Maman - Jean-Jacques

These days, you have the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for children who want to be a performer watched by millions of viewers who get excited at watching young persons do their thing. It always makes me think of pedophiles, but that's a different story.

In 1969, Jean-Jacques was just 12 years old when he participated in the 'real' Eurovision Song Contest. Singing 'Maman', he represented Monaco and finished sixth in a field of 16 contestants. He subsequently recorded the track in French, Spanish and Italian. This EP brings together four French songs, sold as a souvenir of the youngster's Eurovision appearance.

My collection: 7" single no. 4824
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Maman', 'Paris m'a dit je t'aime' / 'Les beaux dimanches', 'Il est vrai'

Sweetest sweetest - Jermaine Jackson

For a little while in 1984, Jermaine Jackson was just about as successful as his brother Michael. It seemed the world just couldn't get enough of Michael Jackson and so any record released by a sibling became a chart hit as well.

Jermaine released the album 'Dynamite' in February 1984, and all the singles taken from that album became hits. 'Sweetest sweetest', the first single from the album, reached number 52 in the UK singles chart and number 16 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4777
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Sweetest sweetest' / 'Come to me (One way or another)'

Welkom in Utopia 2 - Frank Boeijen Groep

In 1987, the Frank Boeijen Groep released their seventh album 'Welkom in Utopia' ('Welcome in Utopia'). The album featured two title tracks: both titled 'Welkom in Utopia', the two tracks were very different from one another. Number one was the album's opening track, an uptempo track about social circumstances leading to desperate actions.

'Welkom in Utopia 2', the closing track of the album and released as a single ahead of the album, was a midtempo track with a more personal lyric. It was a hit for the band, reaching number 18 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 563
Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1987
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Welkom in Utopia 2' / 'De tijden'

Love don't live here - Bananarama

'Love don't live here' was released last Monday as the most recent Bananarama single. Taken from their current album 'Viva', the track was written by Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward and their producer Ian Masterson.

This 12" single features an extended remix of the track, as well as a remix of the album track 'The runner', a cover of the Three Degrees hit from the Seventies. So will this be a hit? I surely hope so, as this is among the girls' best work.

My collection: 12" single no. 536
Found: What records, received April 14, 2010
Cost: 2 pounds
Tracks: 'Love don't live here (Ian Masterson's extended mix)' / 'The runner (Buzz Junkies 12" mix)'

Raspberry beret - Prince

'Raspberry beret' tells the story of a teenager and his first sexual experience with a girl who wears the titular hat. The video for the song was Prince's first since his short-lived 'ban' on music videos. The song quickly became a fan favorite, and a staple in nearly every Prince tour.

The single reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. This UK pressing, featuring a different B-side when compared to the American pressing, only reached number 25 on the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 3096
Found: Record Exchange, London, May 13, 1999
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Raspberry beret' / 'Hello'

You sexy thing (Ben Liebrand remix) - Hot Chocolate

'You sexy thing' was originally a hit for Hot Chocolate in 1975. Dutch DJ Ben Liebrand, who already made a career for himself remixing tracks for Dutch radio and also for record releases, took on the task of remixing the track for a 1987 single release. His effort didn't go by unnoticed: the single reached number 10 in the UK singles chart.

When the original version of 'You sexy thing' was re-released in 1997 and reached number 6 in the UK singles chart, the track became the only Hot Chocolate track to become a top 10 hit in the Seventies, the Eighties and the Nineties. It's almost a shame the song didn't achieve this once again in the Noughties.

My collection: 7" single no. 4797
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'You sexy thing (Ben Liebrand remix)' / 'Every 1's a winner'

You sexy thing - Hot Chocolate

Frankly, I was very surprised when I played this single for the first time after buying it. Everyone knows Hot Chocolate's 'You sexy thing', with the near-falsetto lead vocals by Errol Brown. But this version of the song sounds very different. So what happened? You tell me, I couldn't find any information about it on the web.

'You sexy thing' was released in the autumn of 1975 and reached number 5 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 2 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4773
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'You sexy thing' / 'A warm smile'