Here in America, we mostly only know of parody songs that are about food or Star Wars (though that could just be due to the work of one specific parodist), but a German music duo called Cindy And Bert took a much more literary approach to their version of Black Sabbath hit “Paranoid” when they released it as a single in 1971. Instead of singing in German about Geezer Butler’s concerns about losing his mind as a teenager, the duo tweaked the lyrics to be about Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story The Hound Of The Baskervilles. We’re not entirely sure why, and the original poster at Reddit’s ObscureMedia page doesn’t offer any other information, but it’s rad either way.
Our best guess is that this is some kind of time-hopping comedy sketch, since Bert looks suspiciously similar to a rather bored Adam Scott in a few shots, but it could also just be some not-so-complicated way to skirt licensing laws for international recording artists who are looking for an easy hit. Either way, the actual “Der Hund Von Baskerville” record is apparently pretty rare, so you could almost get a couple hundred bucks if you happen to have this weird thing in your collection.
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Groovy.
Gravy…D’OH!
When certain drugs were completely legal because they didn’t even have official names yet.
Sadly the other songs I’ve able to find from them are more generically European pop from the era, plus one medley of English-language blander rock songs (it starts with Rock and Roll Music, not one of Chuck Berry’s best).I’ve also found covers of this song and that’s awesome because I really liked this.
Back in those days, Germans were so madly in love with the US and obsessed about American pop culture that they remade American movies, tv shows and music all the time. Remember the Bellamy Brothers and “Let your love flow”? The Germans had Jurgen Drews and “Ein Bett im Kornfeld” (literally: a bed in the cornfield). They had their own Elvis (Ted Herold), Westerns (Winnetou) and Flash Gordon (Perry Rhodan), too.
Well. The Westerns reach so far back, Karl May is practically classic literature. And Perry Rhodan is the longest consecutive literary series. Ever. They may be copies, but they’re as effective as it gets. 🙂
I’m surprised they’ve never turned it into a pulpy TV series in the vein of Lexx or Farscape.
Then maybe you can explain this: Heino – Carneval in Rio
Isn’t it obvious? He was sent back in time by SKYNET to wipe out humanity with a new weapon: Soundwaves that fry the brains of anyone exposed to them for more than a few minutes.
But Sabbath is British.
Do not expect anything else that compres from Cindy und Bert. They were one of Germny’s most successful acts of the 70s, but with far less – unusual songs, normally… 🙂
The video’s apparently missing a verse and the bridge.here’s a translation, because why not.
Thick clouds of fog roll in
Over the bog of Forrest Hill
A will o’ wisp grins green and ghastly
It’s nighttime in Baskerville
[Missing verse/bridge]
Who is spreading fear and terror
Who destroys whatever he wants,
Everyone tries to hide himselfFrom the Hound of Baskerville.
Whoever he falls upon
This hound of Baskerville, oh yeah
Has lost
In the battle for Baskerville, oh yea
[End of missing verse/bridge]
And no soul dares to go
Into the dark bog
Everyone trembles for his life
Who will be the next?
Today has ended the mission
That his master gave to him
Soundless, as once he came,
He crawls back down into the bog
Thick clouds of fog roll in
Over the bog of Forrest Hill
And it conceals the riddle’s questionAround the Hound of Baskerville.
I guess the idea is that the story is spooky, as described here, and Black Sabbath was, like, 60s goth, or whatever?
Do you really need a reason?
The crowd looks so stiff and scared, like Erich Von Stroheim is standing off camera screaming through a megaphone, “DANCE YOU FOOLS! DANCE! THIS IS FUN!!! HAVE MORE FUN!!!!!”
Personally, I would like to think it was Udo Kier:
I never put it together but I’ve seen some friends cover this version.
I am 40% certain that’s Alden Ehrenreich, now revealed as the unaging immortal that he is.
This is fabulous. Fabelhaft. The dude at 1:21 has such a look of Weltschmerz on his face.
Bert really shreds, even though it looks like he’s just standing there.
It’s not that obscure actually. I’d rather the guess that it’s the duo’s most well-known song these days. Exactly because it’s so bizarre, even for German Schlagermusik.
Man, look at those Germans cutting loose!