Double CD

[el-tel]

I bought my old man a double CD of wartime classic tunes, and there is some classic stuff like 'This is the army' and 'hang out your washing on the Seigfried line' but the best is by Spike Milligan called I think 'Seig Heil, Seig Heil, in der fuhrer's face!!!'

Whats your fav wartime tune?

[TxGirl]

wow, that sounds pretty interesting. i think my step-dad would really like to have something like that for Christmas. can you let me know what songs are on there and where did you find it at?
thank you, :-)

[Dave]

Gotta admit I generally dislike the music from the wartime years. I have a soft spot for Al Bowlly but I don't think much of the rest of it has aged well at all. Gracie Fields for example is just bad music for me. Vera Lynn had a little bit more soul and musical ability maybe, and songs like "We'll Meet Again" are a useful window for getting inside the heads of families torn apart etc. Thinking on, some of the Glen Miller stuff is superb. And "Lili Marleen" is another classic...

By a mile, though, the best stuff I have heard is the swing music of Charlie and His Orchestra. Charlie was an English-speaking German who had spent a lot of time in the US, soaking up swing music and all that hep-cat attitude. He was brought back to Germany and recruited by Goebbels to form a band and change the lyrics to some of the best known pop records of the time, such as "Daisy" and "South Of The Border". His brief was to give them a National Socialist spin, and the idea was to broadcast this and dupe/sway listeners on the Allied side....
So, warning! it is wartime German propoganda swing music, and some of the lyrical content is therfore morally bankrupt and offensive. Most of the propoganda value, though, is obviously now lost in time. As a novelty historical document, and viewed objectively as such, it is priceless.

There are two full CDs of this stuff available, some of which can be found in the download section here at War44 for those interested.

[Ricardo]

I'll have to check out some of those re-worked lyrics.

How about Fats Waller? I thought his song "Happy When The Nylons Bloom Again" is entertaining with lyrics "cotton is monotonous to men", referring to the supposed preference of nylon stockings. I assume that's about the rationing.

Also "Cash For Your Trash" advises to "save up all your pots and pans, save up every little thing you can, get some cash for your trash."

Those aren't my favourite Waller songs, but I found them amusing. I had a vinyl recording of some of his radio spots where he's endorsing war bonds, and there was something about "V disk", too. Were those records made to send overseas?

[Dave]

Fats Waller passed me by I'm afraid, until now. I will check this stuff out along with "V Disk" .

Update: Well I got Cash for your Trash but the 'nylons' one is hard to get as an MP3. Same goes for the V Discs, hard to get as MP3s without a clear idea of what to look for, say for example "Fats Waller message to the troops"... no luck here so far. "V" stands for "Victory" and they're very collectable. As you say they were produced for the ears of overseas servicemen & women.

Jim I will forward you the Cash For Your Trash file, it's worth uploading here I reckon.

Update#2: Fats is one of the greats ! I saw some of his recordings described as studies in immaculate ease - which pretty much sums up the listening experience. And how about that story of how he played Al Capone's birthday party after being taken there at gunpoint :o

[Jim]

Dave, pass them on good sir..

John McDermott - Lili Marlene, does it for me..

[Dave]

On its way mate.
I have also just got hold of a "Command Performance" from Armed Forces Radio out of Los Angeles featuring Dinah Shore, Lula Powell & Scottie, Fats Waller, Gloria Dean, Jerry Colonna, Abbott & Costello. It features messages to the troops and some quality performances. Abbott & Costello do the famous "first base" sketch. Fats does "Your Feet's Too Big", and the date is the 4th of December 1943. Just a few days after making the recording, on his way back to New York from Los Angeles, Fats died, succumbing to pneumonia at the age of only 39.

[Jim]

Now added to the downloads Click Here to access.. The Command Performance is recommended to anyone who likes this type of music.. Thanks Dave ..