I love this life - The Blue Nile

Ever since I heard 'Tinseltown in the rain' and 'Stay' in 1984, I had a soft spot for The Blue Nile. Their silent, beautiful music is truly in a league of its own. The fact that they only release an album every six or seven years add to their appeal.

It didn't take me long to find out that their debut album 'A walk across the rooftops' (1983) was preceded by a debut single, 'I love this life', released back in 1981. It did take a long time, however, to find that single. It suddenly appeared in a shop in London. No picture sleeve, unfortunately, but still: here were two tracks I'd been searching for endlessly. It was the first day of a holiday in London. I had to wait for another week to finally hear the tracks...

My collection: 7" single no. 2163

Found: Record exchange, Camden, London, September 26, 1994

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'I love this life' / 'The second act'

Download: cd-single 'I would never', including both tracks

Images of heaven - Peter Godwin

Peter Godwin was born in Germany and one of the members of the band Metro in the late 1970's. In 1982, he released this solo single, 'Images of heaven', which became well-known in alternative circuits. The single was accompanied by two different videos: a rude version and a clean version.

I got to know Peter Godwin initially because of his other single, 'Emotional disguise'. Buying this single was an experiment. I wasn't disappointed.

My collection: 7" snigle no. 1389

Found: All that music, Leiden, February 22, 1991

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Images of heaven' / 'Spoken images'

Download: here

Peeping Tom - Rockwell

Rockwell is the son of Motown founder and CEO Berry Gordy. To avoid charges of nepotism, Rockwell secured his record deal without his father's knowledge. 'Peeping Tom' was Rockwell's third single, taken from the motion picture 'The last dragon'.

When I heard the 12" remix of this track, thanks to my sister who had bought the 12" single, I was really impressed. I liked the echoed vocals, the extra beats, the instrumental breaks and everything that the single version lacked. I only got the chance to buy this record three years after it was released - but I still remembered it. Good remixes can do that.

My collection: 12" single no. 70

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 8 guilders

Tracks: 'Peeping Tom [remix]' / 'Tokyo (instrumental version)'

Download: here

Fairytale - Dana

Dana's main clame to fame is winning the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland. It was the first time that country won the contest, but it wouldn't be the last time. Dana, meanwhile, had a very successful international career thanks to her winning song, 'All kinds of everything'. Seven years later, she released this single, 'Fairytale', an energetic popsong not reminiscent of 'All kinds of everything' at all. 'Fairytale' reached no. 13 in the UK and no. 5 in the Netherlands. In Mexico, it was no. 1 for eight weeks, reaching gold status.

My collection: 7" single no. 1628

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 18, 1992

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Fairytale' / 'Country girl'

Download: here

Seasons - Grace Slick

Grace Slick is an American singer/songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of Jefferson Airplane. In 1980 she released a solo album entitled 'Dreams', and 'Seasons' was the first single to be drawn from that album. It reached no. 12 in the Dutch Top 40, and as a result of that I knew it. When I bought this single it was probably because of that fact: the bargain bin didn't always contain the most attractive singles and sometimes they were all virtually unknown to me.

To my young ears this song must have sounded mysterious. I didn't quite understand the lyrics, but Grace's performance was gripping nonetheless. Almost thirty years on, this is still a great song.

My collection: 7" single no. 64

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Seasons' / 'Angel of night'

Download: Album 'Dreams', including both tracks

Water on glass - Kim Wilde

I was still desperately searching for Kim Wilde's 'Cambodia', but I couldn't find it. Instead, one autumn day in 1982, I bumped into an unknown English single by her. I found 'Water on glass'. I didn't know the track, since I hadn't bought any album by Kim yet, but the sleeve was appealing enough and I had become interested enough to want to have this single.

'Water on glass' was the third single to be drawn from Kim's debut album. It was a hit in the UK, reaching no. 11, but by the time European countries had caught on to the phenomena 'Kids in America' and 'Chequered love', Kim had already recorded 'Cambodia', so in most countries that single was released instead. I did buy a Dutch pressing of 'Water on glass' in 1998, however, so maybe the record companies did try to get it in the chart. I just don't know...

My collection: 7" single no. 175 / no. 3036

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982 / Record fair, Utrecht, October 11, 1998

Cost: 2 guilders / 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Water on glass' / 'Boys'

Download: A selection of Kim Wilde songs, including both tracks

How to be a millionaire - ABC

After the glitzy kitschpop of 'Lexicon of love' and the harder edged rock of 'Beauty stab', ABC reinvented themselves as cartoon characters and released 1984's 'How to be a millionaire'. The accompanying video was a Hanna-Barbera style motion cartoon, presenting Martin Fry and Mark White in their new cartoon guise, plus the two new band members Fiona (a busty brunette) and David (a short bald guy).

It wasn't a big success chart-wise: it only reached no. 49 in the UK, and it didn't even chart in the Netherlands. It would take a while for them to have big hits again...

My collection: 7" single no. 1604

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, March 28, 1992

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'How to be a millionaire' / 'How to be a billionaire'

Download: here