Instrumental, English vocals
International relevance: ***
The Mellotronen label
has a long history of impressive reissues. Their ability to dig up
forgotten recordings and unissued material of some of the most
stellar Swedish 70s bands is almost unrivalled. But of all the great
stuff they've released over the years, this is still their most
impressive effort, in size as well as to content. Four CDs of radio
shows from Fläsket Brinner's golden era, with some portions never
even aired back in the day. One show from 1970, two from 1971, and one
from 1975. The sound quality ranges from good to excellent and in both
mono and stereo. Also several songs not available on any of their
other albums.
The 1970 disc was recorded two months before the earliest recordings
on their eponymous milestone of a debut album and is brimming with
all the youthful energy a newly formed band can offer. At this
point, few had heard Fläsket Brinner, and even if only one song from
the session was broadcast, it must have made a lasting impression on
all who heard it on the radio. Their vision was clear in their minds
already from the start, well structured, but they sound loose in a
way they no longer do on the two 1971 sessions. That's not meant as
criticism; on the contrary, the boldness of the performance is highly value in itself.
With the addition of Bo Hansson, Fläsket Brinner had become a tighter unit as proven by those 1971 dates. The October recording is as close as
they ever got to 1968 The Mothers Of Invention, even on Bo
Hansson's ”Sagan om ringen” medley and the three Maffy Falay
compositions/arrangements.
The December set has again a
different feel, less ”underground” and closer to jazz rock (in
the most positive possible sense). If the other 1971 set is The
Mothers 1968, this is much more ”Hot Rats” Zappa, but more open
and spontaneously explorative. This show also has the greatest style span as
exemplified by a very touching ”Gånglåten” being contrasted to
a for-the-hell-of-it cover of ”Red River Rock”!
Fläsket Brinner didn't quit until 1981, but not too many post-1972 recordings have surfaced, why the last disc of the Mellotronen set is particularly revealing. ”Grasse” is definitely jazz fusion, but in the moodier moments, such as ”Kinaspel” and the reflective version of Mort Garson's ”Acquarius”, they have a lot in common with Ragnarök. It's my least favourite of the four CDs here but as a token of Fläsket Brinner's constant forward motion plus being a document of an underdocumentet period of the band, it's most valuable.
Taken together, ”The Swedish Radio
Recordings” is a powerful testament to how Fläsket Brinner evolved over the years and what made them so great. Few bands were as adventurous and skilled without sacrificing passion and emotion as they were, and
few could extract so much energy from their own music as they could.
Needless to say, this is an absolutely essential collection.
Full album playlist
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