MIKAEL RAMEL & UNGA HJÄRTAN – Hälsa på som förr (no label, 2023, rec. 1973)

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance ***

Like a gift from above, this album appeared without much ado in late 2023. Who would have thought it? A vintage live recording to add to your collection of glorious Mikael Ramel albums! Just like that! But... in only 200 copies on vinyl, no CD, and no streaming. It's a somewhat secretive release in general -- it's an official release, not a bootleg, but it has no record label name anywhere. (The Spinroad logo on cover and label is for the pressing plant.) It's bound to become a massive rarity which is a great shame as this is an essential album to any Ramel head.

So what exactly is it? It's a recording made for the Swedish Radio live show Tonkraft in March 1973, in pristine sound quality. Who are backing band Unga Hjärtan? Basically a diminished Fläsket Brinner with Gunnar Bergsten, Bengt Dahlén, Erik Dahlbäck and Göran Lagerberg. Where has this been tucked away for years? Who knows, but it's not a newly discovered, long forgotten recording as it's been available to listen to on Mikael Ramel's website. It should be pointed out though that the website has more songs – ”Hälsa på som förr” actually loses two tracks plus the coda to ”Pengar” from the original broadcast. Very strange as they kept the radio presenter's intro to the show, wasting a couple of minutes that could have been used for something more uself. And the Dahlén sung cover of ”Heartbreak Hotel” is unnecessary – I'd much rather have seen the half-deranged live take of ”Artificiell prana” in its place. The set list is also jumbled. So, some small flies in the ointment but you can live with it. Because most of what you do get is bloody marvellous! And the mix sounds better balanced too.

The show was recorded before Ramel's second album ”Extra Vagansa” was released, and several songs are presented here in vastly different versions than how they appeared in their finished studio forms. ”Så länge're svänger” that kicks the whole thing off is a light and swiftly moving number on the album, but here it's immersed in a heavy and incredibly sexy groove bordering on the nasty. ”Apfigur” is brooding enough on the album but almost ominous here. ”Lukter runt holken” is lilting sweetly in the studio but goes bonkers here, almost approaching chaos in the best sense of the word. And so on.

The playing is sometimes ragged (but again in the best sense of the word) but as you'd expect, also brilliant – Bengt Dahlén is particularly striking on guitar (no news there). Even the slower tracks generate so much energy that you could light up a room with it. Ramel's studio albums never sounded this mean and halfway out of their seats, so ”Hälsa på som förr” isn't just one hell of an album, it also adds something important to what we already knew about the genius of Mikael Ramel. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished that this will get a CD release too, preferably in complete, unalduterated form. It deserves to be heard in full by more people than the tiny vinyl edition can satisfy.

Full show on Mikael Ramel's website

ERIC BIBB – Ain't It Grand (MNW, 1972)

English vocals
International relevance **

Eric Bibb is a well-known name these days, hailed for his live performances and numerous albums somewhere between blues and singer/songwriter material. Born in New York City in 1951, he was given his first steel string guitar at the age of seven. Quitting his studies in Russian and psychology, he left for Paris in 1970, assumably as a draft dodger, before settling in Stockholm shortly after. Once there he got in touch with the still relatively new MNW label and MNW co-founder Roger Wallis who took him under his wings and released Bibb's first-ever album ”Ain't It Grand” in 1972. Wallis also provided horn arrangements and piano for the album, joining forces with people like saxophonist Christer Eklund (Grapes Of Wrath, Slim's Blues Gang, Rolf Wikström), bassist Torbjörn Hultcrantz (Bernt Rosengren, Albert Ayler and numerous other jazz luminaries) and Dave Spann (Red White & Blues, Vildkaktus).

”Ain't It Grand” has those sweet characteristics of a good debut album. Bibb was already a skilled player with a keen sense of delivery (and a very pleasant voice), but the music isn't yet fully formed. It has an intimate, stripped-down feel and there's a seeking, trying quality to it, a certain hunger to prove its greatness to the world. Sometimes it reminds me of Terry Callier and Bill Withers, sometimes it's a bit like John Martyn. One track, the lovely ”Tuesday Mornin' Rendezvous” even hints at UK guitar maestros Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. The more laidback tracks are nicely balanced against a couple of songs relying more on groove, such as the album closer ”The Last Time?”. The semi-shuffle ”Lovefire” in turn has some biting electric guitar and gurgling wah-wah faintly like a lighter variant of Pete Cosey's work on Muddy Waters's and Howlin' Wolf's psych blues albums on Cadet Records. The understated aggression of the playing goes well together with the lyrics reflecting Bibb's anti-racist and anti-draft stance.

”Ain't It Grand” is something of a forgotten nugget, especially in the MNW discography. It captures the spirit of the times but doesn't feel the slightest antiquated. For reasons beyond my knowledge, it took him five years to release his second album ”Rainbow People” on the audiophile imprint Opus 3. A more exact and polished effort for sure, but also lacking the imperative and directness of his beautiful debut.

His stint with Opus 3 also hooked him up with folksy singer/songwriter and U.S. expatriate Bert Deivert for a couple of collaborative albums, and as a side note, I'd like to mention Deivert's own 1979 album ”Handcrafted Songs” which might appeal to fans of Bibb's folksier sound, especially that which veers towards the U.K. style perfected by Bert Jansch.

Bibb's vast discography includes further collaborations with artists such as Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Swedish gospel singer Cyndee Peters, and Eric's dad Leon Bibb.

Full album playlist

ONNA TAAS BAND – Allo' (Bellatrix, 1980)

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

Ronny Carlsson was a well-kept secret to most but hailed as a hero and a legend by many having heard his music. He first made his mark with the band Rockamöllan in the late 70s, and after their demise, he started Onna Taas Band before launching a long solo career. He was in possession of one of the gruffest voices ever heard on a Swedish album, strangely warbly and grainy like a gravel road. Singing in his native Southern dialect (similar to Peps Persson's) only added to the air of world-weariness. He sounded as if he had seen it all, been burnt by it all and finally rejected it all. In his own words from the track ”I ett rum någonstans på stan”, translated here for international understanding: ”It's not hard to break a lonely man”. His voice was of the kind that comes back to haunt you when you switch off the light at night.

Needless to say, a voice like that will dominate any album it appears on. If you take the music on Onna Taas Band's debut album, it's not that dark. There are hints at reggae, cajun music, pretty straigh-ahead rock, John Holm influenced balladry, blues, even faint dashes of post punk (it was, after all, 1980)... But once Carlsson's voice enters the mix, the mood changes in an instant and everything becomes something else, something more, and something decidedly darker. There's so much pain at work here it's impossible to turn away from it. At its best, this is every bit as gripping as John Holm's depictions of a reality cracking slowly but irreversibly. And the thing is, even if you don't understand Carlsson's poetic words, you still sense their exact meaning. Ronny Carlsson didn't just sing, he WAS his lyrics, they're inseperable and it's impossible to not understand.

Despite the stylistic diversity, nothing here seems out of place. Even the highly Ronny Åström inspired ”Säporerad cirkus” slips in nicely between the mild Dylan funk of ”Ord som blev över” and the brooding folk of ”Den välkände soldaten”. On any other album, ”Säporerad cirkus” would be the track to skip, but not here. It has its place.

This is just a deeply human album. Like humans it might scare you with what it has to say or it might comfort you with its honesty and intimacy. (Like Swedish music journalist Bengt Eriksson said about Carlsson: he sang between pain and comfort.) But most of all, it's just a brilliant album.

Carlsson made several more albums under his own name up until 2013, the last one consisting of recordings made in the years before its release. One more was in the making, but he died in 2014 before it was finished, at the age of 62 and marked by a hard life. A life that came through unfiltered in his voice.

I ett rum någonstans på stan

FERNE – Ferne (Bellatrix, 1978) / Clown på allvar (Bellatrix, 1980)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Ferne, or if you prefer his real name: Lars Fernebring, was one half of Risken Finns along with Gunnar Danielsson, releasing two satirical albums in the early 70s. When the duo split, Danielsson moved to Gothenburg to start Ensamma Hjärtan while Ferne remained in the southern city of Lund where he launched his solo career some years later.

One could expect his first albums of his own after the demise of Risken Finns to be, well, if not masterpieces so at least better than they actually are. Well, they're not particularly bad but not particularly good either. His self-titled first one from 1978 is the better of the two reviewed here. Falling somewhere between Thomas Wiehe (who also appears on the album) and – shudder! – Björn Afzelius musically, it has a more serious vibe than Risken Finns. But at the same time, it's as if Ferne can't fully let go of the past, and it ends up being something of a half-measure. And as with all half-measures, it ends up being unsatisfying.

The title of his second album ”Clown på allvar” means, roughly, ”clown for real” or ”serious clown”, and that's explanatory enough. In some ways it's closer to Risken Finns than his solo debut (even referencing back to Risken Finns song titles), but whereas they were fresh and funny, ”Clown på allvar” feels stale. As always, The greatest thing here is Jan Gerfast who shines on guitar (as he did on the first album), but the songs are simply not good enough on neither of the albums.

Ferne made one more album, the concept album ”Snapphanar”, in 1982 before dropping out of record making. He worked for the southern department of Swedish Radio for many years, and held lectures on local history. He suddenly return to music in 2003 with an album of Dylan covers in Swedish, followed by two further solo albums in 2006 and 2013 respectively, the latter one being another Swedish Dylan tribute.

No links found

COSMIC OVERDOSE – Dada Koko (Silence, 1980) / 4668 (Silence, 1981)

 
Swedish vocals
IRG **

Where to draw the line? What is progg and what is not? I prefer to use the 'benefit of doubt' principle here on the blog, and gladly let through albums that some people sometimes deem controversially un-progg. But an ambition of mine as your humble blog owner is to widen the idea of progg, to trace influences and entwine threads in order to see patterns and relations even in unexpected places as long as they appear within the time frame of the Swedish Progg Blog. This is not as much an apology as it's a declaration of objectives. That said, I was long undecided if Cosmic Overdose belong here but was convinced by some blog followers to let them in. Those people reminded me of the benefit-of-doubt principle.

After all, Cosmic Overdose sure had some progg credentials working for them. Two of the members used to be in Älgarnas Trädgård and Anna Själv Tredje, Dan Söderqvist and Ingemar Ljungström respectively with Ljungström performing as Karl Gasleben, sometimes Terminalkapten Gasleben.(Söderqvist was also in Ragnarök.) Originally inspired by David Bowie's ”Heroes” and Wire's game-changing debut ”Pink Flag” in 1977, they came together as Cosmic Overdose the following year. Their name was chosen ironically but had an equal krautrock and synth punk ring to it. That's telling enough.

Upon seeing Sheffield's haunting industrial band Cabaret Voltaire and maverick Fad Gadget live in London in 1979, the Cosmics expanded their line-up to a trio, adding Kjell ”Regnmakaren” Karlgren on drums. Already affiliated with Silence Records (home of both Älgarnas Trädgård and Anna Själv Tredje), the label released their debut single ”Observation galen” in 1979. Backed with ”Isolatorer”, it wasn't an entirely convincing start. The 'A' side especially is a revved up number, more akin to fellow Gothenburgians and post punk outfit Kai Martin & Stick! – it even took use of a saxophone on the verge of a nervous breakdown similar to what Gomer Explensch did in Kai Martin's band – than the future style of Cosmic Overdose. Peter Bryngelsson from Ragnarök also joined in with his easily detected guitar playing.

It wasn't until their first full-length 1980 album ”Dada Koko” that Cosmic Overdose found the style in which they truly excelled. Tempos were slower, synths and drum machines dominated the sound that could easily be dubbed coldwave with a more modern, after-the-fact term. Added to the chilly electronics was the sometimes space rock-floating sometimes chunky and punkish guitar; the mix of contemporary synthetic sounds and the humanly fleshy guitar created an unnerving ambiguity. Never as uninhibited as say Métal Urbain or serial killer neurotic as Suicide, Cosmic Overdose carved out a niche of their own in the all too small synth punk genre, constantly permeated by their kosmische progg past in Älgarnas Trädgård and Anna Själv Tredje.

”Dada Koko” is a fullblown masterpiece. You'd be hard pressed to find a bad track among the eleven that constitute the album. If there is one, it would be closing track ”Råttan”, but preceeded by tracks such as the uneasy ”Investera”, the jittery ”Moderna dadaister”, the menacing (and slightly Tubeway Army-inflected) ”Vit yta” and the threatening ”Turs”, they had already won.

Following a great seven-inch released later the same year, the English language ”To Night”/”Dead”, the album follow-up to ”Dada Koko” was released in 1981, with Regnmakaren substituted by Jimmy Cyklon (real name Thomas Andersson). ”4668” is a tighter sounding album, but it has some tracks that come off as a bit underdeveloped and not as distinct as the selections on ”Dada Koko”, It still has a lot going for it though. ”En av dom” has a few vocal parts that remind me of French Wagnerians Magma (!). The icy ”Oktoberfragment” ought to get your skin crawling. But the real blast here is album opener ”Bomber”, a stone-cold Cosmic Overdose classic that would have stood up well for itself even on the just about impeccable ”Dada Koko”.

Cosmic Overdose attracted international interest and amazingly enough, even the States were keen on them. (Remember, they were no ABBA or Blue Swede, and for a band as small as Cosmic Overdose to make waves there was no mean feat.) An American 'best of' with the lyrics translated to English and the chosen tracks remixed was planned but ultimately shelved. Instead, a cassette-only album named ”Final KoKo” was released on Gothenburg label Xenophone International, consisting of the recordings intended for the stateside market. The U.K. too wanted to lay their hands on the band, but the Brits insisted on a name change. A personnel change later, they settled for Twice A Man as their new name. As such, they embarked on a second career that lasts to this very day, including numerous releases in various formats. But with the name change, the original dark magic of Cosmic Overdose was lost.

In 2016, the Cosmics were given the box set treatment when Progress Productions released ”Total Koko”, a 3CD set including both their original albums in full plus a bonus CD featuring the 45 exclusives as well as several previously unreleased recordings.

So, is it progg or not progg? It really doesn't matter, because regardless of what label you want to slap on the music, Cosmic Overdose's small ouvre stands out as something very, very special. The only word you really need for it is 'essential'.

"Dada Koko" full album playlist
"4668" full album playlist
"Final Koko" full album playlist
"Observation galen" single playlist
"To Night" single playlist

MARIE BERGMAN – Complete albums 1974-1980

 

Marie Bergman is one of those artists too far from progg to belong here and too close not to do so. She's 'progg-by-association' but she's basically a singer/songwriter with the oft-hired Swedish studio mafia of the 70s backing her, granting her a couple of commercial successes in the second half of the decade. Her cover of Kate & Anna McGarrigle's ”Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine”, translated to Swedish by her good friend Ola Magnell as ”Ingen kommer undan politiken”, was a radio staple in and around 1977, and her version of Kjell Höglund's ”Lugnare vatten” was also on a rather heavy rotation a couple of years later. She appeared as a backing singer on all three of John Holm's 70s albums, as well as on discs by Ola Magnell, Rolf Wikström, Björn J:son Lindh, Pugh Rogefeldt and several others less progg related artists. In short, she was a stahlwart on the Metronome label led by producer Anders Burman's instincts and nose to sniff out off-kilter yet still commercially viable signings. Well, she was actually on Metronome already earlier as a member of the very successful vocal group Family Four which she joined in 1969.

Mitt ansikte (Metronome, 1974)
Swedish vocals
International relevance *

Her first album after leaving Family Four sounds a bit like a crossbreed of Ola Magnell and Joni Mitchell, the latter absolutely permeating the track ”Tiden”. The American West Coast sounds also come through in her cover of Neil Young's ”Helpless” (translated by Magnell). The title track and ”Villiga Ville” however are two funky tracks in sync with the times, while ”Sånger” is a loungy throwback to the Family Four style.

Närma mej (Metronome, 1977)
Swedish vocals
International relevance *

It took her three years to deliver her second solo album, but marked a breakthrough to a wider audience. It features ”Ingen kommer undan politiken” and her sensitive take on Ola Magnell's ”När vällingklockan ringde” from his ”Höstkänning” album released the very same year. ”Närma mej” is an album very much in the same style as her debut albeit with the funk substituted for novelty-of-sorts duds like ”Sången om den eviga lyckan (Johan)” and ”Mål eller miss” (the latter actually a cover of American folk singer and activist Odetta). The ”Blue” era Joni Mitchell influence is still evident though, especially on the piano based title track. Also included is a Swedish cover of Little Feat's ”Roll Um Easy” as ”Vänj mej varsamt”. Say what you will, she had good taste!

Iris (Metronome, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance *

Third album and more of the same, only with a glossier production. This time the covers are by Swedish songwriters only, namely Björn Afzelius and his ”Balladen om K”, and the aforementioned Kjell Höglund's ”Lugnare vatten”. ”Lugnare vatten” is the best track on the album along with the surprisingly anguished (for Bergman) ”Lägg inga plåster på såren”. The most obvious ersatz Joni Mitchell this time is called ”Lekvisa”.

MARIE BERGMAN & LASSE ENGLUND

Jorden är platt (Metronome, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance*

A joint venture between Bergman and much respected guitarist Lasse Englund; they also married the following year. It's a children's album and also the most interesting installment in Bergman's discography. Some songs are rather strange, and it seems that the idea of making music for kids pushed both Bergman and Englund out of their comfort zones. One track – ”Mammas stora säng” – even shows a faint resemblance to psych collector Hawaiian darlings These Trails. All in all, this is the Bergman album that comes closest to progg. But despite that, and despite being the most interesting album of hers, it's still not good enough to recommend. It's a bit of a curiousity, but not much more than that.

All these albums have their moments, but too few to recommend. From a progg perspective, they remain very minor footnotes. Bergman's recording career continued to 2013 when her, for now, last album was released. Her style hasn't changed much over the years and the sound of her albums have been very anxious to follow the production trends. When her early albums, her best ones, aren't very good you can imagine the rest.

Mitt ansikte full album playlist
Närma mej full album playlist
Iris full album playlist
Jorden är platt full album playlist

LOKOMOTIV KONKRET – Stockholm Augusti, 1978 (Urspår, 1979) / Lokomotiv Konkret (Urspår, 1980)

 Instrumental
International relevance ***/***

Lokomotiv Konkret were formed in 1976 by Israeli-born saxophonist Dror Feiler who made his mark in more areas than just music. As an conceptual artist, he stirred up controversy with his installation ”Snow White and the Madness of Truth” in 2004 which had Israeli ambassador Zvi Mazel vandalize the work, followed by a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and Israel. Feiler is one of the driving forces behind Ship to Gaza who attained immediate international recognition in 2010 during another confrontation with Israel. As a member of Vänsterpartiet (the Swedish socialist party), he's run for the Swedish parliament as

well as the EU parliament, and has demonstrated against the far-right Sweden Democrats by blowing his saxophone loudly to disturb their public meetings. A musical activist as well as a political one, Lokomotiv Konkret has declared that their music is ”free improvisations over the fair distribution of the world's resources in an ecologically sustainable society based on democracy, equality and solidarity”.

Lokomotiv Konkret began in 1976 and made their album debut in 1979 with the first-ever release on the Urspår label (later home to Kräldjursanstalten, Von Zamla and Rena Rama). The album, explanatory entitled ”Stockholm augusti, 1978”, is a violent and assault on the audience at the House of Culture, with a strong bond to Swedish free jazz pioneers G.L. Unit and the European scene spearheaded by German wildman Peter Brötzmann. It's a remarkably intense and abrasive performance, guerilla jazz, that hardly eases up even in the quieter moments; the sparser moments hold the tension and are more like a cunning plans for what's about to come again than a relaxation from what preceeded them. “Stockholm augusti, 1978” stands up strong to just about anything that the European free jazz had to offer and truly working on an international level. A must have.

Lokomotiv Konkret's second, and self-titled, album followed in 1980. Also a live document, this time with recording locations shared between Stockholm's Museum of Modern Art and premiere jazz club Fasching in 1979. Bass trombone player Pär Nordfält left and was replaced by highly respected Sten Sandell on piano, the sound of the band changed somewhat and the tracks are shorter. To make required space for the piano, the rest of the ensemble holds back a bit. The direct attack of their debut is less direct here. They harness the energy and kind of distributes it on the width rather than assaulting you straight in a concerted attack. You could say that ”Lokomotiv Konkret” is a more sophisticated effort than the debut LP. It's all down to preferences which one that suits you the best; the frothing outbursts usually get my nod – the uninhibited energy is why I gravitated towards free jazz to begin with, with the (slightly more) reflective side of the genre being more of an occassional complement, so my choice would be the debut album. I'm not saying that “Lokomotiv Konkret” is a lesser album, I'm just saying it's different. In the end, it's an essential album to go along with the relentless ”Stockholm augusti, 1978”.

Seemingly still active off and on, Lokomotiv Konkret has released only three more albums during the course of twelve years, the last one being released in 1995. Although it's outside the time frame of the blog, I'd still like to recommend their third album ”The Sky's The Limit” from 1983 which is the one of theirs closest to ”Stockholm augusti, 1978”. Also worthy of investigation if you can find it is the 1988 one-off album by Too Much Too Soon Orchestra, appropriately titled "Saw - Music For Instruments And Machines". A merciless slab of noise jazz, also notable for being one of the first appearances on disc by free jazz giant Mats Gustafsson.

Stockholm augusti, 1978 full album
Lokomotiv Konkret full album

PER FORSSELL – Hantverk (PBF, 1981)

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance **

Perhaps one of the most peculiar albums included herein. Not because it's 'difficult' or complicated music – on the contrary, Per Forssell's songs are highly accessible – but because it's hard to say what his idea with this, his first of two privately released albums, actually was. It's side B in particular that is confusing, consisting of a series of pastiches/parodies/paraphrases, mocking various genres. ”My Sweet Sugar Baby” makes fun of the silliest 50s rock'n'roll clichés in a Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band fashion. ”Punk-plonk” is a rather funny and decidedly over the top pisstake on punk that outpunks it with truly bizarre lyrics and manic drumming. ”Sören's Skåne” might be a poke at Peps Persson but sounds exactly like a Ronny Åström throwaway. ”La-La-Lajla” can't be anything but a well-deserved send-up of typical Swedish commercial dance bands of the 70s.

Some of the send-ups lose their comic effect after some time (a joke can't be repeated too without losing its impact). But the thing is that Forssell has a highly developed songwriter's instinct, not only able to satirize over a diversity of style typicalities but also write convincing and sometimes even great pop songs. This is proven by ”Hantverk's” first side which is chock full of tasty numbers pointing to both Paul McCartney and Mikael Ramel. This spills over to the first song on the second side – I'm sure the animal-rights conscious ”Vem tänker på djuren?” would keep Sir Paul awake of envy at night had he heard it. Same could be said of ”Låt dina vingar få flyga” which sounds like the best track never released on ”Ram”. The album title ”Hantverk” means ”craftmanship” in English, and that's in fact a very appropriate word for the album. Forssell certainly ranks among the best D-I-Y craftsmen of the progg era, much better than the self-absorbed Erik Aschan and lightyears ahead of unlistenable nincompoops such as John-Erik Axelsson and Prefix.

The songs were recorded over the course of four years, from 1977 to 1981, and were taped on a reel-to-reel machine in Forsell's living room in Björnekulla Hed in the Swedish south (although his dialect suggests he wasn't Skåne born and bred but rather from the Stockholm area). True to McCartney's early modus operandi, he plays all instruments himself including drums which is an achievement in itself. Being a private pressing, it must have been a tiny edition (500 copies? Less?) but it's not as expensive as some other albums in that category. Possibly because it's still rather unknown, and possibly because of its partly parodical nature. It's hard to say if ”Hantverk” will ever creep into the realm of artifacts that will push you over the perpendicular steep of destitution, but it's nevertheless an album ripe for wider discovery.

Per Forssell released another album, presumably in the late 80s, called ”Dagbok” (”diary”), partly recorded at home, partly in the studio and partly at the facilities of Swedish Television where he also works or worked. In 2013, he snuck out newly recorded music to his YouTube channel, including several Beatles covers to confirm his infatuation with the Fab Four.

Full album

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Vi har rätt till jobb! (Slå Tillbaka!, 1978)

 
Featured artists: TBC / Checkpoint Charlie / Steve Roper Band / Rikets Affärer / Burträskar'a / Gnid Och Drag / Pertti Och Aimo / Paddy Perssons Grop / Ålidhems Nyfolkliga Dansorkester
Swedish vocals, other languages, instrumental
International relevance: **

Slå Tillbaka! (”fight back”) was apparently not a record label per se, but an organisation working against unemployment, racism and drugs but released this one album. ”Vi har rätt till jobb!” (”we have the right to work”) was recorded live in Umeå 1978 during a one day festival to support the cause of the organisation. It features ten acts, none of them particularily well-known outside of this album. The best known (or should I say the least unknown) bands make up the first side of the album: TBC, Steve Roper Band (performing a cover av Röda Ropet's ”Spring Lasse spring”, Checkpoint Charlie and Rikets Affärer. They all play straighforward rock with a slight hard rock bent and an even minor punk touch, and they're all decent for what they are. Side 2 is entirely different, focusing on folk music and singer/songwriter styled material that fail to impress. It's doubtful that the same person would appreciate both sides, but the heavy side might appeal to genre collectors. It's neither a very rare nor expensive album, so anyone possibly interested in it will be able to pick it up cheap.

No links found

ÖBACKA SÅGVÄRCK – Haru nånsin varit död (Subliminal Sounds, 1969-1972, released 2023)

Swedish vocals

International relevance ***

I don't know where this notion comes from that if something has gone unreleased for decades, that's enough reason to finally put it out there. Or for that matter where this misconception originates that if something is crappy-sounding and the musicians can tell an instrument from a muckrake by nature should be better than music performed in a comprehensible fashion. Sometimes a reissue label hits pure gold, as Subliminal Sounds did with the amazing Great Ad album, but very few archival releases can match that one. So I took Subliminal Sounds' blurb for ”Haru nånsin varit död” ”a mind-bending musical discovery” with a huge pinch of salt. But perhaps they weren't entirely wrong this time after all?

A shortlived Umeå band, Öbacka Sågvärck only existed between 1969 and 1972. During that period they managed to create some surprisingly forward-looking heavy rock several years ahead of its time. It might be that they even beat November, consensually hailed as Sweden's first proper hard rock band, to the punch. Only that Öbacka Sågvärck were a far dirtier, sleazier, grittier combo judging by these underground tapes.

And underground it is, for better or for worse. Let's start with the bad. The longest track, the closing medley of ”A dä lä dää” and ”Centralgården”, has a horrendous sound, so bad it sounds like a severe hearing disorder. Another drawback is that two tracks are repeated (including ”A dä lä dää”), so if you chop these out, you're left with merely half an album (more precisely side one). It suggests that there wasn't too many usable recordings to choose from, and that fillers were needed to flesh out the running time.

The good thing is that the remaining half is rather impressive. This is how I want my hard rock: a loud, nasty, low-down, take-no-prisoners ruckus, with an authority that can easily out-do several better-known bands in the genre. It's not quite that promised ”mind-bending musical discovery”, and it's not on the same level as Great Ad, but the good parts are indeed valuable and until now unknown pieces in a historic jigsaw puzzle. Regardless of my objections, that justifies this release that deserves to heard and appriciated accordingly by fans and historians alike.

Full album playlist

ELEGI – Elegi (Slick, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance **

Some things just take a long time. I'll be honest with you and admit that I couldn't stand Elegi for a long time. Their sole, self-titled album sounded contrived and hysterical to my ears. But the more reference points I earned over the years by a persistent-bordering-on-pathological listening, the more Elegi made sense.

Elegi was just about the perfect band for the Musiklaget Slick label, an imprint that grew out of Musiklaget (known for releasing Solen Skiner, Ragnar Borgedahl and others) that in turn started as Tibet -46 (with Rolf Wikström and John Holm on its tiny roster). Slick had a penchant for leftfield acts such as synth punk band Ståålfågel, semi-controversial punk outfit Bitch Boys, ska rockers Stormakt Gul and post-progg acts like Mögel. Elegi fit well into that lot, with their music successfully blending Rock In Opposition (RIO) characteristics with then current post punk experimentation and moods. They're a lot more consistent and solid than label-mates Mögel for instance, for the simple reason that Elegi knew what they wanted to achieve and also had the chops to pull it off successfully to the point.

There are two things that more than anything defines Elegi's sound, and it's Marie Samuelsson's vocals and Susanne Håkansson's saxophone (a rare feature in rock bands in those days, despite X-Ray Spex's prominent use of the instrument). The sax adds a very distinct texture to the music as it's not exclusively used for solos but a well integrated part of the arrangements, pretty much the way other bands use the guitar. The vocals are likely to be the biggest bone of contention, and it's the thing about Elegi that I still have some problems with. I suppose Samuelsson tried to match the nervy backing of ”Mat” (a stone-cold classic!), ”Moderna kvadrater” and ”Galen”, but they go off the deep end a little bit too often with neurotic yelps and hiccups. But you have to take the bad with the good and endure the wayward vocals as the album as a whole is well worth it. ”Elegi” stands out as one of the most original efforts of its time, a tour de force unafraid to prove that assumably conflictive styles are in fact very easy to combine if you only have the imagination, the will and the skills to do it. This is one of the Swedish progg punk's finest moments.

If you want to go further you can check out the two Elegi tracks found on the ”Mun mot mun metoden” cassette on Slick from 1982, and also check out their unreleased live recording for the Tonkraft radio show in 1980. None of them is quite as sharp as ”Elegi”, but they are still worthy of investigation if you like the album.

It's also worth mentioning that Marie Samuelsson had a thorough musical education and later became a noted modern composer. As late as of November 2023, she received the prestigious Christ Johanson award by the Swedish Royal Academy of Music.

Full album playlist

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Göteborgsrock/Ytterrock (Pang, 1982)

 
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

A ghastly various artists compilation released on the infamous Pang label in 1982, consisting of B grade Gothenburg bands. As often with albums of this kind, it's stylistically all over the place, with really terrible middle-of-the-road rock by Midnight, some spineless reggae by Malta Feber, hard rock by Nya Ambulansen that only deaf people can enjoy, and some untalented new wave/punk by F.K.M. I doubt that there's anything like Blå Schäfer completists in this world, but if there are, their two tracks are surely the most interesting in this lot (but they suck too).

Full album

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Grammofon-missionen: A Collection Of Swedish Jesus Music 1967-1982 (Subliminal Sounds, 2023)

Featured artists: John Three Sixteen / The Vergers / Heaven Liners / Beryllen / Höjeteamet / Glorymen / Carina / The Destination Of Life / Fågel Fenix / The Aaltos / Young Deacons / Mums / Ekot / Dolos / The Smusics / Music Males / Sven-Olof Nilsson / Size Boys
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

A digital-only release by Subliminal Sounds, this might at a first glance look like a follow up to Subliminal Sounds's excellent ”Frälst!” compilation of Swedish Christian music in the 70s. But those who expect a second volume of psych inclined religious grooves will likely be disappointed. ”Grammofon-missionen” is a musical addendum to the book ”Grammofon-missionen: Swedish Jesus Music Aesthetics 1960-1990” written by Carl-Henrik Olsson and Stefan Kéry, documenting the domestic Jesus music movement from three decades. Much of the music here is way more primitive (not in a good sense) than what's on ”Frälst!” and has a less accomplished feel. Bordering on outsider music, this takes a different listening approach, but even then, I don't find much, if anything, to match Subliminal Sounds's previous and successful attempt to document the Swedish Jesus music. Some of it is very influenced by bad Swedish commercial 60s pop but with substandard even terrible execution. I'm not against outsider music but it has to have at least something more going for it than bad playing to be interesting,

The striking exception here is Finnish band active in Sweden Aaltos, and also the only band here featured with two songs. The Aaltos has gained some reputation among record collectors and charity shop scavengers over the years, and both their tracks, ”Känner du en vän” and ”Pray”, explain why. They have a peculiar dissolved feel, especially on ”Pray” which steer right into the psychedelic domain with its unearthly harmony vocals and brooding, ominously breathing organ.

Still, I appreciate this compilation on an historic/academic level. Swedish Jesus music has long been neglected and categorically dismissed – so much of it is indeed painfully terrible, and it takes someone dedicated to find the exceptions. ”Grammofon-missionen” is an attempt at just that, so it gets an A for ambition but a facepalm for content.

Full album playlist

MIA SANDBERG – ...från mig (Sonet, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Mia Sandberg entered the scene at the waning end of progg, heading towards the future but still with traces of earlier times. As an artist, she's rather forgotten today, but she released three albums and several singles in the early 80s. She has infrequently reappeared as a musician a few times after that, although her main occupation these days is as a therapist and an occassional author.

”Från mig” was her debut album, released in 1980 to largely positive reviews. It includes her most successful track ”Svart eller vit” which opens the album. Sandberg sings her confessional songs in a slightly husky voice, and she's a decent enough songwriter. Too bad then that the album passes rather unnoticed. The main problem is that major label Sonet obviously didn't want to lose money on their then new signing, giving it an overly anxious production. The music kind of evaporizes before you have a chance to notice it's even there. (Sonet hired Flemming Ostermann of Danish band Savage Rose to handle the knobs which makes the sound even more puzzling as Savage Rose hardly were known for a cowardly sound.)

Still, if you're looking for a more toned-down Stina Nordström, a more dressed-up Barbro Hörberg or perhaps even a more glamourous Turid, this might appeal to you. But if you pass on it, you won't miss a lot.

Full album playlist

SUSPEKT ASPEKT – Den årliga vårliga konserten på Röhsska muséet (no label, 1979)

Instrumental
International relevance ***

Probably one of the most obscure bands ever to be featured here, Suspekt Aspekt never even released any music when they originally existed. Originating from Gothenburg, they formed in the mid 70s and disbanded in early 1980. This recording were distributed privately by the band after having reunited in 2003. It's a live recording made at Röhsska museet, an art museum in the centre of their hometown. Sound quality is good, even excellent for an audience recording from 1979. The music is soft instrumental symphonic prog with an epic quality, somewhat reminiscent of UK bands like Camel. It's well played and rather pleasant, but with 23 tracks clocking in at over two hours, it's too much to chew in one sitting for the casual listener, Genre fans however will surely be delighted by the discovery.

Had Suspekt Aspekt had the opportunity to have a proper album out when they existed the first time around, they would most likely have been widely recognized among aficionados, instead of being a hardly known footnote in the history of regional symph prog.

Full album playlist

MÖGEL – Mögel (Slick, MLP 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance **

Avid readers probably know that I'm quite fond of those bands that walk the thin line between progg and punk. A line much thinner than general consensus usually admits – I insist that the two genres have much more in common than they do separating them. This subgenre has no real name, sometimes it's simply referered to as 'prog punk', but somebody suggested 'pronk' but I pray that word won't ever catch on...

Mögel (not to be confused with any other band by that name) was one of the bands that crossed punk's energy with proggish ambitions. Beginning in 1978 in Stockholm suburb Farsta, they kept going for about five years (unless you count their recent reunion) and was a pioneering outfit with an all female line-up. Although I never felt the need to distinguish female bands from male bands – it's all music no matter what gender you are – it was still not that common in those male dominated years. They navigated the same area as the aforementioned Kräldjursanstalten and Boojwah Kids, taking cues from Captain Beefheart's angularity as much as they did from the then current punk and burgeoning post punk scenes. Imagine a mix of Beefheart and UK do-it-yourselfers The Raincoats and you're nearly there.

As promising as it may sound, Mögel lacked the necessary musical efficiency and skills to convincingly pull itoff. They aimed far too high: their 'complicated' songs sounded clumsy and awkward. Their more straightforward tracks suited them better, simply because those didn't demand the same level of proficiency. But, and this is important, despite their obvious shortcomings, they had something that's hard to dismiss categorically. Amongst the squeaks and yelps and rickety arrangements, Mögel put forth an endearing lot of energy and honest intentions. They meant what they were doing, and while it's sometimes eargrating, their music is often oddly touching. Yes, they failed in their ambitions but they did puzzlingly successful. I don't necessarily like them, but I still can't stop listening to them once I put on their album.

Which in fact isn't an album, but a six-track 45 rpm EP. Much later, in 2003, it was expanded to twice its original length for the belated CD reiusse retitled ”1978-1983”. Contradictive as it may seem, the added material consisting of demos, live recordings and rare tracks previously only available on a hard-to-find various artists cassette-only compilation, present the band in a wider scope and slightly more beneficial multifaceted light.

Mögel were certainly an acquired taste, and while some will never acquire that particular taste, others will find it an interesting and/or annoying listen if you're in the mood for it. It's also like a time capsule, a snapshot of what might be the only time in history when a band like this was not only allowed to have their music out but also managed to gain positive attraction from both the audience and the media. The music movement's own periodical Musikens Makt even ran a feature on them in 1980.

Full album playlist (expanded reissue)