The early Liederjan recordings (going back 25 years!) consisted mainly of trad. songs. They've been reissued on CD (four of them) and are (or used to be) available at a bargain price from >2001.

Another band worth checking out is the Leipzig Folk Session Band, a loose formation of up to fifteen folk musicians old an young from Leipzig. They play mostly traditional songs in a refreshingly un-traditional manner. Their first CD consists of songs from the 1848 revolution in Germany, the second one gathers songs about poachers and highwaymen. The third one has more modern material, and my impression is the formula is beginning to wear thin. However, the first two are absolute crackers. Should be available through OldSongsNewSongs (see Wolfgang's link above).

BTW, where has toadfrog got to? I sent him a selection of German CDs last year, and I'd like to know how far he's gotlistening to them. He may have some further suggestions.

BTWBTW, alanabit - stop slagging Hannes Wader! "Translated Irish pub sets" would be the last thing I'd associate his music with. He writes most of his material himself, but as he said recently, quite often he'll find that what he wants to say has already been said better by someone else, so he'll use that song. For some reason, most of these songs are in English, so he writes German lyrics for the tunes - not simple translations, but German songs in their own right. (You'll notice I'm a fan, and I'll be off to listen to him, and Liederjan, and Helmut Debus, a very good writer of songs in East Frisian Platt, next Saturday.)