Two weeks ago, as I was on Ebay bidding on a series of Eurovision singles (and won seven out of ten, as you can read here), I noticed that most of the action happened in the last two minutes. Suddenly there were bidders (or it was only one, I couldn't tell) coming up and offering more than my maximum - which, admittedly, wasn't exactly high. By quickly throwing in one more bid - which, again, wasn't very high - I was able to steal back the singles in the last few seconds. There was just one exception: this 1969 Yugoslavian entry by 4M. And that's remarkable, since it's such an old record from a country that doesn't even exist anymore.
'Pozdrav svijetu' is a ballad, in which the 4M's salute all people of the
world, wishing them a "good day" in several languages: Spanish, German,
French, English, Dutch, Italian, Russian and Finnish. At the close of voting, it had received just 5 points, placing 13th in a field of 16 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5613 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 0,7 euro Tracks: 'Pozdrav svijetu (Dobar dan)' / 'David i Ruth'
Ketil Stokkan was born on April 29, 1956 in Harstad, Norway. As well as being a singer in the Norwegian band Zoo, Ketil performed as a solo singer, most notably in the Eurovision Song Contest - twice.
His first appearance was in 1986 with his self-penned song 'Romeo'. The Contest was held in Bergen, Norway that year, after the previous year saw the Bobbysocks win with the rather retro La det swinge. The song became more significant for the appearance onstage of a drag queen, a member of the Norwegian drag troupe "Great Garlic Girls", dressed in stylised clothing reminiscent of the 18th century, thus representing the first occasion on which a sexual minority was visible onstage. At the close of voting, 'Romeo' had received 44 points, placing 12th in a field of 20. Stokkan returned on the Eurovision stage in 1990 with the unsuccessful 'Brandenburger Tor'. But I am still looking for a (cheap) copy of that single...
My collection: 7" single no. 5612 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Romeo' / 'Vi overlever regnet'
In 1993, Luxembourg participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for the very last time. Despite regular rumours of their return to the Contest, the country has not made an appearance in the last 22 years so it seems likely that this song by Modern Times, a duo consisting of Simone Weis and Jimmy Martin, will remain their last.
'Donne moi une chance' is sung partly in Luxembourgish. It starts off with a strong intro but becomes a bit dull after that. Apparently the juries thought the same: at the end of the voting, the song had acquired 11 points, finishing as 20th in a field of 25 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5611 Found: eBay.com, received February 12, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Donne moi une chance' / 'Heaven only knows'
Mark James wrote and recorded 'Suspicious minds' in 1968. After his single was a commercial failure, the song was handed to Elvis Presley, who turned it into one of the most notable hits of his career. It was his seventeenth and last number one hit in the USA.
Session producer Felton Jarvis made the unusual decision to add a
premature fade-out to the song starting at 3:36, mirroring the way
Presley used to perform it in his live Las Vegas stage act. This
fade-out lasts for about 15 seconds before fading back in, conveying a
message of relationship in the song.
My collection: 7" single no. 5610 Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Rijswijk, February 7, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Suspicious minds' / 'You'll think of me'
The white sleeve of this single informs the reader only that the disc contains 'Dishwasher', which was used in the Dutch radio show 'Avondspits'. Having listened to this show all through the Eighties, there's no small chance that I heard this tune every day for years. And indeed, the tune sounds very familiar.
General Public formed when Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger decided to continue working together in a new ventur after the breakup of their previous band The Beat. They recruited Mickey Billingham, Mick Jones, Horace Panter and drummer Stoker and signed to Virgin Records. 'Dishwasher' is an instrumental mix of General Public's track 'Burning bright', from their debut album 'All the rage' (1984). The single actually reached number 38 in the Dutch singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 5609 Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Rijswijk, February 7, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Dishwasher' / 'General public'
Released in 1988, 'Roses are red' is a typical Eighties production, sounding a lot like the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis productions for Janet Jackson. The song was actually produced by L.A. & Babyface. It was the band's only single to reach the UK singles chart, peaking at number 6.
The song was taken from the band's debut album 'The Mac Band featuring the McCampbell Brothers', also released in 1988. They released two further albums, 'Love U 2 the limit' (1990) and 'The real deal' (1991), after which they called it quits.
My collection: 7" single no. 5608 Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Rijswijk, February 7, 2015 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Roses are red' / 'Roses are red (instrumental)'
Patrick Juvet was born on August 21, 1950 in Montreux, Switzerland. While his early career was focused on making pop records, in the second half of the Seventies he found international success as a disco performer.
Before that, however, he represented his country in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Je vais me marier Marie' ('I'm getting married, Mary'). At the close of voting, it had received 79 points, placing 12th in a field of 17 competitors.
My collection: 7" single no. 5607 Found: Discogs.com, received January 20, 2015 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Je vais me marier Marie' / 'Moi j'ai le coeur sauvage'
