RUBBET – Skörden är stor (KN, 1982)

 
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

I hoped this would be a great lost Christian hard rock album. I was right in three respects: it's lost, Christian and hard rock but it's not particularly great. More than half of the songs come from a musical Rubbet wrote about a fictional character named Ben Josef who witnessed the crucifixion of Christ and then turn to him just in time for the resurrection. All songs except one have vocals, many of them with rather dark lyrical concerns which is a rather welcome change to the usual rose-coloured jubilation marring so many Christian releases. The lyrical level isn't too impresive though, and pretty much like the album in general: a rather mediocre effort with uninteresting vocals and a mish-mash of then current hard rock clichés. But the clichés are still preferable to the lame attempts at reggae (”Hej BJ”) and funkiness (”Vaktens sång”) plus a couple of dutiful and unimaginative ballads.

”Skörden är stor” looks like a private pressing but was in fact released by the small Skellefteå label KN – initials for label owner Kjell Nästén – which had a couple of progg related items out (including a late 7” by Kurres Kapell) before folding in the mid 80s. The production is rather professional sounding but a little bit to close to the sound aesthetics of the era.

Rubbet had two songs on the "Rockplock" compilation, and a second album in 1984.