Softly whispering I love you - The Congregation

In 1990 Paul Young released 'Softly whispering I love you', the lead single from his fourth album Other Voices. The song was written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook in 1967. The song was originally recorded by the duo under the name of David and Jonathan. It was covered in 1971 by the Congregation.

The Congregation was actually formed by Cook and Greenaway. The group's lead singer was the former Plastic Penny vocalist, Brian Keith, who later became a session musician. This version peaked at number 4 on the UK singles chart in 1971. With no further top 40 hits, The Congregation was a transatlantic one-hit wonder. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7366
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Softly whispering I love you' / 'When Susie takes the plane'

Railroad - Maurice Gibb

'Railroad' is the first solo single released by Bee Gees member Maurice Gibb in April 1970. The song was written by Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie. Lawrie was the brother of Lulu, who Maurice married in 1969. The song was originally intended for a Bee Gees album. The single features guitar work by Leslie Harvey of Stone the Crows.

As Gibb explains: "People have said that my single sounds like the Bee Gees, I sang the higher parts usually, and the other vocal parts I've added to 'Railroad' could be the others." Gibb once said that his wife at that time, singer Lulu's reaction to the recording was that the piano was too loud; Gibb remixed it six times to please her.

My collection: 7" single no. 7364
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Railroad' / 'I've come back'

Stumblin' in - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman

Getting two stars together to sing a duet, it must have been on Mickie Most's mind as a brilliant idea. He was, after all, the legendary boss of RAK Records, and 'Stumblin' in' was released on his label. Suzi Quatro was partnered with the lead singer of Smokie, and off they went. Of course the song became a hit. It actually became a hit again this year in a version by a certain Cyril, and this version irritated me so much that I had to reappreciate the original.

Because back in 1978, when this single was released, I thought it was a boring song. One might have expected Suzi to come up with something more exciting - after all, her career was based on more energetic stuff, and this song almost made me fall asleep. Thankfully, time has been kind to this song, and it has ended up in my collection. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7362
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Stumblin' in' / 'A stranger with you'

Homburg - Procol Harum

Procol Harum is primarily known for their biggest hit, 'A whiter shade of pale', but of course they recorded more interesting tracks than that one. I mentioned 'Grand Hotel' on this blog many years ago, and more recently I bought 'Homburg', which is actually the follow-up to 'A whiter shade of pale'. The titular Homburg refers to the Homburg hat, manufactured in Bad Homburg in Germany.

The lyrics of the song contains the same surreal, dream-like imagery and feelings of resignation and futility as in the debut single. The theme is not as clearly Bach-like as in 'A whiter shade of pale'; nevertheless, the single was, on its release, criticised for being too similar to its predecessor. The single reached number 6 in the UK singles chart and topped the Dutch Top 40.

I found the single in a generic white sleeve, but I can't really complain for the 50 eurocents it cost me.

My collection: 7" single no. 7360
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Homburg' / 'Good Captain Clack'

Water - Martika

Martika's debut album was very successful and spawned a few hit singles in 'Toy Soldiers' and 'I Feel The Earth Move'. When the record company wanted to milk the album a little more, they released 'Water', which is a significantly weaker track. It's got that typical Eighties 'big drum' treatment, but the song doesn't really impress. The real draw here is the B-side: a Spanish version of 'Toy Soldiers'.

Fortunately Martika was smart enough to record a second album with some more strong tracks, managing to briefly revive her career. But 'Water' is probably the first sign that she wouldn't become the big star she hoped to be. She eventually faded from the public eye in 1992 after walking away from the music industry, due to burnout.

My collection: 7" single no. 7359
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Water (remix)' / 'Como un juguete (Toy Soldiers - Spanish version)'

Many, too many - Genesis

When singles are cheap, I like to try out something, and then I end up buying singles from bands I know. Genesis has, of course, consistently released good singles from the mid-Seventies onwards, and although I didn't ever hear 'Many, too many', it didn't feel like a risk to spend one euro on this single.

'Many, too many' was the follow-up to 'Follow you, follow me', the band's first worldwide success. By contrast, this single didn't do much, chart-wise. It reached number 43 in the UK and number 41 in Germany, but it didn't chart anywhere else.

My collection: 7" single no. 7357
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Many, too many' / 'The day the light went out', 'Vancouver'

Who wears these shoes - Elton John

Elton John's 1984 album Breaking Hearts was preceded by the hit single 'Sad songs (say so much)', which was followed up by the hit single 'Passengers'. You would think that a third single from the album would be equally successful, but no: 'Who wears these shoes' didn't match the success of the two previous singles at all.

In Ireland it still reached a respectable number 11, but in the UK it only managed to get to number 50. I never even heard of the single, until I saw a copy in front of my own two eyes. Maybe the record company should have gone for the B-side; 'Tortured' is listed as 'previously unavailable', and certainly the more appealing of the two songs.

My collection: 7" single no. 7356
Found: Record fair, Rotterdam, 5 October 2024
Tracks: 'Who wears these shoes? (remix version)' / 'Tortured'