Abergavenny - Nancy Marano

These days, Nancy Marano is best known as a jazz singer, but back in the late 1960's, she recorded a few singles on the Columbia label, of which this 'Abergavenny' is one. This is, of course, a cover version of the Marty Wilde hit - or at least, Marty Wilde had a hit with this song in Europe, if not in the UK.

The B-side of this single is a version of 'Love song', taken from the Broadway production 'Celebration', or so the label says. But of course, my main interest is the cover version on the A-side, which is distinctly American in flavour. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6319
Found: Discogs.com, received August 13, 2020
Cost: 4 euro
Tracks: 'Abergavenny' / 'Love song'

Jesamine - Shannon

Things tend to get confusing sometimes, in the pop world. For instance, if I categorize this single under the name Shannon, this single will be in the same page as the one devoted to the disco legend who brought us 'Let the music play' in 1983. But this is not her - instead, it's good old Marty Wilde, who used the stage name during the 1960's. 

And then there's that song: 'Jesamine'. Wasn't that made famous by the Casuals? It was, but the song was written by Frere Manston together with Jack Gellar. And Frere Manston is, as you may have guessed, Marty Wilde. So Shannon recorded Frere Manston's song, and this single got released in America. 

I had some luck recently, when an online seller offered both the commercial and the promotional version of this single. The B-side of the commercial version is the song 'Lullaby', which Marty wrote for his children, Kim and Ricky. And you probably know who they are: Kim Wilde and Ricky Wilde of course. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6317
Found: Discogs.com, received August 13, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Jesamine' / 'Jesamine'

My collection: 7" single no. 6318
Found: Discogs.com, received August 13, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Jesamine' / 'Lullaby'

Marianne - Cliff Richard

I do read the comments on this blog, although there aren't that many. My recent entry about Sergio Endrigo's 'Marianne' caused a friendly reader to let me know that Cliff Richard, who also took part in the 1968 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, actually covered this song. I really didn't know that! But when I found out, I thought it would be great to actually own a copy of that version, since I also collect Eurovision cover versions (well, within some reason - I don't actually need 100 versions of 'Volare' to be honest).

I think it's suitable that I found an Italian copy of the single. The great thing about Cliff Richard's version is that it is translated into English, and my English is a lot better than my Italian. The single actually was a hit in several countries, peaking at number 22 in the UK and number 15 in Ireland.

My collection: 7" single no. 6312
Found: Discogs.com, received July 31, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Marianne' / 'Mister Nice'

Your friend - George McCurn

George McCurn was born on January 21, 1920 in Chicago. He was a bass singer who started off singing gospel and switched to pop in the Sixties. He had a hit in 1963 with 'I'm just a country boy'. His album 'Country boy goes to town' followed soon after. In 1964, he released this single, 'Your friend', a song written by Marty Wilde. That song was also recorded by Mal Ryder & The Spirits, The Nightriders and The Roemans the same year, so quite who came first is now unknown.

McCurn's version is by far the most accomplished one, with the beautiful vocals and the laidback musical backing.

McCurn died in Los Angeles in September 1985, aged 65.

My collection: 7" single no. 6305
Found: Discogs.com, received July 13, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Your friend' / 'While the bloom is on the rose'

Anouschka - Inge Brück

Inge Brück was born on October 12, 1936 in Mannheim (Germany). She represented Germany during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967 with 'Anouschka', which was chosen internally. She finished in joint eighth place in a field of 17 competitors.

Following her Eurovision appearance, Brück decided to concentrate on acting, and in 1970 she starred in a 13-part series for ZDF called 'Miss Molly Mill' in which she played the title role, a cleaning lady-cum-amateur detective, which was a ratings hit and regularly drew audiences of over 20 million. Since the 1970s, Brück has concentrated on performing songs with religious content. Along with fellow Eurovision veterans Katja Ebstein and Peter Horton, she is a member of the initiative 'Künstler für Christus' (Artists For Christ). Another victim of religious delusionalism then.

My collection: 7" single no. 6302
Found: Discogs.com, received June 27, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Anouschka' / 'In dieser Welt'

Marianne - Sergio Endrigo

Sergio Endrigo was born in Pola, Istria (Italy) on June 15, 1933 and started his career in music in the early 1960's. After releasing a few albums he won the San Remo Music Festival in 1968 with the song 'Canzone per te'. In the same year, he represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with this beautiful song: 'Marianne'.

You can easily call it a scandal that the contest was won that year by the banal song 'La la la' and this song, beautifully composed and performed by Endrigo, ended up in tenth place. But Eurovision wouldn't be alive today without a scandal or two.

My collection: 7" single no. 6298
Found: Discogs.com, received June 12, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Marianne' / 'Il dolce paese'

Since you've gone - The Wilde Three

The previous two entries on this blog came with the big one: this single. I have been hunting for the two Wilde Three singles for decades now, but they are very rare and so I haven't been able to get them - until now. 'Since you've gone' was the first release by the Wilde Three, the group formed by Marty Wilde after his solo career didn't go as well as before. Figuring that there was a trend for harmony groups, he enlisted his wife Joyce and a young unknown singer called Justin Hayward to record a handful of tracks. This single shows exactly what they were made of: two great songs written by Marty (using his pseudonym Frere Manston) and performed with passion by three excellent singers.

The single didn't chart, and Justin soon parted ways again. However, it was Marty who encouraged him to write his own song material. Without him, the world might never have heard songs like 'Nights in white satin', for that was a song penned by Hayward just two years later.

Meanwhile, this single sits proudly in my record collection now. And if anyone can find the other one, 'I cried', I will gladly pay. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6292
Found: Discogs.com, received May 29, 2020
Cost: enough
Tracks: 'Since you've gone' / 'Just as long'

Dizzy - Tommy Roe

American singer-songwriter Tommy Roe was born on May 9, 1942 started his career in the USA, but moved to the UK after a successful tour with Roy Orbison in that country. In 1964, Roe recorded 'Diane From Manchester Square' about a girl who worked at EMI House, when it was based in London's Manchester Square. Sales of this single in the UK were poor, and it failed to chart.

Other singles were more successful, such as 'Sweet Pea' and 'Hooray for Hazel', both top 10 hits in Canada. In 1969, his song 'Dizzy' went to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart as well as Canada and the USA. It remains easily his most remembered song, and I picked up a copy of this single while buying two more online because I still remembered it despite not having heard it for decades. So that means something.

My collection: 7" single no. 6290
Found: Discogs.com, received May 29, 2020
Cost: 1 pound
Tracks: 'Dizzy' / 'The you I need'

Kiss me - Marty Wilde

I've already got a lot of singles by Marty Wilde - you have seen them on this blog no doubt - but there are still some missing. For instance, this one. 'Kiss me' was released in 1964. After having been signed to Philips for years, he switched labels in the early Sixties, for an unsuccessful run of singles on the Columbia label.

Unsuccessful in terms of chart success, because artistically these songs stand the test of time very well. Both sides of this single were written by Wilde himself, and recorded with his own backing band, the Wild Cats.

My collection: 7" single no. 6267
Found: Discogs.com, received March 20, 2020
Cost: 7 pounds
Tracks: 'Kiss me' / 'My what a woman'

Kun olen yksin - Tomi

Tom Jones recorded 'All I can say is goodbye', written by Marty Wilde and Ronnie Scott, on his 1968 album 'Help yourself'. That track was not released as a single - but it should have been - but other artists have had a go at the song, and Finnish singer Tomi was one of them.

He released 'Kun olen yksin' in 1969. The lyrics were translated by Finnish musician, producer and songwriter Reino Bäckman (1937-1990), who also translated the B-side: a version of 'Through the eyes of love', made famous by Engelbert Humperdinck that same year. When you listen to 'Kun olen yksin', you can almost hear Tom Jones in this version, but I doubt Tom Jones has ever recorded a song in Finnish...

My collection: 7" single n. 6264
Found: Discogs.com, received March 12, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Kun olen yksin' / 'Toinen tie'

Jezamine - Tommy Körberg

As a fan of Marty Wilde's songwriting, I have made a point of collecting cover versions of his songs whenever I get a chance to buy a copy for a not-too-ridiculous amount. Tommy Körberg's version of 'Jezamine' certainly qualifies as one of the more interesting ones, since it is sung in Swedish; the lyrics were translated by producer, lyricist and lyrics translator Per-Anders Boquist (1931-2014). The musical accompaniment was provided by Lars Samuelson's Orchestra.

And if you think the B-side, 'En som du' sounds familiar, it is the song 'Red red wine', written by Neil Diamond and made famous during the 1980's by UB40.

My collection: 7" single no. 6263
Found: Discogs.com, received March 12, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Jezamine' / 'En som du'

Addio, addio - Claudio Villa

'Addio, addio' ('Goodbye, goodbye') was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1962, performed Claudio Villa (born January 1, 1926). With music by Domenico Modugno and lyrics by Franco Migliacci (the same duo had collaborated on Modugno's previous entry 'Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)'), the song is a ballad, in which Villa attempts to deal with the end of a relationship.

At the close of voting, it had received 3 points, placing 9th in a field of 16 competitors. The comparatively high place for a low-scoring song is partly explained by the fact that four entries at this Contest failed to record a point.

In 1967, Villa would return to the Eurovision stage with 'Non andare più lontano'. He died on February 7, 1987.

My collection: 7" single no. 6254
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Addio, addio' / 'Quando il vento d'aprile..'

Doći Ćeš Sam - Tereza Kesovija

I haven't suddenly developed an interest in folk music from Yugoslavia, although this single certainly serves up some of the Balkan nation's loudest and most unnerving tracks. The title track, 'Doći Ćeš Sam' isn't very friendly to these Western European ears, but that isn't why I bought this EP anyway.

Track one on side B is called 'Još Mnogo Jače' and is a cover version of 'Bien plus fort', the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966. I was interested to get this one as part of a bigger online order from Serbia. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6252
Found: Discogs.com, received January 24, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Doći Ćeš Sam', 'Tad Podimo' / 'Još Mnogo Jače', 'Madre mia'

T'en vas pas - Esther Ofarim

Exactly eight months after my last visit to Antwerp's Chelsea Records, I went there again. It's an amazing record store, stacked up to the ceilings with boxes of singles and albums. As usual, I checked out the Eurovision boxes first, and to my delight I found a copy of Esther Ofarim's 'T'en vas pas' within the first two minutes.

Almost three hours later, when the time had come to check out, the shop owner looked at the single and said this was a lovely single, and hard to find. I agreed - I actually bought one online a few months ago but although the sleeve was lovely it contained the wrong single ('Non je regrette rien' by Edith Piaf, to be exact). 'A rewarding visit then', he concluded. And I couldn't agree more.

Ofarim represented Switzerland in 1963 with this song. At the close of the voting, the song had received 40 points, placing 2nd in a field of 16 competitors. The winner that year? 'Dansevise' - admittedly a more legendary Eurovision song.

My collection: 7" single no. 6243
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, January 24, 2020
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'T'en vas pas' / 'La cité de mon coeur'

Dear Mr. Jones - Tommy Körberg

Back in 2014, I bought 'Judy min vän' by Tommy Körberg. I already wrote back then that there was also an English version of the single. It took me some time, but I have finally bought a copy of that one.

Featuring an entirely different photograph, but a similar layout, this single was released in Sweden. On the back of the sleeve we learn that Tom has released an album featuring cover versions of 'Jezamine' (the amazing Marty Wilde composition) and 'Nights in white satin'.

My collection: 7" single no. 6242
Found: Discogs.com, received January 22, 2020
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Dear mr. Jones' / 'Bird you must fly'

I could easily fall in love with you - Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard released 'I could easily fall in love with you' in 1964. The song reached silver status in the UK, where it reached number 6 in the singles chart. It did even better in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

I don't have a lot of Cliff Richard singles, but this song has a certain evergreen status and I instantly remembered it when I saw this single in the shop. The fact that the disc and sleeve were in such a great condition after all these years made me buy the single on the spot.

My collection: 7" single no. 6227
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, December 28, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'I could easily fall in love with you' / 'I'm in love with you'

Puppet on a string - Teddy Mertens

During the 1960's, Teddy Mertens released a string of singles with trumpet-based instrumentals. Among them was a cover of 'Non ho l'eta', the winning song of the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, and this one: 'Puppet on a string', which was the winning song in 1967. The B-side of the single is 'Il doit faire beau lá bas', the French entry of that year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Teddy Mertens also released a few albums with "his orchestra", but faded back into anonymity at the end of the decade. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6226
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, December 28, 2019
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Puppet on a string' / 'Il doit faire beau lá bas'

Songfestival Londen 1960 - Festival Orchestra

The 1960 Eurovision Song Festival took place in London, with artists from thirteen different European countries. Thirty million viewers watched France win this time with the song 'Tom Pillibi'.

This EP features four songs from the contest: 'Wat een geluk', 'Romantica', 'Tom Pillibi' and 'Looking high high high', the entries from the Netherlands, Italy, France and the UK respectively. The songs were performed by uncredited vocalists with the Festival Orchestra conducted by Harry S. Owens. The single turns up regularly when you hunt for Eurovision singles, but never at a decent price. Until today, that is.

My collection: 7" single no. 6225
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, December 28, 2019
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Wat een geluk', 'Romantica' / 'Tom Pillibi', 'Looking high high high'

A chacun sa chanson - Line et Willy

Line Van Menen and Claude Boillod called themselves Line et Willy and became famous after winning the Palmarès des Chansons with 'Le vent' and the Rose d'Or d'Antibes with 'Pourquoi pas nous?' in 1966. They had some success with several singles for the AZ label.

In 1968, they represented Monaco at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'A chacun sa chanson'. They finished in seventh place in a field of 17 competitors. This copy of the EP comes with the B-side label on both sides, which I guess makes it a rarity of sorts.

After the separation of the couple, Line began a solo career and performed in concerts until recently. Willy died on December 20, 2018 in the village of Peypin where he resided since the 90s.

My collection: 7" single no. 6205
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 17, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'A chacun sa chanson', 'De l'automne a l'automne' / 'Demain, il y aura demain', 'Tout l'or du monde'

Ik wil me Donaldukkie - Bob Bouber

On August 25, 2019, Bob Bouber passed away. This is probably not a famous name for those outside the Netherlands, but during the Sixties he was quite famous in this country. In 1962 he founded the beat band ZZ en de Maskers. Their career lasted for four years. After this, Bouber went solo.

His most remarkable single has to be 'Ik wil me Donaldukkie' from 1968, which basically is a song about someone who wants his rubber duck (in the shape of Donald Duck) back. The song is loosely based on Napoleon XIV's 'They're coming to take me away ha-haaa!', which was released two years before.

I knew about this single and have searched for it for many years, but it was always too expensive. Prompted by Bouber's passing, I started looking for it online, with more luck this time.

My collection: 7" single no. 6187
Found: Discogs.com, received October 5, 2019
Cost: 5 euro
Tracks: 'Ik wil me Donaldukkie' / 'Kie ka kaketoe'