Echoes Of Germany CD

While the history of British, American, Brazilian and Caribbean music of the 1950s and '60s has been well documented, very little attention has been given to German music from the same period. That's where Echoes of Germany comes in. It offers a unique and bizarrely fascinating archive of German musical trends from the period, celebrating the work of both well-known names (Marlene Deitrich being the most obvious) and long-forgotten artists. Musically, it's a bit of a curate's egg, flitting between traditional German styles (see the frankly hilarioius beer hall silliness of "Lichtensteiner Polka") and tracks heavily influenced by American music of the period (doo-wop, swing, easy listening and jazz, in particular). It's a little odd, for sure, but also hugely entertaining.