German Propaganda Swing 1941-1942

Charlie & His Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 14, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Harlequin Records
• ASIN: B000001XXY
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,444 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. You're Driving Me Crazy

2. You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming

3. St Louis Blues

4. Slumming On Park Avenue

5. Dinah

6. Daisy

7. F.D.R. Jones

8. Who'll Buy My Bublitchky

9. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket

10. The Kings Horses

11. I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams

12. Three Little Fishes

13. Why'd Ya Make Me Fall In Love

14. Miss Annabelle Lee

15. South Of The Border

16. Hold Tight

17. The Man With The Big Cigar

18. I'm Sending You The Siegfried Line

19. Bye Bye Blackbird

20. Japanese Sandman

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Before Springtime for Hitler there was Charlie, November 7, 2002

By 

M. G. James - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German Propaganda Swing 1941-1942 (Audio CD)

I guarantee that you will never come across a stranger piece of World War Two ephemera than this. Jazz was frowned upon by the Nazis, but sometime in 1941 a group of musicians hit on an ingenious scheme to keep playing this "degenerate" music. They rerecorded swing classics of the era, substituting with "humorous" propaganda lyrics. The results are jaw-dropping: much of the intended humour is about as subtle as a flying bomb, and the rampant anti-Semitism mught be too much for some people (although my sax teacher, who is not only Jewish but lived through the war, thinks it's the funniest thing he's ever heard).

One to slip on unannounced during a dinner party methinks.

"Who likes bombing?"
"We like bombing!"

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ., January 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: German Propaganda Swing 1941-1942 (Audio CD)

World War II was perhaps radio's heyday as the medium for propaganda. The Nazis were fond of trying to wipe out jazz at home, but used big band and swing as a vehicle for delivering their anti-semitic messages to allied troops abroad. A Brit named Norman Baille-Stewart broadcast under the name Radio Charlie, expounding the Nazi party line to the popular big band melodies of the day. This CD gathers 22 of Radio Charlie's records, and also includes a broadcast excerpt from his radio show with the legendary "Lord Haw-Haw." In numbers like "You're Driving Me Crazy," Charlie sings one verse of the original lyric, then launches into rhyming Nazi diatribes against Roosevelt and Churchill before singing a celebration of Japan's entry to the Axis. The band is surprisingly competent.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, November 12, 2011

By 

Ed Deppe (Bloomington, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: German Propaganda Swing 1941-1942 (Audio CD)

Like the swing music! Interestingly, the singer went on immigrating to the USA and making a good career. Many of the WWII "enemy" came here and did alot of great things after the war.