Tank Battles

Oh my god! There's another album on here with a tiny album cover! I thought Coldcut would be the only one, but here we are! This also fits in another category of albums I've heard previously only occupied by 1 album, that being the niche category of German cabaret albums. I got Ute Lemper's Punishing Kiss about a month and a half ago. I hated it. It sucks. It's so bad. My expectations for Tank Battles weren't very high especially seeing as Tank Battles is also the fifth lowest rated album on this website. I thought for sure I would hate this album too. But you know what? I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of this album. I've actually been keeping track of a ranking of every album I've listened to for the project in 2025 so far and this album is the fourth-worst so far. Punishing Kiss is at the bottom. If you want to know the best one, it's currently Master of Puppets by Metallica. I'm probably the only person to ever mention Metallica in a review of this album. Let's actually talk about Tank Battles. It's weird and it doesn't have much info about it. I couldn't even find the lyrics, so I have no idea what they said. However, from what I can tell, this album appears to be an anti-war album of sorts, so I can at least respect that about this album. The writing saves this album from being total garbage like Punishing Kiss. The sound is interesting. It's definitely got a theater vibe to it. I think some songs are kind of annoying, but others are alright. I wouldn't put any of them on my Best of the Albums playlist, but it's not like I could if I wanted to. Like the Coldcut album that also has a tiny icon on this website, Tank Battles isn't on streaming, so I had to listen to it on YouTube. I'm fine with that though. I'm not missing out on much. The singing is kind of odd. I don't hate it but I'm not personally huge on it. That's kind of how I feel about the album. I don't hate this album for existing (though I do question its inclusion on this list), but I myself am not really a fan. It's just not my thing. 2/5.

Not sure what this was, but it wasn’t for me.

I don't even know where to start with this thing, partly because halfway thru this (shitty youtube upload of the) album I realized that I really don't have much of an idea where or why the songs are the way they are or something that can contextualize the album more. I mean, it's a sonic Cabaret based on WWII era songs from a composer that was opposing the nazis and generally having socialist (marxist? Idk for sure) ideas in his music at the same time, it's interesting as a piece of history and the ways these songs came out by Eisler, I recommend reading the backcover of the album where it gives more about Eisler's history, it makes things click more with this album. I mean... as a whole this album in concept seems great and the music doesn't sound bad, but I can't help but feel like I'm missing a lot of what this album could be with more visuals to accompany the music, or an ease of access to the music, not in a "why is it not on streaming" way but like actually having this album in my hands and being able to follow along with the lyrics and how it criticizes the things it does. It becomes hard to feel much for this album when all the conceptual things only half works, even more why is this album in this book? Lack of ease of access aside, I feel like it needs more context than what the book or most things can provide to probably enjoy these songs way more (and even then, the fact that they are so short makes it difficult). I don't know, I appreciate this album for what it is and what it's trying to do but I just feel sort of disconnected from properly enjoying and understanding what it aims for.

I feel like I'm sat in a WW2 theatre in Berlin and I'm about to ask for 3 drinks using the wrong fingers...

No thanks

I've never heard of Dagmar Krause before, and that's a shame, considering I took three years of German in high school, and two years in college. Reading about this album, it sounds interesting, but I think I still don't know completely what to expect out of it. I'm excited to experience something new and out of my comfort zone today! I appreciate the experience of listening to something different, but Tank Battles wasn't really my jam. I didn't really enjoying the singing, and while the arrangements were interesting, it wasn't something that I really wanted to listen to for close to an hour. However, I did like the lyrics, and it was really interesting to read about Hanns Eisler's political beliefs, and his family's communist party affiliations. These songs felt like old-school lounge singing brought into the modern age, and it was an interesting melding of two different eras. While I can appreciate some of the uniqueness of this album, it's not something I'll be coming back to.

I won’t be listening to it again, but I admire it for what it is and at the very least it is offering something interesting even if it’s not really for me.

Mmm, yes, yes, yes! An art album of songs by the composer of the East German national anthem, translated into English and sung by a close collaborator of Berthold Brecht!? Yes please, THIS is the kind of album I signed up to listen to, not some forgotten English 70s prog rockers or Coldplay. Anyway, how's the album? Very much like the experience of a Brecht play, something you sit down and observe more than enjoy, portentously sung and darkly scored, with echoing bass and clanking percussion. It feels like edifying fare, for young Communists or Free German Youths to be taken to see as a special treat on Republic Day or May Day. Or like I heard once, German literature is like German bread: it's heavy and difficult to digest but good for you. Absolutely mental, left-field choice and I love it for that even though I didn't love the music itself.

The German edition is WAY better... the songs lose all their oomph when translated, they sound like a bad Dietrich impression instead of legit Weimar cabaret

Not terrible, but didnt enjoy it.

An interesting storyline and the singing/production are good, just not for me.

Not really my style of music, but her voice is very impressive.

What insane person decided this should be in the 1001???? Wow, just wow. Sounded like a parody of a bad one-woman musical. I saw the brilliant review that referenced Lily Von Schtuppe and couldn't unhear it (this is one of the rare cases where I read the reviews before posting my own - some of them had me in tears laughing). There were a few ok tracks, or maybe ok moments - Song of a German Mother, Mother's Hands, Und Endlich Stirbt, and The Trenches were ok. I also enjoyed hearing "To a Little Radio" since I know that tune from Sting's The Secret Marriage (which is credited to Hanns Eisler, so this is apparently the original tune). But overall there were too many moments where my reaction was pure bafflement (especially Mother Beimleim - wtaf??). Giving it a 2 rather than a 1 mainly because it wasn't unlistenable, it just doesn't remotely belong on this list.

This one's difficult to rate, as the whole album isn't available... best I found was 24 mins of it on YouTube music. And it was difficult to get through even that much of the album.

Kate Bush if I didn’t understand the subject

cabaret about the Cold War vibes

Well good to know that this album is nowhere near as depressing as the cover will have you believe, it's just more annoying that anything. Although almost fun in a weird way.

no está en spotify. lo he escuchado un poco, durillo

But entirely bad, but there was just nothing there for me

This is what I imagine people who don't like musicals think musicals sound like. Granted I didn't have a chance to listen to the lyrics very closely, but what I gathered from the instrumentation wasn't my cup of tea.

Not for me

????? This is a really odd selection and i couldnt even find it on apple music, we'll see how it is though. it feels like the lyrics and the rest of the instrumentals are slightly off from each other which makes it sound not so great but that may be a function of the translation yeah it definitely sounds better when she sings in german but unfortunately in the english version she sings mostly in english so low rating.

It was strange

Interesting orchestral German language album. It was fine, but im not gonna revisit this one. Ich bin ein Berliner

Well I wasn't sad to see that one hit the end of the youtube queue. TBH this really wasn't bad. But at the same time it really wasn't enjoyable either. This felt more like a musical than anything else. Kind of all over the place and highly dynamic all the way through making for a pretty demanding listen. Background music this is not. Nor is it foreground music for me. But hey if you're into strong German women, this might just be your jam. It's a low 2 for me.

Not bad, but not really sure what it was. Musical? Not my jam.

That was really weird

I appreciate some of the lyrical content, but it ultimately becomes a chore to sit through. 2/5

I liked it more than I thought I would. There are a few songs I would've added on streaming but don't like them enough to seek them out on Youtube. Rating: 2.4

interesting, glad i heard it but not my thing

Zak is cancelled for telling me to do this 1001 album challenge with him

no clue

Weird little album. Not on Spotify. Feels like a mix of old German/Soviet propaganda music and a haunted carnival soundtrack. Krause's voice is cutting, precise, but also kind of eerie? It’s striking, but not exactly enjoyable (maybe because it's in German?). Still, it’s interesting in a way that had me listening, even if I'm not sure why. I won’t seek it out but wouldn’t complain if it showed up in a film about war propaganda and factory workers. Spins: 1, after piecing it together on YouTube. No Spotify, No Playlist Additions.

Not for me.

A stunning rendition of something I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever.

Found on YouTube but not sure this is an essential album or worthy of a second listen

No jaa. Kabaretti musiikkia eli aika musikaalimaista. Levyllä on hienojakin hetkiä, kuten muutama instrumentaalinen torvisoitto, mutta enimmäkseen aika puuduttava. Kappaleiden nimistä ei ole hajua koska youtube, mutta aika samalta kaikki kuulostaa. Mukana oli samoja kappaleita eri kielellä enkä edes tajunnut. Arvostan kyllä tyylikkyyttä, mutta ei jatkoon.

Thia is absolutely not my thing, but unlike yesterday's garbage offering, I respect it, so I can't give it one star. I wish I'd been able to find the German version.

Interesting but not accessible

3/10

Kinda fun but odd to be on the list. 2 stars.

+1 star for some of the longer tracks and native tongue ones, which transported me to some wartime musical, and they aren't out of place there!

You can tell Dagmar Krause put some serious effort into this. It just didn't pan out. I recently came across an interview Francis Ford Coppola gave while filming "Apocalypse Now". To paraphrase: art that tries for something terrific and doesn't pull it off is ... well ... "scum". The greatest horror for an artist is to be pretentious. Often enough, even when they know that they have gone much too far, some artists refuse to rein it in and adopt the attitude of "I'm doing it my way and I'm doing it for me". That explains Tank Battles.

Best Song: The Rat Men. I would have liked a longer version of this one. Worst Song: Mother Beimleim. I sense this song was intending to be unnerving, and I think it worked too well. Overall: A weird album to rate. It feels like the soundtrack to a musical, but all of the songs are just these short little snippets that never come from nor go anywhere.

A truly strange inclusion on this list. It was fine, but so specific and not terribly dynamic. I only really know the cabaret style from Cabaret the musical, and this seemed like a good approximation of that, I guess?

Weird choice for this list

Anstrengend - die Texte von Eisler sind eher schwere Kost. Als Kunstwerk ok, aber zum mehrfach hören nicht geeignet. 2/5

Dagmar Krause - Tank Battles Album Review Tank Battles is an interesting, if slightly niche, listen—dramatic, theatrical, and steeped in a wartime cabaret aesthetic that makes it feel like it’s being broadcast from a crackling old radio in a bomb shelter. Krause’s voice is sharp and commanding, perfectly suited for the Brechtian, politically charged material, but the album’s intensity can be a bit much over a full listen. It’s well-executed and certainly unique, but unless you have a taste for Weimar-era torch songs repurposed for modern times, it might not be something you revisit often. It’s okay, just very much an acquired taste.

Not sure about this one.

Man, this was hard to get through, and I tried hard to give it a fair shake.

An intriguingly theatrical and Germanic release from Dagmar Krause vocalist, formerly of British Avant-Rock group Art Bears and the German band, Slapp Happy. A modern attempt to present German-Austrian composer Hanns Eisler's anthemic, pro-communist works to a contemporary, English-language audience more familiar with Bertolt Brecht than someone exiled by the Nazis and the blacklisted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. It has become almost impossible to find this release, I had to stream it on YouTube. Fairly short songs that all sound bleak and sophisticated, but mostly for an audience idealizing the Weimar Republic as an era of bohemian smoke-filled cabarets, otherwise this is a chore. 26 songs is a lot.

Available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkPvS85L998

Interesting… I liked the orchestrations, the singing had kind of a haunting sound. It meshed together in a weird spooky way.

not on spotify

I have no idea what the context for this is but it was kinda cool? German musical I guess?

I poured a glass of schnapps, put on my smoking jacket, lit a Ernte 23 cigarette and listened to this on my vintage gramophone while in my sitting room. I came away a changed man. After listening to this album's 26(!) songs, I feel like I listened to the soundtrack for the fictional "Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp With Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden". Gratefully most of the songs were short.

Not available on spotify

Nice to get something different, even if I didn’t enjoy it. If this is the best German avent-garde has to offer then so be it. Sure this was an inspiration to Bjork which in itself is not a bad thing.

The Song of the Whitewash 2.5 (I Read About) Tank Battles 2.6 You Have to Pay 2.4 Chanson Allemande 2.4 The Ballad of the Sackslingers 2.5 Mother Beimlein 2.2 The Perhaps Song 2.3 Lied von der Belebeden Wirkung des Geldes (The Song of the Invigorating Impact of Cash) 2.3 Mankind 2 Bettelied 2.1 Song of a German Mother 2 Change the World - It Needs It 2.2 Bankenlied (Banking Song) 2.3 Legende von der Entstehung des Buches Taoteking (Legend of the Origin of the Book of the Taote King) 2.1 Balad of (Bourgoise) Welfare 2 Mother's Hands 2 Berlin 1919 2.2 And I Shall Never See Again 2.1 Genevieve: Ostern ist Ein Ball sur Seine (Genevieve: Easter There is a Ball on the Seine) 2.1 The Wise Woman and the Soldier 2.3 Failure in Loving 2 Und Endlich Stirbt 2.3 The Rat Men 2.4 The Homecoming 2.2 The Trenches 2.7 To a Little Radio 2.2 Score: 2.246153846

This one is really rough. I’m down for music in a language I don’t understand, but the style, lack of availability on streamers, and length make this truly intolerable.

Not on Spotify, so unable to listen :(

Interesting. Not something I'd listen to but glad it crossed my path.

Eigenlijk 3 sterren maar dat kan ik niet over mijn hart strijken

I didn’t get it

Just, nah.

not really feeling it. maybe in another time and place. 2 stars for the slight historical interest.

Hmmm. Thought Dagmar was a male name so first surprise there. Dark and ominous, Deutschy , war torn, political, and melancholy. Certainly different than the norm, I get why it made the 1001 List; the proletariat struggle (1 pfennig for me / 1 Mark for them) songs like Ballad Of The Sackslingers, Song Of A German Mother, Ballad Of Welfare, etc. Very glad the songs are short! Zwei punct drei (2.3*s)

This felt like listening to Abba in a fever dream at the beginning. then it changed to german

Feel like pure shit, wish I was listening to [any album from the Rock in Opposition movement, including but not limited to Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Art Bears] instead.

Definitely interesting. Sounds like the music from a WWII themed musical. Not the easiest listen but wasn’t horrible. 2/5 Probably won’t listen again

It sounded like music from German dinner theater....

2/5

Reminds me of the Ute Lemper record this site also recommended. A lot weirder/more dramatic. This feels like the soundtrack to a really underground off broadway musical. Super theatrical but really odd arrangements and tones. Not bad but I'd never choose to listen to it.

This was a real chore to get through, and not just because I had to find a playlist on YouTube and sit through a bunch of ads for insurance. I bet that guy in The Divine Comedy loves this shit, though, if that tells you anything.

好像軍歌融合特別的樂器，很莊重的感覺。不是特別吸引我的專輯。

I'm not going to pretend I listened to all of this, because I could only find it on YouTube and no-one's got time for that. What I did listen to wasn't bad, per se, but it was very fucking weird.

Dagmar Krause is the operatic German Björk. Krause has a lovelier voice than Björk and isn't quite as weird, at least. But I found myself dissociating until the end of the album because Tank Battles was a lot of the same thing over and over. Low 2, but better than Björk, which counts for a lot from me.

Well this was something else. Dagmar Krause has a good enough voice, but this album is just a lot to make it through. The German language and the cabaret style of music did give me fond memories of seeing "Cabaret", but then it just made me wish I was listening to "Cabaret" instead. Anyway, Krause's compelling singing despite iffy material encouraged me to give this a 2 instead of a 1.

Wtf

Apparently my ill advised semester of German I took in high school left me unprepared for this. Its very dramatic and strange she has a good voice I guess but I'm just not sure what to do with this.

Listened a bit... Only in youtube

The singer is very talented with precise vocals and great instrumentation backup, so I have to give it cred - it's just a weird album because it's (intentionally) like 1920s Berlin. So, picture that and you'll get a good sense of what this album is like.

German Beerhall style Broadway musical influenced music just isn't a genre I'm especially interested in.

Weird and boring, which is an unusual combination. Exists on a YouTube playlist, so the adverts were an occasional relief. Not the wurst album by a German artist (still Nico), but not one I will come back to any time soon.

I don’t get it

What is this? Possibly a failed rock opera? Soundtrack to a weird musical? It’s bizarre. I didn’t hate it but didn’t like it much either.

Meh.

Not for me

Naur. 2.5/5

Ugh, sounds like music from a musical which isn't anything that interests me. +1 for very, very short songs and another +1 for being something truly unique on this list. 2/5

Not worth the effort it took to chase it.

Wtf

2.5

The kind of thing one would like if one liked this kind of thing. Certainly this would belong on some lists of 1,001 albums; but does not belong on this one. N/A would be the appropriate rating here. And who TF decided to classify this as jazz?

1.5

So, this isn't available on streaming, so I'm relying on a Youtube playlist. Uhh... this is a musical? At least it sounds like it. To what I understand (reading Wikipedia), this is a late-80's take on songs written some time before, which is reflective in the tunes. Is it good? Is it recommended? I don't know. I'm definitely not the target audience for this. You mention German music and I go to Teutonic thrash right away - Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, a little Tankard. It's not bad, to be sure, just not my kind of listening.

Sounds like showtunes. Not my thing. Vocals and instrumentation is performed quite well though.

Tank Battles is certainly weird, but it has a compelling aspect to it that I think is very much more about the style than the substance or the music itself. Must-listen? Doubtful, but as a curiosity it's at least interesting, no higher than a 2, not good, not bad, just...weird.

Didn't particularly enjoy this, to be honest. Experimental, lightweight, not a lot to it really. Sounds like a weird musical, and not a good one. 2/5.

This is definitely very German. She has a decent voice but not sure this belongs on this list.

not available on Apple Music but found few tracks on Youtube. weird, showtunes/cabaret music. why, why, why is this on list????

Her voice is good but I am not one for this type of music. Play music is not my thang.

Like walking into a smoky Berlin cabaret bar… but like on a Tuesday or something. The songwriting is pure Brechtian strangeness and the orchestration is quite adventurous in places, but Krause’s performance is often restrained and bland, and clashes with the intense theatricality of the songs. This was a rare did not finish for me, though to be fair that was mainly because the album was only available on YouTube and I couldn’t stand hearing that fucking Tina Fey booking.com advert again

strange, cabaret, theatre-like

You into old German musicals? This is your album. Me… not so much.

Wow, this was an unexpected album to show on the list. Learnt some history and listened to some interesting songs, but ultimately this is not something I enjoyed.

More interesting than Adele's 21 and actually old-timey, so 2+.. Germany has had one hell of a history of war....

Like Mickey Mouse starting smoking Crack whilst visting Europe in 1944!

I preferred it in German, the rhythm and sounds were somehow soothing and almost hypnotic. In English it's like someone set the Ladybird book of 20th century conflicts to music in an ill-conceived musical.

Omituinen. Vähän liian outo mulle. 2/5

This should have been a Henry Cow or Slapp Happy album instead. This cabaret-inspired album does itself no favors, as it needs to be done extremely well in order to resonate at all. Otherwise, it comes across as kitschy and bad. There is potential here as the subject matter of the album is deadly serious, but it's poorly showcased in the execution. I would not recommend this.

So from what I understand, this is a collection of songs from a German composer encapsulating the Weimar Republic-era, sung (mostly) in English by a German vocalist. Very much theatrical or cabaret, as well as being the first record of its kind that I've willingly listened to. I can definitely appreciate the vocalist here, but I'll be honest in saying that this was a slog to listen through. I think a performance like this is more appreciated as a live offering.

Usually I am open to cabaret and musical theatre, but the melodies and hooks don't seem very compelling. Sounds like the kind of terrible thing you'd hear in an off broadway show, or rather the thing that inspired the terrible off broadway show compositions in the first place.

I really didn't dig the production on this (I was surprised to read the instruments are real and not synthesized), and the significance of the project/songs feels historical rather than entertaining; which is fine, but leaves me wondering whether there's a more historical document of Eisler-Brecht songs? And maybe we could swap out this for the Slapp-Happy album, a more interesting, entertaining use of Krause's voice?

German fiddler on the roof without any matchmaking

That was... Interesting. No lie, I wouldn't listen again, not really my style. I'm sure it served a purpose and was artful in it's way. More like a museum piece in that regard. Zwei Sterne.

I don't know what to make of this. I was thrown in the deep end of a cold pool and I know I can make something fun out of that but I swallowed way too much water.

Hmmm strangely I wasn't really up for avant-garde German classical pop today.

Not sure how I feel about Cabaret music. This isn't on spotify. YouTube has it broken up in 3 parts. Which was actually a blessing because it was kind of hard to get through. Dare I say, Act 1 was awful and made me immediately think "oh great another 1 star rating." but Acts 2 and 3 picked up a bit. Whereas Act 1 had a lot of German in it, the remainder was mainly English. Not 100 per cent sure what the story was about... I could probably place money on the War though.

I mean...it's not a super interesting listen. Strange that this is the album here and not one from like Slapp Happy or something. meh

This proto-kraut rock made me sour.

Classic album

Felt like old show tunes with clunky lyrics. Nice voice. Not a fan, low 2.

Cabaret songs written in the Weimar Republic? Schmältzig! I won't lie - it's a bit of a chore to listen to. You have to pay attention, and that's pretty hard to do.

A bit whacky and intense at times, German singing in an avant rock style

C'est très bon mais je trouve pas de bon contexte pour me mettre dans l'ambiance

I can see why this isn’t on streaming. Really German and show tunesy and old.

Outo levy ja kappaleet sävelletty eri maailmassa jossa nyt eletään. Ajankuvaan mahtipontista ja kauneutta sekoittaen.

Juuri ja juuri selvisi paskan yläpuolelle.

It's not unlistenable (well, it's literally not on Spotify) but it's not something that I want to listen to either.

It was alright didn’t really stand out to me, though aren’t the biggest fan of electro music type stuff 4/10

Kind of a genre blend, so a bit hard to place. Most of it feels like orchestra music with a musical/theatre vocal to be honest. Some tracks in English and some in German. Not my cup of tea, but the musicians and singer are good nevertheless. Not on Spotify in my country, so had to get a YouTube Premium trial.

Not a fan of the stage sound. I didt like it at all but it didn’t make me angry like some of the other stuff on the list

Ok- this one was some kind of crazy, German musical theater soundtrack or something. The music sounded like it was the inspiration for the final fantasy video game soundtracks which was pretty cool though

Sounds like it would be good as a soundtrack for a movie. Not one I want to see though.

That was unlistenable and horrible.

Have to watch this one on youtube. This is like a one woman musical. Yea without any kind of context i have no idea what to do with this. Listening to this on youtube is rough because the time syncing sucks.

Not available on spotify. Very weird music.

Tried something new. Not something good, but new.

Not my thing I guess.

Need a lot more context to make this work. Really made me think about grad school though.

What a strange album. There’s some times that I quite liked. The music feels kind of like a cross between musical theatre, pop, and traditional folk music. Which on paper seems like I’d love it. But the lyrics are not that great. And ultimately, at 26 tracks, this just goes on too long. 2.5/5

After seeing the announcement that this album is not on any streaming services, I managed to find it on Youtube, although not sure if it's the full album. I think this is an album that will take multiple listens to fully appreciate

Another one where I'm confused as to why this is included on this list. Maybe I don't know enough about her or Hanns Eisler to get why this is really relevant? She's got a great voice, that's for sure, so I really enjoyed that aspect of this record. I was kind of excited when I saw this was listed as a jazz album but it is decidedly not jazz. Showtunes for sure. I tried to find the German version but couldn't with a quick search though I'm sure it's out there somewhere. I mean if showtunes is your thing you'd probably love this, for me it's not something I ever need to hear again. 2/5.

Doesn't fit my taste, sorry :-(

wtf

Truly a painful and confusing listen. I don't understand what I just listened to and I'm not referring to the German lyrics. Even reading about the album and it's origins did not help to make this an easier or at least more understanding experience. Some songs were somewhat enjoyable bit honestly a 1.5 star album

Okay if I'm honest I'd give this a 2.5, however I decided to round down. It's not bad, her vocals are good. But I can't put my finger on why this was so odd to me.

I do not like that very much.

No tanks

Not available but also doesn’t sound like something I’d like.

ok, it's different. not really a good listen for me though

Video på YouTube.. Fååk det var langt. Om det var dårligt? - Nej. Men heller ikke godt. Tyskland har åbenbart en historie om krig.🤯 En 2 timer lang historie... Ihvertfald når man skal høre historien på både engelsk, og tysk. Jeg kan godt sætte pris på de tyske sange, men de er klart mere effektfulde når man fårstår teksten. 😅

похоже я понял, какая музыка не зависит от региона: военная. меняешь язык -- чуть меняется вайб, но глобально МАРШ ВОЕВАТЬ ВО ИМЯ ВЕЛИКОЙ <укажите страну>

Cabaret, jazz, avant-garde. Es como un musical. Rollo. Un 2.

Cabaret, jazz, avant-garde. Es como un musical. Rollo. Un 2.

Pas facile celui-ci, pas facile du tout ! (à trouver non plus d'ailleurs...) Très honnêtement je ne sais pas comment noter cet album car d'un côté je ne parle absolument pas un mot d'allemand, je suis donc incapable de saisir la teneur des textes, la portée politique. Et de l'autre, l'orchestration et le style de chant ont ce côté cabaret d'avant-guerre qui ne me déplaît pas totalement, voir qui a pu me plaire sur certaines chansons. A l'intersection de deux sentiments assez contradictoires, je vais me contenter de noter 2. Mettre plus ne serait pas honnête car je ne pense pas le réécouter.

Listened to on YouTube so not really getting the proper experience, the music itself sounds like it came out decades before 1988, which makes sense when you read about the album, hard to rate when I don’t understand German, but I did think the album went on a bit long.

“A dagger will knife” - 4/10

lol 4/10

4/10 - There were some bangers ngl. \"A shotgun will shoot a dagger will knife\" is quite a bar. I liked the little jazz bits in some of the pieces. It sounded like a musical or like the soundtrack to a movie.

Stay away from the ice if you want my advice. This album made me like war 3/10

I hate war now 3/10

not my cup of tea

Pretty hard to listen to.

If I played this for someone today who didn't know any better they would tell me it was "obviously" created by AI.

Had its moments. Struck me this might have been an influence for Bjork as I heard her kookiness and cadence a few times.

I feel bad for disliking this one because it gives me that feeling where I do think this is probably innovative and possessing of some critically acclaimed qualities...but I intimately disliked it. Possible that I'd like other work from the artist or listening to this not on youtube.

An album for a musical that never existed?

It’s okay! Nothing I’m into so with that being said, it was just background music. I’m sure if you want to give a review in context about this album, you can read about how complex and sophisticated it is, but like I said, for me it was just background music.

This is not a bad album, the German stuff is actually very good, but the English vocals are ruining it a bit, and I cannot see myself listening to it again, so 2 stars.

Interesting cabaret style music, although hard to digest. Vocal-wise I prefer the handful of German songs, since the English is horrible (by the way, there appears to be a full-German version of the album as well)

2.5 eh

Waarom is dit in 1001 albums... Ik heb net een dikke koffie gehad en dit geeft me echt hartkloppingen en maakt me bijznder onrustig.

Not for me.

Kinda boring

Maybe I could get into to these songs if they were part of a musical production. I need more context. It's a cool idea to record the songs of an older composer and make them feel fresh and alive. Dagmar Krause definitely does her best to sell these songs. Her singing is very dramatic. The composer Hans Eisler lived through some turbulent times in Germany (both World Wars and the beginnings of the Cold War!) and you can hear the weight of that history and the politics in the music. But I need a little context or some spark notes to give me insight into each song.

Very interesting listen. It feels theatrical and meant for a stage but also experimental and in a way I think "unafraid"? I am having a relatively good time listening but I don't know if I like it per se. I feel like I have to follow along so closely to really get enjoyment out of it. I need to have the lyrics on the screen in front of me, and I need to be doing nothing else, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It also obviously feels like it is missing a visual performance to go along with it.

weird - probably would've sounded better in german

Not what I imagined when I heard Hans Eisler. I don’t know what bothered me but it wasn’t as expected.

Nope. Sorry, I wish I could say something, anything about this, but I have no reference point. Okay, she has a good song voice that goes well with the oompah of the music. Does that help? Didn't think so. Any ranking given here is unfair.

Fairly unique on this list, an album that reads like a play. A focus on storytelling throughout the songs. The singer has a nice and powerful voice in the alto range (I think) that suits the gravity of the subject matter well. Sadly, I found the songs very threadbare, simple background music supporting a talk-singing monologue. Pretty repetitive and not much in the lyrics' writing that caught my interest at all.

Glad the songs are short. Honestly, it reminds me of some modern operas I've seen/heard. Lots of minor keys and atonality, and hard to listen to. (Champion comes to mind.) It felt like it was a soundtrack to a very dark musical production. It would have been insane to hear these live, like an assault of music. But the vocals are outstanding! And she has an excellent orchestra playing behind her that's playing some really crazy arrangements. YouTube says it was done in 1988, but it feels like 1940. Well done evocation of an earlier, scary era. But I didn't make it all the way through the album. Too depressing. Gonna go play my ukulele to feel happy again.

This feels very much like wartime theater/performance art, and I was actually surprised this was from late in the cold war. The lyrics were quite interesting and overall this is well composed. The ballad of the sackslingers in particular is quite fascinating. But I can hardly imagine listening to this on a regular basis when it was created. It is clearly important, but it's also definitely not for me.

Weird! But at the very least it was interesting. While I'm not a huge fan of her voice, the production makes up for it. 2.5.

A project which would work infinitely better if adapted into a stage play or film, but which simply doesn't captivate as an audio-only presentation. As another reviewer put it, it seems to work better as background than as active listening material. The instrumentation from the various players is excellent, Krause's voice does warm on the listener over time, and there are several poignant songs such as "Song of a German Mother," but this is cabaret music, and it needs more energy than this medium can offer. Not something that I would likely listen to again.

Last night I out on this deodorant that made my pits itch like crazy and I had to get up multiple times around two in the morning to take care of it. I would prefer that experience over listening to this again. Didn’t like it, but it just kept coming. Like the war :0 wow, what an artist. I don’t think she’s that good a singer, honestly. I wanna say that I actually prefer the Nerd Wallet ad that kept playing between songs. Also made me develop this unsightly thousand yard stare, which I was hoping to stave off until my late thirties, but alas. 2/5

Thoughts before listening: This is brand new to me. Never even seen the cover. I am going to guess European dance music of some sort. Review: Well this isn't dance. More like classical orchestral music with a German singer. Theatrical and almost operatic sounding with lyrics in both German and English. I am sure this was extremely impactful in a 1980s cold war environment, but it is not resonating with me. This is however well performed music with a strong vocalist that is getting a 2-star rating.

An absolute slog to get through. Not 1 star bad but good God please don't ever make me listen to this again please.

It was interesting to listen to this collection. The music was masterful, I am just not a fan of listening to the German language sung. I like the theme of the music, but felt it went too much in the direction of trying to be a musical, which I am not sure of it is from a musical based on the description I read. It’s neat to hear some of your favorite artists in old music, and I seemed to hear a little Cosmo Sheldrake in this, though it might just be the instrumentation in general.

2/5. I mean, I do like some of the lines and short songs but this whole album feels like I am listening to a disjointed play where the plot does not exist. Some strong themes of anti-war and nationalism and those opposing ideals. Kind of feels like a best of only the German songs from the stop motion Christmas movies. Which is not a promising venture. Still better than other ones I've hear so if I was in the mood, might enjoy it more so it's not a 1.

Something a little different. I didn't hate it but maybe a little too avant-garde for my tastes

yep. weird.

This stuff must have been mind-blowing in the Weimar Republic, and it's pretty cool to release an album of pro-worker German cabaret songs in 1988, but this was absolutely not for me! I don't like stench, I don't like garbage!

Not available

Found in YouTube Music.

I found these on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PkPvS85L998?feature=shared I didn’t enjoy these 1920s interpretations. I much preferred Ute Lemper’s Teutonic singing style from the listings last week. These songs are dramatic, heavy and dark. Certainly there is artistic integrity, it’s just theatrical and antiquated.

Shitty German music 2.5/5

Áhugavert. Dramatískt. Mun ekki fara í reglulega hlustun.

Found it on YouTube, but didn’t make it through the whole thing. It made me think of Schoenberg and his use of Sprechstimme, which I don’t enjoy. This album could be the soundtrack to a movie version of Slaughterhouse Five. 2.5

Sort of cabaret opera vibe. Probably relevant for traditional German music lovers. Not particularly enjoyable but maybe there's a place for it. 2.5

This was a little weird, but interesting! Don't think I'll ever revisit this but glad I gave it a shot.

Had to YouTube it. Thought it was odd at first but realized its haunting tone and almost spoken poetry about the degradation of German society in the early 40s was really something

What the fuck?

Like Moss Side Story, it's an album I would have never listened to on my own, and probably never will again, but glad that I did. it was a great little project about ww2 from a German civilian perspective. I loved the track "Song of a German Mother". truly moving shit.

this wasn’t on spotify but the description i read of ms. krause’s work makes me certain i would’ve given this 2 stars at best

shite

This was certainly something. Not really my cup of tea but since it doesn't really sound like any of the other albums I've listened to from here, that keeps it from getting a 1.

Wtf is this

i am simply too uncultured for this i dont really like the quality of her voice. it's a little severe. warlike, which i guess is intentional https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbYmWrfNJpQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwEqjE4D4iE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Sxuj2Apcc i like the clarinet/bass clarinet? is it german and english or just english? german is just kinda hard to listen to it's not TERRIBLE.. it's definitely a legit piece of music, there's just nothing for me to get excited about

This is one of the lowest rated albums on the list and that is no mistake. I like the music of Hanns Eisler and Bertolt Brecht, but that was never meant to be performed in such a horrific pretentious way. The vocal and instrumental delivery takes all the soul and emotion out of the song and replaces it with false sentiment. Awful!

Hmm....

нет-нет-нет, упаси боже меня от немецкого вокала. альбома нет на стримингах и за дело! за дело!

The production sounds thin throughout and the singing performances can be rough but bottom five?? I don’t think so.

Like some of the other albums in this list that were incredibly relevant to their time in history, it makes for an interesting listen? But I don’t think I would consider it a “good” album or one that I want to listen to again.

Exciting news, I may have found my new least favorite genre of music! Probably not really, but it's pretty bad. Reminds me of the show Babylon Berlin, which I love, but not for the music. 2 stars.

Truly makes you feel like regretting those discounted off-broadway tickets. I really can't get behind this. It's a collection of random compositions by this communist German modern classical composer (Hanns Eisler). The songs feel disjoint, leaving as suddenly as they come. The ideas seem to rely on gimmicks, like an emotion to convey for just a minute or two before moving on to a separate subject. I'm sure this was all wild and far out for the 1920s, but you need something to tie it all together, and I'm not finding that here. Orchestra acts supplementary to the vocalist. It feels very stream of conscientious, with songs not coherently glued together. Even with the vocals, I'm sure it would feel very messy to listen to. And with the vocals, it exhausts me way too quickly; let alone making it through a whole hour. Track order is shit. I don't feel pulled in, and it closes anticlimatically. And I had to search far and wide for any tracks I found somewhat well put-together. There are a lot of good ideas in here, but neither did Eisler know how to structure songs for their own sake, nor does Krause salvage its worth. There is no re-creation here. It's very true-to-form except for the vocals, which works against the favor of modern audiences. Synths or pop hooks could have brilliantly re-imagined his works. I'm disappointed this record has felt like an academic study rather than a medium to emotionally invest in. Favorites: Ballad of the Sackslingers, Bankenleid, Ballad of (Bourgeois) Welfare, The Wise Woman and the Soldier

Finally found it on Youtube and gave it a listen. The singer has a beautiful voice, but I didn't really enjoy it as anything more than semi-pleasant background music. 2/5, but only because I'm very meh on it.

What a way to end the week! Tank Battles was up against it right from the start as I had to listen to it via YouTube, an experience almost as irritating as some of these tracks. I actually liked the album, it was like listening to a play with its peaks and troughs of emotion. I loved some tracks (Mother Beimlein and the opening whitewash track) but have no idea why! I read a bit about it and it appears that the YouTube clip I listened to was only half the songs (30mins) but the full album is almost an hour. I spent a few minutes contemplating searching for the remaining tracks and then came to my senses. I gave this a 3 because I like people brave enough to stick their heels in and produce avant- garde work.

Dramatic, oppressive. The lyrics have been translated from German; this was all originally written by Hanns Eisler. Well-orchestrated, performed with skill and conviction. I nearly didn't finish it. Maybe it's just of a different time but I could not attach my interest to this.

Har ikkje for vane å fyre cabaret jazz på fredaga diverre

First track was a good reminder to go get some laundry detergent from home bargains. Also good to see a track mentioning Melon Coulis. Melon coulis isn’t something you see very often. I think it’s probably the texture of the melon. Doesn’t really break down too well. Would probably be quite mushy and not a pleasant texture. Also, who wants a melon coulis? Sounds a bit gross. Just have a shot of midori and crack on. That’s what I say. 1.5

Een zwaar gevecht was het zeker.

"Tank Battles" is a fiendishly difficult album to sit through, based as it is on almost one hour of interpretations of compositions by German composer Hanns Eisler, set to poems by Bertolt Brecht. We're left with something richly theatrical and cabaret-esque, but without arresting visuals or discernible narrative. Instead, we have only Dagmar Krause and an extended roster of backing musicians to guide us through. That most reliable of sources, Wikipedia, describes Krause's vocals as an "acquired taste", but I think they're astounding. They aren't the problem here at all: Krause has a good gravitas in her vocal, a sharp command of the songs and a rich alto range. Even in tracks like "Mother Beimlein", when the character portrayals start getting a little out of hand, she's fresh and engaging, perfectly matching the spirit of the text. Her background with avant-pop and prog groups like Henry Cow and Slapp Happy intrigues me, and I hope our paths will cross again. The main barrier stopping me getting on board with "Tank Battles", then, is the source material. Eisler and Brecht are okay in small doses, when flirted with by other rock musicians (David Bowie, Scott Walker, Tom Waits). But to be immersed in Eisler's own compositions for a full hour is quite an undertaking, to say the least. I enjoy musical theatre and the cabaret stylings employed throughout the album. Heck (*hecht), I studied Brecht's texts (*techts) throughout school and university. I used to think they were unique and inspired until I saw them in practice, actually being staged… then I realised how all the theory didn't make the end result any more than a pretentious bore. I suspect something similar is going on with the songs in "Tank Battles". As much as I enjoy Krause's vocals (commanding, strong, melodic, with even a little shade of ABBA) and the extended line-up including wind and brass sections (clarinet, sax, trumpet, tuba, bassoon) it just doesn't fly overall. If I had to single out two good pieces, it would be the melancholy "Chanson Allemande" and the surprising, full-bodied kick of "The Trenches" in the final stretch. As for the rest, I'm unlikely to ever listen to "Tank Battles" again, but so what? Good on Dagmar Krause for committing to such an undertaking, even if it only gets her two stars from me.

Proto-nazi circus music

This album seems as though it belongs to a very specific era in time. It wasn't bad, it was just strange and very hectic. The music and singing were great, but it did not resonate with me at all. Likely wouldn't listen again.

Maybe it sounds better in German. The English version I found on YouTube is not my thing. I gave up after a few songs.

I went to YouTube to listen to this. When it started, I liked the weirdness and the energy. By the end, I was very over it. I’m glad I listened to it, though, because I had never heard of it before.

Maybe if you like show-tune like albums you'd like this. For the rest of us though.... no, not bad, but not really something the average person will get into. There are a couple of listenable songs... 2.5/5

A too large collection of protest songs, half in German. As long as I tuned out I could tolerate them, but on closer listen I didn't like them very much. Stand-out: The Ballad of the Sackslingers

Not for me.

World War 2: The Musical

Vraiment pas mon genre. Très long, très répétitif, toujours le même style qui fait très "musical" mais seulement avec des instrumentations classique. Beaucoup de chansons sont tellements peu étoffées qu'on dirait presqu'un démo qui a été abandoné. J'ai de la difficulté à voir l'intérêt de cet album. 3/10

Well it's certainly interesting. Definitely out of my comfort zone. Her voice is really powerful. The instrumentation feels a bit empty and flat but works for accentuating her vocals.

unable to listen

This is such an 80s endeavour. Interesting, but not entirely listenable. Feels like it might have influenced Bjork in places.

The Trenches

Jeez this is a hard listen. A bit like Brecht. Enough said.

Not my cup of tea

Mmm yeah definitely not my thing. So overly theatrical, I didn't even bother listening to the whole thing. Sorry.

Just not something I'll ever listen to again hopefully.

Not on Apple Music nor on Spotify, this album certainly is difficult to track down. I can only imagine what it would take to find this on the regular circuit of record stores back when we didn't have the internet. It's a challenging record, to be sure. She, Dagmar, makes no apologies and goes for her theater infused record like someone who has a project ans it's not going to let it go. It's not something I'm going to listen again, though. I certainly appreciate the effort.

Har ikkje for vane å fyre cabaret jazz på fredaga diverre

Not available on Spotify so had to find it elsewhere. Initially I wasn't that impressed but by leaving it to play in the background it somewhat grew on me. Gave off an Avant Garde industrial vibe for mid 20th century cabaret. Probably wouldn't listen to the whole thing again but it will stick in the memory at least.

Interesting but not for me :)

Woops

So weird it made me feel a bit ill

The CIA should use this to torture prisoners. It's like they put the sound of fingernails scratching down the chalkboard to music. I did not like it. Is it bad music? No, it is just for a very certain audience. Not me. 2/5

Called cabaret/jazz/avant garde... sounds like a soundtrack

the best I can say is I got through it

if radiohead wrote this anthony fantano would be a daddy

I'm just going to write this one off as a figment of my imagination. And I'm done tripping. For now.

Nice instrumental parts but don't dig the vocals or agenda

Nope

It was a little hard to get thru - I would have enjoyed it more as a musical w some visuals

Ok

Was not steaming on Spotify, but I listened to what I could find on YouTube. I did not really understand this and did not enjoy this. Perhaps if I listened to the original German version I would like it more?

Tank Battles: The Songs of Hanns Eisler is a solo album by German singer Dagmar Krause. The album contains 26 tracks composed by German composer Hanns Eisler and sung by Dagmar Krause in both English and German (different album versions). The original compositions stand the test of time by being just as impressive on this album when they first were produced early to mid 20th century. Krause's vocal work is stunning and she beautifully provided the lyrics to accompany the famous compositions. This was an interesting album to listen to. The avant-garde, jazzy album contains some impeccable music even if it's hard to understand at times with the German accent. Dagmar Krause added a dash of her own special sauce to Hanns Eisler's works, so it continues to live on in the modern music landscape.

2.8 - Similar to "Doctor Atomic", an opera I equally disliked about Oppenheimer's race to build the bomb, this record fully explores the WW2 experience with the same sense of foreboding and dread. The songs are composed and performed proficiently, and Krause sings in a commanding alto. It all seems historically accurate and appropriate in tone. But, I hate the cabaret style, as well as the truly depressing subject matter.

It's hard to fully review this album given that it's not available on any streaming service, save for a chunk of tracks that people were kind enough to upload on YouTube. What I did hear sounded like the soundtrack to a theater performance, it felt like I was only getting half of the story and needed something visual to add more context. That said, the music was fine, just a bit lacking in terms of artistic impact. Maybe in a different medium it would've been a better package. Who knows?

Cabaret songs should be listened to in your langauge. It doesn't make sense the other way. I have enough English and German cabaret songs for the rest of my life.

It's very theatrical, and with some context and actors, I could probably really appreciate this. However, I don't have the imagination to 'listen' to this all and be impressed that's it's something I should be listening to on a frequent basis.

Kinda hard to review something I can’t hear. I’m gunna go out on a limb and say based on the summary, I wouldn’t have liked this.

This honestly seemed like a parody of something though it clearly was not. The cabaret style singing and broad accent, the old school up the proletariat lyrics of some of the material, the perfunctory instrumental accompaniment. Wierd selection for this list.

???

It's the Anglo-German classic war music revival album, that I never knew I needed to hear. Because I didn't need to hear it.

Just some woman singing in english then german.

Extremely unpleasant. 3/10

This album got a special disclaimer on the list for its inaccessibility but I found it on youtube in its entirety. While it was interesting to hear a native german artist tackling the remnants of WW2 that still remained in the late 80s, I found this whole album painfully boring. Her voice is good but the sparse instrumentation and switching between english and german made it impossible for me to really fully engage with any of it.

A: Skulle jag ha vetat att detta album var med på listan skulle jag ha tänkt två gånger innan jag tagit upp projektet... Nää alltså helt okej? Om okej betyder anti(?)krigs sånger som skulle passa för första världskriget men lowkey är skrivna 1988??? Vet ärligt talat inte ens om vi lyssnade på rätt album iom att tillgängligheten inte var i topp skick. Stundvis helt banger musikal-teater-disney-film-villain-drag-queen-perfomance-level men väntade nog på att det skulle ta slut. Kunde vara kul o sjunga i kör eller spela i orkester men förmodligen inte. Respekterar dock att den verkligen skiljde sig ur mängden i jämförelse med projektets andra album. 1,5/5 D: Bro wanted to be Björk so hard... men tysk o i en cirkus. Måste ha hamnat hit pga nåt udda personligt bias. Wtf var dedä random kommunistiska propagandainslaget???? 1/54

Album unavailable on spotify

This isnt anything someone must listen to before they die if they like to have fun.

That was a hard listen. Is there a 0 stars?

Can’t rate this as it’s not on either Spotify or Apple Music

347/1001 Dagmar Krause - Tank Battles Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ A German in the late 80s warbling away as though she were in 20s Berlin. Yeah, that's a hard pass from me (plus not on Spotify).

Not for me 1/5

NULL

All I heard was Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles.

Can’t pull up on Amazon Music opera is what is sounds lole

Nessas horas que eu gosto de bater no peito e dizer que sou normie mesmo. Sou com orgulho! As músicas aqui não possuem sensibilidades pops algumas, então é uma escuta difícil. Os temas trágicos não ajudam o caso. Já peguei vários discos dramáticos nessa lista, e até agora nenhum deles me empolgou. Só não é o que eu busco quando vou ouvir música. E esse é exatamente o tipo de álbum que depois de duas faixas já estou louco pra tirar logo. 1/5

Not available on Spotify is maybe THE key red flag that an album is getting a 1 star review. A German woman singing English showtunes...SIGN ME UP!!! I'm suffering through this to finish this project. This is one of the worst albums on the list. These songs would be bad in a musical, forget about in album format. I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything but how awful this is. Taika Waititi heard Song of a German Mother and then we got Jojo Rabbit...not a terrible outcome. First 25 minute YouTube video down. If someone told me this was the soundtrack from Cabaret I would believe it without question. I tried to piece this together from various YouTube videos and ended up listening to a bunch of extraneous (I think) songs.

Not available to listen

We were approaching Ute Lemper territory, but didn’t quite get there. The rat men was a hilarious song

Wow, I truly don’t know what I would’ve done if I had died without listening to that masterpiece

Reminds me of and sounds like the soundtrack to one of those films depicting the rise of the Nazi’s in the 1930’s. When plotting in some smokey Berlin bar there was always a female singing in the background. The title of the album only reinforces that notion and conjures up the image of a Panzer Tiger Mk 2. For that reason alone cannot warm to this album even though for all I know, old Dagmar might be singing about a cuddly little pussy cat with a cute pink nose. 1/5 5/6/26

Looks like John McClain threw the wrong Hanns off Nakatomi Tower. As for the singing.....let's just say that my limit was slightly less than one schnitzengrūben. ifykyk

Next.

Sinceramente escuché 1 tema, prefiero pasar y ponerme al día que siento que pierdo el tiempo escuchando algo que culturalmente no es lo mío y no me va a gustar nada. Lo siento Tani Battles :(

Nope

No va

I did at least laugh when it came on

Ha ha ha no thanks man oh look at the time I better get going ha ha

Sally Bowles has a lot to answer for.

Couldn't find it. Judging from the reviews, I missed nothing.

it’s just like…. if you’re gonna do this…… why not just put cabaret on here? or any broadway for that matter???

No. God no.

vocals were overpowering. didn’t enjoy the vocals so no for me.

Wtf lol Honestly I'd be more feeling the background instrumental parts if it weren't for the vocals. Parts of this are actually kinda reminding me of The Wall.

1.2 I can see why it's not on Spotify. An absolute crime against humanity. Up there amongst the worst things a German has done in the 20th century.

1 de 5 Con un acompañamiento instrumental impecable, Dagmar Krause hace uso de su imponente voz y logra trasladarnos al frente de una guerra no vivida o a la lucha por una libertad deseada, incluso, parecería que estamos viviendo una obra teatral musical y somos el personaje principal. A destacar: Track 5 - Ballad Of The Sackslingers Track 11 - Song Of A German Mother Track 13 - Bankenlied Track 16 - Mother's Hands Track 21 - Failure In Loving Track 22 - Und Endlich Stirbt