This 20-track compilation was compiled by Stefan Kassel & Frank Jastfelder, whose incredibly informative track-by-track liner notes in the lavishly illustrated booklet (featuring photos of all the source albums and singles) are as fun to read as the tracks are to listen to. From Hildegard Knef?s ?From Here On It Got Rough? is a bawdy, cabaret-styled Brechtian show tune seems handcrafted for one of Madeline Kahn?s ?Blazing Saddles? routines or the campy, theatrical rock posturings of the Sensational Alex Harvey. G?nter Noris? jazzy piano-stomper ?Gemini? comes as close as possible to Ramsay Lewis? ?In Crowd? without being indicted for petty larceny and there?s not much I can say about Kuno & The Marihuana Brass? ?Marihuana Mantra? other than to tell you that The Pandemonium?s ?Ma-Ma-Marijuana? it?s not. Although it does have some fantastic guitar work, the campy, comedy skit vocal interplay (in German) seems straight(!) out of one of those old AIP Beach Party films, making it a novelty number at best.

Memphis Black?s funky organ grinder, ?Why Don?t You Play The Organ, Man? is a stone cold soul killer and, not to be outdone, Orchester Frank Pleyer?s ?Sunday Love Affair? combines a little bit of everything, including drum solos, wailing sax and trumpets, and groovy organ booby jams for a big band styled workout that would be perfectly suited for Nick Saloman?s next ?Instro Hipsters A Go-Go? compilation, as is Fredy Brock?s funky James Brown get down, ?Beat It.?

France Gall completists may salivate at her rare, 1967 German-only Teldec single ?Hippie Hippie,? but I found it rather dull and unmemorable, as was Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra?s unrecognizable deconstruction of ?Jumping Jack Flash.? The incredibly nimble walking bass line on Erwin Halletz? previously unreleased title track to the sexploitation flick, ?Das Stundenhotel Von St. Pauli? suggests another heavy James Brown influence on German orchestras during this period, while the sound effects-laden ?Molotow Cocktail Party? by the husband/wife duo Vivi Bach and Dietmar Sch?nherr sounds like Blood, Sweat & Tears scoring a spy film behind an awkward, improvised-sounding duet that does little more than repeat the title.

Helmut Zacharias? ?Naturally Stoned? is a swinging, lightweight dance number with orchestral sections that suggest KC & The Sunshine Band paying tribute to one of John Barry?s James Bond scores, and while The Boots? ?Alexander? is not exactly a cover of Plasticland?s arrangement of the old Pretty Things psychedelic chestnut, it might as well be, with its hard driving beat punctuated by bleating horns and a snazzy little organ backbeat. Orchester Werner M?ller?s silly novelty hit ?Bodybuilding? takes a swinging, sexy F-beat rocker and drops an annoying Moon Unit Zappa-styled ?Valley Girl? commentary onto it for an embarrassing mess that I?m sure all participants are rightfully ashamed of. Bentley Rhythm Ace sampled it nearly a decade ago on their club hit ?Bentley?s Gonna Sort You Out,? but that doesn?t make it any more attractive.

Johannes Fehring & The ORF Big Band lay some classy, Quincy Jones licks into a funky, Bert Kaempfert horn workout on ?Jungle Soul? and guitar virtuoso Bill Lawrence?s unfortunately-titled ?Pussy Baby? contains some unbelievable ?talking? guitar licks that?ll have Eric Clapton drooling.

With its extremely high ?hit? quotient, this groovy, hipshaking compilation is highly recommended, particularly to fans of the late 60?s/early 70?s psychedelic orchestral and soundtrack cuts on the aforementioned ?Hipsters A Go Go? series. 8/10 -- Jeff Penczak (27 June, 2006)