Percussive Oompah (Rudi Bohn and his Band) — Self-titled

Percussive Oompah (Rudi Bohn and his Band) -- Self-titled

• Artist: Percussive Oompah (Rudi Bohn and his Band)
• Title: Self-titled
• Year: 1962?
• Format: Vinyl 12 in.
• Rating (1-10): 6
• Owner: Tracy
• Acquired: Thrift store?
• Keeper: Yes

Here’s some more lovin’ from the Oktoberfest oven. I’ve had this record forever and kept it in “various,” but I now realize that the name of the performing group is “Percussive Oompah (Rudi Bohn and his Band).” This one is instrumental. There are some, at the time, contemporary songs like “Mack the Knife” in addition to more traditional stuff like In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus.” It’s all pretty decent and I enjoy it because it just seems so strange to me. But the cover is why I had to have it. Brew in the brass horn makes me happy. And speaking of the cover, do you get the feeling the label really wanted you to know about “Phase 4 Stereo”? Inside the gatefold there’s even a diagram of how it works, along with painfully long explanations about how it was recorded, including the make and model of the microphones!

But wait! There’s more… This stuff always brings up stories of when Mary’s family was stationed in Germany during the late 1970s. Mary laments how in the prime of her childhood she was deprived of some crucial elements of American culture. The top three being Pop Rocks, Bubble Yum, and Charlie’s Angels. They had the American magazines though, so they did know what they were missing. On the other hand, they had a “beerman.” That’s right, a man, who delivers beer, regularly, right to your house. I’m not old enough to have ever seen even a milkman, and something tells beermen never existed in this country. Mary’s dad got to be friends with the beerman. On Saturdays the beerman would bring Mary’s dad beer, my father-in-law would give the beerman a cigar, and they would hang out for a bit, drinking and smoking. Those were the days.