Lost again - Yello

The Swiss group Yello consisted of Dieter Meier, Boris Blank and Carlos Perón when they released their first few singles. 'Bostich', released in 1980 was their debut. In 1983 they received lots of media attention on the back of their hit singles 'I love you' and 'Lost again'.

Their electronica-influenced music didn't appeal to me at all, but the strange atmosphere in 'Lost again' caught my attention nonetheless. I grew to like this track, and sure enough, I ended up buying the 12" single years after it was released. The B-side, which includes the two earlier singles was less appealing, but the extended version of 'Lost again' is certainly worth a spin.

My collection: 12" single no. 472

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, 2005

Cost: 2 euro

Tracks: 'Lost again [extended]' / 'I love you [extended]', 'Bostich'

En smule fred - Nicole

German singer Nicole won the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest with her song 'Ein Bisschen Frieden'. After winning the contest, she recorded her song in several different languages: French, Dutch, English, Spanish and... Danish.

When I was in Esbjerg, Denmark in 2006 and visiting a local record shop, I just couldn't resist buying this single when I saw it. This is the weird thing about a Eurovision collection: even if you decide to only buy the songs you really like, there are always items that you know are rare and collectable. It's just too good to leave such an item standing there when the price is low and the opportunity knocks. And so now I own a Danish Nicole single...

My collection: 7" single no. 3427

Found: Esbjerg (Denmark), June 17, 2006

Cost: 10 Danish crowns

Tracks: 'En smule fred' / 'Thank you, merci, danke'

Download: here

Stay - The Blue Nile

Two years after their debut single 'I love this life', The Blue Nile had found a new record company and were ready to release their debut album. Linn Records released 'Stay' shortly before the album 'A walk across the rooftops'. The album reached the UK album charts, even though it was only for two weeks, but 'Stay' sunk without a trace.

Still, it is a very bouncy pop song. It is backed with 'Saddle the horses' (an instrumental version of the album track 'Automobile noise'). I bought the single, as always, after years of searching.

My collection: 7" single no. 2865

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, September 20, 1997

Cost: 4 guilders

Tracks: 'Stay' / 'Saddle the horses'

Download: here

Candy love - Lili and Sussie

Lili and Susie Päivärinta started recording music together in the early eighties. They scored numerous hits in their homeland Sweden. Their biggest hit in Sweden was the track 'Oh Mama'. 'Candy love' was the only single that achieved some success abroad. It reached the Dutch Top 40 on January 31, 1987 and reached no. 28.

They stopped their career in the early nineties. According to various sources, Lili & Sussie will reunite for the 2009 Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, the Melodifestivalen.

My collection: 12" single no. 232

Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 1994

Cost: 5 guilders

Tracks: 'Candy love (extended version)' / 'Candy love (instrumental)', 'Candy love (bonus beats)'

Download: here

Hand held in black and white - Dollar

The phenomenon Dollar had completely passed me by. It was only when I saw the 2002 Here & Now Tour that I found out what the duo David van Day and Thereza Bazar had done in the eighties. By 2002, it all looked very dodgy, but there were some great pop tunes hidden in there.

Take for instance 'Hand held in black and white'. It was produced by Trevor Horn, of Buggles fame. Although the vocal qualities of Thereza and David left a bit to be desired, the music on this track is very good and that helps lift the track up to above average. Still, if it hadn't been so cheap I wouldn't have bought this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 3428

Found: Esbjerg (Denmark), June 17, 2006

Cost: 10 Danish crowns

Tracks: 'Hand held in black and white' / 'Heartbeat (Love me slowly)'

Download: here

I'll fly for you - Spandau Ballet

One of the hottest bands around in the eighties, along with Duran Duran, was Spandau Ballet. Their album 'Gold' was a huge success and the follow-up 'Parade' did just as well. 'I'll fly for you' was the second single from that album and it reached no. 9 in the UK singles chart. The 12" single featured not one, but two remixes of the track: a 'long version' and a 'glide mix'. Creative listeners could even cut and paste the two after another, and listen to a 12 minute version of the song.

I didn't like the song at first, especially considering the boring video for it, but in the end I still appreciated its worth. When I bought the 12" I played it endlessly.

My collection: 12" single no. 29

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 6,95 guilders

Tracks: 'I'll fly for you (long version)', 'To cut a long story short (live)' / 'I'll fly for you (glide mix)'

Download: here

This is the day - The The

Matt Johnson are an English band that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson as the only constant band member. In 1982, The The recorded their debut album 'The Pornography of Despair', which was not released. A year later, the album 'Soul mining' did see the light of day, to much critical acclaim'. This single, 'This is the day' was taken from 'Soul mining' and released in a limited edition double single format. The second single featured two tracks from the unreleased debut album.

I found out about this double single in the eighties, but had to wait until 1997 when I finally found my own copy. As a fan of The The and a sucker for limited edition releases, I didn't even mind the inflated price for this one.

My collection: 7" single no. 2839

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 5, 1997

Cost: 20 guilders

Tracks: 'This is the day' / 'Mental healing process' // 'Leap into the wind' / 'Absolute liberation'

Download: here