Blood of Eden - Peter Gabriel

'Blood of Eden' was originally written for the Wim Wenders movie 'Until the end of the world' (1991). Peter Gabriel performed the track solo. This version was not included on the soundtrack cd. (You can hear the solo version of Blood of Eden here.)

A year later, 'Blood of Eden' reappeared as a track on Peter Gabriel's album 'Us'. This time, it was performed as a duet with Sinéad O'Connor. It was this version that got a single release. It reached number 43 in the UK singles chart in 1993.

My collection: 7" single no. 1881

Found: April 10, 1993

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Blood of Eden' / 'Mercy street (William Orbit remix)'

Download: here

For a friend - Communards

Jimmy Somerville left his band Bronski Beat in 1985 and teamed up with classically trained musician Richard Coles. They will probably always be remembered for their versions of 'Don't leave me this way' and 'Never can say goodbye', but 'For a friend' remains, to me, their most beautiful song. They wrote the song for a close friend of theirs, whose life was taken by AIDS. And as the B-side track 'Victims' stated: 'No-one to blame there's only victims'. A good statement in a country where gays were continually blamed for the spreading of the disease at the time. Released in 1988, it reached number 28 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 628

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'For a friend' / 'Victims (live)'

Download: here

Mack the knife - King Kurt

Purists would probably hate King Kurt's version of 'Mack the knife', because it is slightly over the top. Originally entitled 'Die Moritat von Mackie Messer' ('The ballad of Mack the knife'), the track was composed by Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht for their music drama 'Die Dreigroschenoper', which premiered in Berlin in 1928.

The 'psychobilly' band King Kurt had a minor hit with the track in 1984, reaching number 55 in the UK singles chart. The video was a regular on the music television channel Music Box. In the early Eighties, King Kurt were known for their stage performances in which eggs and bags of flour were thrown around and buckets of wallpaper paste dumped into the audience. Sometimes they also had a large wheel on stage called 'The Wheel of Misfortune' which fans were strapped to and force fed Snakebite through a tube pushed down into the throat, then spun round until they threw up. Nice...

My collection: 7" single no. 2279

Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, May 6, 1995

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Mack the knife' / 'Wreckaparty rock'

Download: here

Indulgence no. 2 - The Divine Comedy

In 1994, the Divine Comedy supported Tori Amos during her European tour. They played a few dozen dates all over Europe, including three in the Netherlands. I went to see Tori Amos on May 8 and in Scheveningen on May 9, and was pleasantly surprised by the support act. (That in itself was a remarkable feat!) The beautiful melodies and humorous lyrics appealed to me greatly.

It didn't take long to get 'Promenade', their then-current album, but soon I started to look for other things as well. I found this ep in London, while I was on holiday there. It contains three live recordings from that 1994 tour. Later it turned out to be a collector's item - I still haven't found 'Indulgence no. 1'.

My collection: 7" single no. 2183

Found: Sister Ray, London, September 28, 1994

Cost: 5 pounds

Tracks: 'A drinking song (live)' / 'When the lights go out all over Europe (live)', 'Tonight we fly (live)'
Download: here

Happy Birthday - Altered Images

'Happy Birthday' was Altered Images' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the UK singles chart in the autumn of 1981. It was the third single taken from the album of the same name. 'Happy Birthday' was later included in the soundtrack to the John Hughes movie 'Sixteen Candles' (1984).

I bought this single as one of three Altered Images singles in December 2002, while I was following the Here and Now Tour in the UK. This was one of the tracks performed live by Clare Grogan, and one of those instantly hummable tunes you either love or loathe. In my case, I loved it.

My collection: 7" single no. 3370

Found: Record Exchange, December 2002

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Happy Birthday' / 'So we go whispering'

Download: here

Oops upside your head - The Gap Band

'Oops upside your head' is a 1979 funk track recorded by the Gap Band. It was the lead single from their third album, 'Gap Band'. This single became an international hit for the group upon its late 1979 release, though it failed to reach the US Billboard Hot 100. The song mainly features humorous spoken monologues by Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson, who was inspired by his cousin Bootsy Collins' own humorous slant in his songs. The song is said to be one of the first songs to use hiphop-styled monologues in a song.

When it came out, I hated this song, preferring the Gap Band's next single, 'Burn rubber'. Somewhere in the Nineties, I actually started to like it, preferring it to even worse hiphop tracks that were so prominent at that time. But I've come full circle: I hate it again. But the B-side is a nice song.

My collection: 7" single no. 2116

Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, June 11, 1994

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Oops upside your head' / 'The boys are back in town'

Download: here

Peaches - The presidents of the United States of America

The alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America formed in 1993 in Seattle, USA. The band consisted of Chris Ballew, Jason Finn, Andrew McKeag and Dave Dederer. In 1995 they released their self-titled debut album. Party thanks to the success of the singles, the album became a big hit in the USA, but it also did well in the UK.

Their biggest hit was the song 'Peaches'. It reached number 8 in the UK singles chart. Although the meaning has been argued, the band has stated that the song is just about peaches. Chris Ballew said that he wrote it about a girl he once had a crush on. He allegedly wrote this song after sitting under a peach tree she had in her yard while waiting for her.

My collection: 7" single no. 2652

Found: HMV, London, June 29, 1996

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Peaches' / 'Confusion'

Download: here