V/A - Tanz Mit Dem Herzen (Germany, 1982)
EMI Electrola 1C 264-78 083

I haven't really featured Kraftwerk's appearances on various artists compilations on this blog before, nor am I sure I will make a habit of it... But I can think of a couple reasons to mention them, and therefore, here is an example!


The reason I blog about Kraftwerk cassettes from around the world is fairly simple: Aside from the simple fact that I like cassettes and don't find them online much, in a more philosophical sense I think that they represent a sort of document of Kraftwerk's cultural impact - there are so many different versions of their output, across all continents, showing that people all around the world have listened to Kraftwerk... And of course, within that context, there must be lots and lots of people who only had one track on a compilation album? And anyway, some times a various artists release is the only way to get a single edit on cassette, as is the case with this one.


Tanz Mit Dem Herzen is a slightly odd compilation; It's presented as a sort of "recent hits" album, but it's not all recent and not all hits; there are songs dating back to 1980 here, a couple of single b-sides, album tracks and oddities... The group Fehlfarben is represented with two older LP tracks; the title of the compilation is in fact another song title from them. Kraftwerk are given top billing here, with their band name mentioned first on the front and even on the spine of the J-card.


The cover art is a painting of a fairly "new wave" looking female figure, in fact she reminds me a little of the 1982 film, Liquid Sky... The LP cover has the logo and featured bands spread across the same image, but for the cassette, the info has been scrubbed, so the picture stands alone, giving the cassette a 'tidier' look. The album came in two different catalogue numbers in Germany, of which this is the first - at least numerically.


Kraftwerk has just one track on this, Taschenrechner, but at least it's the single edit. I suppose the combination of them having had a recent #1 hit in the UK did something for their profile at home, while the song that did the deed was four years old, so they opted for the previous single instead? Taschenrechner was not a huge hit at home, reaching #63 in May 1981, so it's not featured on a 1982 compilation for neither its impact nor its novelty. That said, of course Kraftwerk were a cornerstone for the whole Neue Deutsche Welle, since they had been pushing for new technology AND singing in German for years, so they are not exactly out of place, either. 


The J-card is the standard 1-panel on thin glossy paper, cassette is black with white on-body print.





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