Tattoo - Loreen

Winning the Eurovision Song Contest is always controversial. In 2022 the winner was chosen by the viewers - the overwhelming majority of votes for the Ukrainian band came from televoters - and some complained that the jury should have done more to have a winning song based on its quality, not pity for the country that sent it in. This year, the winning song was based on the jury's votes, and suddenly the critics went the other way: the televoters should have had a bigger say in the eventual outcome. My own position has always been the same: no matter who decides, it's never the best song that wins. If anything, much more attention should have been given to the Latvian band Sudden Lights. 

Anyway, Swedish singer Loreen went away with the prize, even though her singing was more like screaming and the act with the toaster became tiresome after a few views. Fortunately it doesn't sound as bad on record. This picture disc was released at the tail end of 2023, and the B-side features the new single 'Is it love', which is a bit more subtle.

My collection: 7" single no. 7094
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 23 December 2023
Tracks: 'Tattoo' / 'Is it love'

Sunday girl - Blondie

I've complained about Record Store Day on this blog before: it's too expensive, too limited and too attractive for scalpers. That's not to say that the releases are always bad: there's been quite a few interesting items over the years - the trick is just to find them, years later, and hopefully for lower prices.

This double single of Blondie's 'Sunday girl' was released in April 2022, so not too long ago. One disc is pressed on yellow vinyl, the other on red vinyl. The second disc actually presents a previously unreleased live version, recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Portland in January 1979. Unfortunately that's a rather low-fi recording. But anyway, it's a nice release and it looks great.

My collection: 7" single no. 7090
Found: A&O, Düsseldorf, 16 December 2023
Tracks: 'Sunday girl' / 'Sunday girl (French version)' // 'Sunday girl (demo)' / 'Sunday girl (live)'

You're all I need to get by - Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams

'You're all I need to get by' was written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson. It was originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and released on Motown Records' Tamla label in 1968.

Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams recorded the song for their 1978 duet album 'That's what friends are for'. It was the follow-up to their US number 1 hit 'Too much, too little, too late'. Their version of 'You're all I need to get by' reached number 47 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 45 in the UK singles chart. The copy I bought is a UK promotional single, which is a nice find!

My collection: 7" single no. 7091
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 22 December 2023
Tracks: 'You're all I need to get by' / 'You're a special part of my life'

Soerabaya / Junge Komm Bald Wieder / Bachelor Boy - De Accordo's

Released in 1963, this single features two medley's of popular songs from that time, as performed by the Accordo's, apparently a Dutch group although this single seems to have been made in Germany.

Not that I suddenly became a fan of music played on accordeons, but the B-side medley features a bit of 'Uno per tutte', the song which was performed by Emilio Pericoli at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963. In other words, it's another cover version of a Eurovision song, and so an interesting addition to my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7082
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 22 December 2023
Tracks: 'Soerabaya / Junge Komm Bald Wieder / Bachelor Boy' / 'Uno Per Tutte / Limbo Rock / Blame It On The Bossa Nova'

Atomic city - U2

It's been a while since I bought a U2 single, but it's also a while since I heard something interesting from the band. I sort of drifted off after 'All that you can't leave behind', and that's 2000. 

But the band has been making waves with their appearance in Las Vegas in a truly strange venue, and released a new song dedicated to the city to boot. It was released on a "photoluminescent transparent 7" vinyl with bespoke etching on side B', which is marketing speak for "we only have this one track and no B-side so we will try to make it appealing by throwing a lot of adjectives at you". Still, I like the track and so this single ended up in my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7089
Found: A&O, Düsseldorf, 16 December 2023
Tracks: 'Atomic city'

Tainted love (demo) - Soft Cell

While the Dutch magazine scene is still boring as hell, more exciting things happen in the UK and Germany, where music magazines regularly come with free 7" singles. 

In this case, it's the UK magazine Electronic Sounds that came up with the goods. This single features two tracks by Soft Cell (you wouldn't have guessed it, looking at the sleeve) from 1981. The A-side is a demo of the duo's biggest hit, 'Tainted love', while the B-side is a version of 'Bedsitter' that was previously released on a flexidisc with the magazine Flexipop - yes, even four decades ago UK magazines were more interesting than Dutch ones. It's high time this country catches up.

My collection: 7" single no. 7088
Found: Electronic Sounds website, received 15 December 2023
Tracks: 'Tainted love (demo)' / 'Bedsitter (Flexipop version)'

Pocket calculator - Kraftwerk

Just four months ago I bought the German version of 'Pocket calculator' by Kraftwerk, 'Taschenrechner'. Besides that original version they also recorded the track in English, and that version appears on this single. 

'Pocket calculator' reached number 39 in the UK singles chart during a six week chart run in May and June 1981. At the same time, the album 'Computer world', from which this single was taken, reached number 15 in the albums chart in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 7087
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2023
Tracks: 'Pocket calculator' / 'Dentaku'

Pianos, strings and some other things - Jeff Wayne

Recently Jeff Wayne announced another live tour of his 'War of the worlds' epic, planned for 2025. It's both impressive and a little sad that the entire career of the man has become synonymous with this one double album, originally released in 1978 - a whopping 45 years ago. 

Another example of his enduring obsession with the project is this Record Store Day release from 2019. 'Pianos, strings and some other things' is, and I am being irreverent here, an elevator music adaptation of four of the tracks from that very same album, 'War of the worlds'. After remix albums and a 'new generation' version this was the latest new take on the music. Well, at least the tracks are very well done, I have to admit. So I am still glad I managed to pick up a copy of this 12" single.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 26 August 2023
Tracks: 'The eve of the war', 'Forever autumn' / 'The red weed', 'Brave new world'

Two to the power - Janet Jackson & Cliff Richard

While Janet Jackson was still a relatively unknown pop star back in 1984, releasing quite run-of-the-mill dance music, she did manage to rope in an unlikely duet partner on her second album 'Dream street': Cliff Richard. You have to wonder why he participated in this song, because it doesn't sound like anything else he recorded until then. But maybe that was part of the fun for him.

Like the rest of Janet's material on her first two albums, the song isn't spectacular and just seems to pass the listener by without making much of an impression. It's obvious that the record company believed in the track, though: there's even a 12" single - although it doesn't contain an extended or remixed version of the song. 

'Did it chart, though?', I hear you ask. Well, it reached number 83 in the UK and number 7 in South Africa. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7085
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 December 2023
Tracks: 'Two to the power' (Janet Jackson & Cliff Richard) / 'Fast girls' (Janet Jackson)

Vi gratulerer - Kirsti, Oddvar og Arne

1968 was a famous year in Eurovision history: Cliff Richard, who seemed destined to win the competition with his song 'Congratulations', was beaten by a young singer called Massiel with the deceptively simple-sounding 'La, la, la'. This single by Kirsti, Oddvar and Arne presents both songs, with Norwegian lyrics provided by Arne Bendiksen.

The trio Kirsti Sparboe, Oddvar Sanne and Arne Bendiksen didn't just record this single: they also released the singles 'Hver Lördag En Fest' (1967) and 'Du Er Det Aller Kjæreste Jeg Har' (1965), the latter of which contained a Norwegian version of the Beatles' 'Yesterday'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7084
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 December 2023
Tracks: 'Vi gratulerer' / 'La, la, la'

Jeg er en astronaut - Anne Mette Torp

It's almost eight years ago that I found a copy of 'Jag är en astronaut' by Anne Mette Torp, the Swedish cover version of 'I am an astronaut', recorded by Ricky Wilde in 1972. Back then I already found out that Anne Mette originally recorded the song in Norwegian, but the single, officially with 'En sang jeg har laert av min bestemor' on the A-side, was very hard to get hold of.

But I was finally successful last month. A Norwegian seller had this single on offer and luckily I was the first one to find out about it. It's not that I am a particular fan of songs recorded by children, but one of my (many) subcollections is, of course, cover versions of songs by Marty Wilde. And so, here it is: the second and last Anne Mette Torp single in my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7083
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 December 2023
Tracks: 'En sang jeg har laert av min bestemor' / 'Jeg er en astronaut'

Now and then - The Beatles

It feels a bit odd to say that the Beatles released a new single in 2023, but here we are. 'Now and then' was originally recorded on a tape by John Lennon before his untimely death, and with the latest developments in sound restoration the remaining members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr finally had the opportunity to make a decent song out of it. 

'Now and then' was released on three different 7" singles: in black, blue and clear vinyl. I opted for the clear vinyl version. I would have bought all three if those singles weren't as insanely expensive as they are right now. As for those "updated" red and blue compilations: what a waste. I think they were quite perfect the way they were. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7082
Found: Amazon, received 17 November 2023
Tracks: 'Now and then' / 'Love me do (2023 mix)'

Sei ehrlich - Teddy Scholten

In 1959, Teddy Scholten represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest with ''n Beetje' ('A little bit'). She won the contest, and an interesting time began: besides doing theatre shows with her husband she also found time to record her song in other languages.

'Sei ehrlich' ('Be honest') is the German version of the song. She also recorded Italian and French versions, and even performed the song in English and Swedish, apparently - both those versions were never released on a record. The song was recorded with the orchestra led by Jack Bulterman; the orchestra also performs the B-side, an instrumental version of the UK entry, 'Sing little birdie'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7081
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 November 2023
Tracks: 'Sei ehrlich' / 'Sing little birdie'

Gross Gerau 3 June 1994 - Kim Wilde

I'm not a fan of bootleg singles, mainly because they're illegal and always released without the artist's consent. On the other hand, I have every single item ever released by Kim Wilde (or am still trying to get my hands on them) so I don't feel too guilty about buying one every once in a while.

This single, pressed on clear vinyl, features two live tracks taken from a TV broadcast. Apparently there were only 30 copies pressed; this is number 8. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7080
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'View from a bridge (live)' / 'Water on glass (live)'

More of Marty - Marty Wilde and his Wildcats

An EP called 'More of Marty' offers, indeed, more of Marty Wilde: four tracks instead of two. This EP was released in Denmark, which is evidenced by the short bio on the back of the sleeve.

The EP features two singles of the man: 'Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again' and 'Endless sleep', plus their respective B-sides. Both singles were originally credited to Marty Wilde and his Wildcats, as is this EP. There were many more EP releases back in the day, but it's not easy to find them for an affordable price. And that's important, because I'm not going to pay top dollar for tracks that I already own a few times - both on vinyl and CD!

My collection: 7" single no. 7033
Found: Discogs.com, received 20 September 2023
Tracks: 'Oh-oh, I'm falling in love again', 'Sing boy sing' / 'Her hair was yellow', 'Endless sleep'

Amiga Quartett - Udo Jurgens

One of the weirder purchases during last week's record fair was this Amiga Quartett EP with four tracks by Udo Jürgens. It features his Eurovision winning song 'Merci Chérie', but also three other tracks. Two of them veer dangerously towards schlager territory, but 'Ich schrieb nie ein Lied für Karin' ('I never wrote a song for Karin') is a touching little song about how you sometimes neglect those closest to you. Although that may be my interpretation of the song, I don't know.

These Quartett EP's are always fun, because it's obviously from a country that doesn't exist anymore (the German Democratic Republic existed until the early 1990's, when Germany became one country again after a few decades of total divorce) and it can be interesting to hear some more tracks from artists you don't know that well.

My collection: 7" single no. 7068
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Mit 66 Jahren', 'Ich schrieb nie ein Lied für Karin' / 'Aber bitte mit Sahne', 'Merci, Chérie'

Showroom dummies - Kraftwerk

This single has been on my wish list for a while, but it was hard to find a decent copy for not too much money. It felt good to finish my visit to the record fair with the acquisition of this single by Kraftwerk. 

'Showroom dummies' was taken from the band's album 'Trans-Europe Express'. The single was originally released on 14 September 1977, but this UK pressing comes from 1981. It comes with a remix of 'Numbers', taken from the album 'Computer World', on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 7079
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Showroom dummies' / 'Numbers (re-mix)'

Zero gravity - Kate Miller-Heidke

'Zero gravity' could be described as a pop-opera song. Kate Miller-Heidke wrote the song following her experience with post-natal depression after the birth of her son, Ernie, and how she felt "weightless" as she recovered. In an interview with broadcaster SBS, Miller-Heidke said she has always known of Eurovision, but became more invested since Australia became involved. She said "I think what I love about Eurovision is the permission to go a bit bonkers and I love how it embraces all different genres and different levels of experimental music and performance. I love how theatrical it is."

Theatrical is a way to describe her performance: it was over the top, with the singer swaying about on high poles, before a background of stars. The Cirque du Soleil-inspired performance made the song very popular with viewers. Still, it finished in ninth place.

A blue vinyl single was released in 2020 in an edition of 284 copies. My copy is number 188.

My collection: 7" single no. 7078
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Zero gravity' / 'Zero gravity (acoustic)'

Let's get serious - Jermaine Jackson

It's an odd fact that Jermaine Jackson always remained somewhat in the shadows of his younger brother Michael, despite the fact that certainly in the late Seventies he released some very great material. This single is a good example: 'Let's get serious', produced by Stevie Wonder, is a song that is impossibly catchy. 

I actually only discovered this track recently, when I bought a CD of 12 inch singles from 1980. This is quite strange, since this single was released in 1978. But it's true: in the UK this single peaked at number 8 in the singles chart in 1980. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7077
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks: 'Let's get serious' / 'Je vous aime beaucoup (I love you)'

Eden is a magic world - Pop concerto orchestra

The Pop Concerto Orchestra is a French pop music group singing in English, whose compositions are signed by Paul de Senneville and Olivier Toussaint. Their most famous song is 'Eden is a magic world', initially recorded in 1976 and which achieved success in the summer of 1982.

The single sold more than a million copies, after having been used at the time for an advertisement for the Telefunken brand. After the release of several 45s which did not meet with the same success, the group disbanded in 1985.

My collection: 7" single no. 7076
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 11 November 2023
Tracks:  'Eden is a magic world' / 'She wears a rainbow'