Little things - Abba

The last Abba album Voyage came out a few years ago, and from that album some singles were taken. They were all issued on one track cd-singles (which, I have to add, feels a bit disappointing: no B-sides, not even instrumental versions or remixes?) but only 'I still have faith in you' was released as a vinyl single.

That error has been corrected last month, because finally one of the other singles was released on vinyl as well. It's the Christmassy song 'Little things', with the creative sleeve that is wellknown from the cd-single version. Again, this single only features one track, but the other side has an etching - it's the song lyrics of the song. That feels a bit superfluous, since the inner sleeve also has the song lyrics printed on it. Still, this single release is rather welcome. Here's hoping that 'Just a notion' will also get a vinyl release at some point.

My collection: 7" single no. 7509
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 29 November 2024
Tracks: 'Little things'

It's Christmas all over the world - Sheena Easton

In 1986 the movie Santa Claus was released, and it featured some Christmas songs, obviously. This single was taken from the movie soundtrack, and it features Sheena Easton in a yuletide mood. 1986 wasn't a particularly successful year for the Scottish singer, as the singles from her recently re-released album Do you didn't chart, and the single 'So far so good' from the soundtrack of About last night only made it to number 43 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

Unfortunately, 'It's Christmas all over the world' fared even worse: the single didn't chart anywhere and the song disappeared from the radar. Some artists have their income sorted when they record a Christmas song - in the case of Sheena, she had to work a little harder in the years that followed.

My collection: 7" single no. 7482
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 November 2024
Tracks: 'It's Christmas all over the world' / 'Thank you, Santa' (The Ambrosian Children's Choir)

A personal Christmas and New Years message - Howard Jones

I rarely buy flexi discs, because the quality of such discs is nothing to write home about. But there are exceptions, such as this special Christmas and New Years message from Howard Jones to his Japanese fans. This little red flexi was released exactly 40 years ago as a present for fans in Japan - a country visited by Howard during his first live tour earlier in the year. 

You could wonder if Japanese fans actually understand his English words, but there was a solution for that: the entire text is translated into Japanese on the back of this sleeve, printed in black and white.

My collection: 7" single no. 7152
Found: Record fair, Rijswijk, 3 November 2024
Tracks: 'A personal Christmas and New Years message'

Risin' above the need / Where do we go when we die - The The

This fourth and final single from The The's recent album Ensoulment was a bit of a surprise, as I bought a bundled trio of singles just recently. But as Matt Johnson explained: "Having now had the chance to perform the new album live across the UK, Europe and America, we found that these two songs were amongst the most popular. ‘Where Do We Go When We Die?’ was written for my late father Eddie Johnson (author of Tales From The Two Puddings) whilst ‘Risin’ Above The Need’ is a philosophical muse upon addiction and materialism and the power of the human spirit to overcome obstacles."

I ordered the single the minute I received the newsletter from the band, afraid that I might miss out if I waited. This is a limited edition physical release, after all... It neatly completes this particular mini-collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 7527
Found: The The website, received 10 December 2024
Tracks: 'Risin' above the need' / 'Where do we go when we die'

A fragile thing - The Cure

The Cure finally returned with a new album last month, and it is better than its predecessors - at least, that's what I think. The first single was the track 'Alone', which wasn't released physically, which was a disappointment. Fortunately the second single did get a physical release. It's the slightly whimsier track 'A fragile thing'.

This single was pressed on white vinyl and contains two versions of the song: the regular album version and a remix by Robert Smith. There's even an inner sleeve on this one! 

My collection: 7" single no. 7525
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 6 December 2024
Tracks: 'A fragile thing (RS24 mix)' / 'A fragile thing (RS24 remix)'

Happy - Michael Jackson

With Michael Jackson being at the top of his game in the Eighties, his former record company Motown were all too eager to make some money off his name. They re-released a handful of his songs from the Seventies, and one of them was 'Happy'. 

In order to boost sales, they made a limited edition of this single with a poster sleeve. It's a version I wanted to have for some time now, and I finally found it. The B-side is a rather more famous Michael Jackson song, 'We're almost there'. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7517
Found: Discogs.com, received 6 December 2024
Tracks: 'Happy' / 'We're almost there'

She looked me in the eye - Poogy

The band Poogy was named after the nickname of its drummer. They participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with a song called 'Natati la khaiai' in Hebrew. Typically for the band, the lyrics are full of unusual imagery. With humour and irony, the song deals, at least in part, with the power of love and its failure, as in lines such as 'if she refused / there's no hope', and 'Someone says that his sky is ending / When there’s enough air for a nation or two'. It has been first suggested, and since confirmed by band member Danny Sanderson, that the song also contained a veiled political protest against then-prime minister Golda Meir, and in favour of the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The song ended up in seventh place. The band recorded the song in English as 'She looked me in the eye (I gave her my life)'. I ordered the single from a German seller, and it was delivered within a week!

My collection: 7" single no. 7514
Found: Discogs.com, received 2 December 2024
Tracks: 'She looked me in the eye (I gave her my life)' / 'Morris and his turtle'