GREATEST HITS (Poland, 1989) Unofficial
Exton EX-052


OK, so I do love me a Polish pirate cassette,  I've featured quite a few here on this blog before - and there's more to come! The anything-goes attitude when it comes to design, spelling, and even track listings - sometimes featuring bonus tracks, sometimes especially the 65 minute "The Mix" album was shortened down - anyway, it's a gift that keeps on giving.


Even more so I in this case, I suppose, as we now get Kraftwerk's "Greatest Hits"; an idea that was put forward - and leant on with some weight - by Kraftwerk's official label at the time, supposedly culminating in the re-recordings album "The Mix" in 1991. This is from 1989 though, and what we get here is... A simply baffling selection of tracks! 


The front cover has the photo of the band from the inner sleeve to the Mensch-Maschine album (also used on some cassettes including this double pack), and the first side of the cassette contains four of that album's six tracks. Then, on the b-side, we get three tracks off Electric Cafe - not including Musique Non Stop! - before Schaufensterpuppen closes the ball. No Autobahn, no Radioaktivität, no Trans-Europa Express, nothing from Computerwelt. I'll be darned.


The J-card is 1 panel, on thin glossy paper, printed on both sides. Whereas many Polish labels would have some sort of standard background for the front, spine and backflap, against which the info and illustrations were set, here it's all thankfully plain white with black lettering. (Shame about the spelling error on the front, although arguably, "KRFTWERK" sounds a little Polish, at least if you don't actually know what Polish sounds like!) The inside of the card gives a surprisingly rudimentary smatter of songwriter credits, leaving in the German word "Worte" - "Words", ie. lyrics - on the last track, probably some residue from a German original. Labels leave no hint as to what's on the cassette, except the record company name. This is as witnessed on a few Polish cassettes, more or less the norm; I suppose they didn't want the tax authorities to know what was on the cassettes?


So, in other words, a logical compilation, well thought-out and packaged, and a great introduction to the Kraftwerk oeuvre! How could I not love this one!








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