English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***
Marsfolket was a
supergroup of sorts even though the members of this six-piece wasn't
necessarily 'superstars' as of yet. Björn Skifs had been in 60s band
Slam Creepers, and Claes ”Clabbe” af Geijerstam used to be a teen
idol in pop band Ola & The Janglers. But Bo Häggström
(previously of Lea Riders Group and Made In Sweden, then replaced in
Marsfolket by Mike Watson), Björn Linder (post-Tages outfit Blond),
Janne Schaffer and Ola Brunkert (later ABBA's go to drummer) weren't
quite household names in these days (and some of them probably aren't
still). They only existed for a very bried period, from to March to
April 1971 – hence their name Marsfolket (a pun meaning both ”the people of March” and "martians"). Their main purpose was touring, and for
long, the only physical proof of their existence was a single and one
track on Janne Schaffer's debut album, the massively funky
”Jordbruksmaskinen”. The single entitled ”Marsfolkets justa
rattar” with the tracks ”Maria, Maria” and ”The Hunter” is
somewhat rare, and for long I hoped there would be more recordings of
theirs. Then out of the blue this full-length album of previously unreleased recordings in studio quality
appeared!
Given the group's ephimeral nature, they relied a
fair bit on cover versions of contemporary acts such as Grand Funk
Railroad, J.J. Cale, Derek & The Dominoes and The Band. While
that might not look too tasty on paper, the thing is that Marsfolket
were a brilliant bunch who knew how to shake up even the most wooden
material. A little less than half of their repertoire was
nevertheless original songs and they are every bit as rocking,
grooving, funky and musically abundant as their borrowed material.
Björn Skifs is best known internationally for ”Hooked On A Feeling” which took his band Blue Suede to the top of the Billboard charts years before ABBA claimed the same spot. One thing that ”Marsfolket” proves is what a great singer Björn Skifs indeed was. He's unfortunately one of those singers born with an excellent voice that he – much like Tommy Körberg – habitually has wasted on uninteresting or plain stupid material. When he doesn't hold back, he's a truly gifted blue eyed soul vocalist. Geijerstam isn't too shabby either although his voice isn't quite as strong as Skifs's, but alternating between the two work just fine in this setting and adds a little extra variation.
My guess why Marsfolket was such a vibrant band is because they didn't have anything to prove. Knowing their
time was limited already from the start meant they could let loose
and simply enjoy themselves in each other's company without having to
deliver absolute perfection as session musicians or big stage
entertainers. That's what makes this album so delightful. Yes, that's
exactly what this is – a delight!
Full album playlist
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