Max Raabe and his Palast Orchester is likely not the kind of music you would expect to be reviewed on Flyctory.com – me neither. Just after his MTV Unplugged album was released on 22nd November 2019, I ran into two tracks of it and just felt that I have to introduce you to this amazing project.
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester – About The Artists
Max Raabe was born in 1962 at Luenen at the Western part of Germany. During his studies at the Berlin University of Arts, he formed the Palast Orchester (“Palace Orchestra”), which aimed to re-live the movie and dance music of the 1920s and 1930s in Germany. The band members thereby strolled through flea markets to find original arrangements.
The project does nowadays not only arrange original songs, but uses their very own style to cover other songs, including pop and rock classics. Some of the songs they recorded are We Will Rock You by Queen, Oops! I Did it again by Britney Spears or Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins. While Max Raabe and his orchestra had decent success at the beginning , their last albums lead to quite significant chart placements in Germany and Austria and – partially – also in Switzerland. There are some singles charts placements as well, but they are much worse in ranking. One of the most well-known songs of them is Küssen kann man nicht alleine (“You cannot kiss alone”), which also illustrates the ironic and humorous songs of Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester.
Max Raabe – MTV Unplugged – The Album
The MTV Ungplugged album lasts 85 minutes and is thus delivered on two CDs with an overall of 30 songs. Similar to the recent Robbie Williams christmas album, I will not for a track by track review, but for a more traditional style, as you may find it in the press. The CD has been recorded in Clärchens Ballhaus, Berlin, on two evenings.
Max Raabe – MTV Unplugged – CD 1
The CD starts with comparably classic Max Raabe sound, when he is singing Ich geh durch den Park an einem Donnerstag (“I walk the park on a Thursday”). But already the second track shows why this MTV Unplugged will be special: German singer-songwriter LEA duets with Raabe for Guten Tag, liebes Glück. The third track latest sets the experimental character of the recording. For Der perfekte Moment … wird heut verpennt, rapper Samy Deluxe is joining the stage.
The next three tracks are Max Raabe and the Orchestra only, but offer quite a variety of German songs, There is also the English Cheek to Cheek. After two more songs in a very classic German Max Raabe sound, the next duet on the album is with the German superstar Herbert Grönemeyer, who is performing Du weisst nichts von der Liebe (“You don’t know anything about love”) with Raabe.
This song is followed by Küssen kann man nicht alleine (see above), in which Raabe is accompanied by Namika, who was very successful in the German charts in the recent years.
I liked the second next track, Lonely Dancer, as well, which has a very classic sound:
The first CD ends with Kein Schwein ruft mich an, in which polka comedian Pawel Popolski stops the performance and introduces Polka sound to the track.
Max Raabe – MTV Unplugged – CD 2
After Ich bin Dein Mann, Herbert Grönemeyer steps back on stage to join Raabe for his very own song, Mambo. There are a couple of remarkable songs thereafter, like Für Frauen ist das kein Problem or the German classic tune, Wochenend und Sonnenschein. About the eighth track of the album, I read several reviews stating that this is close to the duet of the year: For Just A Gigolo, Max Raabe invited nobody but Finnish Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Winner Mr. Lordi, one of my favorite musicians. The Heavy Metal Monster becomes a soft singer in this arrangement – just genius! In January 2020, the video to that song was released on YouTube:
Though this is a mixture of an amazing moment and a shocker, you still enjoy listening to the album, which continues with the uptempo Rosa, reizende Rosa and another Namika duet, Cote d’Azur. The next highlight is the second last track, the Comedian Harmonist original Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus.
The album concludes with a choral-alike Donna Maria, which adds another very different sound to the selection of thirty songs.
Max Raabe – MTV Unplugged – Spotify
Here is the widget to pre-listen into MTV Unplugged
Max Raabe – MTV Unplugged – My View
The music of Max Raabe and his Palast Orchester is already close to what you would expect as an MTV Unplugged sound. The more, I am amazed that they dare to create new tunes, add unexpected voices to the tracks and also don’t take themselves to seriously. Especially the tracks with Mr. Lordi and Sami Deluxe are outstanding and make this album worth listening even if you don’t like the Palast Orchester sound.
Max Raabe – MTV Unplugged – Tracklist
As I did not mention all songs above, here is the full track list:
CD 1
1. Ich geh durch den Park an einem Donnerstag
2. Guten Tag, liebes Glück
3. Der perfekte Moment wird heut verpennt
4. Fahrrad fahr’n
5. Du bist viel zu schön für einen Mann allein
6. Moritat von Mackie Messer
7. Cheek To Cheek
8. Warum
9. Kleine Lügen
10. Du weißt nichts von Liebe
11. Küssen kann man nicht alleine
12. Just One Of Those Things
13. Lonely Dancer
14. Kein Schwein ruft mich an
CD 2:
1. Ich bin dein Mann
2. Mambo
3. Avalon
4. Für Frauen ist das kein Problem
5. This Is The Night
6. Ich schlaf am besten neben Dir
7. Wochenend und Sonnenschein
8. Just A Gigolo
9. Rosa, reizende Rosa
10. Côte d’Azur
11. Alabama Song
12. Sweet And Lovely
13. Chinatown, My Chinatown
14. Du bist nicht die Erste
15. Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus
16. Donna Maria (Ave Maria No Morro)
Album cover / TItle picture: Artist material
Flyctory.com Media Reviews
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Uncle Lucius – Like It’s The Last One Left

Cave To Cosmos – Truth Waits In Deepest Nights EP

Jules Atlas – Postcards From Sophia


Zara Larsson – Honor The Light EP


Bjorko – Heartrot


King & Potter – Habits!


Pridian – Cybergnosis EP


Treaty Oak Revival – Have a Nice Day


Michael Lane – Memories



Untamed – Untamed


Paradogmata – Endetid



Electric Horseman – Lies to Love for



Maelfoy – Failures, Fears and Forgiveness



Frollein Motte – UWE


Palehorse – Hunting Grounds


Cabrakaän – Aztlan


Dolly Parton – Rockstar



Dennis Durant – Fragile


Dogma – Dogma


MKSM – Ready EP



Sonia Liebing – Liebe ist für alle da



Finn & Jonas – Kiosk


Todd Snider – Crank It, We’re Doomed


Chris Stapleton – Higher


D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Sophomore



Alphawezen – Source


Christian Kjellvander – Hold Your Love Still



Bad Rain – Born To Breathe EP


The Struts – Pretty Vicious



The Joni Project – Shades of Blue



Luke – Strange Boy in Town


Myrkvi – Early Warning


Robert Finley – Black Bayou


Simen Mitlid – Fredsvenn


Wayfarer – American Gothic



Doro – Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud


The Gaslight Anthem – History Books


The Shindellas – Shindo



Myle – Songs To Scream In The Car


Chris Shiflett – Lost At Sea


Twinnie – Blue Hour (After Dark)


Angelus Apatrida – Aftermath


Bo Milli – Making Friends


Israel Nash – Ozarker



Sebastian Schaffer – Collections


FRAUPAUL – Was, wenn wir dann durchdrehen… ?! EP


Holly Humberstone – Paint My Bedroom Black


Rick Astley – Are We There Yet?


Beartooth – The Surface


Lisa Brokop – Who’s Gonna Fill Their Heels?


Alexandra Hofmann – Grün



Antje Schomaker – Snacks


Darius Rucker – Carolyn’s Boy


The Steel Woods – On Your Time



Alex Diehl – Das ist keine Übung



Sacropolis – Dormir Au Soleil EP


Atena – Subway Anthem



Collapse Unter The Empire – Recurring



They Called Me Phoebe – Overthinking EP


Dustin Lynch – Killed The Cowboy



Joe Leila – Breathing EP


Soccer Mommy – Karaoke Night EP



Rising Wings – Reach


Brent Cobb – Southern Star


Arny Margret – dinner alone EP


Manntra – War of the Heathens


Thirty Seconds To Mars – It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day


Dan + Shay – Bigger Houses


Arstidir – Blik


Danko Jones – Electric Sounds



The Blackwhitecolorful – Brace for Impact



Bellucci Boi – Lost in Berlin EP


Low Cut Connie – Art Dealers


Allison Russell – The Returner


Durry – Suburban Legend


The Glorious Sons – Glory


Coffey Anderson – Tailgates and Heartbreaks


The Paper Kites – At The Roadhouse


Marduk – Memento Mori



Melanie Wiegmann & Carl Carlton – Glory of Love



Gregor McEwan – Going Solo


Adam Wendler – Living the Dream



Philipp Artmann – Guten Morgen schönes Leben


Alice Cooper – Road


Morgan Wade – Psychopath


Turnpike Troubadours – A Cat In The Rain


Dadi Freyr – I Made An Album


Tim McGraw – Standing Room Only


Paerish – You’re In Both Dreams (And You’re Scared)



Sleazy – Back on Track


TracieLynn – More Than a Bad Habit EP


Bobby Rush – All My Love For You



Madsen – Hollywood


Atreyu – The Moment You Find Your Flame EP


William Fitzsimmons – Covers Vol. II


Daniel Seavey – Dancing In The Dark EP


The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons



Mo-Torres – Heute war alles Besser


Ryan Bingham – Watch Out For The Wolf EP


Uncaved – Dogmatorraistes



Ludwig Wright – Turn of Tides or Where the Waves Come From



X-Perience – We Travel The World



Hanna Sikasa – Sequel


Bianca James – Bianca James


Skindred – Smile


Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II


Kool & the Gang – People Just Wanna Have Fun



Sasha – Toto und der Mann im Mond (music album)



Santans – Koi Boi EP



Fury in the Slaughterhouse – Hope


Justine Blazer – Joy!


Joe Lasher – Vol. 1 EP


Somnuri – Desiderium



Cygnotic – Mortal Dreamers



Later Sons – Rise Up


Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – City of Gold


Lori McKenna – 1988


Kezia Gill – Misfit


Avec – I Feel Alone These Days EP


Michael Bolton – Spark of Light



Tom Astor – Wieder da!


Jim “Kimo” West – Of Wood and Spirit (American Guitar Stories)


Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones


Eyelar – Mistakes & Contradictions EP


Sean Patrick McGraw – Hillbilly Hippie


1476 – In Exile


Annie Taylor – Inner Smile


Sekou – Out of Mind EP



Crown of Things – Louder Love


Sylvia Aimee – Identity EP


Lucinda Williams – Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart



Mental Cruelty – Zwielicht



Pascal Blenke – Gedankenspiele


Emma Steinbakken – Home


Green Labyrinth – Sequences


Lloyd Cole – On Pain


Ayron Jones – Chronicles Of The Kid


Hannah Aldridge – Dream of America


Son Volt – Day of the Doug


Saturnus – The Storm Within


Steve Lukather – Bridges


Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts


waterbaby – Foam EP


freekind. – Since Always and Forever


Kimberly Perry – Bloom EP


Tenhi – Valkama


Extreme – Six


Ray Alder – II



Milky Chance – Living In A Haze


Brittany Warthan – No Vacancy


Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – What If I EP


Omnium Gatherum – Slasher EP


Ron Pope – Inside Voices



Silbermond – Auf Auf


Tanya Tucker – Sweet Western Sound


Flora Falls – Hidden From You EP



Grenzenlos – AntiXtrem


Oryad – Sacred & Profane



Sören Vogelsang – Optimismus Prime



Palila – Mind My Mind


Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton – Death Wish Blues


Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark



Marathonmann – Maniac


Yes – Mirror To The Sky



Moor – Heavy Heart



Rahel – Blessed EP


Daisy Briggs – Nice Knowing You EP


Anna Demetriou – More To This


Parker Millsap – Wilderness Within You


Belinda Carlisle – Kismet EP



Indecent Behavior – Therapy In Melody



Andreas Diehlmann Band – Long Way To Go



Sebel – Der Boxer



Tino Z – Bluesman


Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions


Enforced – War Remains



Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch



Storm Seeker – Nautic Force


Dave Hause – Drive It Like It’s Stolen


As Everything Unfolds – Ultraviolet



Kati von Schwerin – Welcome Back Home


Esther Rose – Safe To Run


Texas Hippie Coalition – The Name Lives On


Grand Design – Rawk


Dirty Heads – Midnight Control Sessions: Night 2 EP


Emm Gryner – Business & Pleasure


The Wood Brothers – Heart is the Hero



Musa Dagh – No Future



North West – Hamburg


Jennifer K. Austin – Cards EP


Vass / Katsionis – Cynical Silence



Zartbitter – Hier und Jetzt


Tribulation – Hamartia EP


Welshly Arms – Wasted Words & Bad Decisions


Overcoats – Winner


Beyond Frequencies – Me Megalomaniac


The Hold Steady – The Price of Progress



Wolkenfrei – Hotel Tropicana


Lordi – Screem Writers Guild



VIVA – Das ist die Wahrheit


Milow – Great To Know You EP



Black Hawk – Soulkeeper


Pat Burgener – PAT The Album


Katie Melua – Love & Money


Sophie B. Hawkins – Free Myself



Sophia – Niemals Allein



Leony – Somewhere in Between


Night Demon – Outsider


Stephen Jay – understatement


Timesbold – Not Still Here


Ailbhe Reddy – Endless Affair


Bad Bones – Hasta El Final!


Kendall Lujan – Forget Me Knots EP


John Diva & The Rockets of Love – The Big Easy


Ripe – Bright Blues


Ane Brun – Portrayals


The Nude Party – Rides On


Manchester Orchestra – The Valley of Vision EP


Brian Falduto – Gay Country



Mael & Jonas – Rocket Science


Suicide Silence – Remember… You Must Die



Wolfgang Petry – Stark wie wir



Lina – 24/1


Drayton Farley- Twenty on High



AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir



Helge Schneider – Torero



Endlevel – Weekend War



Antonia Kubas – Liebe und Musik EP


Steel Panther – On The Prowl



OH FYO! – Level 3: Discovery


Dierks Bentley – Gravel & Gold



Tanzwut – Silberne Hochzeit


Lucero – Should’ve Learned by Now


Drew Sycamore – Superfaith


Those Damn Crows – Inhale/Exhale


Jaimee Harris – Boomerang Town


P!nk – Trustfall


Ron Sexsmith – The Vivian Line



Malte Vief und Malte Viefs Kammer – Kammer III


Tennis – Pollen


You Me At Six – Truth Decay



The Legendary – Warlord


Simone Kopmajer – With Love


Cort Carpenter – All In


Chase Rice – I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell


Ian Fisher – Burnt Tongue



Donots – Heut ist ein guter Tag


Ricochets – Closer to the Light



The Rehats – Heart & Mind


Shania Twain – Queen of Me


Eamonn McCormack – Eamonn McCormack


Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame


Dark Sarah – Attack of Orym



IUMA – Genug EP



Umme Block – State Of Limbo


Pristine – The Lines We Cross


Vic Allen – Some Place I’d Rather Be


Joe Henry – All The Eye Can See


Siv Jakobsen – Gardening


Laura Cox – Head Above Water



Alexander Liebe – Spielautomat



Keimzeit Akustik Quintett – Schon gar nicht Proust



Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On


Lukas Graham – 4 (The Pink Album)


Richard Lynch – Radio Friend


Black Star Riders – Wrong Side of Paradise



Ski Holiday – Ski Holadiy


Masha The Rich Man – Sheyne Ziere


Circa Waves – Never Going Under



Groenalund – #lovestorm


Joesef – Permanent Damage


Margo Price – Strays


Iggy Pop – Every Loser


Anti-Flag – Lies They Tell Our Children


Gabbie Hanna – This Time Next Year


Adam Warner – What We’re Known For


Madeline Consoer – Little Miss EP



Nicole Scholz – Nur Du



King LX – Broken Crown


Poppy Fardell – Back On My Feet


Shaam Larein – Stick En Kniv I Världen


Nevena – Nevena


Upsahl – Sagittarius EP



Sündflut – Basta! EP



Nina Hagen – Unity



Neufundland – Grind


Isafjord – Hjartsatjaki


Olly Murs – Marry Me


Myle – Sad Boy Summer EP


Amberian Dawn – Take a Chance (A Metal Tribute To ABBA)



Boppin’ B – Saxbomb



David Gramberg – Where Have You Gone EP


Induction – Born from Fire


Tanzos – Win Fight Dream Lose EP



Karo Lynn – A Line in My Skin



Samuel Rösch – Für den Augenblick EP



Bad Temper Joe – Glitter & Blues


Melissa Carper – Ramblin’ Soul


Billy Strings – Me/And/Dad


Hanne Mjoen – Fall in Love/Apart EP


Nickelback – Get Rollin’



Sarah Connor – Not So Silent Night


Jonathan E. Blake – Old Souls



Tina Tandler – Songs for Saxophone


L.S. Dunes – Past Lives


Dave Helgi Johan – Drumheller


Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver (Various Artists)


Rook Road – Rook Road


DJ BoBo – Evolut30n


Seth Avett – Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown



Superläuche – Superläuche


Stephanie Quayle – On The Edge


The Moon City Masters – The Famous Moon City Masters


Tiffany Johnson – Over Emotional EP


Emily Nenni – On The Ranch


Russell Dickerson – Russell Dickerson


Trampled by Turtles – Alpenglow


Fireside – Bin Juice


Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country



Hostage – Memento Mori


The Backseat Lovers – Waiting To Spill


Massive Wagons – Triggered!



Wally – Alles halb so wild


PG Roxette – Pop-Up Dynamo!


Börni – Two Truths


Chez Kane – Powerzone


Arny Margret – they only talk about the weather


Kenny Foster – Somewhere in Middle America



Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society


Debbie Gibson – Winterlicious


Simple Minds – Direction of the Heart


Taylor Swift – Midnights


Alex Williams – Waging Peace


Alter Bridge – Pawns And Kings


Logan Mize – Prairie Tapes, Vol. 1 EP


Orianthi – Rock Candy



Atlas Bird – Atlas Bird


Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen (Various Artists)


Callista Clark – Real To Me: The Way I Feel


Backstreet Boys – A Very Backstreet Christmas



SLIXS – Quer Bach 3


Sleeping Romance – We All Are Shadows



Allee der Diktatoren – Dieses kleine bisschen Wut


Alvvays – Blue Rev


Avery Anna – Mood Swings EP



Magical Heart – Heartsonic


Jim Kroft – The Isolation Diaries Vol. 3 EP


Monster Truck – Warriors


Melissa Naschenweng – Glück


Slipknot – The End, So Far


Ashley McBryde – Lindeville


Arina – A+ (EP)


Richard Marx – Songwriter


Dr. John – Things Happen That Way



Kill Strings – Limbo


Sunny Sweeney – Married Alone


5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOS5


Kelsea Ballerini – Subject To Change


Billy Idol – The Cage EP


Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds


Silent Knight – Full Force


Starcrawler – She Said


Eloy de Jong – Lass das Leben Musik sein


LeAnn Rimes – God’s Work


The Afghan Whigs – How Do You Burn?



U96 – 20,000 Meilen unter dem Meer


Kane Brown – Different Man


I Am – Eternal Steel


Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco


Hannah – Kuhrios



Blind Guardian – The God Machine



Roland Kaiser – Perspektiven



Jolina Carl – Hallo, ich bin Jolina Carl


Fire Horse – Out of the Ashes


Jon Pardi – Mr. Saturday Night


Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead!


Moncrieff – Warm EP


Lugnet – Tales From The Great Beyond


Louisa Specht – Karussell EP


Bad Baron – Ace of Hearts


Ingrid Andress – Good Person


Bandaid Brigade – Sex is Terrifying


Heather Nova – Other Shores



Drei Meter Feldweg – Durak


Adam Wendler – Motions


David Paich – Forgotten Toys


Mani Orrason – The World Is Big and You Will Never Find Me


Watkins Family Hour – Vol. 2



Luna Klee – Mein Kopf, mein Bauch, mein Herz


Thundermother – Black And Gold


Giovanni Zarrella – Per sempre


Wooden Empire – Ghosts


Jeremy Black – Part of Me EP


Sykamore – Pinto



Vanessa Mai – Metamorphose


Kelsey Waldon – No Regular Dog



Versus Goliath – Liebe & Chaos



HAVET – Mamas Lullaby EP


Wade Bowen – Somewhere Between The Secret and The Truth


Vin Deca – Chineke



Marie Reim – Bist Du dafür bereit?


Manntra – Kreatura


Lauv – All 4 Nothing


Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army



Pete Wolf Band – Crosswalk To Nowhere EP


H.E.A.T. – Force Majeure



Broken Forest – Wild At Heart EP



Zeitflug – Echte Freunde


Amanda Shires – Take It Like A Man



LustfingeR – LustfingeR


Brooke Eden – Choosing You EP


Whiskey Myers – Tornillo


She & Him – Melt Away: A Tribute To Brian Wilson


Dawes – Misadventures Of Doomscroller



She Bites – Super Hero



Heischneida – Heischneida II


Kaylee Rose – Hot Minute EP


Will Linley – Kill All My Feelings EP



Philipp Eisenblätter – Das Jahr, das sich um eins verschiebt



Confirmation – Survive EP


The Local Honeys – The Local Honeys


Bryde – Still



More Than Words – Today (Make Today Be the Best Day of Your Life)


Alan Parsons – From the New World



Markus – Das Leben liebt mich … und ich liebe das Leben



Sophie Fellner – Brown Eyes EP


Berries – How We Function


The Faim – Talk Talk


Blind Channel – Lifestyles of the Sick & Dangerous


Kimberly Kelly – I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen


Journey – Freedom



Traitor – Exiled To The Surface


Jonny Houlihan – Coffee and Jesus


Grey Daze – The Phoenix


Ewan Mainwood – Broken EP


Kylie Morgan – P.S. EP



Breathe Your Last – Apocalypse



Leepa – Brain Freeze EP


RXPTRS – Living Without Death’s Permission



Chris Colter – Nice To Be Back To Be Back Nice


G. Love & Special Sauce – Philadelphia Mississippi


Luke Combs – Growin’ Up



Charly Klauser – Mehr



The Cumberland River Project – A Smell of Gravy


Rachel LaRen – Cowboys Don’t Change EP



April Art – P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.


Hank Williams Jr. – Rich White Honky Blues


Brett Eldredge – Songs About You



Clara Louise – Enough Is Enough



Kasalla – Rudeldiere


Motionless In White – Scoring The End Of The World


Carrie Underwood – Denim & Rhinestones


Mary Keey – Digital Me


Kyle Daniel – Following the Rain


Jillian Jacqueline – Honestly


George Ezra – Gold Rush Kid


