VA - The In-Kraut: Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1967-1974 Volume 1 (2005)

Marina Records proudly presents The In-Kraut -- twenty handpicked soul, beat, now sound, mod and soundtrack gems from Germany -- all recorded between 1966 and 1974. Among them many Kraut-pleasin' obscurities and long-forgotten nuggets that appear now for the very first time on CD. While the musical climate in Germany of the late '60s and early '70s was clearly dominated by horrible Schlagers, nevertheless, records of outstanding class were cut with Teutonic precision. Just check out "Gemini" by Gnter Noris, a stomping piano-led instrumental worthy of Ramsey Lewis. Or the proto-funk of Erwin Halletz "Das Stundenhotel Von St. Pauli" -- a tight soundtrack groover clearly inspired by James Brown. Or the elegantly sweeping "Naturally Stoned" by Helmut Zacharias with more than a trace of a brilliant John Barry arrangement, and the Blood Sweat & Tears-inspired "Molotow Cocktail Party" by Vivi Bach & Dietmar Schnherr. The guys behind these productions were usually slick jazz players and studio musicians from the tightest orchestras of the country. Somehow these middle-aged men knew how to move the Kraut and adapt their skills to the swinging sixties. The In-Kraut was compiled and annotated by Stefan Kassel and Frank Jastfelder who also compiled two acclaimed Lalo Schifrin anthologies, several volumes of Universal's Get Easy! series, the Mad Mad World Of Soundtracks compilations, and retrospectives of the work of Gary McFarland, Horst Jankowski, Lee Hazlewood and other cool cats. 2005.