The accepted Anglo-American critical consensus would have you believe that before the sudden early 70s emergence of Kraftwerk, Can, Amon Duul, Faust and their comrades, German pop was a wasteland populated only by Bavarian oompah bands and middle-aged, middle of the road schlager merchants as epitomised by James Last.

This is an attempt to counteract that notion (although Hansi himself does get to top and tail proceedings).

Here are all sorts of things you were never told about: Teutonic takes on Bossa, exotica, psych, sunshine-pop and, from Cindy & Bert, Sabbath as well as much stranger and stronger stuff.

And you might also have noticed that being right-on as ever, we’ve avoided use of that rather demeaning K-word.

Prost!

1 James Last-Nothing

2 Paul Nero- This Is Soul

3 Hazy Osterwald Jet Set-Swinging London

4 Vivi Bach & Dietmar Schonherr-Molotow Cocktail Party

5 Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra-The World is Gone

6 Mary Roos-Blauer Montag (Mas Que Nada)

7 Hildegard Knef-Von Nun An Ging’s Bergab 

8 Inga Rumpf & I.D Company-I Watched The Women

9 Sibylle Baier-Give Me A Smile

10 City Preachers-Come Back

11 The Rattles-If You Don’t Come Back

12 Cindy & Bert-Der Hund Von Baskerville (Paranoid)

13 Peter Herbolzheimer-Frogdance

14 Gunter Noris-Gemini

15 Eugen Thomass-Undergroovin’

16 Carlos Fendeira-Gimmi Moro

17 Tommy Haggard Orchestra-Peeled Tomato

18 Rolf Wilhelm-Do It Yourself

19 Orchester Werner Muller-Bodybuilding

20 George-Butterflies Never Cry

21 Slapp Happy-Little Girls World

22 James Last-Voodoo Lady’s Love