Who - Diana Ross

'Who' is a track on Diana Ross's 1982 album 'Silk electric'. It was released as a single but, unlike other singles from the album, it didn't chart in any territory. Since I can't find any details about this single, I even start to wonder whether it was released worldwide. This copy was made in Holland and it may have been an exclusive release.

My collection: 7" single no. 4421
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Who' / 'Anywhere you run to'

The alternative way - Anita Meijer

This single represents Anita Meijer's breakthrough in the Netherlands. After some time as a singer in the band Rainbow Train, she recorded 'The alternative way' as a duet with Hans Vermeulen, who also produced and arranged the track. It quickly rose to the top of the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1976.

It would take Meijer five years to reach number 1 again with the less engaging 'Why tell me why'. Although very famous in the Netherlands, she was never able to score any hits in other countries.

My collection: 7" single no. 4420
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'The alternative way' / 'You showed me how'

I wish - Stevie Wonder

Some singles are just classic tracks and it can be quite surprising to come across them in the bargain bin. But that's just what happened with 'I wish' by Stevie Wonder, one of the most recognisable tunes from 1977.

The track was written by Wonder himself. The lyric is about looking back on his childhood. Taken from his classic album 'Songs in the key of life', it reached number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 5 in the UK singles chart and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4419
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'I wish' / 'You and I'

A way you'll never be - Leisure Process

When you hear 'A way you'll never be', you may think it's a Level 42 track. And you wouldn't be too far from the truth: guest musicians on this track are Mark King and Phil Gould from Level 42. It didn't help the commercial appeal of this single: it sunk without a trace.

I bought 'Love cascade' last year and that track was good enough to make me curious about the rest of this band's output.

My collection: 7" single no. 4418
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'A way you'll never be' / 'Rachel dreams'

Mama told me - Fantastique

Fantastique was brought together by the producers team Cat Music in 1980. Dick van Dam and Astrid Leuwener were the faces of this duo, who scored their first hit in 1981 with 'Mama told me'. Not only did it reach number 27 in the Dutch Top 40, it also scored well elsewhere in Europe.

The track is a typical nonsensical popsong, with not a lot of substance. Apparently, the track was re-released in remixed form many times after Fantastique drifted into oblivion and it remained a favourite in disotheques all through the Eighties.

My collection: 7" single no. 4417
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Mama told me' / 'Musica fantastica'

The wanderer - Donna Summer

'The wanderer' was written by Donna Summer together with her producer Giorgio Moroder. She'd worked with Moroder while she was signed to Casablanca Records. When she left that label in 1980 after a dispute, she signed to the new Geffen label and continued to work with Moroder.

By 1980, disco had experienced a backlash. Rock music was becoming popular and Donna Summer's 1980 album reflected this: the songs were very new wave and rock-flavoured. This first single from the album became a big hit for Summer in the United States - peaking at number 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, while reaching number number 48 in the UK singles chart and number 26 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4416
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'The wanderer' / 'Stop me'

Take five - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

I was never really looking for this single, but I think this is the first time I actually saw it, and I bought it right away. This is the track my wife and I talked about when I showed her my record collection for the first time. I didn't have it, and she instructed me to download it so we could dance to it. And so I did, of course. It's good to have a physical representative of this track now.

'Take five' was written by Paul Desmond and recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet on their 1959 album 'Time out'. This piece became one of the group's best-known tracks, famous for its distinctive, catchy saxophone melody and use of the unusual quintuple (5/4) time, from which its title is derived. This single was made in Holland in 1969, but in the Dutch chart, it reached number 9 in 1962.

My collection: 7" single no. 4415
Found: Kringloop, Den Haag, January 9, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Take five' / 'Unsquare dance'