Hannes Wader Still Here - What I Still Wanted to Sing (2 LP)

On the black-and-white cover of his first record, the young Hannes Wader grins mischievously: he wears a floppy hat that has fallen out of time, holds his guitar strangely in his arms and shrewdly twirls his moustache. More than fifty years, hundreds of songs and countless album covers later: The beard is snow-white – Hannes Wader is in his 80th year. Slightly bent forward, he sits in an old leather chair. He looks at his counterpart with alert eyes, wants to rest his chin on his arm – or does he want his Clening your fist? Then as now, Hannes Wader writes and sings songs. He is certainly no longer "Here today, there tomorrow", but he is "Still here" – and he sings: "What I still wanted to sing". The new studio album – his first in seven long years! – is now released by Stockfisch-Records, brilliantly recorded and sensitively arranged by Günter Pauler.
A lot has happened in the singer's life in recent years, both professionally and privately. The songs on »Noch hier – Was ich noch singen wollen« reflect this in an impressive way. Has Hannes Wader ever written such a personal song as "It's over" before, in which he sees the "long-gone moments of happiness" disappear from memory? Perhaps it is also due to the events of the past years of his life that Hannes Wader has only now set the poem "November Day" to music – "The The lyrics of this song," he reveals in the lovingly designed booklet, "were written by Amanda Hose – my maternal grandmother, who died more than 100 years ago." And then, finally, there is this encounter that touches the heart: Hannes Wader and Reinhard Mey, two friends and companions who have known and appreciated each other for almost a lifetime, are now, at almost 80 years of age and with mature voices, singing together again a chanson that accompanies and connects them for a long time: »Le temps des cerises«.
From his beginnings to »Still Here – What I Still Wanted to Sing«, Hannes Wader has rendered outstanding services to humanity – as Reinhard Mey once paid tribute to – and has encouraged and comforted many people with his songs. He sings "To create a better world" and resolutely states: "War is war". But Wader wouldn't be Wader if he didn't surprise with folk songs like "Es dunkelt schon in der Heide", old verses like "In stiller Nacht" or even with lines penned by Friedrich Hölderlin, which give the album a poignant framework with a deep pull effect. He impressively tells of a reunion "in front of the station", quoting – en passant – Karl Marx and in »Klaas the Stork« depicts a story in which almost nothing has been invented. In »Bad Dreams« things finally get wonderfully waderesque: In a dream, the singer sneaks around Bob Dylan's house, doggedly searching for his notes and song ideas – although in reality it was »always exactly the opposite«...
At the end of the album, Hannes Wader sings his setting of the touching poem »Noch hier«, which his friend Manfred Hausin once gave him for his birthday. It says: "The enemies, the friends / are all far away, / only I am still here / and take my time...". "It's good that you're here, Hannes!" one would like to shout to him, with a new studio album and terrific guest musicians who give the songs a unique sound – including Jens Kommnick on bouzouki, Ulla van Daelen on concert harp, Lydie Auvray on accordion, Justin Ciuche on viola, Martin Bärenz on cello or even Nils Tuxen on guitars. - (Marc Liese, April 2022)

Features:

• Heavy Weight High Quality 180g Vinyl
• Detailed Booklet
• Double LP
• Direct Metal Master (DMM disc) cutting by Hendrik Pauler
• Made in Germany

Musicians:

• Hannes Wader, vocals, recitation, guitar
• Ulla van Daelen, concert harp
• Nils Tuxen, pedal-steel, guitars
• Lydie Auvray, accordion
• Justin Ciuche, viola
• Martin Bärenz, cello
• Jens Kommnick, bouzouki
• Gina Guenter, choir, hurdy-gurdy
• Hanna Carlson, choir
• Michael Kleinhans, tuba
• Hans-Jörg Maucksch, fretless bass, bass
• Beo Brockhausen, autoharp, bagpipes, string psalter, alto flute, mbura

Selections:

Side A
1. The Night (F. Hölderlin)
2. To Create a Better World
3. November Day
4. It's Already Darkening in the Heath
5. It's Over
Side B
1. Le Temps des Cerises
2. In Front of the Train Station
3. In Silent Night
4. Old Melody
5. Plaisir d'Amour
Side C
1. Klaas the Stork
2. Mr. Aage
3. War is War
4. Bad Dreams
Side D
1. Praise of Winter
2. It Wants My Sweetheart
3. Still Here
4. An die Parzen (F. Hölderlin)