Monday, September 10, 2018

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Ett anständigt liv (Nacksving, 1979)

Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

The soundtrack from the second part of Stefan Jarl's documentary trilogy about Stockholm mods Kenta Gustafsson and Stoffe Svensson, the first being the 1968 classic ”Dom kallar oss mods (They Call Us Misfits)”. ”Ett anständigt liv (A Respectable Life)” was released in 1979 and is a very dark depiction of the Stockholm drug underground (see album cover for further insight in the movie's feel). 

The soundtrack often reflects the heroin hopelessness, especially on the chilling ”Gallret” and ”Horsefixen”, both composed by Nationalteatern's Ulf Dageby. He also contributed ”Streetan” and ”Gnistrande snö”, both sounding a fair bit like Berlin period Bowie (two years before director Uli Edel realized David Bowie's late 70's albums would provide the perfect musical backdrop to ”Christiane F.”), plus the kraut bluesy ”Centan (Köp hela livet)”. Dageby's contributions are the best on the album; Kenta's and Stoffe's tracks are inferior singer/songwriter tracks, and Göran Eklund's ”Heroinet, är du min älskling” (written by Dageby and Bernt Staf) is typical Gothenburg progg rock.

Full album playlist

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