Just like one might expect, there's a
slew of various artists albums released during the progg years. Some
of them are regional releases covering a local scene such as ”Bygg
ett eget musikforum”, a double album including several lesser known
Uppsala bands plus an exclusive track by Samla Mammas Manna. Others
in turn document specific events, such as ”Alternativ festival”,
released by MNW in 1975 consisting of live recordings from
Alternativfestivalen held as a protest manifestation against the
commercially oriented Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm 1975
following Abba's ”Waterloo” victory in Brighton the previous
year. And there's of course the famous 2LP set commemorating the
Gärdet festival that many consider the starting point of the entire
progg movement.
There's also a fair share of charity
styled albums produced to bring attention to certain causes and raise
funds to help for instance striking labourers. These albums are of an
undeniable historical value, artefacts to remind us of a particular
events and moments in time. However, few of them are fun to listen to
for other than strictly academical reasons. More often than not,
they're bogged down by political fundamentalism and tiresome
sloganeering. Even if you sympathize with the core sentiment of the
leftwing world view expressed in the lyrics, they soon get
overbearing, rendering many of the albums straight up unlistenable. I
consider them being of limited interest even to foreign listeners
unfamiliar with the Swedish language, due to the often low quality
music. That said, they're still part of the progg movement and thus
clearly within the scope of this blog, why I've decided to present
some of them here as the first in a series of brief overviews.
ARBETARKAMPEN OCH
AVTALSRÖRELSEN (Arbetarkultur, 1974)
Featured artists: Finn Zetterholm /
Narren / Jan Hammarlund / Klasskamraterna /
Oktober / Marie Selander
/ Knutna Nävar
Swedish vocals, other languages
International relevance: *
Publishing house Arbetarkultur was run
by Swedish communist party SKP, but had several record releases out during
the 70's from artists such as
Maria Hörnelius,
Röda Kapellet and
Unga Gardet. ”Arbetarkampen och avtalsrörelsen” (”the
labourers' struggle and the round of wage negotiations”) has
catalogue no. AKLP01 and was recorded live at the Labourer's
convention in early 1974. Far left stalwarts
Knutna Nävar make a
contribution with ”Det är något konstigt med friheten”, while
singer/songwriter
Jan Hammarlund, one of the first to openly declare
being gay and a fierce mouthpiece of the Swedish gay rights movement,
appears with three tracks. The album closer speaks for the album's
sentiment, a full cast performance of ”The Internationale”.
HÖR MASKINERNAS SÅNG
(Proletärkultur, 1973)
Featured artists: Knutna Nävar / Maria
Hörnelius / Boråspionjärerna / Wiveka Warenfalk / Fred Åkerström /
Röda Ropet / Röd Morgon / KPML(r):s Blåsorkester
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
”Hör maskinernas sång” (”hear
the singing of the machines”) is similar to ”Arbetarkampen och
avtalsrörelsen” only more hardboiled left-wing, being released by
Proletärkultur, the label affiliated with communist party KPLM(r).
Of course, KPML(r) figureheads Knutna Nävar appear on the album
providing two tracks, plus backing Maria Hörnelius up on ”Den
trojanska hästen”. Also featured is renowned singer Fred
Åkerström. The album is recorded during KPML(r)'s federation day
meeting in 1973 and each song is followed by the unproportionally
loud Soviet Union styled audience roar. ”Hör maskinernas sång”– appropriately rounded off with yet another version of "The Internationale" – is the perfect album for anyone who wishes to poke fun at the sometimes
over-zealous Swedish leftist engagement in the 70's.
LÅT ALMARNA LEVA
(Metronome, 1971)
Featured artists: Cornelis Vreeswijk /
Bernt Staf / Fred Åkerström / Tage Lidén
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *
The album was recorded in May 1971 in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm in conjunction with the massive protests against the felling of elm trees that were 100 years old to make way for a new subway station. It was a battle of political inclinations, but the real struggle took place between the ordinary protesters and the police. Thousands of people participated in the protests and many of them took turns occupying the area day and night to prevent the trees from being cut down. The trees themselves were occupied to stop the chainsaws and several people were hurt during the week-long clashes, but the protesters won and the elm trees are still there as a much loved symbol of the power of the right to protest.
Various bands and artists supported the protesters, such as Envoys who, with vocal backing from Charlie & Esdor (of Gärdet festival fame), released a benefit 45 "Almarna åt folket”, a cover of ”Power to the People” with John Lennon's original lyrics translated into a war cry in defense of the preservation of the elm trees. Other noted singer/songwriter artists appeared in Kungsträdgården during the protests, including Cornelis Vreeswijk, Bernt Staf and Fred Åkerström, all appearing on ”Låt almarna leva” (”let the elm trees live”), released on the major record label, Metronome. Short speeches and interviews with the protesters and supporters are interspersed between the tracks, providing the recording with a pronunced documentary feel and the album is highly valuable time capsule of those events. Musically speaking, it's one of the most consistent albums in this post, but it's doubtful it would make much sense to non-Swedish listeners without necessary insight into the historical events which took place all those years ago.
STÖD DE STREJKANDE
HAMNARBETARNA (Proletärkultur, 1974)
Featured artists: Thomas Ellerås /
Harald ”Bagarn” Andersson / Knutna Nävar / Anja Svederborg /
Fred Åkerström / Mats Lundälv / Sven Wollter / Röda Ropet / Dan
Berglund
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *
Another typical Proletärkultur
release, similar to ”Hör maskinernas sång” above with some of
its artists re-appearing here; Knutna Nävar, Fred Åkerström and
Röda Ropet, along with several other KPML(r) sympathizers including
Knutna Nävar member and later to be famous actor Sven Wollter, and singer/songwriter
Dan Berglund, performing one of his best known song "De mördades fria republik" in his typical world-weary voice.
(Berglund later left the KPML(r) party and came to dismiss the political
engagement of his youth.) The title reads ”support the striking
dockers” and there's nothing that can be said about the album that
the title doesn't give away immediately. All acoustic pamphlet songs,
performed in a typical overwrought ”engaged” fashion. Recorded live at Marx-Engels-huset, "house of Marx-Engels". Go figure.
from Arbetarrörelsen och avtalsrörelsen
from Hör maskinernas sång
from Stöd de strejkande hamnarbetarna