English vocals
International relevance: **
Likely the most surprising inclusion in
any forum dedicated to progg music, as Claes af Geijerstam generally
speaking is as far away from all things progg as you can possibly
imagine. In the 60's, af Geijerstam scored a line of hits as a core
member of beat/pop/garage band Ola & The Janglers. Those who
listened to Swedish radio in the 70's remembers him the best as the
host of the extremely popular radio show Rakt över disc where he
each week played the latest disco and pop singles, DJ-ing his way
through the selections with a voice at manic speed, a style he had
developed as a DJ as early as in the late 60's. Groundbreaking for
sure, but completely unlistenable to anyone who couldn't stand his
motor driven mouth or didn't share his taste in music. His commercial
flair again came into the fore when he was a jury member during the
earliest seasons of the Swedish Idol contest. All in all, his hit
sensibilities have always overshadowed any possible progg approach.
And yes, ”Out of My Hair” – his solo debut following soon after
the breakup of Ola & The Janglers – is on the commercial side
of things, too, but only a quick glance at the line-up reveals
obvious progg connections.
Guitarist Björn Linder can be heard on
albums by Sam Ellison, Ola Magnell, and Blues Annika to
mention but a few. Björn Skifs is an allround entertainer who has
had a remarkably lengthy career in his own right, but his involvement
with Marsfolket, Slim Borgudd and hammond queen Merit Hemmingson is
his most interesting collaboration from a progg angle. Göran
Lagerberg needs no introduction to the progg aficionado,
having played with everything and everyone from Bo Hansson to Egba,
from Kebnekajse to Baltik. Jan Bandel's been on Atlantic Ocean's, Folk
& Rackare's, Handgjort's, John Holm's and Hawkey Franzén's pay
rolls, amongst others. Janne Schaffer is of course the well seasoned
studio musician on numerous high profile albums, and has released
plenty of solo albums. Mike Watson is similarly versatile and can be
heard on the feminist various artists compilation ”Sånger om kvinnor” as well as on a couple of Björn J:son Lindh albums. Tommy
Körberg is hailed for his vocal abilities (as in Solar Plexus and
the comeback album by Made In Sweden), but handles the guitar on ”Out
of My Hair”. So despite the overtly accessible nature of the album,
it still has quite a few progg credentials.
Truth
is it's a really nice album, with slight touches of David Bowie on
the verge of glam rock, or Paul McCartney in his early Wings days,
although neither Bowie or Wings had exploded yet in 1970. af
Geijerstam is an adroit enough singer to deliver the tuneful and
sometimes surprisingly jammy songs (as in the excellent extended ”St.
Georgie's Road”). Those who deny any progg with a higher level of
skillfulness than Träd, Gräs Och Stenar, Gudibrallan or Telefon
Paisa/Sogmusobil will probably cringe at the album's ”slickness”,
but you know, we all have our problems... ”Out of My Hair” isn't
one of mine; I play it every once in a while and finds it to be a
pleasant, loveable and sometimes even brilliant melodic album with
post-psychedelic strains and proto-glam moves.
The
album had a French release with a different sleeve.Full album playlist
Full album Playlist only on dailymotion....http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x2qx5f_John_Dug_claes-out-of-my-life-1970-psych-rock/1#video=x120qev
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