I'm not the man I used to be - Fine Young Cannibals

The fourth single from the Fine Young Cannibals' second album 'The raw and the cooked' was 'I'm not the man I used to be'. It reached number 20 in the UK singles chart before the end of 1989.

Just like 'Don't look back', 'Good thing' and 'She drives me crazy', a limited edition of the single was released housed in a tin can. This time, the single was pressed on white vinyl. There's also a limited edition of 'I'm not satisfied', but I'm still manically searching for that one.

My collection: 7" single no. 2785

Found: London, November 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'I'm not the man I used to be' / 'Motherless child'
Download: here

Live at the Astoria - All About Eve

Some things are forever lost in time. Like for instance the shop where I bought this bootleg e.p. of All About Eve. All I remember was they had expensive Kate Bush singles on the wall, and that I bought this e.p. there. And I think it was near a busy motorway, somewhere in London. Well, not much to go on, and so I never saw that shop again.

This bootleg e.p. is something extraordinary: it's an audience recording of All About Eve's performance at the Astoria. The sleeve gives no further information, so it could have been their concert there on February 28, 1987, November 14, 1987. March 4, 1988, March 5, 1988 or March 27, 1988. Well, that narrows it down...

My collection: 7" single no. 1069

Found: London, October 19, 1989

Cost: 5 pounds

Tracks: 'Every angel', 'Candy tree' / 'In the clouds', 'Flowers in our hair' (all tracks live at the Astoria, London)

Download: here

Quiet life - Japan

'Quiet life' was Japan's first big chart hit, peaking at number 19 in the autumn of 1981. The album of the same name saw the band change from glam rockers to futuristic synthpop performers. They were rewarded with an ever greater following.

I didn't get to know Japan until they had disbanded. First I heard 'Nightporter', then 'Adolescent sex', and then this synthpop track. And all this after I'd heard David Sylvian's early solo work. Even when you follow pop music from an early age, you get to miss something every once in a while.

My collection: 7" single no. 2883

Found: House of Rhythm, London, October 28, 1997

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Quiet life' / 'A foreign place'

Download: Album 'Quiet life', including both tracks

Feel like change - Black

I wonder how much this single is worth. It's obviously not a commercially sold item, and not quite a white label. However it does list the release date of this single (April 22, 1991) and it is a custom A&M label.

Well anyway, 'Feel like change' was the first single from Black's self-titled album from 1991. It would be the last album for A&M, as after this main member Colin Vearncombe went independent and never dealt with big corporate record companies again. Oh, I wish I had Colin Vearncombe's voice, I would love hearing myself all day.

My collection: 7" single no. 3461

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Feel like change' / 'Nice'

Download: Album 'Black (+ bonus tracks)', including both tracks

Thought you were on my side - Cock Robin

'Thought you were on my side' was the second chart hit for Cock Robin in the Netherlands. After the number one hit 'The promise you made', this single reached number 5 in the Dutch Top 40. The single was also successful in Germany and France, but flopped in the UK and America.

Having bought the 12" single of 'The promise you made' I was already convinced that the extended versions of Cock Robin tracks were very interesting, so I had no doubts that I should have this record as well. I did wait it out, though, because 12" singles became cheaper once they left the chart. It was well worth the wait.

My collection: 12" single no. 32

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 7,95 guilders

Tracks: 'Thought you were on my side (extended remix)' / 'Thought you were on my side', 'Peace on earth'

Download: here

Equinoxe - Jean Michel Jarre

'Equinoxe' was the second album released by Jean Michel Jarre, released in 1978. The album reflects a day in the life of a human being, from morning to night. The release of the album was followed by a concert on the Place de la Concorde, Paris on July 14, 1979. The concert attracted one million people, becoming Jarre's first entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crowd for an outdoor concert.

The single 'Equinoxe (part 5)' peaked at number 45 in the UK singles chart, and reached number 13 in the Dutch Top 40. The B-side of this single features an autograph of Jean Michel Jarre in the runout groove, as made by him on the master plate.

My collection: 7" single no. 2917

Found: London, November 1, 1997

Cost: 1 pound

Tracks: 'Equinoxe (part 5)' / 'Equinoxe (part 1)'

Download: here

Ghosts - Ghosts

I already wrote about the Ghosts' single 'Stay the night'. 'The world is outside', their next single, peaked at number 35 in the UK singles chart. 'Ghosts' was released a few months after that, but achieved no chart placing in the UK. Still, this is an interesting single, if only for the remix of 'The world is outside'. While this remix misses the sparkle of the original track, it does keep certain elements of the song intact and makes it interesting to listen to. 'The world is outside' was one of my favourite tracks of 2008 (although it was released a year earlier, but how was I to know...) and so I was glad to get this single. And it's pressed on white vinyl, too!

My collection: 7" single no. 3574

Found: eBay, received February 2, 2009

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'Ghosts' / 'The world is outside (Stellasound remix)'

Download: here