Swing Tanzen Verboten!

[Out2Lunch]

I just got this on a whim, it was inexpesive enough for 4 discs. Has anyone purchased this set yet and any thoughts on the music? I haven't put it on yet but it looks verrry interessstinng............................(remember Arte Johnson on Laugh-In?)

[David McFarlane]

My copy shipped yesterday. For anyone interested, CDUniverse has this on sale for $14.89 plus shipping ($2.70 less than I paid just two days before ) I'll be sure to post my impression.

[jazzbo]

My set shipped yesterday as well. I don't have the answer to your question GOM. . . . I think it's worth purchasing at the ridiculously low price. I ordered the Milton Brown set as well.

[Out2Lunch]

You might be able to better gage the contents of this set by my listing the titles of each disc in the set:

Disc One-German Swing,Dance & Jazz Bands 1933-1944

Disc Two-Charlie & His Orchestra:Nazi Propaganda Swing

Disc Three-Swing In Occupied Europe, 1940-1944

Disc Four-Swing in Belgium and France 1940-1944

[Out2Lunch]

Okay had a listen to this set. Discs 1 & 3 are watered down versions of swing played by musicians trying to sound like American bands and not succeeding very well. Disc Two is comprised of vocals first sung with legit lyrics and then morphed into propaganda slamming Churchill. FDR. Blacks, Jews and other enemies of the nazi regime. Its interesting to listen to for about 3/4 of the disc. Disc 4 is notable for the tracks with Django and the rest is mediocre.

The booklet is 60 pages long and is very comprehensive and has almost more information that one cares to know. Goes into detail about the musicians who worked with the nazis to grind out this music, most of whom either perished during the war or were blacklisted after the war for their roles in the propanda effort.

Its a set that is probably good for one listen and then gets shelved for awhile. For 17 bucks, its not a bad deal though.

[jazzbo]

I haven't listened to this too much, but I did enjoy the first and third discs a lot, more than I thought I might!

Also I'm enjoying the Milton Brown set. Gosh, I've been in Texas 23 years. . . now I'm actually buying western music. . . something's happened to me!

[John Delaney]

Anyone interested in this period of history might want to find out more and I'll suggest two books.

'Hitler's Airwaves', by Bergmeier and Lotz, Yale University Press, 1997. ISBN 0300067097. Comes with a CD some of which is probably on the Proper Box set.

'Different Drummers', by Michael H.Kater, Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN 0195050096.

There's also a third, briefer, book by Mike Zwerin. Title escapes me at the moment but it's published by Quartet, London.

John Delaney