Ne vois-tu pas? - Madeleine Pascal

Born in Paris in 1946, Madeleine Pascal started to sing when she was just 13 years old. Her professional singing career was short-lived: she released five EP's in 1965 and 1966, and then disappeared from the scene.

In the middle of all that was her appearance at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest, representing Switzerland with 'Ne vois-tu pas?', a song written by Pierre Brenner and Roland Schweizer. The song ended up in sixth place.

My collection: 7" single no. 5906
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 14, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Ne vois-tu pas?', 'François' / 'Aux amoureux du monde', 'Le jour ou il va m'embrasser'

Ce soir je t'attendrais - Michèle Torr

The 1977 entry Une petite Française by Michèle Torr was not her first appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. She first appeared in the 1966 edition, and while she represented Monaco in 1977, she appeared in the 1966 edition for Luxembourg.

The song was 'Ce soir je t'attendrais', composed by Bernard Kesslair and Jacques Chaumelle. At the close of voting, it had received 7 points, placing 10th in a field of 18. Torr recorded the song in French, German, English, Spanish and Italian. On this EP, the original French version appears. I actually bought this single in April, but it disappeared. I found it last week under my desk, where it has laid for six months. Which only goes to show that I sometimes make a mess in my room...

My collection: 7" single no. 5905
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 14, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Ce soir je t'attendrais', 'Notre amour n'est pas mort' / 'J'ai brule ta lettre', 'Je t'aime tant'

No trams to Lime Street - Marty Wilde

'No trams to Lime Street' is a British television play, written by the Welsh playwright Alun Owen. It was originally transmitted in 1959 on ITV in the UK. In 1965, the play was remade by the BBC and broadcast on 21 March 1965. Both these versions have been lost.The play was remade for television a second time, again by the BBC, in 1970. Broadcast on March 18, 1970, it included songs and music by Marty Wilde and Ronnie Scott. This version survives as a black and white telerecording, although it was made in colour.

The title track, 'No trams to Lime Street' was released as a single, with a Wilde composition on the B-side: 'A prelude to old age'. If you don't like the whimsical A-side, you are sure to love the more introspective, melancholical B-side. It's a thing of beauty.

My collection: 7" single no. 5954
Found: Discogs.com, recieved November 20, 2018
Cost: 5 pounds
Tracks: 'No trams to Lime Street' / 'A prelude to old age'

Hej gamle man! - Björn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson

A long time ago, back in 1970, two Swedish musicians recorded an album together: Björn Ulvaeus from the Hootenanny Singers and Benny Andersson from the Hep Stars. They met in 1966 and started writing songs together soon after that. They released the album 'Lycka' in November 1970 and this single was taken from that album.

'Hej gamle man!' is considered by many as the first official Abba single, since it features Bjorn's wife Agnetha Fältskog and Benny's fiancee Anni-Frid Lyngstad on backing vocals. The lyric of the song is about a salvation soldier who was always on the square in Västervik to collect money for the Salvation Army.

My collection: 7" single no. 5953
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2018
Cost: 10 euro
Tracks: 'Hej gamle man!' / 'Lycka'

Amanece - Jaime Morey

In 1972, Spain was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest by Jaime Morey, a singer from Alicante. Born on June 16, 1942, his first experience as a professional singer was at the discotheque Pasapoga, singing songs by Charles Aznavour. He tried his luck at various festivals, among others in Benidorm, which was the main location for pop concerts in Spain at the time.

After two failed attempts to represent Spain at Eurovision, he achieved his goal and went to Edinburgh with his song 'Amanece', composed by Augusto Alguero. Despite the fact that the song only reached tenth place, it was Spain's best effort at the Contest until then. After a relatively successful career in music, he decided to abandon music in 1987. He passed away on July 7, 2015.

My collection: 7" single no. 5949
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2018
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Amanece' / 'Volvera'

Sea of love - Phil Phillips & the Twilights / Marty Wilde

Phil Phillips' most famous song, "Sea of Love", peaked at the top of the US Billboard R&B chart and number 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959.The song was soon covered by Marty Wilde in the UK, and he had a top 10 hit with the song over there too.

In 1989, the movie 'Sea of Love', starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin and John Goodman was released. The soundtrack album featured both versions of the song - and they were eventually released as a single too. This is the UK pressing of that single, released in 1991.

My collection: 7" single no. 5748
Found: Discogs.com, received 10 November 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Sea of love' (Phil Phillips & the Twilights) / 'Sea of love' (Marty Wilde)

When does it get to be love - Marty Wilde

Released in 1961, 'When does it get to be love' was released between Rubber ball, which peaked at no 9 in January, and Hide and seek, which got to no. 47 in July. The fact that this single didn't chart may be because of the slightly overenthusiastic choir girls on this record. It's not down to Marty's voice, because his performance of this song (which was written by Doug Morris and Camille Kaye) is excellent.

The B-side, 'Your loving touch' was penned by Marty himself and was covered by Joe Brown.

My collection: 7" single no. 5945
Found: Recordsale.de, Germany, received November 3, 2018
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'When does it get to be love' / 'Your loving touch'

I loved you (Dansevise) - Grethe og Jørgen Ingmann

The classic song Dansevise won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963. I was always fond of the song, and very glad to find a good copy almost ten years ago. What I didn't know was that there is also an English version of the song. I discovered this just a week ago, when I was ordering singles from Germany. I always search for Eurovision when I do some online ordering and suddenly this one popped up.

'I loved you' is the English version of 'Dansevise' and it is every bit as beautiful as the original - the only difference being that the lyrics of this version are more accessible to those who don't speak Danish.

My collection: 7" single no. 5944
Found: Recordsale, Germany, received November 3, 2018
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'I loved you (Dansevise)' / 'My little boy'

Gori Vatra - Zdravko Čolić

I don't have a lot of Yugoslavian Eurovision singles, but I do love them, because I quite like the fact that I actually own singles from a country that does not exist anymore. These days you won't find a record with the words 'Made in Yugoslavia' anymore.

Zdravko Čolić represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with the song 'Gori Vatra' ('The fire is burning'). The love song describes the love between him and his lover as a fire, burning inside them.The song did not impress the juries: with 65 points the song ended up in 15th place out of 17 contestants. Čolić has been described as Serbia's Tom Jones, and when you listen to this song, you can understand why. What a voice.

My collection: 7" single no. 5942
Found: Discogs.com, received October 25, 2018
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Gori Vatra' / 'Isti put'

Them heavy people - Kate Bush

Nothing beats the beauty of Japanese singles. If they weren't so damn expensive, I would buy much more of them. The attention to detail on these things is astonishing and they often have different sleeves. Sometimes even different tracks! This single of Kate Bush features the album version of 'Them heavy people', instead of the live version that was released in Europe over a year later. Both tracks on this single were taken 'from her mysterious album', as it says on the cover. Which is a bit funny.

Despite being 40 years old, this single still plays like it is new and that's what I love most about this single. When I spend a bit much on a single I want it to sound good, and this one does. It's all part of my effort to buy more Kate Bush singles, a special part of my collection because Kate Bush is one of my all time favourite artists.

My collection: 7" single no. 5941
Found: eBay, received September 16, 2018
Cost: 14 euro
Tracks: 'Them heavy people' / 'The man with the child in his eyes'

Don't talk to me about love - Altered Images

Another band I've seen live at the beginning of this century, was Altered Images. Actually, it was only Clare Grogan because the rest of the band didn't participate in the Here & Now tours that went around the UK arenas back then.

Of course, I already owned 'Don't talk to me about love': I bought the 7" single in 1989 and the 12" single about a decade after that. I didn't know about this picture disc, so it was a nice surprise to find this one. It was even nicer that I thought it cost 3 euros - all the other picture discs seemed to cost that much - and was charged only 1 euro.

My collection: 7" single no. 5940
Found: Come Back, Mannheim, September 13, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Don't talk to me about love' / 'Last goodbye'

Pleasure boys - Visage

The early Eighties were full of colourful pop artists, and Steve Strange was among them. I had the pleasure of seeing him live on stage at the beginning of this century when he was touring with a pack of Eighties artists, and this song was on the set. I never bought the single, because it didn't cross my path and I almost forgot about it.

But, behold: suddenly I found this great UK pressing in a German second hand store while on my way from Darmstadt where I attended a conference, to home. My short visit to Mannheim suddenly became worthwhile.

My collection: 7" single no. 5939
Found: Come Back, Mannheim, September 13, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Pleasure boys' / 'The anvil'

If faut chanter la vie - Severine

In 1973, the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Luxembourg. The previous year the contest was won by Vicky Leandros with 'Apres toi', and in 1973, Luxembourg snatched pole position once again with Anne-Marie David's 'Tu te reconnaitras'. It was proof of the dominance of French as the 'lingua franca' at the time.

1973 was an interesting year, because Israel debuted with Ilanit's 'Ey Sham' and the United Kingdom sent Cliff Richard over to sing 'Power to all our friends' - five years after he appeared at Eurovision with 'Congratulations'. Severine, the French singer who had won Eurovision in 1971 with 'Un banc, un arbre, une rue', decided to profit from the popularity of the Contest by covering the two songs on this single. 'Il faut chanter la vie' was a French version of Cliff Richard's song, and 'Autour de nous' was the French version of 'Ey Sham'. My finding this French single in a German second hand store only emphasises the international appeal of the Eurovision Song Contest.

My collection: 7" single no. 5938
Found: Come Back, Mannheim, September 13, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Il faut chanter la vie' / 'Autour de nous'

Zeroes (2018) - David Bowie

I rarely buy new singles anymore, and that's not strange when you think that most vinyl singles these days are released by new indie bands, bands that I don't know and that I often am not interested in. My interests are, as you may have noticed, centered around Eighties artists (check out the impressive section of almost 3800 Eighties singles in this blog - more than half of the 6000+ articles on this entire blog).

David Bowie keeps releasing picture disc 7" singles at an alarming rate. The 40th anniversary picture discs are lost on me because of their staggering price (10 pounds each is a little bit much for me, considering it's all old music) but this release is interesting. 'Zeroes (2018)' is a reworked track from Bowie's 'Never let me down' album. So it's old, but still new. Just like I like it, I guess.

My collection: 7" single no. 5937
Found: Amazon UK, received September 11, 2018
Cost: 10 pounds
Tracks: 'Zeroes (2018) (radio edit)' / 'Beat of your drum (2018) (radio edit)'

Who needs love like that - Erasure

'Who needs love like that' was originally Erasure's debut single in 1985. While the original 1985 release enjoyed only minor success, this later 'Hamburg mix' version (issued in 1992 to promote the 'Pop!' compilation) reached the top 10 in both the UK and Ireland.

The lyrics are a cast-off to a destructive love relationship, in which the protagonist asks "who needs love like that?" This single features both the original version of the song and the 'Hamburg mix'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5936
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, September 1, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Who needs love like that (Hamburg mix)' / 'Who needs love like that'

Everlasting love - Worlds Apart

Just like Could it be I'm falling in love, 'Everlasting love' is a cover version - originally recorded by Love Affair - and was produced by Ricky Wilde. It also sports a poster sleeve, which is always a nice incentive for me to buy a single. 'Everlasting love' was of course also covered by German singer Sandra a few years earlier.

Unusually, this 7" single also features the 12" club remix on the B-side. It was one of the signs that record companies were becoming a bit confused by their own formats.

My collection: 7" single no. 5935
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, September 1, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Everlasting love' / 'Everlasting love (The Everlasting 12" club remix)'

Hot summer girls - Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids

This past summer was hot. While we are enjoying the last few rays of sunshine, here's a sunny summer track. Recorded by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids in 1975, 'Hot Summer Girls' was a cover version of a song written by Marty Wilde. I knew about this single but didn't buy it online because with added postage it would become a bit pricey. I was very pleased, therefore, to find this single for just one euro in a local free record fair.

Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids started out in 1969 in Boulder, Colorado (USA). They got their name from Hughey Plumley who spent most of his time in the back of a Boulder bar, The Sink, and who entertained himself by creating names for bands. The band released five albums between 1972 and 1988. 'Hot Summer Girls' appeared on their third album, 'Sons Of The Beaches'.

My collection: 7" single no. 5933
Found: Record fair, Den Haag, September 1, 2018
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Hot summer girls' / 'Time will tell'

Infected - The The

For many years I have procrastinated buying this single by The The. 'Infected' was originally released in a sleeve that was deemed too smutty for the general public, and so it was retracted. Only part of the artwork appeared on the subsequent editions.

When I started frequenting record fairs (25 years ago), I saw the original sleeve many times, but I never bought it. I regret that now, because of course it can't be found anymore. So I finally caved and bought this copy. It's cheap and in great condition. It will do for now, until I do find that other one. Meanwhile, 'Infected' remains a great track, of course. The B-side sounds a bit like a discarded Tears for Fears B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 5931
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Infected' / 'Disturbed'

If - Bread

I don't have a lot of original singles by Bread, although I do like the band. They are simply quite hard to come by if you're not prepared to pay a lot for them. But sometimes I do get lucky. This original release of 'If', one of the band's most sentimental ballads, suddenly turned up in one of the many racks in Leiden's biggest vinyl shop, and of course I took it immediately.

Released in 1971, it was the first of only three hit singles in the Netherlands. It reached number 19 during a chart run of four weeks. In the USA, the single got to number 4, but in the UK it did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 5929
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'If' / 'Take comfort'

Belly dance - Amina

Before Amina represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991, she already had a little career of her own. The album 'Yalil' was released in 1989, and featured the single 'Belly dance'. The single was remixed by Paul Oakenfold, who was already a big name in dance circles.

After Eurovision, Amina released one more album in 1992 before disappearing from the scene, only to reappear with another album in 1999. Her success remained limited to France.

My collection: 7" single no. 5928
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, August 31, 2018
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Belly dance (Oakenfold edit)' / 'Belly dance'