Ain't no sunshine - Michael Jackson

Bill Withers was inspired to write 'Ain't no sunshine' after watching the 1962 movie Days of Wine and Roses. He explained, in reference to the characters played by Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon, "They were both alcoholics who were alternately weak and strong. It's like going back for seconds on rat poison. Sometimes you miss things that weren't particularly good for you. It's just something that crossed my mind from watching that movie, and probably something else that happened in my life that I'm not aware of." His version was released in July 1971.

In 1971, singer Michael Jackson recorded a rendition of Bill Withers' song for his debut album Got to Be There, released in early 1972. In the UK the song was released in July 1972 as the third (and final) single from the album (after the two singles 'Got to be there' and 'Rockin' Robin'). It was a hit, peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number 8 for 3 weeks in September 1972. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7371
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Ain't no sunshine' / 'Ben'

Heartless - Heart

It's quite ironic that a band called Heart releases a single called 'Heartless'. It was the lead single of their third album Magazine. Issues with the band's previous record label Mushroom caused a delay in the album's release and 'Heartless' was released as a single two years later, after the re-issue of their first single 'Crazy on you'. The lyrics involve a scorned lover who apparently can't get away from the grasp of her heartless partner.

The single reached number 24 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 18 in Canada. Although this copy was made in Germany, the single didn't chart at all in Europe.

My collection: 7" single no. 7370
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Heartless' / 'Here song'

Living on the frontline - Eddy Grant

'Living on the frontline' was originally Eddy Grant's debut single, released in 1979. The single reached number 11 in the UK singles chart. However, this single combines that song with a later single, 'Do you feel my love', which was originally released in 1980. That single was even more successful, peaking at number 8 in the UK singles chart. 

This single was actually released in 1983, after Eddy Grant had even more success with 'Electric Avenue', which reached number 2. This re-release couldn't match that success: it didn't chart at all.

My collection: 7" single no. 7369
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Living on the frontline' / 'Do you feel my love'

Here we are - Gloria Estefan

'Here we are' was released in February 1990 in the United Kingdom as the third single of her debut solo album, Cuts Both Ways (1989). It was released with the song 'Don't let the sun go down on me' on the B-side, a cover of the Elton John song. Other singles had a live version of that song, but this was a studio version, later to appear on the album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. 

The single reached number 23 in the UK singles chart. In other countries where 'Here we are' was released, it was more successful: it peaked at number 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 7368
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Here we are' / 'Don't let the sun go down on me'

Softly whispering I love you - The Congregation

In 1990 Paul Young released 'Softly whispering I love you', the lead single from his fourth album Other Voices. The song was written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook in 1967. The song was originally recorded by the duo under the name of David and Jonathan. It was covered in 1971 by the Congregation.

The Congregation was actually formed by Cook and Greenaway. The group's lead singer was the former Plastic Penny vocalist, Brian Keith, who later became a session musician. This version peaked at number 4 on the UK singles chart in 1971. With no further top 40 hits, The Congregation was a transatlantic one-hit wonder. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7366
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Softly whispering I love you' / 'When Susie takes the plane'

Railroad - Maurice Gibb

'Railroad' is the first solo single released by Bee Gees member Maurice Gibb in April 1970. The song was written by Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie. Lawrie was the brother of Lulu, who Maurice married in 1969. The song was originally intended for a Bee Gees album. The single features guitar work by Leslie Harvey of Stone the Crows.

As Gibb explains: "People have said that my single sounds like the Bee Gees, I sang the higher parts usually, and the other vocal parts I've added to 'Railroad' could be the others." Gibb once said that his wife at that time, singer Lulu's reaction to the recording was that the piano was too loud; Gibb remixed it six times to please her.

My collection: 7" single no. 7364
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Railroad' / 'I've come back'

Stumblin' in - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman

Getting two stars together to sing a duet, it must have been on Mickie Most's mind as a brilliant idea. He was, after all, the legendary boss of RAK Records, and 'Stumblin' in' was released on his label. Suzi Quatro was partnered with the lead singer of Smokie, and off they went. Of course the song became a hit. It actually became a hit again this year in a version by a certain Cyril, and this version irritated me so much that I had to reappreciate the original.

Because back in 1978, when this single was released, I thought it was a boring song. One might have expected Suzi to come up with something more exciting - after all, her career was based on more energetic stuff, and this song almost made me fall asleep. Thankfully, time has been kind to this song, and it has ended up in my collection. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7362
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Stumblin' in' / 'A stranger with you'

Homburg - Procol Harum

Procol Harum is primarily known for their biggest hit, 'A whiter shade of pale', but of course they recorded more interesting tracks than that one. I mentioned 'Grand Hotel' on this blog many years ago, and more recently I bought 'Homburg', which is actually the follow-up to 'A whiter shade of pale'. The titular Homburg refers to the Homburg hat, manufactured in Bad Homburg in Germany.

The lyrics of the song contains the same surreal, dream-like imagery and feelings of resignation and futility as in the debut single. The theme is not as clearly Bach-like as in 'A whiter shade of pale'; nevertheless, the single was, on its release, criticised for being too similar to its predecessor. The single reached number 6 in the UK singles chart and topped the Dutch Top 40.

I found the single in a generic white sleeve, but I can't really complain for the 50 eurocents it cost me.

My collection: 7" single no. 7360
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Homburg' / 'Good Captain Clack'

Water - Martika

Martika's debut album was very successful and spawned a few hit singles in 'Toy Soldiers' and 'I Feel The Earth Move'. When the record company wanted to milk the album a little more, they released 'Water', which is a significantly weaker track. It's got that typical Eighties 'big drum' treatment, but the song doesn't really impress. The real draw here is the B-side: a Spanish version of 'Toy Soldiers'.

Fortunately Martika was smart enough to record a second album with some more strong tracks, managing to briefly revive her career. But 'Water' is probably the first sign that she wouldn't become the big star she hoped to be. She eventually faded from the public eye in 1992 after walking away from the music industry, due to burnout.

My collection: 7" single no. 7359
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Water (remix)' / 'Como un juguete (Toy Soldiers - Spanish version)'

Many, too many - Genesis

When singles are cheap, I like to try out something, and then I end up buying singles from bands I know. Genesis has, of course, consistently released good singles from the mid-Seventies onwards, and although I didn't ever hear 'Many, too many', it didn't feel like a risk to spend one euro on this single.

'Many, too many' was the follow-up to 'Follow you, follow me', the band's first worldwide success. By contrast, this single didn't do much, chart-wise. It reached number 43 in the UK and number 41 in Germany, but it didn't chart anywhere else.

My collection: 7" single no. 7357
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Many, too many' / 'The day the light went out', 'Vancouver'

Who wears these shoes - Elton John

Elton John's 1984 album Breaking Hearts was preceded by the hit single 'Sad songs (say so much)', which was followed up by the hit single 'Passengers'. You would think that a third single from the album would be equally successful, but no: 'Who wears these shoes' didn't match the success of the two previous singles at all.

In Ireland it still reached a respectable number 11, but in the UK it only managed to get to number 50. I never even heard of the single, until I saw a copy in front of my own two eyes. Maybe the record company should have gone for the B-side; 'Tortured' is listed as 'previously unavailable', and certainly the more appealing of the two songs.

My collection: 7" single no. 7356
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Who wears these shoes? (remix version)' / 'Tortured'

Ooh shooby doo doo lang - Aneka

I bought Aneka's 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang' less than two months ago, and I actually quite liked it. I also discovered back then that there's a 12" single of the song, but I was unlikely to buy it online because of the shipping costs that would be added to even the cheapest copy. 

And so, I was pleasantly surprised to find a good copy at a record fair yesterday. The seller had a decent selection of 12" singles, but thanks to the Now 12" series they are now available on CD - or will be. However, this one was not included in the 1982 compilations, and so I grabbed this copy. It's a nice extended version of a nice pop song.

My collection: 12" single [unnumbered]
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Ooh shooby doo doo lang [extended]' / 'Could it last a little longer'

I have a dream - Abba

The French have a way of doing things differently, and in the record business, that's no exception. Various Abba singles were released with different sleeves, and sometimes even with different content.

This release of 'I have a dream' is a good example. While other singles have a live version of 'Take a chance on me' on the B-side, this French edition comes with the studio version from 1977. I actually didn't know this when I bought this single, but it's a nice deviation. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7355
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'I have a dream' / 'Take a chance on me'

Fade to grey - Neon

Visage's 'Fade to grey' is arguably one of the best tracks of the early Eighties, and it's inspired many others to record the track. I bought a version by Phase One ten years ago, and now it's time for another cover version, this time by Neon. 

Neon was one of many Belgian New Beat projects started by Target Records in the late 1980s. Members of Neon were Frank Van Der Heyden, Friedhelm Nieske, J.P. Bulté, Luc Devriese and Peter Peyskens. It's interesting that the back cover credits a certain Rita for catering-assistance; that's not a credit you see very often on record sleeves. Fortunately this is quite a good cover version, well worth a listen.

My collection: 7" single no. 7354
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Fade to grey' / 'Fade to grey (instrumental remix)'

I saw the light - The The

Back in 1994, The The released Hanky Panky, an album filled with cover versions of songs by Hank Williams, an American singer-songwriter. I'd never heard of the man, but apparently he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. 

I have to say that after the album Mind Bomb, which I regard as The The's best ever album, this one came as a disappointment. I bought the CD-single, but only played it once or twice. With the recent resurgence of The The I had to go back to it and decided it wasn't so bad after all. And so, here's the 10 inch single, featuring the same tracks as on that CD-single. Which is why I never bought it three decades ago. Well, it's never too late.

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: Discogs.com, received 4 October 2024
Tracks: 'I saw the light', 'I'm free at last' / 'Someday you'll call my name', 'There's no room in my heart for the blues'

Amiga Quartett - Milli Vanilli

This EP, released by the East German record company Amiga, presents four songs by Milli Vanilli. It includes their debut hit 'Girl you know it's true', as well as the debut album's title track, 'All or nothing'. The B-side consists of another hit song, 'Baby, don't forget my number' and the album track 'Hush', a cover version of the Joe South song.

For residents of the GDR (former East-Germany) these EP's were often the only way to buy music from "the West", as the country was pretty much isolated from western Europe. Obviously the EP's would only contain songs that wouldn't go against the communist party lines - whatever they were. These days, most of these EP's are sold for small amounts. Still, they are pretty enough to want to have them.

My collection: 7" single no. 7351
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Girl you know it's true', 'All or nothing' / 'Baby don't forget my number', 'Hush'

So ist die liebe, mon ami (N'avoue jamais) - Corry Brokken

Having won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957, Corry Brokken would continue to be connected to the event for many years. She did, of course, compete again in 1958, but she also recorded her fair share of cover versions of Eurovision songs. 

In 1965 she recorded 'Als je maar nooit bekent', a Dutch version of 'N'avoue jamais', the French Eurovision entry of 1965. She also recorded the song in German. That version was titled 'So ist die Liebe, mon ami'. The German lyrics were written by Carl Ulrich Blecher.

My collection: 7" single no. 7350
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'So ist die Liebe, mon ami' / 'Venedig in Grau'

No doubt about it (Little Tequila-mix) - Hot Chocolate

A Hot Chocolate remix album seemed like a good idea, after Ben Liebrand's remix of 'You sexy thing' had become a top 10 hit in the UK. Unfortunately, not all of the remixes were executed equally well. Al Topo's remix of 'Heaven's in the backseat of my Cadillac' didn't chart at all, and this remix of 'No doubt about it' by a certain Frank Mono (who worked with Al Topo, who plays additional instruments on this remix) was just plain lazy. Adding some instruments to the original track does not a remix make.

I added this single to my collection, because I'm getting ever closer to a complete Hot Chocolate discography. But I think a remix album is still a good idea - if executed with better remixers.

My collection: 7" single no. 7349
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'No doubt about it (Little Tequila-mix)' / 'Gave you my heart  (didn't I)'

Someday - The New Faces

The New Faces were a Scottish trio who released about a dozen singles but never made it to the charts. One of their singles was this one, 'Someday'. It is, of course, an English version of Ronnie Tober's 1968 Eurovision entry 'Morgen'. Ronnie also recorded 'Someday' himself.

I was a bit surprised to find a copy of this single easily online, because obscure singles often have a tendency to become very expensive decades later. But this is a good copy in the correct Decca sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 7348
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Someday' / 'Biscuit coloured overcoat'

Without you - Heart

'Without you' is best known in the version by Harry Nilsson, an emotional performance that perfectly captures the essence of the lyrics. But the song was actually written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and recorded on the band's 1970 album No Dice. 

Heart also recorded a version of the track. It was released on the album Magazine, an album with an interesting back story. Unfortunately, Heart's version is a bit overwrought and doesn't hit the listener emotionally at all. This promotional single features the track in stereo and mono versions, which is a nice touch.

My collection: 7" single no. 7347
Found: Discogs.com, received 28 September 2024
Tracks: 'Without you (stereo)' / 'Without you (mono)'