The Swing Era's most improbable jazz band, "Charlie and his Orchestra" (Karl Schwedler) was the brainchild of none other than Joseph Goebbels and his Propaganda Ministry.
Nazi opposition to "degenerate" jazz was a well-advertised fact, yet Goebbels recognized its propaganda value in reaching foreign audiences, and during the war years "Charlie and his Orchestra" provided German foreign broadcasting large doses of musical sizzle and hipster allure. Featuring many of Europe's finest jazz players, combining hit parade savvy with pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic lyrics, the band served up cover versions of the latest swing sensations, creating a body of work that (in spite of its lyrical content) attracted a substantial following among English and American audiences.
The Orchestra's remarkable story has recently been told in the documentary Propaganda Swing: Dr. Goebbels' Jazz Orchestra, also available through IHF Films.
This 2 CD set, an IHF exclusive, presents the Orchestra's "hits" in chronological order for the first time...
Volume 1 Tracks include:
I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket, 2:46; The King's Horses, 2:58; St. Louis Blues, 3:08; Slumming On Park Avenue, 2:45; I'll Never Say 'Never Again' Again, 2:37; Dinah, 2:55; Daisy, 2:28; Goody Goody, 2:42; Who'll Buy My Bublitchky, 2:34; I've Got A Pocketful of Dreams, 2:54; Lili Marleen (Lale Anderson & Charlie Schwedler), 3:21; The Man With The Big Cigar, 3:01; British Soldier's Song, 1:50; Nice People, 3:07; Thanks For The Memory, 3:07; Stormy Weather, 3:21; It's A Long Way To Tipperary, 2:55; When Day Is Done, 2:55; You're Driving Me Crazy, 3:14; Hold Me, 3:23; You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming, 3:24; With A Smile And A Song, 3:16; Indian Love Call, 3:18; The Sheik Of Araby, 2:46. CD, 72 minutes
Volume 2 Tracks include:
Let's Put Out The Lights, 3:11; Bei mir bist Du schön, 2:34; Makin Woopee, 3:06; I'm Sending You The Siegfried Line, 2:44; Laugh, Clown, Laugh, 2:36; By, By, Blackbird, 2:34; Japanese Sandman, 3:15; I Found A Million Dollar Baby, 2:40; Avalon, 2:49; You Started Something, 2:54; You're The Top, 2:20; Bom, 2:55; Little Sir Echo, 2:58; Picture Me Without You, 2:37; Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?, 2:36; The Lambeth Walk, 2:47; Three Little Fishies, 2:06; Why'd Ya Make Me Fall In Love, 2:34; I Double Dare You, 2:27; Miss Annabelle Lee, 2:23; South Of The Border, 2:53; Hold Tight, 2:48; I Can't Give You Anything But Love, 2:17; Daisy, 2:16; United Nations Air Men, 2:52. CD, 69 minutes.
Compact Audio Disk