Alain Barrière ~ Tu T'en Vas (1973)

A former railroad engineer, Alain Barrière started a successful career as a singer-sonwriter in 1962 with "Elle était si jolie". Now, Barrière is one of the best-known and well respected french singer-songwriter in all french countries over the world. Major hits: "Ma vie", "Plus je t'entends", "Emporte-moi", "C'était aux premiers jours d'avril", "À regarder la mer" and many others.

This album was released in 1975 and even though it was not a huge commercial success it contains some of the finest ballads written by Alain Barrière. "Pour la dernière fois" even today remains very popular and it can be ranked as high as "Elle était si jolie". The rather unusual "L'algue" full of quiet despair and resignation is considered a hallmark of Alain's poetry, yet this tune is still often overlooked despite its beautiful arrangement and production.

tracks

01. Tu t'en vas (avec Noëlle Cordier) (4:22)
02. L'algue (3:36)
03. Le Bel Amour (3:28)
04. A Coups De Nuit (3:26)
05. Il faut danser, Marie (3:03)
06. C'est La Vie (3:50)
07. L'ombre d'un basier (2:25)
08. Reve Et Realite (3:23)
09. Pour la dernière fois (4:08)
10. Que c'est long (2:49)
11. Bretagne, Bretagne (4:02)
12. Si tu te rappelles, Ma Vie (4:20)

Que c'est long 

Reve Et Realite

Francis Lai - Traumschiff

tracks
01. Das Traumschiff (2:49)
02. Karibische Nacht (3:44)
03. Anette (3:31)
04. Love Story (3:14)
05. Souvenir einer Sängerin (2:50)
06. Linda (3:08)
07. Kilimandscharo (3:25)
08. Phantasie (3:36)
09. Südseezauber (2:52)
10. Ein Mann und eine Frau (3:17)
11. Puerto Rico (2:41)
12. Samba Carneval (3:23)
13. Tant der Mexikaner (3:17)
14. Amazonas (3:08)

 Ein Mann und eine Frau

Love Story 

Das ist Raumklang - Eine Super Stereo Demonstration (1966)

tracks

A1. Jörg Bobsin - Das ist Raumklang (19:51)
B1. Das Panorama Sound Orchester - You go to my head (3:16)
B2. Philharmonisches Orchester Den Haag - Ungarischer Marsch (4:13)
B3. Das Panorama Sound Orchester - With a song in my heart (3:13)
B4. The London Symphony Orchestra - Radetzky March (2:52)
B5. Panorama Sound Orchester - Just one of those things (2:53)

Das Panorama Sound Orchester - You go to my head

Das Panorama Sound Orchester - With a song in my heart

Martin Böttcher & His Orchestra - Love Story and other love themes (1970)

tracks

01. Theme from "Love Story"
02. Liebestraum
03. Endstation Liebe (aus dem gleichnamigen Film)
04. Adagio in g-moll
05. Love is Blue
06. A Lovers Concerto
07. Snow Frolic (from "Love Story")
08. The man I love
09. Wonderland of Love
10. Canzone d'amore (Una canzone)
11. Melodie für Jessica (aus "Spion unter der Haube")
12. Love - so heisst mein Song (This is my song)


This LP had definitely seen better days. Found on a local flee market and purchased for a reasonable $1, this Slovenian (former Yugoslavia) issued LP sure gave me a hard time restoring it. The last two tunes on B side, "Canzone d'amore" and "This is my song" were so badly damaged that even a multiple scans could not completely clean up the terrible scratches and other artifacts. "This is my song" also contains one nasty skip, but given the circuimstances I think it now sounds pretty decent. I think the LP was either played with improper needle, bad needle, improper tracking force or tone arm/cartridge being totally out of alignment (end tracks on both sides are considerably more damaged than others) or some abrasive material had damaged the grooves. On most tunes some "clicks" and "pops" are still audible. However, additional filtering would compromise the high frequencies and the music would not be as enjoyable. In any case, this is possibly the finest "Love Collection" when it comes to Martin Böttcher's opus. Every tune is masterfully arranged and produced. Even though most (but not all) of these tracks can be now found re-issued on CD this LP has its unique value just because of the excellent song choice.

Love is blue

Engelbert Humperdinck ~ Engelbert (1969) LP rip

Engelbert is a classy and respectable album from the adult contemporary singer featuring one of his three hits from 1968, "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize," with music direction from Les Reed. It's not as easily recognizable as his other eight Top 40 entries, and just bubbling under the Top 30, it was the second-weakest showing of his nine-song chart run. By the same token, Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Love Was Here Before the Stars" isn't their most familiar melody, but with Peter Sullivan's perfect production, and again with Les Reed as musical director, it works for the audience who bought this stylish romantic music. More than a dash of echo embellishes the voice on "Don't Say No (Again)," along with some pretty bells and laid-back accompaniment, giving Humperdinck the platform to display his smooth and strong vocal prowess. The formula works on all 12 selections, with "Let Me Into Your Life" another consistent trademark album track. Charles Blackwell handles the musical direction on "Through the Eyes of Love," while Mike Vickers does the same with "The Way It Used to Be," Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway writing some English lyrics for the Argenio/Piero Cassano/Conti melody. A fourth music director, Sydney Dale, is brought in for "You're Easy to Love," while Mike Vickers helps Engelbert out on his own composition, "A Good Thing Going." It's not the best tune on the album, and certainly didn't cause the team of Reed and Mason (who composed the hit here along with "Marry Me" ) to lose any sleep, but with the strong production and impeccable middle-of-the-road sound it blends in perfectly.

Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

tracks

01. Love Can Fly (2:47)

02. Love Was Here Before The Stars (3:04)

03. Don't Say No Again (3:07)

04. Let Me Into Your Life (2:37)

05. Through The Eyes Of Love (2:30)

06. Les Bicyclettes De Belsize (3:12)

07. The Way It Used To Be (3:08)

08. Marry Me (2:46)

09. To get to you (2:30)

10. You're Easy To Love (2:02)

11. True (3:21)

12. A Good Thing Going (2:22)

Let me into your life

Love was here before the stars

Marches, Songs, Speeches - Nazi Germany - WW II

tracks

A1 Wir Fuhren Auf Das Meer Hinaus, A German Sea Song Adopted By The Nazis 

A2 Nazi Storm Troopers Sing Ade, Polenland
A3 Nazi Storm Troopers Sing Wenn Wir Fahren Gegen England
A4 Nazi Storm Troopers And Black Shirts Sing The Horst Wessel Lied
A5 Hitler Addresses A German Youth Rally In Berlin In 1933
A6 A Nazi Military Band Plays A Stirring March Based On Wagnerian Themes 

B1 Nazi Storm Troopers Sing Markische Heide
B2 A Nazi Military Band Plays A Parade March
B3 Hitler Addresses His "Worker Service Men" At A Munich Rally In 1934
B4 A Nazi Military Band Plays A Popular March Recorded At An Actual Parade
B5 Hitler Addresses A Nazi Party Congress In Nuremberg In 1935
B6 Nazi Storm Troopers Sing Wir Fuhren Auf Das Meer Hinaus

Jean Pierre Pascal ~ Love Collection

tracks

01. I just called to say I love you (4:23)
02. Love is blue (3:00)
03. Divine Illusion (3:09)
04. Never on Sunday (3:16)
05. God Father (3:18)
06. El Pastor Solitario (3:05)
07. Blue Tango (2:27)
08. La Vida en Rosa (3:40)
09. Great Pretender (2:30)
10. Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir (2:16)
11. Love Hymn (2:12)
12. Save your kisses for me (3:05)
13. Let it be (2:33)
14. For all the girls I loved before (3:30)

Never on Sunday