Uploaded December 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE CHARTS - 1965
Song that entered the charts : "A Walk In The Black Forest"
Performing Orchestra : Horst Jankowski
Highest Charts Position : 15
Although the instrumental song A Walk In The Black Forest was the only top 20 hit for Horst Jankowski, he was a popular jazz and swing piano player. He received some radio airplay with other songs like his remake of the 1950 Bing Crosby song Play A Simple Melody. A Walk In The Black Forest was written by Horst Jankowski.
JAMES LAST
Last started out as a bass player and played with the Radio Bremen Dance Orchestra in the early 1950s. In 1955, he joined the staff at Polydor Records, where he stayed for the next 30-plus years. In the early 1960s, Last became a recording artist in his own right and his copious output for Polydor began.
German records are often full of medleys, in which the highlights of one melody segues into another over the stretch of 3 to 5 minutes. Last became a pro at putting these medleys together, and when the discotheque craze hit around 1964, he saw his chance to translate this skill into commercial success.
Last added a new element to the medley formula, mixing in background sounds of laughter, talking, and clapping in rhythm to suggest a real party going on in.
Polydor packaged the result as "Non-Stop Dancing." and it was an enormous success. People just couldn't get enough of it, apparently, although it was far less of a success in the U.S., which never caught the "Non-Stop Dancing" bug.
James Last has a devoted following in Europe. He has sold millions of albums, has flocks of earnest fans, and has had several biographies written about him.
Nicknamed "Hansi" (his real name is Hans Last) by his fans, James Last keeps on touring through Europe and his popularity has never been greater.
STROLLING THROUGH GATESHEAD
Written and arranged by James Last for the album "American Patrol's Big Brass".
MHO
Here's the Master of Arrangement again with one of his early compositions - less known perhaps than the other gems appearing on this album ("Games That Lovers Play", "Lingering On", "Time after time".....) but a James Last song always has that special touch to it - maybe it should be decribed as the "hand of the Maestro" :) ..... Whatever the case, guess millions of music fans worldwide cannot be wrong when they say : "Hansi is the best!" In MHO, James Last isn't only a master arranger, he also always succeeds in creating a recognizable, warm atmosphere. With snow actually covering the land, suppose that's exactly what we need right now ;-) Enjoy.
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE CHARTS - 1965
Song that entered the charts : "A Walk In The Black Forest"
Performing Orchestra : Horst Jankowski
Highest Charts Position : 15
Although the instrumental song A Walk In The Black Forest was the only top 20 hit for Horst Jankowski, he was a popular jazz and swing piano player. He received some radio airplay with other songs like his remake of the 1950 Bing Crosby song Play A Simple Melody. A Walk In The Black Forest was written by Horst Jankowski.
JAMES LAST
Last started out as a bass player and played with the Radio Bremen Dance Orchestra in the early 1950s. In 1955, he joined the staff at Polydor Records, where he stayed for the next 30-plus years. In the early 1960s, Last became a recording artist in his own right and his copious output for Polydor began.
German records are often full of medleys, in which the highlights of one melody segues into another over the stretch of 3 to 5 minutes. Last became a pro at putting these medleys together, and when the discotheque craze hit around 1964, he saw his chance to translate this skill into commercial success.
Last added a new element to the medley formula, mixing in background sounds of laughter, talking, and clapping in rhythm to suggest a real party going on in.
Polydor packaged the result as "Non-Stop Dancing." and it was an enormous success. People just couldn't get enough of it, apparently, although it was far less of a success in the U.S., which never caught the "Non-Stop Dancing" bug.
James Last has a devoted following in Europe. He has sold millions of albums, has flocks of earnest fans, and has had several biographies written about him.
Nicknamed "Hansi" (his real name is Hans Last) by his fans, James Last keeps on touring through Europe and his popularity has never been greater.
STROLLING THROUGH GATESHEAD
Written and arranged by James Last for the album "American Patrol's Big Brass".
MHO
Here's the Master of Arrangement again with one of his early compositions - less known perhaps than the other gems appearing on this album ("Games That Lovers Play", "Lingering On", "Time after time".....) but a James Last song always has that special touch to it - maybe it should be decribed as the "hand of the Maestro" :) ..... Whatever the case, guess millions of music fans worldwide cannot be wrong when they say : "Hansi is the best!" In MHO, James Last isn't only a master arranger, he also always succeeds in creating a recognizable, warm atmosphere. With snow actually covering the land, suppose that's exactly what we need right now ;-) Enjoy.
