Saturday, September 8, 2018

PISKA MIG HÅRT / ELDVARN – Albums 1974-1978

These are the humble beginnings of one of Sweden's best known rock bands, Eldkvarn from Norrköping, led by guitarist and main songwriter Per 'Plura' Jonsson. The Plura Jonsson of today is very different to the Plura Jonsson of the 70's. What he is the most probably depends on who you ask, and the age of the person you ask. To some he's first and foremost Eldkvarn's frontman. To others, he's the troubled soul of 80's cocaine scandals. Younger people might not know nothing about all that, thinking he's just that laidback, overweight, bare-chested host of cable TV cooking show ”Pluras kök” (”Plura's kitchen”). But he's all of that, and more.

Elisabet (MNW, 1974)
as Piska Mig Hårt
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ** 

The band was founded already in 1971 and chose the controversial name Piska Mig Hårt (”whip me hard”). Their first – and only album as Piska Mig Hårt – came in 1974. In his autobiography ”Resa genom ensamheten” (”journey through loneliness”) Plura Jonsson says it's probably the worst produced Swedish album ever, and he might be right. The sound is 'bony' and amateurishly underdeveloped, like a sloppy demo. But it's doubtful a better mix would have made it much. The songs are far too ambitious for the band's abilities. It's not without moments, but ”Elisabet” is a failure as a whole.

A better, although not great, representation of Piska Mig Hårt can be found in ”Progglådan” in the shape of a 1973 Tonkraft session.


En lång het weekend
(MNW, 1976)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Two years and a name and lineup change later Eldkvarn's original sound slowly began to gel, although the album still suffers from some production issues. New female members Liten Falkeholm and Wenche Arnesen expanded their aural palette with vocals, clarinet, vibraphone and electric piano. More importantly, Jonsson opted for a more economical songwriting style, trying not to overload the songs with too many unnecessary twists and turns. He still had a long way to go but ”En lång het weekend” reveals a growing understanding of the compositional craft.

”Sömnlösa dagar” was culled from the album for a 45 with non-album 'B' side ”Rebellen”.

Pantad och såld (MNW, 1978)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Third album marked further changes within the band. Liten Falkenholm's participation was reduced to playing the xylophone only, and a new female singer was brought into the band, Johanna Lindström. Kjell Westling also joined on sax. Jonsson had moved further and further away from the the over-complicated songwriting he couldn't handle very well in favour of a more straightforward style that makes ”Pantad och såld” Eldkvarn's best album up to that point. For instance, it includes the female led ”Holberg Hotel”, Jonsson's first truly great song. ”Pantad och såld” might not be a masterpiece but it definitely shows that the band was heading in the right direction.

After ”Pantad och såld”, the girls left the group. When Eldkvarn returned in 1979 with ”Pojkar, pojkar, pojkar”, they were a much tighter and much better band. (The album was their last for MNW before switching to Silence for three albums.) Plura Jonsson the songwriter had matured a lot and began cultivating his talent for a snappier new wave pop rock, making ”Pojkar, pojkar, pojkar” the first proper Eldkvarn album, followed by a series of albums in this new found style. Albums up to ”Barbariets eleganter” in 1984 are almost all fine. Eldkvarn was also a great live act in those days. Soon after, they had their big commercial breakthrough and became musically less interesting.

In 2011, a career spanning 10CD box set was released, including a USB stick full of previously unreleased recordings, including several rehearsals, demos, radio sessions and live tapes from 1971 and on, providing a unique peek into the band's development. Sound quality varies but a couple of the recordings are better than the original albums.

Elisabet full album playlist

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