The Road To Baku - Lys Assia

I know, christmas is up first, but it’s already so busy on the Eurovision 2012 that Eurocovers will take an early peak on artists who are trying to get to Baku by means of their national finals.
Switzerland has a very extensive preselection (more info here) with well over 200 songs participating in various broadcasters pre-pre-pre voting extravaganzi.

One artist that of course caught everybody’s attention is Lys Assia, who enters the selection with C’était Ma Vie penned by 'Mister Eurovision' Ralph Siegel with lyrics by 'Mister L’Oiseau Et L’Enfant' Jean Paul Cara.
The song is a big orchestra driven ballad reminiscing of the olden days. It's Lys Assia's My Way or This Is My Life (The Shirley Bassey one). I don't know if there's a place for the rather old fashioned entry in todays Eurovision field, but it's great to see the old gal is still at it.

Update: Broadcaster SF has announced that Lys Assia will proceed to the Swiss National Final on December 10. Congratulations!
Another Update: Lys Assia ended 4th in the Swiss national final. Read all about the winner here at the Baku Collection.



Eurovision fans will of course know (and some even remember) the Grand Dame / Grand Ma of Eurovision as the first ever winner of our annual music fest. With the song Refrain, written by Geo Voumard and Émile Gardaz, Lys Assia won the initial edition of the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956.

In 1956 each of the seven participating countries had two songs in the (radio only) competition. Switzerland selected  Lys Assia with Das Alte Karussell (The old Carousel) and the eventual winner Refrain.

The Swiss must have loved Lys a lot as she went on representing the country in 1957 with L'enfant Que j'Étais (The child that I was, 8th place) and in 1958 with her best effort Giorgio (2nd place, brilliant song).

Lys Assia’s biggest hit was not any of her Eurovision songs (although Giorgio did quite well in several pre historic charts) but her version the evergreen Oh Mein Papa (1950). Other hits include Arrivederci Roma (1956) Deine Liebe (1957), Ein Kleiner Gold'ner Ring (1961) and Die Sterne Von Syrakus (1962).


Eurocovers
In my book there are three Eurovision songs Lys Assia covered. There may be more, as Lys Assia must have recorded about a million songs in the 50’s and sixties.

Italy 1961: Al Di Là (Betty Curtis)
In Italian with the Dino Olivieri Orchestra
- on EP Philips 431 054, also LP San Remo's greatest hits 1958-1966

Denmark 1963: Dansevise (Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann)
Der Sommer ging voruber (German)
- single Telefunken U 55705

U.K. 1963: Say Wonderful Things (Ronnie Carroll)
Zwei blaue Vergißmeinnicht (German)
- single Telefunken U 55705
(Both 1963 songs were released on the same single)

Bonus Adorable Lys - A medley recorded in 1964 with the Addy Flor orchestra sung in English, German, French and Spanish including a bit of Refrain.

Related Eurocovers posts and links
Geo Voumard / Jula De Palma (Refrain), Flo Sandon's (Refrain)
Ralph Siegel: Dschinghis Khan (Moscow weeks) Dschinghis Khan (Korea) I Can't Live Without Music (Russia) Ein Bisschen Frieden (Korea, Norway, Korea II)
Jean Paul Cara: L'Oiseau style Zouk

Eurovision 2012 - The Baku Collection
Shopping: Lys Assia at BeaRecords

Absent Friend - Ingvar Wixell 1931 - 2011

Swedish Opera singer and Eurovision star Ingvar Wixell died.

Wixell's place in Eurovision history is highlighted by the fact that he sung his entry (for Sweden) Absent Friend in English. No one* had done that before and it also caused the much debated language rule to be introduced where every artist must sing in his own countries' language.

* of course except U.K. entries and the first Irish one, on stage 7 songs before Wixell.

Absent Friend was originally Annorstädes Vals in Swedish. Ingvar Wixell sang six songs in the Swedish national final of 1965 (Svensk sångfinal). He never recorded any other Eurovision song.

Ingvar Wixell was a celebrated baritone who performed for many years with the Stockholm Opera and the German Opera of Berlin. Many of his classical performances were released on LP/CD.

He also recorded a popular christmas album Christmas Music In Sweden (1964).

Re-release news, not so historic B.O.M. album finally gets CD release.

Brotherhood Of Man, you either love'em or adore'em.
The 1976 Eurovision winners (Save Your Kisses For Me) were quite succesful in the 70's.

The Eurovision line-up we all know and love had some international hits before the contest (1975 hit Kiss Me, Kiss Your Baby was the first B.O.M. single I bought).
They also managed to hold on to their success after Eurovision (Angelo, even though a blatant ABBA - Fernando rip-off, is totally brilliant).

An early incarnation of the band had also scored some hits in the U.S. in the early seventies, most notably United We Stand.

By the time the eighties came around, the stream of hits dried up and some clever people at B.O.M.s headquarters thought a greatest-hits-of-other-people LP would be a good idea.
And they were not wrong. The LP stayed on the U.K. charts for two months and achieved gold record status.

Brotherhood Of Man Sing Twenty Number One Hits features, well, 20 #1 hits. Most songs were hits in the 70's. The album includes one Eurocover: What's Another Year by Johnny Logan, the Irish winner of 1980.

Other tracks are ABBA's Dancing Queen, Boney M's Rivers Of Babylon and the Commodores' Three Times A Lady.

See tracklist below for all 20 #1 hits.

Da' Brotherhood tried to repeat the success with a similar double album with 20 disco hits and 20 love songs titled 20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs. but that failed to repeat the popularity of 20 #1 hits .
The Eurovision line-up of Brotherhood Of Man are still going strong and perform often on the Eurovision / nostalgia circuit, both with 70's tribute shows and their own material. A good time guaranteed for all. Respect!

The original Twenty Number One Hits LP was released in 1980 on the Warwick label, the CD re-issue is released on Northwold records. It's out 10-10-11.

Brotherhood Of Man Sing Twenty Number One Hits

We Don't Talk Anymore
Bright Eyes
When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman
Don't Give Up on Us Baby
Together We Are Beautiful
What's Another Year
I Will Survive
I'm Not in Love
Working My Way Back to You
Mull of Kintyre

Dancing Queen

When I Need You

Rivers of Babylon

If You Leave Me Now

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Three Times a Lady

One Day at a Time

When Will I See You Again

Annie's Song

Sailing

A Norwegian version of Save Your Kisses For Me by the Bendik Singers can be found in this Eurocovers post. A Czech version by Helena Vondrackova and Jiri Korn is here.

Brotherhood Of man website

Schlager time: Elz Bakker revives Carola's Invincible

I noticed this schlager ditty entered the Dutch single top 100 this week.

It's a coverversion of Carola's 3rd Eurovision entry Invincible (Evighet in the Swedish selection).

Carola's English version ended up 5th in the Athens Eurovision Song Contest of 2006.

Elz Bakker's Dutch coverversion Laat Mij Voor Jou De Laatste Zijn (Let me be your last one) is out now on the NRGY label.

Downloads are available at the tunes and other sources.

More Carola at Eurocovers in 2008.

Invincible coverversions discography

Sonja Aldén (English)
- This is the orginal demo which was released on the CD collection Melodifestivalen 10 År På Turné 2002-2011. (only on the Gold edition with 7CDs)

Tomas Andersson Wij (Swedish)

- on CD En Introduktion Till Tomas Andersson Wij (Sonet/Universal)
This acoustic ballad version was first performed at the 2007 Melodifestivalen final.
Popkidz (Swedish)
- on CD Number One (Ariola) 
Alain Morisod and Sweet People - J’ai rendez-vous (French)
- on CD A Chacun Son Etoile (Tricycle) (update thanks Jef!)
Marcelle Alexis (French, Canadian singer)

- French version on website, on forthcoming CD

Elz bakker - Laat Mij Voor Jou De Laatste Zijn (Dutch) - digital single (NRGY)

Aistė Pilvelytė - Su Tavimi  (Lithuanian)

- on CD Meilė Dar Gyva (Monaco records)
DNE feat. Manika - Nepremagljiv (DJT by DNE rmx, Slovenian)
- on CD Dee Jay Time: Beli album 16 (VA, Menart records) (update, thanks Miha!)
Hi-5 - 'n Ewigheid (Afrikaans)
- on CD Versoeking (Select Music)
Juanita Du Plessis - 'n Ewigheid (Afrikaans)
- on CD 10 Jaar Platinum Treffers  (Maroela Musiek)

Details on all Carola's entries and their coverversions are here in this document. (Word doc, updated september 2011)

My Hart Het Klaar Besluit and more from South Africa

Here's the official videoclip of My Hart Het Klaar Besluit by David Fourie and Monique.
It's of course the Afrikaans coverversion of Running Scared, this years Eurovision winner by Ell and Nikki (Eldar and Nigar) who took the trophy for Azerbaijan.
The song is released on the forthcoming David Fourie compilation album Die Eerste Dekade (the first decade) and will also be on Moniques forthcoming album.
The duo is also said to have recorded a cover of the English version for release on the Tunes, but I have no further details on that.

David Fourie has recorded other coverversions of Eurovision songs: Germany 1989, Norway 2003, Estonia 2002 plus a host of National final songs.

Monique had a hit in South Africa with rapper Snotkop and their Afrikaans version of the Finnish 2009 entry Lose Control titled Ek Val Vir Jou.

Some more South African covers.
It's no secret South African singers have been recording many Eurovision songs in the past few years.
Here's a few you can actually listen to a full version of a song. (more to come?...)

Haba Haba
Arista Paxton has finished her new album including no less than eight Eurocovers.
You can listen to two of the songs: Haba Haba (Norway 2011) is here at reverbnation.
Laat My Leef is a cover of Moldova's 2010 entry Run Away (originally by Olia Tira and Sunstroke Project), and it's also at Arista's Reverbnation page.
I don't know anything about the title of the CD or it's availability yet, but it is released through the Cape Town based record company Southern Buzz. Hopefully more details later.
The album has tracks in English and Afrikaans but all Eurocovers are in Afrikaans.
Among the covers on the album there is a version cover favorite Sha La Lie (Netherlands 2010) and the 2011 winner from Azerbaijan which Arista recorded with Hugo Nieuwoudt.


Peace Please
Colé van Dais has recorded several Eurocovers on her album Dink Aan My (private pressing).
One interesting track is a 4-language coverversion of Peace Will Come, the corny peace-loving ditty the Georgians unleashed upon the unsuspecting masses back in 2008. Colé van Dais' version is a duet with Marc Rantseli and is sung in English, Afrikaans, Spanish and Zulu. You can Listen to the full version at Colé's Reverbnation, which also has some of her other songs.


Not So Stupid Cupid

So Henri Alant missed out on Believe Again, the Danish 2009 hit that became the most covered song of the year. (more here at Eurocovers) but I noticed a 2010 videoclip of Cupid, a coverversion of Once In A Lifetime by Ines.

OIAL is a crafty top pop song from the days when Estonia was still whipping out quality entries every year. It was #4 in the Stockholm contest in 2000.
Henri Alants version, in Afrikaans, is from the album also titled Cupid, but I haven't found any international online shop that sells it yet.
Anyway, You can watch the official full video of Cupid here at ye olde tube.

Love Shine A Light
André Huysamen recorded the 1997 Eurovision winner Love Shine A Light (Katrina and the Waves) for his album. The hymn about love is supported by a childrens choir courtesy of the Generaal Beyers primary school. It's Liefde Skyn 'N Lig in Afrikaans and can be found on the album Imperfek.
Title song Imperfek is a coverversion of Temple Of Love, Swedish pre-song by the fab pop trio BWO (Bodies Without Organs)
I didn't find any details on the album or its availability but you can listen to both songs in full at André's Reverbnation.

Home Is Where The Heart Is
Elizma Theron has released her second CD album Oppad Na Jou (On my way to you) which includes an Afrikaans version of the German 2008 entry Disappear (by No Angels). It's titled Maak My Hart Jou Huis (Make my heart your home) and you can listen here at the tube.
The CD is available at Kalahari.

Special Thanks to Roy.

Links and sources:
Read all about the 2011 Eurovision winner versions and releases here at the Düsseldorf Collection.
The 2012 edition: The Baku Collection is materializing here.
A new website for David Fourie will be launched here soon and you can already check out a picture of him with his shirt sort of off.
This video is uploaded through the Select Musiek Youtube channel.
The Fourie CD is available at Kalahari who ship internationally.
You can buy the digital version at iTunes, Amazon, Deezer and other sources.

A selection of Eurocovers posts about South African singers: Sunette Bridges, Andriette Norman and Heinz Winkler, Jay and Lianie (with video), Dewald Louw,  Jasmyn, Mariska and Rian Ungerer (with video), Monique and Snotkop (with video), Dominec, various 2009 releases.
And some from the olden days: Dana Valery, Jody Wayne.

12points TV party
New Eurovision website 12points.tv formerly known as 3minutes.me has been launched with a Eurovision party in Rotterdam.
On 7 October 12points.tv was kicked off officially with an all Eurovision evening in cafe Keerweer in downtown Rotterdam.
The new 12points.tv website is here.

Chup Chup Chup

Chup Chup Chup by Karachi singer Shehla Gul is a coverversion of the 2009 Eurovision entry Düm Tek Tek by Hadise (Turkey). It's sung in the Sindhi language.
Thanks to Umut for the tip!

Wolter Kroes - Laat de zomer in je hart

Dutch schlager singer Wolter Kroes is showing off his new flip flops to the tune of Lass Die Sonne In Dein Herz, the German 1987 entry already featured here a few posts ago.
This new Dutch version is currently a top 10 hit in the Dutch top 100 and a cdsingle is out now and available at BeaRecords.

(Disco colors) Love is blue - Colors 【ツ】

Sven-Olof Walldoff 1929 - 2011

Sven-Olof Walldoff, Conductor, Producer, Eurovision Icon died this week at the age of 82.

His unforgettable appearance as the Napoleon dressed Maitre d'Orchestre at the 1974 Eurovision helped propell ABBA into the worlds minds forever.

Before ABBA he worked with Agnetha on her solo hits and albums and he has also worked with Frida (Anni-frid Lyngstad) and Björns band the Hootenanny singers.

Waterloo at Eurocovers: here and here

Kathy Kirby (1938-2011)

Eurocovers bids a sad goodbye to Kathy Kirby, Eurovision singer and a True Pop Star.

Kathy Kirby Official website