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Tackling everything from the views of the elite, in "The Smart Set", to Feminism in "Chuck out the men", gay rights in "The Lavender Song", to the degeneration of society in "It's all a swindle". Taking an apolitical line ("The left betrays, the right dismays", from "It's all a swindle"), the simple message of sense is hammered home through witty lines, good music, and the wonderful voice of Ute Lemper. "Munchhausen" is quickly becoming my favourite piece - it is also the longest - where a person describes their seeing a perfect world, where women have the choice of abortion, where Justices are truly just, where films are not propaganda features, where disarmament has happened, where 'nowhere will you see those flags which sport that *thing* that zigs, and zags'. Except the narrator of the story is Munchhausen - a man infamous for being a liar. Lemper's powerful voice does this piece perfect justice, capturing the hope of the perfect world, the dismay of it not being true, the hatred in the chorus, repeating in ever more bitter tones 'Liar, liar, liar liar liar ... but how I wish your lies were true', and finally the disillusionment; 'truth's as hard and tough as nails, that's why we need fairy tales'.
The booklet in the CD cover does a good job explaining the context, and relevance of the songs, for those who have no knowledge of the history that these songs were originally set in, and yet in a way it is unnecessary; the songs have proved unfortunately timeless. Although they contain a possible note of optimism, it should be noted that that optimism was 80 years ago - and we have made nearly no social progress since then. Why should the optimism be any more relevant now, than then?
I consider this album to be a wonderful piece of satire, a timeless comment of society both of the past, and the present. Even if sociological criticism isn't your thing, Ute Lemper's voice will melt your heart - I would recommend that anyone buy this.
Ute grew from a Lloyd Weber stalwart into a singer of the left field a rare achievement given the current state of British music and its pre occupation with MOR. These songs marked the brief spring thaw in Prussian preoccupation with discipline, belief and destiny. Between 1918-1933 following the defeat Berlin let its hair down, undid its buttons and gazed at Dix, Heartfield and Grosz paintings of itself. It also parodied its lusts and beliefs in these songs. Primarily about sex in different forms male love, girl love and man-women love Ute lets it all just flow.
The songs verge from cynicism to irony and maybe perhaps too vocal focused for a modern audience. There are no obvious melodies such as Mack the Knife or Alabama and they take time to sink into the cortex.
They are a profound document of an important time and this is where their power lies. They show the mores that Hiterlites wanted to suppress. Interestingly the Weimar society came to pass in the modern age. Whilst some decry the lack of blond hair beasts dressed in shiny black uniforms, this is just their fetish. It is parodied here in this collection in "The lavender song."
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