DOM SMUTSIGA HUNDARNA – Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues (MNW, 1977) / Hotel Cancer (Nacksving, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **/**

Dom Smutsiga Hundarna were a Gothenburg band, founded already in 1969 but with a volatile, ever-changing line-up until their demise in 1983 (not counting rare reunions). They performed at the first Gärdet festival in 1970, then augmented by members from Träd, Gräs & Stenar. (Two 1970 tracks can be heard in ”Progglådan”.) Their live appearances sometimes turned into exercises in chaos, and they were surrounded by controversy from time to time, as in 1973 when they recorded a session that Swedish Radio for some reason refused to broadcast.

It took Dom Smutsiga Hundarna a further four years before they got their album debut together, released by MNW in the year of punk 1977. Some consider the forceful advent of punk the death blow to progg (a statement that is up for debate for many reasons). But while some bands felt lost in the tsunami of punk's frustrated fury, Dom Smutsiga Hundarna was rather invigorated by the 'new' youthful sounds.

That's not to say that ”Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues” is a punk album – it's firmly rooted in the progg aesthetic and without a doubt that's where it belongs, but it has definite punk shadings, especially in the vocals and sometimes in how they play, as on ”Med förtvivlans mod”. Then again, you could possibly trace that back to bands such as Love Explosion and Gudibrallan anyway.

I don't think ”Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues” is a particularly good album but it's an important one in how it bridges the gap from what came before and what was just beginning to happen.

”Hotel Cancer” followed in 1979 after a switch from MNW to Nacksving, the title and cover art satirizing both Coca Cola and The Eagles' worldwide hit ”Hotel California” in one go. It's a historically less significant album than their debut, but with better production, tighter performances and more realized songs. Some of punkier tracks admittedly come off as a bit contrived, occasionally with a faint Stranglers nimbus thanks to Bert Gren's organ, and sometimes slightly in the Devo vein. But ”Hur ska du någonsin kunna förstå?” and the title track are straight up prog. ”Vilddjurets återkomst” is a great track, the album's highlight.

A revised line-up released one further Dom Smutsiga Hundarna album on Nacksving in 1983, ”Framtiden rusar emot dig”. A couple of non-album singles also exist.

Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues full album playlist
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