' isn't exactly in David Alexandre's dictionary. Both songs are quite loud, and mostly because of the vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 6563
Found: Discogs.com, received 7 December 2021
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Je suis tombé du ciel' / 'Isabelle mon amour'

Potpourri nr. 62 - The 3 Jacksons

When I mention this band named the 3 Jacksons, your thoughts immediately drift towards Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. But nothing could be further from the truth... Dutch accordion players Piet Koopmans, Harry van de Velde & Piet van Gorp met in 1940 and started this trio. They started releasing records in 1946 and continued right up until 1971. During this time they released no less than 65 different potpourri's, i.e. medleys of usually six different songs, performed on their beloved instruments. They were very successful in the Netherlands and also had many gigs abroad. Harry van de Velde died in 1970, which meant the end of the trio.

Their 62nd potpourri caught my eye and that's because of one reason only: the fact that it includes Marty Wilde's classic song 'Abergavenny'. As such, this single belongs in my ever growing collection of cover versions of Wilde songs. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6562
Found: De elpeezaak, Den Haag, 4 December 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Ich bau dir ein Schloss / Ik kan geen kikker van de kant afduwen / Moest dat nou' / 'Abergavenny / Costa Brava / Callow la Vita'

Never the end - Kari Kuivalainen

Kari Kuivalainen was primarily a composer rather than a singer, and in 1986 he submitted his song 'Päivä kahden ihmisen', which was originally intended for singer Kaija Koo. However, she declined the chance to participate, so Kuivalainen decided to perform the song himself at the Finnish national final, where he was the choice of the jury (by a margin of only one point over former Eurovision participant Kirka) to go forward to represent Finland at the 31st Eurovision Song Contest.

Prior to the contest, Kuivalainen changed some of the lyrics to the song, and although it was sung in Finnish, the title was changed to 'Never The End', which appeared on screen on the night of the contest and is the name by which the song is commonly known. The song finished in 15th place in a field of 20 competitors. This single features the English version of the song rather than the Finnish one, hence the title... 'Never the end'. Kuivalainen subsequently became a member of band Menneisyyden Vangit, alongside another Eurovision veteran, Vicky Rosti.

My collection: 7" single no. 6561
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Never the end' / 'Sailing away with my dreams'

Schon wieder macht mein Herz bump bump - Fredi & Friends

Earlier this year, on 23 April, Matti Kalevi Siitonen passed away. He was known professionally as Fredi and he represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions. His second and last appearance happened as part of the group Fredi & Friends with the song 'Pump Pump' in 1976. 

When I bought that single, I didn't know there was also a German version of the song. I was only made aware of this a few weeks ago. And as luck would have it, I found this copy a few weeks after that. Admittedly the sleeve is a bit damaged (with a stamp on the front) but it doesn't detract from the vinyl itself. And so I am quite satisfied with this little addition.

My collection: 7" single no. 6560
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Schon wieder macht mein Herz bump bump' / 'Zeig mir bei Nacht die Sterne'

Brasil - Baby Doll

These days we've grown accustomed to people looking like Christmas trees, all dolled up and with bells and baubles on, but back in 1991 it was quite a shock to see a certain Baby Doll performing 'Brasil' on the Eurovision stage. 

She represented Yugoslavia, just before the country de facto ceased to exist later that year. The song only gained one point (awarded to the song by the Maltese jury), which saved her from last place and got her to the 21st position in a field of 22 competitors. Baby Doll (real name: Dragana Šarić) continued her career in music and certain reality television shows in Serbia. In 2015, she married American-born Serbian professor of philology and Russian language Aleks Todorović and has allegedly changed her name to Danica Todorović.

My collection: 7" single no. 6559
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Brasil' / 'Control'

 

Could it be - Georgina & Paul Giordimaina

Exactly twenty years after Joe Grech, who was responsible for Malta's debut at the Eurovision Song Contest with a jazzy, swinging song, Georgina & Paul Giordimaina were responsible for the return of Malta on the Eurovision stage after an absence of 16 years. And they came with a song that was the absolute opposite of 'Marija L-Maltija': a syrupy, sticky, almost nauseating ballad. At least, that's how I qualified this song back in 1991. 

Listening to it now, it is a bit of a middle of the road affair, but the nauseating effect has worn off a bit. Still, it wasn't the best of what that year had to offer - although I wasn't exactly thrilled by the winning song either ('Captured by a lovestorm' by Carola, that was). The duo recorded their song both in English and in Maltese, and both versions appear on this 7" single, which is a bit of a rarity too: after 1991, no Maltese songs would ever be released on 7" vinyl again.

My collection: 7" single no. 6557
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Could it be' / 'Sejjah u ssbni'

Marija L-Maltija - Joe Grech

Although I would have preferred to get a copy with the picture sleeve, this is impossible, and so I settled for this one in a generic white sleeve. And 'this one' is a single of Malta's first ever entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Joe Grech was responsible for this debut performance, sung entirely in Maltese and ending up in last place. 'Marija L-Maltija' was composed by Joe Grech himself, and the lyrics were written by Charles Mifsud.Listen to it now and you're transported back to a time when chansons were popular and this jazzy, slightly noisy track probably fell out of place a bit. But it's not a bad track, I quite enjoyed listening to this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 6558
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Marija L-Maltija' / 'In-Nassab'

C'est la chanson de mon amour - Veronique Muller

Veronique Muller was born in Morat (Switzerland) on 9 February 1948. Before starting her own musical career, she worked as Petula Clark's secretary. She also spent time in England where she was a pupil of Freddie Winrose, who was the producer of Shirley Bassey. 

She represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1972 with the song 'C'est la chanson de mon amour' ('This the song of my love'), where she finished in 8th place. She later co-wrote Switzerland's entry in the 1980 contest, 'Cinéma', performed by Paola. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6556
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'C'est la chanson de mon amour' / 'Quand le printemps revient'

Wherever I lay my hat (That's my home) - Paul Young

In 1991, the compilation album 'From Time to Time' was released, featuring all the hits by Paul Young from the preceding decade.A few singles were released to promote this album, and 'Wherever I lay my hat (That's my home)' was one of them. 

Quite why the record company thought it was a good idea to release this single, I don't know, because it had already sold many copies in 1983 and not a lot of people would consider buying it again since loads of those singles were widely available in second hand shops. And so the single flopped mercilessly and copies of it are pretty hard to come by, since there weren't a lot of them made I guess. Still, it has a nice cover and the live version on the B-side is worth a spin - although there's no information on the date and venue of this live recording. A bit of a careless release, I would say.

My collection: 7" single no. 6530
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Wherever I lay my hat (That's my home)' / 'Wherever I lay my hat (That's my home) (live)'

Ich hol' Dir gerne vom Himmel die Sterne (Abergavenny) - Ilja Richter

Ilja Richter was born on 24 November 1952 in East Berlin. His parents moved to West Berlin a year later, where Ilja was stimulated to became an actor by his mother Eva, a former actress herself. During the 1970's he became the presenter of the German TV show Disco, a music show filmed before a young live audience in which he also performed in sketches.

Before that, however, he also had a career in music. Between 1969 and 1983 he released about a dozen singles, one of which was 'Ich hol' Dir gerne vom Himmel die Sterne'. You wouldn't guess it, but it's a German version of Marty Wilde's 'Abergavenny'. The song was recorded together with the orchestra of Roberto Delgado, a famous German bandleader, arranger and composer. It's an interesting take on a classic song.

My collection: 7" single no. 6498
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 November 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Ich hol' Dir gerne vom Himmel die Sterne (Abergavenny)' / 'Da da, njet njet njet'

Ljubim te pesmama - Extra Nena

While Yugoslavia was being torn apart in a huge and violent civil war, they still managed to send a representative to the Eurovision Song Contest. Extra Nena would be the country's last participation as a union (although it was already reduced to Serbia and Montenegro): from 1993 onwards the various ex-Yugoslavian countries would participate separately (and exchange points for some reason).

Extra Nena, real name Snežana Berić, performed 'Ljubim te pesmama' in Serbian and managed to collect 44 points, placing 13th in a field of 23 competitors. This single features the French version on the other side; English and Italian versions also exist.

My collection: 7" single no. 6555
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Ljubim te pesmama' / 'Je t'embrasse par mes chansons'

Hajde da ludujemo - Tajči

This 7" single is the companion piece to the 12" single 'Let's go crazy', which I bought just three months ago. It features two tracks that can't be found on that one, i.e. the original versions of 'Hajde da ludujemo' and 'Let's go crazy'. 

It isn't easy to find a copy of this single, but there are some sellers online who offer it. When they do, it isn't usually cheap - but I managed to get a good deal for this and seven other discs. And so, here it goes... Let's go crazy!

My collection: 7" single no. 6554
Found: Ebay, received 3 December 2021
Tracks: 'Hajde da ludujemo' / 'Let's go crazy'

No time to die - Billie Eilish

One 7" single of 'No time to die' was not enough. Coinciding with the cinema release (finally, after almost two years!) of the latest James Bond movie and the strange event that is called Black Friday came this limited release of 'No time to die'. Billie Eilish mumbles her way through two alternative versions of her James Bond song: one recorded live at the Brit Awards earlier this year, and the other is the 'original demo'. 

It's remarkable how this girl never manages to pronounce any words clearly, as if she's afraid to let us hear the lyrics of her songs. The sleeve follows her lead: there is almost no contrast. The track names are printed dark grey on black, and this is what we have to work with. What on earth were they thinking? Well, at least here's another addition to my subcollection of James Bond themes.

My collection: 7" single no. 6553
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Cost: -
Tracks: 'No time to die (live at the Brit awards)' / 'No time to die (original demo)'