TÄLTPROJEKTET – Vi äro tusenden... (Nacksving, 1977)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Tältprojektet is often seen as the peak of progg, but in a way, it also became its downfall. Or at least, it marked the beginning of the end. The whole project was a grand tour de force, with several independent theatre groups (Nationalteatern, Musikteatergruppen Oktober, Tidningsteatern, Narren) and numerous musicians coming together for something that some people said would be impossible to see through.

”Vi äro tusenden” was a four hour stage play telling the story of the Swedish labour movement from 1879 and on, with approximately 100 people touring for four and half months in the summer of 1977, visiting 31 cities all over the country (and some in Denmark), performing 82 shows to 100,000 people. Nothing of that scope had been done before, and nothing of that scope has been done since. ”Vi äro tusenden” was the ultimate proof of what power there was in the music movement and the related independent theatre groups, and an example of what you can do if you unite and strive for the same thing. The progg movement proved its own point by demonstrating it.

A documentary was made, ”Tältet – vem tillhör världen?”, and a record was rushed out by Nacksving so that it could be sold at the shows. People should be able to take home some of the music they had just heard played live. The original idea was also to record the album live in performance, but that proved impossible for practical reasons, why songs from show instead were recorded with Nacksving's mobile studio. Some tracks were composed by jazz legend and member of Musikteatergruppe Oktober Christer Boustedt, but most of the music was written by Nationalteatern's Ulf Dageby and Nynningen's Bernt Andersson and Bertil Goldberg. Both Gothenburg bands had collaborated before, so much in fact that it was getting more and more impossible to tell the two bands apart. Tracks like the powerful ”Aldrig mera krig” (sung by Nynningen's Totta Näslund) and Tältprojektet's anthem ”Vi äro tusenden” are heralded as classics. They're also the two best songs on the album.

Actually, the only two good songs on the album, and the only two distinct enough to work outside their original stage context. The remainder of the tracks have too many theatrical characteristics, with narrative lyrics, sometimes with large choirs, sometimes sounding like run-of-the-mill political songs, sometimes cabaret-like. It's just not very fun to listen to, and the album's true value is mainly historical and academic.

Nationalteatern's Med Reventberg has later admitted that it was hard to get on with their work after Taltprojektet. Nationalteatern tried to set up another massive theatre tour soon after but it didn't work out as well as they had hoped for. And that probably goes for everyone involved. The fatigue set in, and while many (most) of them continued their artistic work (after all, it was their profession), many of them in the spirit of progg, progg was never to be the same again. And new sounds and attitudes were coming around the corner. Punk was ready to take over.

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