ANDERS CARINGER – Valfrid (Wisa, 1975) / Cellstoff (Wisa, 1977) / Du nya du fria (Wisa, 1981)

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

A rather extensive curriculum vitae he has, that Anders Caringer: author, music and drama teacher, educationalist, crossword maker, pastor and prison chaplain, not to mention having been a musician since the early 60's when playing with various bands unknown to most. And then, releasing a mere three albums between 1975 and 1981 before returning as a recording artist in the mid 00's with another two albums (one being a three-CD box set). He's still active.

He made his album debut in 1975 with ”Valfrid”, credited to Anders Caringer and Bland Andra (meaning 'and others'). It's one of those albums that sounds unexceptional at first but appear a bit skewed when you listen closer, like some Christian 70's albums can be - the songs aren't simplemindedly linear and have quite a few unexpected harmonic turns. The style is basically singer/songwriter folk with religious and political concerns, but none of it too much in your face. The sound is predominantly acoustic with congas and harmony vocals, but you can spot an electric wah-wah guitar here and there. ”Verklighet” even has a full band and an off-kilter rhythm that falls somewhere between undeveloped reggae, semi-gospel and misunderstood funk ending up like nothing of it. Perhaps the track that best captures the underground feel that permeates the entire album. The real standout track however is ”Glädje”, an oddly lilting number with a softly soaring melody that expands and contracts, following its own path to a hypnotic jazz waltz rhythm. Definitely one hidden gem of a track!

”Cellstoff” followed in 1977 and has a very different sound provided a number of musicians including studio bassist Backa Hans Eriksson and the guitar work of Tomas Ernvik on a little less than half of the LP. Ernvik is particularly evident on ”Degdag” where his bizarre chords and chopped-up guitar fills perfectly emphasize the ominous mood of the track. Another successful track is opening cut ”Identitet” that features a quirky, jazzy piano solo that seems chase the restless beat down the road and out of town. ”Cellstoff” isn't as consistent as ”Valfrid”, but these two tracks are unusual enough to demand a listen.

1981's ”Du nya du fria” has a long list of credits but it's the sparsest sounding disc in this lot. The sound is skeletal but despite a small ensemble of wind instruments here and there. The bare bones production pushes Caringer's voice and religious/social/philosophical reflections to the fore. The songs have fewer peculiar twists this time, and while most songs are well written enough they're generally more ordinary than on Caringer's previous outings. The best track is also the most subdued one; ”Simons sång” is a heartfelt but somehow brooding song to a newborn child.

I think Anders Caringer is one of the more interesting Swedish Christian singer/songwriters I've come across. Not all here is great, but there are indeed more than worthwhile moments, even flashes of brilliance. You could easily put together a very good, LP length compilation of the best moments from these three albums. With the current upsurge of interest in the Swedish Christian music scene of especially the 70's, I think the time is ripe for a general Caringer (re)discovery.

Valfrid full album playlist
Cellstoff full album playlist
Du nya du fria full album playlist

DIDDLERS – Is Good For You (Sonet, 1969)

English vocals, Swedish vocals, other languages
International relevance: *

An early incarnation of folk band Låt & Trall, and more interesting from a historical point of view than a musical one. Musicwise it's straight-laced folk music with a very strong Irish bent. This may be 1969, but these days you can go to any local fake 'Oyrish' pub and hear exactly the same thing you hear on this album, complete with a mock accent put on for 'authenticity'. It works best when the always genuine Marie Selander takes the lead, as on the best cut ”Go To Sea Once More”.

Selander is one of the participants who later got an artistically rewarding career. Add to that Urban Yman who went on to Blå Tåget and the various Träd, Gräs & Stenar incarnations. The ever present master musician Kjell Westling was also a member of Diddlers, as were Pyret Lindström and Slim Lidén who both joined Freedom Singers a few years later (along with Selander).

By the way, shouldn't it be "ARE" instead of "IS" in the title?

Full album playlist

JOHAN PETRÉN – Bevingade ord (Spegling, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

With too many people carelessly throwing the word 'pretentious' around for anything they don't understand, let's see what the Oxford Dictionary has to say about the word:

pretentious adjective
/prɪˈtenʃəs/
(disapproving)

trying to appear important, intelligent, etc. in order to impress other people; trying to be something that you are not, in order to impress

Johan Petrén is a Gothenburg local singer/songwriter who released two albums, ”Bevingade ord” in 1982, and ”Ut i det blå (Sånger från Scilla)” in 1995. He emphasizes his lyrics and this is where 'pretentious' comes in. He has literary ambitions, but many of his wordings come off as cringeworthy. Like many a self-aggrandizing writer, he has a way of making banalities sound VERY IMPORTANT when they're in fact not, further emphasized by his somewhat pompous way of singing.

But Petrén is in fact an otherwise good songwriter. Some songs here are simply great, such as album opener ”Du är alldeles unik” with an lilting drive and an irresistably melancholic melody laced with the windy wooden sound of Maria Apelmo's simple but very effective recorder. ”Och floden fortsätter flyta” is the second best track in this lot and another perfect slice of Petrén's melodic talent.

”Bevingade ord” is – to the best of my knowledge – one of only three LP's released by the Spegling label (the other two being a classical record and a choir album). Their ambition was to record music unaffected by excessive production; they strived for a natural sound. The sparse instrumentation – the acoustic guitar, the flutes, the electric and acoustic basses etc – sounds full and rich and very inviting.

I oftentimes say that a dimension is lost on listeners who don't know the Swedish language, but in this case, it's quite the contrary. The lyrics are indeed the weakest link in Petrén's songs, so I'd say you're much better off not understanding them. That makes the songs stand tall on strictly their musical terms. While Johan Petrén carves out a slightly personal niche, I believe fans of (a much less lyrically talented) Kjell Höglund and (a much less political) Dan Berglund very well might love this.

There are lots of unreleased songs on Johan Petrén's Youtube channel, some dating back to the early 70's.

Tåglåt från Hestra
Ödets tärning
Visa till min käraste
Utan nån skugga
Och floden fortsätter att flyta

BJÖRN ARAHB – Jag är en bekymrad socialist (YTF, 1974)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Björn Arahb was a visa singer (to remind you, visa is a certain kind of Swedish singer/songwriter music) that made handful of albums in the 70's and early 80's. Most of them are too far removed in style to warrant inclusion here, but ”Jag är en bekymrad socialist” (”I'm a troubled socialist”) qualifies.

Released in 1974, it's made up by songs written and released by the #1 visa singer Cornelis Vreeswijk. Several jazz and prog alumnis back him up, including Wlodek Gulgowski, Sabu Martinez, Jan Bandel and Luis Agudo (Energy). Lorne de Wolfe of Contact designed the album cover. Together they work up a funky groove on some tracks – try for instance ”Telegram for Lucidor”, ”En visa till Ellen när hon hade flyttat hemifrån” or ”Ågren”. Thing is, you can get it too from Vreeswijk's own albums around 1969/70, and better. And as Arahb tries hard to mimick Vreeswijk's special way of phrasing, ”Jag är en bekymrad socialist” comes off as a redudant work of a lesser copycat. The album is of course meant as a tribute but it falls flat compared to the original.

Full album playlist

SUB-GRUPPEN – När dom talar om fred (Subverskivbolaget, 1975)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Subverskivbolaget was a shortlived Uppsala label releasing local bands like Rävjunk, Hemkört and Mobben. Sub-gruppen was a temporary constellation with members of Mobben and Teddybjörn Band. Also included are one track each by Trotsålderns Barn and Svend-Urban & The Bronkettes although the latter is probably just Sub-gruppen under another name. It's not a good album at all, with political lyrics and cringy vocals. The only exception would be Trotsålderns Barn whose ”Ingen av oss” is a pretty memorable track with a couple of unexpected twists and some nice guitar work. It's the only track here that sounds like it was recorded by a real band simply because it was.

Ingen av oss (Trotsålderns Barn)
När dom talar om fred
Chile Chile 
Katalansk rock
Inte en dag, inte en natt (Svend-Urban & The Bronkettes)
Privatchaufför och allt

BITTER FUNERAL BEER BAND WITH DON CHERRY & K. SRIDHAR – Live In Frankfurt 82 (Country & Eastern, 2007)

Instrumental, other languages
International relevance: ***

Recorded the same year as Bengt Berger's ”Bitter Funeral Beer” with basically the same people: only Kjell Westling is missing while Björn Hellström on bass clarinet and flute, and sarod player K. Sridhar are added. It's an all-star line-up with too many names to mention, but the individual efforts aren't as important anyway as the pan-continental collective outcome.

This live recording made by Frankfurter radio at the annual jazz festival at the Alte Oper in 1982 is more ragged and unkempt than the studio album. More on the edge, if you will. The nervous energy runs through the entire set, and comes through even in the slow ”Bitter Funeral Beer” which is given a particularly bluesy, mournful rendition.

While I really like the studio album, this recording is a more vivid document of the band. Even if you know you're in the safe hands of masterful musicians, they conjure up a loose spirit that keeps the music uncertain to the right degree. You never quite know exactly what will happen at what moment. It's a generally thrilling perfomance that grows in strength until the 25 minute jubilant ending (not counting the short afterthought "Gahu") with ”Funeral Dance”.

 

The album was later reissued on vinyl (minus "Gahu") in Italy with a different cover (as seen above).

Full album playlist

Also check out the TV broadcast of the show here!

3 POLITICAL TAPES ON KULTURFÖRENINGEN SPARTACUS

If the LP's won't get me, the cassette tapes will. They might very well be the death of me.

Kulturföreningen Spartacus was an association run by Kommunistiska partiet i Göteborg ('the communist party of Gothenburg'), previously KPML(r) who ran the Proletärkultur label originally. I suppose Kulturföreningen Spartacus as a label was just Proletärkultur in disguise. What belonged to who and who belonged to what political branch of the comminist tree is a mess, and quite frankly, I'm to tired of it all to bother finding out the exact threads and links and affiliations. In the end, it's all the same anyway.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Rädda varven! En temakväll i Göteborgs konserthus valborgsmässoafton 1978” (Kulturföreningen Spartacus, 1978, MC)
Harald ”Bagarn” Andersson / Dan Berglund / Warschawjanka / Spartacuskören / Spartacusrevyn / Takt & Ton / Gamlestan-Lundens Sånggrupp
Swedish vocals, spoken word
International relevance: -

This was the first cassette-only release on Kulturföreningen Spartacus. It was recorded at a charity concert for the workers in the Gothenburg shipyards in 1978. Two of the performing artists of the evening are known from the Proletärkultur roster, Harald ”Bagarn” Andersson and Dan Berglund.

VARIOUS ARTISTS – KPMLr:s Valrevy 1979 Botten Upp! Revy Ex-Huset Heden 24/8-9/9 (no label, 1979)
KMPLr / CO Evers / Birthe Stridbeck / Harald ”Bagarn” Andersson / Anders Lönnbro & Bodil Mårtensson / Sven Wollter / Niklas Falk
Swedish vocals, spoken word
International relevance: -

Although no label is given on the cassette card and the catalogue number differs slightly from their other tapes, there's no reason to not assume this is just another Spartacus release. ”Bagarn” Andersson is here again, as is actor Sven Wollter.

WARSCHAWJANKA FRÅN GÖTEBORG– Solidaritetssånger (Kulturföreningen Spartacus, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

The third tape in this lot is a single artist release by vocal group Warschawjanka and so a bit different to the various artists compilations above. I wouldn't say better because it's still flag-and-fist waving galore with several typical communist anthems. A bit more on the folky side similar to FNL-grupperna and Freedom Singers.

None of these tapes seem very easy to find, but they're only interesting to the most seasoned Marxist listener anyway. If you still want to get a taste of this stuff, just pick any easy-to-find album in the ilk, they all sound the same and they're all interchangable.

A third/fourth Spartacus release appeared in 1981, ”10 års kultur i partiets tjänst”.

ÄdSGbviou opu sudpoOOoonmsn posduu

(Sorry, that was my death rattles.)

Rädda varven full album
Botten upp! full album
Warschawjanka full album playlist