Volare - Peter Rafael

Peter Rafael (Real name: Hans Peter Bauer) is a German singer, born in Neunkirchen (Germany) on 17 July 1965. He started his professional career in music in the mid-Eighties, with a series of singles. His debut album 'Die Erste' ('The first') was released in 1990. Some of those earlier singles were included on the album, such as 'Sangria im Glas' and 'Tanz Lambada'. The B-side of this single, 'Sonne, Wind und Sterne' was also included, but the A-side, oddly, wasn't, even though this single was also released in 1990.

It is a German cover version of the classic 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', better known as 'Volare'. It is one of many cover versions of this song, and in these days of online shopping it is easy to find them. And if they're not too expensive, I'll always add them to my collection! 

Peter Rafael died on 22 February 2008 in Bad Ems, Germany. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6569
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2021
Cost: €2
Tracks: 'Volare' / 'Sonne, Wind und Sterne'

Bye bye I love you (Deutsche originalaufnahme) - Ireen Sheer

'Bye bye I love you' was originally performed in French. Ireen Sheer represented Luxembourg when she participated with this song in 1974. A month ago I found the English version of this song, and now here's the German version, which, of course, is called 'Deutsche originalaufnahme'. 

This single actually completes the series: although more pressings were made with varying sleeves, Ireen only recorded three versions of the song. Alas, no versions of this song in Spanish, Italian or Hungarian, then.

My collection: 7" single no. 6568
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2021
Cost: €3
Tracks: 'Bye bye I love you (Deutsche originalaufnahme)' / 'Rosenbaum Boulevard'

Mata Hari - Anne-Karine

Those who paid attention last May remember that there was a song at this year's Eurovision Song Contest called 'Mata Hari'. It was a nice enough song, but the idea was not new: already 45 years ago someone else performed a song called 'Mata Hari' at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was Norwegian singer Anne-Karine Strøm, representing Norway. 

Anne-Karine was no stranger to the Contest: she'd already performed on the Eurovision stage in 1973 as part of the Bendik Singers, singing 'Å for et spill' and in 1974 singing 'Hvor er du'. 'Mata Hari' placed last of the 18 participating songs in 1976. Prior to the contest the song was expected to do well, but it was suggested afterwards that Strøm's rather odd outfit and performance on the night may have cost votes. In the late 1970s Strøm began performing in musical cabarets with Øystein Sunde and her then husband Ole Paus. She released three albums between 1978 and 1986, which reflected a move towards a more serious style of music.

My collection: 7" single no. 6567
Found: Discogs.com, received 13 December 2021
Cost: €8
Tracks: 'Mata Hari' / 'Please don't go away'

Accordeon Potpourri no. 39 - The 3 Jacksons

I found a single by the 3 Jacksons just eight days ago: Potpourri nr. 62 featuring their take on the Marty Wilde classic 'Abergavenny'. My subcollection of Marty Wilde cover versions was happy. 

Imagine my surprise when my eyes fell on this single, 'Accordeon Potpourri no. 39', featuring the 3 Jacksons' version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', Domenico Modugno's immortal Eurovision song from 1958. It is a worthy addition to my subcollecton of Eurovision covers, and more specifically, covers of the song that became best known as 'Volare'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6566
Found: Rataplan Kringloop, Den Haag, 12 December 2021
Cost: €0,50
Tracks: 'Veel bittere tranen / La Paloma / De verloren zoon' / 'Nel blu dipinto di blu / Love letters in the sand / Colonel Bogey'

On the beat - Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band

I recently found a little journal of mine from the 1980's in which I mentioned this song. I had totally forgotten about it, but apparently I was pretty enthousiastic about it back in 1981. It was a big hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 13 in October of that year. Strangely the band had less success in the UK: 'On the beat' only reached number 41 and their biggest hit over there was 'Dreamer', released in 1986 and peaking at number 35.

Jacques Fred Petrus, together with Mauro Malavasi, brought together a group of musicians to form the BB&Q Band. They released a total of four albums and a number of compilation albums. With the mysterious death of producer Jacques Fred Petrus in 1987, the band also came to an end.

My collection: 7" single no. 6565
Found: Rataplan Kringloop, Den Haag, 12 December 2021
Cost: €0,50
Tracks: 'On the beat' / 'Don't say goodbye'

 

Arcade - Duncan Laurence

Two weeks ago it was Black Friday, and for some reason this prompted various record companies to release limited edition records on vinyl. My recent purchase of 'No time to die' was one of them, and this 10" single is another one. 

This disc presents four different versions of Duncan Laurence's triumphant Eurovision song 'Arcade' - the one that gave him victory two years ago. Besides the two versions already on the 7" single, this disc presents a duet version with a certain Fletcher (no, I'd never heard of her either, but it appears she is an American singer/songwriter) and a remix by Sam Feldt (who the hell...?). 

My collection: 10" single [unnumbered]
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 1 December 2021
Tracks: 'Arcade', 'Arcade (acoustic version)' / 'Arcade (feat. Fletcher)', 'Arcade (Sam Feldt remix)'

Heimcomputer - Kraftwerk

The story of this single is an interesting one. It was released as a bonus disc with the June 2021 issue of Musikexpress, a German magazine. I discovered this in August and decided to order the magazine from their official website. Within a week I received a letter with a note, thanking me for my order. I e-mailed them, saying that I'd like to get the magazine itself too... No reply. Another e-mail in October got replied to: they would resend the magazine. Nothing happened. Last week I decided to send another e-mail. Two days ago I got the answer: they would resend the magazine.

Imagine my surprise when I actually found it in my mailbox today! Well, I'm happy that it finally worked. And the single itself is a beauty: pressed on yellow vinyl, and with just one track - the B-side is empty. I would think this will be a collector's item in due time.

My collection: 7" single no. 6564
Found: Musikexpress website, received 8 December 2021
Cost: €10 (with magazine)
Tracks: 'Heimcomputer'