A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 4: Late era progg

 BALL
Leaving (For A New Land) / Ballgame (Philips, 1977)
Busker / Frida's Bank (Hi-Hat, 1978)
English vocals
International relevance: *

A Finnish-Swedish band active in Stockholm. They only made two singles, the first one also released in Finland on Hi-Hat with sides reversed and a different cover, the second one only released in Finland. They are mentioned in ”The Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music” but none of them is very proggish at all. Ball was more of a classic rock band who probably thought they were very metal, but only ”Ballgame” could possibly be called hard rock. Bass player Kaj Söderström and drummer Henrik ”Hempo” Hilldén were previously in Splash and later went on to the rhyming Trash, a heavy metal band who made two albums in the 80s. Hilldén also played with Pugh Rogefeldt and Mikael Ramel in the 70s and later had an international career. 

 

SYDKRAFT – Surfway / Så tung, så lång (EMI, 1978)
English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Two tracks both on Sydkraft's bad full length album but in different and better versions. ”Surfway” works vastly better as the surf punk number it's here than as the terrible fake reggae track on the LP, If you want great neo-surf pop, please go to UK band The Barracudas debut album instead. Flipside ”Så tung, så lång” has more energy in this early version than on the re-recorded album version. Yes, better, but still not good.

 

 

HETS – Uran / Valutatango (Alternativ, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Peripherally interesting for being on Kjell Höglund's Alternativ label. The 'A' side is an anti-nuclear song and the 'B' side is a cabaret styled song against tax refugees. Not worth the effort. Another single exists plus a full album, both on Alternativ.

STAFFANS LÄRJUNGAR – Tures trumpet / Dresden '45 (Staffan Records, 1979)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

Private 45 from a Gävle band with no further releases. ”Tures trumpet” sounds a bit like an inferior early Dom Smutsiga Hundarna track, with a whacky trumpet solo at the end. ”Dresden '45” is a bit more interesting, an instrumental with a bit of atmosphere with organ and clumsy guitars. Recorded in two days in Mora Träsk's studio. Bassist Bengt-Olof Tedeborg later went to other Gävle bands including new wave band Grenzfall. Trumpeter and organist Jan Lindström later changed his surname to Berglin and became one of Sweden's most brilliant cartoonists.

STEVE ROPER BAND – Freda'n är här / Betonglåten (Opel, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Umeå band with Lars Gillén on drums. Gillén later co-founded Umeå label Garageland Records that did some early reissues of Lea Riders Group and Friends. ”Betonglåten” is the best and most proggish track of the two with some prominent guitar playing. ”Freda'n är här” is more pop oriented, and later Steve Roper Band releases are mediocre power pop. They also have a track on V/A compilation "Vi har rätt till jobb".

 

ALDRIG I LIVET – När Hyland sjunger lalala... / Brända barn (Fest Produktion, 1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Yet another act from the north of Sweden, this time from Luleå. The 'A' side is a forgettable ska track but ”Brända barn” is OK, not entirely unlike a slow Nynningen or late Nationalteatern track in style. I suspect Tomas Forssell might have been an inspiration here as he moved to Luleå after Nynningen's demise.
 

 

DOM SMUTSIGA HUNDARNA – Festen är över / Sista dansen (Nacksving, 1982)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Second to last outing from this Gothenburg band, only followed by their final album ”Framtiden rusar emot dig” in 1983. By this time they had lost their early scruffy appeal and become just another Nacksving band, and hadn't it been for the saxophone, this could have been any mediocre band of 1982.

 

GOTLANDS TEATER

Knark (Noon, EP 1982)

Rockpojken / Tonys sång (Noon, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Gotlands Teater was a theatre ensemble who made its vinyl debut already in 1974 with single-sided LP ”Modell /74”. Eight years later three singles appeared, including five track 33 1/3 EP ”Knark” and ”Rockpojken”. Obviously styled after the edgier side of Nationalteatern, most of it is just unexceptional rock music. Best track is ”Horor och knarkluder” from ”Knark”. 

"Rockpojken" was released with three different covers. 

Worth noting is the theatre's creative director and actor Anders T. Peedú who was in garage band Friends in the 60s. 

 

CRUT

Efter 5 långa år / Tunnan (Ljudbarrikaden Spartacus, 1978)

Jönköping / Balladen om puben Lycka (Skivbolaget Sjöbo, 1980)

Hååvee / Grande Finale (Sjöbo Påpp, 1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Crut is already on this blog with their album ”Världspremiär”. ”Jönköping” and ”Grand Finale” are both on the album in very similar versions, while ”Balladen om puben Lycka” is an entirely different recording. The basement hard rock of ”Efter 5 långa år” is the best thing they ever did while ”Hååvee” is absolutely moronic crap. Remaining tracks fall somewhere inbetween, but closer to crap.

GUNNAR EDANDER – Musiken ur ”Kameliadamens kärlek och död” (Skådebanan, 1981)
Instrumental
International relevance: **

Gunnar Edander composed the music for ”Kärleksföreställningen”, ”Jösses flickor”, and ”Sånger om kvinnor" to name but some of his best known work. This seven-inch belongs to his most obscure efforts however. It's two instrumental tracks from a play based on Alexander Dumas' ”The Lady of the Camellias” (also knowns as simply ”Camille”) and performed at Stockholm City Theatre in 1981. ”Kameliavalsen” (with French subtitle ”La Valse aux Camélias”) is almost akin to 20th century modernist piano music. Or perhaps even a spastic unknown recording by a completely psychotic Lars Hollmer. B side is the title track from the play, ”Kameliadamens kärlek och död” (”L'amour et la Mort de la Dame aux Camélias”) and a very different thing. Starting off like a variation on ”Fûr Elise”, it soon expands into a romantic, spacious piece with strong melancholic underpinnings. A very moody composition and quite captivating. This is by and large the most intriguing music I've ever heard from Gunnar Edander and it's a shame it remains virtually unknown.

Sydkraft full single 
Hets full single
Staffans Lärjungar full single 
Aldrig I Livet full single
Dom Smutsiga Hundarna full single
Ball:
Leaving (For A New Land)
Ballgame 
Busker
Frida's Bank
Steve Roper Band:
Freda'n är här
Betonglåten
Gotlands Teater:
Knark full single
Rockpojken full single
Crut:
Efter 5 långa år full single playlist
Jönköping full single playlist
Hååvee full single playlist
Gunnar Edander no links found

FABRIKSFLICKORNA – Makten och härligheten (MNW, 1980)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

It's hardly a secret that there's an endless stream of absolutely terrible albums in the field of progg, and what unites them is often the politics. It's message over music, and if it's music from a theatrical play with an agenda, they're usually so bad they're bound to give you a slight brain damage. I still suffer from having heard Bruksteatern, and I doubt I will ever fully recover from that traumatic experience.

”Fabriksflickorna – Makten och härligheten” (”the factory girls – the power and the glory”) falls into that same category, and dealing with the factory seamstresses situation in Sweden at the same, it comes with the mandatory feminist angle. The music is written by Gunnar Edander, best known for ”Jösses flickor”, and performers include feminist stahlwarts Suzanne Osten (who wrote the actual play) and Lena Söderblom. That should tell you all exactly what it sounds like: the one perky tune after the other sung by too many voices at once in the bloated righteous spirit of collectivity. I don't hear even one passable track here; if there is one faintly decent song among the lot, it's immediately ruined by the suffocating atmosphere of pompous smugness.

No links found

KLARATEATERN – Sessornas sånger (YTF, 1976)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

With music written by Gunnar Evander (and lyrics by Per Lysander and Suzanne Osten), this stands as something of the third part in the informal feminist trilogy beginning with ”Sånger om kvinnor” in 1971 and continuing with ”Jösses flickor – befrielsen är nära” in 1975. While not great, ”Sessornas sånger” stands head and shoulders above the previous two. It's more refined, the perfomances are smoother thanks to seasoned studio pros such as Rolf Alex and Jan Bandel but it's also a bit lacklustre, and the songs are at least occasionally better. Although they originate from a stage performance by Klarateatern, several of them are focused enough to stand on their own, in particular the almost-funky ”Den svarta prinsessan och den röda”, the evocative ”Sessornas magar” and the brooding gospel-tinged ”O Gud gör mig fattig”. ”Äntligen en prins” isn't that great, but fans of wah-wah might appreciate it nevertheless. Some songs have male vocals, but the songs featuring female vocals fare generally better.

Being musical excerpts from a stage play, the songs tell a story, with the plot centered around the Swedish princesses. Given ”Sessornas sånger” was released at the height of progg era, it's critical of the Swedish monarchy. 

All in all, the album's value is greater as a period piece than a musical work.

Comes with a lyric sheet.

No links found