Zwei kleine Italiener - Jan und Kjeld

Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1962 by Conny Froboess with 'Zwei kleine Italiener', a song that ended up being very popular despite not winning. This was evidenced by Conny herself, when she recorded the same song in Dutch as 'Twee kleine Italianen', but there were also cover versions by other artists who wanted to profit from the song's success as well.

Enter Jan und Kjeld, a musical duo from Denmark, consisting of brothers Jan and Kjeld Wennick, both singers and banjo players. The duo, active in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was especially successful in Germany with a number of schlager-style songs. The duo is perhaps best known for their 1960 song 'Banjo Boy'. In the U.S. the song was their only chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 58. By comparison, their single 'Zwei kleine Italiener' was less successful.

In 1983, Kjeld (born 3 February 1944) founded a record company, Mega Records and signed the Swedish pop group Ace of Base. In 2001, he sold the record company and music publisher to Edel Records. He was subsequently a judge at a number of talent shows on Danish television. He died of cancer on 31 May 2020, aged 76. Jan (born 27 July 1946) is still alive.

My collection: 7" single no. 7346
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Zwei kleine Italiener' / 'Kommen Sie mal nach Kopenhagen'

Further - Longview

I discovered Longview thanks to a remix done by Ulrich Schnauss, an electronic music wizard I've been following for more than two decades now, thanks to a former colleague who recommended his music to me. The album Mercury is pretty good, but the track that made the biggest impression on me was 'Further'. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find this single, pressed on purple vinyl, and with a US version of the track. It also includes a small poster of the band. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7345
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Further (US version)' / 'I want a reaction (demo)'

You got the style - Athlete

Having bought the 10" single recently, I knew that I didn't have the normal 7" single yet. The thing is, the 10" single was the original release from 2002, whereas this 7" single was a re-release from 2003. But after a little research - well, one look at the Discogs website - I found out there was no 7" single in 2002. Which makes my Athlete vinyl collection almost complete in fact.

'You got the style' was a good success for the band, reaching number 37 in the UK singles chart and number 42 upon its re-release. Of course, their biggest hit 'Wires' was yet to come.

My collection: 7" single no. 7343
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 September 2024
Tracks: 'You got the style' / 'Hot sun pavement'

Free? - Beat

Beat were a Finnish band who represented their country in Eurovision Song Contest 1990. The group was composed of members Janne Engblom, Kim Engblom, Tina Krause and Tina Pettersson. They performed the song 'Fri?' ('Free?') in Swedish and finished 21st out of 22 countries, scoring 8 points.

This single features the English version on the A-side and the Swedish version on the B-side. A single with the Finnish version also exists, but that one, titled 'Vapaa?' is hard to get. So if you have a copy, let me know. I might want to buy it from you.

My collection: 7" single no. 7344
Found: Discogs.com, received 26 September 2024
Tracks: 'Free?' / 'Fri?'

Spitting games - Snow Patrol

'Spitting games' was released as the lead single from Snow Patrol's third album, Final Straw (2003).The album became a big success for the band, especially because of their next single 'Run', which is when I discovered the band. No wonder, then, that I missed out on this single. 

Better late than never, of course. After I played the album recently I started looking at my singles and discovered this omission. There's a few more omissions, so if I find more singles from this era at a reasonable price, they will certainly appear here.

My collection: 7" single no. 7339
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Spitting games' / 'Steal'

Everything must change - Paul Young

A double single was not enough to promote Paul Young's 'Everything must change' into the charts, there was also a limited edition with a poster sleeve. The record company did their best, and it paid off: the single peaked at number 9 in the UK singles chart at the end of 1984. 

The content of the single was no different from disc one of the double single, with the title track and 'Give me my freedom' on the B-side. The poster included a calendar for 1985. It probably adorned the wall of many a teenage girl back then.

My collection: 7" single no. 7342
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Everything must change' / 'Give me my freedom'

Under attack - Abba

In 1982 Abba released their 'last' single, 'Under attack'. In the UK the single was also released as a picture disc - and a very pretty one, I have to add. The photograph was also used on the compilation The Singles - The First Ten Years, on which this song was presented for the very first time.

Flash forward 42 years and the band is about the release The Singles - The First Fifty Years. You would almost expect them to deliver more material during the next fifty years, but that seems highly unlikely. Meanwhile, it's items like this that will keep fans happy for a long time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7341
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Under attack' / 'You owe me one'

One of us - Abba

After the recent influx of Abba picture discs in my collection, I suddenly realized that the band also released a few picture discs back in the day. I knew of at least one: 'One of us', a picture disc released in the UK which I spotted at record fairs quite a few times. Buying them seemed like a bridge too far, but now that I'm the owner of the majority of their picture disc releases, it didn't seem so weird anymore.

And so I went online and found a seller who had this, and another picture disc on offer - and for a reasonable price, too. This disc shows the men on the A-side and the women on the B-side. Seems like a bit of sexual discrimination was going on there...

My collection: 7" single no. 7340
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'One of us' / 'Should I laugh or cry'

Hot in the city - Billy Idol

I bought Billy Idol's 'Hot in the city' a long time ago. I didn't know back then that there's also a promotional version of that single, featuring a remix of the track. The 'Exterminator fix' is a shorter version of the 'Exterminator mix' that appears on the album Vital Idol, that was released in 1985. 

This single was released in 1987, making it obvious that Billy actually had success with some of his songs for several years.

My collection: 7" single no. 7337
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Hot in the city (Exterminator fix)' / 'Catch my fall (Remix fix)'

Tomorrow's just another day - Madness

Madness released 'Tomorrow's just another day' as the follow-up to 'Our house', one of the band's most recognized hits. It was the second single taken from their album The rise & fall, but the chart placing wasn't quite as impressive: it only made number 8 in the UK singles chart and number 2 in Ireland, but failed to chart in other countries, like Canada, where 'Our house' had topped the chart!

This picture disc replicates the picture sleeve of the regular single, but in a different colour. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7338
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Tomorrow's just another day' / 'Madness is all in the mind'

Signal fire - Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol recorded 'Signal fire' for the soundtrack of the film Spider-Man 3, not long after their successful album Eyes Open. A demo of the song was initially offered by the band for Shrek the Third, but was rejected. Gary Lightbody revealed the band's involvement with Spider-Man 3. Drummer Jonny Quinn later said: "Shrek didn't like it, but Spider-Man did."

The vinyl release was on a specially created web-shaped vinyl housed in a PVC sleeve - it was the only 7" single of the song - but as it was a shaped picture disc, it is actually larger than 7 inches. The single reached number 4 in the UK singles chart. 

My collection: Shaped picture disc [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2024
Tracks: 'Signal fire' / 'Wow (Eddy TM Loser remix)'

Ik sta te blozen - Annie

'Ik sta te blozen' ('I'm blushing') is one of the least gloomy songs recorded by Annie, perhaps this is why the record company went for this song. It's the story of a woman who is blushing when she receives a bunch of red roses, which is quite innocent when you compare it to the ominous songs Annie sings on other single releases.

Both songs on this single were taken from Annie's album Liedjes van liefde en leven (Songs of love and life), an undisputed cult classic. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7334
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Ik sta te blozen' / 'De strandjutter'

Volare - Alan Dale

Alan Dale was born in Brooklyn, New York on 9 July 1925. He began his career at age 9 when his comedian father was running short on his program and called on Aldo to sing. Though Aldo fainted immediately upon completing his song, he was good enough that he became a regular on his father's program. 

Considered to have one of the top pop voices, Alan Dale had a career that spanned three decades and 16 record labels. He was a crooner who later flirted with rock 'n' roll. His version of 'Volare' was released in 1958, almost immediately after Domenico Modugno sang it at the Eurovision Song Contest.

My collection: 7" single no. 7336
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'Weeping willow in the wind'

Merci Cherie - Johnny White

Sometimes record company strategies can be mystifying. Why would 'Merci Cherie', a song from 1966, become a hit in 1992? Still, they gave Johnny Winter the chance to record this old song in two languages (Dutch and French) and went with it. 

Johnny White was Johnny Wittevrouw, the Belgian singer (born 13 June 1946) who had a career  in the Seventies, until success eluded him and he went AWOL for most of the Eighties. He came back in 1989 and released singles until 2006. After White suffered a heart attack he was admitted to the hospital for laparoscopy, but this proved fatal as he would never wake up after his anesthesia. He passed away on 13 January 2014.

My collection:  7" single no. 7335
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Merci Cherie (Dutch)' / 'Merci Cherie (French)'

San Remo Hits - Various

The 'Populaire Platen Kring' ('Popular Records Circle') was a Dutch phenomenon from the early Sixties. The labels do not bear dates. It is completely unknown how often a new edition appeared on the market. What is known is that most items contain imitated songs, a bit like the later English Top of the Pops albums.

This edition features hits from the San Remo festival - and indeed the Eurovision Song Contest. Of particular interest for me was the version of 'Addio Addio', performed by one Jean Couroyer and 'Romantica' by Togliani. Modugno himself appears with 'Nel blu dipinto di blu'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7333
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Quando quando quando' (Jean Couroyer), 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' (Modugno), 'Gondoli' Gondola'' (Jean Couroyer), 'Le mille bolle blu' (Renatino) / 'Addio addio' (Jean Couroyer), '24 milla baci' (Rondinella), 'Tango Italiano' (Jean Couroyer), 'Romantica' (Togliani)

The woman in me - Heart

'The woman in me' was a hit for Donna Summer. Heart probably thought they could also have a hit with the song (or were they pushed by their record company?) and so they recorded the song on their 1993 album Desire walks on. The single was released on CD-single only - plus a 7" single for jukeboxes only. It represents the last ever 7" single by Heart, because subsequent releases were never released on this format again.

As for 'The woman in me', it wasn't a big hit for the band. It reached number 13 in Canada after just missing the US Billboard Hot 100.

My collection: 7" single no. 7332
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'The woman in me' / 'Risin' suspicion'

Eres tu - Young family

Although this EP doesn't really have a title, I bought it especially for the cover version of 'Eres tu', the Spanish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973. 

This EP was released in 1974 and was an initiative of the German Youth Red Cross. Young Family is a group formed by the Youth Red Cross in Nettersheim, not far from Aachen. They recorded four songs for this EP, which besides 'Eres tu' also contains the big hit 'Non, non rien n'a changé', a European hit for the French group Les Poppys around that time.

My collection: 7" single no. 7331
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Non, non rien n'a changé', 'Soolaimon' / 'Eres tu', 'Rock my soul'

Addio, addio (Good-bye) - Lou Monte

In 1962, Claudio Villa represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Addio, addio', a song composed by Domenico Modugno and lyrics by Franco Migliacci. The Italian American singer Louis Scaglione, better known as Lou Monte, was quick to jump on the bandwagon: his version of the song, translated into English by Carl Sigman, was released in May 1962.

Lou Monte (2 April 1917 – 12 June 1989) was an Italian American singer best known for a number of best-selling, Italian-themed novelty records which he recorded for both RCA Victor and Reprise Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most famously 'Lazy Mary' (1958) and the 1962/63 million-selling US single 'Pepino the Italian Mouse', plus the seasonal track 'Dominick the Donkey'.

My collection: 7" single no. 7330
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Addio, addio (Good-bye)' / 'Please mr. Columbus (Turn the ship around)'

Mammie waar is pappa - Anny & Tosca

Tosca Verkooyen was born in 1969. She recorded her first single in 1979 together with Anny van de Ruit, the singer who would go on to record solo singles as Annie. I bought this single mostly as a curiosity, because it predates Annie's slightly legendary solo work.

Of course, there is an element of tragedy in this single as well: Tosca wonders where her dad is in this song, and Anny replies that he ran away with another woman. And so it fits in wonderfully with the repertoire we've come to know so well from Annie.

My collection: 7" single no. 7329
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 September 2024
Tracks: 'Mammie waar is pappa' / ''s Nachts langs de straat'

Romantica - Dalida

After recording 'Ciao ciao bambina (Piove)' in 1959, Dalida continued the next year with another cover version of an Italian Eurovision song: 'Romantica', originally performed by Renato Rascel. The version on this single was recorded in German, although a version in French also exists.

The other A-side (yes, this single actually has two A-sides) is the song 'Milord', which was another big hit around 1960. That song was recorded by a number of Eurovision artists, including Corry Brokken. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7328
Found: Discogs.com, received 17 September 2024
Tracks: 'Romantica' / 'Milord'