MAMBA – Mamba (Sonet, 1979)

Instrumental 

International relevance: ***

Housed in a stunning sleeve, the cover art is the best thing about this album. Musically it's typical jazz funk fusion that was popular in Sweden in the latter half of the 70's. Extremely competent with a strong Egba vibe, but also utterly dull. Sweden was obviously very proud of its many fusionists back then, but no matter how much we patted our own jazz funk heads we rarely came up with anything above average. OK, so ”Liten vit funk” and ”Älgen dansar” are decent tracks, but why I should listen to Swedish run-of-the-mill bands when I can listen to Miles Davis, Mahavishnu or even early Weather Report if that's what I need is beyond me. And why I should listen to a second rate Egba when the real Egba bore me stiff most of the time is an even greater mystery. But if you're a fan of Swedish jazz funk, then ”Mamba” is worth the effort to seek it out.

One Mamba track is found on the ”Between or Beyond the Northern Lights” compilation of Nordic fusion released in 2002.

Worth noting is that guitar player Mats Norrefalk had previosly been in Saga along with November's Christer Stålbrandt. Norrefalk also played on Thomas Wiehe's 1978 album ”Två vindar”.

 

Full album

KONTINUERLIG DRIFT – Kontinuerlig Drift (Trixie, 1977)

Swedish vocals/Instrumental

 International relevance: ***

This band came to life in the early 70's as Hela Havet Stormar, but it wasn't until 1977 they got an album together. Members were from different places but as Kontinuerlig Drift they were based in Uppsala. The album however was recorded in Gävle. Drummer was Tomo Wihma who had been in Panta Rei. But if anyone hopes for Kontinuerlig Drift to be a band of similar musical precision as Panta Rei, you approach the album with the wrong expections. I've no idea as regards the leisure habits of this seven-piece, but the album certainly sounds nicely stoned. Some people claim it's a jazz rock album, but mind you, it takes more than one saxophone and an electric piano to create anything close to jazz. Kontinuerlig Drift has more in common with two chord kraut jamming. Tobias Petterson informs us that they used to keep jamming on the same idea for an hour in an Amon Düül fashion, and the music on the album is indeed pretty open-ended at times. Some of it sounds decidedly impromptu, and Petterson actually slags it by saying it leaves much to be desired. Well, the playing isn't spot on, and it has its fair share of sour notes, but if you get along with Träd, Gräs OchStenar (who's never learned to play properly in their half century career), I can't see why you would have any troubles getting into Kontinuerlig Drift.

It's quite atypical for a 1977 album, instrumentally somewhere along the lines of early Arbete & Fritid and a style quite far from the sounds of the day, even in progg. They're a quite drone happy bunch, and that really comes to the fore in folkish numbers such as the wonderful ”Liksom en herdinna” and the guitar fuelled ”Linas Lek/Gånglåt från vettet”. They mix instrumentals with vocal tracks; the latter often with a pronounced dislike for American politics. Opening track ”Terroristen” is still chillingly accurate; a quick translation of the first verse reads:”Some that kill one or two people are called terrorists, but if you kill millions in foreign territories, you get called a patriot and a great man”.

The weakest track is ”Svarta dagar, svarta nätter” which sounds like a sloppy Jorma Kaukonen blues with a drunken Papa John Creach on violin. Thankfully, the blues is restricted to this one pointless track. Most of ”Kontinuerlig Drift” plays in the druggy drone zone. Despite the sometimes insufficient instrumental skills of some of the players, it's an album that keeps you listening and draws you back time and time again. It's a much more psychedelic album than many albums passed on as such. It's unfortunately also very rare; a mere 300 copies were pressed by the band and it's highly unlikely that they were ever distrubuted nationwide, let alone internationally. A lot of people would argue against it being essential, but it's certainly not an album I'd like to live without.

The somewhat Rick Griffin inspired album art was made by Ola Claesson (who died in 2009). Claesson also designed a Stockholm restaurant!

Several members went on to join the less interesting Turmans Band, Piano player Alf Arvidsson has recorded various 45's with several bands. He was also in Mora Träsk, Mobben and Gudibrallan. He's now an ethonology professor, having for instance classes in music ethnotlogy.Tomo Vihma and his brother Cary died many years ago. 

"Linas lek/Gånglåt från vettet"
"Indianens blod"
"Liksom en herdinna"

Two tracks by Hela Havet Stormar:
"Tolfta jam"
"Bläcklösen jam"

MENDOZA – Mendoza (CBS, 1972)

English vocals 

International relevance: **

Poor Mendoza got away. Released a couple of years too late, when music and aesthetics were already beginning to change, ”Mendoza” never really got much of attention. Today, it's a largely forgotten album. The fact that one track was included in the ”Pregnant Rainbows for Colourblind Dreamers” box set hasn't done much for establishing a Mendoza buzz among fans and collectors. Perhaps its reputation of being a Latin flavoured, Santana inspired record stands in the way as well. Perhaps the name Mendoza inspired this reputation; Mendoza is a very common family name in Latin America. Perhaps the album cover simply put people off, being one of the ugliest to ever come out of a Swedish printing press.

Now, the Latin influence has been vastly overstated, so anyone allergic to Santana rhythms can stop worry. I really don't know who started that rumour, but it seems that those who have actually heard the album rather stick to hearsay rthan listen to how the music actually sounds. While it does have some Latin influences, most of the album is heavy pop rock with strong melodies, excellent playing and soulful (but never overwrought) vocals. There's flute, a bit of Lesley vocals, driving guitars, wah wahs and loud pounding bass. Had it been released in the US or in perhaps more fittingly in the UK in 1969, this would have been heralded as an undisputed classic. But, as things went, this came out in Sweden where Pugh had changed the language of rock lyrics to Swedish, Fläsket Brinner pointed out new directions with their debut album the previous year, and Mendoza were two years behind on Arbete & Fritid's innovative blend of jazz, drone, folk and rock. Why would anyone care about an album so blatantly advocating the sounds of yesterday?

Forty years later, those things don't matter. Today it stands out as an excellent piece of work. Hadn't it been for the braindead cover of ”Jambalaya”, the only non original track, there wouldn't have been a single inferior track on this album. It might be that choosing ”Jambalaya” as the only 45 from ”Mendoza” killed the album completely. Very bad career move.

Opening cut ”Jojk” boils with energy and enthusiasm, adding a folk element to the lush and splendorous mix. ”Steamship” has a beautiful, catchy melody that wouldn't have been out of place on a late 60's UK pop album classic. ”Hello, Hello” has the band in a slight progressive blues mood. ”A Sinful Man” is guitar heavy prog-ish rock with vague hints at Spencer Davis chestnut ”Gimme Some Lovin'”. ”Pregnant Rainbows” selection ”The Grateful Salesman & Co” take fine use of the flute to lace an already wonderful melody. And on it goes, with one brilliant track after the other. Exclude ”Jambalaya” and you have an album that's a genuine pleasure to listen to all through.

Based miles away from the big cities of Sweden, in Linköping, Mendoza toured all the Nordic countries, Great Britain and the Netherlands, to no avail. The album sank without a trace. Whatever happened to the members is beyond my knowledge. Some of them had been in bands prior to Mendoza, such as Magazine Story which even had a single out, but as far as I know, none of them turned up on another album after Mendoza. It's a sad story for such a hugely talented band. This is a classic, it's just that no-one seems to know it yet. 

Full album

FIGARO – Figaro (CBS, 1976)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

It's fair to call Figaro a supergroup. Members Anders Nordh and Palle Sundlin had previously been in Life, Resan, King George Discovery and Baltik. Nordh was also part of, for instance, Tages extension Blond. Sundlin also played bass on Lasse Tennander's 1974 debut album ”Lars Vegas”. Singer and guitarist Peter Lundbladh had done session work for several artists and would continue doing so long after Figaro split up. He had a successful solo career, and most Swedes remember him for his painfully annoying summer hit ”Ta mig till havet”. He was also in Nailband alongside Figaro drummer Tommy Andersson, who, like Sundlin and Lundbladh, also had done stints with Lasse Tennander. The same goes for Torbjörn Eklund who had been in the obscure outfit Opponer, and later went on to play on a couple of Bo Hansson albums, as well as the second solo album from Kebnekajse's Mats Glenngård. So it's easy to see that when Figaro got together as Duga (a pun on a Swedish expression that's impossible to translate), it was a pretty seasoned lot. In time for recording sessions for their only album, they changed their name to Figaro. It was recorded in the end of 1975, and released the following year by CBS.

The CBS label gives a clue to what they sound like. This isn't a hardboiled progg album filled to the brim with leftwing social criticism. On the contrary, it's a rather commercial sounding effort, and the band did in fact score a hit with ”Framåt” culled from the album as their only single (backed with ”DJ”, also taken from the album). The sound isn't far removed from other commercial acts of the times such as Landslaget, and sometimes there are even slight hints at teen idol Ted Gärdestad. To be honest, it's an album that I don't really want to like.

But I can help but doing so. The songs are incredibly well crafted with some imaginative chord changes. The melodies may be on the smooth side but they are simply irresistable. The playing is, as you can imagine, on the top of the heap, with Nordh in good shape. The production is dense and rich; especially the acoustic guitars have a full, ringing sound. Songs range from the mellow, Crosby Stills Nash & Young-like ”Fjärilen och katten” full of shimmering, to the heavy(ish) ”Hem” which is as far as the album ventures into progg territory.

It does have some real clunkers too though. The social commentary on cannabis use in ”Harry Brass” (translates to ”Harry Pot”) is naïve and the song is simply moronic. Equally idiotic is ”En hypokondrikers bekännelse”, but that one is short at leasta, clocking in on just over one minute. Hit single ”Framåt” might not be the best example of the album's qualities but it still has some odd appeal. The lesser tracks are in a minority, and it's tracks like the previously mentioned ”Fjärilen och katten” and ”Hem”, along with the beautiful ”Höst”, the rocking ”Hjältars hjältar”, and the lush ballad ”Egen kvinna” that defines the album.

Commercial or not, I can't help but give in to ”Figaro”.

Full album playlist

KNUTNA NÄVAR – De svarta listornas folk (Proletärkultur, 1973)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Whenever someone wants to poke fun at progg music, they pull out a band like Knutna Nävar with a nasty sneer to prove just what kind of leftwing fundamentalists that made up the progg movement of the 70's. Thing is, it doesn't prove anything except that even the Movement had its maniacs too. Because although the Movement (”Musikrörelsen” in Swedish, see ”Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music” for a comprehensive description) very often had leftwing sympathies, few were as far left or proclaimed their politics with such a religious fervour as Knutna Nävar. They were affiliated with KPML(r), a revolutionary party to the extreme left, and basically the musical spokespeople for the party.

In ”99 proggplattor”, an anthology of 100 (!) newly written progg reviews, Stefan Wermelin (famous radio host and founder of the Musiklaget label) sums it up, very accurately, this way: ”The album is worth listening to as a historical document, a musical trip into the past, performed with great gusto and conviction. Two of the songs' lyrics, 'De svarta listornas folk' and 'Hundra procent' were written by Arthur Magnusson, a Swedish revolutionary poet in the 20's and 30's. It works, as long as the lyrics originates in a time when choices were between nazism and communism. More recent lyrics, on the other hand, appear unintentionally parodic.”

Wermelin states that albums such as this were not the kind of albums that were regularly played among proggers. ”They rather belonged in the Party's office”, as he puts it. It's important to remember this every time someone tries to dismiss the entire progg movement on the grounds of one band and a coterie of airheads only. Knutna Nävar were extremists tributing Stalin, most overtly in the infamous ”Sången om Stalin” in which they call the dictator ”our friend and our comrade”.

But still. It's hard to entirely dismiss Knutna Nävar because they did have their merits. They could weave a couple of excellent songs, and they had a couple of prominently executed covers. Just listen to ”Strejken på Arendal” on this, their last album. An irresistably rocking version of the American traditional ”John Hardy”, translated to tell the story of a wildcat strike at the Arendal shipyard in October 1972. (They had previously covered the Creedence Clearwater Revival chestnut ”Proud Mary”, as ”Lär av historien”.) They also had a natural flair for slightly psychy originals in a predominantly acoustic folk vein. A track like ”Greppet hårdnar” is nothing less than excellent, but it's hard to stomach the extreme message even to someone of more moderate leftwing opinions.

At first I considered ”De svarta listornas folk” to be of mainly domestic interest, but the more I think about it, the more I believe that foreigners may appreciate it the most, simply because the lyrics won't get in their way. If this was performed in a language I can't speak, I would probably feel less uncomfortable listening to it. Because it's a largely good album, but just about impossible to listen to due to the lyrics. Oddly enough, Knutna Nävar remain popular among a lot of people, although it's hard to say if it's because of the lyrics or in spite of them, or whether they take the lyrics seriously or not.

Whatever happened to many of the members of Knutna Nävar is largely shrouded in mystery, but Swedish actor Sven Wollter was involved in an earlier incarnation of the band (Freedom Singers). Main musicians on ”De svarta listornas folk” include Bengt Franzén, Brita Josefson, Mattias Lundälv, Lars Gerdin and Thomas Ellerås. Gerdin played congas on Proletärkultur stablemate Dan Berglund's leftist classic ”En järnarbetares visor”, while Thomas Ellerås was also in Folk Blues Inc and other bands. He's an opera singer today.

KPML(r) changed their name to Kommunistiska Partiet in 2005, and as such they still run Proletärkultur, offering mostly leftwing literature.

Full album playlist

SUGET – Suget (Suget Musik, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Little known album from a nationally and internationally largely completely unknown band.

Suget came from Sollefteå in the North of Sweden. At the time of recording their sole, privately released album, they consisted of a full nine people, including a horn section. They got together as early as in 1976. Their reputation grew slowly in their area, and after an outdoors gig in their hometown, they recorded ”Suget”. Singer Leif Lundberg wrote most of the slightly peculiar lyrics, while bass player Leif Lundberg penned much of the music. The band was very busy during the first years following the release, but in the mid 80's activities slowed down, although Lundberg states that they never really disbanded, only took breaks of various lengths. That said, it wasn't until 1996 that they appeared on stage for a first comeback show in Sollefteå. By the beginning of September 2012, they performed their most recent show, with songs mostly drawn from the album, but they also included a couple of recently penned songs. During the 00's, keyboard player Morgan Sjöqvist played pub gigs being Mogge in the Håkan & Mogge duo. For georgraphical reasons, questions have been raised as to possible connections with Wildmarken, also from the Sollefteå area, but as for now, nothing along those lines has been confirmed.

”Suget” was recorded in Ullånger, a few miles outside the city of Kramfors. It's a competent affair and quality sounding effort of basically pretty straightforward rock, although some tracks have a funky swagger. Tracks like ”Tomtar och troll” and ”Våren” even have a very appealing folk rock touch that actually reminds of UK folkers Spriguns. (If you play ”Tomtar och troll” and Spriguns' ”Dead Man's Eyes” back to back, you will notice the similarities.) Songwriting is surprisingly good and the performances are inspired. Although the songs aren't amazingly innovative, it still sounds fresh and genuine. Apart from tracks already mentioned, favourites include the flute laced ”Jag står på min himmel”, and ”En drömmare” with a distinct Latin influence and vocals slightly reminiscent of outsider hero D.R. Hooker.

Full album

BLÅ SCHÄFER – Blå Schäfer (Blå Schäfer, 1975)

Swedish vocals

International relevance **

Gothenburg based Blå Schäfer's only album is one of those that seems more interesting than it is. It's a decent effort, privately released in 1,000 copies, self distributed with an attractive cover, but it never quite takes off. Llyrics are often non rhymed and socially conscious in a leftwing fashion, dealing with environmental issues, imperialism, nazism and the life of ordinary people. Musically it's pretty standard fare rock with some folkish and progressive touches, and truth is that the band weren't distinct songwriters enough to make the songs particularly interesting.

The album was recorded in singer and guitarist Olev Ott's summer house on two Revox machines, providing a basement feel. The mixing leaves something to be desired; vocals are too loud in the mix, and had they turned up the guitars a fair bit, the album would have sounded much more balanced. Ott isn't the greatest singer in the world, and the primitive production makes him sound rather intrusive at times. The best track is the instrumental ”Valsång” that rounds off the album in a slightly druggy, relaxed mood.

The band started out in 1971 and kept going for a long time. After one 1979 single and two tracks on the ”Göteborgsrock/Ytterrock” compilation in 1982, a revamped version of the band released the ”Ge freden en chans” EP in 1986 as Ott & Friends. The band played Amnesty festivals and several charity gigs in and around Gothenburg. In the mid 00s there were plans for a new CD but nothing seems to have come of it.

The album is quite rare but rarely very expensive. I seem to recall that Ott himself had copies for sale at record fairs where he was a familiar figure among record collectors.

"Stoppa freonen i spray"

ANNA SJÄLV TREDJE – Tussilago Fanfara (Silence, 1977)

Instrumental 

International relevance: ***

Ranked #24 on the blog's Top 25 list

Sometimes very much in the vein of Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Temple, Anna Själv Tredje would have fit nicely in with kraut rock's more cosmische acts, but to write them off simply as epigones is unfair. There's something decidedly Swedish to them, a strong sense of a mystical fir forest blended in with the outer space soundscapes. Or if you like, they are constantly travelling the border between a wonderful dream and a haunting nightmare.

Their three dimensional sound is highly evocative, and halfway through ”Inte utanför tiden” a distant fuzz guitar kicks in, hinting at emotions provoked by the majestic Älgarnas Trädgård. ”Tussilago Fanfara” is a 40 minute floating journey through the inner and outer space.

Anna Själv Tredje, who took their name from Leonardo da Vinci's painting ”The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne”, managed to release this one album only, but they did several sessions for Swedish radio show Tonkraft. One track from such a session was included in the compilation series ”Tonkraft”, on the ”1977-78” volume to be precise. ”Snöfall och daggyra” is only available on this various artists compilation, and their full Tonkraft recordings serve as an additional album since they consisted of entirely exclusive material. It's well worth tracking down those rare recordings if you like ”Tussilago Fanfara”.

Leonardo da Vinci's painting, c. 1510. 

Band members Mikael Bojén och Ingemar Ljungström founded Anna Själv Tredje already in 1971. It's unclear though when they eventually split up. This is how parts of the story goes: When Ljungström met Dan Söderquist from the aforementioned Älgarnas Trädgård, they formed Cosmic Overdose in 1978, together with Ragnarök's Kjell Karlgren. Cosmic Overdose released two albums (plus a few singles and a cassette-only album) of excellent electronic post punk. Ljungström took the stage name Karl Gasleben (sometimes Terminalkapten Gasleben) and Karlgren performed as Regnmakarn. In 1981 Cosmic Overdose became Twice A Man after Karlgren/Regnmakarn left the group. It seems possible though that Anna Själv Tredje and Cosmic Overdose had overlapping careers for a while, as one Per-Axel Stenström claims he played with Anna Själv Tredje for a while the early 80's, i.e. after Cosmic Overdose already was in full swing. So it's possible that Anna Själv Tredje gradually folded as Cosmic Overdose were catching speed.

At one time in the early 90's, Bojén played morning and evening shows in Slottskogen (the Central Park of Gothenburg, the stomping ground of both Anna Själv Tredje and Cosmic Overdose). According to one attendant, the performances sounded a lot like Klaus Schulze.

The stunning cover art to ”Tussilago Fanfara” was designed by the prolific Tom Benson, a noted photographer whose exceptional and suggestive photographic montages has been exhibited several times in art galleries in Sweden. Benson also took the picture of Nynningen for their ”För full hals” album, and he was a close friend of Freddie Wadling, one of Sweden's most remarkable vocalists ever. Benson unfortunately died in 2008. The cover of ”Tussilago Fanfara” fits Anna Själv Tredje's music perfectly.

Tussilago Fanfara full album
Tonkraft 1978

BLÅKULLA – Blåkulla (Anette, 1975)

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

THE UNDERGROUND FAILURE – The Underground Failure (Black Light, 1971)

English vocals

International relevance: ***

The Underground Failure album is best known for showing the unusual talent of John Holm for the first time. Only a year later, he released the classic ”Sordin” which properly launched his irregular and often intriguing solo career. Other members also became well known although not as musicians. Lasse Ermalm became a record cover designer on many a label's payrolls, and Stefan Wermelin later on became one of Sweden's most prominent radio producers.

The Underground Failure started out in the late 60's, and as John Holm's first solo single was released in 1971, it's a safe bet that they disbanded the very same year. Their sole album was recorded in Wermelin's apartment between 1968 and 1971, and most notably features Holm's mellow and reflective songs. Many, if not most, people consider ”The Underground Failure” a weak effort (even Tobias Petterson, author of ”The Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music” dismissed the album in an interview), but I disagree. Although not on par with Holm's later achievements as a solo artist, it certainly has an original feel that is strangely addictive. The primitive recording circumstances makes for a certain otherworldly atmosphere. Compared to Malaria which served as the main inspiration for The Underground Failure to release their own album, this is a stunning masterpiece. But then again, that doesn't say much.

Apart from Holm's slightly Dylanesque tracks, there's a slew of twisted country songs that have a charm of their own. It might be that selections such as ”Boil On My Mind”, ”All Night Looking Lonesome Blues” and the admittedly overwrought blues of ”Make Your Own Kind Of Music” disappoint the progg and folk psych diehards, earning the album its less than favourable reputation. The main part of the album however is an introspective and intimately recorded affair with John Holm's acoustic guitar at the core. A track like ”How Unpleasant To Meet Mr. Elliott” is nothing short of excellent and wouldn't have been out of place on some UK folk private of the highest order. ”The Weekend Masquerade” suggests the excellence to come in John Holm's near future, showing many of his melodic typicalities he's recognized for. ”Spring” sounds like a Fugs track in the vein of ”Morning, Morning” and ”Ah, Sunflower Weary of Time”, i.e. mysteriously serene and lysergically romantic.

The biggest problem with the album isn't the material but the decision to sing in English. Quite honestly, it's one of those examples of Swedes trying to speak English ending up sounding like complete fools. The pronounciation is a thorough disapproval of the Swedish schools' English language education back in the day.

The album was released in an original edition of 150 copies, never sold in shops, but a further 70 were pressed in 1974. The paste on cover showed a bunch of Russian musicians; the picture came from a postcard. There was also a bootleg reissue in the 80's, but it didn't do much for the album's availability. It's an extremely rare album today, as it was upon its release, but thankfully it can be heard on a limited edition CD nowadays.

Contrary to the general opion, ”The Underground Failure” is an appealing, and sometimes excellent, example of early underground singer/songwriter folk from the time when psychedelia was folding and progg was yet to properly flourish.

Outtakes from the album were released on the John Holm retrospective box set "Främmande natt" in 1997, along with a couple of solo demos in the same vein.

Full album playlist

MALARIA – Malaria (Tibet -46, 1970)

English vocals

International relevance: None whatsoever, to anyone, anywhere

 

To the utter dread of some of my dearest friends (my girlfriend in particular), I have a seriously developed fascination, actually liking, for outsider music. You know, those people with a strong urge to make music although they really don't know how to do it. Music many people call just plain bad. However, bad music to me is music that tries so hard to appeal ”everyone”. Music without a personality, music without an idea and a true creative drive. Simply put, music without a reason. I'd much rather listen to every Shaggs or every Kenneth Higney in the world, than sit through 2 minutes of any Rihanna song of your choice. I find these outsiders inspiring in all their whacked-out, no-clue glory.

But I do have limits to this interest. They're far off, but they exist.

Malaria is way, way, WAY beyond that limit.

Honestly, this isn't just the worst progg album I've ever heard. It's the worst album I've ever heard. Of all. And I have thousands and thousands of albums to choose from. In so many genres. There is no worse album than this in the entire world. I kid you not. I speak the truth.

So, I like people without a clue how to make music. Malaria don't even have a clue what they don't have a clue of. Pull a dictionary from your shelf. Look for every derogative word in there. Put them together and you have a positive, overrating description of this album.

I've listened to this album several times, just to figure out what the hell is going on here. But it's impossible; you can't figure it out and neither can Malaria. But here's what I think is the deal: They're trying to make a psychedelic folk album. Well, they did at least end up with an album... released in 20 copies back in 1970. I'd be surprised if they managed to unload the entire edition. If they did, only their sorry friends must have bought it. If so, Malaria likely lost the very same friends within an hour. And their parents.

The friends probably lost their parents too.

The folk medley on side 2 is, er, ”interesting”. It's so completely lost at sea with no boat in sight on the entire Northern hemisphere. Or the Southern hemisphere either. Picture a family of drunken monkeys trying to figure out whether this flute is supposed to be in your mouth or in your ass, or if you can eat this drum, and you come close to what it sounds like. Compared to that, the ”Scarborough Fair” cover that follows it is almost enjoyable...

The ”favourite” track on the album is possibly ”Hold On, Abraham” though. It has a bass solo. Or something you might want to describe as a bass solo if you're in a good mood and the sun is shining and you slept well for a good long night. I once sent a Malaria CD-R to a friend of mine, with the appropriate warning and a malicious cheer to go along with it. He replied to me, ”I went on a Mallorca holiday for a week, and upon my return, the bass solo was still playing...” And remember, when the bass solo ends, it's followed by a guitar solo...

To say that the three Malaria guys, whose names shall be kept in secret out of care of their possible children, don't know how to play is to give unnecessary credit to their... musicianship. It's as if they've never seen a musical instrument ever before in their entire lives. ”Look! Is this what they call a guitar? Oh, this hole here, I think you're supposed to shout into it! Golly gee, I'm a guitarist now! Girls like guitarists! Cool!”

There was a vinyl reissue of this album in the 90's. I think it was in an edition of 200 copies. I used to have one of those. I bought it second hand in the shop where I first heard it. I needed to have it as a reminder of the first experience. It made me laugh so hard I accidentally turned another customer over; he was squatting on his haunches and I was laughing so hysterically I wasn't aware of him. I just couldn't stop laughing.

The knocked over guy didn't return to the shop for several months.

Later I sold my copy. I explained to the guy behind the counter just how bad the album was. He doubled the price I asked for it. ”If it's that bad,” he said, ”someone will buy it before the end of the week.” He was right. That's record collecting for you, folks!

There was also a massively rare 10 copies edition of the reissue with the cover and the inner sleeve screenprinted by Jon McCafferty who did the cover of "Green" for R.E.M.

If I am to say something good about this album, how impossible it may seem, then I guess it has to be that it reputedly inspired The Underground Failure to record and release their album soon after. If it isn't true, then there's nothing good to say about Malaria.

The Tibet -46 label later evolved into Musiklaget who released a handful of albums in the 70's.

"Hold On Abraham"

PUGH – Ja dä ä dä! (Metronome, 1969)

Swedish vocals

International relevance ***

 

Ranked #8 on the blog's Top 25 list

If the words ”legendary” and ”classic” were invented for a reason, then ”Ja dä ä dä!” is that reason. Generally considered the first proper rock album entirely sung in Swedish, this is where the whole Swedish progg music really began. True that bands like Baby Grandmothers and Hansson & Karlsson had been going on prior to the release of Pugh's debut, but this album took it all one step further. If not three steps further. Because there had never been an album like this before, not in Sweden, and not internationally.

It's an utterly groovy album (groovy as in ”groovy, man!” and as in organic, swinging, moving rhythms), recorded after Pugh escaped mandatory military service. The playing is top notch, loose and free and yet with excellent discipline. It's amazing how richly textured a trio can be, but then again, the musicians are among the very finest Sweden had to offer at the time. Janne Carlsson is the Karlsson (note the change in spelling!) in the aforementioned Hansson & Karlsson, while Georg Wadenius, popularly known as Jojje, later had fame in Made in Sweden, fortune in Blood, Sweat and Tears, and sheer excellence on the children's album ”Goda' goda'”. He's best known as a guitarist so it's curious to hear him pounding away on the bass on ”Ja dä ä dä!”. Guitars are in fact played by Pugh himself; wild, stoned, crazy guitars at its finest. In many ways, the trio is closer to jazz than rock music. No wonder, as Carlsson was a jazz drummer from the beginning.”Ja dä ä dä!”.

What makes this a Swedish classic is of course the lyrics. Not only because it was the first time we had a rock album sung entirely in Swedish, but also because Pugh had a very original way to use the Swedish language. No one has every written lyrics in a similar fashion as Pugh. They are deep and naive at the same time. At a first glance they might appear as simple banalities, but nothing could be further from the truth. There's a whole lot of depth beneath the surface of the playful sentences, and it's a pity that this is lost on a foreign listener not familiar to the Swedish language. (He even touched on homsexuality in the song ”Du tände lyset Andersson” – not a common topic in 60's lyrics.) But don't let the language put you off, because even if you don't know a single word of what Pugh sings, the music speaks on a level that can be fully understood by anyone with a heart and a soul. The great playing would mean nothing at all if it wasn't for the excellent songwriting. ”Ja dä ä dä!” doesn't have a single weak track.

But it does offer some favourites. ”Här kommer natten” is one of the best songs ever to emerge from the pen of a Swedish songwriter, and ”Små lätta moln” is summer at its most romantic. The cover of Kurt Weill's ”Surabaya Johnny” (in Swedish, of course) slips effortlessly in with the original numbers. When speaking of classic debut albums, this is among the very best.

A curious fact is that US label Vault licensed this for an American release in 1970. Vault obviously specialized in albums with no commercial potential whatsoever, but even by their standards, ”Ja dä ä dä!” (renamed ”Ja da a da!” for the domestic market – as if that would make any more sense!) is among their very weirdest releases. The vocals weren't overdubbed with English lyrics, but the back cover sported English translations of the words, complete with some unintentional humour to Swedish readers. (”You switched the light on Andersson” just doesn't sound very catchy in English.) If the lyrics was a mystery even translated, one can only imagine what troubles Pugh's name might have caused over there. Pugh's real name is Torbjörn Rogefeldt, and even that would have been a better name when trying to market his album to non-Swedish record buyers. I mean, how do you pronounce Pugh? Like ”Pew”? ”Pewg”? ”Puff”? ”Pah”? The correct answer is something like ”Puhgg” but who could tell?

I have no idea how many US copies were pressed, but it's a safe bet that the lion's share of the edition were shipped to Sweden. Every once in a while US copies turn up for sale here, and I've seen more of these than of Swedish originals over the years. (The album has since been rereleased many times. Those who take notes of sleeve variations, originals have the title in black lettering, whereas later copies are in white. It also comes with a foldout cover with an orange lyric sheet stapled to the spine inside. Also, blue record label.)

Another funny anecdote regarding Pugh is that the politically questionable writer Michael Moynihan in his book on the Norweigan black metal scene, ”Lords of Chaos”, stated that Pugh was the guy behind Swedish black metal pioneers Bathory. I can hereby clarify that this is NOT the case...

Hopefully, time has turned for the better as regards this album's international appeal. What must have been nothing more than a confusing curio on the international market in 1970 ought to stand out as a striking masterpiece some 40 years later. Given the ever growing interest in international progressive music, this should be hailed worldwide as the true masterpiece it is. Like I said, there never was an album like it, and I'll even go as far as to say there never will.

By the way, the title means ”Yes, it is!” and is spelled in the dialect of Västerås, the town where Pugh grew up. 

Full album playlist

MIDSOMMAR – Midsommar (Moondisc, 1972)

Swedish vocals

International relevance ***

Midsummer is one of the most cherished holidays in Sweden and many people celebrate the midsummer night out in the country. We eat traditional food and drink ”brännvin”, a special kind of alcoholic beverage, often enhanced with spices and flowers. Celebration often starts in the afternoon and continues until early the next morning.

Midsummer is ”midsommar” in Swedish, and the name seems highly appropriate for the band who chose it as their name. Their lyrics often deal from with topics closely connected with ”the old Sweden”, sometimes in relation to the so called progress of modern times. Nature, traditions and life in the old days are common subjects. The lyrics are political in a broader sense in pointing out the flaws of modern society, but they're kept in a general mode so just anybody suspicious of greed, commercialism and environmental issues can agree with them.

Midsommar is best known for their hard rocking debut ”Belsebub är lös”, one of the earliest examples of rock music with Swedish lyrics. Their second one, the eponymously titled ”Midsommar” veers towards a softer sound, sometimes akin to folk rockers Contact. ”Midsommar” still has some heaviness to it, but the song types are mellower in general. This isn't bad at all, because Midsommar were good songwriters, at least in terms of music. Lyricwise, they are somewhat naive even if the subject matters are important (which hardly will bother any foreign listener). Having said that, ”Midsommar” is more uneven than ”Belsebub är lös”, and a few of the songs here are actually downright bad. That goes for ”Killen och bostadsbristen” which comes across like a heavier version of some Swedish dance band of the 70's, and ”Reklamdjungeln” (although I'm genuinely sympathetic to the anti-commercialism message of the lyrics).

The opening track ”Illusionen av en färdigutbildad akademiker” is probably the best known track on the album since it was included on the 4 CD box set ”Pregnant Rainbows for Colourblind Dreamers” which was released in conjunction with Tobias Pettersons excellent ”Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music 1967-1979”. The choice of this Santana inspired uptempo track might give the wrong notion of ”Midsommar”. Songs like the decidedly Contact sounding ”Sedan urminnes tider”, the semi folksy ”Balladen om Belfast”, the heavy organ led ballad ”Naturen kämpar” and the rural ”James Lindberg Hughes” is far more typical to the album in general. To my ears, songs like these outshine most of the material on ”Belsebub är lös”, but given the unevenness of the album as a whole, ”Belsebub” probably gets the thumbs up over this one in the end. Also, it's worth pointing out that the vocals on ”Midsommar” sometimes have a bit of a crooning nature that isn't as obvious on the debut album. I have no problem with that myself, but some listeners might have so it's worth mentioning.

Over the years there has been a debate over the actual release dates of both Midsommar albums, and many people were uncertain if this one or ”Belsebub” was the first album. No year of release is printed on any of the albums. The arguments seem settled now though, and ”Belsebub är lös” is considered to have been released in 1970 and the follow-up in 1971. As far as I know, none of the Midsommar albums have been reissued, but "Midsommar" is easier to find than "Belsebub".

There is also an album by a band called Jukebox who released on album on Marilla in 1975 with three of the Midsommar members present. Organist Dan Pihl later produced Swedish comic character Ronny Jönsson (by actor Claes Malmberg) as well as single by disco queen Tina Charles! Saxophone player Reg Ward later joined for instance Dimmornas Bro, Mörbyligan and Magnus Uggla for session work. He also teamed up with Ulf Lundell on his Nature backed live album ”Natten hade varit mild och öm” recorded in 1976.

 

Full album

WASA EXPRESS – Wasa Express (Sonet, 1977)

Instrumental

International relevance ***

Let me get this straight: This is progg at its most unlistenable worst. Yes, it's true that they are technically driven musicians; Åke Eriksson for instance is one of Sweden's most skilled drummers. But that's all there is to it. It's all about technique. The whole point with the music is showing off. Nothing else. To further stress how incredibly competent they are, they add ”humour” to their instrumental perfection. Thing is, it's not funny. It's just silly. ”Does humour belong in music”, Frank Zappa asked, and I see no reason why it shouldn't, at least under controlled circumstances, but when it is used only as an excuse to make things more complicated than they need to be just because they can, I just say grow up, guys.

If you need an example how funny they are, take a look at the cover. Yeah, funny. Send in the clowns. Oh, they're already in.

Stylistically, we're talking fusion. There's a whole slew of jazz in there of course, some funky moves and a bit of stupid rock music. The absolutely worst example of the latter is the cover of ”Cadillac”. Why? To show how connected they are to their rock'n'roll roots when they're so far removed from anything rock'n'roll whatsoever? So it's hard to decide whether they are at their very worst when they ”jokingly” throw an old rock standard into the mix, or when they go for extreme jazz rock gymnastics. In both cases it's so dull that it takes fifteen gallons of coffee to even stay awake.

Maybe the most disgusting thing about Wasa Express is the cheesy, studio ”funk” synthesizer handled by Bo Hallgren. His keyboard runs could outdo Usain Bolt anyday in terms of rapidity. That kind of speed might be impressive in sports, but not in music. In music it's nerve grating, plain and simple.

This, their debut album, was in its original LP format of standard album length but it feels as long as a week. And remember, this is their best effort. I don't know what crime the general public had collectively committed to get punished with three further Wasa Express albums during the 70's, all of them gradually worse. As if it wasn't enough, they even reformed briefly in the mid 80's, then again in the 00's. They still perform and have released two albums with the new line-up. Have mercy on our souls.

Eriksson was also in fusion band Egba, and later on he played the drums in Attack who scored a major hit in Sweden with the stinker ”Ooa hela natten”.

Full album playlist

MR. BROWN – Mellan tre ögon (Fly Khan, 1977)

English/Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

Information on Mr. Brown is hard to come by. What is well known however is that they released a privately pressed symphonic progg album held in high regard among collectors of the genre. The album cover is one of the weirdest in the entire progg genre and suits the curious title well, which in full reads ”Mellan tre ögon med Mr Brown” (”Between three eyes with Mr Brown”).

The obvious point of reference is Pink Floyd - ”Dark Side of the Moon” and ”Wish You Were Here” in particular - with nice folksy touches in a Jethro Tull vein. The Tull influence is particularly clear when the flute enters the otherwise piano oriented sound, as in ”Kharma 74” and the only proper track sung in Swedish, ”Liv i stad utan liv”. There are also pseudo-classical moves, mandatory to an album in this ilk. But Mr. Brown never falls into the pretentious traps. They keep it low-key and the emphasis is on highly lovable melodies and a lush, clean sound. Considering this is a private pressing, the album is even more impressive. The production is appealing and with all the beautifully crafted melodies, it should attract even the toughest symph skeptic.

Three of the tracks are entirely instrumental, and it is these that reveals the Jethro Tull leanings the most. Mr. Brown often take a simple, melancholic melody and build a whole song around it.

”Resan till Ixtlan”, named after Carlos Castaneda's book, even hints at Leonard Cohen's ”Bird on a Wire” wrapped in that semi-classical robe so elegantly worn by the band.

The most curious track is the album closer, ”I'll Arise”, which puts all symphonic aspirations aside in favour of what can best be described as a Lou Reed pastiche! It's not far removed from the style Reed adapted in the years from the Velvet Undergrounds third LP up to his first solo album. A suprising ending to an oddly addictive and overall excellent album!

Rumour has it that Mr. Brown reformed a couple of years ago for live gigs but skipped the style of their sole album altogether to play only 60's covers. A weird move it seems when you hear what kind of original quality material this seven piece was churning out on ”Mellan tre ögon”. One Anders Giselsson stated on progg.se that members Anders Nilsson (keyboard) and Håkan Andersson (guitar, mandolin, vocals) were still writing songs together as late as 2005.

Four of the original band members have been affiliated with other progg acts over the years, such as the obscure Östan Sol Västan Måne, Bluesblocket, Blå Schäfer, and the strange ”anti-progg progg” rightwing singer/songwriter Carl-Anders Dexter, none of them anywhere near Mr. Brown in neither style nor brilliance.

Full album

BLUESET - Rock Machine (KMB, 1974)

English vocals

International relevance: ***

The hardest thing about starting up this blog was to decide which album to write about first. I went for the ”local colour of my youth and childhood” option, and chose a band which (partly) came from the town where I grew up: Södertälje. A few words about this town might be in its place as a backdrop to the music of Blueset.

Södertälje is situated no more than a couple of miles south of Stockholm. Back in the 70's, population was around 80,000 and many people living there worked for the car factories and the medical industry. Given the short distance to the Swedish capital, the city suffered from a kind of a capital complex while it was very keen to preserve its integrity at the same time. In the late 70's there were were several racial clashes between immigrants and the so called ”raggare”; young people with an interest in American cars of the 50's. They were often seen weekend cruising up and down the small town streets with loud rock'n'roll music bursting through the rolled down windows. Many, in fact most, of these clashes were instigated by the raggare. There was often an underlying sense of hostility in the city air because of this (and tragically, it lingers on until this very day when the neo-Nazi inclined National Democrats have taken place in the city council). But there are many stories of unprovoked violence aimed at just about anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was something Chicago-like about the town in those days.

On the other hand, Södertälje was far ahead in terms of cultural matters. The city library was amazing and offered a varied collection of books and records – quite frankly, it was thanks to them that I had a personal cultural education on my own. Then unknown painters and sculptors were given a first shot in the city art gallery, artists that would become respected names in the Swedish art world.

Between these two extremes, the utterly bad treatment of immigrants and the amazingly good cultural atmosphere, that a lot of music was created in Södertälje. By the early 80's there were so many bands and solo performers playing that it sometimes seemed as if everybody was involved in music. The consistent and dedicated work of people to create a fertile music scene in Södertälje had started earlier in the 70's, and among the most notable bands at the time was Blueset.

Blues music was always very popular in Södertälje (further emphasizing the notion of Södertälje as Sweden's Chicago); whether Blueset was instrumental in creating this interest I can't say, but they were pretty renowned locally. They debuted in 1970, releasing two singles on the Efel label. In 1974 they had their sole LP out on the KMB imprint, pressed in an edition of reputedly only 600 copies. (KMB stands for Katrineholms Musikbolag – not sure if they ever released anything else but with catalogue number 740103, there might be at least two other albums on KMB. Unless the number simply stands for March 1, 1974 written in Swedish...)

The album is highly regarded by fans of hard rock and heavy blues. It rarely turns up for sale, and originals are expensive. Whether it's worth the asking prices depends on your income I suppose, but it is indeed an excellent album, rich with stoned blues and heavy jamming. Well actually, despite the band name and its reputation as a blues album, it doesn't contain as much blues as you'd might expect. The foundation is blues for sure, but also featured on the album is a folk medley of sorts, ”Vibrationer i folkton”, which combines a snippet of Beethoven's ”Für Elise” with Swedish folk tune ”Visa från Utanmyra” and portions of - ”Sunshine of Your Love”! They also have a stab at ”Trettondagsmarschen”, a traditional fiddle tune in the Kebnekajse vein. However, Blueset lack the distinguished elegance of Kebnekajse, but rather than detracting from the album's qualities, it adds to the listening experience. The Blueset guys were avid dope heads, and you can easily tell by listening to ”Rock Machine”. The whole album has a seriously druggy vibe. The playing isn't spot on tight at times, but they manage to create a highly appealing seedy basement feel that makes ”Rock Machine” a true underground classic. The loose feel may also be explained by the fact that the recordings originally were intended as demos. Stoned guitar excursions are featured in most of the tracks due to the band's Cream, Hendrix and Rolling Stones infatuations. The Stones influence is most obvious in the rock ballad ”Look at Me” that wouldn't have been out of place on "Sticky Fingers". ”Whiskey” is another gem in this collection, closer to US garage rock than any other song on the album.

Also in 1974, the band released another single, the atrociously titled ”Proud to Be a Rock'n'Roller”. I'm uncertain when Blueset disbanded, but I know that the come-let's-play-sitar-in-the-grass hippie duo Charlie & Esdor joined the band for a while in 1972, although they aren't featured on any Blueset recordings. I often wondered how the mellowness of Charlie & Esdor fit in with the rough hewn sounds of the loud Blueset outfit!

What happened to the members after the band eventually split up due to musical differences within the group is a sad tale. Their taste for illegal mind nutrition took its toll later in their lives. Guitar hero Kenth ”Kenta” Loong was said to smoke a pipe every fifteen minutes. Nobody seems to know if he turned to heavier stuff, but eventually he disappeared without a trace. It is believed that he died. I remember him being in a wheelchair after an accident; I saw him in the beginning of the 80's when he arranged a record fair in Södertälje. He's said to have had a ”difficult personality” and I remember his vibe being quite puzzling, if not off-putting. You could see him in his wheelchair in Södertälje City doing – I don't know, just hanging around? On his way to something? Who knows. Loong managed to get a new band together, Friends, and they released a forgettable single locally in the 80's.

Kenth Loong in 1970.

Bassist Mikael Olofsson, known as Geten (”The Goat”) or Mike the Spike earned his latter nickname assumably because of his heavy use of heroin. He died of AIDS in the winter of 2004/2005 after having been infected by the HIV virus he got from sharing syringes. He was musically active in different bands into the 00's. Mikael was also in jail for a while after bringing a couple of kilos of Thailand heroin across the Swedish borders. Before facing the jail sentence, he managed to sell the goods and stashed the money from the transcations in his house wall. Later on he made a fortune on the 80's stock market but lost most of it when the market crashed. He ended his days an alcoholic in Stockholm where he spent his life.

Blueset in 1970. A shorthaired version of Ingemar Linder to the far left!

Whatever happened to drummer Claes Jansson is beyond my knowledge, but I briefly bumped into Ingemar Linder who played bass on Bluesets debut single. He was also one of those people you often noticed in the street – he had the longest hair I've ever seen on a male person! Recognizing each other, we exchanged a few words at the very same record fair mentioned above. He was extremely hungover, had a hair of the dog in the shape of a beer in his hand but he was the dearest person imaginable, soft spoken and very kind. I've often wondered what became of him.

UPDATE In response to my original post, VMarcoV provided me with the following information in the comments section below:

"I don't know if the drummer is still alive, but when Micke was I know that he lived out in the Lidingö area somewhere. Towards the end of Micke's life they used to get together in his house and play records etc. He was pretty much straight and didn't want to play anymore (unlike Micke who had various bands such as 'Long Time Survivors,' 'Bad Boys' and 'The Works' (his last band.)

Blueset: Consider that Micke was from Lidingö and 99% of his friends were from there and Östermalm/Gärdet. He got HIV from a woman called Lotta Bäck, who reputedly had 'Lidingös snyggaste häck.' She later had two healthy babies and moved to Egypt, so that's kind of extraordinary.

Micke didn't like alcohol and wouldn't want to be described as an alcoholic. He was prevented from smoking dope, which was what he wanted, because he was in the Methadone Program. We did acid together just a few months before he passed."

Also, Kent O added:

"I just want to tell you that Kenta Loong (Kenth Lång), who was my half-brother and was born in Karlstad 1952, died in 1987 in Södertälje. He suffered for many years of diabetes, which gradually attacked his eyes so that he eventually became almost blind. The diabetes also caused renal failure and he had the last few years to undergo dialysis several times a week and it was this that was the main cause of his early death." 

Thanks to both of you for sharing additional on the fate of Blueset!  

Full album playlist