AUTUMN BREEZE – Demo Tapes (MyRecords, 1977-78) / På radio 1978 (MyRecords, 1978)

Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental
International relevance ***/***

When record labels failed to show any interested in Autumn Breeze's album ”Höstbris”, they released it themselves in 1979. When they reformed around 2010, they stuck to self-releasing their music, and have now several albums out on their own label MyRecords. But a compilation of demo recordings made in 1977-1978 appeared as a CD-r already in 2009. Alternately entitled ”Demo Tapes” and ”Casette Tapes” (sic!), it features not only early versions of songs ending up on ”Höstbris”, but also tracks that never made it to the LP. Some songs should have; I'd gladly have swapped the dreadful white-boy-in-an-office funk of ”U P A” and the stale disco of ”Ugglans nattvisir” for the eight minutes of ”Nr. 646” off the demo tape. The main difference between the finished versions and those takes are, as you could expect, these are rougher round the edges. Somewhat closer to 70's hard rock, they sound less refined and that's beneficial. And best of all, they don't have those cheesy synths that are all over ”Höstbris”. True those demos have their share of clumsy playing, but what they lose in precision they gain in vividness.

The second archival release, also a CD-r, features a session recorded for Swedish Radio's local Karlstad branch in 1978. Those tapes fall somewhere between the '78 demos and the '79 album. They still sound a bit under-rehearsed with some rather comic fumbles here and there, and knowing the session would be broadcast, they sound a bit tense.

Swedish Radio has always been famous for getting a great live sound, but for whatever reason the fidelity here is peculiarly muddy which obviously is a drawback. I don't know if some primitive post-production fiddling took place before being released, but there's a reverb here and there which sounds as if it was added later to cover up shortcomings on the original tape. Instead it emphasizes them. Also, the bass must have been boosted prior to release which further adds to the unbalanced and slightly messy sound.

As you can see, I much prefer the demo disc. It's not perfect, but it's imperfect in the right way. I'd even go as far as to say it's better than ”Höstbris” thanks to the rawness and energy it radiates. 

Too bad about the terrible amateurish cover art for both discs though. Somebody failed the Photoshop class...  

Demo Tapes/Casette Tapes full album playlist
På radio 1978 full album playlist

MULLVADSOPERAN – Sånger ur Mullvadsoperan (MNW, 1978)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Mullvaden ('the mole' - don't ask) was an apartment block of four buildings in Stockholm that the city council wanted to tear down already in the 60's. Due to a massive public opinion against the destruction, the houses survived yet another decade, when plans were renewed to knock them down. The tenants refused to move, and became squatters in their own homes in 1977. With the help from Alternativ Stad ('alternative city'), a group working for a more inhabitants friendly city, protests were organised to nationwide attention. Around 300 people took part of the protests and activities, including theatre group Jordcirkus which came together as an immediate result of the Mullvaden protests. Led by Chris Torch, previous with the American group Living Theatre, Jordcirkus performed their 'street opera' ”Mullvadsoperan” released by MNW in 1978, the same year the police eventually stormed the buildings and evicted the tenants/squatters. They lost the houses, but somehow won the moral battle, as the real estate company owning Mullvaden later changed their policies from knocking down old houses then build new (and more expensive) ones, to restoring old buildings in their possession.

A live recording (made at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm), ”Sånger ur Mullvadsoperan” sounds like a typical political album of the era, sloppily recorded with too many people singing at once with their fists waving in the air. Some songs could possible have been OK had they been more worked on, especially the first track ”Vintern är kall” which has a sweet waltzing melody that, like everything else here, is shouted to death by the many zealous voices.

Albums such as this always seem to end up a time capsule, a moment frozen in time, which only looks more naive and embarassing as the years go by. Although I can easily sympathize with the sqautters intentions (take care of the old buildings instead of raising new ones people can't afford to live in), it doesn't necessarily make for listenable music. The story surrounding the album is so much more interesting than what's on it.

Full album

HARAMBEE – Harambee (Odeon, 1971)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

This is an album I've wanted to hear for a very long time and curiousity grew to expectations, and that's not good. The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. I guess we've all been there.

What I expected to get was a an album of well-crafted pop songs still under the influence of the 60's, with pronunced psychedelic elements. Something along the lines of Jason's Fleece perhaps. But it's not really the lost popsike masterpiece I had envisioned my over-vivid, hopeful mind.

It's a mellow album with pastoral touches and a rich use of harmony vocals. The album has an underground feel being recorded at home, but it's surprisingly professional sounding. The songs are on the commercial side, but not without surprises. There's a fuzz guitar breakout here, a sharp turn there, and oops! a sudden melodic twist I wasn't prepared for! There's something about the album that makes me think of a more consistent Cymbeline, perhaps even a dash of pop-minded Latin American bands such as Laghonia/We All Together and Embrujo.

Not everything here is good – ”Kalle Wall” is plain embarassing – but as my false expectations waned off, I began to hear the album for what it is, and there are indeed worthwhile moments. The fuzzed ”Regn” is a high point, while ”Tu-ru-tu” sounds like a lost, early solo McCartney demo. ”Harambee” isn't a lost treasure but it has grower qualities, and if you approach it with fewer misguided anticipations than I did, it's not impossible at all that you reach into it much quicker than me.  

Harambee made a second album in 1975 as Wasa, a much more commercial (and inferior) pop affair released on Polar Records and produced by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and ABBA producer Michael B. Tretow.

Full album

TOMMY KÖRBERG – Sjunger Birger Sjöberg (Sonet, 1974) / TOMMY KÖRBERG & STEFAN NILSSON – Blixtlås (Sonet, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: */**

Tommy Körberg is a huge star even internationally thanks to his appearance in the ”Chess” musical. He's an incredibly versatile performer and a massively gifted singer, but he can also be massively boring and his vocal precision can make him sound cold. Most of his solo works are way outside of progg; his relevance to this blog mainly extends to his recordings with Solar Plexus and Made In Sweden. ”Tommy Körberg sjunger Birger Sjöberg” fits despite not really being progg as it's really a Solar Plexus album in disguise, featuring the entire band minus Jojje Wadenius. The songs are musical adaptions of Swedish turn of the century poet Birger Sjöberg, As expected with the people involved, it's a well performed affair. It's very polished, so polished it's lifeless. There's little or nothing of Solar Plexus's usual frivolous approach to musical genres, and the general feel is that of restrainment and control. The three tracks that rise slightly above the inherent dullness are ”Släpp fångarne loss”, ”Samtal om universum” and ”Bleka dödens minut”. They have vague strains of a suppressed unease if you listen closely – very closely – but still lack the spirit the album is in such great need of.

Tommy Körberg returned to Swedish poetry as a source for inspiration five years later, but his approach was vastly different on "Blixtlås" (subtitled "Svensk 70-talspoesi", 'Swedish 70's poetry'). Featured are  longtime Körberg cohort Stefan Nilsson (Kornet, De Gladas Kapell, Hörselmat) and other people from mainly the jazz and fusion legions (plus a harmonica cameo from Mats Ronander). It has a sound I don't like, but the music and arrangements are still more vivid than on the Birger Sjöberg album. But ”Blixtlås” wasn't made as a companion piece, and taken as a singular work, it simply sounds lika a cold, cerebreal and clinical fusion jazz workout.

Sjunger Birger Sjöberg full album playlist
Blixtlås full album playlist

BLOND – The Lilac Years (Fontana, 1969)

English vocals
International relevance: **

”The Lilac Years” is essentially the final Tages album minus Tommy Blom who left the band in 1968 for a short-lived and not very successful solo career. Blond was an attempt of the remaining members plus new recruit Anders Nordh (King George Discovery, Life, Bättre Lyss, Figaro) to establish a career outside of Sweden (hence the name change), with the album released in such diverse territories as the U.S. (with altered sleeve design, see below), the Netherlands, the U.K., South Africa and New Zealand.

While retaining their melodic sensibilities refined during the Tages years, their long-time producer Anders ”Henkan” Henriksson provided them with a heavier sound as on ”This Is Mine”, ”I Pick Up The Bus”, the storming ”Six White Horses” and the album's proggiest track ”Caroline”. Some sunshine pop drags the album down a bit, but when they go baroque pop on ”There's A Man Standing In The Corner” and the melancholic ”(I Will Bring You) Flowers In The Morning”, their softer side is utilized to great results. The best track on the entire album is one of those tracks too, ”The Lilac Years”, a wonderful six minute adaptation of the Swedish folk song ”De sålde sina hemman”, also known as ”Emigrantvisa” (and previously recorded by jazz pianist Jan Johansson).

The CD reissue is augmented with four singles tracks including ”How Can I Pray When I Don't Believe” revealing Blond as a band with a heavy rock potential. Also featured is the two part ”Balladen om killen” with Örjan Ramberg on vocals. (Another three songs appear a CD-rom track, from a 1969 TV performance, one a version of ”Caroline” and the other two being covers of The Band and Blood, Sweat And Tears.)

The international launch failed, and Blond split up in 1970, with some of the members going on to other big things.

Full album playlist with bonus tracks
'The Weight' (TV performance)
'My Days Are Numbered' (TV performance)
'Caroline' (TV performance)

SALAMANDER – Live At Northsea Jazz Festival (Dragon, 1981)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

Despite having Susanna Lindeborg on piano, Salamander isn't a Mwendo Dawa offshoot but very much an entity of its own she took part in, with its own strengths and merits. They made five albums during the first half of the 80's, but only their debut, recorded live at the Northsea Jazz Festival in The Hague in the summer of 1981, fits within with this blog's time frame.

The album is full of very good multifaceted music, ranging from wild free jazz outbursts sometimes reminiscent of Albert Ayler to gentle lyrical passages and further on to cheeky silliness and then back again. Honest music that never takes itself too seriously, never falls into over-cerebreal traps which makes it a very accessible and very entertaining piece of work.

The first side is my favourite, and consists of three compositions by saxophonist Cecilia Wennerström. Despite all being different in tone and style, the three tracks make a flowing but cohesive whole. Second side has two tracks ”Vaggsång för havet” by Katarina Karlsson and the charmingly jerky ”Ekorrhjulet” by drummer Vanja Holm. Both tracks feature Karlsson's vocal and may be an acquired taste, but they're so disarming (especially on ”Ekorrhjulet”) I don't mind them.

Seemingly overlooked, Salamander was a most convincing constellation with a personal tone and an endearing charm, always open to surprise both themselves and the listener with compositions that not necessarily followed the expected direction.

Full album playlist

BRÖDERNA LÖNN – Säg det i toner... (Musiklaget, 1980)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Here's an album with a rather unusual back story. Swedish radio legend Kjell Alinge wanted an album of old Swedish evergreens from the 30's and 40's performed as rock music. A one album only studio project for which several progg luminaries were recruited: from the Blå Tåget camp we have Mats G. Bengtsson; from International Harvester there's Thomas Tidholm; Ove Karlsson came from in Arbete & Fritid; Thomas Svensson (later Stålberg), Anders Åborg and Thomas Wiegert joined in from Kung Tung, and to round things off, there's the omnipresent Sigge Krantz. They chose the collective name of Bröderna Lönn (literally: The Maple Brothers, Lönn being a fairly common Swedish family name) to make it sound like an old-fashioned combo. The result is curious to say the least. Thomas Tidholm takes the lead vocals, and never one found on any lists of the best ever singers, it's odd to hear him struggle his way through interwar hits. His trying vocals work in some formats like Hot Boys, but here it just sounds bizarre, even touching on what's known as 'incredibly strange music'. Thing is, the backing musicians don't sound as they enjoy much of it either, providing a stiff and uninspired backdrop to Tidholm's roller coaster croon. The only track that has some life in it is the seven minute take on ”Regntunga skyar” which manages to sounds eager and oddly desperate.

The idea behind this album was eccentric to begin with, and the results are abnormal. It wouldn't surprise me if ”Säg det i toner” adds a blush to the faces of the involved. I certainly hope they at least got a decent paycheck for the embarassment, but I doubt that since no well endowed people appear to have been involved in this dud.

Full album playlist