Bert Kaempfert - New Box Set „The Bert Kaempfert Decca Collection“
Elevation of easy listening with the best of the ingenious composer and bonus delights.
January 19, 2024
His indistinguishable sound – sophisticated, swinging and catchy – made German band leader Bert Kaempfert a bestseller in the 50s and 60s. His American Decca albums sold millions of copies and brought him four gold records in America alone. Throughout his illustrious career spanning from the late 1950s until his untimely death on June 21, 1980, Bert Kaempfert was closely associated with two iconic record labels: the German Polydor and the American Decca. As Kaempfert's Polydor catalog was re-released in various CD editions in the past, a new 24-CD box spotlights his American albums released from 1958 to 1970, an era filled with many super-hits from Kaempfert’s pen, such as “Wonderland By Night”, “A Swingin’ Safari”, “Spanish Eyes”, „Danke Schoen“, “Sweet Maria”, “Strangers In The Night”, „L.O.V.E.“, and “The World We Knew”. While there are some overlaps between the Polydor and Decca catalogs this new collection is a treasure trove of Kaempfert's most important recordings viewed through a whole new lens.
With "The Bert Kaempfert Decca Collection," one can not only indulge in top-notch musical enjoyment but also relive the fact that Bert Kaempfert's success story was largely based on his American hits. Although he recorded all his albums in Hamburg, his songs charted as German exports in the USA first, only later making their way back to Germany as an aftereffect. This had never happened before and has not happened since: a German musician became one of the greats in the USA with swinging orchestral music and songs of international caliber.
The collection gathers 24 American LPs in an attractively designed CD box and contains, in addition to the complete original albums, more than 35 bonus tracks as well as the worldwide CD premiere of the album "Pete Fountain Plays Bert Kaempfert," which the jazz clarinetist recorded in Hamburg in 1967 with the musicians of the Kaempfert Orchestra. A detailed booklet tells the extraordinary story of the Hamburg musician who conquered the world.
You can find the box set here.
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