Happy Sounds Forever

The Kaempfert selections in this anthology, include many numbers that encapsulate his sound; the international hit 'A Swingin' Safari', 'Highland Dream', and, from the film 90 Minuten nach mitternacht, 'Mexican Road Twist'.

Adored by his public and loathed by the critical elite, and known to his UK fans as Hansi, he sold more than 100 million albums around the world in a career spanning six decades. James Last was an international phenomenon; the man who made an industry out of easy listening. James Last's arrangements of British and American pop-music, often performed in non-stop medleys with an emphasis on dancing and having a good time, would become hugely popular with older audiences uncomfortable with the originals. It was the beginning of a strange shadow world in which easy listening would deliver an alternative, more middle-aged, pop culture.