Things are slowly filtering in.

Hildegard Knef: 'Knef' (MP; Decca/Stern; 1970)
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Although it might seem as if I am a huge record geek, I'm really not. So long as I can hear the music, I don't care what format it's in, or even really that I have the original. But there are exceptions. Normally, I have a rule that I don't buy records or CDs when I already have all of the songs in one format or other. But I made an exception for this record, just because I love it so much, and because I remembered that the cover was beautiful.

So, it felt like an extravagance to have this shipped from Germany, but when I opened up the package, it really was probably the most beautiful record I had ever seen. The picture here really doesn't do it justice. Eleven of the twelve tracks appear on the Knef box set; the extra track, 'Elvira O', is an entertaining cabaret style number with a strange vocal effect on Hildegard's voice. The other tracks include the astounding 'Wieviel menschen waren glucklich', 'Im 80 Stockwerk', and 'Die herren dieser welt,' all of which have irresistably smokey pop arrangements by Hans Hammerschmid. Other highlights include 'Friedenskampf und schadenfreude' and the lighter 'Tapetenwechsel.'