Summer night city - Abba

Being into picture discs combined with being into Abba has become a bit of a nightmare over the past few years. Their record company has re-released the majority of their singles on the 7" picture disc format, and usually they're not very cheap either. I've refrained from buying them for exactly that reason, but fortunately some deals have crossed my passed recently, and that was exactly the incentive I needed.

'Summer night city' was the Swedish band's non-album single, recorded during sessions for the album Voulez-Vous (1979), but not included on that album. However, it was released as a single prior to the album, and reached number 5 in the UK singles chart and the Dutch Top 40. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7298
Found: Revin Records, received 31 August 2024
Tracks: 'Summer night city' / 'Medley: Pick a bale of cotton, On top of old Smokey, Midnight special'

Shout - Tears for fears

Quite possibly the last 10" single by Tears for fears to feature on this blog, this is the legendary 'Shout', one of the band's biggest hits and also the song that I grew very tired of back in the Eighties. It is, of course, an anthemic song which I actually bought on 7" single while it was in the Dutch Top 40. 

This 10" single followed a couple of months later, when my interest in this format first started. It doesn't present much more than the 7" single, although the title track is 15 seconds longer!

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Free Record Shop, 1985
Tracks: 'Shout (full version)' / 'The big chair'

Every angel - All About Eve

Of course I have the 7" single of 'Every angel', but the 12" single offers an extended mix of the track and an extra track called 'Candy tree', which is actually one of the band's best offerings at that point in time. All About Eve often buried great tracks on 12" singles (and later CD-singles), and in fact their entire output pleased me a lot through the years.

Lead vocalist Julianne Regan confessed years ago that she couldn't take any credit for a song like 'Every angel', because such speedy little nuggets were usually the specialty of fellow band members Tim Bricheno or Andy Palmer.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, 1989
Tracks: 'Every angel (extended version)' / 'Wild flowers', 'Candy tree'

Breaking glass - David Bowie

'Breaking glass' originally appeared on David Bowie's 1977 album Low. It was co-written by Bowie, bassist George Murray and drummer Dennis Davis in September 1976. A reworked version of the song was performed live and released as the lead track on a 7-inch EP to promote his second live album, Stage in 1978. 

The EP reached number 54 on the UK singles chart in December 1978. In the US, the track "Star" was chosen as the lead track for the live EP (with 'What in the world' and 'Breaking glass' as B-sides), but failed to chart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7296
Found: Record hunter, Stockholm (Sweden), 21 August 2024
Tracks: 'Breaking glass' / 'Art decade', 'Ziggy Stardust'

Heartland / Slow train to dawn - The The

In order to get people to notice the band The The, a free single was distributed in America via various channels. One of them was the record shop Tower Records, although there were also versions for Nobody Beats The Wiz, J&R Music World and Record World, apparently. 

The single presents two tracks from the album Infected; 'Heartland' and 'Slow train to dawn'. I actually noticed the existence of this single on Discogs some time ago and it was on my wantlist, but finding a copy in a record store is always better of course - it saves postage. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7295
Found: Nostalgipalatset, Stockholm (Sweden), 21 August 2024
Tracks: 'Heartland' / 'Slow train to dawn'

Vad än sker - Ann-Louise Hanson

When in Sweden, it's always nice to find something Swedish. Especially when it's connected to the Eurovision Song Contest - an event that is very close to the Swedish hearts. This single isn't particularly rare, but it is a curiosity nonetheless: it features cover versions of two Eurovision songs from 1972. 

The A-side is taken up by Ann-Louise Hanson, a Swedish singer, born 4 April 1944 in Kristianstad, singing 'Vad än sker', which is a Swedish version of 'Apres toi'. The B-side is taken up by the Glenmarks, singing 'Ler, ber och bönar', a Swedish version of 'Beg, steal or borrow'. The interesting thing is that Ann-Louise was actually married to Bruno Glenmark, one of the members of the Glenmarks, along with Karin Glenmark and herself. And so this combined single starts to make even more sense.

My collection: 7" single no. 7294
Found: Nostalgipalatset, Stockholm (Sweden), 21 August 2024
Tracks: 'Vad än sker' / 'Ler, ber och bönar'

Dansevise - "Roy" Etzel Sextet

In 1963, a truly timeless classic won the Eurovision Song Contest. It was 'Dansevise' by Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann for Denmark. It was inevitable that other artists would want to profit from the success, and so several cover versions were released.

This one is an instrumental take on the song, performed by the Roy Etzel Sextet. It takes a few liberties in the arrangement, which makes it slightly more interesting. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7292
Found: Nostalgipalatset, Stockholm (Sweden), 21 August 2024
Tracks: 'Dansevise' / 'Trompeters afsked'

Glittering prize - Simple Minds

Sometimes buying singles is just something that 'has to happen'. You scour through the boxes in a record store and nothing decent comes up. Well... almost. I found this Simple Minds single, and although I never had a deep longing to own 'Glittering Prize' on 7" single this copy looked decent enough (and, to be honest, with beautiful artwork) to take home.

The song reached number 16 in the UK singles chart, but was more successful in Australia, New Zealand and Norway, where it reached the top 10. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7291
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Glittering prize' / 'Glittering prize (theme)'

Spies like us - Paul McCartney

Spies Like Us is a 1985 American spy comedy film directed by John Landis, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon. The film presents the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Union. 

The title song was written and performed by Paul McCartney. The recording peaked at number 7 on US Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1986; The song was McCartney's last to reach the top ten in the USA until 2015. It also reached number 13 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 7290
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Spies like us' / 'My carnival'

Road to your soul - All About Eve

While I was going through my All About Eve 12" singles (partly for this blog, as you have been noticing recently), I noticed that one was missing. 'Road to your soul' was released in 1989 and I bought the single just after it came out. The CD-single followed swiftly, but I never bought the 12" single. As interesting as the 'art print' seemed, there was nothing new on the disc - or so I thought.

It turns out that the 12" single actually features an extended version of 'Road to your soul', which doesn't appear on the CD-single at all. I did find out about this years ago, but it didn't prompt me to buy the disc immediately. However, I recently found out that a shop in my neighbourhood could get it for me, and so I ordered it. As it turns out, the disc is in near mint shape and the art print is still in there! I am one happy customer.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Road to your soul [extended]' / 'Pieces of our heart', 'Hard Spaniard'

Ooh shooby doo doo lang - Aneka

Aneka was very successful with her debut single 'Japanese boy', but the song saddled the single up with an image that she couldn't really shake. Her second single 'Little lady' only reached number 50 in the UK singles chart.

A third single was released in early 1982. This was 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang', which told a light-hearted tale of a singer bemoaning the fact that she has been relegated to backing vocals; the lyrics go on to mention Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder and both 'Japanese boy' and 'Little lady'. The song missed the UK chart; however in Europe it gave her a third hit. After a few more unsuccessful singles, Aneka then dropped the Aneka title and continued with the folk-singing career she had begun before her fame. She has since confirmed her retirement from music, and was last known to be working as a part-time tour guide for the Scottish city of Stirling.

My collection: 7" single no. 7289
Found: Plato, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang' / 'Could it last a little longer'

House of the rising sun - Frijid Pink

'House of the rising sun' is a traditional American folk song, but it was made famous by the Animals, who made it a charttopper in the UK and USA in 1964. It's the version most people probably know best.

In 1969 the Detroit band Frijid Pink recorded a psychedelic version of "House of the Rising Sun", which became an international hit in 1970. Their version was almost as successful; peaking at number 4 in the UK singles chart and number 7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It's an interesting twist of fate that I haven't even got a copy of the Animals single yet, but this one by Frijid Pink only cost half a euro, so I couldn't leave it in the shop.

My collection: 7" single no. 7288
Found: Plato, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'House of the rising sun' / 'Drivin' blues'

Horse race - Mo

It was a big surprise to find a single by the band Mo that I didn't own already. I thought my collection was complete, but this was literally the first time I ever saw the single 'Horse race'. Back in 2009 when I wrote about 'Nothing's wrong' I stated that it was their last single - but I was wrong: this one is! 

Like 'Nothing's wrong', 'Horse race' is taken from Mo's final album Stop Staring, released in 1984. Apparently a 12" single of 'Asia' was released a few months ago, but it is now impossible to find a copy. After all these years, the band hasn't been forgotten.

My collection: 7" single no. 7286
Found: Plato, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Horse race' / 'In love there's pain'

Egyptian reggae - Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers

It's no wonder, I guess, that I never really knew who recorded 'Egyptian reggae', because who could remember the band name 'Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers'? So I was lucky to find this single by chance, after many years subconsciously searching for it. 

In the 1970s, Jonathan Richman experiments with different musical styles. Inspired by North African and reggae music, he comes up with this instrumental song, which he records together with the band The Modern Lovers. Although Richman initially claimed to have written the song himself, he later retracted this. The song has very strong similarities to Jamaican musician Earl Zero's 1973 hit 'None shall escape the judgement'. In reissues of 'Egyptian reggae', Zero is explicitly credited as co-writer of the song. Not on this original single from 1977, though!

My collection: 7" single no. 7285
Found: Record fair, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Egyptian reggae' / 'Rollercoaster by the sea'

Face to face - Real life

The band Real life is best known for their hit 'Send me an angel'. Some years ago I bought the 88 version of that track, and I thought that would be the last of their singles I'd ever buy. But I was tempted yet again by a red vinyl single, and I guess you can't go very wrong with an Eighties band anyway.

'Face to face' was released in 1985 as the first single from the Australian band's second album 'Flame'. It reached number 32 in the Australian singles chart, and the red vinyl version also helped them get to number 52 in the German singles chart. Elsewhere this single remained unnoticed. The band soldiered on until 1990 without a lot of success. Later reunions didn't come with any chart success either.

My collection: 7" single no. 7284
Found: Record fair, Leiden, 15 August 2024
Tracks: 'Face to face' / 'Flame (instrumental)'

Martha's harbour - All About Eve

All About Eve were very busy after releasing their debut album. Having already released a few singles in advance, the singles kept coming after the album was out, and in various formats too. Their best known single 'Martha's harbour' wasn't just released on CD-single, 7" and 12", a special edition of the 12" single came in a box and featured a large colour poster and two exclusive live tracks.

You could say it's a nightmare for collectors, but all these years later it's still a major joy to look back and go through all these different versions.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, 1989
Tracks: 'Martha's harbour', 'Another door' / 'In the clouds (live)', 'Shelter from the rain (live)'

Augustin - Siw Malmkvist

There's something odd about the sleeve of this single. With Siw & Lilian Malmkvist prominently on it with their names above, the song 'Augustin' seems to have been recorded by both. But upon further inspection it becomes clear that the sisters only recorded the two songs on the B-side of this EP, and Siw Malmkvist actually sings 'Augustin' on her own.

'Augustin' is of course a cover version of Sweden's 1959 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, originally performed by Brita Borg. Which should tell you all you need to know why I wanted to have this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7281
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Augustin', 'Det Är Min Melodi' / 'Cocktail Tango', 'Nya Fågelsången'

Not the only one - Fiction Factory

Fiction Factory were very successful with their debut album and the hit single '(Feels like) Heaven'. They toured Europe as support for OMD, but the same year Eddie Jordan, Graham McGregor and Mike Ogletree departed from the band, leaving Kevin Patterson and Chic Medley to record the next studio album with session musicians, including keyboardist Paul Wishart and brothers Graham and Neil Weir of OMD. The first single from the second album Another Story was 'Not the only one'. Unlike the previous singles, this one didn't chart at all. 

This copy of the single was made in Germany. The disc has a label saying 'Ungeprüftes muster / Unverkäuflich', which means basically that it is some sort of promotional single. It's a nice find.

My collection: 7" single no. 7282
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Not the only one' / 'Let me be a part'

Les illusions de nos 20 ans - Peter, Sue & Marc

'Les illusions de nos vingt ans' was the Swiss entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Dublin performed by Peter, Sue and Marc. This was the first of four attempts at the contest for the trio, and they became the first group to ever perform at Eurovision with the allowance of groups no more than six people on stage. The song finished in 12th place in a field of 18 competitors.

While the other efforts of the trio were pretty easy to find - especially 'Io senza te' which pops up in many a second hand shop in Europe - this single is a rarity. I was happy to finally find a copy online. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7280
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 August 2024
Tracks: 'Les illusions de nos 20 ans' / 'Legende de mon pays'

Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears for fears

Another 10" single by Tears for fears - but this time it's one that I bought a long time ago already. Just like 'Head over heels', this 10" single is basically an enlarged 7" single, because it contains exactly the same tracks. 

'Everybody wants to rule the world' was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley and Chris Hughes, and produced by Hughes. The song was a "last-minute" addition during recording sessions of Songs from the Big Chair (1985). The decision to include the song in the album came after Orzabal played two chords on his acoustic guitar for Hughes. It was recorded in two weeks and added as the final track on the album.In an interview with Mix magazine, Hughes said that "as a piece of recording history, [the song is] bland as hell". Orzabal's unimpressed reaction to the track during their songwriting sessions prompted Hughes to convince him to record it, in a calculated effort to garner American chart success. That goal was met: it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it only peaked at number 2 in the UK singles chart. 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Free Record Shop, 1985
Tracks: 'Everybody wants to rule the world' / 'Pharaohs'