http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:40:41 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2002/08/15/154041.php Craig Schamp One of my favorite radio programs is the Saturday morning Norman Bates Memorial Soundtrack Show, broadcast from KFJC-FM in the San Francisco Bay Area. Although soundtracks are a big part of the show, host Robert Emmett treats listeners to an eclectic mix that goes well beyond film scores. When I heard Petula Clark belting out the words to "Downtown" in German one recent Saturday, I was just about floored, it was so hilarious. A week later, Emmett played another 60s Golden Oldie in German. This time, I caught the name of the CD and went to work on the Internet to find it. 1000 Nadelstiche: Amerikaner & Briten singen deutsch is the first of a multivolume set from Bear Family Records in Germany. I was surprised to find it at Amazon. If you like adding odd CDs to your collection, this one's for you. I can't help but wonder if this a sample of the music American servicemen would have heard while stationed in Germany thirty-five years ago. Ever wonder what Johnny Cash sounded like in German? Me neither, but 1000 Nadelstiche has it. It's probably one of the strangest tracks. You can hear him struggling with most of those foreign words, and mispronouncing many of them, in "Wer kennt den weg" ("Who Knows the Way"). Ahm ahna schönsten wares doch zu haus Und doch sons mich eins in die welt hinaus Und in der ferne sunfte ich mein uch Wer kennt den weg, den weg zurück? What about that Teutonic rendition of "Downtown" by Pet Clark that I heard on the radio? Yep, it's here too. Her German diction is distinctly better than Johnny's. But when the background singers chime in with the chorus in English, it kind of jars you and creates just the kind of kitschy sound that makes this anthology amusing. Bist du allein von allen freunden verlassen Dann geh in die stadt Downtown Da wo das leben über allen den strassen sowie lichter hat Downtown Vergiß im bunte neon schein die stunden deiners oben Und hör die großstadt melodie Sei wieder froh Da ist alles für dich da Da wirst du dinge erleben Die sind wunderbar Come on, Downtown... At this point, I should admit that my German is a little rusty, so take these transcriptions with a grain of salt. But it doesn't matter to me that I can't understand everything in these songs. I can hardly understand the words to English tunes when I hear them. Besides, it's the combination of familiar melodies with not-quite-familiar words that entertains me when I listen to this disc. Probably one of my favorite tracks is "Warten und Hoffen" (Waiting and Hoping) by Dusty Springfield. Her enunciation is so crisp that she sounds almost comfortable with the German, and the phrasing and lyrics of this classic seem at home in their new language. Sometimes the translation into German doesn't seem to work very well. Brenda Lee's "Kansas City" is one such example. It's a quintessential American song, and hearing her sing "Ja, ja, in Kansas City / Labst du mir das gosser glück, o-ho yeah" just doesn't sound right, even though I find myself humming along to the tune in the car. If you enjoy 60s pop and rock music and have an interest in collecting peculiar things, well, this is the CD. Long before David Bowie sang "Helden," there was Roy Orbison, Pat Boone, The Temptations, Dave Colman, Manfred Mann, and others belting out their hits in German, presumably to adoring fans on the Continent. It might not be the thing you'll turn to for everyday inspiration, but it could provide just the right diversion from time to time. The songs are funny, at least. Music76@blogcritics.org Thu, 15 Aug 2002 15:40:41 EDT