again and again!
This great song was composed by Hanns Eisler and Bertolt Brecht some time around the 1920′s I guess. Continueing our Brötzmann spree, I’ve compiled a few versions that differ quite severely.
First is great German protopunks Ton Steine Scherben. They recorded their live version in 1971 for their debut “Warum geht es mir so dreckig”. Quite original.
Second: Hannes Wader. German folk and protest song legend. He brought countless versions of it playing to bewildered and, some fear, belligerent young students and workers at union meeting. A nice down-home rendition. From the album “Hannes Wader singt Arbeiterlieder” (1977)
Now: Brötzmann again. His rendition might seem a bit cynical in its total dissolution of the theme, the blooddrenched rendition of the theme makes up for the cynicism. Interestingly, there are two versions recorded on video. The first is from the NDR broadcast with Fred Van Hove and Han Bennink. The second one is from the Warsaw Jazz Jamboree of 1974 and has Alex Schlippenbach on piano, Peter Kowald on bass and the maginificent Paul lovens on drums. (Note here the tragic of playing this upright socialist theme in that environment and, also, of dissecting it in this way.)
Love from somewhere around the Communist moon!
