Which way you goin' Billy? - The Poppy Family

Seventeen-year-old Susan Pesklevits met Terry Jacks in the mid-1960s when he appeared as a guest on the national teen TV show Music Hop where she was a regular performer. She later called Jacks to accompany her on rhythm guitar for one of her live appearances. Eventually, although she continued to do solo shows on television, with the addition of Craig McCaw on lead guitar, Susan decided that all her live performances would be as part of her newly formed trio. Susan and Terry married in 1967 and Susan Pesklevits became Susan Jacks. Craig McCaw later introduced Satwant Singh on tabla drums from India and the Poppy Family's unique sound was complete. 

'Which way you goin' Billy?' was their first big hit. Although they'd released two singles before that, those two only reached the lower part of the Canadian singles chart, but this single became a charttopper. It also reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 in the UK singles chart. The B-side, 'Endless sleep', had been a hit for Marty Wilde in 1958.

My collection: 7" single no. 7111
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Which way you goin' Billy?' / 'Endless sleep'

Tom Pillibi - Les Scarlet

Back in 1960, Jacqueline Boyer won the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Tom Pillibi'.You wouldn't think so these days - Loreen's 'Tattoo' came and went and no other artist even tried to cover the song - but back then artists were scrambling all over the place to record their own versions of songs that won the Contest.

Les Scarlet was a French girl group that was quick to try their hand at the song, using the services of an orchestra directed by James Award. It isn't necessarily a very original take on the song - with the exception of the intro that starts with a nice harmony from the girls.

My collection: 7" single no. 7110
Found: De Schatkamer, Leidschendam, 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Tom Pillibi' / 'Rossel Cadet'

Little lies / Songbird - The Corrs

I didn't have any 7" singles of the Corrs yet, although I do have all their CD's and a lot of their CD-singles. The Irish band of the four siblings named Corr was very successful just after the turn of the century, before going on hiatus in 2006. When they returned as a band in 2015 with the albums 'White light' (2015) and 'Jupiter calling' (2017), their success was not quite as big, and for some reason they recently only play live in Australia and surrounding countries. 

But there was one new release recently: this double A single of Fleetwood Mac covers, as a tribute to Christine McVie who passed away on 30 November 2022. The single did not chart, but it's a nice one nonetheless.

My collection: 7" single no. 7108
Found: Dig! webstore, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Little lies' / 'Songbird'

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl

Shane MacGowan, the illustrious frontman of the Pogues, passed away last year after an eventful drug- and drink-filled life. Whatever you might think of him, he certainly wasn't a boring character. On 30 November 2023, after receiving last rites, MacGowan died from pneumonia at his home in Dublin with his wife by his side; he was 65.

Warner Records thought it was a fitting idea to rush-release this vinyl single with the man's most famous performance, on the Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York'. It would of course have been great if this song was the UK's Christmas number 1 of 2023, but that honour went to another dead man: George Michael of Wham! Still, this single is a great item because it features an instrumental version of that famous Christmas tune. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7109
Found: Dig website, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Fairytale of New York' / 'Fairytale of New York (instrumental)'

 

Mile after mile - Jahn Teigen

Although Jahn Teigen wasn't exactly successful with his 'Mil etter mil' at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978, he did record the song in English. It was surprisingly difficult to get this single for a reasonable price, even online. In the end, I wound up buying this copy together with three rarer Norwegian singles from a Norwegian seller late last year.

Jahn even recorded the B-side 'Claudius' in English. This copy was made in Norway; the single was also released in Germany with a different sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 7107
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Mile after mile' / 'Claudius'

Småting - Grethe og Benny

'Småting' is a Norwegian pop song that won the Melodi Grand Prix 1972, and was Norway's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest the same year. The melody and lyrics were written by Kåre Grøttum and Ivar Børsum, and the song was performed by Grethe Kausland (3 July 1947 - 16 November 2007) and Benny Borg (born 13 November 1945 in Gothenburg). The song is a ballad, where the duo compares the great successes of human life ("inheriting a castle, landing on the moon") with small things, such as watching the sunset, which they sing are higher experiences.

In the international final, the song received 73 points, placing it 14th out of 18 contestants. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7106
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Småting' / 'Har du noengang'

Kom sol, kom regn - Inger Jacobsen

'Kom sol, kom regn' is a Norwegian ballad that won the Melodi Grand Prix 1962, and was Norway's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest the same year. The song was sung by Laila Dalseth in the Norwegian final, and by Inger Jacobsen in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was composed by Kjell Karlsen, with text by Ivar Andersen.  

In the song, Jacobsen sings about her feelings for her lover and says that "come sun, come rain" she will always be happy when she is with him. In the international final, the Norwegian entry received 2 points and came in joint tenth place among 16 participants. This was Norway's worst position in the competition until then. Inger Jacobsen was born in Christiania on 13 October 1923 and passed away on 21 July 1996 in Oslo.

My collection: 7" single no. 7105
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Kom sol, kom regn' / 'Nå har jeg gjort hva som gjøres kan'

Stress - Odd Børre

The new year started with the receipt of an order I placed with a Norwegian seller. Four rare singles finally came to me after a delay of about a week (thanks, Dutch mail!). The first of the four was Odd Børre's 1968 Eurovision entry 'Stress', a song so fast that it actually could cause stress. The song starts with the lines "Must must must must must hurry up / Go go go go go go so I can / Now now now now last bus home / Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha that's right / Good good good good good don't forget to / Take, take, take, take sleeping pills / Small doses are good, need to relax a bit / Turn on your radio, you're asleep". In Norwegian, of course!

Odd Børre Sørensen (born on 9 August 1939) was a Norwegian pop singer. He retired from full-time professional singing in 1970 and became an insurance company agent (although he did perform in the Norwegian national finals in 1971 and 1977 and was one of the judges in the 1978 final). After retiring in the early 2000s, Odd Børre teamed up again with Kjell Karlsen and performed with him.  Børre died on 28 January 2023, at the age of 83.

My collection: 7" single no. 7104
Found: Discogs.com, received 3 January 2024
Tracks: 'Stress' / 'Jeg har aldri vært så glad i noen som deg'

Penthouse and pavement (The Tommy D remix) - Heaven 17

In 1993, Heaven 17 released a series of singles featuring remixes of their Eighties hits. 'Temptation (Brothers in Rhythm remix)' and '(We don't need this) Fascist groove thang (Rapino Brothers remixes)' were quite accomplished, but I feel that 'Penthouse and pavement (The Tommy D remix)' doesn't quite hit the spot. 

I bought this single to complete the set, but upon playing the A-side I was left wondering what, exactly, Tommy D had added to the original version. It looks like more people were left with the same question, as this single didn't do as well as the other two: it peaked at number 54 in the UK singles chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7103
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'Penthouse and pavement (Tommy D's master edit)' / 'Penthouse and pavement (original version)'

There's the girl - Heart

After the success of 'Alone' and 'Who will you run to', Heart released a third single from their 1987 album 'Bad Animals': 'There's the girl'. It wasn't quite as successful as the two previous singles, but still peaked at number 12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, while it also rose to number 34 in the UK singles chart. The single version was remixed when compared to the original album version.

The B-side of the single features the title track of the album, 'Bad animals', which is also a strong track. Personally I feel the band were at their peak in 1987, but I recently read an article in which Ann and Nancy Wilson expressed some regret about this period, feeling they were being used as puppets by the record company. Still, the earnings must have made up for something, as they never equalled the success of 'Bad Animals' again.

My collection: 7" single no. 7102
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'There's the girl' / 'Bad animals'

What about love - Heart

It occurred to me that I didn't have the original single of 'What about love' by Heart yet. I do have a re-release from 1988, but that's not the original version of course. This one is, and it's the US pressing with an original Capitol record company sleeve. (There is a picture sleeve version, but unfortunately the seller I got this single and several others didn't have it.)

The single marked a change of style for the band and landed them a top 10 hit in the USA for the first time since 'Tell it like it is' in 1980. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7101
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'What about love' / 'Heart of darkness'

Tell it like it is - Heart

'Tell it like it is' was written by George Davis and Lee Diamond and originally recorded and released in 1966 by Aaron Neville. It was later recorded by Andy Williams and John Wesley Ryles, among others, and the most famous version for younger people is probably Don Johnson's version from the late Eighties.

In 1980, however, the song was also recorded by Heart, and included on their 'Greatest Hits/Live' album. The song peaked at Number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 during the winter of 1981 and became their highest-charting single in the United States to that point. It had higher success in Canada, reaching Number 4. On this side of the world, the single probably wasn't even released.

My collection: 7" single no. 7100
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'Tell it like it is' / 'Strange Euphoria'

Magazine - Heart

After Heart's very successful debut album 'Dreamboat Annie', they had a falling out with their label Mushroom over an advert for that album that was too suggestive for their liking. Legal wrangles followed, during which Mushroom released the second album 'Magazine' prematurely. After the dispute was resolved, Heart still had to deliver a second album proper, and so they re-recorded 'Magazine'. 

The title track was released as the third single from the album in 1979. It failed to chart in all territories, after which Heart's ties with Mushroom Records were broken. In the early 1980s, Mushroom Records went out of business. Ownership rights to Heart's two albums for Mushroom were purchased by Capitol Records, which reissued the recordings. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7099
Found: Discogs.com, received 27 December 2023
Tracks: 'Magazine' / 'Devil delight'

Hold on to now - Kylie

Most people who have reviewed Kylie's latest album 'Tension' have singled out 'Hold on to now' as one of its strongest tracks. They're not wrong: it's a euphoric, positive pop song that presses all the right buttons. Minogue wrote the song together with producers Jon Green, Duck Blackwell, and longtime collaborator Richard "Biffco" Stannard. 

This single was pressed on white vinyl and, like the other two singles from the album, features an extended mix on the B-side. The extended mixes have been released on an LP called 'Extension' (clever!) but I hope that will get a CD release as well, because those LP's take up too much space in my room, to be honest...

My collection: 7" single no. 7097
Found: Kylie website, received 23 December 2023
Tracks: 'Hold on to now' / 'Hold on to now (extended mix)'

Tension - Kylie

Kylie Minogue co-wrote 'Tension' with Anya Jones, Camille Purcell, Jon Green, and producers Duck Blackwell and longtime collaborator Richard Stannard. The idea to collaborate with Jones and Purcell came after Minogue spent a week in Surrey working on new music with Blackwell, Green, Stannard, and Minogue's A&R Jamie Nelson. Nelson had proposed working with Jones and Purcell, the latter of whom had mentioned being a big fan of Minogue's work and career. According to Minogue, the collaboration with the two provided her with the "female energy" she needed for the record. 

Although 'Tension' was released digitally on 31 August 2023, the 7" vinyl only came to light in December. It's pressed on green vinyl, which nicely ties in to the the sleeve artwork. The single reached number 19 in the UK singles chart but, oddly, failed to chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 7096
Found: Kylie website, received 23 December 2023
Tracks: 'Tension' / 'Tension (extended mix)'

Padam padam - Kylie

One of the big surprises of 2023 was the success of Kylie's lead single from her new album 'Tension'. 'Padam padam' is not a very spectacular pop song, but it appealed to many. So much so, that it appears in many end-of-year lists despite the fact that it didn't reach number 1 in any chart, except in Israel, Serbia and in the UK Indie chart. 

I ordered the 7" single directly from Kylie's website along with two other singles, and they all landed on my doormat just before Christmas. This single was pressed on red vinyl, which is a very nice touch.

My collection: 7" single no. 7095
Found: Kylie website, received 23 December 2023
Tracks: 'Padam padam' / 'Padam padam (extended mix)'

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'