Heino

There was never a more under-appreciated vocalist than the great Heino. I own about 5 Heino records and am always impressed by their singular quality. Nothing quite has been able to approach that Heino sound - that golden tenor. Perhaps Heino is under-appreciated here in the States because he is too alien and challenging. It's possible that the raw power of Heino was perhaps too threatening for many in The United States in the 60s; Dylan, The Beatles, Hendrix, The Stones, and The MC5 were a packaged and acceptable revolution when put up against the bespectacled German's sheer forcefulness and directness. Or perhaps it was his raw and unbridled sexuality that was too much for Main Street America. Regardless of Heino not being accepted in the pop music cannon along with his lesser contemporaries, in many circles he remains a musical force to be reckoned with and admired. As in all cases, it is better to let the music speak for itself so I give you three Heino videos for your consideration:

The Master at work in the studio in 1967:


Next Heino performs Karamba, Karacho, Ein Whisky:


Finally , a direct challenge: Sing Mit Heino.

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OK I'm fucking with you. Not the part about owning Heino records - that part is true - but, let's face it, Heino is about as close to empirically fucking awful as one could get.
So, If you made it through all three, you are indeed a trooper so, to make up for it, here is a sweet clip of The Who on German TV doing of one of my faves The Seeker.