Bert Kaempfert appreciation thread (Mrs. Kaempfert sez: "Bert had a dark side")

Interesting, that sound reminds me a bit of Duane Eddy, anyone agree?

 

Very interesting history. I wonder if the way they explain the rebuffing of Bert Kaempfert by Brian Epstein was really true. Epstein isn't here to explain his side.

 

I think Bert Had a Dark Side is the title of the next Kate Atkinson detective novel.

 

YEAH!!!

 

He probably did not even know at the time. The man was a whirlwind of barely-controlled chaos at the best of times.

Chances are that somebody in reception suspected Bert was deviously serving notice for unpaid royalties or worse, not knowing that runs contrary to Deutsch business philosophy.

 

Interesting. Probably something like that, or a miscommunication of some kind. Epstein was known as a diplomat and not a cut-throat at all (as the Beatles business affairs in the early years showed). Oh well, Bert Kaempfert nonetheless had an important early connection to the Beatles by recording them and this just adds additional lustre to a great career.

By the way, in playing on youtube various songs by or performed by Bert, I see he did Rebel-Rouser by Duane Eddy. This seems a tip of the hat to someone who may have influenced the band's signature bass guitar sound. Eddy had a big influence on some bassists including John Entwistle of The Who.

The Who's first manager was Helmut Gordon, a German immigrant to England. Interesting all the connections English 60's rock has to Germany one way or another.. I was impressed as well by Tony Sheridan's mastery of the German language.

 

And how could I forget, as a major bandleader and another one German-raised, James Last? Interesting how Germany produced two major figures with international success who worked at the same time, i.e., in genres that were derived from Anglo-American pop, if I have that right.

 

That is not true. That bass sound has a different origin.
You should consider, that in those days they had no multitrack-recording facilities. The wide stereo on their recordings was created live by using a "dummy head" plus few support microphones. And if for example certain instruments turned out as being too loud, they were moved into a different corner of the studio.
Bass was always a problem especially for vinyl records. Usually barely audable. Cause if you had too much bass, the needle would jump. So they experimented with ways to make the bass audible. In the beginning they doubled the bass with an electric guitar and then Geisler built his own pick up for the bass.

 

No, you haven't ...;-)
It's not like "every idea comes from America". Just listen to early german stereo recordings of those people from the Hamburg scene and compare them with the poor "left-right stereo" of american and british studios. Kämpfert and also Last had a very own attractive approach to music, otherwise they would not have been interesting for England and America.

 

@Helmut have they ever made a good quality documentary on James Last (Hansi) or Berthold Kämpfert by the way? They sure deserve it.

 

It would be interesting to hear Epstein's side of that story, but I can imagine that it probably went down the way Bert's daughter explained it. Let's face it, Brian probably figured that Bert had come to his senses, realizing in the eleventh hour what he literally handed over to him and rather than starting what could have been the beginning of legalities, might have ended up, with just Bert honestly only asking how they were working out?

Either way, you have to think that clip that I added, was a pretty cool documentation of what really went down, in regards to the actual letter signed by The Beatles and Bert, to allow them to move on! I can only imagine that Bert was a little pissed that he gave them away, especially when Brian said (supposedly) what he said, when Bert called to ask about them.

 

Check out that c.1961 Fender Bassman speaker cab!!

 

He's great. A lot of his records are at my local Goodwill. I think I have two or three of his albums.

 

I use equal parts of freshly ground beef, pork and veal. I'd use 1 to 1 1/2 pounds total in this posted recipe. I fry the balls till browned and crusty, deglaze the pan with beef stock, stir in heavy cream if you want to be really German / Swedish, half and half to be lighter but still creamy, splash of soy sauce is authentic. Reduce sauce till thickened while holding meatballs in a low oven.

 

Excellent! I would of course deglaze with beef stock and white wine (or Sherry for a sweeter flavour). I tend to add booze to everything I cook.

 

I wasn't referring to the sound of records or stereo technology, but rather the music itself, but fair enough. I did earlier refer to what I feel is a "European" sound in a lot of their music. By the way, we can include in a manner of speaking in this band leading and arranging group, Lawrence Welk, who issued famously from a German enclave in North Dakota and whose accent showed it all his life. (Incidentally, reading up on Welk, one story suggested he had actually lost the accent by the 1950's but retained it for the show to lend a folksy touch!). And of course the countless great and notable bandleaders from Jewish immigrant families as e.g. Benny Goodman, Mitch Miller and many others. It's that European connection again, or probably, yes.

 

Well that's interesting but I'd think Bert must have seen some kind of connection because he did do his version of Rebel Rouser, and a very good one. Perhaps the influence was the other way around…? Not sure when Duane Eddy got started.

 

Kämpfert started his work as an orchestra leader at the end of the 40s for a radio station and then also for Polydor. No doubt that there was some cultural exchange, but Geisler only mentioned to me a visit of Les Paul in Germany, where they once met. And he described him as someone who didn't give any insight into his tricks. He didn't mention Duane Eddy. But you should consider, that technology developed for all at the same time, which lead to different people coming to similar results. But...who knows..

 

About Kämpfert there was a good documentary on german TV that was worth seeing. It's also available on DVD, try that link
https://www.ardvideo-shop.de/86-d47301-dvd-strangers-in-the-night-die-bert-kaempfert-story.html
About James Last I think there were some 45 minute specials on TV, but I don't remember having seen something like the one about Kämpfert. But I may be wrong

 

I have at least three of his Decca 45s in my collection: "The Moon is Making Eyes," "That Happy Feeling," and "Afrikan Beat". Love them all!

 

Was Bert very popular in Singapore? Would his music be played on the radio or would people have to order his records in order to hear his music?

 

I'm originally from New Hampshire, and my grandfather was a jukebox repairman in Pennsylvania. That's where most of the records I had as a kid came from.

To answer your question, I've lived in Singapore for six years and I don't think I've ever heard his name mentioned. But then you don't hear it much in America anymore either.

 

My very first 45 rpm record as a 3-year old boy (1964) in Manila was by Bert Kaempfert given to me by my Dad as a gift together with a portable turntable.
Side A- The Swinging Safari ; Side B - The Happy Trumpeter on Decca label.
As a kid, my ears were bombarded with easy listening music from the 30's, 50's, 60's and the 70's including the unforgettable music of the three famous German easy listening composers/band leaders such as James Last, Bert Kaempfert and Horst Wende (more popularly known as Roberto Delgado).

 

Never heard of Wende, any further insight there?

 

I could tell you a lot of great Lawrence Welk stories, but I won't because he is gone and not here to defend himself. My dad was in the Lawrence Welk orchestra from the late 1950's to the early 1960's. He was on many of the recordings including "Calcutta" and the theme song for "My Three Sons".

With Lawrence, it was all about the "business". He knew he a demographic niche and exploited that to the maximum. Despite some of the "corny" skits on that show, he had some great musicians in that band that stayed because the work was steady and the pay was good. Interestingly enough, a lot of folks still remember a lot of those Lawrence Welk shows, I guess they weren't all that bad after all.