Search - Konstantin Wecker :: Zeitlos

Great Wecker Compilation

Jens Haetty | Burlington, VT United States | 01/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like in the case of so many Austrian or (in the case of Wecker) Bavarian songwriters ('Liedermacher'), understanding the accent is key to fully appreciating the contents of this album. Wecker is essentally a product of the 70s and 80s - a large part of his repertoire is highly political, mostly criticizing conservative and right-wing tendencies in German and Bavarian politics. A lot of those issues are nowadays either gone, or moved to another plane, hence most of those songs seem to today's listeners pretty strange. "Zeitlos" sums up the more lyrical side of Konstantin Wecker, which is indeed "zeitlos" ( = timeless) and therefore ultimately more rewarding. This does not mean that those songs are unpolitical or harmless in nature - most of the tracks describe social issues in a highly moving way. "Genug Ist Nicht Genug" ("Enough is not enough") is a uncompromisingly poasitive ode to hedonism, and a great opener. Other lyrical high points are "Der Alte Kaiser" ("The old emperor"), a power-to-the-people song using more mediaval motives, and "Wenn Der Sommer Nicht Mehr Weit Ist" ("When the summer is near"), a very melodious little brother of Gershwin's "Summertime". The more political or social stance is represented by a group of truly moving songs: "Es Sind Nicht Immer Die Lauten Stark" ("It is not always the Loud that are strong"), the mourning of a father who sees his son falling prey to Neo-Nazism, "Die Weisse Rose" ("The White Rose"), honoring the resistance group of the same name in the Third Reich, and, as the absolute Number One highpoint: "Willy": Wecker hardly ever performs this song live, if we believe Wecker mythology, it is an autobiographical account of how a friend of his is killed by a Neo-Nazi mob. Portions o this songs send shivers down my spine whenever I listen to it. Wecker's musical style changed over the years, ranging from rather soft to very jazzy. The centerpoint is clearly his voice (he had formal training), and the piano which he usually plays. Others include strings and guitars."