Tank Battles


Tank Battles: The Songs of Hanns Eisler is a solo album by German singer Dagmar Krause released by Island Records in 1988. It is a collection of 26 songs by German composer Hanns Eisler sung by Krause in English. She also sang the songs in the original German which were released by Island at the same time on a companion album, Panzerschlacht: Die Lieder von Hanns Eisler.
Tank Battles was reissued by Voiceprint Records in 1994 with all its original tracks, plus ten bonus tracks taken from the German edition, Panzerschlacht.

Reception

In a review of Tank Battles at AllMusic, John Dougan called it " worthy follow up" to Krause's previous album, Supply and Demand. He said her vocals here are "stunning" and the instrumental backing is "impeccable".
Writing in The Wire, Philip Clark called Tank Battles a "laudable attempt" by Krause to present a modern interpretation of songs by Eisler-Brecht. He said producer Greg Cohen's "sensitive arrangements" of the album's material "winningly evokes 1920s Berlin". Clark stated that Krause's "vocal production, the shaping of her melodic contours and the brittle, staccato phrasing" all owes itself to Eisler's work.

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Track listing

All songs composed by Hanns Eisler; texts by Bertolt Brecht except where stated.

''Tank Battles''

  1. "The Song of the Whitewash" – 2:07
  2. *Translation: N. Gould-Verschoyle
  3. " Tank Battles" – 1:30
  4. *Translation: John Willett
  5. "You Have to Pay" – 1:43
  6. *Text: Walter Mehring
  7. *Translation: Jim Woodland, Malcolm Green
  8. "Chanson Allemande" – 1:20
  9. *Text: Berthold Viertel
  10. *Translation: Andrew Dodge
  11. "The Ballad of the Sackslingers" – 3:24
  12. *Text: Julian Arendt
  13. *Translation: Dagmar Krause, Jim Woodland
  14. "Mother Beimlein" – 1:16
  15. *Translation: Lesley Lendrum
  16. "The Perhaps Song" – 1:50
  17. *Translation: Bettina Jonic, Katherine Helm
  18. "Lied von der Belebeden Wirkung des Geldes " – 4:32
  19. "Mankind" – 0:59
  20. *Text: Hanns Eisler
  21. *Translation: Dagmar Krause, Jim Woodland
  22. "Bettelied" – 1:27
  23. "Song of a German Mother" – 2:31
  24. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  25. "Change the World – It Needs It" – 2:07
  26. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  27. "Bankenlied " – 2:59
  28. *Text: Siegmar Mehring
  29. "Legende von der Entstehung des Buches Taoteking " – 6:43
  30. "Balad of Welfare" – 2:53
  31. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  32. *Translation: Jim Woodland
  33. "Mother's Hands" – 2:02
  34. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  35. *Translation: Malcolm Green
  36. "Berlin 1919" – 2:30
  37. *Text: Anonymous
  38. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  39. "And I Shall Never See Again" – 1:52
  40. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  41. "Genevieve: Ostern ist Ein Ball sur Seine " – 1:05
  42. "The Wise Woman and the Soldier" – 3:43
  43. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  44. "Failure in Loving" – 1:04
  45. *Text: Heinrich Heine
  46. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  47. "Und Endlich Stirbt" – 1:12
  48. *Text: Peter Altenberg
  49. "The Rat Men – Nightmare" – 1:18
  50. "The Homecoming" – 1:34
  51. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  52. "The Trenches" – 3:44
  53. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  54. "To a Little Radio" – 1:05

    ''Panzerschlacht''

  55. "Lied von der Tünche" – 2:09
  56. "Panzerschlacht" – 1:31
  57. "Zahlen müsst Ihr" – 1:44
  58. *Text: Walter Mehring
  59. "Chanson Allemande" – 1:17
  60. *Text: Berthold Viertel
  61. "Ballade von den Säckeschmeißern" – 3:23
  62. *Text: Julian Arendt
  63. "Mutter Beimlein" – 1:21
  64. "Das Vielleicht-Lied" – 1:50
  65. "Lied von der belebenden Wirkung des Geldes" – 4:32
  66. "Der Mensch" – 0:57
  67. *Text: Hanns Eisler
  68. "Bettellied" – 1:28
  69. "Lied Einer Deutschen Mutter" – 2:33
  70. "Ändere die Welt – Sie braucht Es" – 2:06
  71. "Bankenlied" – 2:58
  72. *Text: Siegmar Mehring
  73. "Legende von der Entstehung des Buches Taoteking" – 6:43
  74. " Wohltätigkeit" – 2:53
  75. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  76. "Mutterns Hände" – 2:05
  77. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  78. "Spartacus 1919" – 2:31
  79. *Text: Anonymous
  80. "Und ich Werde Nicht Mehr Sehen" – 1:51
  81. "Geneviève: Ostern ist Ball sur Seine" – 1:04
  82. "Ballade vom Weib und dem Soldaten" – 3:41
  83. "Verfehlte Liebe" – 1:04
  84. *Text: Heinrich Heine
  85. "Und Endlich Stirbt" – 1:11
  86. *Text: Peter Altenberg
  87. "The Rat Men – Nightmare" – 1:19
  88. "Die Heimkehr" – 1:35
  89. "Der Graben" – 3:43
  90. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  91. "An den Kleinen Radioapperat" – 1:05

    ''Tank Battles'' (reissue)

  92. "The Song of the Whitewash" – 2:07
  93. *Translation: N. Gould-Verschoyle
  94. " Tank Battles" – 1:30
  95. *Translation: John Willett
  96. "You Have to Pay" – 1:43
  97. *Text: Walter Mehring
  98. *Translation: Jim Woodland, Malcolm Green
  99. "Chanson Allemande" – 1:20
  100. *Text: Berthold Viertel
  101. *Translation: Andrew Dodge
  102. "The Ballad of the Sackslingers" – 3:24
  103. *Text: Julian Arendt
  104. *Translation: Dagmar Krause, Jim Woodland
  105. "Mother Beimlein" – 1:16
  106. *Translation: Lesley Lendrum
  107. "The Perhaps Song" – 1:50
  108. *Translation: Bettina Jonic, Katherine Helm
  109. "Lied von der belebenden Wirkung des Geldes " – 4:32
  110. "Mankind" – 0:59
  111. *Text: Hanns Eisler
  112. *Translation: Dagmar Krause, Jim Woodland
  113. "Bettellied" – 1:27
  114. "Song of a German Mother" – 2:31
  115. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  116. "Change the World – It Needs It" – 2:07
  117. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  118. "Bankenlied " – 2:59
  119. *Text: Siegmar Mehring
  120. "Legende von der Entstehung des Buches Taoteking " – 6:43
  121. "Balad of Welfare" – 2:53
  122. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  123. *Translation: Jim Woodland
  124. "Mother's Hands" – 2:02
  125. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  126. *Translation: Malcolm Green
  127. "Berlin 1919" – 2:30
  128. *Text: Anonymous
  129. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  130. "And I Shall Never See Again" – 1:52
  131. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  132. "Genevieve: Ostern ist ein Ball sur Seine " – 1:05
  133. "The Wise Woman and the Soldier" – 3:43
  134. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  135. "Failure in Loving" – 1:04
  136. *Text: Heinrich Heine
  137. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  138. "Und endlich stirbt" – 1:12
  139. *Text: Peter Altenberg
  140. "The Rat Men – Nightmare" – 1:18
  141. "The Homecoming" – 1:34
  142. *Translation: Eric Bentley
  143. "The Trenches" – 3:44
  144. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  145. "To a Little Radio" – 1:05
  146. "Panzerschlacht" – 1:33 *
  147. "Vielleicht Lied" – 1:51 *
  148. "Der Mensch" – 0:55 *
  149. *Text: Hanns Eisler
  150. "Lied von der Deutschen Mutter" – 2:32 *
  151. "Mutterns Hande" – 2:03 *
  152. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  153. "Spartacus 1919" – 2:31 *
  154. *Text: Anonymous
  155. "Ich werde nicht mehr sehen" – 1:53 *
  156. "Die Heimkehr" – 1:35 *
  157. "Der Graben" – 3:43 *
  158. *Text: Kurt Tucholsky
  159. "Den kleinen Radioapparat" – 1:06 *
* Bonus tracks taken from Panzerschlacht

Personnel