Strong as steel - Five Star

The ballad 'Strong as steel' was the second single from Five Star's 1987 album 'Between the lines', their third album. It reached number 16 in the UK singles chart.

This 12" single featured the full album version of 'Strong as steel' (as opposed to the 7" single, which featured an edit) and a remix of the 1986 hit single 'Can't wait another minute'. Apparently there was another 12" single featuring a megamix of Five Star hits instead.

My collection: 12" single no. 455
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 22, 2008
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Strong as steel' / 'The man', 'Can't wait another minute (M&M Groove Remix)'

Heart and soul - T'pau

Ron Rogers and Carol Decker from T'pau have just released Story behind the tracks, a remarkable collection of demos and unreleased tracks from 1987 and before, when T'pau celebrated their first success with the single 'Heart and soul'.

I actually have two 12" singles of this hit single: a UK pressing and a German one. There is a difference between the two: while the UK version contains two remixes of the title track, the German has a live version of 'Taking time out'. I bought both some time after their release.

My collection: 12" single no. 102
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1990
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Heart and soul (US Dance mix)' / 'Heart and soul (remix)', 'On the wing'

My collection: 12" single no. 558
Found: Record fair, 1999
Cost: 5 guilders
Tracks: 'Heart and soul (remix)' / 'On the wing', 'Taking time out (live mix)'

When am I going to make a living - Sade

I don't have a lot of test pressings and white label records, but this one must be pretty sought after by Sade fans. I found it in one of the Music & Video Exchanges in London in a corner of a basement in Camden. I would never have bought it if the sleeve, which was white, had been written on. That way, it was easier to recognise this record - a snip at just 50p.

Not that this particular 12" single had a lot to offer: two tracks from Sade's debut album 'Diamond life' and the B-side 'Should I love you', which I already had at the time. But still, it's a white label record. Collectors items like these are quite hard to find.

My collection: 12" single no. 106
Found: Record Exchange, London, October 1990
Cost: 50p
Tracks: 'When am I going to make a living' / 'Why can't we live together', 'Should I love you'

The pleasure principle - Janet Jackson

The four remixes on this disc were all created by Shep Pettibone. This makes for a rather unvaried compilation, as all four remixes draw from the same ideas: a few samples from 'Let's wait awhile' and 'When I think of you', lots of drum tracks, and of course the vocal track from Janet herself, which is most prominent in the 'acapella' version (which basically is just the vocal track with all the other tracks muted).

There were many of such 12" singles around in the second half of the Eighties. Some of these mixes finally ended up on the remix album 'Control: the remixes', but not all of them. Which makes this 12" single interesting for Janet Jackson collectors after all.

My collection: 12" single no. 557
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, May 14, 2011
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'The pleasure principle (Long vocal)', 'The pleasure principle (acapella)' / 'The pleasure principle (12" dub)', 'The pleasure principle (7" vocal)'

Elettrochoc - Matia Bazar

I was never sure it existed, but 25 years after buying the 7" single of Matia Bazar's 'Elettrochoc', I have found a copy of the 12" single. It's a track that lends itself well to an extended version because it's so addictive.

This disc not only contains an extended version of the vocal version, but also of the instrumental version. To top off the whole thing, a previous single, 'Vacanze Romane' is also featured on this disc. It's a wonderful single, a true find.

My collection: 12" single no. 556
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, May 14, 2011
Cost: 1,5 euro
Tracks: 'Elettrochoc [extended]' / 'Vacanze Romane', 'Elettrochoc ([extended] instrumental)'

Don't leave me this way - Communards

As far as gay anthems go, this cover version of Thelma Houston's 'Don't leave me this way' by the Communards must be one of the biggest ones. Performed by Richard Coles, highpitched singer Jimmy Somerville and guest vocalist Sarah Jane Morris, this hi-NRG version topped the charts in several countries.

Several remixes were released, but the 'Gotham City Mix' was without a doubt the longest one. Side A of this 12" single features a remix of 11 minutes and 25 seconds, and side B runs for 11 minutes and 30 seconds. This mix also incorporates the single's B-side, 'Sanctified'.

My collection: 12" single no. 555
Found: La La Land, Den Haag, May 14, 2011
Cost: 2,5 euro
Tracks: 'Don't leave me this way (Gotham City mix)' / 'Don't leave me this way / Sanctified / Don't leave me this way (Gotham City mix)'

Radioactivity - Fatboy Slim

At a time when nuclear facilities are again messing up the environment, it's time to listen to Kraftwerk's timeless 'Radioactivity' again. That song is quite alarming, despite their clean and tidy way of mixing words with music.

This bouncy cover version is something else. It was recorded by Fatboy Slim for the compilation album 'Late night tales' in 2007. The track was released as a limited edition 7" single in October of that year.

My collection: 7" single no. 5109
Found: La La Land, May 14, 2011
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Radioactivity' (Fatboy Slim) / 'Everything is everything' (Bootsy Collins)