Bert Kaempfert •10 Original Albums and Bonus Tracks [2014] Intense Media 600240

 

Welcome to the updated and expanded version of The Vinyl Cloak!  I am a big fan of The Intense Media box sets and also a big fan of Bert Kaempfert.  

This box set is in a wallet box with each of the 10 CDs in a hard paper sleeve.  The back of the sleeve contains the album name, the album artist, original release date, tracklist, and composers. 

I bought this set specifically for the 23 singles included as bonus tracks.  All of the scans are available for download; send an email to receive a link and instructions.  👍

EU-only 10 CD box that gathers together ten original LPs that brought the German bandleader and songwriter Bert Kaempfert world fame, as well as twenty-three successful singles as bonus tracks. The set includes sought-after rarities, such as the LP published under the pseudonym Raimondo and the Memory Strings. The full list of the albums included: Portugal - Fado, Wine and Sunshine (1958), Combo Capers (1960), Wonderland By Night (1961), The Wonderland of Bert Kaempfert Part One (1961), The Wonderland of Bert Kaempfert Part Two (1961), Immer Wieder Jung (1961), Dancing in Wonderland (1961), With a Sound in My Heart (1962), A Swingin' Safari (1962), Afrikaan Beat and Other Favourites (1962).

Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra Dancing In Wonderland [1960]

Decca ‎Records DL 74161

More smooth orchestral pop in the vein of Kaempfert's two prior albums, Wonderland by Night and The Wonderland of Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra -- this album actually made the Top 100 in late 1961, peaking at number 92 with help from the number 48 chart single "Now and Forever." The trumpet is the dominant instrument on much of what's here (with the saxophone occasionally playing a serious role on solos), and gets in some pleasant little grace notes on the fade out of the string-laden arrangement of "Unchained Melody." The repertory is drawn from light classics such as Eric Coates' "Sleepy Lagoon" (on which the percussion is featured very prominently) to '30s and '40s pop standards like "Blue Moon" (done with a cha cha beat); "Somebody Loves Me" (with some lovely sax); and recent movie/pop hits such as "When I Fall in Love" (all strings, trumpet, and percussion) and "How Deep Is the Ocean." It's all inoffensive and soothing without being dull...Kaempfert knew how to use the studio and its effects to full advantage, so that on "There, I've Said It Again" you get little up-close percussive flourishes that delighted hi-fi and stereo freaks of the period.

Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra That Latin Feeling [1963]

Decca Records DL 74490

Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra Bye Bye Blues [1965]

Decca Records DL 74693

Bert Kaempfert was coasting at the peak of his popularity when he released Bye Bye Blues in early 1966. Perhaps that's the reason why he decided not to change his formula at all on this breezy collection of standards, originals, and contemporary tunes. The title is no joke: this is a sunny album without a care in the world, lightly swinging to its own beat. Kaempfert's big, brassy arrangements are appealing but a little similar, which means that the entire record kind of blends together; there's no beginning or end, just 12 easy listening tunes that flow into the next. That means, naturally, that nothing -- not even hit singles like the title track -- stands out, which logically means that this isn't one of the more distinctive albums in his canon. Nevertheless, Bye Bye Blues is a pleasant album, ideal for background cocktail music, which is all that Kaempfert fans old or young will want anyway.