Search - Hula Hawaiians :: Hilo March

Kooky German hula music

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 11/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you ever pick up a copy of the Bear Family catalog, there's a whole section devoted to dozens of post-war German pop artists. It's the sort of thing where you just scratch your head, and think, "Huh. Wonder what that stuff's like...?" but you quickly put it out of your head, since the attraction isn't that great. So here's one that snuck in by the back door... I actually thought this was a collection of Hawaiian oldies, but it turns out 'taint necessarily so. The Hula Hawaiians were actually a Swiss-German outfit -- they started up in the late '40s and recorded well into the 'Fifties -- and man, did they rock! Not only could they play straight up Hawaiian style, they also started to infuse their work with a driving rockabilly undertone... a hint of Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant along with the standard Polynesian fare. Every time I play something off this disc on the radio, I get someone calling up to ask what it is... of particular note is the Hawaiian-ized version of Anton Karas' "Third Man Theme." Highly recommended!"