David Peel & the Lower East Side - The American Revolution (1970, vinyl rip)

David Peel was, and still is, a street musician and political activist from the Lower East Side of New York City. With a collection of friends who became his bandmates and who were eponymously called the Lower East Side, he recorded two groundbreaking albums of social reflections, urban tales, and hippie mythology for Elektra Records.

The first, entitled "Have a Marijuana", was released in 1968. The second, "The American Revolution", was released in 1970. Both were just exactly as you would think they would be from their album titles: Musical Counterculture Manifestos Presented With Guitars and Grins.

The politically charged David Peel & the Lower East Side directly contrasted their 1968 acoustic live debut, "Have a Marijuana" (recorded in New York City's Washington Square Park), with 1970's "American Revolution", an amplified studio outing. The real similarity between the two remains Peel's no-holds-barred, in-your-face attitude and staunchly liberal espousing.

Although Peel's earlier effort hinted at the band's proto-punk and garage rock leanings, the aggressive electric bashing that accompanies "Lower East Side," "Hey, Mr. Draft Board," and "Girls, Girls, Girls" allows them to bring that restless spirit to complete fruition. While Peel's work has been considered as little more than a hippie novelty, the sheer range of his topical lyrics is often a direct reflection of the then-current anti-establishment movement. His music deals candidly with their attitudes regarding Vietnam ("I Want to Kill You"), the repression of local law enforcement ("Oink, Oink, Oink"), hypocritical drug laws ("Legalize Marijuana"), sex ("Girls, Girls, Girls"), and even more contemplative esoteric concepts ("God").

David Peel & the Lower East Side - The American Revolution (1970, vinyl rip)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

"Entartete Musik" - Meisterwerke einer verlorenen Epoche

"I have at last learned the lesson that has been forced upon me during this year, and I shall not ever forget it. It is that I am not a German, not a European, indeed perhaps scarcely a human being (at least the Europeans prefer the worst of their race to me) but I am a Jew."--Arnold Schoenberg

After the horrors of World War I, most Europeans expressed their sense of freedom by embracing the roaring twenties. An open-minded lifestyle was emerging from the nightlife of jazz clubs and cabarets. Berlin was at the heart of the bold and innovative music trends of the 1920s and 1930s. Musicians experimented with their art by pushing away from accepted musical forms and finding new ones.

While many Europeans were celebrating new-found freedom in the arts, Germany was already beginning to fall under the shadow of the swastika. For almost 100 years, an atmosphere of antisemitism had been growing in Europe. Richard Wagner, the well-known composer, had spoken publicly against the Jewish people in his booklet, "Das Judenthum in der Musik" (Judaism in Music). The Nazi Party played upon these historic prejudices in their rise to power.

Nineteenth-century psychologists introduced the term degenerate or entartete to describe any deviance or clinical mental illness. Later a broader definition was applied to include scientific literature (medical, biology and anthropology). By 1933 Hitler's Third Reich referred to the mentally ill, communists, Gypsies, homosexuals and Jews as subspecies of the human race. The words "Jewish," "Degenerate," and "Bolshevik" were commonly used to describe any art or music not acceptable to the Third Reich. The Nazi propaganda poster at left is a crude exaggeration of the original poster for the opera Jonny spielt auf. This grotesque figure became the Nazi symbol for all they considered "degenerate" in the arts. Hitler envisioned the day when German culture would be free of "morbid excrescencies of insane and degenerate men."

After the race laws of 1933, the Reichsmusikkammer (Reich Music Chamber) required a registry of all German musicians. As a result, hundreds of talented composers had their work deliberately suppressed and careers ended simply because their race or style of music offended the Third Reich. By 1938, examples of degenerate music were on display at the Entarte Musik Exhibit for the public to view. Famous works by Mendelssohn, Mahler, and Schoenberg were used as examples of unacceptable music. A generation of incredibly innovative and promising musicians was virtually excluded from its place in music history.

From the mid-1990s the Decca Record Company released a series of recordings under the title "`Entartete Musik´: music suppressed by the third reich" covering works by several of the excluded and suppressed artists. Here´s a two CD set giving a good summary of this series.

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1.Ich bin ein Vamp!
2.Wir wollen alle Kinder sein
3.An den kleinen Radioapparat
4.Der Kirschdieb
5.Panzerschlacht
6.Vom Sprengen des Gartens
7.Tante Sues Geschichten - Zwischenspiel 4
8.Das Mäuschen
9.Der Garten
10.Finale: Die Furcht
11.Das waren Kriege (1. Bild)
12.Schau, die Wolken (3. Bild)
13.Komm Tod, du unser werter Gast (4. Bild)
14.Pane, prinásejí tezk² prípad! (1. Szene)
15.Casta diva (3. Bild)
16.VII. Molto Adagio äußerst langsam und seelenvoll "Friede, mein Herz"
17.Vorspiel (DRITTER AKT)
18.Liebwerte Freunde (Vorspiel und Prolog)
19.Ich ging zu ihm (ZWEITER AKT)
20.Einleitung (Teil 1)
21.Oh, das ist mein Jonny! (Teil 1)
22.So hat uns Jonny aufgespielt zum Tanz (Teil 2)
23.Charleston, Charleston tanzt die Welt
24.Ein kleiner Slowfox mit Mary

Disc 2
1.Shimmy
2.Die Marionetten
3.Erster Akt
4.Ouvertüre
5.Commedy Of Errors - Ouverture
6.Vorspiel (DRITTER AKT)
7.3. Gigue
8.Zwischenspiel
9.3. Alla singaresca - Tempo 1 Allegro molto
10.3. Largo e misterioso - Der Mond und ich
11.II. Lento
12.Intermezzo: Totentanz (2. Bild)
13.Blues
14.Marsch

.
"Entartete Musik" - Meisterwerke einer verlorenen Epoche

(256 kbps, cover art included)

VA - 16. Festival des politischen Liedes (1986)

The "Festival des politischen Liedes" ("festival of political song") took place in East Berlin every February between 1970 and 1990. It was one of the biggest music events in the GDR.

The guest list was more than impressiv:  Miriam Makeba, Maria Farandouri, Konstantin Wecker, Hannes Wader, Inti Illimani, Francis Bebey, Billy Bragg, Bruce Cockburn, Dick Gaughan, Mercedes Sosa, Leon Gieco, Pete Seeger, Franz Josef Degenhardt, Erika Pluhar, Schmetterlinge and many others. The "Festival of the Political Song" brought internationally popular artist to East Berlin - all with a political attitude to engage for a change of society.

This album features original recordings form the 16th "Festival des politischen Liedes" in 1986.           

Tracklist

A1	–Bolivia Manta	Suri Sikuris	3:40
A2	–Oktoberklub	Was Kann Ein Land	2:08
A3	–Rachid Bahri	Johannesburg	3:38
A4	–Francis Bebey	Heavy Ghetto	5:55
A5	–Aroona	40.000 Years	4:04
A6	–Franz Josef Degenhardt	Trink Aus, Katrin	3:43
A7	–Szélkiálto	Lesz-e Meg Menedek	3:35
B1	–Pete Seeger	Turn, Turn	3:40
B2	–Pi De La Serra	Ai, Ai	3:10
B3	–Billy Bragg	Between The Wars (Zwischen Den Kriegen)	2:31
B4	–Forum	Es Wird Keinen Sieger Geben	3:28
B5	–Babsztyl U Bozena Makowiecka	Panna Pszeniczna (Das Erntemädchen)	4:00
B6	–John Faulkner	Song Withaout Name	2:57
B7	–Modern Soul Band, Amandla	Nelson Mandela	4:54

VA - 16. Festival des politischen Liedes (1986)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Kurt Weill - Bertolt Brecht - Meisterwerke (2 CDs)

This double album is a good Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht overview. It contains excerpts from "Die Dreigroschenoper", "Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny", "Die sieben Todsünden", "Der Jasager", Happy End" and "Lady In The Dark". Kurt Weill wrote the music, Bertolt Brecht contributed most of the lyrics (plus some lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Arnold Sundgaard). These are the "classic" 1950s/60s recordings, mostly with Lotte Lenya.


Tracklist:

1.01: Die Moritat von Mackie Messer
1.02: Anstatt-Dass-Song
1.03: Kanonensong
1.04: Die Ballade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit
1.05: Die Seeräuber Jenny
1.06: Die Zuhälterballade
1.07: Die Ballade vom angenehmen Leben
1.08: Ballade über die Frage "Wovon lebt der Mensch"
1.09: Das Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit
1.10: Salomon-Song
1.11: Die Schluss-Strophen der Moritat
1.12: Alabama-Song
1.13: Havanna Song
1.14: Von nun an war der Leitspruch
1.15: Zweitens kommt die Liebe...
1.16: Sieh jene Kraniche
1.17: Meine Herren, meine Mutter prägte
1.18: Erstens, vergesst nicht, kommt das Fressen

2.01: Bilbao-Song
2.02: Matrosen-Tang
2.03: Das Lied vom Branntweinhändler
2.04: Fürchte dich nicht
2.05: Surabaya Johnyy
2.06: In der Jugend goldnem Schimmer
2.07: Die Ballade von der Höllen-Lilli
2.08: Stolz
2.09: Zorn
2.10: Unzucht
2.11: Neid
2.12: Ich bin der Lehrer
2.13: Seit dem Tag, an dem uns dein Vater verließ
2.14: One Life To Live
2.15: Girl Of The Moment
2.16: The Greatest Show On Earth
2.17: The Saga Of Jenny
2.18: My Ship
2.19: Septembre Song
2.20: Lover Man

Kurt Weill - Bertolt Brecht - Meisterwerke (2 CDs)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

The Holy Modal Rounders – Good Taste Is Timeless (1971)

The Holy Modal Rounders were formed in 1964, comprised of Peter Stampfel (vocals, banjo, fiddle) and Steve Weber (vocals, guitar). Stampfel and Weber were both early members of The Fugs and appear on their first album. By 1968, The Rounders had become a full-fledged band, with the two principals flanked by Dave Levy (guitar), John Wesley Annas (bass), Richard Tyler (piano) and Sam Shepard (yes, THAT Sam Shepard) on drums. This line-up cut the bizarro psych-folk cult classic “The Moray Eels Eat The Holy Modal Rounders” for Elektra. By sheer luck, Peter Fonda heard the album’s opening cut, “The Bird Song” on radio and decided to use it in the film “Easy Rider”, which brought the Rounders their biggest brush with fame.

In 1970 the group signed with Metromedia for their next album, “Good Taste Is Timeless” which was issued in early 1971. The album was produced in Nashville by jazz pianist Bob Dorough, who also produced Spanky and Our Gang, Alzo Fronte and scores of songs for the “Schoolhouse Rock” program. Engineering the album was Elvis’ former guitarist Scotty Moore. The album marked the arrival of mainstay multi-instrumentalist Robin Remaily. Shepard was replaced by Michael McCarty.
The album was a departure from the usual wackiness of the Rounders. The gloriously ramshackle performances of old were replaced with tight arrangements. The material was mostly original with only two covers (Joe Maphis’ “Melinda” and Jimmy C. Newman’s “Alligator Man”). All band members took lead vocals and wrote material for the album. The result is an off-center country-folk-rock product, but still the unmistakable nuttiness of the Rounders shines through at times. (Stampfel to this day loathes the album.)

Tracy Nelson is a guest vocalist on “Love Is The Closest Thing” (written by cohort Michael Hurley, who also designed the album’s cover) and Steve Riddle provides “eephin” on “Livin’ Off The Land” – a style of vocalization made popular by his father Jimmie Riddle on the “Hee Haw” television show. DJ Fontana, who drummed for Elvis in his early days, provides percussion touches here and there. Pete Drake, who’d just recently finished work with both Ringo Starr and George Harrison on their solo projects, played pedal steel.
The album was plagued with a notoriously bad mix. The engineers who mixed the album apparently did so without using monitors and a skewed mix was the result. It would seem these same individuals must’ve been responsible for Elephant’s Memory’s “Take It To The Streets” which is basically a MONO album…

While the album went unnoticed, in 1974 a up and coming radio show by one Doctor Demento began spinning “Boobs a Lot” and the reaction was enough that Metromedia, then closing up their doors, issued a single. The track went to #103. (Although generally not acknowledged, the single had originally been released in 1971, all but ignored and now a rarity.)

The Rounders would shortly thereafter go back towards an acoustic configuration, cutting an album for the Rounder label (guess who it’s named for?) in ’72 which would not see the light of day for three years. The group soldiered on in various formations over the years lead variously by Stampfel and/or Weber and sometimes two different versions of the band existed on both coasts. An aggregation led by Stampfel and Michael Hurley cut the cult-classic “Have Moicy” for Rounder in 1976. 

Tracklist:

Once A Year
Black Bottom
Happy Scrapple Daddy Polka
Spring Of ’65
Livin’ Off The Land
Love Is The Closest Thing
Boobs A Lot
Melinda
Generalonely
Alligator Man
City Blues
The Whole World Outta Go On Vacation

The Holy Modal Rounders – Good Taste Is Timeless (1971)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

John Lee Hooker / Eddie Burns – Detroit Blues 1950-1951

These recordings were made between 1950 and 1951. One of the thumbs-up signs this collection gets is that, with the exception of "House Rent Boogie," there aren't a lot of obvious choices listed (no "Boogie Chillun," no "Crawling King Snake," etc.). And at the time of this stateside release in 1991, Collectables included seven tunes that hadn't really been out there before in any official capacity. Another big positive is that Eddie "Guitar" Burns is featured prominently here as a soloist, and his killer tunes like "Squeeze Me, Baby," "Gangster Blues," and "Grievin' Blues" are here as well. 

While everything on this set has now been issued in some other more chronological, historical, and musicologically annotated way in the 21st century, this comp is still well worth seeking out as a used item, because it smokes.

The sound is rough in the extreme, but the music's great.


Tracklist:

A1 John Lee Hooker– House Rent Boogie
A2 John Lee Hooker– Wandering Blues
A3 Eddie Burns– Making A Fool Out Of Me
A4 John Lee Hooker– Questionnaire Blues
A5 John Lee Hooker– Real Gone Gal
A6 Eddie Burns– Squeeze Me Baby
A7 John Lee Hooker– Feed Her All Night
A8 Eddie Burns– Gangster Blues
B1 Eddie Burns– Where Did You Stay Last Night
B2 John Lee Hooker– My Daddy Was A Jockey
B3 John Lee Hooker– Little Boy Blue
B4 John Lee Hooker– How Long Must I Be Your Slave
B5 Eddie Burns– Grieving Blues
B6 John Lee Hooker– Ground Hog
B7 John Lee Hooker– Mean Old Train
B8 John Lee Hooker– Catfish

John Lee Hooker / Eddie Burns – Detroit Blues 1950-1951

(320 kbps, cover art included)

2. Festival des politischen Liedes - Wer, wenn nicht wir (1971, Eterna, vinyl rip)

This album features artists from 16 different countries taking part at the second "Festival des politischen Liedes" in 1971.

Tracklisting

01. Oktober-Klub - Auf, auf zum Kampf
02. Oktober-Klub - Seid euch bewusst der Macht
03. Isabel Parra - En septiembre canta el gallo
04. Oktober-Klub - Streiklied
05. Il contemporaneo - Que il nostro Vietnam
06. Thanh nien Ho Chi Minh - Der Hügel der zehn Helden
07. Oktober-Klub - Vietnams Geschütze
08. Oktober-Klub - Prometheus
09. Lutschina - Lied über Schtschors
10. Venceremos Club - Lied der Gleichen
11. Agitprop - Kenen joukoissa seisot
12. Francesca Solleville - Mexiko 68
13. Quilapayún - Comienza la vida nueva
14. Venceremos Club - Die Partei
15. Oktober-Klub - Die Thälmann-Kolonne

2. Festival des politischen Liedes - Wer, wenn nicht wir (1971)

(192 kbps, complete cover art included)

Ella Mae Morse With Big Dave And His Orchestra – Barrelhouse, Boogie, And The Blues (1954)

One of the most talented and overlooked vocalists of the '40s, Ella Mae Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B; at times she came remarkably close to what would become known as rock & roll. 

When she wasn't yet 14, Morse had her first taste of the big time, when Jimmy Dorsey's band came to Dallas for a stay at the Adolphus Hotel and she called for an audition. Unbeknownst to her, the band needed a new female vocalist. Believing that Morse was indeed 19, as she and her mother claimed, Dorsey hired her. 

When he received a letter from the school board declaring that he was responsible for Morse's care, Dorsey fired her. Morse joined former Dorsey pianist Freddie Slack's band in 1942; she was only 17 when they cut "Cow Cow Boogie," which became Capitol Records' first gold single. The following year, Morse began recording solo. Although her records were consistently solid and sold fairly well, Morse never obtained a huge following. She retired from recording in 1957, and died of respiratory failure on October 16, 1999.


Tracklist:

A1 Rock Me All Night Long
A2 Money Honey
A3 I Love You, Yes I Do
A4 Daddy, Daddy
B1 Teardrops From My Eyes
B2 5-10-15 Hours
B3 Have Mercy Baby
B4 How Can You Leave A Man Like This

Ella Mae Morse With Big Dave And His Orchestra – Barrelhouse, Boogie, And The Blues (1954)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

The Kingston Trio - The Last Month Of The Year (1960)

Released in 1960, when the Kingston Trio were one of the most popular recording acts in the U.S.A., "The Last Month of the Year" did not tear up the charts as expected. It peaked at number 11, a relatively low placement given their popularity, and it didn't become a catalog item, which is the ultimate goal of any holiday record.

The reason why "The Last Month of the Year" failed to become an accepted standard is due entirely to its ambition. Most musicians stick to the tried-and-true carols but the Kingston Trio dug deep into unheralded English, European, and American spiritual and carol songbooks. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," an old English carol, as is often performed, as is the Wassailing song, and the Weavers had popularized "Go Where I Send Thee," but most of "The Last Month of the Year" would've been unfamiliar to 1960 audiences, as it would be to modern listeners. This may have doomed the album to obscurity but it's a remarkable record, one that's canny in its construction and heartfelt in execution.

"The Last Month of the Year" celebrates the deep history of the holiday while showcasing the trio's warm harmonies and sensitive, savvy interpretative skills. It may not have made many waves at the time but it remains one of the most distinctive - and best - holiday records.     

Tracklist:

A1 Bye, Bye, Thou Little Tiny Child 2:55
A2 The Snows Of Winter 2:34
A3 We Wish You A Merry Christmas 1:34
A4 All Through The Night 2:14
A5 Goodnight My Baby 1:53
A6 Go Where I Send Thee 2:28
B1 Follow Now, Oh Shepards 2:42
B2 Somerset Gloucestershire Wassail 1:47
B3 Mary Mild 2:50
B4 A Round About Christmas 1:30
B5 Sing We Noel 2:00
B6 The Last Month Of The Year 2:35

The Kingston Trio - The Last Month Of The Year (1960) 
(256 kbps, cover art included)   

VA - 15. Festival des politischen Liedes (1985)

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw attempts to integrate a wider range of musical tradtion into GDR culture. A generation of American folk musicians toured the GDR and breathed new life into the amateur music movement which had always been an important aspect of the East German tradition. On both sides of the Wall, the annual folk festivals such as the West´s "Burg Waldeck" (1964- 1969) and the "Festival des politischen Liedes" (1970-1990) in East Berlin provided venues for international singers and an opportunity for artistic innovation. Coupled with the APO and Student Movement, Burg Waldeck helped to reclaim the folk song from Third Reich distortion, and the political song of Brecht, Eisle and the Weimar cabaret from elimination, and hence to lay the foundations of an ew independent German popular music.

Beginning in 1970, the Festival des politischen Liedes, an East German festival focusing on political songs, was held annually and organized (until 1980) by the FDJ (East German youth association). Musicians from up to thirty countries would participate, and, for many East Germans, it was the only exposure possible to foreign music.

This albums features original recordings from the 15. Festival des politischen Liedes (09.02. - 17.02.1985, East Berlin).

Tracklist:

A1 –San Francisco Mime Troupe - Standing With The Union (An der Seite der Gewerkschaft)
A2 –Samuel Munguambe -  Mundlerere
A3 –Quilapayún - Luz Negra (Schwarzes Licht)
A4 –Urszula und Budka Suflera - Auschwitz 45
A5 –Leoncarlo Settimelli - In Principio Era L'uomo (Am Anfang war der Mensch)
A6 –Kinvara - Mouth Music / Reel
A7 –Dick Gaughan - Which Side Are You On (Auf welcher Seite stehst du?)
B1 –Eric Bogle und Wacholder - Es ist an der Zeit
B2 –Silvio Rodríguez Und Afro-Kuba - Cuando Digo Futuro (Wenn ich Zukunft sage)
B3 –Meridian - Du meine Hoffnung
B4 –Cutumay Camones - Commandante Clelia
B5 –Maurício Tapajós und Marcus Vinicius - Mudando De Conversa (Wechseln wir das Thema)
B6 –Oktoberklub - Gib deine Hand in meine Hand

VA - 15. Festival des politischen Liedes (1985)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Zupfgeigenhansel – Eintritt frei (Pläne,1980)

The album "Eintritt frei" was recorded live on Sept. 24/25, 1980, at the tavern "Zur lieben Hand" in Owingen, Lake of Constance. Side A contains some medieval songs, side B Jiddisch songs. Of course Conny Plank has done an excellent job again, the sound quality is as good as a studio recording.

The booklet contains notes and chords

for the guitar, lyrics, infos about the songs' history, translation from Jiddisch to German and more photographs.

Zupfgeigenhansel was a German folk duo, one of the most successful groups to emerge on the German folk scene in the 1970s. It consisted of Erich Schmeckenbecher and Thomas Friz. The group was named after the collection of folk songs of the same name, which was published in 1909.

The group started playing in folk-clubs, mainly in southern Germany, in 1974. They then started appearing on the radio programme Liederladen of the Südwestfunk broadcasting station. They released their first album, Volkslieder I for the Pläne record company in 1976, and later in the year their second album, Volkslieder II. In 1978 they received the award of "Artists of the Year" in one of the categories of the German Phonoakademie. They disbanded in 1985.


Tracklist:
01. Wenn alle Brünnlein fließen 05:25
02. Die Bauern von St. Pölten 02:41
03. Der Revoluzzer 02:44
04. Andre, die das Land so sehr nicht liebten 03:25
05. Victor Jara 06:15
06. Di mame 03:19
07. Mojschele 05:17
08. Di mesinke 02:39
09. Dire-gelt 02:36
10. Tsen brider 07:43
Total time: 41:57

Musicians:
Thomas Friz: vocals, guitars
Erich Schmeckenbecher: vocals, mandolin, guitars, accordeon
Lutz Berger: violin
Bruno Brandenberger: bass
Conny Plank: sound, recording, mix

Zupfgeigenhansel – Eintritt frei (Pläne,1980)
(ca. 278 kbps, cover art included)

Mississippi John Hurt ‎– The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt - Ain't No Tellin'

No blues singer ever presented a more gentle, genial image than Mississippi John Hurt. A guitarist with an extraordinarily lyrical and refined fingerpicking style, he also sang with a warmth unique in the field of blues, and the gospel influence in his music gave it a depth and reflective quality unusual in the field. 

Coupled with the sheer gratitude and amazement that he felt over having found a mass audience so late in life, and playing concerts in front of thousands of people - for fees that seemed astronomical to a man who had always made music a sideline to his life as a farm laborer - these qualities make Hurt's recordings into a very special listening experience. 

"Ain´t No Tellin´" is a compilation album of live recordings from various performances.

Tracklist:

1	Rich Woman Blues
2	Trouble I Had All My Days
3	Chicken Blues
4	Coffee Blues
5	Monday Morning Blues
6	Frankie & Albert
7	Talking Casey
8	Here I Am, Oh Lord Send Me
9	Hard Times In The Old Town
10	Spike Drivers Blues
11	Candy Man
12	My Creole Belle
13	Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor
14	Shake That Thing
15	I'm Satisfied
16	Salty Dog
17	Nobody's Business
18	The Angels Laid Him Away
19	Casey Jones
20	Baby What's Wrong With You
21	Lonesome Blues

Mississippi John Hurt ‎– The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt - Ain't No Tellin' 

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Walter Benjamin - Aufklärung für Kinder

Walter Benjamin prepared and delivered some 30 broadcasts for German Radio between 1929-1932 specifically for children, maybe 7-14 or so, each consisting of a 20 minute talk or monologue.

A main emphasis was on introducing the youth to various, some of them classical, natural catastrophes, for instance the Lisbon earthquake of the 1750's that so shook the optimism of Voltaire and the century, a flood of the Mississippi of 1927, the Pompeii disaster as came through the famous letter of Pliny the Younger; another subject was various episodes of lawlessness fraud and deceit, much of it recent, for instance bootlegger's boats that were bringing rum or whatever to America through the prohibition blockade. "Aufklärung für Kinder" ("Enlightenment for Children") was the name of the series.

This release collects some of these broadcasts, read in german language by Harald Wiesner.

Walter Benjamin - Aufklärung für Kinder
(128 kbps, front cover included)

The Chambers Brothers - Feelin´ The Blues (1970)

Like their West Coast contemporaries Sly and the Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers shattered racial and musical divides to forge an incendiary fusion of funk, gospel, blues, and psychedelia which reached its apex with the perennial 1968 song "Time Has Come Today."

Musical siblings George Chambers (bass/vocals), Willie Chambers (guitar/vocals), Lester Chambers (harmonica/vocals), and Joe Chambers (guitar/vocals) were raised on rural gospel in their native Mississippi before switching over to folk and then soulful blues and R&B-fueled rock. The Chambers Brothers' recordings issued by the Los Angeles-based Vault label were nearly four years old when "Feelin' the Blues" hit the streets in 1970. The band's style had changed quite drastically from old-school blues, soul, and pop to the longer psychedelic jams heard on their international hit "Time Has Come Today." Although the mixture of live and studio selections gives the collection an odds-and-sods vibe, several of the performances are among the best of the Vault Records-era material.

Somewhat contrasting with the album's title, the Chambers actually cover a wide spectrum of music on "Feelin' the Blues". Their roots can be heard throughout the flawless interpretation of the sacred standards "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and the excellent "Travel on My Way." Similarly, the midtempo reading of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" offers the Chambers an opportunity to subtly return to their gospel origins with call-and-response backing harmonies. The proceedings are far from being pious, however, as the quartet harmonizes the chorus of "Too Fat Polka" during one of the instrumental breaks. Perhaps wishing to remove some of the sting from the real storyline, the reworking of "House of the Rising Sun" - according to the spoken introduction - is told from the point of view of the receptionist (huh?) at the infamous bordello. Had the Chambers Brothers decided on a more straightforward translation, the song could easily have been one of the album's best. Other tunes worth spinning include a version of Bobby Parker's "Blues Get Off My Shoulder" - in a longer form than on 1968's "The Chambers Brothers Shout!" - and the comparatively brief but effective update of the jazzy "Undecided."

Tracklist:

A1	Girls, We Love You
A2	I Got A Woman
A3	House Of The Rising Sun
B1	Don't Lose Your Cool
B2	Just A Closer Walk With Thee
B3	Blues Get Off My Shoulder
B4	Travel On My Way
B5	Undecided

The Chambers Brothers - Feelin´ The Blues (1970)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mississippi John Hurt - Worried Blues 1963

Together with 1963's "Avalon Blues" (as opposed to the similarly titled compendium of 1928 recordings), "Worried Blues" represents the best of Mississippi John Hurt's later work, following his rediscovery in the early 1960s.

As much a folk musician as a bluesman, Hurt included traditional and devotional music as well as blues in his oeuvre. His wide-ranging repertoire here is highlighted by "Farther Along" and "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep." Accompanied only by his guitar, Hurt is a compelling, engaging performer who eschews gimmickry. The ease with which he plays creates a peacefulness at the center of this music that's undeniably appealing. --Genevieve Williams

Tracklist:

1	Lazy Blues	3:20
2	Farther Along	3:51
3	Sliding Delta	5:09
4	Nobody Cares For Me	3:38
5	Cow Hooking Blues No. 2	3:46
6	Talkin' Casey	4:51
7	Weeping And Wailing	4:11
8	Worried Blues	4:43
9	Oh Mary Don't You Weep	3:26
10	I Been Cryin' Since You Been Gone	3:09

Mississippi John Hurt - Worried Blues 1963
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Wolfgang Neuss - Kabarettgeschichte(n) - Ein Porträt

Wolfgang Neuss (3 December 1923 – 5 May 1989)[ was a German actor and Kabarett artist. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he also became famous for his political engagement, first for the SPD, then for the extra-parliamentary opposition, APO. He died in 1989 from a longtime cancer.

At the age of 15 he went to Berlin to become a clown but was dismissed. When Germany entered into the Second World War Neuss was drafted, first to the Reich Labour Service where he was occupied with road construction. Later he was sent to the Eastern Front where he became injured and was rewarded with the Iron Cross. It was during his stays in military hospitals and, after the war during military detention that Neuss began to discover his interest in acting and for Kabarett.


Tracklist:

1. Der Mann Mit Der Pauke
2. Ich Bin Der, Vor Dem Mich Meine Eltern Immer Gewarnt Haben
3. Eine Kindheit In Breslau Zwischen Theke Und Biertischchen
4. Der Schlachterlehrling Mit Clownstalent
5. Humor Als Waffe Auf Hitlers Feld Der Ehre
6. Neuss'sche "Lachkalorien" In Den Hungerjahren
7. Das Sensationelle Erfolgsduo Im Wirtschaftswunderland: Wolfgang Neuss Und Wolfgang Müller
8. "Maulkorb Statt Pauke" - Tonstörungen Beim Fernsehen Des SFB
9. Neuss, Der Polit-Clown, Behauptet Seinen Platz Zwischen Allen Stühlen
10. Der Fernseh-Krimi-Spielverderber Der Nation
11. Folgenreicher Seitensprung Nach Ostberlin
12. "Neuss Testament" An Aufrechte Erben
13. Position Zur Politischen Situation Der 60er Jahre - Leidenschaftliche Opposition
14. Resignation, Sozialhilfe, Drogenmissbrauch - "Bin Soeben Durchs Soziale Netz Gepurzelt. Endlich wieder unter Menschen"
15. Zahnloses Berliner Schandmaul Gelegentlich Mit Biss


Wolfgang Neuss - Kabarettgeschichte(n) - Ein Porträt

(320 kbps, front cover included)

Wolfganz Szepansky & Emil Ackermann - ...denn in uns zieht die Hoffnung mit - Lieder, gesungen im Konzentrationslager Sachsenhausen

The "Sachsenhausenkomittee Westberlin" - an organisation of survivors of the concentration camp Sachsenhausen-  released around 1980 a small book with memories of the anti-fascists Wolfgang Szepansky and Emil Ackermann together with this cassette featurung songs sung in the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

The songs are interpreted by Wolfgang Szepansky (prisoner number 33527) and Emil Ackermann (prisoner number 775), accompanied by Josef-Maria "Pepi" Metzke, Jochen Horvath, Dieter "Max" Mehr and Robert "Robby" Hartog -  members of the folk group "Sorgenhobel".

Wolfgang Szepansky (* October 9, 1910 in Berlin-Wedding ; † 23 August 2008 in Berlin-Schöneberg) was a German anti-fascist, communist resistance fighter, author and painter.



Tracklist:

Sachsenhausen-Lied

Kameraden, lasst uns singen

Was uns auch begegnet hier

Wir sind Moorsoldaten

Das Glöckchen

Partisanen vom Amur

Wilde Gesellen

Wir sind nicht zu verbieten

Fichtemarsch

Wir sind die Moorsoldaten

Accordion– Jochen Horvath
Guitar– Robert "Robby" Hartog
Guitar, Mandolin– Dieter "Max" Mehr
Violin– Michael Spitzer
Vocals– Emil Ackermann, Josef-Maria "Pepi" Metzke, Wolfgang Szepansky
Recorded  at "Mauerton"-studio in Berlin-Kreuzberg and mixed by Leo Lehr.

Wolfgang Szepansky & Emil Ackermann - ...denn in uns zieht die Hoffnung mit
(320 kbps, front cover and informations included, tape rip)

John Lee Hooker - The Great (1963)

John Lee Hooker was the king of the endless boogie, a globally cherished bluesman whose droning, hypnotic, one-chord grooves were driving, primitive, and timeless. 

During a 50-year career, he melded regional sounds from the Delta, Detroit, and Chicago in a trademark, oft-imitated approach. From the late 1940s until 1969, he cut more than 100 singles for labels such as Modern, Chess, Federal, Atco, and Vee-Jay, including hits such as "I'm in the Mood," "Hobo Blues," "Boogie Chillen," "Crawling Kingsnake," and "Boom Boom." 

In 1966 he resurrected and reinvented the '50s R&B hit "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" and made it his own.


Tracklist:

A1 I Need Love So Bad
A2 Sally Mae
A3 Key To The Highway
A4 How Can You Do It?
A5 It Hurts Me So
B1 She Left Me
B2 I Got Eyes For You
B3 Let's Talk It Over
B4 I'm A Howling Wolf
B5 Tease Your Daddy

John Lee Hooker - The Great (1963)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Beyond the Wildwood – A Tribute to Syd Barrett (1987)

Like a supernova, Roger "Syd" Barrett burned briefly and brightly, leaving an indelible mark upon psychedelic and progressive rock as the founder and original singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of Pink Floyd. Barrett was responsible for most of their brilliant first album, 1967's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", but left and/or was fired from the band in early 1968 after his erratic behavior had made him too difficult to deal with (he appears on a couple tracks on their second album, "A Saucerful of Secrets"). Such was his stature within the original lineup that few observers thought the band could survive his departure; in fact, the original group's management decided to keep Syd on and leave the rest of the band to their own devices. Pink Floyd never recaptured the playful humor and mad energy of their work with Barrett.               

Beyond the Wildwood – A Tribute to Syd Barrett is a tribute album consisting of music written by Syd Barrett. The musicians performing on the album are British and American indie rock artists. The songs featured come from Pink Floyd's singles; the albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets; and Barrett's two solo albums: The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Although Barrett's productive recording career had only lasted from 1967 though 1970, his music had a great influence on the development of psychedelic rock, alternative rock and indie rock music.

"Beyond the Wildwood" is a must have for any serious Syd fan. This album of covers is a fine tribute, the songs are not at all "replicas"; they are all fresh and re-worked, some of them quite radically. 


1. The Mock Turtles - No Good Trying
2. Plasticland - Octopus
3. SS-20 - Arnold Layne
4. Paul Roland - Matilda Mother
5. Fit And Limo - Long Cold Look
6. The Shamen - Long Gone
7. Opal - If The Sun Don't Shine (Adaptation Of Jugband Blues)
8. The Ashes In The Morning - Baby Lemonade
9. The Lobster Quadrille - Wolfpack
10. The Paint Set - Golden Hair
11. Tropicana Fishtank - No Man's Land
12. The T.V. Personalities - Apples And Oranges
13. The Soup Dragons - Two Of A Kind
14. The Green Telescope - Scream Thy Last Scream
15. The Chemistry Set - See Emily Play
16. What Noise - Rats
17. Death Of Samantha - Gigolo Aunt

^{VA - Beyond the Wildwood – A Tribute to Syd Barrett (1987)
(256 kbps, cover art incuded)}

King Tubbys, Prince Jammy´s, Scientist - Dubwise Revolution

King Tubby is to this day synonymous with dub. He was a man who had a passion for fiddling with sound equipment, and turned that passion into a new musical genre and a veritable art form. He may have started his career as a repairman, but before he was done, his name was one of the most respected around the world. He worked with virtually every artist in Jamaica, and his name on a remix was like gold, a seal of quality that was never questioned.

A member of dub's royal family, Lloyd James (aka Prince Jammy, aka King Jammy) began his career as an apprentice mixer under the late great King Tubby.

Scientist was an employee of Tubby's, fixing transformers and televisions, when one day, after an animated conversation about mixing records, Tubby challenged the Scientist to take a shot at remixing a record.

Guess "Dubwise Revolution" is a 1970s dub album, produced by Prince Jammy and mixed by Scientist nd King Tubby.

Tracklist:

Come Dub
Iniquity Dub
Just One Dub
Late Night Dub
Ants Nest
Holy Dub
Crisp Dub
Echo Chamber
Better Must Dub
Big Dub
Vanity Dub
Bell The Cat Dub
Rock A Dub
Play On Dub


King Tubbys, Prince Jammys, Scientist - Dubwise Revolution
(192 kbps, front cover included)