Latecomers
to the Nacksving roster, Svartvitt had a straightforward gritty style
close to what you could expect from a late 70's/early 80's Gothenburg
band. Their secret weapon was powerhouse singer Gerda Persson whose
raspy and soulful voice gave them a certain edge that nevertheless
set Svartvitt apart from most other bands at the time, giving
guitarist and main songwriter Bernt Wahlsten's songs a touch of a
revved-up working class version of Delaney & Bonnie at their
heaviest. Svartvitt's style may not be something that automatically
appeal to fans of the more experimental side of progg, but to those
who fancy the no-nonsense approach of bands such as Rekyl, Huntington Band and Ensamma Hjärtan, Svartvitt will most likely come as a pleasant surprise. Gerda Persson did in fact appear on Ensamma Hjärtan's
final studio LP ”Nam Nam” in 1981.
Svartvitt also had
several singles out; their debut work was a self released 500 copies
7” in 1979, while the heavy ”Solsting” and the slightly punkish
”Gasmannen” were culled from ”Svartvitt” for a 1980 45. The
album's most accessible track ”En gång till” was strangely
enough only distributed as a promo 12” not available for general
consumption.
The band's history goes back to 1976,
but it wasn't until 1979 they settled for the name Svartvitt. They
were active to at least 1983 when their second and final album ”En
ny tid” arrived through Nacksving. While it still had its share of
good songs, the production was marred by an 80's production seriously weakening its impact. Still,
Svartvitt remain as one of the unsung heroes of latter-day progg in a wide sense.
Värdighet
Gasmannen
Jag vill ha mer
En gång till
Solsting
Kan du höra hjärtat slå
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