Who can still hum the melody of 'Another way to die', the previous Bond theme? Thought not. The steady decline of James Bond movie theme songs that had started at the end of the last century seems to have been halted when the powers that be decided that this year's Bond song would be performed by a British artist again. And that's the first time since 1985 when Duran Duran recorded 'A view to a kill'.
'Skyfall' is "Bond by numbers", some people commented. With a large orchestra to back her up, it certainly feels like a retro track.
Obviously I was wondering if a 7" single would be released, but even before I started looking out for it, my friend Puck contacted me because he'd seen the single during a shopping trip. I was very happy to get this little present, which will probably prompt me to start buying more "Bond singles". I missed out on a few during the last 50 years...
My collection: 7" single no. 5298
Found: Den Haag, November 8, 2012
Cost: Nothing (a present)
Tracks: 'Skyfall' / 'Skyfall (instrumental)'
I'm not a Beatles fan and not an expert either, but when I found out that 'Love me do' was to be re-released this month because of the fact it was originally released 50 years ago, my interest in this 7" single was raised. I think everyone is familiar with this song, as it is always played on the radio and some people consider it as the start of pop music as we know it now. The Beatles were the defining group of the Sixties, like Abba was in the Seventies and, well, many British bands were in the Eighties.
The was a slight f***up with this single because EMI pressed it with a wrong version of 'Love me do' (featuring Andy White instead of Ringo Starr on drums), causing its release to be postponed. (One does wonder: how does this even happen?) But, lo and behold, it was ultimately released on October 22, 50 years and 17 days after its original release.
My collection: 7" single no. 5297 Found: Amazon.co.uk, received October 30, 2012 Cost: 5 pounds Tracks: 'Love me do' / 'P.S. I love you'
Released last month, the Pet Shop Boys’ latest album Elysium is a very consistent set of songs. The duo tried to maintain a mood for a whole album and they were pretty successful, even if one or two songs are very different from the others.
The second single from the album was released last week and is entitled 'Leaving'. Even in this era where single releases are becoming quite scarce, the Pet Shop Boys have chosen to release two cd-singles, a 12" single and even a 7" single. Much to my delight, of course, because 7" singles are still the best format. It comes with an inner and outer sleeve, with Chris Lowe on the outer sleeve and Neil Tennant on the label of the A-side. The inner sleeve features a beautiful laminated photograph of clouds in a dark sky, befitting the mood of the song. The demo version, featured on the B-side, is slightly different from the finished recording and can be considered quite a treat for fans and casual listeners alike. One of the best tracks on the album as far as I'm concerned.
My collection: 7" single no. 5296
Found: Rough Trade website, received October 18, 2012
Cost: 6 pounds
Tracks: 'Leaving' / 'Leaving (demo version)'
After a very productive 2011, during which Kate Bush released both the album 'Director's cut' and '50 words for snow', Record Store Day 2012 featured an exclusive 10" vinyl release by Kate. (Incidentally, it was her first vinyl single of recent work since 1993's 'Moments of pleasure'.) Featuring two tracks from the latter album, the 10" picture disc was released in a limited edition of just 2000 copies worldwide.
This spells hell for Kate Bush fans, since record shops participating in Record Store Day in the Netherlands are even more rare than trustworthy right-wing politicians. The official Kate Bush website stepped in and offered copies of the 10" a few weeks after Record Store Day. Again: hell, because the website was stormed by fans and I was clicking my fingers numb, frustrated at the slowness of the site. But after 72 minutes, I finally succeeded to buy my copy. Two weeks later, I hold it in my hands. And indeed, it is a beautiful disc. The tracks may be a bit slow for some, but 'Among angels' is among Kate's most moving songs ever.
My collection: 10" single [unnumbered] Found: Katebush.com website, received May 31, 2012 Cost: 15 pounds Tracks: 'Lake Tahoe' / 'Among angels'
When 'Every teardrop is a waterfall' was first released on YouTube, it sparked many negative comments, saying the song was plagiarised from 'Ritmo de la Noche' by The Sacados or from Peter Allen's 'I Go to Rio'. The band eventually credited Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson's composition upon its official release.
It's not the first time that Coldplay have used samples to write a new song, having used a Kraftwerk motif for their X&Y single 'Talk'. When you play the B-side 'Major minus', you will notice the very U2 sound of that track. No surprise when you know that the band collaborated with producer Brian Eno.
This 7" single comes in a coloured inner sleeve with a white outer sleeve where the name of the band and the title of the song are cut out. The disc itself is pressed on blue vinyl.
My collection: 7" single no. 5294 Found: CDon.com, Sweden, received February 4, 2012 Cost: 7 euro Tracks: 'Every teardrop is a waterfall' / 'Major minus'
