Sireena Rec.
Grüner Zweig 50 (=V.A.) : Musik aus dem Odenwald (D,rec.1977)***°'
What seems to be a group’s name is in fact the name of a magazine, called “Grüner Zweig” (=green branch), which together with another magazine “Kompost” were part of the green power movement from Heidelberg, more specifically Weinheim (a two castle city on a 3 region point). Both magazines had already organized 25 music concerts since 1971. In 1972 they founded a meeting of 80 musicians from all over Germany, but for publishing a real recording they lacked money. It took until 1977 before they decided to make the recording possible, as a celebration for the 7 years of its green power movement the name for the album became Grünerzweig 50. On the meetings, the groups played together on stage. From all recorded tracks, some were chosen to be re-recorded for the album. With this option they wished to promote the feeling of the spontaneity of street musicians, even when in those days, suddenly, playing on the streets became forbidden. 1000 copies were printed.
For the CD version they listened to all the original pre-recorded tapes after having transmitted them on cd’s, which was five and half hours of music, and chose extra tracks keeping the original LP in the middle section, coming now to a total of 76 minutes of music.I only know vaguely which tracks were on the original LP.
The album features one track of progfolk group Emma Myldenberger under the name of Emyl (who made 2 albums after this ; see reviews here), five tracks of folk group Zeitenwende (who also made one LP), 2 tracks of Oldenwald Express with post-Agitation Free & Guru Guru guitarist Ax Genrich, (also from this region), and a few more groups. All tracks reveal a gentle charm which was still more easily possible to create with a crowd those days. It listens like a perfect compilation, and reveals a unique sphere, which recalls certain troubadour days, refined and court-like, no matter how simple the songs can be.
I have not heard the later studio album of Zeitenwende yet, but I heard it is appreciated. It was reissued in 2001 but it is sold out now. “Ich liebe die Liebe” (=I love love) has the kind of charming live spontaneity the compilers hoped for, in a rather romantic, Donovan-times way : beautiful dual harmony vocals (style/type Sallyangie /Trader Horne), simple guitar and tambourine, a sweet happy song. “Wenn der Sonne kommt” is comparable, but bluesier, with more worked out guitar. Further on are three more songs listed. Especially on “So wie die Blume blüht”(=how the flower grows), the harmony vocals and songs really succeed to make me dream away in its alternative space of idealistic and highly-romantic peacefulness. “Es ist lang lang her” (=so long gone) is a beautiful sadder song, thinking back on days where people were living more freely on earth (with a more generous spirit) and with nature. This other memorable moment convinces me once more how much this is a gifted group. The first track by Paule Düsenfinger & seine heissen Dinger is a beautiful slightly bluesy guitar excursion. The second listed track is more Simon & Garfunkel / Waterfall styled acid folk. The third listed track sounds like a folk traditional with mandolin/guitar, a jig inspiration meant to be ‘in a German way’. Turwan’s song is a folk version cover of a Bowie song (from 'Space Oddity') with nicely arranged mandolin or bouzouki/guitars. The second listed song by them is an acoustic Beatles cover (“Rain”), perhaps the least important track on the album, although the guitar arrangements makes it fit well with the other tracks and the general mood on the album. Markplätzchen’s track is a psychfolk guitar/flute instrumental. Another track is listed on the end of the compilation, this time a meandering improvisation-like piece with oboe and guitar. Ureichel's contribution is a double guitar layered poor man’s song, performed as if by a street troubadour. Meischen Zirpefein's song is an old German traditional, sung with dual vocals of which one of both singers voice sounds as sweet as Vashti Bunyan, and is accompanied by acoustic guitar, and has an improvised section with additional flute and bouzouki ? played in an oud-way. Emyl’s track predates the classic Emma Myldenberger albums. It is a nicely arranged medieval styled song with washboard, guitars, violin, and arranged vocals and crumhorn. Its quality makes it one of the other highlights without making the more modest tracks less for it. Ureichel sing an acidic folk song (with background vocalist), in English, with soft guitar pickings, adding its own contribution to the soft warm mood. Also Dreck Speck Finger Weg’s song is really lovely, almost children-song like (accompanied by guitar picking and flute). I wonder how many musicians inter-crossed and helped the others (with harmony vocals or flute for instance). Hartmut's expressive song is from a story-teller troubadour. Nice to hear such things were possible those days, and there was more than Witthüser & Westrupp, of which I am here vaguely reminded, especially from their debut “Von Vampire, Nonnen und Toten”, which means cabaret-concept like. “Get it” by Odenwald Express is slightly different, more band-like, with arranged Beach Boys kind of vocals mixed with gospel on a rock’n roll song, which is played in a folk context (!??-do you understand?-). Also their second track is boogie woogie styled, and is equally different from all the other tracks, but to some degree succeeds to keep the folk context hanging on, entertaining more than all the rest. This awakes me a bit out of the more medieval context of the rest, realizing suddenly in which times this was done : we live in ‘modern times’... making the listener still possible to be able to live on for real and in real life after having listened to this album.
This is a rather essential release and a historical time document of some unique moment that has been frozen in time to preserve and to remind us too, hoping that such things could happen one day again. But spontanuous street creativity is a byegone era.
