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18/08/2004 German popular music: nicht so gut
We saw a couple of days ago how German music fans' taste in classical music is so much superior to that of British listeners - German classical fans buy proper classical CDs, recordings of proper repertoire by established classical artists, not the TV/celeb-led offerings, musical pastiche and compilations beloved of their Brit cousins. But the German market for popular music is rather less impressive. The mainstream falls for the heavily-promoted bland poprock which has conquered the world, but the German market also has idiosyncracies which expose it to international ridicule. First is an unhealthy over-fondness for heavy rock, the kind of meathead music which even denizens of Sheffield might find embarrassing. Far more squirm-inducing is the uniquely German contribution to European culture, Schlager, a mind-numbing musical genre which you simply can't escape anywhere in the Republic. It's everywhere - radio, TV, retail outlets, festivals… . 24/7. Music retailers devote whole walls to the stuff. Schlager takes old pop hits, preferably from the 1970s, and adds a folksy, country feel to produce an instantly recognisable brand of singalong dross, with lyrics guaranteed to make grown-up listeners reach for an overdose. It's dreadful. How could the great culture which gave the world Bach, Beethoven and Mozart put up with this stuff? In defence of Schlager, anyone? Gerry Smith
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