Thursday, August 30, 2018

JOJJE WADENIUS – Goda' goda' (Metronome, 1969)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

Probably the best children's record ever made and a perfect example of how kids were taken seriously back in the progg days. Released as Jojje Wadenius, ”Goda' goda'” is really a 'lost' Made In Sweden album with Bosse Häggström on bass and Tommy 'Slim' Borgudd on drums. And they play with the same eagerness and precision as they did when playing to adults. Greater precision, even.

The songs are just swinging wonderful and the affectionate lyrics – all in Swedish – by children's author Barbro Lindgren are from the child's perspective, always, never silly and certainly not condescending. They acknowledge all big emotions you have when you're small; joy, melancholy, loneliness, curiosity, the sense of wonder when beholding things that grown-ups just pass by in their busy grown-up world of boring grown-up things. And imagination. Puzzled self-reflection. Playfulness. Things adults should engage in a little more often.

Let's be frank: Made In Sweden never made another album this inspiring and delightful. Some of their most irritating mannerisms are prevalent here as well – I'm thinking of Wadenius's annoying habit singing along to his guitar solos – but the songs are so wonderful you can easily forgive them for it. To paraphrase an Archimedes Badkar title, these are songs for children of all ages.

Jojje Wadenius made a second album of Lindgren lyrics in 1978, the less successful ”Puss, puss, sant, sant”.

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