Peter Thomas first went on air with Der Kommissar in 1969: black-and-white, 97 episodes long, broadcast on ZDF until 1976. Twenty-two of those episodes were scored by the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra or drew on pre-recorded tracks – library music – by the composer and bandleader, who died in 2020. Among them is his most famous number, »Du lebst in deiner Welt«, which propelled Schlager singer Daisy Door into the spotlight and became a chart hit after the episode aired. On the newly released compilation LP Der Kommissar. Music from the original TV Series 1969–1976, out now on Allscore, it remains something of an exception: the bulk of the material is instrumental – and far more compelling.
On »Peripherie-Beat«, the horns growl low; on »Jet-Set-Lady«, the organ wheezes; on »Dromedar Called Itzenplitz«, it turns cosmic, locked in a constant exchange with shrill fuzz guitar. »Folkfest« is carried by brass, »Tour des Wucherers« by brooding drama and jittery suspense complete with »Psycho«-style strings, while »Miethai an Land« veers into creeping paranoia. Positioned somewhere between swing, beat and soul, these pieces show a clear appetite for experimentation – even if the approach here is noticeably more restrained than in the scores Thomas wrote for the various Edgar Wallace films.
