Reissue CDs Weekly: German Measles, Mobilisation Générale

Various Artists: German Measles Vol 1 – Flames of Love / German Measles Vol 2 – Sun Came Out at Seven

For the years between The Beatles inventing themselves in the clubs of Hamburg and the evolution of what was dubbed Krautrock, Germany’s popular music scene hasn’t gained much of an international profile subsequently. It’s understandable, but a pity. Just as the Fabs inspired countless wannabe beatsters in Liverpool and beyond in Britain, they did the same in the country which had as great a hand in their training as the UK. The two German Measles albums don’t dwell on local stars like The Rattles, but dig deep to find cuts defining a lively scene which barely anyone outside Germany would have been aware of.

Putting this in context, Volume Two’s The Improved Sound Limited were crowned Bavaria’s Best Group in 1966. That’s an area just over half the size of England, with Munich at its heart. Non-Germans may not have heard of them, but The Improved Sound Limited weren’t obscure.

Both volumes are unmitigated blasts. The first takes it from beat, through R&B to when things got a little freaky. The second takes it from there to psychedelia and beyond to the plain strange. A couple of big names crop up: The Lords and The Petards. But the focus is on regional acts. Presaging The Housemartins' trumpeting of their ranking in Hull, the Ruhr’s Newcomers called themselves Germany’s Beat Band Number Three, after The Lords and Rattles. There is little shyness, but there is with the annotation which does not credit the songwriters or detail the original releases – a glaring oversight.

There is a lot of really great music though. Nothing is truly original, but from the opening notes of The Blizzards’ rough-as-nails “I’m Your Guy”, it’s impossible not to be swept along. On “German Measles”, The Subjects say the affliction “is not wonderful”. “Excuse me but I’m feeble,” they conclude over a tough groove The Animals would have been proud of. On “Hear What I Say”, Frankfurt’s King-Beats may as well have been The Animals. The Pralins’ “Jumpin’ Run” is a staccato rocker which turns “Watch Your Step" inside out and sports crazy Velvet Underground “Run Run Run” guitar.

Unselfconsciousness is key. The Petards’ fantastic “Sun Came Out at Seven” is, as Mike Stax’s liner notes say, “informed by The Who and The Jimi Hendrix Experience without being remotely derivative of either”. Similarly, with “Mr, Cool”, The Rags appear to have swallowed “Paperback Writer” whole but the result is nothing like the Beatles. Absolutely 1967 sounding, yet like no other band.

Despite all these highlights, the track which will attract most attention is by Cindy and Bert. A schlager duo from Saarland, they were actually Jutta and Norbert Berger. Their “Der Hund von Baskerville” is a wild cover of Black Sabbath’s "Paranoid". Watch them perform it below. And pay special attention for the ferocious mutt of the title.

Various Artists: Mobilisation Générale – Protest and Spirit Jazz From France 1970–1976

After the events of May 1968, an agitated France searched for a music which could be as incendiary as the fired-up protestors who had hit the streets. The mood didn’t coalesce into a movement as easily tagged as what became known as Krautrock, which had begun emerging around the same time. But there was an identifiable groundswell in France. It didn’t come with a wave of rabble-rousing rock bands in the mould of America’s MC5 or German-styled psychedelic-inspired avant-oddity, but followed the arrival of The Art Ensemble of Chicago in Paris in 1969. The new French sound would draw from free jazz. The extraordinary Mobilisation Générale charts what happened.

As the liner notes put it, “making music became a political act”. It affected the established: Léo Ferré would make the Amour, Anarchie Ferré 70 album. But Mobilisation Générale sticks firmly to the lesser known. Brigitte Fontaine and Areski are the mainstream names here.

The Art Ensemble of Chicago open Mobilisation Générale as the backing outfit for poet Alfred Panou. “Je Suis un Sauvage” he declares on what became a single in 1970. Obviously, it wasn’t aimed at and didn’t hit the charts. Such an explicit commentary on racial stereotypes would remain on the margins, which applies to all the music heard here. The lack of any commercial aspiration and heed to paid to genre boundaries means that the uncategorisable and uniquely local musical stew cooked up took in jazz, Africa, poetry and chanson – and, as with The Last Poets, the roots of rap can be heard.

Mobilisation Générale compiles 12 hunks of wild, compelling music. With “Nous Allons Vous Raconter​.​.​.​(Intercommunal Blues)”, François Tusques & le Collectif du Temps des Cerises take in relentless drumming, stabbing sax and trumpet, a funky piano and declamatory vocals which lambast car manufacturer Citroën. On “Nous Ouvrirons les Casernes”, the collective MAHJUN try to form an army of youth over a sinuous bass. Although earnest and, above all, politicised, these performances still joyfully resonate – both in terms of their agenda and their music. Although, as with German Measles, the details of the original releases and songwriting credits are not given, this is still a stunning collection.

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Watch Cindy and Bert perform “Der Hund von Baskerville”