tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43585234474705469982024-03-06T06:17:38.201+01:00The Swedish Progg BlogSwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.comBlogger484125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-32211213431102387382024-01-16T09:40:00.002+01:002024-01-24T11:44:34.080+01:00 MIKAEL RAMEL & UNGA HJÄRTAN – Hälsa på som förr (no label, 2023, rec. 1973)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45ty5PKwB22-vC876hnbAtDni6eNLdoc6L-5HQn1qs0RNR985J00v7dnSIkKGPQcuvkeTaSWiNgJK-sf56u7LQkp2Fd46WbG_EeuFlK7P67HQXr1R_W2EFNaLSn5qsjYJvaetQnDZkvZV7HQTTFwo3odL7J4mdH8cwcGgeBWWNvGdTSuU1CwM_4tbms8/s922/ungahearts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="906" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45ty5PKwB22-vC876hnbAtDni6eNLdoc6L-5HQn1qs0RNR985J00v7dnSIkKGPQcuvkeTaSWiNgJK-sf56u7LQkp2Fd46WbG_EeuFlK7P67HQXr1R_W2EFNaLSn5qsjYJvaetQnDZkvZV7HQTTFwo3odL7J4mdH8cwcGgeBWWNvGdTSuU1CwM_4tbms8/w393-h400/ungahearts.png" width="393" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Swedish vocals, English vocals<br />International relevance ***</div><p>Like a gift from above, this album appeared without much
ado in late 2023. Who would have thought it? A vintage live recording
to add to your collection of glorious Mikael Ramel albums! Just like
that! But... in only 200 copies on vinyl, no CD, and no streaming. It's a somewhat secretive release in general -- it's an official release, not a bootleg, but it has no record label name anywhere. (The Spinroad logo on cover and label is for the pressing plant.) It's bound to become a massive rarity which is a great shame as this
is an essential album to any Ramel head.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So what exactly is it? It's a recording
made for the Swedish Radio live show Tonkraft in March 1973, in
pristine sound quality. Who are backing band Unga Hjärtan? Basically
a diminished <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=fl%C3%A4sket+brinner" target="_blank">Fläsket Brinner</a> with Gunnar Bergsten, Bengt Dahlén,
Erik Dahlbäck and Göran Lagerberg. Where has this been tucked away
for years? Who knows, but it's not a newly discovered, long forgotten
recording as it's been available to listen to on Mikael Ramel's
website. It should be pointed out though that the website has more
songs – ”Hälsa på som förr” actually loses two tracks plus
the coda to ”Pengar” from the original broadcast. Very strange as
they kept the radio presenter's intro to the show, wasting a couple
of minutes that could have been used for something more uself. And
the Dahlén sung cover of ”Heartbreak Hotel” is unnecessary – I'd much rather have seen the half-deranged
live take of ”Artificiell prana” in its place. The set list is
also jumbled. So, some small flies in the ointment but you can live
with it. Because most of what you do get is bloody marvellous! And
the mix sounds better balanced too.<br /><br />The show was recorded
before Ramel's second album ”Extra Vagansa” was released, and
several songs are presented here in vastly different versions than
how they appeared in their finished studio forms. ”Så länge're
svänger” that kicks the whole thing off is a light and swiftly
moving number on the album, but here it's immersed in a heavy and
incredibly sexy groove bordering on the nasty. ”Apfigur” is
brooding enough on the album but almost ominous here. ”Lukter runt
holken” is lilting sweetly in the studio but goes bonkers here,
almost approaching chaos in the best sense of the word. And so on.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The playing is sometimes ragged (but again in the best sense of the word) but as you'd expect, also
brilliant – Bengt Dahlén is particularly striking on guitar (no
news there). Even the slower tracks generate so much energy that you
could light up a room with it. Ramel's studio albums never sounded
this mean and halfway out of their seats, so ”Hälsa på som förr”
isn't just one hell of an album, it also adds something important to
what we already knew about the genius of Mikael Ramel. 'Tis a
consummation devoutly to be wished that this will get a CD release
too, preferably in complete, unalduterated form. It deserves to be
heard in full by more people than the tiny vinyl edition can satisfy.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.mikaelramel.com/jukebox/tonkraft_1973.shtml" target="_blank">Full show on Mikael Ramel's website</a><br />
</p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-57809644085009715862024-01-15T08:41:00.002+01:002024-01-24T11:44:54.813+01:00ERIC BIBB – Ain't It Grand (MNW, 1972)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzKMsv8HpPeWFIVv9Rt9KFZvsE07sidZpJuJXl5sbEz1fYTn426hZ9wdF-CVnqbNWOSIIDlIPNbjW-8f0jMi243xyTC2494NJ1IpO5RiWfx3sS4d7l79ERuSQL44wru_DJhwFwkuPjfg92pnqwsk1yPLALBJjWbuRcin6OfYsC7CKgj5vqLWH3e5K5KE/s600/EricBibb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzKMsv8HpPeWFIVv9Rt9KFZvsE07sidZpJuJXl5sbEz1fYTn426hZ9wdF-CVnqbNWOSIIDlIPNbjW-8f0jMi243xyTC2494NJ1IpO5RiWfx3sS4d7l79ERuSQL44wru_DJhwFwkuPjfg92pnqwsk1yPLALBJjWbuRcin6OfYsC7CKgj5vqLWH3e5K5KE/w400-h400/EricBibb.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />English vocals<br />International relevance **</div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Eric Bibb is a well-known name these
days, hailed for his live performances and numerous albums somewhere
between blues and singer/songwriter material. Born in New York City
in 1951, he was given his first steel string guitar at the age of
seven. Quitting his studies in Russian and psychology, he left for
Paris in 1970, assumably as a draft dodger, before settling in
Stockholm shortly after. Once there he got in touch with the still
relatively new MNW label and MNW co-founder Roger Wallis who took him
under his wings and released Bibb's first-ever album ”Ain't It
Grand” in 1972. Wallis also provided horn arrangements and piano
for the album, joining forces with people like saxophonist Christer
Eklund (<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/12/grapes-of-wrath-deserter-usa-hb-artist.html" target="_blank">Grapes Of Wrath</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/slims-blues-gang-blues-aint-strange.html" target="_blank">Slim's Blues Gang</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/rolf-wikstrom-albums-1975-1979.html" target="_blank">Rolf Wikström</a>), bassist
Torbjörn Hultcrantz (Bernt Rosengren, Albert Ayler and numerous
other jazz luminaries) and Dave Spann (<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=red+white+%26+blues" target="_blank">Red White & Blues</a>,
<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=vildkaktus" target="_blank">Vildkaktus</a>).</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">”Ain't It Grand” has those sweet
characteristics of a good debut album. Bibb was already a skilled
player with a keen sense of delivery (and a very pleasant voice), but the music isn't yet fully
formed. It has an intimate, stripped-down feel and there's a seeking,
trying quality to it, a certain hunger to prove its greatness to the
world. Sometimes it reminds me of Terry Callier and Bill Withers,
sometimes it's a bit like John Martyn. One track, the lovely ”Tuesday
Mornin' Rendezvous” even hints at UK guitar maestros Bert Jansch
and John Renbourn. The more laidback tracks are nicely balanced
against a couple of songs relying more on groove, such as the album
closer ”The Last Time?”. The semi-shuffle ”Lovefire” in turn
has some biting electric guitar and gurgling wah-wah faintly like a lighter
variant of Pete Cosey's work on Muddy Waters's and Howlin' Wolf's
psych blues albums on Cadet Records. The understated aggression of
the playing goes well together with the lyrics reflecting Bibb's
anti-racist and anti-draft stance.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">”Ain't It Grand” is something of a
forgotten nugget, especially in the MNW discography. It captures the
spirit of the times but doesn't feel the slightest antiquated. For
reasons beyond my knowledge, it took him five years to release his
second album ”Rainbow People” on the audiophile imprint Opus 3. A
more exact and polished effort for sure, but also lacking the
imperative and directness of his beautiful debut.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">His stint with Opus 3 also hooked him
up with folksy singer/songwriter and U.S. expatriate Bert Deivert for
a couple of collaborative albums, and as a side note, I'd like to
mention Deivert's own 1979 album <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE_RgeDGQRg&ab_channel=Record-Uploads" target="_blank">”Handcrafted Songs”</a> which might
appeal to fans of Bibb's folksier sound, especially that which veers
towards the U.K. style perfected by Bert Jansch.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Bibb's vast discography includes further collaborations with artists such as Taj
Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Swedish gospel singer Cyndee Peters, and Eric's
dad Leon Bibb.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mWUbu1oGtk7OKP_kq4YFwC0Ao6nxIp4Vo" target="_blank"><br />Full album playlist</a><br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-63449643209474642602024-01-14T11:02:00.004+01:002024-01-30T18:01:54.282+01:00ONNA TAAS BAND – Allo' (Bellatrix, 1980)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhIkTwFsojHWn5LItgJd5KoLr0Elk9LpLpNot0SgtWswed8nxqR7V4D4e8McEgowZDKpG6YoTFvFzhxCmWl0FRQFCA9dnrjmqOF9uNuPLmHh3tD6QER6UbM2m0XmVixi_VcLoJABD9B76IEME4ct54OUP5B76PDwmHe7c3HQMCR2epxaMrdf2vAQMSvw/s600/OnnaTaasBand.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhIkTwFsojHWn5LItgJd5KoLr0Elk9LpLpNot0SgtWswed8nxqR7V4D4e8McEgowZDKpG6YoTFvFzhxCmWl0FRQFCA9dnrjmqOF9uNuPLmHh3tD6QER6UbM2m0XmVixi_VcLoJABD9B76IEME4ct54OUP5B76PDwmHe7c3HQMCR2epxaMrdf2vAQMSvw/w394-h400/OnnaTaasBand.jpg" width="394" /></a><br />Swedish vocals, English vocals<br />International relevance: **</div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Ronny Carlsson was a well-kept secret
to most but hailed as a hero and a legend by many having heard his
music. He first made his mark with the band <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/rockamollan-var-ska-du-ta-vagen-sonet.html" target="_blank">Rockamöllan </a>in the late
70s, and after their demise, he started Onna Taas Band before
launching a long solo career. He was in possession of one of the
gruffest voices ever heard on a Swedish album, strangely warbly and
grainy like a gravel road. Singing in his native Southern dialect
(similar to <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=peps" target="_blank">Peps Persson</a>'s) only added to the air of world-weariness. He
sounded as if he had seen it all, been burnt by it all and finally
rejected it all. In his own words from the track ”I ett rum
någonstans på stan”, translated here for international
understanding: ”It's not hard to break a lonely man”. His voice
was of the kind that comes back to haunt you when you switch off the
light at night.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Needless to say, a voice like that will
dominate any album it appears on. If you take the <i>music</i> on
Onna Taas Band's debut album, it's not that dark. There are hints at
reggae, cajun music, pretty straigh-ahead rock, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/john-holm-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">John Holm</a> influenced
balladry, blues, even faint dashes of post punk (it was, after all,
1980)... But once Carlsson's voice enters the mix, the mood changes
in an instant and everything becomes something else, something more,
and something decidedly darker. There's so much pain at work here
it's impossible to turn away from it. At its best, this is every bit
as gripping as John Holm's depictions of a reality cracking slowly
but irreversibly. And the thing is, even if you don't understand
Carlsson's poetic words, you still sense their exact meaning. Ronny
Carlsson didn't just sing, he WAS his lyrics, they're inseperable and
it's impossible to not understand.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Despite the stylistic diversity,
nothing here seems out of place. Even the highly <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/ronny-astrom-den-ensamma-manniskan.html">Ronny Åström </a>inspired ”Säporerad cirkus” slips in nicely between the mild
Dylan funk of ”Ord som blev över” and the brooding folk of ”Den
välkände soldaten”. On any other album, ”Säporerad cirkus”
would be the track to skip, but not here. It has its place.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">This is just a deeply human album. Like
humans it might scare you with what it has to say or it might comfort
you with its honesty and intimacy. (Like Swedish music journalist
Bengt Eriksson said about Carlsson: he sang between pain and
comfort.) But most of all, it's just a brilliant album.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Carlsson made several more albums under
his own name up until 2013, the last one consisting of recordings
made in the years before its release. One more was in the making, but
he died in 2014 before it was finished, at the age of 62 and marked
by a hard life. A life that came through unfiltered in his voice.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45yLVFrE8XE&ab_channel=Sliptrail" target="_blank"><br />I ett rum någonstans på stan</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-39126274478057163882024-01-13T11:32:00.005+01:002024-01-31T23:13:23.216+01:00FERNE – Ferne (Bellatrix, 1978) / Clown på allvar (Bellatrix, 1980)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq7hAzAXPwfkJ7syQsLAAZqGpBsnm4rOYLENyLtYSjtdecA6u5ihMAmmrBadG9MeZlE8W2I210QOHA0WiKuf-RTDSdUklJTUnmz8phDUcsk5BXAY0xwR4H4pa1dbwUY2LP2MXaTWdYfrdlDFf418Dc6chvCcbNCDS4C6BKNJNrVQ6DI6tuEMpgU4eTmo/s600/Ferne.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWq7hAzAXPwfkJ7syQsLAAZqGpBsnm4rOYLENyLtYSjtdecA6u5ihMAmmrBadG9MeZlE8W2I210QOHA0WiKuf-RTDSdUklJTUnmz8phDUcsk5BXAY0xwR4H4pa1dbwUY2LP2MXaTWdYfrdlDFf418Dc6chvCcbNCDS4C6BKNJNrVQ6DI6tuEMpgU4eTmo/w400-h200/Ferne.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals<br />International relevance:
**</div><p style="text-align: left;">Ferne, or if you prefer his real name: Lars Fernebring, was
one half of <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/risken-finns-risken-finns-mnw-1973-2a.html" target="_blank">Risken Finns</a> along with Gunnar Danielsson, releasing two
satirical albums in the early 70s. When the duo split, Danielsson
moved to Gothenburg to start <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/ensamma-hjartan-ensamma-hjartan-mnw.html" target="_blank">Ensamma Hjärtan</a> while Ferne remained in
the southern city of Lund where he launched his solo career some
years later. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">One could expect his first albums of
his own after the demise of Risken Finns to be, well, if not
masterpieces so at least better than they actually are. Well, they're
not particularly bad but not particularly good either. His
self-titled first one from 1978 is the better of the two reviewed
here. Falling somewhere between <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/thomas-wiehe-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">Thomas Wiehe</a> (who also appears on the
album) and – shudder! – <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/bjorn-afzelius-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">Björn Afzelius</a> musically, it has a more
serious vibe than Risken Finns. But at the same time, it's as if
Ferne can't fully let go of the past, and it ends up being something
of a half-measure. And as with all half-measures, it ends up being
unsatisfying. <br /></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The title of his second album ”Clown
på allvar” means, roughly, ”clown for real” or ”serious
clown”, and that's explanatory enough. In some ways it's closer to
Risken Finns than his solo debut (even referencing back to Risken Finns song titles), but whereas they were fresh and
funny, ”Clown på allvar” feels stale. As always, The greatest thing here is Jan Gerfast who shines on
guitar (as he did on the first album), but the songs are simply not good enough on neither of the
albums.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Ferne made one more album, the concept
album ”Snapphanar”, in 1982 before dropping out of record making.
He worked for the southern department of Swedish Radio for many
years, and held lectures on local history. He suddenly return to
music in 2003 with an album of Dylan covers in Swedish, followed by
two further solo albums in 2006 and 2013 respectively, the latter one
being another Swedish Dylan tribute.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">No links found <br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-83746778923060301592024-01-12T09:26:00.001+01:002024-01-24T11:46:09.782+01:00COSMIC OVERDOSE – Dada Koko (Silence, 1980) / 4668 (Silence, 1981)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2e3lNT154MIhpGNImXkyJNZtkKQIn3ntvJPzmMqgfM8zRqx7jGmFS6gA3rd8qKirWarCoRQNiMnExRNm_esbn3sUyQZ2j_TE966krwM0b44-2mpngOkSuA1PdMlOUWWzcpcaw1IKuU8Ifk1-O0515wY5h7zJxFmtl_ZeTE98PO77RJsTbWMMKOeg1EU/s1200/CosmicOverdose.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2e3lNT154MIhpGNImXkyJNZtkKQIn3ntvJPzmMqgfM8zRqx7jGmFS6gA3rd8qKirWarCoRQNiMnExRNm_esbn3sUyQZ2j_TE966krwM0b44-2mpngOkSuA1PdMlOUWWzcpcaw1IKuU8Ifk1-O0515wY5h7zJxFmtl_ZeTE98PO77RJsTbWMMKOeg1EU/w400-h200/CosmicOverdose.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals<br />IRG **<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Where
to draw the line? What is progg and what is not? I prefer to use the
'benefit of doubt' principle here on the blog, and gladly let through
albums that some people sometimes deem controversially un-progg. But
an ambition of mine as your humble blog owner is to widen the idea of
progg, to trace influences and entwine threads in order to see
patterns and relations even in unexpected places as long as they
appear within the time frame of the Swedish Progg Blog. This is not
as much an apology as it's a declaration of objectives. That said, I
was long undecided if Cosmic Overdose belong here but was convinced
by some blog followers to let them in. Those people reminded me of
the benefit-of-doubt principle. <br /><br />After all,
Cosmic Overdose sure had some progg credentials working for them. Two
of the members used to be in <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/algarnas-tradgard-framtiden-ar-ett.html" target="_blank">Älgarnas Trädgård </a>and <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2012/10/anna-sjalv-tredje-tussilago-fanfara.html" target="_blank">Anna Själv Tredje</a>, Dan Söderqvist and Ingemar Ljungström respectively with
Ljungström performing as Karl Gasleben, sometimes Terminalkapten
Gasleben.(Söderqvist was also in <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/ragnarok-ragnarok-silence-1976-fjarilar.html" target="_blank">Ragnarök</a>.) Originally inspired by
David Bowie's ”Heroes” and Wire's game-changing debut ”Pink
Flag” in 1977, they came together as Cosmic Overdose the following
year. Their name was chosen ironically but had an equal krautrock and
synth punk ring to it. That's telling enough.
</p><p>Upon seeing Sheffield's haunting
industrial band Cabaret Voltaire and maverick Fad Gadget live in
London in 1979, the Cosmics expanded their line-up to a trio, adding
Kjell ”Regnmakaren” Karlgren on drums. Already affiliated with
Silence Records (home of both Älgarnas Trädgård and Anna Själv
Tredje), the label released their debut single ”Observation galen”
in 1979. Backed with ”Isolatorer”, it wasn't an entirely
convincing start. The 'A' side especially is a revved up number, more
akin to fellow Gothenburgians and post punk outfit Kai Martin & Stick! – it even
took use of a saxophone on the verge of a nervous breakdown similar
to what Gomer Explensch did in Kai Martin's band – than the future
style of Cosmic Overdose. Peter Bryngelsson from Ragnarök also
joined in with his easily detected guitar playing. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDOMu-bcdO0c2d5rwFU4947fe73Pzx9E878iDePGZlg_e_5ZlSkps82ps6r1kKy33r6__Km0p-6ztFHwlZD9GvelI-F5MVPFuIPlhDkPU_8t7VYVAkIFHbKS5TW3aAK4fAx4cbSLEth7qx1y5JubWNXklNpTjXSvMpbbe-LSK76TT1ZuOwKt1GAx4bU/s600/Observation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDOMu-bcdO0c2d5rwFU4947fe73Pzx9E878iDePGZlg_e_5ZlSkps82ps6r1kKy33r6__Km0p-6ztFHwlZD9GvelI-F5MVPFuIPlhDkPU_8t7VYVAkIFHbKS5TW3aAK4fAx4cbSLEth7qx1y5JubWNXklNpTjXSvMpbbe-LSK76TT1ZuOwKt1GAx4bU/s320/Observation.jpg" width="319" /></a>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">It wasn't until their first full-length
1980 album ”Dada Koko” that Cosmic Overdose found the style in
which they truly excelled. Tempos were slower, synths and drum
machines dominated the sound that could easily be dubbed coldwave
with a more modern, after-the-fact term. Added to the chilly
electronics was the sometimes space rock-floating sometimes chunky
and punkish guitar; the mix of contemporary synthetic sounds and the
humanly fleshy guitar created an unnerving ambiguity. Never as
uninhibited as say Métal Urbain or serial killer neurotic as
Suicide, Cosmic Overdose carved out a niche of their own in the all
too small synth punk genre, constantly permeated by their kosmische
progg past in Älgarnas Trädgård and Anna Själv Tredje.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">”Dada Koko” is a fullblown
masterpiece. You'd be hard pressed to find a bad track among the
eleven that constitute the album. If there is one, it would be
closing track ”Råttan”, but preceeded by tracks such as the
uneasy ”Investera”, the jittery ”Moderna dadaister”, the
menacing (and slightly Tubeway Army-inflected) ”Vit yta” and the
threatening ”Turs”, they had already won.<br /><br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmh_SKca6VSOKGDp-njVNs1YjxY1Uf0mGe0decuONF_flP-ahyphenhyphenbsFypW-55aI-m0Xh6-DyWuKIYHaBjIQVWfTQeJ1GPGVRMA92Jh9tEGmfBZ5Hl4IocelgsTBx6U5vuJVMeYS7ApE7TY_HCRC4Q3teJHqfXXptIMH5QGWTLe9z3Fhrl3k55qamFpZVk34/s600/ToNight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="600" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmh_SKca6VSOKGDp-njVNs1YjxY1Uf0mGe0decuONF_flP-ahyphenhyphenbsFypW-55aI-m0Xh6-DyWuKIYHaBjIQVWfTQeJ1GPGVRMA92Jh9tEGmfBZ5Hl4IocelgsTBx6U5vuJVMeYS7ApE7TY_HCRC4Q3teJHqfXXptIMH5QGWTLe9z3Fhrl3k55qamFpZVk34/s320/ToNight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Following a great seven-inch released
later the same year, the English language ”To Night”/”Dead”,
the album follow-up to ”Dada Koko” was released in 1981, with
Regnmakaren substituted by Jimmy Cyklon (real name Thomas Andersson).
”4668” is a tighter sounding album, but it has some tracks that
come off as a bit underdeveloped and not as distinct as the
selections on ”Dada Koko”, It still has a lot going for it
though. ”En av dom” has a few vocal parts that remind me of
French Wagnerians Magma (!). The icy ”Oktoberfragment” ought to
get your skin crawling. But the real blast here is album opener
”Bomber”, a stone-cold Cosmic Overdose classic that would have
stood up well for itself even on the just about impeccable ”Dada
Koko”.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Cosmic Overdose attracted international
interest and amazingly enough, even the States were keen on them.
(Remember, they were no ABBA or Blue Swede, and for a band as small
as Cosmic Overdose to make waves there was no mean feat.) An American
'best of' with the lyrics translated to English and the chosen tracks
remixed was planned but ultimately shelved. Instead, a cassette-only
album named ”Final KoKo” was released on Gothenburg label
Xenophone International, consisting of the recordings intended for
the stateside market. The U.K. too wanted to lay their hands on the
band, but the Brits insisted on a name change. A personnel change
later, they settled for Twice A Man as their new name. As such, they
embarked on a second career that lasts to this very day, including
numerous releases in various formats. But with the name change, the
original dark magic of Cosmic Overdose was lost.<br /><br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEEy6FPdaDGDomAW1ybdi2h1RrvelmTumAwv0xSuJm_03NpmAxMW25qLlf-2WryeHoYLYQQ_t7x0w6h-cc-THyx9HLQyey_h0QpxX_g9abFPDcyUZWcJadm5Iuh76OmqaD_yozgWADSkE8CWrbZUzV4kCNOikyNhHtX-SLltYfH5JyKmufCSQN3QQ-tQ/s595/FinalKoko.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEEy6FPdaDGDomAW1ybdi2h1RrvelmTumAwv0xSuJm_03NpmAxMW25qLlf-2WryeHoYLYQQ_t7x0w6h-cc-THyx9HLQyey_h0QpxX_g9abFPDcyUZWcJadm5Iuh76OmqaD_yozgWADSkE8CWrbZUzV4kCNOikyNhHtX-SLltYfH5JyKmufCSQN3QQ-tQ/s320/FinalKoko.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">In 2016, the Cosmics were given the box
set treatment when Progress Productions released ”Total Koko”, a
3CD set including both their original albums in full plus a bonus CD
featuring the 45 exclusives as well as several previously unreleased
recordings.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">So, is it progg or not progg? It really
doesn't matter, because regardless of what label you want to slap on
the music, Cosmic Overdose's small ouvre stands out as something
very, very special. The only word you really need for it is
'essential'.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lotHXRWnKSIMA6ORBOdaOJn_dM425_4ao" target="_blank">"Dada Koko" full album playlist</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nDJwbCYHu9FkCfgEZraqxE42ZcUVE5hqI" target="_blank">"4668" full album playlist<br />"Final Koko" full album playlist<br />"Observation galen" single playlist</a> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nR9Wi5NTHuGVp_AWm1sLPyFr_-riu6ck0" target="_blank">"To Night" single playlist</a> <br /></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-14196745941010819672024-01-10T16:21:00.018+01:002024-01-30T18:02:34.172+01:00 MARIE BERGMAN – Complete albums 1974-1980<div style="text-align: left;"></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LfJWL2GnFjOguQJmBiNvm_h6Toun_rxgGmiJdXpJFsbnGx_PJVvt5cl5fKVFtj5jjyxnm6T9uPwIK9YUf0UbQaLl9Fjfat6YYqGLXrEeo5FBIcWDn8WNjNGAUFbEY1BtrLPs644P444dYf548pLfaQJLWZtn7M_sCFFrwD2QOR0nAIqj4MJ9jW175sc/s600/MarieBergman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LfJWL2GnFjOguQJmBiNvm_h6Toun_rxgGmiJdXpJFsbnGx_PJVvt5cl5fKVFtj5jjyxnm6T9uPwIK9YUf0UbQaLl9Fjfat6YYqGLXrEeo5FBIcWDn8WNjNGAUFbEY1BtrLPs644P444dYf548pLfaQJLWZtn7M_sCFFrwD2QOR0nAIqj4MJ9jW175sc/w400-h400/MarieBergman.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Marie Bergman is one of those artists too far from
progg to belong here and too close not to do so. She's
'progg-by-association' but she's basically a singer/songwriter with
the oft-hired Swedish studio mafia of the 70s backing her, granting
her a couple of commercial successes in the second half of the
decade. Her cover of Kate & Anna McGarrigle's ”Complainte Pour
Ste-Catherine”, translated to Swedish by her good friend <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/ola-magnell-complete-albums-1974-1981.html" target="_blank">Ola Magnell </a>as ”Ingen kommer undan politiken”, was a radio staple in
and around 1977, and her version of <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/kjell-hoglund-albums-1971-1980.html" target="_blank">Kjell Höglund</a>'s ”Lugnare
vatten” was also on a rather heavy rotation a couple of years
later. She appeared as a backing singer on all three of <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/john-holm-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">John Holm</a>'s
70s albums, as well as on discs by Ola Magnell, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/rolf-wikstrom-albums-1975-1979.html" target="_blank">Rolf Wikström</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/bjorn-json-lindh-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">Björn J:son Lindh</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/pugh-rogefeldt-complete-albums-1970-1977.html" target="_blank">Pugh Rogefeldt</a> and several others less progg related
artists. In short, she was a stahlwart on the Metronome label led by
producer Anders Burman's instincts and nose to sniff out off-kilter
yet still commercially viable signings. Well, she was actually on
Metronome already earlier as a member of the very successful vocal
group Family Four which she joined in 1969.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIwO0Kns5s-ejNTluwcZwkuXNqXl7kcQP-aOq07tvb0o76T3JvwF7qVOnNyEL9DHR8GVHPR9g-Hb3cwQRRxP19b2tRlqMQll40foLYMYa6Kk9h9VdKvgNQs-aypPGDPJ8fhWawLDCzavKi11FJt6DT2VGvG3YEArr4iDJKbZtImM-15rrlQ14rhxcRBA/s600/MittAnsikte.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIwO0Kns5s-ejNTluwcZwkuXNqXl7kcQP-aOq07tvb0o76T3JvwF7qVOnNyEL9DHR8GVHPR9g-Hb3cwQRRxP19b2tRlqMQll40foLYMYa6Kk9h9VdKvgNQs-aypPGDPJ8fhWawLDCzavKi11FJt6DT2VGvG3YEArr4iDJKbZtImM-15rrlQ14rhxcRBA/w400-h400/MittAnsikte.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Mitt ansikte</b>
(Metronome, 1974)<br />Swedish vocals<br />International relevance *
</div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Her first album after leaving Family
Four sounds a bit like a crossbreed of Ola Magnell and Joni Mitchell,
the latter absolutely permeating the track ”Tiden”. The American
West Coast sounds also come through in her cover of Neil Young's
”Helpless” (translated by Magnell). The title track and ”Villiga
Ville” however are two funky tracks in sync with the times, while
”Sånger” is a loungy throwback to the Family Four style.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KmX_wcU625KolgSJLRmuztTPtvUKomTIC1kFXQTYY59rPlnugUuuYFIwgJFcSejS1Pmp3jtL0isg8wsWsCcMr99MBNy-FhPFw261N_JrMJK4lMb_X5-njmvm3LC63KT_X_1Nbc-kIgp1XYPGaZHftjoAkdL4MqAgVjgYUPJ3vOqWnPzTGVa42wQCQSA/s599/N%C3%A4rmaMej.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="597" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KmX_wcU625KolgSJLRmuztTPtvUKomTIC1kFXQTYY59rPlnugUuuYFIwgJFcSejS1Pmp3jtL0isg8wsWsCcMr99MBNy-FhPFw261N_JrMJK4lMb_X5-njmvm3LC63KT_X_1Nbc-kIgp1XYPGaZHftjoAkdL4MqAgVjgYUPJ3vOqWnPzTGVa42wQCQSA/w399-h400/N%C3%A4rmaMej.jpg" width="399" /></a><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><br />Närma mej </b>(Metronome, 1977)<b><br /></b></span>Swedish vocals<br />International relevance *<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">It took her three years
to deliver her second solo album, but marked a breakthrough to a
wider audience. It features ”Ingen kommer undan politiken” and
her sensitive take on Ola Magnell's ”När vällingklockan ringde”
from his ”Höstkänning” album released the very same year.
”Närma mej” is an album very much in the same style as her debut
albeit with the funk substituted for novelty-of-sorts duds like
”Sången om den eviga lyckan (Johan)” and ”Mål eller miss”
(the latter actually a cover of American folk singer and activist
Odetta). The ”Blue” era Joni Mitchell influence is still evident
though, especially on the piano based title track. Also included is a
Swedish cover of Little Feat's ”Roll Um Easy” as ”Vänj mej
varsamt”. Say what you will, she had good taste!<br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CJM3kvEhCvl6ZGT5oUMMjjRJFtRJR-0uZBe3uihEtKUQqSaIG1gGt5dDRg1kXuy1IJo7kTucXU7OZhIylIVQ2fazfcATcoNz_aYepN_mL1iSXz310qEvTo7gfsCWdCcNmVGMXCTdhk3UA6btN1eWP05333bimCG0IQHPVLhdXO3hWotr9-xRE5889as/s600/Iris.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CJM3kvEhCvl6ZGT5oUMMjjRJFtRJR-0uZBe3uihEtKUQqSaIG1gGt5dDRg1kXuy1IJo7kTucXU7OZhIylIVQ2fazfcATcoNz_aYepN_mL1iSXz310qEvTo7gfsCWdCcNmVGMXCTdhk3UA6btN1eWP05333bimCG0IQHPVLhdXO3hWotr9-xRE5889as/w400-h400/Iris.jpg" width="400" /></a><b><br />Iris </b>(Metronome, 1979)<b><br /></b>Swedish vocals<br />International relevance *</div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Third album and more of the
same, only with a glossier production. This time the covers are by
Swedish songwriters only, namely Björn Afzelius and his ”Balladen
om K”, and the aforementioned Kjell Höglund's ”Lugnare vatten”.
”Lugnare vatten” is the best track on the album along with the
surprisingly anguished (for Bergman) ”Lägg inga plåster på
såren”. The most obvious ersatz Joni Mitchell this time is called
”Lekvisa”.<br /><br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhav-4AXo9BpEbyH713SGuAL2flO8keJohxph_BikZCP42nQ2oM5dlnaH0xIx4k4lxzJdvVSUerC7VO03WPkMS0SBV5Ds1v_dy9kpsPJQUINMJFRddlIHUH1KVEy_8M35EkyufRFP_JetGCKhjd8epNEx3SazMCijdtRz0OgrKgRKEkEs9I0UfHQ2GjfoU/s503/Jorden%C3%84rPlatt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhav-4AXo9BpEbyH713SGuAL2flO8keJohxph_BikZCP42nQ2oM5dlnaH0xIx4k4lxzJdvVSUerC7VO03WPkMS0SBV5Ds1v_dy9kpsPJQUINMJFRddlIHUH1KVEy_8M35EkyufRFP_JetGCKhjd8epNEx3SazMCijdtRz0OgrKgRKEkEs9I0UfHQ2GjfoU/w398-h400/Jorden%C3%84rPlatt.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>MARIE BERGMAN & LASSE ENGLUND <br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jorden är platt
</b>(Metronome, 1980)<br />Swedish vocals<br />International relevance* <br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">A joint venture between
Bergman and much respected guitarist <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=englund" target="_blank">Lasse Englund</a>; they also married the following year. It's a children's album and also
the most interesting installment in Bergman's discography. Some songs
are rather strange, and it seems that the idea of making music for
kids pushed both Bergman and Englund out of their comfort zones. One
track – ”Mammas stora säng” – even shows a faint resemblance
to psych collector Hawaiian darlings These Trails. All in all, this
is the Bergman album that comes closest to progg. But despite that,
and despite being the most interesting album of hers, it's still not
good enough to recommend. It's a bit of a curiousity, but not much
more than that.<br /><br />All these albums have their moments, but too few to recommend. From a progg perspective, they remain very minor footnotes.
Bergman's recording career continued to 2013 when her, for now, last
album was released. Her style hasn't changed much over the years and
the sound of her albums have been very anxious to follow the
production trends. When her early albums, her best ones, aren't very
good you can imagine the rest.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n4g-slrX6gqgZnDFuDuQzSPnBOWQ4d61U" target="_blank"><br />Mitt ansikte full album playlist</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_XtbD-FlT0&list=OLAK5uy_kH_24xU6VifnYSZrHPH3hVh-StuiAUIhk" target="_blank"><br />Närma mej full album playlist<br /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNlN2sdj7Ew&list=OLAK5uy_kUZPech9JjztJEJLif7TqDK6uz6pPSsg8" target="_blank">Iris</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNlN2sdj7Ew&list=OLAK5uy_kUZPech9JjztJEJLif7TqDK6uz6pPSsg8" target="_blank"> full album playlist<br /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC1O_0GJ3UA&list=OLAK5uy_lvMZ56JubaNKHsUqRcnr9VSaUgqJSsLgg" target="_blank">Jorden är platt full album playlist</a><br /></p><p></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-19710190773303781582024-01-09T15:48:00.004+01:002024-01-24T17:04:39.123+01:00LOKOMOTIV KONKRET – Stockholm Augusti, 1978 (Urspår, 1979) / Lokomotiv Konkret (Urspår, 1980)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhD4rYMXHfVzBkMzTKrReMjD7jBpN4DW_zlLzWvltlssnnhiPj0jQo0kNNQ_qHy86J4y5iIKBdjmDla0BVhRvBR4US5akl2-31lj8sucoF2mgqFy2PhyVMMEwToyD3lkBOijr-0u-7_d9PAklDP6lfBPcKDlAN7dcE_poHgRwlqqs6pv_KSvIoHexgFw/s600/LokomotivKonkret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhD4rYMXHfVzBkMzTKrReMjD7jBpN4DW_zlLzWvltlssnnhiPj0jQo0kNNQ_qHy86J4y5iIKBdjmDla0BVhRvBR4US5akl2-31lj8sucoF2mgqFy2PhyVMMEwToyD3lkBOijr-0u-7_d9PAklDP6lfBPcKDlAN7dcE_poHgRwlqqs6pv_KSvIoHexgFw/w400-h200/LokomotivKonkret.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Instrumental<br />International relevance ***/***<br /></div><div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Lokomotiv Konkret were formed in 1976
by Israeli-born saxophonist Dror Feiler who made his mark in more
areas than just music. As an conceptual artist, he stirred up
controversy with his installation ”Snow White and the Madness of
Truth” in 2004 which had Israeli ambassador Zvi Mazel vandalize the
work, followed by a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and Israel.
Feiler is one of the driving forces behind Ship to Gaza who attained
immediate international recognition in 2010 during another
confrontation with Israel. As a member of Vänsterpartiet (the
Swedish socialist party), he's run for the Swedish parliament as <br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">well
as the EU parliament, and has demonstrated against the far-right
Sweden Democrats by blowing his saxophone loudly to disturb their
public meetings. A musical activist as well as a political one,
Lokomotiv Konkret has declared that their music is ”<span lang="en">free
improvisations over the fair distribution of the world's resources in
an ecologically sustainable society based on democracy, equality and
solidarity”.</span></p>
<p lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Lokomotiv Konkret began in
1976 and made their album debut in 1979 with the first-ever release
on the Urspår label (later home to <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2017/10/kraldjursanstalten-voodoo-boogie-urspar.html" target="_blank">Kräldjursanstalten</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/von-zamla-zamlaranamma-urspar-1982.html" target="_blank">Von Zamla</a>
and <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/rena-rama-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">Rena Rama</a>). The album, explanatory entitled ”Stockholm augusti,
1978”, is a violent and assault on the audience at the House of
Culture, with a strong bond to Swedish free jazz pioneers <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/gl-unit-orangutang-odeon-1969.html" target="_blank">G.L. Unit</a>
and the European scene spearheaded by German wildman Peter Brötzmann.
It's a remarkably intense and abrasive performance, guerilla jazz, that hardly eases
up even in the quieter moments; the sparser moments hold the tension
and are more like a cunning plans for what's about to come again than
a relaxation from what preceeded them. “Stockholm augusti, 1978”
stands up strong to just about anything that the European free jazz
had to offer and truly working on an international level. A must
have.<br /></p><p lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Lokomotiv Konkret's second, and self-titled, album
followed in 1980. Also a live document, this time with recording
locations shared between Stockholm's Museum of Modern Art and
premiere jazz club Fasching in 1979. Bass trombone player Pär Nordfält left and was replaced by highly respected Sten Sandell on
piano, the sound of the band changed somewhat and the tracks are shorter. To make required space for the
piano, the rest of the ensemble holds back a bit. The direct attack
of their debut is less direct here. They harness the energy and kind
of distributes it on the width rather than assaulting you straight in
a concerted attack. You could say that ”Lokomotiv Konkret” is a
more sophisticated effort than the debut LP. It's all down to
preferences which one that suits you the best; the frothing outbursts
usually get my nod – the uninhibited energy is why I gravitated
towards free jazz to begin with, with the (slightly more) reflective
side of the genre being more of an occassional complement, so my
choice would be the debut album. I'm not saying that “Lokomotiv
Konkret” is a lesser album, I'm just saying it's different. In the
end, it's an essential album to go along with the relentless
”Stockholm augusti, 1978”.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Seemingly still active off and on, Lokomotiv Konkret has released only three more
albums during the course of twelve years, the last one being released
in 1995. Although it's outside the time frame of the blog, I'd still
like to recommend their third album ”The Sky's The Limit” from
1983 which is the one of theirs closest to ”Stockholm augusti,
1978”. Also worthy of investigation if you can find it is the 1988 one-off album by Too Much Too Soon Orchestra, appropriately titled "Saw - Music For Instruments And Machines". A merciless slab of noise jazz, also notable for being one of <i>the </i>first appearances on disc by free jazz giant Mats Gustafsson.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMJTCoB8BZs" target="_blank"><br />Stockholm augusti, 1978 full album</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFfzJ1nE5Dw" target="_blank"><br />Lokomotiv Konkret full album</a><br /></p>
</div>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-10202376726975467222024-01-09T09:46:00.002+01:002024-01-24T11:46:58.500+01:00PER FORSSELL – Hantverk (PBF, 1981)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWJbWUVceuD3t2a7vnXESW57x6djiYz6TEbausVN7P_Vtc-ymZzSgz8z2GEgMXkcljNBCKpN6STGPKqYL5Y6UQcG4EYIQ5BKoQ0U7EeV-L_uV2SRLyIMN_CWxHGe4WwR4FqVbJr_5GjBHGkvxd0EF6YZ-CLdL2caIoLUXiE8WlIYIOkx2-svQz_9-eu8/s600/PerForssell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWJbWUVceuD3t2a7vnXESW57x6djiYz6TEbausVN7P_Vtc-ymZzSgz8z2GEgMXkcljNBCKpN6STGPKqYL5Y6UQcG4EYIQ5BKoQ0U7EeV-L_uV2SRLyIMN_CWxHGe4WwR4FqVbJr_5GjBHGkvxd0EF6YZ-CLdL2caIoLUXiE8WlIYIOkx2-svQz_9-eu8/w400-h400/PerForssell.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals, English vocals<br />International relevance **</div><p>Perhaps one
of the most peculiar albums included herein. Not because it's
'difficult' or complicated music – on the contrary, Per Forssell's songs are
highly accessible – but because it's hard to say what his idea with
this, his first of two privately released albums, actually was. It's
side B in particular that is confusing, consisting of a series of
pastiches/parodies/paraphrases, mocking various genres. ”My Sweet
Sugar Baby” makes fun of the silliest 50s rock'n'roll clichés in a
Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band fashion. ”Punk-plonk” is a rather funny
and decidedly over the top pisstake on punk that outpunks it with
truly bizarre lyrics and manic drumming. ”Sören's Skåne” might
be a poke at <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=peps" target="_blank">Peps Persson</a> but sounds exactly like a <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/ronny-astrom-den-ensamma-manniskan.html">Ronny Åström</a> throwaway. ”La-La-Lajla” can't be anything but a well-deserved
send-up of typical Swedish commercial dance bands of the 70s. <br /><br />Some of the send-ups lose their comic effect after some time (a joke can't be repeated too without losing its impact). But the thing
is that Forssell has a highly developed songwriter's instinct,
not only able to satirize over a diversity of style typicalities but
also write convincing and sometimes even great pop songs. This is
proven by ”Hantverk's” first side which is chock full of tasty
numbers pointing to both Paul McCartney and Mikael Ramel. This
spills over to the first song on the second side – I'm sure the
animal-rights conscious ”Vem tänker på djuren?” would keep Sir
Paul awake of envy at night had he heard it. Same could be said of
”Låt dina vingar få flyga” which sounds like the best track
never released on ”Ram”. The album title ”Hantverk” means
”craftmanship” in English, and that's in fact a very appropriate
word for the album. Forssell certainly ranks among the best D-I-Y
craftsmen of the progg era, much better than the self-absorbed Erik
Aschan and lightyears ahead of unlistenable nincompoops such as<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=axelsson" target="_blank"> John-Erik Axelsson</a> and <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/prefix-brustna-illusioner-pim-1974.html" target="_blank">Prefix</a>.<br /><br />The songs were recorded over
the course of four years, from 1977 to 1981, and were taped on a
reel-to-reel machine in Forsell's living room in Björnekulla Hed in
the Swedish south (although his dialect suggests he wasn't Skåne
born and bred but rather from the Stockholm area). True to
McCartney's early modus operandi, he plays all instruments himself
including drums which is an achievement in itself. Being a private
pressing, it must have been a tiny edition (500 copies? Less?) but
it's not as expensive as some other albums in that category. Possibly
because it's still rather unknown, and possibly because of its partly
parodical nature. It's hard to say if ”Hantverk” will ever creep
into the realm of artifacts that will push you over the perpendicular
steep of destitution, but it's nevertheless an album ripe for wider
discovery.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Per Forssell released another album,
presumably in the late 80s, called ”Dagbok” (”diary”), partly
recorded at home, partly in the studio and partly at the facilities
of Swedish Television where he also works or worked. In 2013, he
snuck out newly recorded music to his YouTube channel, including
several Beatles covers to confirm his infatuation with the Fab Four.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A86SjaHVD38" target="_blank">Full album</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-29678157162657190862024-01-08T09:46:00.004+01:002024-01-24T11:47:14.157+01:00VARIOUS ARTISTS – Vi har rätt till jobb! (Slå Tillbaka!, 1978)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIHwgHEq-H1fHyFiRdXI6LECoQL-cTNEdQNgQpw0AxF5GxwXLzgknjKYoSUnNyHkXl4jbmrxh9ZcrwjJW1EdI1fNmvWuYECqlYmUZBKUBtAXAMMAcqwTOxStB4e38qrg72qTtQYHLRkzjpHnesfJv-x6vTcQzuBGRBakeGdmEYIpV0ZD1FRxvCUMvXts/s1668/Vharr%C3%A4tttilljobb.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="1668" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIHwgHEq-H1fHyFiRdXI6LECoQL-cTNEdQNgQpw0AxF5GxwXLzgknjKYoSUnNyHkXl4jbmrxh9ZcrwjJW1EdI1fNmvWuYECqlYmUZBKUBtAXAMMAcqwTOxStB4e38qrg72qTtQYHLRkzjpHnesfJv-x6vTcQzuBGRBakeGdmEYIpV0ZD1FRxvCUMvXts/w400-h399/Vharr%C3%A4tttilljobb.JPG" width="400" /></a><b><br />Featured artists: TBC / Checkpoint Charlie / Steve Roper Band / Rikets Affärer / Burträskar'a / Gnid Och Drag / Pertti Och Aimo / Paddy Perssons Grop / Ålidhems Nyfolkliga Dansorkester</b><br />Swedish vocals, other languages,
instrumental<br />International relevance: **<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Slå Tillbaka! (”fight
back”) was apparently not a record label per se, but an
organisation working against unemployment, racism and drugs but
released this one album. ”Vi har rätt till jobb!” (”we have
the right to work”) was recorded live in Umeå 1978 during a one
day festival to support the cause of the organisation. It features
ten acts, none of them particularily well-known outside of this
album. The best known (or should I say the least unknown) bands make
up the first side of the album: TBC, Steve Roper Band (performing a
cover av <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/roda-ropet-spann-bagen-ungkommunisters.html" target="_blank">Röda Ropet</a>'s ”Spring Lasse spring”, Checkpoint Charlie
and Rikets Affärer. They all play straighforward rock with a slight
hard rock bent and an even minor punk touch, and they're all decent
for what they are. Side 2 is entirely different, focusing on folk
music and singer/songwriter styled material that fail to impress.
It's doubtful that the same person would appreciate both sides, but
the heavy side might appeal to genre collectors. It's neither a very
rare nor expensive album, so anyone possibly interested in it will be
able to pick it up cheap.<br /><br />No links found<br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-38139707780484682382024-01-07T09:55:00.005+01:002024-01-30T18:04:06.014+01:00ÖBACKA SÅGVÄRCK – Haru nånsin varit död (Subliminal Sounds, 1969-1972, released 2023)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9IIHC2bWnNnnVx8wRyVarpqxjKAUmSdFaLMxv18N6wD4RCm0B9H02TjIKxcOm7mpeDywikaG17AEWZeIHd7iCzisXp3xaQWXNzPm0G19P45BfI9oWiCSRhTOvygUhnhhx70bLH4F3jfLfmejc4QoymhhHSGTXgsApXIWclIEFPVI7F1Qby3Gu_EQq50/s600/%C3%96backa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9IIHC2bWnNnnVx8wRyVarpqxjKAUmSdFaLMxv18N6wD4RCm0B9H02TjIKxcOm7mpeDywikaG17AEWZeIHd7iCzisXp3xaQWXNzPm0G19P45BfI9oWiCSRhTOvygUhnhhx70bLH4F3jfLfmejc4QoymhhHSGTXgsApXIWclIEFPVI7F1Qby3Gu_EQq50/w400-h400/%C3%96backa.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">International relevance ***</div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I don't know where this notion comes
from that if something has gone unreleased for decades, that's enough
reason to finally put it out there. Or for that matter where this
misconception originates that if something is crappy-sounding and the
musicians can tell an instrument from a muckrake by nature should be
better than music performed in a comprehensible fashion. Sometimes a
reissue label hits pure gold, as Subliminal Sounds did with the
amazing <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2022/06/great-ad-deep-down-death-subliminal.html" target="_blank">Great Ad</a> album, but very few archival releases can match that
one. So I took Subliminal Sounds' blurb for ”Haru nånsin varit
död” ”a mind-bending musical discovery” with a huge pinch of
salt. But perhaps they weren't entirely wrong this time after all?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">A shortlived Umeå band, Öbacka
Sågvärck only existed between 1969 and 1972. During that period
they managed to create some surprisingly forward-looking heavy rock
several years ahead of its time. It might be that they even beat
November, consensually hailed as Sweden's first proper hard rock
band, to the punch. Only that Öbacka Sågvärck were a far dirtier,
sleazier, grittier combo judging by these underground tapes.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">And underground it is, for better or
for worse. Let's start with the bad. The longest track, the closing
medley of ”A dä lä dää” and ”Centralgården”, has a
horrendous sound, so bad it sounds like a severe hearing disorder.
Another drawback is that two tracks are repeated (including ”A dä
lä dää”), so if you chop these out, you're left with merely half
an album (more precisely side one). It suggests that there wasn't too
many usable recordings to choose from, and that fillers were needed
to flesh out the running time.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The good thing is that the remaining
half is rather impressive. This is how I want my hard rock: a loud,
nasty, low-down, take-no-prisoners ruckus, with an authority that can
easily out-do several better-known bands in the genre. It's not quite
that promised ”mind-bending musical discovery”, and it's not on
the same level as Great Ad, but the good parts are indeed valuable
and until now unknown pieces in a historic jigsaw puzzle. Regardless
of my objections, that justifies this release that deserves to heard
and appriciated accordingly by fans and historians alike.
<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nVqO_DM2Cu-p6ak6Guij5eSb3QPFgBo-w"><br />Full album playlist</a><br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-84732208382770998142024-01-06T10:06:00.003+01:002024-01-24T11:48:08.548+01:00ELEGI – Elegi (Slick, 1981)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdN5AdIOVTli_szgwjAfX6ylgKdtz71vMJ-AvPklxzuKIJEWonVzZc0yIVuaFvNodjcUUHqJmivygkozkoEutPl6kZ4MT1Aee8q2oQR9kvIRdegcam8eL5Lw6BRHb7PF7J85KC4Lgc-YXx9iyBMOik4pTuqtU5wv4QWpRV0V-RrWnj57YW_vp_WRdXlY/s600/Elegi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdN5AdIOVTli_szgwjAfX6ylgKdtz71vMJ-AvPklxzuKIJEWonVzZc0yIVuaFvNodjcUUHqJmivygkozkoEutPl6kZ4MT1Aee8q2oQR9kvIRdegcam8eL5Lw6BRHb7PF7J85KC4Lgc-YXx9iyBMOik4pTuqtU5wv4QWpRV0V-RrWnj57YW_vp_WRdXlY/w400-h400/Elegi.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish
vocals<br />International relevance **</div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Some things just take a
long time. I'll be honest with you and admit that I couldn't stand
Elegi for a long time. Their sole, self-titled album sounded
contrived and hysterical to my ears. But the more reference points I
earned over the years by a persistent-bordering-on-pathological listening, the more Elegi made sense.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Elegi was just about the perfect band
for the Musiklaget Slick label, an imprint that grew out of
Musiklaget (known for releasing <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/solen-skiner-solen-skiner-mnw-1976.html" target="_blank">Solen Skiner</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/ragnar-borgedahl-hum-hum-fran-humlegarn.html" target="_blank">Ragnar Borgedahl</a> and
others) that in turn started as Tibet -46 (with <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/rolf-wikstrom-albums-1975-1979.html" target="_blank">Rolf Wikström </a>and
<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/john-holm-1970s-albums.html" target="_blank">John Holm</a> on its tiny roster). Slick had a penchant for leftfield
acts such as synth punk band Ståålfågel, semi-controversial punk
outfit Bitch Boys, ska rockers Stormakt Gul and post-progg acts like
<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2024/01/mogel-mogel-slick-mlp-1981.html">Mögel</a>. Elegi fit well into that lot, with their music successfully
blending Rock In Opposition (RIO) characteristics with then current
post punk experimentation and moods. They're a lot more consistent
and solid than label-mates Mögel for instance, for the simple reason
that Elegi knew what they wanted to achieve and also had the chops to
pull it off successfully to the point.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">There are two things that more than
anything defines Elegi's sound, and it's Marie Samuelsson's vocals
and Susanne Håkansson's saxophone (a rare feature in rock bands in
those days, despite X-Ray Spex's prominent use of the instrument).
The sax adds a very distinct texture to the music as it's not
exclusively used for solos but a well integrated part of the
arrangements, pretty much the way other bands use the guitar. The
vocals are likely to be the biggest bone of contention, and it's the
thing about Elegi that I still have some problems with. I suppose
Samuelsson tried to match the nervy backing of ”Mat” (a
stone-cold classic!), ”Moderna kvadrater” and ”Galen”, but
they go off the deep end a little bit too often with neurotic yelps
and hiccups. But you have to take the bad with the good and endure
the wayward vocals as the album as a whole is well worth it. ”Elegi”
stands out as one of the most original efforts of its time, a tour de
force unafraid to prove that assumably conflictive styles are in fact
very easy to combine if you only have the imagination, the will and
the skills to do it. This is one of the Swedish progg punk's finest
moments.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">If you want to go further you can check
out the two Elegi tracks found on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWM2FtFv0Ao&ab_channel=DannyRamone" target="_blank">”Mun mot mun metoden”</a>
cassette on Slick from 1982, and also check out their unreleased <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMKjrj6GmcQ&ab_channel=DannyRamone" target="_blank">live recording </a>for the Tonkraft radio show in 1980. None of them is quite
as sharp as ”Elegi”, but they are still worthy of investigation
if you like the album.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">It's also worth mentioning that Marie
Samuelsson had a thorough musical education and later became a noted
modern composer. As late as of November 2023, she received the
prestigious Christ Johanson award by the Swedish Royal Academy of
Music.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kn7OMe-NmlrQLrNHBFH5TW5jIPQVEIm7A" target="_blank"><br />Full album playlist</a><br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-50286285952982101402024-01-05T11:12:00.005+01:002024-01-24T11:48:34.272+01:00VARIOUS ARTISTS – Göteborgsrock/Ytterrock (Pang, 1982)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Iwe0rsPTcHcQuXsVbGMnBkUfJlz0smihXRunU0Fyxi6MPWs1woqckim4Xu2pjJArn9oPaLUPZuS-t4KrrF29CtkwHuci_ICPScDWu2_M-UsJqPPSsH43laYmMcjymCedc7iJAj2kBnnGwNARIdu1ri5FTfcs_XFkIM0TrJ0tuU2vAIVAwMALVOwnFqY/s1308/Ytterrock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1308" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Iwe0rsPTcHcQuXsVbGMnBkUfJlz0smihXRunU0Fyxi6MPWs1woqckim4Xu2pjJArn9oPaLUPZuS-t4KrrF29CtkwHuci_ICPScDWu2_M-UsJqPPSsH43laYmMcjymCedc7iJAj2kBnnGwNARIdu1ri5FTfcs_XFkIM0TrJ0tuU2vAIVAwMALVOwnFqY/w400-h400/Ytterrock.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals, English vocals<br />International relevance: *</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">A ghastly various artists compilation
released on the infamous Pang label in 1982, consisting of B grade
Gothenburg bands. As often with albums of this kind, it's
stylistically all over the place, with really terrible
middle-of-the-road rock by Midnight, some spineless reggae by Malta
Feber, hard rock by Nya Ambulansen that only deaf people can
enjoy, and some untalented new wave/punk by F.K.M. I doubt that
there's anything like <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2012/10/bla-schafer-bla-schafer-bla-schafer-1975.html" target="_blank">Blå Schäfer</a> completists in this world, but if
there are, their two tracks are surely the most interesting in this
lot (but they suck too).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb_-oFQ8ODQ&ab_channel=DannyRamone" target="_blank">Full album</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-16843533292689414352024-01-04T09:00:00.004+01:002024-01-24T11:49:16.223+01:00VARIOUS ARTISTS – Grammofon-missionen: A Collection Of Swedish Jesus Music 1967-1982 (Subliminal Sounds, 2023)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyWyXqBhXCrqonUxsI5Cghulle2G7LrYBGWiSEmXxKQLRGCBlCz6wSvFKSyBqebqRNeTN8lJna6W_SnKzLUSiTyWgCEe8aluXweiP_3zqkbnAwSyAMA4Vst7Uo0BiqqDtRvqngMyjHPMDOq-LxRTMjmA7RtJ73Fn1J8OouR20fPiaA2A6lpU6TFP3HZI/s791/Grammofonmissionen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyWyXqBhXCrqonUxsI5Cghulle2G7LrYBGWiSEmXxKQLRGCBlCz6wSvFKSyBqebqRNeTN8lJna6W_SnKzLUSiTyWgCEe8aluXweiP_3zqkbnAwSyAMA4Vst7Uo0BiqqDtRvqngMyjHPMDOq-LxRTMjmA7RtJ73Fn1J8OouR20fPiaA2A6lpU6TFP3HZI/w304-h400/Grammofonmissionen.jpg" width="304" /></a><br /><b>Featured artists: John Three Sixteen /
The Vergers / Heaven Liners / Beryllen / Höjeteamet / Glorymen /
Carina / The Destination Of Life / Fågel Fenix / The Aaltos / Young
Deacons / Mums / Ekot / Dolos / The Smusics / Music Males / Sven-Olof
Nilsson / Size Boys
<br /></b>Swedish vocals, English vocals<br />International relevance: *</div><p></p>A digital-only release
by Subliminal Sounds, this might at a first glance look like a follow
up to Subliminal Sounds's excellent <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2022/06/various-artists-fralst-selection-of.html" target="_blank">”Frälst!”</a> compilation of
Swedish Christian music in the 70s. But those who expect a second
volume of psych inclined religious grooves will likely be
disappointed. ”Grammofon-missionen” is a musical addendum to the
book ”Grammofon-missionen: Swedish Jesus Music Aesthetics
1960-1990” written by Carl-Henrik Olsson and Stefan Kéry,
documenting the domestic Jesus music movement from three decades.
Much of the music here is way more primitive (not in a good sense)
than what's on ”Frälst!” and has a less accomplished feel.
Bordering on outsider music, this takes a different listening
approach, but even then, I don't find much, if anything, to match
Subliminal Sounds's previous and successful attempt to document the
Swedish Jesus music. Some of it is very influenced by bad Swedish
commercial 60s pop but with substandard even terrible execution. I'm
not against outsider music but it has to have at least something more
going for it than bad playing to be interesting,<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">The striking exception here is Finnish
band active in Sweden Aaltos, and also the only band here featured
with two songs. The Aaltos has gained some reputation among record
collectors and charity shop scavengers over the years, and both their
tracks, ”Känner du en vän” and ”Pray”, explain why. They
have a peculiar dissolved feel, especially on ”Pray” which steer
right into the psychedelic domain with its unearthly harmony vocals and
brooding, ominously breathing organ.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Still, I appreciate this compilation on
an historic/academic level. Swedish Jesus music has long been
neglected and categorically dismissed – so much of it is indeed
painfully terrible, and it takes someone dedicated to find the
exceptions. ”Grammofon-missionen” is an attempt at just that, so
it gets an A for ambition but a facepalm for content.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><a href="https://subliminalsounds.bandcamp.com/album/grammofon-missionen-a-selection-of-swedish-jesus-music-1967-1982" target="_blank">Full album playlist</a><br />
</p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-76339168057534261192024-01-03T13:33:00.004+01:002024-01-24T11:49:33.326+01:00MIA SANDBERG – ...från mig (Sonet, 1980)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uSkxbvXjSeK_RPd8XITXIq1ZiCutJDyGW3HzSTnxa_7sJgX5OJsbCeGnoVSE5VgmDH557atI2MnduLHKhUW92tXGLpZDV1IVXV_rTFpoDgUNGbqMMNjbktr7uKJPNKRr6XPgSyyO1jKvbh1UjQnZe_cJWtUyxmkKkpnbgn2z1gq2WkQrtKHASZQ8RaE/s600/MiaSandberg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uSkxbvXjSeK_RPd8XITXIq1ZiCutJDyGW3HzSTnxa_7sJgX5OJsbCeGnoVSE5VgmDH557atI2MnduLHKhUW92tXGLpZDV1IVXV_rTFpoDgUNGbqMMNjbktr7uKJPNKRr6XPgSyyO1jKvbh1UjQnZe_cJWtUyxmkKkpnbgn2z1gq2WkQrtKHASZQ8RaE/w400-h400/MiaSandberg.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals<br />International relevance: *</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Mia Sandberg entered the scene at the
waning end of progg, heading towards the future but still with
traces of earlier times. As an artist, she's rather forgotten today,
but she released three albums and several singles in the early 80s.
She has infrequently reappeared as a musician a few times after that,
although her main occupation these days is as a therapist and an
occassional author.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">”Från mig” was her debut album,
released in 1980 to largely positive reviews. It includes her most
successful track ”Svart eller vit” which opens the album.
Sandberg sings her confessional songs in a slightly husky voice, and
she's a decent enough songwriter. Too bad then that the album passes
rather unnoticed. The main problem is that major label Sonet
obviously didn't want to lose money on their then new signing, giving
it an overly anxious production. The music kind of evaporizes before
you have a chance to notice it's even there. (Sonet hired Flemming
Ostermann of Danish band Savage Rose to handle the knobs which makes
the sound even more puzzling as Savage Rose hardly were known for a
cowardly sound.)
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Still, if you're looking for a more
toned-down Stina Nordström, a more dressed-up Barbro Hörberg or
perhaps even a more glamourous Turid, this might appeal to you. But
if you pass on it, you won't miss a lot.</p><p>
</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mw2GNb0aDGJbLaDkJ4CwwhXKgmxrtyMGE" target="_blank">Full album playlist</a><br /></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-6193858058366391912024-01-02T09:59:00.003+01:002024-01-30T18:04:51.430+01:00SUSPEKT ASPEKT – Den årliga vårliga konserten på Röhsska muséet (no label, 1979)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9xmpZLwppAGVnk9D3UQGuSryxFUTqtKOr9XIRQ_h1VwW_FulWyXK094d-xHVv-YCwDordRLzBITEIABC4kcyUxMYYgRFJ4oZvP2-ktGO7czw2dCHtz2ItVoiwofnYv59QvLPFcyXziBJDx9Hch1R7Apblk4rIkcybGWBNCnSxRpfmkTFzFm1TNN01GI/s600/SuspektAspekt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9xmpZLwppAGVnk9D3UQGuSryxFUTqtKOr9XIRQ_h1VwW_FulWyXK094d-xHVv-YCwDordRLzBITEIABC4kcyUxMYYgRFJ4oZvP2-ktGO7czw2dCHtz2ItVoiwofnYv59QvLPFcyXziBJDx9Hch1R7Apblk4rIkcybGWBNCnSxRpfmkTFzFm1TNN01GI/w400-h400/SuspektAspekt.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Instrumental<br />International relevance ***</div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Probably one of the most
obscure bands ever to be featured here, Suspekt Aspekt never even
released any music when they originally existed. Originating from
Gothenburg, they formed in the mid 70s and disbanded in early 1980.
This recording were distributed privately by the band after having
reunited in 2003. It's a live recording made at Röhsska museet, an
art museum in the centre of their hometown. Sound quality is good,
even excellent for an audience recording from 1979. The music is soft
instrumental symphonic prog with an epic quality, somewhat
reminiscent of UK bands like Camel.
It's well played and rather pleasant, but with 23 tracks clocking in
at over two hours, it's too much to chew in one sitting for the
casual listener, Genre fans however will surely be delighted by the
discovery. <br /><br />Had Suspekt Aspekt had the opportunity to have a proper
album out when they existed the first time around, they would most
likely have been widely recognized among aficionados, instead of being
a hardly known footnote in the history of regional symph prog.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kfWnTBUvVmayO9VWlNDvlQxYn_hiRogDM" target="_blank">Full album playlist</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-16122426822092183722024-01-01T14:19:00.005+01:002024-01-24T17:05:48.096+01:00MÖGEL – Mögel (Slick, MLP 1981)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TtZqEfE9NtAJNRlP_RvBIl31xKqFnHRSrI7tUpqJTWIwTgQ1O7a-1cuhwIaDVOL_5-8i6HQ4prg3GK-m3w3MtONTfxgXEifQKu2PWF15niJkfRj19NG01weqctrT1Plkd77jiyUHS9maCdXsT1ECQYWfLlMbN9eEbcBI8eOh6o6JVt7mF3s-bayKP2s/s600/M%C3%B6gel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TtZqEfE9NtAJNRlP_RvBIl31xKqFnHRSrI7tUpqJTWIwTgQ1O7a-1cuhwIaDVOL_5-8i6HQ4prg3GK-m3w3MtONTfxgXEifQKu2PWF15niJkfRj19NG01weqctrT1Plkd77jiyUHS9maCdXsT1ECQYWfLlMbN9eEbcBI8eOh6o6JVt7mF3s-bayKP2s/w400-h400/M%C3%B6gel.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals<br />International relevance **</div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Avid readers probably know that I'm
quite fond of those bands that walk the thin line between progg and
punk. A line much thinner than general consensus usually admits – I
insist that the two genres have much more in common than they do
separating them. This subgenre has no real name, sometimes it's
simply referered to as 'prog punk', but somebody suggested 'pronk'
but I pray that word won't ever catch on...<br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Mögel (not to be confused with any
other band by that name) was one of the bands that crossed punk's
energy with proggish ambitions. Beginning in 1978 in Stockholm suburb
Farsta, they kept going for about five years (unless you count their
recent reunion) and was a pioneering outfit with an all female
line-up. Although I never felt the need to distinguish female bands
from male bands – it's all music no matter what gender you are –
it was still not that common in those male dominated years. They
navigated the same area as the aforementioned <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=kr%C3%A4ldjursanstalten" target="_blank">Kräldjursanstalten </a>and
<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2021/01/boojwah-kids-med-beat-grisback-1980.html" target="_blank">Boojwah Kids</a>, taking cues from Captain Beefheart's angularity as much
as they did from the then current punk and burgeoning post punk
scenes. Imagine a mix of Beefheart and UK do-it-yourselfers The
Raincoats and you're nearly there.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">As promising as it may sound, Mögel
lacked the necessary musical efficiency and skills to convincingly
pull itoff. They aimed far too high: their 'complicated' songs
sounded clumsy and awkward. Their more straightforward tracks suited
them better, simply because those didn't demand the same level of
proficiency. But, and this is important, despite their obvious
shortcomings, they had something that's hard to dismiss
categorically. Amongst the squeaks and yelps and rickety
arrangements, Mögel put forth an endearing lot of energy and honest
intentions. They meant what they were doing, and while it's sometimes
eargrating, their music is often oddly touching. Yes, they failed in
their ambitions but they did puzzlingly successful. I don't
necessarily like them, but I still can't stop listening to them once
I put on their album.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Which in fact isn't an album, but a
six-track 45 rpm EP. Much later, in 2003, it was expanded to twice
its original length for the belated CD reiusse retitled ”1978-1983”.
Contradictive as it may seem, the added material consisting of demos,
live recordings and rare tracks previously only available on a
hard-to-find various artists cassette-only compilation, present the
band in a wider scope and slightly more beneficial multifaceted
light.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Mögel were certainly an acquired
taste, and while some will never acquire that particular taste,
others will find it an interesting and/or annoying listen if you're
in the mood for it. It's also like a time capsule, a snapshot of what
might be the only time in history when a band like this was not only
allowed to have their music out but also managed to gain positive
attraction from both the audience and the media. The music movement's
own periodical Musikens Makt even ran a feature on them in 1980.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kD7Ur9nzbNInsAqCR7djFpcKwobrEO8nY" target="_blank">Full album playlist (expanded reissue)</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-39712834561077867122023-12-31T13:25:00.005+01:002024-01-24T11:51:05.029+01:00VARIOUS ARTISTS – Swedish Meatballs Vols. 1 & 2: The Psychedelic Hard Rock Underground 1970-1977 (Subliminal Sounds, 2022)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdX-4D4otxEB3kRUkTwAC5FmTRtGTd4QAKg2BwhlcwR7E6zEOQe-YIjIngnKHe6XGYtv-kdvNtam6KzPmohJTY9lB4lJP5fYWBf70vBLDUZgd37_ZZhhcJWR3mD07fxkgiUyl8KGUXqncJk2HUhR9KB4mAE2eoCCCnXGdg8Ezv1r2Ob6d2WomWq2ebuQ/s1200/SwedishMeatballs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdX-4D4otxEB3kRUkTwAC5FmTRtGTd4QAKg2BwhlcwR7E6zEOQe-YIjIngnKHe6XGYtv-kdvNtam6KzPmohJTY9lB4lJP5fYWBf70vBLDUZgd37_ZZhhcJWR3mD07fxkgiUyl8KGUXqncJk2HUhR9KB4mAE2eoCCCnXGdg8Ezv1r2Ob6d2WomWq2ebuQ/w400-h200/SwedishMeatballs.jpg" width="400" /></a><b> <br />Featured artists: Älgarna / Högtryck / Styv Kuling / Rabatt / Strike / Jan & Bert / Frozen Fire / Fire / Tranz / Paul Edoh's Class Breakers / Mogens Klyvare Hose Band / Ohlssons Grova / I Blomm <br /></b>Swedish vocals, English vocals,
instrumental<br />International relevance ***</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Long before these two compilations were
released, I was hoping that someone would get their hands dirty and
get the work done. Who else would but Subliminal Sounds? Two volumes
of Swedish 70s hard rock singles ranging from the rare to the
impossible, some names completely unknown to me and most likely to a
lot of others too. Some of it has been available in crappy rips on
Youtube, but who the hell were Jan & Bert (Resonans), Paul Edoh's
Class Breakers, Mogens Klyvare Hose Band and I Blomm? Among the
better known names I spot Älgarna, Rabatt, Högtryck and Ohlssons
Grova.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Released as two separate volumes but
they should really be considered one entity. The first volume covers
1970 to 1977, the second 1971 to 1977, i.e. the golden age of Swedish
hard rock, the years before squealing heavy metal washed over Sweden
from the UK. Not to say that there wasn't any good heavy metal during
the NWOBHM era and the Swedish counterpart FWOSHM (the <b>F</b>irst
<b>W</b>ave <b>O</b>f <b>S</b>wedish <b>H</b>eavy <span style="font-style: normal;"><b>M</b></span>etal)
because there was, but if I have to choose I'd go for the pre-HM years. (Those who
want to dip their toes in the more obscure waters of FWOSHM might
want to try <a href="https://jobcentrerejects.bandcamp.com/album/jobcentre-rejects-vol-4-ultra-rare-fwoshm-1978-1983" target="_blank">”Jobcentre Rejects, Vol. 4”</a>.)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">As always the case with comps like
these, there are tracks you'd rather have swapped for something else,
but the duds are few here and not that terrible so it's not really
something to get hung up about. I'm more than delighted to see both
tracks from Rabatt's exceedingly rare 1971 single here, ”X:et”
and ”Look Till You Find”, which also happens to be the most
psychedelic sounding on offer. Älgarna's ”Crowned King” sounds
almost like Nature on a dark night (and better than Nature if you ask
me), while Jan & Bert's ”Kan ljuset vända åter” is a tasty
blend of psych, heavy rock, West Coast singing, jazz and progressive.
Ohlssons Grova's ”Strange Infection” is a marvellous piece of
blues-inflected heavy rock, while ”Mäskaktigt” by I Blomm is a
proto-doom instrumental that hints at Black Sabbath and the
underworld shadings of Bobby Liebling's Pentagram. I could go on
naming names, but you get the drift: These are two volumes unmissable
to anyone into 70s heavy rock, and to others as well.
<br /><br /><a href="https://subliminalsounds.bandcamp.com/album/swedish-meatballs-vol-1-2-the-psychedelic-hard-rock-underground-1970-1977" target="_blank">Full album playlist (both volumes)</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-62104150670778826862023-12-31T13:23:00.007+01:002024-01-24T11:51:24.171+01:00VARIOUS ARTISTS - ...Hör en susande vind (Viking, 1973)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5y12LyYzJgvCeVjZdz3BQa7e5HuBMPxfR7qXlAAqJHue6daG_ntWDqJLy6yd2XwMXDU7adlsScQoB51E3aBHWdic7DCESGm72afOtYG7CxIGULIWPu8Pt-P-7McHkPLG3I5YuSBUJ6JK5LKsFUrO37Kh4o2jqxkKMMaHxXJs-XF7z1ux7TmijE8jisc/s600/H%C3%B6rensusandevind.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5y12LyYzJgvCeVjZdz3BQa7e5HuBMPxfR7qXlAAqJHue6daG_ntWDqJLy6yd2XwMXDU7adlsScQoB51E3aBHWdic7DCESGm72afOtYG7CxIGULIWPu8Pt-P-7McHkPLG3I5YuSBUJ6JK5LKsFUrO37Kh4o2jqxkKMMaHxXJs-XF7z1ux7TmijE8jisc/w400-h400/H%C3%B6rensusandevind.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Featured artists: Monica Nielsen / Bertil Norström / Stig Ring med Do-Re-Mi-kören / Lasse Bagge med trio / Medlemmar ur Sveriges Radios symfoniorkester</b><br />Swedish vocals, English vocals<br />International relevance: *</p><p style="text-align: left;">Included mainly as a
warning, as the album might seem like a progg album. But it's only
<i>thematically</i> related to progg – the music displays no progg
credentials whatsoever unless you count the presence of Monica
Nielsen who appears on several similarily styled albums from the 70s
including one with Tommy Körberg (<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/solar-plexus-complete-albums-1972-1975.html" target="_blank">Solar Plexus</a>, second incarnation
of <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/made-in-sweden-where-do-we-begin-love.html" target="_blank">Made In Sweden</a>). Members of the Swedish Radio's symphony orchestra
provide extensive backing. The songs are drawn from the songbook of
the labour movement which means you get two (!) more versions of ”The
International” plus Swedish takes on ”There's Power In A Union”
and ”Which Side Are You On”. ”We Shall Overcome” also slips
in seamlessly into the predictable mix. The Viking label was a
commercial imprint, best remembered for having put out two Lee
Hazlewood albums in the 70s plus one by <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/hawkey-franzen-complete-albums-1969-1981.html" target="_blank">Hawkey Franzén</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">No links found <br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-84637456710970310952023-12-30T12:29:00.004+01:002024-01-24T11:51:53.172+01:00HAI & TOPSY – Jag sjunger ej om kungar, jag sjunger ej om mord... De fattigas visor (YTF, 1974)<p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkmCtdHgj_yAxAfAFzLmioqA5EteSOK0eWXfn0fIYk0gRDet_LQmQdj2Vayr521Ile9cN61JH0JYqXAyYq9zoP5IrHmlAgaAgwemOZWjVq0qORyl2_O7xNV6NCA97dcotkdT0yE_M4gpklmi1TdYgaCMxQyJ5sEx5XQYusNLLa4XX6d_A_uH03uHPf94/s600/Hai&Topsy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkmCtdHgj_yAxAfAFzLmioqA5EteSOK0eWXfn0fIYk0gRDet_LQmQdj2Vayr521Ile9cN61JH0JYqXAyYq9zoP5IrHmlAgaAgwemOZWjVq0qORyl2_O7xNV6NCA97dcotkdT0yE_M4gpklmi1TdYgaCMxQyJ5sEx5XQYusNLLa4XX6d_A_uH03uHPf94/w400-h400/Hai&Topsy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Swedish lyrics<br />International relevance: *<br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Hai & Topsy had a rather
colourful background. Hai, real name Heinrich Frankl, was born in
Wiesbaden in Germany to Jewish parents. He managed to flee from
Germany to Sweden only a few days before the outbreak of the Second
World War. (His parents were later killed in Auschwitz.) Here, he
acquainted other Jewish refugees and quickly learnt a number of
traditional Jiddisch songs from them. <br /><br />Hai recieved a monthly grant
from the Swedish quakers in the 40s, and thus he was able to attend
Stockholm's premiere art school Konstfack where he met Topsy, real
name Gunnel Wahlström. They soon became a couple and began
performing as a musical duo in restaurants and other places welcoming
their music. They became a pretty well-known act over time, and in
the 60s they teamed up with the ever-present Kjell Westling along
with other domestic folk musicians. Hai & Topsy's record debut
was already in 1959 with a six track EP on the Cupol label, only
marking the start of a long career spawning numerous of releases in
various formats.<br /><br />The politically oriented ”Jag sjunger ej om kungar, jag sjunger ej
om mord...” (”I sing not of kings, I sing not of murder”) with
subtitle ”De fattigas visor” (”songs of the poor”) was
released in 1974. There's not much to distinguish it from Hai &
Topsy's other albums, meaning it's chock full of traditional songs
performed in the most rosy-cheeked, jolly-jolly,
thumbs-up-all-day-long kind of way. They were part of the zeitgest,
but their personal stories are much more intriguing than ever their
music.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l_AyO82ZtgY-puEXL6SWnTcM9DVeXgmqo">Full album playlist</a> <br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-7903871114738122452023-12-29T11:19:00.003+01:002024-01-24T11:52:11.991+01:00JANNE GOLDMAN ROCK UND ROLL GRUPPE – Janne Goldman Rock Und Roll Gruppe (R&P, 1980)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmFqKh_v52nLezI-I1bbhH1cmhKSJq0kOuRh88ewIOJFmo5GhZExI31OzqofrDd8RfmYEb4rGgV3XH5fy2rSm4qmawbNB7JK09kz1oyWqmrUQljG110OkWCuXbxQnTzzhwJXPq5vrb-MVcWeBZHoIqN1-P-_S-fgMPGpf87jVbhEjfUuDUdN8ffjP-As/s600/Janne%20Goldman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmFqKh_v52nLezI-I1bbhH1cmhKSJq0kOuRh88ewIOJFmo5GhZExI31OzqofrDd8RfmYEb4rGgV3XH5fy2rSm4qmawbNB7JK09kz1oyWqmrUQljG110OkWCuXbxQnTzzhwJXPq5vrb-MVcWeBZHoIqN1-P-_S-fgMPGpf87jVbhEjfUuDUdN8ffjP-As/w400-h400/Janne%20Goldman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Swedish vocals<br />International relevance: *</div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Janne Goldman is one of the unsung
figures of the progg era, simply because he never was an out-and-out
progg artist. But there was often something freewheeling about his
music, even at its most traditional sounding, that has me including
him here (previously as one half of <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/search?q=gin+%26+grappo" target="_blank">Gin & Grappo</a>).
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">This album was his first under his own
name. Along with his backing band Rock Und Roll Gruppe he indeed
delivers a rocking album with a certain seedy vibe that at times
reminds me of <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/ensamma-hjartan-ensamma-hjartan-mnw.html" target="_blank">Ensamma Hjärtan</a> at their sleaziest. It's definitely
not to everyone's tastes being very much in the straight-ahead rock
mould, and it's not an album I long to hear over and over again, but
I have to admit that the music's scruffy demeanor is oddly appealing
and entertaining once I put it on. Even more surprising then that
Clarence Öwferman is credited as 'conductor' on the front cover –
Öwferman later became a star producer and hit it really big with his
appallingly slick and bombastic production work for Roxette!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=dO2QtjDQqNA&ab_channel=StefanLindstr%C3%B6m" target="_blank">Regnrockar och pisspottor</a> <br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-22009719275510784512023-12-28T15:04:00.003+01:002024-01-24T11:52:25.012+01:00SKROTBANDET – Övervintring (Nacksving, 1979)<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHfj0jvvbXM9RWhJ3vRtUgR1jQJdLDhPaSJlgLkkpsvFWg0Xc0zlISUErvcpS5HdOsqYh0DZ7WlLb78iiyT6y8OsjNcFUs3ciLaBv6Jt8cB5JRTkJrZhKAWC4cuQZhviJa3C_OAhskxWx3hRDXEYJY0sabKukBHnOpYAqxBiFoBezHSMx4rD0KSEVaEU/s600/Skrotbandet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHfj0jvvbXM9RWhJ3vRtUgR1jQJdLDhPaSJlgLkkpsvFWg0Xc0zlISUErvcpS5HdOsqYh0DZ7WlLb78iiyT6y8OsjNcFUs3ciLaBv6Jt8cB5JRTkJrZhKAWC4cuQZhviJa3C_OAhskxWx3hRDXEYJY0sabKukBHnOpYAqxBiFoBezHSMx4rD0KSEVaEU/w400-h400/Skrotbandet.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Instrumental<br />International relevance: **</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Skrotbandet's first entry to this blog
was with their second album <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2021/05/skrotbandet-afrocarib-nacksving-1980.html" target="_blank">”Afrocarib”</a> which is quite different
to this one, their first. While their infatuation with Latin and
Caribbean rhythms is on display already here, this is more of
a semi-fusion jazz effort with more groove than what your average <span lang="en">in
vitro fertilized jazz fusion album usually musters up. Maybe because
”Övervintring” is recorded live without having the spontaniety
scrubbed off in the studio. It's still a bit too far into trapeze
artist jazz for me (I particularily find the guitar solos pretty
annoying), but it must be said that the music nevertheless cooks with
a fair bit of enthusiasm and joy of playing. And it's better than "Afrocarib".<br /><br />No links found.<br /></span></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-33310828018908900632023-12-28T14:55:00.005+01:002024-01-30T18:05:42.338+01:00FABRIKSFLICKORNA – Makten och härligheten (MNW, 1980)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XOz0HnGSKMfAzseEuctf4u6tX83A5zLkX3z2EoJCWAM_4D58gogWyOMDs7TLA2G06jZwTj6nJqSFKej4VtAVPu3M5e-5DRuubK82N2feCG5g3jwv_oakSCoQmVsaWCJqgdBiyfTsLuMEWYjFg_8fDoQKOBqrvHrRfRTZnV4zl9GNt1EnsJzfASJhjaA/s608/Fabriksflickorna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XOz0HnGSKMfAzseEuctf4u6tX83A5zLkX3z2EoJCWAM_4D58gogWyOMDs7TLA2G06jZwTj6nJqSFKej4VtAVPu3M5e-5DRuubK82N2feCG5g3jwv_oakSCoQmVsaWCJqgdBiyfTsLuMEWYjFg_8fDoQKOBqrvHrRfRTZnV4zl9GNt1EnsJzfASJhjaA/w395-h400/Fabriksflickorna.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Swedish vocals<br />International relevance: *</div><p style="text-align: left;">It's hardly a secret that there's an endless stream of
absolutely terrible albums in the field of progg, and what unites
them is often the politics. It's message over music, and if it's
music from a theatrical play with an agenda, they're usually so bad
they're bound to give you a slight brain damage. I still suffer from
having heard <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/bruksteatern-palestina-mitt-blod-min.html" target="_blank">Bruksteatern</a>, and I doubt I will ever fully recover from
that traumatic experience.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">”Fabriksflickorna – Makten och
härligheten” (”the factory girls – the power and the glory”)
falls into that same category, and dealing with the factory
seamstresses situation in Sweden at the same, it comes with the
mandatory feminist angle. The music is written by Gunnar Edander,
best known for <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-various-artists-special-3-feminist.html" target="_blank">”Jösses flickor”</a>, and performers include feminist
stahlwarts Suzanne Osten (who wrote the actual play) and Lena
Söderblom. That should tell you all exactly what it sounds like: the
one perky tune after the other sung by too many voices at once in the
bloated righteous spirit of collectivity. I don't hear even one
passable track here; if there is one faintly decent song among the
lot, it's immediately ruined by the suffocating atmosphere of pompous
smugness.<br /><br />No links found<br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-73649240680145889812022-10-06T10:43:00.004+02:002024-01-24T11:53:07.738+01:00BRITTA LINDELL – How Would I Like (Prophone, 1973) / Waiting For The Next Sunrise (Caprice, 1981)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4s8Edq0Mr8jZHQ5tNks-611gXoK9ElqNLGIkE8uoa3aWsAAgRMMX6T8OXHr7SHpzCjiM4HMPOU8KtW3BlnCPuKwVq917ugTxcPJRWS-9EF-8l2WhODE7YIPomLIPedveRW0HTJ-VUuY-Qdp63zyblukRSttWg-UaCKofv-comFBoEKYxom7qz47RZ/s600/BrittaLindell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4s8Edq0Mr8jZHQ5tNks-611gXoK9ElqNLGIkE8uoa3aWsAAgRMMX6T8OXHr7SHpzCjiM4HMPOU8KtW3BlnCPuKwVq917ugTxcPJRWS-9EF-8l2WhODE7YIPomLIPedveRW0HTJ-VUuY-Qdp63zyblukRSttWg-UaCKofv-comFBoEKYxom7qz47RZ/w400-h200/BrittaLindell.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals, English vocals, other
languages, instrumental<br />International relevance: **<br /></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Certainly
one of the most curious entries here, Britta Lindell's music defies
any easy categorization. If there was one artist worthy of the buzz
phrase 'thinking outside the box', then it might as well be her. It's
definitely not jazz, it's not folk, it's not classical, I don't even know if
it's prog or progg but it's definitely progressive in the sense it
doesn't sound quite like anything else.<br /><br />Lindell was born in
Lisbon in 1943 and moved around Europe, and as a trained alto
violinist she had played with several European symphony orchestras
before settling down in 1970 in a cottage in Västmanland, an area
west of Uppsala and Stockholm. She mastered more than 50 instruments
of different kinds including the piembalo, a prepared piano she came
up with herself. Over the years, she worked as teacher, and briefly
as a choreographer for the Swedish national television, wrote music
for the stage and even a contribution the Eurovision Song Contest in
1986 that never got as far as to the actual competition. <br /><br />Her
debut album appeared already in 1973, with ”How I Would Like” on
the independent label Prophone. A curious mix of folk music from
around the world, baroque and renaissance music, and something that
was simply Britta Lindell's own mind, with some lyrics from Swedish
poet Nils Ferlin and William Shakespeare. At times she reminds me of
both Iva Bittová and Dagmar Krause but with more of a playful
tongue-in-cheek humour. Although she draws from a plethora of
'high-brow' influences, she never fell prey to pretentiousness. The
album is fun, and Lindell's approach is almost that of a child
discovering the world through magical thinking. Through charm she
tunes you gently to her wavelength; she makes you not listen <i>to</i>
her music, but to listen to it <i>with</i> her.<br /><br />It took until
1981 before she released her next album, ”Waiting For The Next
Sunrise” on Caprice Records. It pretty much follows along the lines
of ”How I Would Like”, but it sounds a bit more elaborate, more
developed and with a greater emphasis on the renaissance strain. It's
still a good album, and still clearly original, but it feels a bit
more contained and therefore lacks some of the wide-eyed freshness of
the debut. The best track on ”Waiting For The Next Sunrise” might
be the last one, the strangely eerie and suite-like ”The Next
Sunrise”.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Britta Lindell released one further
album called ”Lights” plus a single of her rejected ESC song
”Simsalabim”, both on the Siljum label in 1986.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Lindell passed away in 2000, leaving a
slim but highly original and often intriguing recorded legacy
behind.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l24XM4P-EPY" target="_blank">How Would I Like full album<br />Waiting For The Next Sunrise full album playlist</a></p>SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-70124911451167917472022-10-06T10:42:00.006+02:002024-01-24T11:57:42.493+01:00JERUSALEM – Complete albums 1978-1981<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ny20zoLKuW0Xi7IuPWVOi0VSOdMXZ93w39Q8vaR04cR9NGCN3Y2w17ZSK5Dx9Q39vmxK2rJfZPn4IiYGkzyGM4k5W--JQvM2d7sKkz5zosphX3ey2U1qKAmeIS-yo2_dcN4ZkWJLk3jBBaPU79tOBo1u9jfrDL2eVxGraqG43XdWxn-HEF6s_UQf/s600/Jerusalem.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ny20zoLKuW0Xi7IuPWVOi0VSOdMXZ93w39Q8vaR04cR9NGCN3Y2w17ZSK5Dx9Q39vmxK2rJfZPn4IiYGkzyGM4k5W--JQvM2d7sKkz5zosphX3ey2U1qKAmeIS-yo2_dcN4ZkWJLk3jBBaPU79tOBo1u9jfrDL2eVxGraqG43XdWxn-HEF6s_UQf/w400-h400/Jerusalem.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish
vocals<br />International relevance: */**<br /></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Jerusalem was the most
popular Christian rock band Sweden had to offer at the time, reaching
listeners far outside the religious circuits, even playing to foreign
audiences. Founded near Gothenburg, they had a lot of the
straight-ahead, dry sound typical to the late 70s bands of the area.
Jerusalem was mainly a mainstream band but earned their popularity
from their touches of hard rock and boogie rock. Their first album
(sometimes referred to as ”Volym 1”) was released in 1978 and is
an undigstinguished effort that fails to make much of an impression,
with lacklustre sound and mediocre writing.<br /><br />”Volym 2” is
slightly heavier, slightly better produced, and slightly better. The
most interesting tracks (without being <i>that</i> interesting) are
”Getsemane” and the extended ”Introduktion” which both
features some progg characteristics.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Third album ”Krigsman” is probably
the best one here overall, and also the most progressive one thanks
to the title track with passionate vocals from Jerusalem main man Ulf
Christiansson, ”Moderne man” which is the top track in this
collection, and the 12 minute epic ”Sodom”. <br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">This might
give you the idea that Jerusalem are at least occasionally
worthwhile, but I can't say they are. Most of the time they're
mediocre and dull. Even duller is Ulf Christiansson's solo album ”I
mina drömmar” released as Uffe in 1982, a painfully boring collection of radio
friendly dross that shows hardly any of Jerusalem's heavier side
which after all is their strongest point.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lvZL_xUiX2CMo2tjZPo5juPXsm3avl-k8" target="_blank"><br />Jerusalem full album playli</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lvZL_xUiX2CMo2tjZPo5juPXsm3avl-k8" target="_blank">st<br /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mYWD5uq7RQMSB1UR_hwmZHySCyeR45tOM" target="_blank">Volym 2 full album playlist</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ntTFRlTRm2d8STFIgWjRDcJomC3VOijf4" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ntTFRlTRm2d8STFIgWjRDcJomC3VOijf4" target="_blank">Krigsman full album playlist<br /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lpM5VLGAIZYKyy1b32wuS5guMwAd0WISY" target="_blank">I mina drömmar full album playlist</a><br /></p>
SwedishProggBloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12697976476750315026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358523447470546998.post-4843374980360937602022-10-06T10:42:00.005+02:002024-01-24T11:54:25.595+01:00INGEMAR OLSSON MED FLERA – I alla fall (Polydor, 1973)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3s0uGtMH9tmShsIAH9WRYof02RdwunTOKS6GejaZ7fAA1RNacif-SnTk2FZqsYHQ3mn3JN3gcJOyMsSv9zGZ0diG87owWYDsPpfqQHIKeNFximNR5KgQfxpBPNFnoDzjMT_z47k8q8vWfmHLNstbsqRT1b9LEutyFqtYWYvwhVh_3FAxGrlbSpXX/s600/ingemarolsson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3s0uGtMH9tmShsIAH9WRYof02RdwunTOKS6GejaZ7fAA1RNacif-SnTk2FZqsYHQ3mn3JN3gcJOyMsSv9zGZ0diG87owWYDsPpfqQHIKeNFximNR5KgQfxpBPNFnoDzjMT_z47k8q8vWfmHLNstbsqRT1b9LEutyFqtYWYvwhVh_3FAxGrlbSpXX/w400-h400/ingemarolsson.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Swedish vocals<br />International relevance:
*<br /></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Ingemar Olsson has already appeared on this blog once, with
his 1970 debut album ”<a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2022/06/ingemar-olsson-livs-levande-teamton-1970.html" target="_blank">Livs levande</a>”. This is Olsson's third
album, and inbetween the two albums he had acquired a higher degree
of self-confidence. ”I alla fall” is basically a Christian
singer/songwriter album with upfront rock and pop aspirations, but it
has nevertheless a few progg ties which I think make it worth
mentioning. <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/tomas-ernvik-vatten-albums-1972-1980.html" target="_blank">Tomas Ernvik</a> collaborator Agneta Gilstig appears on
backing vocals on most of the tracks, and guitarist Björn Linder is
known from albums by <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/sam-ellison-sam-ellison-metronome-1971.html" target="_blank">Sam Ellison</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/08/blues-annika-blues-annika-nacksving-1980.html" target="_blank">Blues Annika</a>, <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/07/runeson-runeson-polar-1974.html" target="_blank">Runeson </a>and <a href="https://swedishprogg.blogspot.com/2018/09/ola-magnell-complete-albums-1974-1981.html" target="_blank">Ola Magnell</a> to name but a few. Also, two of the album's three cover
choices are fairly stirring, namely ”Kom om du vill” which is an
energetic Swedish take on Bob Dylan's ”Quinn the Eskimo” and a
rowdy and similarly Swedish version of Joni Mitchell's ”Woodstock”.
<br /><br />Beware of later re-recordings of the songs!<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdu_47Of20Y" target="_blank"><br />Tänker man efter</a><br /></p>
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