These are the humble beginnings of one
of Sweden's best known rock bands, Eldkvarn from Norrköping, led by
guitarist and main songwriter Per 'Plura' Jonsson. The Plura Jonsson
of today is very different to the Plura Jonsson of the 70's. What he
is the most probably depends on who you ask, and the age of the
person you ask. To some he's first and foremost Eldkvarn's frontman.
To others, he's the troubled soul of 80's cocaine scandals. Younger
people might not know nothing about all that, thinking he's just that
laidback, overweight, bare-chested host of cable TV cooking show
”Pluras kök” (”Plura's kitchen”). But he's all of that, and
more.
Elisabet (MNW, 1974)
as Piska Mig Hårt
Swedish vocals
as Piska Mig Hårt
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
The band was founded already in 1971
and chose the controversial name Piska Mig Hårt
(”whip me hard”). Their first – and only album as Piska Mig
Hårt – came in 1974. In his autobiography ”Resa genom
ensamheten” (”journey through loneliness”) Plura Jonsson says
it's probably the worst produced Swedish album ever, and he might be
right. The sound is 'bony' and amateurishly underdeveloped, like a
sloppy demo. But it's doubtful a better mix would have made it much. The songs are far too ambitious for the band's
abilities. It's not without moments, but ”Elisabet” is a failure as a whole.
A better, although not great,
representation of Piska Mig Hårt can be found in ”Progglådan”
in the shape of a 1973 Tonkraft session.
En lång het weekend (MNW, 1976)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
Two years and a name and lineup change
later Eldkvarn's original sound slowly began to gel, although the
album still suffers from some production issues. New female members
Liten Falkeholm and Wenche Arnesen expanded their aural palette with
vocals, clarinet, vibraphone and electric piano. More importantly,
Jonsson opted for a more economical songwriting style, trying not to
overload the songs with too many unnecessary twists and turns. He
still had a long way to go but ”En lång het weekend” reveals a
growing understanding of the compositional craft.
”Sömnlösa dagar” was culled from
the album for a 45 with non-album 'B' side ”Rebellen”.
Pantad och såld (MNW, 1978)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
International relevance: **
Third album marked further changes
within the band. Liten Falkenholm's participation was reduced to
playing the xylophone only, and a new female singer was brought into
the band, Johanna Lindström. Kjell Westling also joined on sax.
Jonsson had moved further and further away from the the
over-complicated songwriting he couldn't handle very well in favour
of a more straightforward style that makes ”Pantad och såld”
Eldkvarn's best album up to that point. For instance, it includes the
female led ”Holberg Hotel”, Jonsson's first truly great song.
”Pantad och såld” might not be a masterpiece but it definitely
shows that the band was heading in the right direction.
After ”Pantad och såld”, the girls
left the group. When Eldkvarn returned in 1979 with ”Pojkar,
pojkar, pojkar”, they were a much tighter and much better band.
(The album was their last for MNW before switching to Silence for three albums.) Plura Jonsson the songwriter had matured a lot and began cultivating
his talent for a snappier new wave pop rock, making ”Pojkar,
pojkar, pojkar” the first proper Eldkvarn album, followed by a
series of albums in this new found style. Albums up to ”Barbariets
eleganter” in 1984 are almost all fine. Eldkvarn was also a great
live act in those days. Soon after, they had their big commercial
breakthrough and became musically less interesting.
In 2011, a career spanning 10CD box set
was released, including a USB stick full of previously
unreleased recordings, including several rehearsals, demos, radio
sessions and live tapes from 1971 and on, providing a unique peek
into the band's development. Sound quality varies but a couple of the
recordings are better than the original albums.
Elisabet full album playlist
Elisabet full album playlist
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