Och du frågar mig varför (MNW, 1974)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
Mobben was originally a blues band from
Gävle that started out way back in the 60's, but after moving to
soon-to-be progg hotspot Uppsala in 1970, their music drifted off in
a more political direction.
They recorded their first album in
1973 and MNW released it the following year. It was only a faint
indication of their blues past, being basically a melodic rock effort
with obvious hints at early 70's Rolling Stones. Melodic yes, but
also mediocre. The songs simply aren't good enough to make any
lasting impression. Also, guitarist Peter Ericson's vocals are at the
center of the songs and that's not a good thing. His voice is a thin
and nasal and when he uses a greater vocal force, it gets too
piercing.
Mobben lever (Sub, 1975)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **
Mobben's second album finds them on
Uppsala label Subverskivbolaget and in a more apprioriate situation,
i.e. on stage. The blues shines through here more than on their
debut, but ”Mobben lever” nevertheless fails to impress, largely
because Ericson's vocals still get in the way of the songs. Also, the
sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. ”Mobben lever” sounds
like a audience recording which diminish whatever impact the songs
otherwise might have had. Then again, they were probably aware of its aural shortcomings as the album was originally at budget price.
Elektrisk natt (MNW/Sub,
1976)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **
”Elektrisk natt” is Mobben's most
varied and accomplished work both in terms of songwriting and sound,
and a heavier work than their two previous outings. But it's still
not a very good album, and again it's largely down to Ericson's
vocals. Here he finds a somewhat lower and more comfortable vocal
pitch, but instead he tries too hard to sound like a tough guy which
make him sound mannered and silly. That pretty much spoils an album
that would have been, well, at least a little better with a
different singer.
Peter Ericson later became known as Peter R.
Ericson and released several solo albums, and joined forces with the
excellent singer/songwriter Anders F. Rönnblom.
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