Tank Battles

Finally, we get a glimpse of Lily Von Schtupp's ill-conceived career after she left the backwater town of Rock Ridge. 3/10 2 stars

From what I could dig out on YouTube, this is very Brecht/Weill, sounds like Lotte Leyna. I'm not much of a fan of this style, and my kids *DESPISE* it! Guaranteed to drive them to the edge of sanity. The English lyrics are quite clunky and remind me of polemic from a Socialist Worker article. As the great Molly Ivins said about Pat Buchanan's speech at the 1992 Republican convention, "probably sounded better in the original German"

The amount of reviews here that just say "weird" and call it a day is a testament to the normie-ness of the userbase. It's 1920s German Cabaret songs composed by a Marxist and with new lyrics translated into English. What's so weird about that?

She had me at "Look, there's a new crack started, even the bricks have farted." Actually, I was all in before the first measure of the first song was complete. Fantastically theatrical, so dramatic, so compelling. Why this isn't available streaming anywhere but YouTube is beyond me. Apparently it was never released in the US. I love Dagmar Karuse's vocals. I can't stop thinking about these songs. Wish I was sipping a cocktail in Berlin right now... Beautiful! I loved it!

6/10. Still a better war album than Let England Shake

My interest in Weimar-era agitprop has not increased with age.

That was… unexpected. Beautiful voice and reading a bit about the artist who she covered, I can see the beauty in it, but it feels like a cold war level of importance which doesn’t resonate so much with me.

This is a truly bizarre one. It's probably the first album so far on my generated list to have no presence on Spotify. It's not even unavailable, it's just missing entirely by the looks of it. I found the full album on YouTube, or at least most of the album I think? The disk it was recorded from had bad popping noises throughout and it ended abruptly, though the video seemed to be about the length of the album. Gonna be weird having a permanent missing song from my curated list, but I'm sure there will be more. This made for a good background album I suppose. Didn't particularly enjoy any of it, but it wasn't bad as such, just not for me. It's certainly got a dramatic and theatrical aspect to it. Who is this for? In fact, I'm fascinated about why it's on the list; I'd be interested in reading the entry this has in the 1001 albums book. That's not from a place of distaste, I'm honestly curious about what landed it in the 1001. There's not much information about it on Wikipedia. I can't shake the feeling that I've heard Lied Von Der Belebenden Wirkung Des Geldes somewhere. Absolutely no clue where though... Favourite: Lied Von Der Belebenden Wirkung Des Geldes Favourite:

Five star simply because its had the good grace to be impossible to find so saving me time.

It is strange to me that this is an album "you must hear before you die," yet no album by Dagmar Krause's band, Slapp Happy, made the cut. If you know anything about that band, you would know it is quite a bit better than this, or at the very least deserves it a little more. This album can be daunting, as despite its average runtime, the amount of tracks in juxtaposition to the lack of variation can lead to a lot of songs whizzing by with very little to recollect later, and it leads to the majority of the album being forgettable, even to the point of annoyance by the end, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the sappier, more musically well-constructed material had me more intrigued. Krause's voice is not stereotypical, but it is technically impressive at times, and I'd say the strange delivery combined with the off-tempo instrumentation lead to a lot of moments where I think I could enjoy this in small bursts. It is hard to tell, as the songs not being on streaming means I can't quite remember a favorite or two to listen to later, but I know they were in there, and while that was bound to happen with a whopping twenty-two tracks, I still have to give it some (Stockholm Syndrome-esque) credit. It isn't a good album, and I can't recognize why many would come away from this confused and angry at what they just listened to, but I think it barely scrapes by as just weird enough for it to be barely up my alley. You won't see me recommending it to anyone else, though, and it certainly isn't an album to listen to before you pass away.

Wild theatre-kid energy

What is this doing on the list? Weimar-era art song has some enduring influence on contemporary music, but is _this_ really the example you must hear? Serialist-inspired agitprop kabaret from the second most important song composer of the period is pretty niche, as shown by the difficulty in finding this album online. It's quite a tribute to Hanns Eisler (who, let's face it, was hardly Brecht's number one collaboration) and this is surely the definitive recording of this material. I am sure it was enthusiastically received by the 87 people who bought it on first release. I am stunned that a major record label poured as much money and effort into this record in the first place. it is, to give it all due credit, wonderfully arranged, performed and recorded. This was not an inexpensive undertaking. Dagmar Krause has a really great voice for this type of thing. But how the hell did anyone at Island record ever think this would recoup its budget? I hope that they found other gainful employment after their inevitable firing. I found if I settled in and let it wash over me, I could listen to this record. It's OK, you know? But including it on the list of 1001 must-hear albums is either willful perversion or hubristic pretension. Not for the first time, I implore Robert Dimery to pull his head out of his arse.

This was soooo weird and not in a good way honestly. The voice sounded like Meryl Streep down two octaves and doing push ups. Just a weird album altogether.

This certainly takes me back to 1920s Berlin. Krause's voice is quite remarkable! I'm not going to play this a lot, but I loved hearing something unlike anything else I've listened to in 900+ albums.

Quite extraordinary songs by Hanns Eisler who collaborated with Brecht but is less well known than Brecht’s other collaborator Weill. Socialist, sardonic, witty and poignant, the songs retain their power to shock and stir. And Dagmar Krause is a stunning interpreter of the songs - that gravel voice, born to perform in the Weimar Republic cabaret but gifted to the modern age. The whole album needs to find its way to streaming services - it deserves a wider audience.

Interesting album, a commentary of war and political standings. Almost felt like a slam poetry session, with more production value. While a good art piece, I wouldn’t necessarily call it good music, or something I’d enjoy listening to often

This sucks, is in German, and is not on Spotify.

This album is way off the beaten path. I've never heard of Dagmar Krause. She has a great voice. This type of stuff is why I started this project. I don't need to be validated with albums I already know I like. I need albums that push my boundaries and challenge my ears.

A modern interpretation of songs written in post-WW1 Berlin. The arrangements may not be for everyone, but most of the tunes capture the feeling of hopelessness that pervaded Germany not just when these songs were written, but in the midst of the Cold War.

Interesting. This is different enough that it's hard to judge. It's good enough for 3 stars with just one listen. Some music requires a little effort to fully appreciate, and this might be such a case. But I don't enjoy it enough to put in the work (which might just lead me to the conclusion that, yes, this really is just 3 stars).

Would much rather have any of three other albums in place of this on the list: Henry Cow's "In Praise of Learning," Art Bears' "The World As It Is Today," or Slapp Happy's "Sort Of" - all of which feature Dagmar Krause on vocals. I mean, go ahead and listen to "Tank Battles," as it is your solemn duty on this 1001 journey - but if you want to hear something that you might actually enjoy, or at least find more interesting, listen to these other records (all available on Spotify to boot). And, while we're talking about German female vocalists, do yourself a favor and listen to Renate Knaup from Amon Duul II.

This is uh... pretty offbeat. Has the feel of show tunes but it's surely also a bit too inaccessible for that. Maybe some kind of independent theatre production that runs on off nights. But I... don't hate it? On paper I fucking hate it, but I kinda don't. It's a complete and utter wank, sniffs its own farts and tells itself it's very intellectually stimulating. 2/5.

More like a performance art piece. Sort of reminiscent of Brecht. Addendum - it turns out that the music on this album were all written by Hanns Eisler, who worked with Bertolt Brecht, so it was a reasonable reaction. It got better when I stopped actively listening to it and it was more background to me reading.

I had to listen to this on YouTube and it was the English version. I came to appreciate that, though, because these songs are incredibly biting, funny, and satirical. I felt swept away to Weimar Germany by Dagmar’s voice.

Wish the whole thing was available somewhere but loved what I could find

Truly bizarre. Makes me think of a fictitious anime film soundtrack composed by a 4AD band. Picking up on heavy Dead Can Dance vibes. I wouldn't give this any overwhelming praise but it's a positive for me purely on its uniqueness.

The theater kid in me loved this, 10/10 would audition for

Why 5? For on album I cant find? And what is this niche called “Cabaret, jazz, avant-garde”? Its music from the 1920s! The 5 is for the genre - salty dark/light style of Deutsche serious fun - its poetic dramatic themes, time, and place. I am happy and a bit surprised to find it here (and that my beloved Ute Lemper’s album is also on the 1001 list at some point!) So, the album is too hard to find. So if you really want a taster, I include suggested samplers below so you can “taste” this salty dark/light style of Deutsche serious fun. Can i do that? I do. A hugely influential genre, and very special style - I call it Kabarat - the “Weimar Republic era” in 30’s Germany - songs from dramatic plays in what one might all very progressive times, and works such as The Threepenny Opera, or Brecht-Weill's "sung ballet" The Seven Deadly Sins. We are deep in Brecht / Weill / Eisler territory and its harsher, heavier and more demanding but truer in German. Its not just music for femme fatales to sing as cameos in WWII films, across the 20th century, everyone from Louis Armistorng, Lou Reed, Nick Cave,Tom Waits, and Mariane Faithful got together to do cover versions of this stuff. The current ‘pure’ singers is Ute Lemper - superb - seen live: her voice cuts you. Robyn Archer is apparently good. There is also an opera singer who does Kurt Weill - Teresa Stratas . The core singers originally were Lotte Lenya - the original (she married Weill) Marlene Deitrecih (yes), And somewhere this Dagmar Krause inthe 80s?. P.s. This entry was supposed to be about this album you just cant find it streaming on the main two - Spotify and YoutubeMusic, except as playlists) Tank Battles (1994) reissued covers both the nelgihs and german versions (Tank Battles: The Songs of Hanns Eisler by Dagmar Krause 1988. & Panzerschlacht: Die Lieder von Hanns Eisler. Sung in GERMAN Meanwhile.... Recommended showcase albums ALBUM: “Punishing Kiss” - Ute Lemper (2000) - NOTE: this is elsewhere on the 1001 list (2010 version) Compilation” Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Kurt Weill - various artists (1985) (includes Dagmar Krause - “Surabaya Johnny” ( very good audio) . Film & CD & DVD: “”September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill” (1994) (there is a 2015 DVD) - documentary + all star performances A weird but flawlessly done one - by industrial band from Zurich The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill (1991) Go hear Mack the Knife - Nick Cave Then listen to the The Louis Armstrong & Bobby Darin versions Alabama Song (whisky Bar) - the doors (166 on their debut album) . “Moon of Alabama (good Quality Audio)” - Lotte Leny (1930s recording I presume) Bilbao song Pirate Jenny, After all of this, the Hollywood version of CHICAGO might seem vanilla. Maybe try the older versions....

Really captivating album. I can't believe I waited so long to listen - I guess I saw German and thought it would be early edm, plus not being on spotify I gave up for a bit. But I am seriously impressed. Theatrical, delightfully disturbing, and there's even a truckload of clarinet content! So unique. I feel like I owe it to listen again and do my research on the lyrics too. Great stuff

This was fabulous! I could imagine enjoying the show in a club back in time.

Ausgezeichnet!

I think a lot of the reviews are unfair. Sure, this is not something any of us even could fathom to listen, but taking on the 1001 albums exercise is precisely why I myself have taken it up - to broaden my musical experiences and to listen to something that I'd never even consider searching out for myself.

Love Dagmar Krause, Hanns Eisler and Bertolt Brecht 🙏 Very pleased to have them recognized on here. Go modernist theatre!

I was able to find this album on Youtube. This album is Dagmar Krause's interpretation of Eisler-Brecht songs and is a combination of cabaret and avant garde music that is meant to evoke post-WWI Germany during the Weimar Republic. The songs are stark yet richly brought to life by Krause. The musical backing fits them well and seemingly owes more to 20th century composition than to popular music. With Krause's unique vocal style and emphasis of certain words and tones, I was reminded of Schoenberg's 'A Survivor form Warsaw' which is as high of praise as I can give this album.

It's enjoyably Teutonic and operatic. Wagnerian. Bit obviously without the odious views. Feels a little bit like Tom Waits. Hard to say if I love it from the first listen... But I want to hear more, so that's good.

Вроде люблпытно

I don't hate it. I don't hate it. "Look, there's a new crack started, even the bricks have farted." lmao

Not music I'd listen to for fun, but pretty nice to have listened to once

Those Germans

Quite interesting. Tank Battles is an album I'll remember for its unique singing and presentation.

Found it here: https://youtu.be/JbYmWrfNJpQ?si=KB05SRDULWAIWZRY It's giving me Cohen vibes weirdly. If Nico was a good singer and covered Scott Walker covering Jacques Brel. I like it. It's dark, avante-gard. Challenging, but rewarding.

She has a great voice but I am missing quite a lot of context with this one and the theatrical presentation is not my style.

This was unexpected, but kind of interesting. Reminds me a lot of the Cabaret film. I really enjoyed some of the songs and arrangements, but after a while the clunky lyrics and musical theatre style started to grate on me. Wouldn't listen again.

I appreciate that a lot of the songs are pretty short, so, in a way, it’s kind of like a Guided by Voices record…except that I have absolutely no interest in listening to it and it’s actually nothing like a Guided by Voices record at all.

This is very different to the vast majority of the list. Things I like: - The drum intro on You Have to Pay. - The Bjorkian Mother Beimlein - The discordant horns on a track that I think is called Legende von der Entstehung des Buches Taoteking based off someone's comment on Youtube. - That sexy sax on The Homecoming Things I don't like: - Dagmar's voice (not because its bad, its good, but I just don't vibe with that musical theatre style of singing) - The fact that this isn't on any streaming service. I tried to like this ok. But I cannot. Just not a genre I can listen to 60 mins of music of and enjoy. Fave Tracks: Mother Beimlein 2.3/5

How do you even start reviewing and scoring this cabaret-style output? It's obviously representative of a different songwriting tradition than the vast majority of albums on here, which are all, in some way, popular music. Dagmar Krause delivers a distinct, emotional vocal, which suits the play-like compositions perfectly. Perhaps it would work better if there was some visual aids accompanying it - like a theater stage? Ultimately, the thing dragging Tank Battles down is the inclusion of too many 1-1.5 minute tracks that are basically just intermezzi, but really damages the flow of the record and make it quite clear, that this really isn't an album at its' core.

This is the happiest album in Germany

I want to give this a one but since we share a surname I think Dagmar and I must be related. You have to stick by your family, even if they make a horrible, horrible mistake. Also, joking aside, there are parts of this that aren't that bad. Whenever she's actually singing in German and there's actually music playing behind her, I feel like there's some quality here. It's when she sings uncomfortably in English and/or the "music" turns into "arthouse circus" that I get sad.

My favorite part of this album was the few seconds when YouTube started playing an ad with music before I realized it wasn't the next track of the album.

This is the first thing you hear when you descend into HELL

I am 15 songs deep but I already know that I won't change my mind and I need this opportunity to vent my emotions in order to be able to finish this album. This is one of the only times I have ever felt tense listening to music. I have not been able to relax a single time since I put this album on. This is genuinely one of the worst sounding pieces of music I have ever heard in my life. I despise this album. As of the time I am writing this, I am quite a few albums behind what has yet been generated but I know, if this album is the first album I had waiting for me after a long hiatus, I would probably have quit completely. If this was the first album in the project, I would have quit. This is aggressively horrible. Not a single moment of joy, not a morsel, no, not a single note sits right. Her singing is dissonant many times throughout the album and I am not sure she knows what being on key is to begin with. I genuinely expected that writing this review midway through would feel cathartic in some way but it has only served to exasperate my discomfort, as it has made me become e ven more aware of the horrors currently playing. As my response to some of the global reviews, I have to conclude mine with this: In many cases, when I have read global (or group) reviews that talk about what song they thought was their favourite, I am often so inclined to go back to check which song that specifically was; to see if I agree with them. Not this time. I refuse to even as much as open the tab from which YouTube is playing the music, for fear of learning the names and exposing myself to more elements of this album than necessary. There are but two more words that I can use to describe the feeling inside me as I near the final songs of this album. Fuck you.

This sounds like the music for an overly earnest regional arts theatre group.

This album can kiss my ass. What even was this? Sounded like a very bad off Broadway German play. 2/10.

Feel free to skip this, you’re not missing out on much

Jeg havde virkelig ikke behøvet at høre det her inden jeg dør

Insane cooking in this album. I don’t know how I can knock anything for it.

People whose favorite video game is The Last of Us be like: "Like a rejected musical coming to haunt me" This 1001 Album project will unfortunately likely rarely have any through composed, chromatic heavy, or heavy use of orchestral instruments, which is what much music was until into the 20th century. Listening to this "album" is a good reminder at how much even well composed and varied contemporary popular music can still branch out, as time marches on and music gets more streamlined in an effort to distill music into things that top charts. And how people should be exposed to more music that isn't just something to nod along to.

Not being available on Spotify - or on any streaming platform, as far as I could tell - I had to track down a YouTube playlist. I'm so glad I did. This is a remarkable album from start to finish: the songs may be short, but their impact is immense. Lyrically provocative, brilliantly arranged, and featuring that incredible voice! It’s not easy listening by any stretch, but then, anything truly worth hearing rarely is. Absolutely deserving of its place on this list.

If you told me that I would rate the English dub of Post war German Les Mis, I would totally believe you but I'm still surprised it exists. This kind of weird nonsense is absolutely my jam. The fact that both the performance and the songwriting are steller really just solidifys my rating.

I have no idea what I just listened to but I know this, it was amazing. I have a sneaking suspicion that most of the low rated albums for being 'interesting' or 'weird' or 'experimental' will be 5s in my book and that is what this one is earning.

Unusual and beautiful.

This was a passion project, not intended to be a commercial success, and the love for the art really shines.

77/1001. Used the YouTuble playlist. I'm a fan of weill/brech and this clearly falls in to the same category. I've xome across Krause in Willners superb Lost in the Stars album (also check out the September Songs movie!) compilation. To file this under agit pop or protest songs is a major mistake. The voice and the production is amazing, and the songwriting is great. 26 songs is a lot, but over all this collection of 1001 great album needs more divergence like this one.

If I could give this 10 stars, I would. This sort of live recording is not easy at all--the constant tempo changes alone are a nightmare--and hitting the notes pattern she's hitting is also really freaking hard! What an alive recording. Very German. Love it.

5vstars. Couldn't find an official version on YouTube music though :< Also love theatrical women

It may be expressing 40 year old sentiments, but they're good sentiments expressed evocatively and masterfully. More Midcentury Theatrical please.

It’s been 75 years since this was released and as true as it was then, it remains true to this day that Nazis can go fuck themselves. Artistically it’s always interesting to hear one artist perform the works of another. Hanns Eisler apparently didn’t even care for the modern music of his day so the bones of this album are rooted even deeper in history. It sounded distinctly German to me, and while I would describe the style as haunting and creepy, I wonder how much of my predilection to do so is influenced by post-war analysis of that era. The influences of classical music, the brass and strings and percussion of marching bands, the sullen silences and crescendos. Music and movies and media since WW2 have purposefully mimicked a lot of these motifs to invoke the rise of fascism, so even when Eisler is condemning it, my brain is flooded with a montage of imagery from Nazi rallies. I suppose if the takeaway is to learn from it all then it is effective.

This is a brutal listen. Challenging in the best way. Haunting, abstract, shrieking. Intense avant garde jazz

ich bin so überrascht gsi, wie geil die musig isch wtf so en banger

Different, but Cool!

For those looking for this. While album is on YouTube

This album is fucking brilliant and it's a shame it's borderline impossible to even find it. It's like it slipped through the cracks of history but, in a weird way, that makes sense. There's a tendency to try to modernize old works and the audacity of releasing a cabaret-style album in 1988, land of synthesizers and overproduction, intrigued me off the bat. The best way to live forever is to exist outside time. That's easier said than done but Dagmar Krause pulls it off effortlessly here. Dagmar Krause fits comfortably in the style of artists like Tom Waits and Laurie Anderson and Bjork, who just make shit that they personally find interesting and if you enjoy it, that's just peachy. Trying to categorize into genre is useless and so we apply one of those annoying catch all terms (avant garde) just because everything has to go in a box. Krause's vocal range is on full display here-- Wikipedia calls her an "acquired taste" but I acquired it pretty quickly. Another tendency is to take voices who don't sound like they just came from choir practice and label them as "bad singers." The aforementioned Waits is an example. Bob Dylan is the other classic example of someone who is just universally accepted not to be "good" at singing. But, at least to me, singing is not just about hitting notes. To say otherwise, again, is to reduce art to a science. If it were that simple, every yahoo who makes it through the auditions on The Voice or American Idol could rise to superstar status. To me, great singing is about channeling a message, whether it is your own or not, and making the listener feel the meaning. So often, we hear that a singer "sounds bored" or "robotic" even when there is nothing technically wrong with their performance. What's missing there is the unquantifiable feature that we call "emotion." Nobody can call this performance robotic and there is no shortage of emotion. Whether you can relate to the message or not (if you're reading this, you can't), you feel it and you understand it. Similarly, I've only recently gotten through a longstanding barrier of mine, where I turned up my nose at singers who didn't write their own lyrics. Dagmar Krause is not a performer, she is a conduit. These songs feel lived in. There’s brief flashes of post punk angularity but overall the material is treated with reverence. And, quite frankly, some of these lyrics are pretty relevant no matter what the year. Hanns Eisler, likewise, is an artist with an incredible story. He studied under Schoenberg, was a lifelong collaborator with no less a towering figure than Bertolt fucking Brecht (who wrote many of these lyrics), got exiled from Nazi Germany, got blacklisted from the US during the Red Scare, and went on to compose the national anthem of East Germany. The recording of this album, by a West German artist, is a true sign of the times. While the record was released beneath the shadow of the Berlin Wall, within a year the Wall would fall. East Germany would be no more. These songs are dispatches from a world that, literally, no longer exists at all. They aren't treated as curiosities, as kitsch, or camp, but as pieces of history that matter. Because they do.

This is a lot more enjoyable than I would've guessed.

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would

Album is not on Spotify, listened to some via YouTube.

Spennende! Liker veldig godt hvordan de har inkorperet nye lyder i en orkestersammenheng. Lydene høres intergrert ut i sounden, selvom de til tider er ganske out there. Liker dette veldig godt, men det mangler bittelitt mer edge før det får femmeren

Couldn't listen to it on Spotify. There is a version on YouTube but it's quite unlistenable because it glitches every few seconds. From what I heard, it sounds like an impressive feat.

vond ik boven alle verwachtingen goed.. beetje soort kruising van Nina Hagen en Diamanda Galas met cabaret als achtergrond

wtf guys this rocks! weirdo takes on Weimar-era German pop standards. kind of brilliant despite being a covers album. i suppose when you have the Henry Cow connection, you're not gonna be the type to play these songs straight. but very nice and rather good at fitting in the Waitsian niche of jaded reimaginations of cobwebbed and time-yellowed pop music. the one where she sings Brecht is probably even better tbh. deserves to be one of the 1001? ehhh... maybe a different thing in this vein. deserves to be one of the bottom 20? i suppose something has to fit down there. a shame all the most interesting ones fall into the abyss but hey! this website hates fun!

very artistic and very, unapologetically... german art music. even as it's sung in english. the music was originally written by hanns eisler, who wrote the east germany national anthem. it's like a musical from a hellish, otherworldly planet, flames and castles surround the actors wearing versailles masquerade party ensembles... thankfully it's not pure audio nonsense or sludge, it's still very listenable but it IS avant-garde in the truest sense of the word. VERY perplexing and enthralling listen to me, maybe you'll be thrown off at least a dozen times but you won't be able to turn it off. it's too weird for music streaming services, i guess.

Not available on apple music

- Interesting to hear from a historical perspective. is it something that i would put into regular rotation? probably not. Does it have value? Absolutely. It's a high quality project that is probably not for everyone but important is important to hear and acknowledge. -

I love Dagmar Krause's voice and this style of Weimar songwriting. I'm not sure the songs are supposed to be packed in like sardines into one collection like this. If I get access to it other than on YouTube I'd pick away at it piecemeal. My only real quibble is I'd like a Dagmar era Henry Cow album on the list. In Praise Of Learning probably.

The whole album is here - https://archive.org/details/0627_dagmar_krause_tank_battles_1988__mlib/09+-+Mankind.flac As someone living at the end of America’s Weimar Republic this shit hits close to home.

What a surprise to hear a cabaret style album with a great voice. I really enjoyed listening to this.

What a nice surprise! Was wondering why her voice sounded so familiar, turns out she was in Slapp Happy. I used to listen to their record "Slapp Happy or Slapp Happy" a ton many years ago so this was a nice way to revisit a record that I had forgotten about. I can see a lot of people absolutely hating this, but I personally love it. Music itself is quite different than what is present in her other projects. What I understand is that this is Dagmar performing a bunch of standards by Hanns Eisler. Entertaining album but very dark, and just like everything else associated with the cantterbury scene, outspokenly leftist. Reminded me a lot of the Jun Togawa and Koji Ueno project Guernica. Need to revisit that sometime.

SO much fun. SO camp. Loved the wistfulness of Failure in Loving and Und Endlich Stibt.

Such an impressive vocalist backed by expert instrumentation. So strong and smooth and inspiring. Unlike anything I’ve heard.

this was cool!! exactly what this project is for: finding weird albums that i never would have heard of/listened to without it. i’m playing drums in the upcoming production of Urinetown at my college and a lot of this was very reminiscent of the score. wouldn’t be surprised if this inspired the composers a good bit

A good album, I liked the songs The Song OF The Whitewash, I Read About Tank Battles and The Trenches.

Why is this album so hated here? Seriously, what's wrong with it exactly? I had a good time listening to this.

WTF? I had never heard of the artist or album and always get excited when this is the case. This album was...interesting? Confusing? I honestly didn't vibe with the avant-cabaret (is this a thing?) on my first listen, but on my second listen it started to grow in me. You can definitely hear the influence on people who I love like Tom Waits and Nick Cave. Dagmar Krause, who I now know best know for her avant-rock work with bands like Slapp Happy and Henry Cow, was obsessed 1920's cabaret. This album was her rethinking such work composed by Hans Eisler. Krause has an undeniably beautiful voice. Eisler was among the great composers of his era, so the songs were well structured, albeit run through an experimental rock sieve. The result was something genuinely unique, especially for its era and I can absolutely appreciate it as a work of art. Sometimes art is great precisely because it is unique, even if it isn't entirely comfortable. For me, this album was a reminder that sometimes I need to give unique music time to breathe, approaching them later with a fresh and open mind. My initial notes were pretty damn harsh, yet during my second and third listens the next day I started to get it. This is a tough one for me to rate. I reserve 4* for albums that I definitely want to revisit and I'm not sure I will in this case, but it did already cause me to explore her avant-rock work, which I enjoyed a little more. For me, it is a 3.5* record. I guess I'll wait a couple of hours to see which way I go with my final rating. Overall, an interesting listening experience.

I’m dismayed by how much this site seems to hate this album. It’s clear, interesting music, well-performed and well-produced. It was intended for popular consumption. I don’t think it’s objectionable. I believe everyone has an obligation to understand and engage with the past. This is good art, it's clearly better than Kid Rock, it's clearly not a one, and I'm sorry if you need everything spoon-fed to you by the algorithmic hand of the Culture-Industrial Complex. Spotify is an exploitative business with no regard for art. Its owner is a war profiteer. You can find this album on YouTube, or elsewhere with just a bit of effort.

How interesting is this!! I like the music and I like its confrontational presence on this list. I was hovering between a 3 and 4 (it's certainly not an everyday album, but it was a delight today). It's bonkers that this has such a low average rating on this site, so 4 it is. (And for all y'all griping about this album not being on Spotify: 1, cancel Spotify, 2, it's on the Internet Archive for free.)

This was unexpected and interesting. I loved the theatricality of it, and some of the quieter songs were beautiful. I can see how it would not be to everyone's taste, however. I listened to this on YouTube.

3.5

At first I was, I am not in the mood for this crap. But after a few songs I realized I was actually enjoying this. It's masterfully done. I feel like the original German flowed better (as it should). Translation always changes the feel.

Moondog meets Siouxsie and the Banshees. Insane.

hullut sakemannit! Kansallissosialistinen Saksa eli natsi-Saksa, joskus myös Kolmas valtakunta (saks. Drittes Reich) ja vanhemmissa lähteissä Hitler-Saksa, tarkoittaa vuosien 1933–1945 aikaista Saksan diktatuuria, jota hallitsi Saksan kansallissosialistinen työväenpuolue NSDAP johtajanaan Adolf Hitler. Valtion virallinen nimi oli Saksan valtakunta (saks. Deutsches Reich) vuoteen 1943, jolloin siitä tuli Suur-Saksan valtakunta (saks. Großdeutsches Reich). SAKSA SAKSA SAKSA SAKSA!!!!!!!! VITUN NATSI PASKAT!!!!!!!!!! en koskaan anna anteeksi, joojoo unohtakaa kaikki muut.. meikä kulmassa pitää yllä MUISTOA! muistaa... ballad of the sackslingers

Very intriguing. Without the feeling of deep connection to the source material, I'm left with mostly appreciating the songs on an intellectual level. Dagmar's singing and the arrangement of these songs is amazing. I will listen to this again.