Swedish lyrics
International relevance: ***
Highly acclaimed progressive outfit,
often compared to Kaipa and Norweigan prog band Junipher Green.
Inspiration came from Deep Purple in particular, but they still come
across as a hard rock version of Swedish teenage star/teen idol of
the 70's Ted Gärdestad. Yes, the playing is enthusiastic and they
obviously enjoy what they're doing but no matter how much I listen to
the band's sole album, it strikes me as vastly overrated. It's decent
in parts, but nowhere near such a classic many claim it to be. The
lyrics try hard to look intellectual but rarely elevate above the
level of embarassing naivety. That will hardly bother anyone not
understanding Swedish, so perhaps the major reason for ”Blåkulla's”
reputation is one so common within the collector crowd: loud guitars.
And organs.
Blåkulla began their career in 1971 as
Kendal. They came from Gothenburg on the Swedish West Coast, and
recorded a couple of songs in 1974 before original bassist Steinar
Arnason left the band to join Iceland (guess their origin!).
Recordings from this '74 session were added to the original album as
bonus tracks when it was released on CD in the mid 90's. When Arnason
left, Blåkulla were close to disbanding, but were persuaded by the
Anette label to record an album. Why Anette showed such an
unadulterated interest is
something of a mystery, given that the label was run by popular
Swedish dance band Cool Candys. Maybe they simply wanted to jump the
progg bandwagon. The album was released in 1,000 copies and the
entire run was sold out in a whizz, making it the desirable
collector's item it is today. After the album was released, organist
Bo Ferm left the band which finally called it quits in at the very
end of 1975.
Judging
by the 1974 recordings, the band obviously had a clear vision from
the start, and their eponymous release was simply a matter of
refining their sound.
After
the split, drummer Hannes Råstam went on to form lesser known band
Text & Musik who put out two forgettable albums in the second
half of the 70's. He also played drums in Björn Afzelius' back-up
band Globetrotters, and offered his drumming services to several
other progg acts over the years. However, most people know Råstam
from his excellent work as an investigative journalist for TV, a work
which rendered him several desirable journalist awards. Råstam died
in January 2012 but his book on Thomas Quick, a Swedish serial killer
who Råstam tried to prove innocent in a book released posthumously,
is currently subject to serious debate in Sweden, causing questions
as to the reliability of the Swedish juridical system.
Guitarist
Mats Öberg has left rock music for classical guitar, and he also
works as a doctor.
”Blåkulla” is an acknowledged classic and a rarity, but as far as I go, it certainly isn't worth the amount of money people ask for it.
Full album playlist with bonus tracks
Hannes played Bass
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