In the clouds - All about Eve

When I started collecting All about Eve records in the late Eighties, I quickly became aware that they'd released some independent 12" singles at the beginning of their career. The 12" of 'D for desire' never came within my grasp for a reasonable price, and neither did 'In the clouds', their second release from 1985.

While I was never prepared to shell out 50 pounds or more for 'D for desire' ever since I got a bootleg 7" single, I did buy this 12" single for 20 pounds. That's still a lot of money, but it was lot cheaper than they were going for at the time - plus it was in pristine condition. Sometimes you have to live a little.

My collection: 12" single no. 270
Found: Record fair, London
Cost: 20 pounds
Tracks: 'In the clouds' / 'End of the day', 'Love leads nowhere'

Hot water - Level 42

There are no credits for the 'Mastermix' of Level 42's 'Hot water', but it is an impressive mix, clocking in at 10 minutes, no less. This 12" snigle also contains an extended version of the B-side, 'Standing in the light'.

At the time of its release, Level 42 were at the verge of becoming a supergroup, a status they achieve a year later when they released their album 'Running in the family'. 'Hot water' was taken from its predecessor, 'True colours'.

My collection: 12" single no. 418
Found: Record Exchange, London,
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'Hot water (Mastermix)' / 'Standing in the light (extended version)'

The slightest touch - Five Star

Five Star took no less than six hit singles from their album 'Silk and steel', but one had to admit that they weren't exactly lazy about it. 'The slightest touch', the last single to be taken from the album, was remixed by Shep Pettibone and the 12" single contained three remixes of the track made by him.

'The slightest touch' is one of the few Five Star songs to have been covered by another artist; Louise recorded the track for her 'Changing Faces: The Best of Louise' greatest hits album in 2001. This version of the song was based on the album mix and was not released as a single.

My collection: 12" single no. 343
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'The slightest touch (The Pettibone Touch remix)', 'The slightest touch (House touch)' / 'Stone court', 'The slightest touch (Slightest dub)'

Lean on me - Red Box

Red Box had their first hit single in 1985 with 'Lean on me'. It took me some time to realise that this was actually a good song, but when I did, I decided I wanted to have the 12" single as well. By that time, it was pretty hard to get, and so I had to resort to mail order in order to get it.

This 12" single actually contains two different versions of 'Lean on me' plus a remix of the B-side track 'Stinging bee'. Packages like this are always value for money.

My collection: 12" single no. 548
Found: Fun records, received 2002
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Lean on me (Dogmatix)' / 'Stinging bee (Catmatix)', 'Lean on me'

Love letters - Alison Moyet

I bought the 7" single of Alison Moyet's 'Love letters' in 1989 because I liked the song. Then I discovered the B-side 'This house', which made me buy the cd-single as I had to have it in pristine quality. And then I discovered that the 12" single actually had an extended version of 'Love letters' which didn't appear on the cd-single...

I was quite happy to buy this 12" single as it was very cheap. And fortunately, the extended version of 'Love letters' was worth every penny.

My collection: 12" single no. 379
Found: unknown
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Love letters (extended version)' / 'This house', 'Ne me quitte pas (live)'

Rocket man - Kate Bush

In 1991, Polydor Records released 'Two Rooms: Celebrating the songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin'. The title refers to the song on Elton John's album '21 at 33', 'Two rooms at the end of the world', to the duo's unusual collaborative style, and is also the title of a 1991 movie documenting their collaboration.

Kate Bush's version of 'Rocket man' was released as the album's first single. The 7" single appeared in a poster sleeve, of which the UK version was slightly bigger than the one made in Germany. The single peaked at number 12 in the UK singles chart and number 22 in the Dutch Top 40. In 2007 the track won The Observer readers' award for Greatest Cover of all time.

My collection: 7" single no. 1560
Found: Melody Maker, Den Haag, December 16, 1991
Cost: 6,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Rocket man' / 'Candle in the wind'

When we were young - Bucks Fizz

'When we were young' was a change in direction for Bucks Fizz. The production was heavy and the song had an ominous tone, far removed from the group's usual pop sound. It was the first and only single to feature lead vocals by Jay Aston. Aston's vocals were notably different from her solo appearances on previous Bucks Fizz songs Aston herself has said that she was adopting an effected voice, similar to Hazel O'Connor. She has since stated, despite the song's success, her vocal affectation wasn't a good idea, although has rated it her favourite Bucks Fizz song, while member Cheryl Baker has commented that she never liked the song due to its downbeat tone.

This 12" single features and extended club version of the track and an extra B-side track.

My collection: 12" single no. 381
Found: unknown
Cost: unknown
Tracks: 'When we were young (extended club version)' / 'When the love has gone', 'Where the ending starts'