Music flourished during the Third Reich, from the very early days in 1933 to the final Fall of Berlin in 1945, but not all of it was the strident janissary marching music played by the famous military bands; artists such as Lale Andersen, Wilhelm Strienz, Mimi Thoma and Oskar Joost und sein Orchester were prolific and well-known singers and musicians performing throughout Germany in the pre-war and later war-time years of the German ‘Home Front’.
Not only did these popular artistes perform in concert and on the burgeoning German radio, but they were also the stars of the exciting new recording industry, playing on the shellac 78rpm discs for the gramophone labels such as Gloria, Odeon, Telefunken, Kristall, Gramophon, Tempo and Schallplatten Volksverband.
Some of these songs were perhaps the most haunting, emotional and ‘mood capturing’ tunes ever come out of pre-war Germany and Tomahawk Films’ producer Brian Matthews has managed to track down a number of these truly stunning recordings and return to the studio to produce a further two amazing, broadcast quality, 16-track CDs containing some of the most beautiful and moving of period songs from the evocative years 1934 to 1944, including…
Landserlied – Nur bei uns – O du schöner Westerwald – Lied eines jungen Wachtpostens – Feldpost für Ännchen – Ade, du blonde Müllerin – Drei Rote Rosen – In Feldquartier – Bei der blonden Kathlein – Heimat, du Innbegriff der Liebe – Fahr’ mich in die Ferne – Peterle – Ganz dahinten, wo der Leuchtturm steht – Deine Mutter bleibt immer bei dir – Es müsste Frühling sein – Gute Nacht Mutter – Mutterlied – Auf Fahrt und Walz – Schön ist die Nacht – Lied der Schiffswache – Dorothee – Ich möchte dir so gerne etwas sangen – Mein Schatz ist bei der Infanterie – Das ist der Liebe der Matrosen – Am Abend aud der Heide – Sie heisst Marie! – Märchen und Liebe – Pech und Schwefel – Ubers Meer grüss ich dich, Heimatland – Schön ist die Nacht and Ahoi! ...