German pop music, from swing to eurodance

If German music makes you think of the folk pop genre Schlager, you're not completely off, but there's more to it than that. The special exhibition "Oh Yeah!" at the Museum for Communication in Berlin shows roughly 200 exhibits and presents songs from 140 artists ranging from swing and rock 'n' roll to rap.

Young readers might wonder what this is. Back in the day, it was used as a mobile listening device - and was revolutionary at the time. Music used to be recorded on cassette tapes, which had limited capacity. Some walkmans even had an automatic rewind function that would replay the album after reaching the end of the tape. Unfortunately, the walkman did not serve as a phone or messaging device.

Some artists have several, others are waiting for their turn. The ECHO is Germany's most prestigious music award, but the criteria for getting one can be confusing. There is a jury, but what really counts are sales and music charts. According to critics, the award is more about commercial success than about quality.

Good taste can be subjective, and only Martin Krumbiegel from the pop band Die Prinzen could pull off this suit without getting laughed at. Whether or not the suit is among Krumbiegel's favorite outfits remains a secret. But we do know that he contributed it to the exhibition "Oh Yeah!"

Although this dog achieved world fame, you might not recognize him without his phonograph. The real dog, named Nipper, posed curiously in front of his master's phonograph one day — and his owner captured the scene in a portrait called "His Master's Voice" in 1898. The painting later became the logo for numerous recording companies, including EMI in Germany.

The 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death in 1977 was marked on August 16. The King had special ties to Germany, where he is especially remembered. Even though he was already a global star with record sales totalling over 50 million, he was still conscripted into the US military and stationed in Bad Nauheim in 1958 at the age of 23.

Following the Elvis hype and rock 'n' roll, another trend rolled over Germany. In both East and West Germany, musicians were influenced by The Beatles. In East Germany, bands like the Sputniks became popular, whereas the West German music scene was dominated by The Lords. One of its members, Leo Lietz, lent his guitar to the exhibition.

That taste can be subjective when it comes to fashion — including during the techno era. Miss Loveparade managed to wear this incredible shoe and the popular techno festival in 1999 without breaking her foot. Although it doesn't look like it, the shoe is actually more comfortable than high heels.

There were times when people actually had to wait for a particular time if they wanted to watch their favorite show. Teenagers had to be very patient if they wanted to enjoy the program "Beat-Club." This half-hour music show for young adults in Germany was only broadcast once a month on a public TV channel — but the appearance of Jimi Hendrix and The Who made up for that.