OCEAN – Andra vågen (SoundPort, 2003; rec. 70s-80s)

  
English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Ocean started out as Spänn Fläsket, then changed their name to Brandlarm before settling for Ocean in time for their self-released debut 45 ”See Everybody” c/w ”Bad Things” in 1978. A second also privately released followed in 1980, the Swedish language ”Drömmar om silver” with ”Dialog på Kungsgatan” on the flip. Collectors will probably know them best from their sole full length album, ”The But” which also proved to be their final original outing in 1981.

Although a reasonably sought after LP, it's still a bit surprising that a collection of rare stuff and unreleased recordings would surface in the early 00's. But so it did. Entitled ”Andra vågen”, the CD compiles both their singles, some album cuts and live selections. Thus you get a fair overview of what the band was like. It's not top stuff -- Ocean sound a lot like any fairly well rehearsed band between semipunk, not-quite-hard-rock and beer drinking rock'n'roll found in just about any city and village in Sweden around this time. It's OK, it even grows a bit with the listens, but I doubt it will knock anyone over. Worth noting is their cover choice, Pugh Rogefeldt's early classic ”Jag är en liten pojk”.

One of their heavier tracks is unfortunately missing from here, "Endstation" which was previously included on the 3LP 1981 V/A comp "Rockslaget" with local bands from Karlshamn. Odd, especially as the other track on that album, "Backstage", is included.

Full album playlist
"Endstation" from "Rockslaget" 

EMIGRANTORKESTERN – Nylonrock och mollskinn (Folksång, 1982)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Emigrantorkestern's first album had some documentary value, but it's hard to find any value at all in their second one. Way too heavy on the humour, ”Nylonrock och mollskinn” sounds like a free-for-all between Skäggmanslaget, Grus I Dojjan and Aston Reymers Rivaler. Best track is the melancholy ”Gengångare”, but that is completely overshadowed by an idiotic rock'n'roll pastiche, fake cajun and plastic bluegrass. And oh, it was released on Fria Proteatern's label Folksång. That surely didn't help their cause.

Two album tracks were also released as a single, and Emigrantorkestern made one further album, "Rårivet" in 1983.

Full A side  
Full B side 

LASSE ENGLUND – Den andra depressionen (Alternativ, 1977)

 
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

Lasse Englund's second and final album for Kjell Höglund's Alternativ imprint, following two years after his lovely debut ”Drakväder”. During that time, Englund broadened his musical palette, adding influences from African and Caribbean music, rock, jazz, and contemporary singer/songwriters to the folk baroque stylings that made ”Drakväder” such a sweet and delicate album. It's an admittedly more diverse album, which is another way of saying less focused. I really appreciate Englund as an acoustic guitarist steeped in the tradition of the great British fingerpickers, and while there are a couple of short examples of that on ”Den andra depressionen”, they're too few and far inbetween. Englund is neither the most distinctive songwriter (or cover chooser), nor the most engaging singer, so leaving his strictly instrumental work for songs with vocals isn't his best move for a winsome record. ”Den andra depressionen” is nice and pleasant but forgettable.

Worth noting is that Kjell Höglund wrote lyrics to four of the songs, while Turid provides backing vocals to one track.

No links found 

NYNNINGEN – 50 (Eggmusic, 2023; rec. 1972-2021)

   
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

I never understood what the fuss with Nynningen was all about. I've always thought they were a more overtly political but less talented little brother to Nationalteatern. A couple of OK songs, most notably ”För full hals”, but mostly just mediocre Gothenburg progg rock. Furthermore, I think their canonized singer Totta Näslund was a bore. Still, Nynningen's music has such staying power to many that they reformed by the end of 2016, even releasing new music to this day (obviously without Näslund who passed away in 2005).

”50” is a compilation album released in 400 copies to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2023 (which is odd as their first album came in 1972). It contains previously unreleased recordings, both old and new, with five out of the eleven songs being recorded between 1972 and 1979. Only one track has been available before albeit in a longer version, ”Ungkarlslåt” which was released on Nacksving comp ”Ett samlat grepp från Götet”.

The strange thing about ”50” is that I think it's much better than any of their proper albums. Even more surprising is that some of the tracks from 2016-2021 are among the better on the album, especially a vivid, extended live take of ”Atlantiska oceanen” (originally on ”För full hals”). But more interesting to this blog are of course the 70s tracks. We get a loose and unleashed ”För full hals”, and a much more urgent ”Balladernas konst” from a 1972 radio/TV simulcast, with hard lead guitar substituting the album version's flute. Also, an unexpected Swedish cover of Roy Harper's ”I Hate The White Man”, recorded in 1979 and named ”Jag hatar maktens herrar”.

Given the broad time frame, the sound variations, and the fact that new tracks are mixed in with old tracks, ”50” is pretty inconsistent and doesn't hold up as a cohesive album. But it was never meant as such to begin with but as an alternative overview of Nynningen's career. It's not intended as a substitute but as a complement. The jumbled chronology bothers me a bit, but with a few relevant and/or superior versions of some of their better tracks, it's still well worth hearing. 

Full album playlist 

PIERRE STRÖM & FINN ZETTERHOLM – Första maj: 11 socialistiska sånger (YTF, 1973)

   

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Neither Pierre Ström nor Finn Zetterholm are strangers to this blog, but this is the only album they did together. Not that I mourn that fact, because I'm not a fan of any of them and this one double bill effort is more than enough.

The album title means ”First of May (11 Socialist Songs)”, and it's entirely dedicated to songs associated with Labour Day and the labour movement. And it sounds just like a political rally, with Ström & Zetterholm predictably opening with ”L'Internationale” before yelping their way through Swedish versions of Socialism's Greatest Hits like ”Bandiera Rossa”, ”The Partisan” and ”Warschawjanka” (one of the better songs in this field). Despite utilizing the talents of usual suspects Janne Schaffer, Göran Lagerberg, Jan Bandel and a handful of other experienced studio faithfuls, most of it sounds pretty much like any album of this ilk. "Warschawjanka" has some wah-wah guitar colour and there's somewhat unusual drum pattern at the end of ”Bandiera Rossa”, but it's only details that can't save the album.

Cover variations exist, some with a sticker with album title and the artists' names on front, some with no such info at all on the front sleeve.

Första maj / Partisansången / Bandiera Rossa / Världens alla slavar vakna  / Komintern  / Warschawjanka / Riegohymnen/ Socialisternas marsch 

THE AUDIENCE / DEDE – Världsvan nervositet (He He Production, MC 1982)

 

Swedish vocals, spoken word

International relevance: -

Mysterious and bizarre, this tape-only split release was released locally in Gothenburg in assumingly extremely small numbers in 1982. It's hard to say what genre it actually is except that DeDe's 10 minute portion is poetry reading. DeDe (real name André Carlsson) was reputedly a regional underground legend of sorts, but his poetic talent is limited. His poems here (some of them recorded in front of an audience) concern the bleakest side of a grey concrete society, but he fails to come up with much apart from clichés about a pitiful suburbian life in Sweden in the early 80s. Some long 10 minutes right there.

Part one of the tape is wasted on The Audience, apparently a duo consisting of Hans and Edgar (”the true mods” according to the tape card). One of them beats anti-rhythmically on drums (occasionally anti-rythmically strumming an acoustic guitar) while the other one recites seemingly improvised lyrics about... what exactly? A whopping 32 tracks are listed on the cover (one of them written by Lou Reed, or so it says) but running for a mere 24 minutes, it's hard to call them actual songs. It's more like a fatiguing flow of complete nothingness, like a cross between Malaria and an Imp.Ink totally devoid of any tension, talent or musicality. A vaporous miasma from the lowest sediments of underground culture.

Sometimes dubbed ”post punk”, sometimes ”electronic”, ”Världsvan nervositet” is neither. The true genre name is ”utter rubbish”, and I'd be thrilled to hear why the guy on Discogs who paid almost 80 quid for this shit paid almost 80 quid for this shit. Grab a random artifact at your nearest garbage dump and it will be both better and cheaper.

Full tape

STINA NORDSTRÖM – Blandade känslor (Wisa, 1980)

 

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Second full length album from Stina Nordström. The first one was released on Kjell Höglund's Alternativ label, whereas this was out on the Wisa imprint.

The Turid similarities established on her debut ”Skugga i din pupill” persist on ”Blandade känslor” (=”mixed feelings”). There's no clear highpoint here on the level of ”Vildöga, grönöga” on the first album, but there's a couple of rather appealing tracks including the folksy ”Vem e' du” and ”Hildas hemliga visa”.

The album in general displays a wide range of styles including blues, jazz and rock but not to great results. Tracks like ”Röda gubben” and ”Flytvästblues” are downright terrible much because of Nordström horrific vocal overacting. Best neglected.

Full side A 
Full side B