RiP James Last…

[iguana]

… the antidote to what many people here define as progressive music, but a visionary artist and hard working all-round good guy nonetheless. he provided a rocksteady soundtrack to the old federal republic of germany in a career which spanned six decades. it is tough to imagine the german music scene without him. at 86. a life more than filled to the brim. danke schön.

[interbellum]

Well, he was a person people talked about, so I guess he made an impression. I remember that a couple of people in the seventies said they were into classical music. When I asked what they had, they showed me LP's from James Last-concerts.
So maybe he brought those people closer to classical music, just like André Rieu does.

[Adm.Kirk]

or Liberace.

Bill

[iguana]

well, neither liberace or rieu had a go at hawkwind’s “silver machine“… ;-)>

[Rarebird]

Even my parents have one or two records by him.

And of course Peter Hesslein from Lucifers Friend played with them. Isn't he playing the guitar-solo in the clip above?

[spacefreak]

And of course Peter Hesslein from Lucifers Friend played with them. Isn't he playing the guitar-solo in the clip above?

Yes, more than half of Lucifers Friend participated in his early 70ies orchestra.

My Uncle was a huge fan in the 70s, he owned many albums of his and he hated rock music...

[Scrotum Scissor]

I grew up with James Last; he was the "current pop update" alibi of the petty bourgeois community where I lived back then. My dad a businessman who worked himself up from blue-collar working class (sans education), my mom a tightly smoking house-/trophywife. It was basically THAT 'Mad Men' of a social existence. Whereas my father had played the trumpet in his youth and listened to George Russell, Chet Baker, Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley and Lee Konitz, by the early 70s it was essentially ALL James Last, George MacRae, Andy Williams, Carpenters, Barry White and the likes. I'm still quite sentimental about this music, tho' my father's still an unbearable fellow.