Fade to grey (Bassheads 93 remix) - Visage

Record companies were milking their back catalogues in the late Eighties and early Nineties. It had become a proven recipe for success: take an old song, remix it and have a new chart hit. It didn't turn out so well in this case: whereas 'Fade to grey' was a top 10 hit in 1980, the 1993 remix by Bassheads only reached number 39 in the UK singles chart.

Being as interested in cover versions and remixes as I am, I always try out such releases. In this case, I was well pleased with this single. The remix updated the original music, but thankfully kept the original vocals intact. Nothing beats the original track, of course, but sometimes this is a great alternative.

My collection: 7" single no. 2037

Found: Virgin Megastore, London, October 22, 1993

Cost: 2 pounds

Tracks: 'Fade to grey (Bassheads edit)' / 'Fade to grey (7" remix)', 'Fade to grey (7" Original mix)'

Download: here

Now and forever - Fra Lippo Lippi

Rune Kristoffersen and Morten Sjoberg formed the Norwegian duo Fra Lippo Lippi in 1980. Originally their music was gloomy, drum machine-driven synth music with muffled vocals, influenced heavily by Joy Division. Their debut album 'In silence' was recorded on a 4 track recorder in a basement in Oslo.

The vocals of Rune improved already on this 1982 7" single 'Now and forever', which they released in 1982. The song is more catchy and the vocals are almost audible this time around. What's more, the B-side consists of two beautiful piano-based melodies. It was a first glimpse of their later melodic pop.

My collection: 7" single no. 3187

Found: Mail order, 1999

Cost: 10 guilders

Tracks: 'Now and forever' / 'In a little room', 'An idea'

Download: here

Ik dans dus ik besta - Het Goede Doel

After disappearing from the pop scene for a year, the Dutch band Het Goede Doel returned with a new single in early 1986. Entitled 'Ik dans dus ik besta' ('I dance, therefore I am') it was a bouncy pop tune. The lyric was less ironic than earlier tracks, and this resulted in a lower placing in the Dutch Top 40: it peaked at number 29.

Five singles were released from the album 'Mooi en onverslijtbaar', of which this was the one I liked the least. I recently bought it, and was pleased to find out that the 'instrumental' B-side is actually a remix of the track. It even includes vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 3484

Found: Empire Records, Den Haag, December 11, 2008

Cost: 0,5 euro

Tracks: 'Ik dans dus ik besta' / 'Ik dans dus ik besta (instrumental)'
Download: here

Sad - Immaculate fools

'Sad' by the Immaculate fools was a complete flop in Europe, with the exception of Spain, where the British band had been able to get quite a following. I found out about this track because it appeared on a promotional cd-single together with a remix of Azucar Moreno's 'Bandido'. When I came across this single I bought it right away.

'Sad' was taken from the band's album of the same name, both released in 1990.

My collection: 7" single no. 1568

Found: All that music, Leiden, January 2, 1992

Cost: 3 guilders

Tracks: 'Sad' / 'When we rise'

Download: here

Way of the west - Ten Sharp

After the failure of their first three singles, Ten Sharp reinvented themselves as a rock band. With screaming guitars, the band sounded louder and more aggressive than ever before - or after. 'Way of the west' (1987) was a very different single for the band.

When this single flopped the band fell apart and the musicians went their own way. Until 1990, that is, when two members Marcel Kapteijn and Niels Hermes got together again and started Ten Sharp II in 1991. Their new single 'You' would become a pan-European hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 1158

Found: All that music, Leiden, January 27, 1990

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Way of the west' / 'Way of the west (club version)'

Download: here

Daydream - Wallace Collection

Wallace Collection was founded in 1968 by Sylvain Vanholme, Freddy Nieuland, Marc Hérouet, Christian Janssens, Raymond Vincent and Jacques Namotte. The Belgian band moved to England and named themselves after the museum in Central London. Their debut album was recorded at Abbey Road studios and was released in 1969. The single 'Daydream' became a hit all over Europe, including a number one hit in Belgium and reaching number 14 in the Netherlands. They could never equal the success of this one single and subsequently they split up in 1971.

'Daydream' is an extraordinary song, reminiscent of the Beatles' 'Hey Jude' (1976). I bought this single, with a picture of the band posing before the museum, a decade after I first heard the song. It's one of those songs you will always remember after hearing it once.

My collection: 7" single no. 1711
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, September 14, 1992
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Daydream' / 'Baby I don't mind'
Download: here

Glad to know you - Chas Jankel

Chas Jankel's career has not been a very successful. Despite releasing various albums and singles, he never made the charts in the UK. His single 'Glad to know you' (1981) was another flop - but at least he still found some success when Kitty Grant released a cover version of this song in 1983: it reached number 19 in the Dutch Top 40.

I knew about the original when it came out, and when I heard the cover I knew immediately that the original was better. It's a mystery to me why it wasn't a hit.

My collection: 7" single no. 957

Found: All that music, Leiden, August 10, 1989

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Glad to know you' / '3,000,000 synths'

Download: Album 'Chasanova', including both tracks