Love is the art - Living in a box

'Love is the art' was the fourth single from Living in a box's eponymous debut album. It was the least successful of the four, reaching number 45 in the UK singles chart. 

I was lucky to find a copy of the UK pressing of the single, among many German and Dutch pressings of different singles from different artists, so I don't really know how this dealer got this particular item. But that's the fun part of record fairs: finding singles you weren't particularly looking for, but get to buy them just the same.

My collection: 7" single no. 7917
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'Love is the art' / 'Love is the art (instrumental)' 

The hit combination - Level 42

Level 42 was very popular during the Eighties, but in the Nineties that popularity seemed to elude them. Their ninth album Guaranteed (1991) didn't score as well as its predecessors, and so the record company tried to reverse their fortunes. A greatest hits album wasn't going to do that, because Level Best was just two years old at that point, and so they went for the next best thing: a remix album. The Remixes was released on 20 July 1992.

Besides remixes of their biggest hits, taken from various 12" singles, there was also a medley mix titled 'The hit combination', created by Ben Liebrand. That remix was released as a single as well. The full version appeared on the B-side, whereas an edit appeared on the A-side of this single.

My collection: 7" single no. 7916
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'The hit combination (edit)' / 'The hit combination (full version)'

Rivers of Babylon - Boney M

I was glad to buy a Japanese single of Boney M's 'Rasputin' a little over six years ago, because of the radically different sleeve of that one. Well, it happened again, when I went to a record fair in Amsterdam last week, and the first thing I found was the Japanese edition of 'Rivers of Babylon'. 

Quite why the Japanese decided on using a very small picture of the group, in the corner of a generic 'tropical island' image is a mystery to me, but it is a nice little rarity to add to my collection. Of course, Japanese singles are almost always in an impeccable state, and this one is no exception.

My collection: 7" single no. 7915
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'Rivers of Babylon' / 'Brown girl in the ring' 

Radioactivity - The Divine Comedy

The latest issue of Electronic Sounds magazine in the UK came with a free 7" single of The Divine Comedy, featuring their excellent cover version of Kraftwerk's 'Radioactivity' (actually an old B-side from 1998), backed with the rather less impressive, but brilliantly titled 'The Synthesizer Service Centre Super Summer Sale' (from the rather frustrating album Office Politics). 

When I bought the issue online I assumed that both the original 'Radioactivity' by Kraftwerk and The Divine Comedy's cover version were on this single, which actually would have made it an excellent single. But it's still a nice item, and pressed on yellow vinyl, too!

My collection: 7" single no. 7914
Found: Electronic Sounds magazine website, received 7 January 2026
Tracks: 'Radioactivity' / 'The Synthesizer Service Centre Super Summer Sale'

Happy New Year - Abba

Just like last year, the last entry in my bl
og for this year has to be 'Happy New Year' by Abba. They stayed true to their tradition of re-releasing the single in December. This time they opted for a black sleeve and a zoetrope picture disc. This edition was limited to 4500 copies. I was happy to order one right when it was first announced, so I didn't have to miss it. 

It's funny how the record company comes up with new ways to sell this single. In the past, there have been picture discs, silver and gold vinyl variations. I would propose a version with a poster sleeve and one with a gatefold sleeve in the future. Perhaps a double single? A single with a double groove? I have lots of ideas.

My collection: 7" single no. 7902
Found: Platenzaak.nl, received 6 December 2025
Tracks: 'Happy New Year' / 'Felicidad' 

 

Under attack - Abba

Just before the end of this year I succeeded in putting all the Abba singles I didn't post on this blog yet, although I've had them in my collection for quite some time. And the last one to post is also the last single they ever released - or so we thought - in 1982. 

'Under attack' was recorded for an album that never came, but it did end up in the compilation album The Singles - The first ten years. Different countries had different sleeves for this one. The most colourful one came from Germany. I bought it during my final visit to All That Music in Leiden in 2010. At the time the shop was closing down, and I was lucky enough to buy 52 singles during their final sale.

The French edition followed more recently, in 2022. I bought it online as part of a package that included some Eurovision singles. You would never guess it, but the seller was French.

My collection: 7" single no. 4687 / no. 6764
Found: All that music, Leiden, 13 March 2010 / Discogs.com, received 13 August 2022 
Tracks: 'Under attack' / 'You owe me one'

The day before you came - Abba

For those who knew Abba mainly for their upbeat songs like 'Waterloo', 'Dancing queen' and 'Mamma mia', it would have been a shock to hear 'The day before you came' for the first time. The moody, wistful track took most people offguard and because of the fact that the Seventies had turned into the Eighties, the overpowering popularity of Abba was starting to crumble. 

Still, 'The day before you came' is an epic track, and stands apart as one of my most favourite songs of the quartet. It is strange that I never bothered to buy other pressings of the single than the one I bought in 1982, but this year I corrected that by buying the UK edition of the single. The front cover isn't different this time, although the back cover definitely is - it says 'Taken from the double LP/Cassette ABBA - The Singles AVAILABLE SOON' under the same photograph that was used at the front. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7837
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 30 October 2025
Tracks: 'The day before you came' / 'Cassandra'