Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Nachtexpress Nach Warschau - Bauschke, Erhard
2. Everybody Sing - Bauschke, Erhard
3. Rosalie - Bauschke, Erhard
4. Ich Mochte Reich Sein - Bauschke, Erhard
5. Espirit - Vossen, Albert
6. Man With The Mandolin - Hohenberger, Kurt
7. Warum Weshalb Und Wieso - Hohenberger, Kurt
8. Fermate - Berking, Willy
9. Legato - Berking, Willy
10. Rhythmus - Berking, Willy
11. Tempo Tempo - Berking, Willy
12. Tip-Top - Berking, Willy
13. Am Montag Fangt Die Woche - Joost, Oskar
14. Stomp - Hot Club Frankfurt
15. Jungfrau - Jary, Michael
16. Hallo Fraulein - Jary, Michael
17. Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schon - Zacharias, Helmut
18. Allerschonste Aller Frauen - Kleindin, Teddy
19. Der Schwarzen Panther - Stanke, Willi
20. FD Hamburg - Stanke, Willi
21. Lilo - Stanke, Willi
22. Grand Hotel - Stanke, Willi
23. Karussell - Stech, Willi
24. Was Geschah In Dieser Nacht - Fud Candrix

Disc 2:

1. You're Driving Me Crazy - Charlie & His Orchestra
2. Stormy Weather - Charlie & His Orchestra
3. When Day Is Done - Charlie & His Orchestra
4. I Want To Be Happy - Charlie & His Orchestra
5. You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming - Charlie & His Orchestra
6. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket - Charlie & His Orchestra
7. King's Horses - Charlie & His Orchestra
8. St. Louis Blues - Charlie & His Orchestra
9. Slumming On Park Avenue - Charlie & His Orchestra
10. I'll Never Say Never Again - Charlie & His Orchestra
11. Dinah - Charlie & His Orchestra
12. Goody Goody - Charlie & His Orchestra
13. F.D.R. Jones - Charlie & His Orchestra
14. After You've Gone - Charlie & His Orchestra
15. Makin' Whoopee - Charlie & His Orchestra
16. Bye Bye Blackbird - Charlie & His Orchestra
17. Japanese Sandman - Charlie & His Orchestra
18. Lambeth Walk - Charlie & His Orchestra
19. You Stepped Out Of A Dream - Charlie & His Orchestra
20. I Double Dare You - Charlie & His Orchestra
21. Miss Annabelle Lee - Charlie & His Orchestra
22. Hold Tight - Charlie & His Orchestra
23. Die Trommel Und Ihr Rhythmus - Charlie & His Orchestra

Disc 3:

1. Honeysuckle Rose - Asmussen, Svend
2. Limehouse Blues - Asmussen, Svend
3. Japanese Sandman - Asmussen, Svend
4. Carry Me Back To Old Virginny - Miss Valaida
5. Some Of These Days - Kordt Sisters
6. Do You Wanna Jump Children - Harlem Kiddies
7. Roulette - Ramblers (3)
8. Muziek Voor Mitzy - Ramblers (3)
9. Hilversum Express - Ramblers (3)
10. Steeple Chase - Ramblers (3)
11. Dr Heckyll And Mr Jyde - Wouters, Frans
12. Johnson Rag - Van't Hoff, Ernst
13. Dansstemming (Ballroom Jive) - Van't Hoff, Ernst
14. Un Beau Chapeau Madame (Idaho) - Van't Hoff, Ernst
15. Lady Be Good - Nederpelt, Charlie
16. Rosetta - Willebrandts, Dick
17. Dallas Blues - Willebrandts, Dick
18. Woodchopper's Ball - Willebrandts, Dick
19. Boogie Woogie (Bokkenwagen) - Willebrandts, Dick
20. Capuncyners - Maui
21. Illusie - Van Dyk, Piet
22. College Swing - Van Beeck, Klaas
23. Rytmefeber - Syversen, Rolf
24. Buvos Hegedu - Radics Gabor Jazz

Disc 4:

1. Eclats De Cuivres - Reinhardt, Django
2. Dynamisme - Reinhardt, Django
3. Tons D'Ebene - Reinhardt, Django
4. Simplicite - Simplisse, Hubert
5. Belleville - Reinhardt, Django
6. Oubli - Reinhardt, Django
7. ABC - Reinhardt, Django
8. Rhythme Indien - Deloof, Gus
9. When You're Smiling - Viseur, Gus
10. Bois De La Cambre - Viseur, Gus
11. Porter 39 - Viseur, Gus
12. Palm Beach - Ekyan, Andre
13. Zazou Zazou - Reinhardt, Jo
14. Nuit Et Jour - Kane, Danny
15. Agatha Rhythm - Kane, Danny
16. Douce Georgette - Reinhardt, Joseph
17. L'Oeil Noir - Reinhardt, Joseph
18. Chiffon - Le Quintette Francais
19. Juin - Le Quintette Francais
20. Bruxelles - Le Quintette Francais
21. Loin - Le Quintette Francais
22. 67 Rue Couperin - Bellest, Christian
23. Elle Et Lui - Bellest, Christian
24. Hot Club Swing - Barclay, Eddie

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105668 in Music
• Released on: 2006-07-24
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: 1.13 pounds

Customer Reviews

WARTIME SWING AND PROPAGANDA
This 4-CD set is a musical anthology of World War Two dance music under Nazi occupation. Each CD has its own distinctive flavour, namely:-

German Swing, Dance and Jazz Bands 1937-1944
Charlie and his Orchestra (Nazi Propaganda Swing)
Swing in Belgium and France, 1940-1944
Swing in Occupied Europe, 1940-1944

Enjoyment of the generous 95 tracks is embellished by a 60-page illustrated booklet by Joop Visser, explaining how this "undesirable music" managed to survive despite official disapproval. In fact Charlie and his Orchestra featured as part of the broadcasts by William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw), and provided revised lyrics aimed at subverting the Allies.

Django Reinhardt and brother Joseph are well represented on Disc 3, and The Ramblers are included on Disc 4, together with a rare Valaida Snow side. Recommended unreservedly to all those who want to broaden their appreciation of wartime swing.

I've returned to this set in the light of Joost Kiefte's proscriptive comments, to urge prospective buyers not to be dissuaded from purchase. For those who are unaware of the background, Charlie and his Orchestra recorded parodies of popular songs, reconstructed as messages to be broadcast to the Allies that Germany was winning the war, and that resistance was useless. There are various unflattering references to Mr. Churchill, the RAF, and the Americans, and the recordings are therefore of great historical interest. By their very nature, they were never made available to the general public, and the originals are extremely rare. Their inclusion within this set is in my opinion worth the overall asking price, whatever the perceived merits or otherwise of the remainder.

A very incomplete picture
I haven't got the set, but the featured bands and tracks lead me to put some severe restictions on Mr. McCanna's enthousiastic review. The collection gives a lopsided view of continental swing at best. Some of the best German pre-war bands such as Heinz Wehner, James Kok, Teddy Stauffer, Die Goldene Sieben and Max Rumpf, whose attempts at swing or hot-music rate much higher than those of either Oscar Joost (who by the way was an enthusiastic member of the NSDAP, strove for a typically German kind of dance music (whatever that might be) keeping the pernicious influence of swing and jazz at bay) or Erhard Bauschke (and he made better swing recordings than the ones on the disc); a full disc is dedicated to Charlie and his Orchestra, whose propaganda broadcasts were never heard by the Germans or the unhappy inhabitants of the occupied countries, so why a full cd of his recordings? On the other hand, bands like those of Horst Winter (a good clarinettist; he also sang and was, inevitably, called the German Bing Crosby), Freddie Brocksieper (whose startling 1942-1943 recordings were, when reissued in 1948, regarded as "modern" recordings), Hans Rehmstedt, Lutz Templin (whose orchestra "Charlie" Schwedler used) or the Deutsche Tanz- und Unterhaltungsorchester (the latter broadcast regularly from Berlin and Prague to bolster morale) are completely left out, a sad omission.
From Belgium we find Fud Candrix mainly and Stan Brenders only as a backdrop to Django Reinhardt and the excellent band of Jean Omer (one of the best swing orchestras of continental Europe) is not included at all. A pity because they made many fine recordings that would be most deserving of your attention.
From other occupied or axis countries we do not hear of the following bands: Leo Matthiesen and Kai Ewans from Denmark; Karol Vlach from Czechoslovakia; Tulio Mobiglia whose delightful combo from Italy made quite a few enjoyable swing recordings in Berlin; Le Jazz de Paris, led by Alix Combelle and later Jerry Mengo who recorded in Paris. Why are they not represented? The Ramblers from Holland are not represented by their best wartime recordings (perhaps these are their most well known, but that is not the same thing at all).
Swedish orchestras are not represented either, but the swing records by Thore Ehrling and Arne Hülphers (on Telefunken and Odeon) were sold in Germany and Europe during the war.
It looks like a randomly and indiscriminately picked collection of tunes at best.