Showing posts with label Teach-In. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teach-In. Show all posts

Saturday 10 April 2021

Ding-a-dong - Teach-In

My collection already contains Teach-In's 'Ding-a-dong' in English, Dutch and German, so you might say that this addition to my collection is a bit superfluous. I could pretend that I bought this particular single for the fact that the B-side is different - 'Let me in' does not appear on any of the other three singles - but who would I be kidding? The fact is, this sleeve is just too curious to pass up on.

Quite why the Italians felt they had to release this single in such a tittilating sleeve is unknown, but perhaps they thought it wouldn't sell otherwise. I am pretty sure that a sleeve like this would be censored these days - which makes it even more amusing to own this little piece of shameless history.

My collection: 7" single no. 6370
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 April 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'Let me in'

Sunday 17 April 2016

Ding-a-dong - Teach In

Some singles are rather rare, and as a result, record dealers at record fairs are usually tempted to ask a high price for them. Then there are records that are not so rare, but associated to a certain event - let's say, the Eurovision Song Contest - and that's also a reason ask a minimum of 10 euros for the disc. And this one is a good example.

I found this copy in a mass of singles from a German dealer, all priced at a measly 1 euro each. Obviously, I bought it right away. Then, 10 minutes later and a few metres away, I saw another copy of this single, in a row of singles especially labeled 'Eurovision'. The price: 10 euros. And no, it didn't look any better than this one. You can imagine that I had a happy moment then and there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5832
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 16, 2016
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'Hey hello'

Listen to the song


Saturday 12 December 2009

Greenpeace - Teach-In

During a week when half the world is flying(!) to Copenhagen, Denmark to talk about the environment and how we humans are destroying our planet, I thought I might post a song that is slightly related to the subject. It's Teach-In's 1979 song 'Greenpeace', about the action group of the same name. It was a hit in the Netherlands for this Dutch group, peaking at number 10 in the Dutch Top 40.

The song was recorded both in Dutch and English, and both versions appear on the single. It's amusing that the English version contains a phrase like 'Rainbow Worrier'. The title of the song is sung as 'Green peas'.

My collection: 7" single no. 96
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Greenpeace (English version)' / 'Greenpeace (Nederlandse versie)'

Thursday 14 May 2009

Dinge-dong - Teach-In

It's not so strange that the Netherlands didn't get through to the final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest with the so-called Toppers. The song was too wordy, the lyric was full of platitudes, the three fat men looked ridiculous in their suits and the whole thing was just too bad for words.

I do wonder how I would have felt about Teach-In back in 1975 if I'd been older. The lyric of this song isn't exactly highbrow and the music was pretty much the same as any popsong at the time. These days, we only know it as the last song that won Eurovision for the Netherlands. The fact that it's 34 years ago makes it rather painful. We hear this song every damn year! But still, it's essential to have in my Eurovision collection, which is why I bought it. And I'm very glad this copy is in excellent condition.

My collection: 7" single no. 3709
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received May 13, 2009
Cost: 3,5 euro
Tracks: 'Dinge-dong' / 'Ik heb geen geld voor de trein'



Thursday 5 February 2009

Ding-a-dong - Teach-in

Every year when the Eurovision Song Contest draws near, the Dutch audience is reminded of the last victory by the Netherlands. It gets more depressing every year: the last victory took place in 1975, more than 30 years ago. After 'La La La' (Spain, 1969) and 'Boom bang-a-bang' (UK, 1969) this wan another example of a Eurovision winner with a nonsensical title.

The song, performed entirely in English, was an up-tempo ode to positive thought. Almost immediately, the song's lyrics became a source of ridicule, particularly in the UK, because the word "dong" is slang for penis. And the fact that the lyric includes a line that goes 'When you walk along with your ding dang dong' didn't help, either. This did not stop the song from hitting number 13 in the UK singles chart. In the Netherlands, the single peaked at number 3.

My collection: 7" single no. 3388
Found: Geest, Den Haag, 2003
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Ding-a-dong' / 'The circus show'
Download: here

Tuesday 2 December 2008

A ride in the night - Teach-In

The Dutch pop group Teach-In was formed in 1967. In the Netherlands they had their first hit 1974 with the song 'Fly away'. International fame followed one year later when they won the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm with 'Ding a dong'. Lead singer Getty Kaspers left the group one year after that, and was replaced by Betty Vermeulen and Marianne Wolsink. With these two singers the group recorded 'A ride in the night', a single that was to become the second one in my current collection.

'A ride in the night' reached number 31 in the Dutch Top 40, the lowest placing of the twelve singles by Teach-In that made it into the chart. I won't revise my record collection anymore, but if I did, this one would definitely be out...

My collection: 7" single no. 2
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1978
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'A ride in the night' / 'Wonderful feeling'
Download: here
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