Il doit faire beau la-bas - Noëlle Cordier

Noëlle Cordier was born on 7 April 1944 in Paris. She started her musical career around 1965, but she was still virtually unknown when she was selected to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. The song ´Il doit faire beau la-bas' was written by Pierre Delanoë and composed by Hubert Giraud. The song finished in third place in a field of 17 competitors. 

After the release of some singles and an album in 1970, she participated in the rock opera La Révolution Française by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil in 1973 in which she played one of the main roles with Jean-Pierre Savelli, Gérard Blanc and Alain Bashung. As a performer, she achieved enormous success by singing the song 'Tu t'en vas' in 1974 with Alain Barrière. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6601
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Il doit faire beau la-bas', 'Cheese' / 'Ce garçon', 'La petite geisha'

Lui - Gigliola Cinquetti

Gigliola Cinquetti's song 'Si' has been translated into many other languages besides the original Italian. On this blog, we've already had 'Ja' (German) and 'Go' (English); today I am adding the French version, 'Lui'. It's a pity this title breaks the two-letter rule, but then that would be hard in French anyway. 

Of all the versions, this one sounds probably the most natural. By that I mean it could easily have been an original French chanson, performed by a French lady. In other words: Gigliola does a beautiful job on this single, and I really like this version a lot. The fact that I could buy it for almost nothing makes this a great acquisition. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6599
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 January 2022
Cost: €0,99
Tracks: 'Lui' / 'Le tandem'

Un premier amour - Frida Boccara

Frida Boccara represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969, and she actually became one of the four winners that year with her moving ballad 'Un jour, un enfant'. However, as I found out, she had a link to the Contest many years before that.

In 1962, Isabelle Aubret won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Un premier amour'. Boccara was quick to record a cover version of this song, which appears on this EP. There's three more songs on this disc, all with that unique voice of Frida, who tragically died on 1 August 1996.

My collection: 7" single no. 6598
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 January 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Cherbourg avait raison', 'Donna' / 'Un premier amour', 'Le ciel du port'

Halleluja - Jan Malmsjö

Those who love the Eurovision Song Contest would have been very pleased with this single, featuring three cover versions of the 1979 edition. Jan Malmsjö took it upon himself to perform that year's top three and stick them on this 7" single.

Jan Wilhelm Malmsjö was born on 29 May 1932 and trained at the prestigious Royal Dramatic Training Academy. He became a highly acclaimed stage actor and musical star, but also recorded many albums and singles, especially during the Sixties and Seventies. This EP features Swedish versions of 'Hallelujah', 'Su canción' and 'Mary Ann'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6595
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €3.50
Tracks: 'Halleluja' / 'Hela världen behöver ha en sång', 'Mary-Ann'

Unge dag - Gitte Haenning

Gitte Haenning represented Germany at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Junger Tag'. I bought the single twelve years ago from a German online shop, and I thought that would be all. But in fact, Gitte also recorded a version in Danish, and I am glad to say that I bought this version recently - appropriately enough, from a Danish online seller!

There's still some versions to go, I discovered recently, as 'Junger Tag' was also recorded in French, Spanish and English. Unfortunately, those singles are very expensive or even not available. We wait and hope.

My collection: 7" single no. 6594
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Unge dag' / 'Hallo, hvord'n går det anker'

It's so nice to be rich - Agnetha Fältskog

'It's so nice to be rich' is a song by Swedish singer Agnetha Fältskog from the soundtrack to the 1983 Swedish movie P & B, starring Stellan Skarsgård, Allan Edwall and Lill Lindfors among others. Since the song was not included on Fältskog's 1985 album 'Eyes of a Woman', the first time the song appeared on an album was the 1996 compilation album 'My Love, My Life'. The song was only released as a single in Sweden in December 1983 and it reached number 8 on the Swedish singles chart in February 1984. 

I actually knew this song because it was played on certain radio stations in 1984. However its availability has always been limited and even now I could only order it as part of a bigger order - from Denmark. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6593
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'It's so nice to be rich' / 'P&B'

Bonne nuit ma chérie - Wyn Hoop

Again we return to the very beginnings of the Eurovision Song Contest, this time with the misleading title 'Bonne nuit, ma chérie'. Misleading, because one might think this is a song from any of the French-speaking countries, but it was actually Germany's Wyn Hoop singing this song. Besides the title, repeated in the song a few times, the rest of the lyrics were in German. The song is effectively a lullaby, with Hoop promising his lover that "my love will accompany you everywhere" and that "I'll never forget you" as she goes to sleep. 

Wyn Hoop (real name: Winfried Lüssenhop, born on 29 May 1936) finished in fourth place in a field of 14 competitors. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6592
Found: Ebay, received 6 January 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Bonne nuit ma chérie' / 'Ich wusste gar nicht, dass das so schön sein kann'

Eres tu - Juan Carlos Calderón

Juan Carlos Calderón was a Spanish singer/songwriter and musician. His biggest claim to fame was composing 'Eres tú', performed by Mocedades in 1973, one of the most famous Eurovision songs ever - although it didn't win.

I recently found out he recorded a version of this song himself. It was released as a single in the same year and the version of the single presented here was a promotional release in Germany. The single was released commercially in several European countries. This copy came from a Dutch seller along with a stack of other cover versions of Eurovision songs (featured on this blog earlier), but unfortunately the disc was warped. It spent a week under heavy books before I could actually play it. So here it is, finally! 

My collection: 7" single no. 6537
Found: Marktplaats, received 30 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Eres tu' / 'Cancion de Abril'

Skibet skal sejle i nat - Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler

It was 1957, and two Danish performers were selected to perform a duet called 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' ('The ship will sail tonight') at the Eurovision Song Contest. Birthe Wilke was a young, innocent singer and Gustav Winckler, 10 years her senior, the experienced crooner with a string of hits to his name. They famously finished their performance with a kiss that lasted for 11 seconds - apparently because someone forgot to say 'cut' at the end. This in turn shocked the international juries, so much so that they didn't award them as many points as predicted beforehand. They finished in third place in a field of 10 competitors.

This disc is the original 78rpm record, released at the time. I've taken some interest in these old discs because I can finally play them. And playing such old records is a real nostalgic sensation, I can tell you. 

My collection: 78rpm [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 14 January 2022
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Skibet skal sejle i nat' / 'Kaerlighedens cocktail'

Nous les amoureux - Jean Claude Pascal

In 1961, Jean Claude Pascal represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Nous les amoureux'. The song is about a man and another (rumoured to be another man) who others want to separate. He sings, however, that 'Heaven is with us lovers', a declaration of hope in spite of the difficulties. He won the Contest with this song. 

I already bought a single of this song 12 years ago, but it was just a single without a sleeve. This EP features four tracks instead of two and comes with a glossy picture sleeve. It's a vast improvement, obviously.

My collection: 7" single no. 6591
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Toi', 'Les oubliettes' / 'Nous les amoureux', 'Le gars de n'importe où'

Nous vivrons d'amour - Chris Baldo & Sophie Garel

'Nous vivrons d'amour' was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968, performed by Luxembourgish singer Chris Baldo & and French-Algerian Sophie Garel. The song is a love duet, with the pair promising to "live by love" instead of letting the problems of the world get to them. Baldo and Garel also recorded the song in German and English. They finished in eleventh place in a field of 17 competitors.

Chris Baldo passed away in Luxembourg on 24 January 1995. Sophie Garel never had an ambition to become a singer and became a presenter instead. She worked successfully for RTL, France2 and Europe1.

My collection: 7" single no. 6590
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 January 2022
Cost: €5
Tracks: 'Nous vivrons d'amour', 'Les violettes' / 'Ton visage', 'Je viendrais te chercher'

Looking for clues - Robert Palmer

I bought Robert Palmer's single 'Looking for clues' back in 1989 in London. Obviously this was the UK pressing, which was an ordinary 7" single. While ordering some singles online I found this version of the single, released in the Netherlands on white vinyl. I can never resist a little coloured vinyl single, and so I just chucked it in my virtual shopping cart.

Robert Palmer is perhaps best known for his later singles, but to me, 'Looking for clues' is one of his best singles.

My collection: 7" single no. 6589
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 January 2022
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Looking for clues' / 'Good care of you'

Quand tu reviendras - Claude Lombard

Claude Lombard was born in Brussels on 25 February 1945. She studied at INSAS, a college of film, theatre and television studies in Brussels. She learned to play piano and guitar, and began composing music. 

In 1968, she represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Quand tu reviendras'. The song finished in seventh place in a field of 17 competitors.

In the Seventies, she moved to France and enjoyed a successful career as a musical voice-over artist for films and television series. She passed away on 20 September 2021.

My collection: 7" single no. 6588
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 January 2022
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Quand tu reviendras', 'Le temps ça s'invente' / 'Les petits couteaux' *, 'Pas moi' * (* avec Freddy Zegers)

Tubular bells - 101 strings

I found some information about 101 strings. According to Discogs: depending on the selections and arrangements, the orchestra is composed of 128 to 141 players. Of these, there are 30 first violins, 26 second violins, 20 violas, 18 cellos and 7 string basses. The rest may be woodwinds, brass or percussion. Performances include Broadway musical scores, mood music, travel impressions, standard popular songs from films scores and classics.

No doubt, 'Tubular bells' appeared on the radar of this act when the Mike Oldfield composition appeared on the soundtrack of the movie 'The Exorcist'. In fact, the sleeve of this single says so. It is an interesting version of the track, and a nice little addition to my sub-collection of 'Tubular bells' cover versions.

My collection: 7" single no. 6587
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 January 2022
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Tubular bells' / 'Torna sunda'

Julie - Tommy Solo

The song 'Julie' by Daniel was very popular after the performance at the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest. The song became a hit all over Europe; in the Netherlands the single reached number 3. Perhaps this was what prompted Dutch singer Tommy Solo to record a cover version of the song, with new lyrics in Dutch. 

Tommy Solo's real name is Jur Eckhardt. He was born in Groningen ìn 1949. 'Julie' was the only single he released as Tommy Solo; further releases happened under other pseudonyms, like Tutti Frutti and Tommy Toeter. None of his releases were ever a hit. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6586
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 January 2022
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Julie' / 'Ik ben een rocker'

Catherine (en español) - Romuald

Previous entries about Romuald already showed you he was a regular at the Eurovision Song Contest, appearing in 1964 with 'Où sont-elles passées' and in 1974 with 'Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va'. As I write this, the only one that's missing is 'Catherine' from 1969, but it is currently on its way to me and I should receive it quite soon.

Meanwhile, I recently bought the Spanish version of 'Catherine', which was released in 1969 as well. Besides the French and this Spanish version, Romuald also recorded 'Caterina', an Italian version of this song, and 'Catherine, Catherine', a German version. Unfortunately those singles are prohibitively expensive, so they won't appear on this blog anytime soon.

My collection: 7" single no. 6585
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 January 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Catherine (en español)' / 'Cada vez (en español)'

Als het weer lente is - Lize Marke

Lize Marke was born as Liliane Couck in Wemmel (Belgium) on 1 December 1936. She started singing professionally in 1962, and first participated in the Belgian Eurovision selection in 1963, when she performed two songs, 'Luister naar de wind' and 'Saksisch porselein', but she didn't win. Two years later, she sung all six songs in the national selection, and 'Als het weer lente is' ('When it's spring again') was chosen by jury vote as the Belgian representative in the tenth Eurovision Song Contest, held on 20 March 1965 in Naples, Italy.

The song failed to score, however, and finished in joint last place with Finland, Germany and Spain in a field of 18 competitors. It was Belgium's second "nul pointer", following Fud Leclerc's zero in 1962. In 1965, Marke fronted her own television show on Belgian channel BRT. After this, her career went quieter, although she continued to release records and perform live until the mid-Seventies.

My collection: 7" single no. 6584
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 January 2022
Cost: €6
Tracks: 'Als het weer lente is' / 'Jij alleen'

Honeycomb - Marty Wilde

This blog has never featured a 78rpm disc before. But I've had a few of these for some years now, and I think it's only right to include the one that has two tracks on it that I don't actually have on 7" vinyl. This is 'Honeycomb', released by Marty Wilde in 1957. It was his debut release, and a version of an American number 1 hit by Jimmie Rodgers. The B-side, 'Wild cat', was written by Lionel Bart and Marty himself.

'Honeycomb' failed to chart, just like the two subsequent singles, 'Love bug crawl' and 'Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again'. It wasn't until his fourth single, 'Endless sleep', that Marty's career would take off - he would be in the UK singles charts for five consecutive years.

My collection: 78rpm disc [unnumbered]
Found: Ebay
Cost: €10
Tracks: 'Honeycomb' / 'Wild cat'

Fiumi di parole - Jalisse

As far as I know, this is the only 7" vinyl release of Jalisse's 'Fiumi di parole': an Italian promotional single featuring a track by Paola & Chiara on the other side. These Italian singles featuring two tracks from two different artists have been a 'thing' since the Seventies, but it was still a bit of a surprise to find this particular one. 'Fiumi di parole' was Italy's last Eurovision entry in the last century. The country actually disappeared from the contest for 14 years: they returned in 2011 after their protracted absence. 

Jalisse is a duo consisting of spouses Alessandra Drusian (born 18 May 1969) and Fabio Ricci (born 5 September 1965). After achieving fourth place in Eurovision, they continued to make music until now. They also released a new version of 'Fiumi di parole' in 2005 - alas, that version was only released on a CD-single and not on vinyl.

My collection: 6581
Found: Discogs.com, received 30 December 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Fiumi di parole' (Jalisse) / 'Amici come prima' (Paola & Chiara)

Christmas lights - Coldplay

'Christmas Lights' was originally released on 1 December 2020 as a digital download single. According to lead singer Chris Martin, it was written in December 2008. This blue vinyl 7" single was released ten years later to mark the song's tenth anniversary. The band's version of 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas' was recorded during a live session for BBC Radio 1. Another physical release happened this year: single was re-released on black recycled vinyl.  

The cover of the single was designed by Yu Matsuoka Pol, a Japanese artist who was born in 1978 and lives and works in Brussels (Belgium).

My collection: 7" single no. 6487
Found: Amazon, received 21 October 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Christmas lights' / 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas'