Weisse Rosen aus Athen – Und ihr grossen Erfolge
Album 1
FIRST OF 18 ALBUMS IN ENGLISH
When people ask me what is the title of my favourite album, several come to mind. So, when I decided to devote an article to each one, I realized that there were seven. I titled them "Favourite album". The fact that they are in French, my native language, undoubtedly influenced my choice. In order to be more representative of Nana's universality, then I wrote reviews of main English, Greek and now German albums. The one presented in that article is important since it is the first of her first intensive German period which spanned from 1961 to 1966. Without saying more, here is an article on its contents, its cover and its journey.
1) THE CONTENT
"Weisse Rosen aus Athen - Und ihre grossen Efolge" was released in December 1963. It includes fourteen songs, several of which are of Greek origin. The particularity of this album is that even before its release, the public knew its content. The reason: it’s a compilation of her first 45 rpm discs. That’s why it was reissued several times until 1967.
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Side 1
01- Weisse Rosen aus Athen |
Side 2
01- Rote Korallen |
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Although this record did not remain on the market for a long time, it is very representative, because these are famous songs. Moreover, six of them made the charts. There, they are called "Schlager". Here is the list:
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WEISSE ROSEN AUS ATHEN This song is an adaptation of "San sfirixis tris fores" which she performed in the documentary "Traumland der Sehnsucht" (Greece, Dreamland of Desire). After it won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1961, she was invited to record two of the five themes in German. Shortly after its release, in August of the same year, "Weisse Rosen aus Athen" entered the charts and remained there 38 weeks. As for the 45 rpm disc, it sold over 1,200,000 copies. It was unprecedented in Germany for a foreign singer who was on her first record! |
Over the years and decades that followed, this song retained its popularity as it was released in various formats and was included in most compilations. To this, one must also consider the re-recordings with different orchestras as well as the versions in four other languages. We can understand why the rose has become her fetish flower. The Germans got to know her with it and they call her "The Voice of Nostalgia".
ICH SCHAU DEN WEISSEN WOLKEN NACH Thanks to the second single released in March 1962, two new songs of Greek origin were playing simultaneously on the radio. The success also continued, because the record sold over half a million copies. It was not a gold record, as it was not until 1973 that the certification threshold was set at 500,000. The title of side 2, "Ich schau den weissen Wolken nach", reached No. 1 on the radio charts and remained there for 29 weeks. Nana sang it occasionally in her concerts. With its success in Germany, it is surprising that this song has not been adapted in other countries. |
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EINMAL WEHT DER SÜDWIND WIEDER Side 1 of the second single was similarly successful as "Einmal weht der Südwind wieder" ranked for 25 weeks. In 1976, Nana sang it in a medley for her TV show "Eine Welt voll Musik". She also recorded it in four languages. |
AM HORIZONT IRGENDWO In October 1962, at the same time as her "Treffpunkt der Goldenen" tour with Gerhard Wendland and Heidi Brühl, "Am Horizont irgendwo" entered the charts. It remained there 16 weeks and reached the 4th position. This song is a cover of the calypso "These are the times" popularized by Harry Belafonte. Nana performed it for the first time in public with the great orchestra of the Grand Gala du Disque 1962. |
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WAS IN ATHEN GESCHAH In December of the same year, it was the turn of "Was in Athen geschah" (klingt wie ein Märchen) to appear in the hit parades for a period of 12 weeks. This means that since the release of her first German single, Nana's songs had been played in priority on the radio for 19 consecutive months! The latter is taken from the film "Es geschah in Athen". Thanks to its title, we can guess its origin. |
ROTE KORALEN From September 1963 to February 1964, a sixth Schlager, "Rote Koralen", was in all the charts. This German romantic ballad was released on various records and Nana performed it often in the mid-1960s. She recorded in particular a Dutch version.
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2) ITS COVER
GERMANY AND CANADA
When the album was released in Germany, it was identified with the label Philips. On the reissues, with Fontana. The cover offers us a magnificent photo of Nana on which green dominates. White, black and red are used for lettering. Looking at the leaves of the trees, one might think it was taken in a park. Nana is pictured with a hand on her neck and she’s looking aside with a slight smile. Her hair is shorter and she wears a blue-gray blouse. On the back, there is a similar black and white photo and we can clearly see that she is leaning on a ramp. Also, the songlist, a biographical text and four LPs from the Fontana repertoire. In Canada, it came out as such.
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SOUTH AFRICA On the South African cover, the mention "White Roses from Athens …… Nana Mouskouri" has been added. And on the back, the biographical text is written in German and English. |
2) ITS JOURNEY
AWARDS Even before the album's release, her songs were famous, as they were played regularly on the radio. In February 1962, the single "Weisse Rosen aus Athen" / "Addio" had reached sales of one million, the number needed for a gold record. The following month, Radio Luxembourg awarded her the Silver Lion as she was the most popular female singer for the second half of 1961. That was of course mainly thanks to this song. |
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TELEVISION As there was no picture of her on her first record, her TV appearances allowed viewers to put a face to her name and her voice. Among these programs are: "Schlagermagazin", "Mike macht alles" and "Musik aus Studio B". |
50th ANNIVERSARY In November 2011, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of "Weisse Rosen aus Athen", this album was released on CD. It includes two bonus songs from the missing single: "Die Worte dieser Nacht" / "Wir geh’n im Regen". Nana also gave a concert at the Berliner Philharmonie before touring Germany, Austria and Switzerland the following spring. |
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45 RPM DISCS AND AN EP
Usually an album generates singles. In this case, it's the 45 rpm discs that made it up. Before concluding, here are the covers, spread in chronological order. Note that "Ta pedia tou Pirea" / "I prodossia" is a 45 rpm disc in Greek. "In der Rue Madeleine" and "Napoli", two unreleased songs. An EP was also released with the title "Heimweh nach Wind und Meer".
ON THE SAME MEDIUM
Although 12 of the 14 titles have already been released, the production of "Weisse Rosen aus Athen - Und ihre grossen Efolge" was completely justified. It ensured the availability of her first songs for a while, as the lifespan of the 45 rpm discs is limited. And what a good idea to put them together for the first time on the same medium, without having to turn or change the disc after each song! And since its release on CD, it is possible to listen to it repeatedly. These are the recordings that inaugurated her German career. For this reason alone, it is worth listening to the entire album again and rediscovering the songs from this era.
