Peter Thomas

An offshoot of the short-lived lounge trend of the mid- to late '90s was a newly discovered interest in the work of minor European soundtrack composers of the '60s and '70s. Germany's Peter Thomas was the recipient of much fascination at the time, after laboring in near-total obscurity for decades. The compilation Moonflowers & Mini-Skirts, on the German twee pop specialist label Marina Records, gathers 16 brief instrumentals written and orchestrated by Thomas as library music for his publisher to lease out at reduced rates to movies and television for instant ambience. The vaguely prefabricated feel of these terribly square arrangements is part of the charm, but while Moonflowers & Mini-Skirts is a lot of kitschy fun, Thomas is actually not as gifted a composer as, say, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, or even his countryman Gert Wilden. This is the best available compilation of Thomas' work, but there are much more fun and musically interesting albums available in a similar style. Early disco collectors, however, should note that the thumping "Black Power," from 1969, features the first known lead vocal by Munich-based American expatriate Donna Gaines, who of course would appear a half-decade later as the Euro-disco icon Donna Summer. [Moonflowers & Mini-Skirts was reissued with bonus tracks.] ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide