Pop Shopping

Pop Shopping is a compilation from the classic label Crippled Dick Hot Wax. This compilation of German TV commercial jingles from the 60s and 70s celebrates forgotten music. Its English language equivalent would feature the Shake And Vac theme.

Amongst the pop nuggets on here are a bizarre calypso (in German of course) for Nescafe coffee, a rocking tune for Grand Prix racing at the Nurburgring, and various ditties for hand cream, chocolates, cars, blenders and all other manner of mod cons.

Swinging Nordwest is the funkiest track on this album, a rather groovy number for Nordwest Shoes. You can almost imagine the advert to this great track (I was thinking go-go dancers in miniskirts while the camera zooms in and out rapidly). There is also an instrumental version on the album.

Patchwork On The Blues

WARNING! This music contains nothing original whatsoever! This is utterly derivative blues, through and through. No blues cliché is left unused (one song even begins "woke up this morning") So far, so bad, but what this band does bring is great musicianship, a great lo-fi basement club recording, and an immense sense of fun.

Patchwork On The Blues are a German blues band that evidently love the music they play, but are simultaneously aware of the hoary clichés at every turn - the songs are verging on parody, with band members bent double over their instruments with laughter. The result is a great blues stomp that is utterly familiar and none the worse for it.

Good Ol' Shoe gives a feeling for the ramshackle, improvised nature of the material. Three full albums are available for free download, and this is from Sessions.