Browse by Label: BUREAU B (GERMANY)

Artist:	HAENNING, GITTE
Title:	Meets The Francy Boland Kenny Clarke Big Band
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 001CD

Originally reissued by the Bureau B label in 2005, this is big band jazz at its best recorded by Danish singer/actress Gitte Haenning in 1969, the lady who became famous above all for her pop songs (especially "Ich Will 'Nen Cowboy Als Mann"). We owe these extraordinary recordings -- back then released under the title Gitte & The Band: My Kind Of World -- to the fact that EMI, the record company Gitte had signed up with back then, wanted to make her compliant with its wishes. In the booklet, Gitte explains what was going on: "I didn't want to renew my contract as a pop singer. I didn't want to see and hear myself in that genre anymore. Although I was amazingly successful, I was just more interested in doing other things. Thankfully, EMI suddenly gave me this chance. It was supposed to be something like a gift to me that was to take my mind off things in order to make me feel positive about the conclusion of the record deal." At that time, Gitte's recording engineer also worked for the first-rate big band of Belgian pianist and arranger Francy Boland and American drummer Kenny Clarke, and so they agreed on this unique cooperation. The recordings include both big band classics and new compositions written by Jimmy Woode, who was bassist in the big band back then and now works with Helge Schneider. This is how Woode describes this exceptional singer in the booklet: "Endowed with an intriguing range, natural ear, and bent for swing, Gitte Haenning has it all! Truly a lady for all seasons." The songs are situated in relaxed mainstream, combining solo gems by the instrumentalists with masterly group arrangements, perfectly fitting for Gitte's voice that at times sounds girlishly innocent, at other times smoky and worldly-wise without ever having any phrasing problems or fluctuations. With her unmistakable vocal timbre, Gitte manages to give new nuances even to the album's only pop melody, John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "A World Without Love." The carefully-designed digipack CD includes a 20-page booklet with rare photos and liner notes by the artist herself, Jimmy Woode and the band's promoter, as well as the original liner notes by Walter Haas.

Artist:	VALENTE, CATERINA
Title:	Sweet Beat -- The Legendary 60s Pop Session
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 002CD

Originally reissued by the Bureau B label in 2005. Born in Paris to Italian parents, Caterina Valente became an international songstress and entertainer in the mid-late '50s, and broke through in the U.S. on Perry Como's TV show in 1961. She co-hosted shows alongside Carol Burnett and Bob Newhart in 1964, and in 1968, the TV special Caterina From Heidelberg was watched by over 50 million viewers in the U.S. That same year, as she was elaborating the concept for her new international album in 1968, the radio speakers were still blasting out Scott McKenzie's 1967 hymn of praise for the flower generation of San Francisco. The new "swinging London" became the birthplace of new recordings by artists such as The Beatles, The Kinks and Petula Clark. And so, Caterina Valente and Eric Van Aro, who was her husband and manager at that time, decided to do a tribute album of '60s pop. The album was recorded at Teldec studios in Berlin in1968, and according to the recording minutes, the 13 songs were recorded within 12 hours. Originally titled Sweet Beat and released by Decca in 1968, arranged by the legendary Heinz Kiessling and produced by Eric Van Aro.

Artist:	ZACHARIAS, HELMUT
Title:	Respect -- The 1968 Capitol Hit Recordings
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 003CD

Originally reissued on the Bureau B label in 2006. Presenting Helmut Zacharias' Zacharias Plays The Hits, originally released in 1969 and re-titled Respect -- The 1968 Capitol Hit Recordings, including one bonus track. Known as the perennially-perky virtuoso violinist, Helmut Zacharias was on the roster of the English EMI label, recording string interpretations of contemporary hits in his own inimitable style. Originally established as more of an exponent of easy listening in his native Germany, on these sessions he tucks his violin under his chin and, with a wonderfully-primed orchestra behind him, shows just how effortlessly sexy, laid-back, swinging and groovy pop song arrangements can be. Zacharias leads us from Otis Redding's "Respect" via Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" all the way to The Doors' "Light My Fire." This musical reissue is housed in a high-quality digipack, complete with a comprehensive 20-page booklet featuring previously-unpublished photographs and detailed liner notes. Helmut's youngest son, the film composer Stephan Zacharias, delved into his father's archives and his findings offer a fascinating insight into the making of the album. The sound engineer on duty in Cologne's EMI studios also casts his mind back to the sessions, while the original American liner notes are no less remarkable -- not only for their cavalier attitude to facts, as their switching of Mozart and Beethoven's birthdays to suit their Zacharias narrative reveals. They also turn "The Magic Violin" into a "talking" violin -- but no matter, the music remains intact and as impressive as it was in 1968. High time to set the record straight that violins ARE cool and honor one of Germany's finest and most playful violinists.

Artist:	OFARIM, ESTHER
Title:	Esther Ofarim In New York with Bobby Scott and his Orchestra
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 004CD

Originally reissued in 2006. The Bureau B label presents Israeli chanteuse Esther Ofarim's album Is It Really Me?, originally released on Phillips in 1965, and re-titled Esther Ofarim In New York with Bobby Scott and his Orchestra, including one bonus track. This collection of evergreens from US musicals and shows rarely appears in discographies and was only released in the US and the UK, and Ofarim herself considers it one of her finest records. Musician, composer and arranger Bobby Scott ("A Taste Of Honey", "Chain Gang") spoke consistently in the highest terms of their collaboration until his death. "When was the last time that you were completely bowled over by an amazing new talent? If you can recall brushing the dust off your trousers and straightening your tie, get ready to go through it all over again. Esther Ofarim will knock you out." These words were penned over 40 years ago by Scott himself, appearing on the sleeve of the original album, which he recorded with the exceptional singer in New York. Only 24 years-old at the time of recording, Esther Ofarim was a star in Europe and Israel, and recording with Bobby Scott represented a kind of break in her career with her husband, ABI (Abraham) Ofarim, whom she divorced one year later. Esther mastered soulful ballads as easily as swinging up-tempo tracks, dreamy fantasies or blithe pop songs. It wasn't just the fact of Esther Ofarim's exceptional talent that caused such amazement: her vocal excellence was all the more remarkable in the light of her diminutive figure. In an interview conducted exclusively for this re-release, Ofarim reveals that she considers this to be one of her finest albums. Meeting Bobby Scott was, in her own words, a "coup de foudre," a flash of lightning or perhaps love at first sight -- in a creative sense, that is. Housed in a digipack with a 20-page booklet featuring rare photographs and extensive liner notes by biographer James Gavin, the original liner notes written by Bobby Scott, and an interview with Esther Ofarim.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Easy Christmas Now! Groovy Carols For A Cosy Winter
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 005CD

Originally released in 2006. The Bureau B label presents Easy Christmas Now! Groovy Carols For A Cosy Winter -- a fine collection of pop-oriented Christmas carols interpreted by classic '60s/'70s jazz, soul and easy-listening artists for a relaxing holiday. This compilation is your gadget to escape from the panic-inducing sound of kitschy children's choirs singing carols in blurry candlelight. Featuring artists Kenny Burrell, Bert Kaempfert, Donny Hathaway, James Brown, Jimmy Smith, The Beach Boys, The Ventures, The Bob Crewe Generation, Margie Joseph, Ramsey Lewis Trio, The Free Design, Booker T. & The MGs, Ray Anthony And His Bookends, Helmut Zacharias, The Temptations, Jimmy McGriff, The Drifters, The Emotions, and Claudine Longet.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Parlez Vous Pop?
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 006CD

Parlez Vous Pop? is a compilation of 16 enchanting songs in broken French from the '60s and '70s. French is the language of love. The words flow as smoothly as a vintage Bordeaux, like the suggestively sweet nothings Serge Gainsbourg whispered into Jane Birkin's ear. Ah, France, famed for laisser-faire, laisser-allez and exquisite cuisine -- something patently lacking in the wirtschafts-wonderful Germany of the '50s and '60s (not to mention the United Kingdom). Songs sung in French were not only pleasant to the ear, they promised a better, more luxurious life. Even chansons laced with melancholy hinted at a certain lightness of heart. Some artists -- or their record labels -- simply wanted to see if they could make an impression on the French market, singers like Roy Black, Mary Roos, Peter Kraus or Freddy Quinn, as well as British stars such as Dusty Springfield and Sandy Shaw. Others, notably Reinhard Fr�d�rik Mey, Caterina Valente, Vicky Leandros, were genuine Francophiles and released entire albums in the French language. For some -- Manfred Krug, Alexandra, Marianne Faithful or Ireen Sheer, for example -- it was more a question of having a bit of fun singing one or two French numbers to include on their LPs. The majority of them may have struggled to perfect their French accent, but the near-misses are perhaps the most charming of all. While some of the German performers get very close indeed, with Marlene Dietrich and Manfred Krug earning particular recognition from their French counterparts, the British singers just cannot roll their "R"s or accentuate the "E" at the end of a word. Elsewhere, Alexandra sounds like an exiled East Prussian and Lys Assia gets her tenses in a twist but ce n'est pas grave -- as long as it swings. The booklet contains liner notes from the unique, magnifique Fran�oise Cactus, vocalist with the Franco-German band Stereo Total.

Artist:	DIETRICH, MARLENE
Title:	Marlene Dietrich with the Burt Bacharach Orchestra
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 007CD

Originally reissued by the Bureau B label in 2007. Presenting the first and most definitive song collection of this outstanding musical collaboration featuring the original Columbia, Philips and RCA recordings. When Marlene Dietrich met arranger and composer Burt Bacharach, her second career had already begun. Following Josef Von Sternberg's magnificent The Blue Angel (1930) in Berlin, a number of average Hollywood productions and her engagement on the side of the Allies in the Second World War, resulting in her eventual U.S. citizenship, Dietrich had, at 50, turned her attention to singing and would continue to tour the world in the 1950s-1970s as a successful entertainer. Together with Burt Bacharach during the '60s, she developed and refined a program, in minute detail, which remained virtually unchanged for years and because of such perfectionism, met with rapturous applause time and again -- standing ovations from Paris to Rio de Janeiro, from Berlin to London, in Warsaw and Tel Aviv. Dietrich herself stated, "Once I had decided to devote myself entirely to performing on stage, he was to become the most important man in my life. He did not just conduct the orchestra and take them through rehearsals, he was also a divine pianist, he practiced with me, he taught me -- his obedient student. He did all this at the same time. He was so patient, so incredibly talented, musically. He took me, a nightclub singer, and turned me into a star of the stage." The glamorous Hollywood vamp knew what a find this young, ambitious man was, and he paid her back in the sweetest-sounding currency imaginable. Bacharach stated, "She was an absolute perfectionist. I had to rehearse with the orchestra for days on end before each performance. I'm a perfectionist myself, but nothing compared to her. One false note could drive her wild. Sometimes the musicians were so exhausted by showtime that they could barely hold their instruments. The reviews would say it was a very intimate concert, full of atmosphere." Twenty of Dietrich's most beloved interpretations, arranged and conducted by one of America's most legendary composers of all time. Includes a 24-page booklet with rare photos, essays, biographical excerpts and an interview with Dietrich on Bacharach.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Achtung! German Grooves
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 008CD

...20 Instrumental Dancefloor Killers from the 60s and 70s. The rehabilitation of German popular musicians continues with this new compilation from the Bureau B label, Hamburg's purveyors of quality music. Achtung! German Grooves brings together wild rare grooves, slick funk workouts, sleazy soul beats, wah-wah guitars, Fender-Rhodes, Hammond organs, meaty drum breaks, snappy horn sections -- everything the easygoing '60s and '70s had to offer. Although many of these musicians' first love was jazz and traditional big band, earning some pocket money demanded they create some kicky burners for the groovy dancefloor crowd. Alongside orchestral greats like James Last, Max Greger, Peter Thomas and Ambros Seelos, a number of lesser-known, but nonetheless exciting musicians take a deserved bow. Other artists include: Ady Zehnpfennig, Gerhard Narholz, Hans Haider, Don Kelly Band, Kai Warner And His Orchestra, Theo Schumann Combo, Henry Arland, Heinz Kiessling, Orchester G�nter Gollasch, Pete Jacques, Hans Ehrlinger And His Orchestra, Catch Up, Helmut Zacharias, Roberto Delgado, Berry Lipman and Orchester Walter Kubiczek.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Easy Beatles: Irresistible In-Sound Interpretations
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 009CD

...from the 60s and 70s. The Bureau B label presents what may very well be the best Beatles covers record, ever. Now-sound meets jet-set music meets space-age pop meets easy listening meets soul jazz meets vocal jazz. Not to mention stand-out contributors such as Gary McFarland, Gershon Kingsley, The Sandpipers, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Shirley Scott and many more. Countless musicians and bands have transposed The Beatles into styles as diverse as country & western, reggae or even waltzes. When it comes to Beatles interpretations, almost anything goes. The most prolific period of Beatles remakes coincided with the band's own active phase. The late '60s and early '70s were positively awash with Fab Four facsimiles on the songsheets of popular entertainers and jazz musicians. Some went as far as to record entire albums of Beatles songs. While some turned out to be rather fabulous in their own right, others were unintentionally amusing, but no less fascinating for that. More than a few pearls have been gathering dust in the archives over the years and many such treasures thoroughly deserve to see the light of day once again. This collection is but a small, initial foray into such territory. Eighteen jewels handpicked from the copious vaults of (primarily) American recordings embrace multi-genre interpretations. Little known starlets like The Assembled Multitude, studio musicians who came together for a single production, rub shoulders with the somewhat more familiar vocalist Nancy Ames (her highest chart position a less than stellar #89) and the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, a true giant of the vocal jazz scene. Includes detailed and entertaining track-by-track liner notes, beautifully packaged. Get ready to enter the Fab Fourth Dimension.

Artist:	LAST, JAMES
Title:	James Last In Los Angeles
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 010LP

...The Legendary 1975 Record Plant Studio Sessions. The glitzy funk disco jazz fusion insider tip from 1975 is now brand new on limited vinyl. Considered by many jazz fans and DJs to be the finest album "Hansi" ever recorded, the erstwhile Well Kept Secret album now has now officially resurfaced and been retitled. James Last teamed up with arranger and producer Wes Farrell and an array of top-flight American musicians for the 1975 recording sessions in L.A.'s Record Plant Studios. Glitzy jazz/disco arrangements and on-the-money funk rhythms culminated in an orchestration which would not have been out of place in a Blaxploitation score. Original copies of the LP fetch handsome sums at record fairs and on the Internet, with tracks like "Bolero 75," "Love For Sale" and "I Can't Move No Mountains" firm favorites with cool club DJs. How did this extraordinary record come about? In the '70s, James Last was selling vast quantities of records and filling concert halls the world over. There was, however, one significant gap on the map -- the United States of America. Few in the USA had even heard of the hugely successful bandleader. Signed to Polydor, Last's desire to try out something different dovetailed nicely with his record company's ambition to conquer America. The ball started to roll, coming to a stop in L.A. where Last met Farrell and an unparalleled selection of musicians at one of the most renowned recording studios in the USA. Also credited with a role in the arrangements was keyboarder and former Elvis pianist, Larry Muhoberac. Among the musicians were sax stars Ernie Watts and Tom Scott, the guitarist Larry Carlton (Steely Dan, Crusaders), bass player Max Bennet (L.A. Express) and Jim Gordon (Derek and the Dominos) on the drums. In spite of everything, the album failed to achieve the commercial breakthrough hoped for in the USA. Meanwhile, the rest of the world did not seem ready for such a funky James Last... ensuring the album's status as both cult classic and well kept secret.

Artist:	DEBICH, HENRYK
Title:	String Beat
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 011LP

LP-only release. One of the most legendary and eagerly sought-after treasures of Polish jazz funk is about to see the light of day again. First issued in 1975, Henryk Debich's String Beat is now released on vinyl by Bureau B, thanks to a friendly tip-off by Roskow Kretschmann of Jazzanova, an expert on jazz and groove obscurities. The vinyl was mastered from the original tapes belonging to the Polish Muza label. It is no great secret amongst aficionados that an awful lot of excellent jazz music has come out of Poland -- and still does. A particularly fruitful period for the Polish scene was the mid-'70s and Debich's String Beat captures the pinnacle of that era. Funk and jazz connoisseurs have long since fallen in love with it, so to call it a hidden gem does not quite do it justice. The established director and arranger Henryk Debich created this jazz funk monster in 1975 together with the Lodz Radio Orchestra, with no previous experience as a funkateer. Even the author of the original liner notes, Andrzej Jaroszewski, found it hard to contain his boundless amazement: "We have never before heard such an orchestra playing in such a style ... If you bought this record of Henryk Debich's orchestra through choice, you are a connoisseur, if by chance, you are a lucky fellow!" His enthusiasm is easy to fathom: razor sharp horns, a surgically precise rhythm section and crystal clear arrangements -- back then, as now, one would have to search far and wide to find a similar sound. Only the dubious version of "Obladi - Oblada" interrupts the flow a little. Along with The Beatles track, there are two other "western" inclusions on the album. Henryk Debich pays tribute to Isaac Hayes ("Melodia Z Filmu Shaft") as well as Herbie Hancock ("Kameleon"). Everything else was composed especially for String Beat by young, gifted Lodz composers.

Artist:	GODI, FRANCO
Title:	Signor Rossi
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 012CD

Signor Rossi was an Italian-made cartoon (1975-1978) from Bruno Bozetto consisting of 3 series of 12 episodes each. The cartoons told of the adventures of Signor Rossi and his doggy pal Gastone and their quest for happiness in all manner of places (and times) such as the Stone Age, the Middle Ages and the future, encountering all kinds of characters including Zorro, Tarzan, Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, Alladin and many more. The music from Franco Godi (aka "Mr. Jingle" -- from his advertising music) perfectly conveys the playfulness and light-hearted adventures, using a variety of styles and signatures. Godi was a master at creating melodies that were instantly memorable, and never forgotten. New versions of these songs were recorded for English and German audiences, and are still hummed by young and old today. Franco Godi, a native of Milan, after working initially for Radio Firenze, is still active today as a successful music producer for advertising and pop. When setting the full-length Signor Rossi series to music, he assembled a group of outstanding speakers, singers and musicians, who, in the mercilessly catchy song "Qua Qua Qua," for example, provide a scintillating demonstration of their vocal skills. Further highlights include the cannibal song "Bu Bu Buana Bu" with its jungle-y lyrics written by Godi himself, and the crisp, sitar-scented "Tutankamen Cha Cha Cha." Since 1962, Franco Godi has come up with what must be a record-breaking number of advertising tunes written for companies such as Kodak, Tuborg, for sundry Fiat models or for Fernet Branca, earning him -- along with a little extra pocket money -- the title of "Mr. Jingle." Godi also worked with Bozzetto and Manuli on other series, and with Osvaldo Cavandoli on his classic La Linea. The CD booklet depicts the finest scenes from the series, accompanied by in-depth liner notes authored by Ron Gissori, about the diminutive gentleman in his red attire.

Artist:	GODI, FRANCO
Title:	La Linea OST
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 013CD

Bureau B releases the original soundtrack music to the 1970s cartoon, La Linea, composed by Franco Godi (also the composer for Signor Rossi). This is the music from all episodes on CD, supported by two modern remixes. La Linea (also called Lui) was a big-nosed cartoon character drawn as a single outline around his silhouette, walking on an infinite line of which he is a part. Along with his distinctive appearance, another unique feature of this popular character was that he -- to put it mildly -- did not hold back his opinions, ranting, griping, sneering and gloating to his heart's content. La Linea's creator was the Italian cartoonist Osvaldo Cavandoli, who recalls that the inspiration for this work was to "reduce everything to one line and express everything I wanted to say with this line" while tidying up his desk. Little did he know that it would become his greatest success. Starting in 1972, around 100 episodes were broadcast in 40 countries. Voicing this little hothead, who spoke, or rather ranted, in a gibberish fantasy language, was Italian voice actor Carlo Bonomi. Totally without technical aids, using nothing but his unusually multi-faceted voice and versatility, he made Mr. Linea's legendary temperamental outbursts audible and understandable to everyone around the world. But these little cartoons were also supported by wonderful music, composed by a number of advertising jingle specialists -- initially mainly by Franco Godi, later mostly by Corrado Tringali -- wonderfully cheerful, swinging easy-listening gems with hints of Latin music. To liven up the CD further, Mr. Linea pipes up occasionally with a spiteful laugh or throws a little fit of rage.

Artist:	LA D�SSELDORF
Title:	Silver Cloud/La D�sseldorf
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	BB 014EP

Exact, officially licensed repro of the band's first 7", originally issued on the German Nova/Teldec label; packaged in full color cardboard sleeve. La D�sseldorf was the German project founded in 1974 by Klaus Dinger, former member of Kraftwerk and Neu!. The band was completed by a series of musicians, including Nikolaus van Rhein Thomas Dinger, Hans Lampe from Neu!, Harald Konietzko, and Andreas Schell. The band's debut album La D�sseldorf was released in 1976 and it included the funk track "Silver Cloud."

Artist:	WEIS, HEIDELINDE
Title:	Der Supermann: Song Collection 1975-1979
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 018CD

The Bureau B label presents a compiled history of the collaboration between Austrian theater and TV actress, Heidelinde Weis and composer/keyboardist, Kristian Schultze. Who would have thought somebody like Heidelinde Weis had done fluffy bossa nova and gallant funk? A few DJs have known it for a few years, mainly because the tracks "Der Supermann" and "Hans Emmerich" belong to their repertoire. Now, everyone has access with this release that combines the best songs from the three albums that emerged from this unique musical love affair, originally released in 1975, 1976 and 1979. The music world was quite amazed when the debut album first appeared: extremely laid back, jazzy bossa nova taking turns with slick '70s funk, and above it sizzling, lascivious vocals with often blatantly erotic lyrics. This album was a major commercial success, and received the German award from the Phonoakademie. The musical mastermind behind the project was Kristian Schultze, to this day, keyboardist for Doldinger's Passport, and a busy soundtrack composer and arranger. Back then, he had randomly written a few bossa novas, and didn't quite know what to do with them. He recorded them, and gave them to his friend Heidelinde Weis to cheer her up, because she was hospitalized at the time. As a pastime, she wrote lyrics to the music, and Schultze was delighted. Schultze invited first-class accompanying musicians to play on the record, including Sigi Schwab (guitar), Dave King (bass), and even Austrian clarinet legend, Fatty George. Until this day, Heidelinde Weis and Kristian Schultze are very proud of their collaboration. To give this treasure the attention it deserves, it is housed in a digipak with a fancy 20-page booklet that includes many unreleased photographs from Heidelinde's private archive, and two informative interviews with the artists.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Sprechen Sie Pop?
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 019CD

The Bureau B label asks, Sprechen Sie Pop?, a compilation presenting artists from other countries who sing in German. These tracks ride between beat, easy listening, chanson and pop that were staples of the 1960s and 1970s, when music hadn't lost its innocence and singers conquered the hearts of their audience with their charming, broken accents. It could hardly have been the melodious sing-song of the German language that had so many foreign vocalists tie their tongues in knots to master the lingo. It was, as always, all about fame and fortune -- at least as far as the West of the country, which was still divided at the time, was concerned. After all, Germany was one of the greatest music markets in the world during those years, and few acts were spared. It's a well-known fact that The Beatles and Elvis recorded the odd German track, and even Johnny Cash, The Temptations and The Beach Boys had to twist their tongues around German words at their record company's behest. The situation in Germany's East was slightly different: the GDR's political leaders were eager to prove to their citizens, who had already been contaminated by the capitalist media, that their socialist allies had a lot to offer in terms of hot beat music. The artists from the Eastern Bloc countries in turn hoped for a chance to make it to the other side of the Iron Curtain during their visits to East Germany (following in the footsteps of Czech crooner Karel Gott). Most of the male and female singers didn't have a clue just what they were singing about in that difficult-to-master tongue. Record companies hired translators, then the lyrics were written out in phonetics, which worked fairly well as a rule, as recordings by Rote Gitarren or Paul Anka prove -- both of whom reportedly didn't speak a word of German. The compilation consciously gets by without established foreign stars such as Howard Carpendale, Roberto Blanco, Gitte and Mireille Matthieu, who were so omnipresent in Germany during their heyday that they were hardly considered "foreigners," their accent being perceived almost as some kind of dialect. Other artists plying their pop-tongue in German include: Katja Holl�nder, Skalden, Adamo, Sandie Shaw, Juliette Gr�co, Graham Bonney, Antoine, Severine, Joe Dassin, Barbara, Kati Kov�cs, France Gal, Elisa Gabbai, Sue & Sunny, Sylvie Vartan, and Ill�s.

Artist:	MAERZ, MARION
Title:	Burt Bacharach Songbook
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 020CD

"German Schlager? Not my cup of tea at all, back then!" recalls Marion Maerz, as she reflects on the beginnings of her career. Indeed, the first singles she recorded (under her maiden name Litterscheid) could only be described as "schlager." It was only after switching record companies that her big break materialized. In 1966, Marion (having dropped the Maerz) was catapulted to overnight stardom with the album Er Ist Wieder Da. Four years later, she and her producer Sigi E. Loch came up with the idea of the Burt Bacharach covers album complete with a chic new surname for Marion. It was the perfect opportunity to start over. Marion had her first chance to really show what she was capable of and Sigi Loch could make a name for himself as an innovative developer of talent. Loch chose 12 Bacharach songs and had them translated into German (some by popular German lyricist, book writer and librettist Michael Kunze). He brought Ingfried Hoffmann on board as arranger, Hoffmann having found international fame as an inspired jazz organist (for Klaus Doldinger, amongst others). What Loch and Marion Maerz had not counted on was the reaction of the "buying" public. The record gathered dust on the shelves and the anticipated follow-up productions were shelved before they could even be embarked upon. What a huge disappointment this proved to be for Marion Maerz, seeing the change in creative approach she had hoped for slip away. Today, connoisseurs consider this record (originally called Seite Eins: Marion Maerz singt Burt Bacharach, released in 1971 on Reprise Records) a musical masterpiece and for Marion Maerz the record represents a highlight in her career of which she remains immensely proud. If one should enjoy the great fortune to find a copy of the LP at a record fair or on the internet, then the price tag is sure to be a princely one. It has taken almost forty years for these 12 musical pearls to be polished up and re-released in appropriate fashion. At long last, the record has finally has come to earn the respect it most certainly deserves. The accompanying booklet contains an interview with Marion Maerz and recollections by the arranger Ingfried Hoffmann. Warning: all songs in German!

Artist:	FAUST
Title:	C'est Com... Com... Compliqu�
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 021CD

The Bureau B label breaks into new territory and presents a newly-recorded album by Krautrock legends, Faust. "There is no group more mythical than Faust." Thus wrote English musician and eccentric Julian Cope in his classic of the genre, Krautrocksampler. Which says it all really -- neither the habitus nor the music of the six-piece Hamburg group is easy to grasp. Formed in Hamburg in 1970, some lauded Faust as the best thing that ever happened to rock, others dismissed them as shameless dilettantes. Their collage of Dadaism, avant-garde rock and free improvisation radically divided opinion. Their legend was built on the fact that, in the early days, they addressed the media through their producer and manager Uwe Nettelbeck. Precious little was known about the musicians themselves. When the first LP was unleashed on the world in 1971, Faust were very much the prophets in their own land, as the saying goes: few were interested in listening to their music -- in Germany. Not so across the Channel: this is where Faust's career really kick-started. These monoliths of avant-garde rock sold a phenomenal 100,000 copies of their third album The Faust Tapes, one of the first releases on the Virgin label, then in its infancy. Now that Krautrock has been revived, Faust have become one of the biggest names to drop, worldwide. Their concerts in the USA, Middle East, Japan and Europe invariably sell out. Almost 40 years since they began, Faust are issuing a brand new studio album. Original members Jean-Herv� Peron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier were joined in the Electric Avenue studio by Amaury Cambuzat (from the French post-rock combo Ulan Bator). Star indie producer Tobias Levin recorded. The results sound fantastic! Typically Dadaist lyrics (mostly in French) accompany repetitive, sporadically overflowing patterns. Faust's music combines seemingly contradictory elements: it rages, yet is gentle; it is monotonous yet melodic, earthy and still ethereal. Safe to say, it is unique. The Bureau B label have previously concentrated on re-releases and compilations, but presented with the opportunity of releasing new works by Krautrock gods Faust, the only possible outcome was to say YES.

Artist:	FIGIEL, PIOTR
Title:	Organy Hammonda
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 022LP

LP-only release. Bureau B presents a vinyl-only slice of Polish jazz, Piotr Figiel's Organy Hammonda, originally recorded in 1971, and newly remastered from the original tapes from the Polish record company, Pronit. Word has got around that Poland is home to an excellent jazz scene, and has been for some time. There are still many treasures to be unearthed, and this release is an excellent follow-up to the label's first excursion into Polish jazz, the vinyl re-pressing of Henryk Debich's String Beat in mid-2008. Highly talented pianist, (film) composer and arranger Piotr Figiel is one of Poland's most celebrated musicians. He boasts a vast arsenal of hits, albeit in the smoother terrain of popular music, and was one of the country's most sought-after jazz-pianists, featuring on many albums before he settled into a more mainstream mode. Organy Hammonda was his first solo album and entirely arranged by himself. Other soloists who can be heard on the record include Tomasz Hanko (trumpet), Janusz Muniak (flute, tenor sax) and Janusz Stafanski (drums). You don't need a degree in Polish to work out which instrument dominates Organy Hammonda. Piotr Figiel had just got back from a three-year stint in Scandinavia (whose press dubbed him "the Polish Bacharach") where he discovered the joys of the Hammond organ. When he returned home, he wasted no time in working his new favorite instrument into recordable arrangements. The results were fantastic: without hiding his jazz roots, Piotr Figiel navigates a course through Latin, funk, rock, fusion and easy-listening, all with a chugging breakbeat and heavy Hammond sound. Sporadic scats add extra spice here and there, although the LP is predominantly instrumental. Towards the end of side two, Piotr even ventures into classical territory, or so one might think, yet anyone who remembers the song "Jane B." on the first Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg album will recognize the Anglo-French sex symbol and her lover as a greater source of inspiration than Chopin. In a nutshell, Organy Hammonda represents some of the finest material to emerge from the heyday of Polish jazz, complete with hefty breaks and big Hammond sounds.

Artist:	ROEDELIUS
Title:	Jardin Au Fou
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 023CD

Composer/poet Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Kluster, Cluster, Harmonia) is one of the most prolific musicians of the German avant-garde and a key figure in the birth of Krautrock, synthesizer pop and ambient music. Jardin Au Fou is his second solo album, originally issued in 1979 on France's Egg label, and produced by former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann. This record was all the more noteworthy as it bore no resemblance whatsoever to what was expected of avant-garde electronica and displayed none of the typical Krautrock characteristics. A rhythm machine, sequencer and abstract sounds are conspicuously absent, and listeners at the time were stunned by one of the most beautiful, charming, ethereal and peaceful albums in the history of German rock music. None other than Asmus Tietchens, friend and artistic companion to Roedelius, has written the following in the liner notes for the reissue: "Jardin Au Fou (Fool's Garden) is a thoroughly romantic album, bursting with joie de vivre and unadulterated joy. With the greatest of pleasure, Roedelius cranks up a carousel of fairground organs, popping corks, waltzes and sweet melodies. Musical ideas come thick and fast. If you listen carefully and immerse yourself in Jardin Au Fou, you might hear traces of the baroque in this romantic music." Roedelius concentrates here on keyboards, and, in particular, the acoustic grand piano. He played most of the tracks by hand, exploiting his virtuosity to the full. The sweet disposition of the album as a whole borders on the naive, bearing none of the Krautrock hallmarks one might expect. Sweetness and light it may be, yet the music of Roedelius is more complex than it first appears. It carries a certain gentle gravitas borne of maturity, reflecting the ongoing quest of a musician for new paths and forms. Jardin Au Fou confronts the listener with an unfiltered, open perspective -- today, some 30 years after it was created, this music has lost none of its shine or charm. The CD version features 6 bonus tracks: 3 remixes of compositions from the LP and 3 new tracks which Roedelius recorded for the 1998 CD re-release on the Japanese Captain Trip label. The vinyl edition only includes the original album tracks.

Artist:	ROEDELIUS
Title:	Jardin Au Fou
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 023LP

LP version; includes all the original album tracks. Composer/poet Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Kluster, Cluster, Harmonia) is one of the most prolific musicians of the German avant-garde and a key figure in the birth of Krautrock, synthesizer pop and ambient music. Jardin Au Fou is his second solo album, originally issued in 1979 on France's Egg label, and produced by former Tangerine Dream member Peter Baumann. This record was all the more noteworthy as it bore no resemblance whatsoever to what was expected of avant-garde electronica and displayed none of the typical Krautrock characteristics. A rhythm machine, sequencer and abstract sounds are conspicuously absent, and listeners at the time were stunned by one of the most beautiful, charming, ethereal and peaceful albums in the history of German rock music. None other than Asmus Tietchens, friend and artistic companion to Roedelius, has written the following in the liner notes for the reissue: "Jardin Au Fou (Fool's Garden) is a thoroughly romantic album, bursting with joie de vivre and unadulterated joy. With the greatest of pleasure, Roedelius cranks up a carousel of fairground organs, popping corks, waltzes and sweet melodies. Musical ideas come thick and fast. If you listen carefully and immerse yourself in Jardin Au Fou, you might hear traces of the baroque in this romantic music." Roedelius concentrates here on keyboards, and, in particular, the acoustic grand piano. He played most of the tracks by hand, exploiting his virtuosity to the full. The sweet disposition of the album as a whole borders on the naive, bearing none of the Krautrock hallmarks one might expect. Sweetness and light it may be, yet the music of Roedelius is more complex than it first appears. It carries a certain gentle gravitas borne of maturity, reflecting the ongoing quest of a musician for new paths and forms. Jardin Au Fou confronts the listener with an unfiltered, open perspective -- today, some 30 years after it was created, this music has lost none of its shine or charm.

Artist:	OFARIM, ESTHER
Title:	Esther Ofarim In London
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 024CD

The Bureau B label presents a treasure from Israel's incomparable Maria Callas of pop & folk, Esther Ofarim. Appearing on CD for the first time, her eponymous solo album from 1972 has been given the new title Esther Ofarim In London. This masterpiece was produced by no lesser figure than Bob Johnston, famous for having produced legendary albums by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, and Simon & Garfunkel. Esther Ofarim In London sounds both composed and confident. Attentive listeners will hear a forceful orchestra behind what is a tender, fragile atmosphere. This bombastic, yet intimate quality is exactly what the producer was aiming for. The tracks were recorded in three sessions at the Command Studios in London, where Johnston enlisted the British arrangers Nick Harrison, Will Malone and Bob Merci. Once the recordings were completed, Johnston flew back to his home town of Nashville to mix the tapes. The extent to which he reduced the instrumentation in some places was nothing short of drastic. On one track, he removed almost the entire orchestra, leaving a basic framework of guitar, bass and electric piano. Johnston and Ofarim displayed wonderful intuition in their selection of songs, with compositions by Leonard Cohen sitting comfortably alongside some by Johnston and the musicians he worked with at the time. The result is a gently shimmering necklace of poetic pearls, sung by one of the most sweeping, heart-rendingly beautiful voices in folk/pop history. As one has come to expect of Bureau B releases, this reissue comes complete with a wealth of detail in a 16-page booklet, rare photographs, and an interview with the artist herself, Esther Ofarim. Both the CD and LP versions contain three bonus tracks: the A and B sides to a single that was recorded later in Nashville by Esther Ofarim and Bob Johnston, plus one track from the London sessions which, inexplicably, did not make it onto the original LP.

Artist:	OFARIM, ESTHER
Title:	Esther Ofarim In London
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 024LP

LP version. The Bureau B label presents a treasure from Israel's incomparable Maria Callas of pop & folk, Esther Ofarim. Appearing on CD for the first time, her eponymous solo album from 1972 has been given the new title Esther Ofarim In London. This masterpiece was produced by no lesser figure than Bob Johnston, famous for having produced legendary albums by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, and Simon & Garfunkel. Esther Ofarim In London sounds both composed and confident. Attentive listeners will hear a forceful orchestra behind what is a tender, fragile atmosphere. This bombastic, yet intimate quality is exactly what the producer was aiming for. The tracks were recorded in three sessions at the Command Studios in London, where Johnston enlisted the British arrangers Nick Harrison, Will Malone and Bob Merci. Once the recordings were completed, Johnston flew back to his home town of Nashville to mix the tapes. The extent to which he reduced the instrumentation in some places was nothing short of drastic. On one track, he removed almost the entire orchestra, leaving a basic framework of guitar, bass and electric piano. Johnston and Ofarim displayed wonderful intuition in their selection of songs, with compositions by Leonard Cohen sitting comfortably alongside some by Johnston and the musicians he worked with at the time. The result is a gently shimmering necklace of poetic pearls, sung by one of the most sweeping, heart-rendingly beautiful voices in folk/pop history.

Artist:	CLUSTER
Title:	Grosses Wasser
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	BB 026CD

Formed in Germany in 1971 when Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius left Conrad Schnitzler's group Kluster, Cluster can be counted among the most important protagonists of the electronic avant-garde. Some credit them with having invented ambient music, others as pioneers of synthesizer pop, while to others they are firmly embedded in the Krautrock universe. There is some truth in all of these notions. Although Cluster and "rock music" are seldom mentioned in the same breath, their early works in particular are marked by a lack of structure and futuristic, cold soundscapes typical of the Krautrock variation known as "kosmische." Recorded and released in 1979, Grosses Wasser was Cluster's fifth album as a duo. The cover art is the first indication of minimalist tendencies, reflecting the concentration, transparency and maturity of the content, almost like chamber music. While nothing is left to chance, each of the six Cluster pieces effervesces with a certain joie de vivre, providing ample scope for artistic spontaneity. Grosses Wasser was recorded at Paragon Studio, which had been set up by Peter Baumann (Tangerine Dream) not long before. Baumann had set aside plenty of time for the recording sessions, enabling Cluster to experiment with sequencers for the first time and explore some of the most up-to-date (for that period) studio gadgets on offer. Moebius and Roedelius made intelligent, measured use of the latest paraphernalia without being overwhelmed by it. New technology was deployed with an exactness designed to refine their sophisticated and fully-developed musical ideas. More than ever before in Cluster's history, acoustic elements can be heard, with the dulcet tones of Paragon's Steinway grand piano taking center stage. Electric bass, guitar, percussion and voice are all embraced. Consequently, Grosses Wasser is anything but a solely electronic album. It is, however, one of those rare LPs whose musical substance transcends its age, never sounding outdated. Grosses Wasser is the first in a series of 23 albums to be reissued by Bureau B, comprehensively documenting the superb electronic/ambient/Krautrock history of the Hamburg label, Sky Records, from whom the material has been licensed. Cluster (in their various guises) will feature heavily in the series (solo albums as well as collaborations with Brian Eno, Conny Plank, Gerd Beerbohm, Mani Neumeier, etc.). Including liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

Artist:	CLUSTER
Title:	Grosses Wasser
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 026LP

LP version. Formed in Germany in 1971 when Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius left Conrad Schnitzler's group Kluster, Cluster can be counted among the most important protagonists of the electronic avant-garde. Some credit them with having invented ambient music, others as pioneers of synthesizer pop, while to others they are firmly embedded in the Krautrock universe. There is some truth in all of these notions. Although Cluster and "rock music" are seldom mentioned in the same breath, their early works in particular are marked by a lack of structure and futuristic, cold soundscapes typical of the Krautrock variation known as "kosmische." Recorded and released in 1979, Grosses Wasser was Cluster's fifth album as a duo. The cover art is the first indication of minimalist tendencies, reflecting the concentration, transparency and maturity of the content, almost like chamber music. While nothing is left to chance, each of the six Cluster pieces effervesces with a certain joie de vivre, providing ample scope for artistic spontaneity. Grosses Wasser was recorded at Paragon Studio, which had been set up by Peter Baumann (Tangerine Dream) not long before. Baumann had set aside plenty of time for the recording sessions, enabling Cluster to experiment with sequencers for the first time and explore some of the most up-to-date (for that period) studio gadgets on offer. Moebius and Roedelius made intelligent, measured use of the latest paraphernalia without being overwhelmed by it. New technology was deployed with an exactness designed to refine their sophisticated and fully-developed musical ideas. More than ever before in Cluster's history, acoustic elements can be heard, with the dulcet tones of Paragon's Steinway grand piano taking center stage. Electric bass, guitar, percussion and voice are all embraced. Consequently, Grosses Wasser is anything but a solely electronic album. It is, however, one of those rare LPs whose musical substance transcends its age, never sounding outdated. Grosses Wasser is the first in a series of 23 albums to be reissued by Bureau B, comprehensively documenting the superb electronic/ambient/Krautrock history of the Hamburg label, Sky Records, from whom the material has been licensed. Cluster (in their various guises) will feature heavily in the series (solo albums as well as collaborations with Brian Eno, Conny Plank, Gerd Beerbohm, Mani Neumeier, etc.). Printed inner sleeve includes liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

Artist:	RIECHMANN
Title:	Wunderbar
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 027LP

LP version. Bureau B reissues Wolfgang Riechmann's Wunderbar, originally released in 1978 by Sky Records and an absolute gem of German electronic music. This album, however, is beautiful and tragic in equal measure, as Riechmann became the random victim of a knife attack just three weeks before the LP went on sale. Wolfgang Riechmann's career as a musician went all the way back to 1969, which was roughly when he met Michael Rother (Neu!, Harmonia) and Wolfgang Fl�hr (Kraftwerk), who would be his colleagues in the Spirits Of Sound Group. Later on (1973 to 1976) he played with Ph�nix, before going on to record two albums with Streetmark, who enjoyed great popularity at the time. From November 1977 onwards, he devoted his full attention to the Wunderbar LP. On his first and, regrettably, last recording as a solo artist, Riechmann went eclectic. Distant echoes of the so-called Berlin School (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and the like) can be detected on Wunderbar, as well as the clear influence of the so-called D�sseldorf School (Neu!, Kraftwerk, La D�sseldorf) -- not that Riechmann was attempting to copy their styles in any way. While contemporary influences need not be denied, Wunderbar hints at the direction he would take in terms of sound and composition, reflecting a powerful, independent musician's personality, one which would have caused quite a stir, had it been given the chance to unfold. This optimistic music is characterized by simple sequencers and drum patterns, with Riechmann adding his own individual layers of harmony. And then there are the melodies: simple, sometimes to the point of being simplistic, but never naive. Wunderbar is modern, electronic pop, perfectly and permanently frozen in time. Printed inner sleeve featuring rare photographs and liner notes by Asmus Tietchens, one of the original pioneers of electronic music.

Artist:	LIKE A STUNTMAN
Title:	Original Bedouin Culture
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	BB 033LP

LP version. This is the second full-length release by Hamburg, Germany's Like A Stuntman (Matthias Gros, Christian Fleck, Tobi Ullrich & Sven Fritz). In 2005, the quartet released their debut album, made available almost solely in the UK, with touring activities similarly focused in the UK as well. Four years on, Like A Stuntman are ready to take it well over and beyond the Isles with Original Bedouin Culture, an exhilarating celebration of eclectic instrumentation and the blending together of past and future influences that span an incredibly diverse roster of genres and eras. Fan Schneider TM on Original Bedouin Culture: "The album traces an arc from the sounds and spirit of late '60s psychedelia, the class of 1968 and a little later, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Silver Apples, bands from Brazil's Tropic�lia movement such as Os Mutantes, etc., through the musical influences and laconic humor of some early '90s post-post-punk indie-rock bands like Sebadoh and Pavement up to a personal take on turn-of-the-century 'weird folk,' with a nod to Krautrock and the liberation of electronic music by artists from Cologne, D�sseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin or the Warp label." Das Bierbeben's Rasmus Engler describes the album as such: "Shy vocals, possibly recorded under bedcovers, duet with warm banks of synthesizer; acoustic and electric guitars speak up and buzz through subtly-crafted songs. Original Bedouin Culture succeeds in building a bridge from Matador to Warp, with ECM and free-folk communes visible from its center. A fantastic record that could make you lose your mind!"

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Artist:	HARMONIA
Title:	De Luxe (Immer Wieder)/Monza (Rauf Und Runter)
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	BB 016EP

Artist:	PALAIS SCHAUMBURG
Title:	Wir Bauen Eine Neue Stadt/Madonna
Label:	BUREAU B (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	BB 017EP