???- German Drinking Songs

Here is a record I got for this occasion ( our salute to Germany and Oktoberfest) for $3.

Other than being released by Tradition/Everest sometime around 1975 as well as being recorded in Munich, I know little more about this album. I mean it is what the title implies, German drinking music.

For samples I am going with ” In Rudesheim in der Drosselgasse/ Von Rudesheim Nach Assmannshausen” as well as ” In Munchen Steht Ein Hofbraushaus/ Durst Wird Durch Bier Erst Schon”. I was going to translate these but instead, I leave that to you. I image these are about drinking in different places in Germany,

Satisfactory. Pretty much phoned in today’s post.

Rudesheim
In Munchen

VA- Volkstumliche Musikanten 2

Here we find ourselves in our week long tribute to Germany and Oktoberfest as well as the end of the month. Really rushing thru this to get to next month. Seems to be the trend this year. Anyway, I bought this for use this month for $6. Yikes.

If you are looking for a local Oktoberfest celebration, may I suggest Google. If you are in the Houston area, I seem to pimp this celebration out every year despite never having attended ( I am no fun anymore). But by all means, check it out here.

Link to Houston Oktoberfest.

This record, released by some label related to EMI/ Electrola features a compilation of what I believe is popular music. It features both instrumental and vocal tunes. All German I believe. This was released in 1973.

For a sample I went with “Kuhstallg’Stanzl’N” by Maria Hellwig and “Hochzeits-Jodler” (Wedding Yodeler) by Marlies Und Will.

Satisfactory,

Kuhstallg’ Stanzl’n
Hochzeits Jodler

Harry Belafonte- Belafonte

Well, here we are with the start of Oktoberfest but as I do not have any Saturday-worthy German albums, I am posting this, which seems a steal at $3.

This was Harry Belafonte’s second album, released by RCA Victor in 1955. It would go to #1 in the charts (six weeks) on its way to becoming a Gold Record.

This features songs such as “Matilda”, “Water Boy”, and “Troubles”. However, it is “Jump Down Spin Around” that gets my nod.

Satisfactory.

Jump DOwn Spin Around

Werner Muller- The Latin Splendor of Werner Muller

Here is an odd one for our Oktoberfest salute to Germany; a collection of Latin songs by a German bandleader. Well, I liked the last Werner Muller album I posted, I like most of the songs on this album, and I always seem to bite at Phase 4/London Records so purchasing thus for $4 should have been a no brainer.

Like the title implies, here is a collection of Latin songs performed by German bandleader Muller. This was released in 1969. Pretty straight forward. The top quality output one would expect from this label.

Lot of songs I like on here including “Delicado”, “The Girl From Ipanema”, “Perfidia”, “El Cumbanchero” and “Cumana:, However, for a sample, I went with “Mas Que Nada” as well as “Light My Fire”.

Satisfactory.

Mas Que Nada
Light My Fire

VA- German Schlagers

Well, in what has become a tradition which I am sort of regretting this month, we once again dedicate September to German record with the upcoming Oktoberfest season. Here is one I bought for $4 for this occasion.

Yes, Oktoberfest, which officially starts in two days, is the largest Volksfest in the world. It is held in Munich, but local celebrations are held around the world as well. Over the last four years, I have poured every fact I know about this festival into this blog so I have really nothing left to say about the event, other than it ends Oct 6.

This record, from Capitol , was recorded in Cologne (and Munich) and released in what year, I do not know. It is a collection of the German schlagers which have also been discussed quite frequently on the blog. There really is not a North American equivalent to the form. Anyway, this record contains such German hit makers as Camillo Felgen, Barbara Kist, Carl Niessen, and others.

For a sample, I went with the forementioned Felgen and Kist with “Two Lovers Pledge Their Troth”. This is listed as a duet but I do not hear any of Kist on this. Odd.

Satisfactory

Two Lovers Pledge Their Troth

Cecilia Barraza- ST

Here is a $3 record I rolled the dice on.

Cecilia Barraza ( born in Lima in 1952) is a popular Pervian singer. Her style has been categorized as Musica Criolla, a style that draws on European, African and Andean music. I believe she is still kicking it today.

I think this was her first record. Released on Discos/ Sono Radio in 1971. I think it was produced by Enrique Lynch and featured Rafael Anaranto on guitar and Julio Mori on sax.

Pretty good little soulful album here. For a sample, I went with “El Guayacan”. I also went with “Bello Durmiente” (Sleeping Beauty) for no other reason than it has those pan flutes which seem to be popular in Peru.

Satisfactory record for sure. I really enjoyed it.

El Guayacan
Bello Durmiente

OST- Talash

This is probably the best thing I am going to post this month. Quite possibly, this is the best thing I posted all year. I got this for $4, rolling the dice with Bollywood.

Talash was teh first Bollywood film with a $10 million budget, released in 1969. It was directed and produced by O.P Ralhan and starred Rajendra Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Balraj Sahni, and Ralhan himself. The story focuses on a struggling worker who must chose between true love and marrying the bosses daughter.

The music was written by Bollywood legend S.D. Burman while the lyrics were handled by Majrooh Sultanpuri ( also of renown). The songs vary from classical to romantic to cabaret style. This record was released by Angel/ EMI.

I am submitting for a sample a night club song called “Kar Le Pyar”, song by voice Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle. It is pretty rocking. I also really liked “Mera Kya Sanam” as well, also sung by Bhosle.

Satisfactory.

Kar Le Pyar

Stanley Black and his Orchestra- Spain

This album has a weird history with me. Back in February ( or the month I worked on February’s records), I found a had two copies of Frank Chacksfield’s Foreign Film Festival. As this is a common event, I sort of blew it off. However, when I opened the record up, I found the record was mis-matched (also quite common) and I indeed had Stanley Black’s Spain. As I quote enjoy Black’s records, I was quite pleased. Well that was short lived as I found I already had a copy of that as well. So I kind of went from getting screwed, to gaming the system back to getting screwed again. For the record, I paid $4 and $2 for this.

So here is a record from Phase 4/ London, released in 1961. The album is not only a testament to Black’s talent. It also speaks volumes about the diversity of music from a country that has influences from both the Christian and Muslim world. A lot of different styles on here as well as flamenco guitars and castanets.

I liked some of the perennial favorites on here; “Ritual Fire Dance”, “Malguena”, “Granada” and the Carmen Suite ( although that is technically French). However, I went with the opening track, “Valencia”. Satisfactory.

Valencia

Noel Coward- In New York

Getting so close to the end of the month. Trying to finish these out. I bought this one for $6. I thought it was fitting after starting the month with one of America’s greatest composer/playwright’s to therefore, close with one of England’s. I also probably planned on writing about the many similarities between the two as well as the many glaring differences. Well, unfortunately for you, we are not going there, But feel free to discuss on your own.

That being said, here we have an 1959 album from the dapper Noel Coward (1899-1973). Unlike Cohan who grew up in a vaudeville family who were legends in their own right, Coward, was pushed into the dance academy by his mother. From there, like Cohan, he started acting at an early age, becoming a somewhat famous child actor of the stage, working with company such as Hermoine Gingold and Getrude Lawrence (who would become a lifelong friend and muse). He also started writing his own plays during his teens and would continue to write 50 or so throughout his career.

His biggest works include Hay Fever, Private Lives, and Blithe Spirit. He also wrote over 300 songs as well. His work was successful on both sides of the Atlantic (I am unsure how popular Cohan was in the UK). However, like his US counterpart, his legacy is greatly remembered in his homeland and has been honored in London’ famed West End with a theater named after him. Kind of hit the ends without any real focus on the middle of the story and as a result, I can not help but comment how lacking this back story is. I guess then that I should throw out whereas Cohan was known for his flag on your sleeve patriotism and was a better songwriter than playwright, I would say Coward was probably the reverse and known more for his flamboyance and wit . Although I think flamboyance is what people in the early 20th century used instead of gay , which unlike Cohan, Coward most defiantly was.

So again, we have this album from Columbia with accompaniment by Peter Matz. It is a collection of songs from various works of Coward, in the musical style that he made famous. Very stripped down and at the same time quite witty, I am so done with this month so I am going to leave this here.

For a sample, I liked a lot of the songs on here, including ” Why The Show Must Go On” , I Went to A Marvelous Party”, “What’s Going to Happen to the Tots”, and “I Wonder What Happened to Him”. However, given where we started the month, I am submitting ” I Like America” from Coward’s 1950 piece Ace Of Clubs.

Satisfactory record but fair warning. I am spitting these posts out for the remained of this fiscal month ( which is two days).

I Like America

The Savanna Trio- More Folksongs from Iceland

Keeping things focused on folk music, but this time from the land of Bjork. I paid $4 for this.

This is the followup to the Savanna Trio earlier album Folk Songs of Iceland. The Trio consisted of (ready the spell check) Thorir Baldursson, Bjorn Bjornsson, and Torels Bedtsen. They were also joined by Gunnar Sigurdsson on bass. These fellows seemed active int he 1960’s but this record came out in 1971.

This probably deserves more of a write up but that ain’t happening this week. OS here we have 12 folk songs from Iceland. Pretty well put together. Catchy songs. Good vocals. I like this album.

I picked “Jardarfarafdagur” as a sample, which Google translates into “Funeral Day”. Wow, pretty dark. Like their winters. Whilst taking pictures of the cover, I found a write up about the song. Turns out is a comedic tune about some dudes who go to a funeral to hook up with the widow, only to find she has shacked up with the coffin maker.

Satisfactory

Jardarfarardagur