TORBJÖRN "TOBBE" RÜSSLANDER – Tobbe med egna låtar (no label, MC, 1978)

 
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

A very obscure and almost entirely undocumented cassette-only album, privately issued in 500 homemade copies in 1978, with songs written from 1974 up to the release date. Torbjörn ”Tobbe” Rüsslander was a singer/songwriter and a pretty good guitar player who recorded these twelve songs in his rehearsal room.

Recorded on a 4-track TEAC machine, the album shares the sound characteristics heard on several American private pressings from around the same time. Although the portastudio has its obvious limitations, I've always liked the dryness of it, as if the music was registered onto a chunk of wood. Rüsslander is quite good at using the technical limitations to his advantage. 

Most of his songs are melodic, and a couple of them have a more pronounced proggish feel, like ”Fredagsnatt” and ”En vän i nöden”, the latter nicely decorated with understated flute lines. Otherwise, the progg feel lies mainly with the sincere DIY vibe, not unlike Per Forssell. 

I can't quite put my finger on what, but there's something about ”Tobbe med egna sånger” that occasionally reminds me of U.S. underground legend D.R. Hooker whose 1972 album ”The Truth” is highly regarded by psych fans and collectors, even if Rüsslander doesn't have quite the same off-beat outsider vibe. At any rate, I enjoy listening to it. It may have its shortcomings, but those are overshadowed by the merits.

Rüsslander later re-emerged briefly with his band Zvenska Muskler who released one single in 1981. He still performs, and he also works a guitar teacher.

Full album  

SCHÜLDT – Schûldt (Schüldts Förlag & Studio, 1979)

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

It baffles me that it's still possible to find albums that are more or less unheard of, unknown, unheralded. After all, Sweden is a small country and after running this blog for such a long time, probing, digging, scrutinizing what feels like every inch of the progg soil, it seems so improbable that there are any albums left to excavate. But it does happen, and it happens more often than should be statistically possible. (Not to mention the amounts of long gone, buried 45s – is there even an end to it?)

I can honestly say I had never heard of Schüldt before I came across this private pressing from 1979. Although the front cover shows only the richly bearded Björn Schüldt, it's actually a duo album recorded with his wife Heléne who was highly involved in the songwriting and vocals, played guitar and autoharp, as well as creating the tapestry used for the album's artwork. She has a rather nice voice and a vocal style steeped in both British and American traditions. Björn's vocals are closer to a singer/songwriter style – I can even trace a bit of Ola Magnell here and there. I like Heléne better – Björn's voice is a bit dry with a slightly numb sort of timbre. Their voices blend rather well though on the tracks with both of them singing.

Surprisingly enough, it's all original material, but just like the vocals, the songs themselves display a deep love for the traditional material of both the UK and the USA. Heléne is a tad closer to the Brits, and she also wrote the best song. Her ”Nattlig frost” opens the album and is pretty great in a style that would have worked well on Lal & Mike Waterson's masterful ”Bright Phoebus” album. Björn leans a bit more towards blues and Appalachian country folk.

The lyrics are split between Swedish and English, but the couple's English pronounciation isn't the best why the native language tracks work best. Apart from that, the whole album is elaborate enough both in terms of execution and sound. Especially for being recorded in their own studio which was obviously well equipped for the mainly acoustic framework. Despite the sparse arrangements, the music sounds satisfyingly rich thanks to the couple's tactful and tactile mixing work capturing the rural quality of the songs.

”Schüldt” isn't a 'lost classic', but with some lesser shortcomings aside, it's still rather pleasant and pleasing. And better yet, it suggests that there might be more and perhaps even better albums out there, still undiscovered.

Nattlig frost  
The Wish Of A Bird  

VARIOUS ARTISTS – JAZZ- OCH ROCKSTIPENDIATER 1976 (Caprice, 1976)

 

Featured artists: Text & Musik / Krokus / Sonant Space
Instrumental, Swedish vocals, other languages
International relevance: **

These three bands were all awarded a Swedish Concert Institute grant that included a nationwide live tour, sessions for the Tonkraft live radio series; and an LP release split between the bands. The concert institute's own label Caprice Records were responsible for the album release.

Krokus were improvisation jazz, Sonant Space fusion, and Gothenburgers Text & Musik had rock leanings. Of the three grant holders, only Text & Musik went on to a recording career, including two albums for the Nacksving imprint. Krokus however had a trombone player that later became very famous in both the national and international fields of soul, pop, funk and jazz, namely Nils Landgren. Krokus appear with one long track that moves from spiritual jazz to 'organized free jazz' before ending in an almost folkish, lyrical fashion slightly reminiscent of Arbete & Fritid. Their portion is the best on the disc.

Sonant Space (later known as just Sonant) played a complex mix of prog rock and funk, and clearly ambitious, they were a bit too ambitious. Their two tracks are unnecessary complicated, and Sonant Space sounds like a young band (which they were) that really wants to prove something. Obviously technically skilled but like too many bands in that ilk, they go so hard at it the results become messy and unfocused. Some sections are just fine, but with so much nervously going on, their contributions sound more like exercises in high level mathematics than focused music. (A third track from the same Tonkraft session as these selections is available on Youtube.)

The three songs by Text & Musik are very different to each other. ”Ibo-Le-Le” is a Haitian voodoo song, ”Ljusen har slocknat i Shanghai” (co-written by Andreas Aarflot) is like a mini-play featuring spoken bits, fusion jazz and Latin infused cocktail jazz, while ”Det måste gå” features lyrics by poet Göran Sonnevi. They're not very smooth to sing. But while the lyrics are too unweildy for vocals, the track features some nice, fluent guitar work from Thomas Carlsson. All three tracks were recycled for the band's debut album "Jaguaren".

With two otherwise undocumented bands, ”Jazz- och rockstipendiater 1976” is all in all more interesting from an academic perspective than a musical one.

Sonant Space
Nogleckt (from bassist Tommy Riboe's website)
Tapto (from bassist Tommy Riboe's website) 

HJÄRNSTORM – Hjärnstorm (Slick, 12”, 1980)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A Stockholm band rooted in punk band Skabb and with ties to Psynkopat, Boojwah Kids and Elegi and others. Hjärnstorm fit well into that lot, with arty progg in their DNA but fully aware of the then burgeoning experimental post punk scene.

This 12” technically features only two songs, but the 'A' side ”En ensam man” (=”a lonely man”) plays like two different ones itself. It begins with an uneasy section of catatonic vocals set to a cold sweat organ drone before bursting into a dance-punk like beat and guitars not entirely dissimilar to Carlos Alomar's on Iggy Pop's ”The Idiot”. Chilly industrial synth effects emphasize the steel-and-concrete paranoia.

The 'B' side is entitled ”Min skugga” (=”my shadow”) and starts with a simple but wonderful almost folksy guitar melody. Halfway through, the song changes to something that reminds me of Dom Smutsiga Hundarna before returning to the original theme's sweet melancholy. ”Min skugga” is oddly haunting, and even better than ”En ensam man”.

It's hard to pinpoint Hjärnstorm's style, because they hint at very different things without ever feeling disjointed. They were quite original, and it's such a shame they didn't stay together long enough for a few more releases. They did back singer/actor Johan Lindell on one 7” track in 1981, but that was a disappointing effort. And when Hjärnstorm emerged into the more typical sounding post punk band Stadion der Jugend, much of their original tension was lost.

Hjärnstorm's 12” was released in four different colours (blue, green, red and black for those who keep track of such things), but none of them seems very rare or sought-after, suggesting this remains something of a lost gem on the brink of genres.

Min skugga

ÅKE "KRÅKAN" NILSSON - Måste man va' poet (CBS, 1979)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

There was quite some buzz around Åke ”Kråkan” Nilsson when he appeared in the spotlight in the late 70s. He earned his nickname Kråkan (=”the crow”) from his rough, gruff voice. Clearly inspired by early Ulf Lundell, Kråkan's lyrics were less romantic and dealt with the darker side of life. Speaking from his personal experience, Kråkan often sang about alcohol abuse and depression in a convincing manner, sometimes making me think of Kenta and Kaj R. Hansson (minus the criminal references). He was clearly a better singer than both of them with a strong powerful voice, somewhere between a smoother Rolf Wikström and a less foghornish Roger Chapman. Kråkan's full throttle approach to singing could surely have used some dynamics here and there, but his vocal urgency works in his favour now and then.

While his love for hard blues and stomping rock is perfectly obvious, he slows it down on a couple of tracks. ”Jag har spelat många roller” is a slow blues that captures the mood of the concrete city's murkier sides really well (a bit like Ulf Lundell's song ”Bente” does but from a different persepctive). ”Jag hoppas det inte är försent” (=”I hope it's not too late”) is another slow one, overflowing with remorse and contrition over what he's done to his friends and family when drowning in alcohol. While the music isn't straight up progg, the lyrics are – for those who can understand them – sincere and gripping on a personal level. Fans of the aforementioned Kenta and Kaj R. Hansson should listen up.

Kråkan made three more albums up to 1983 but they got gradually more commercial sounding, and it's really only this debut album that has enough no-frills proggish production to be of fringe interest to this blog. He's still active on a smaller scale level and is content with making his more recent efforts available on his website. It also has all his albums for streaming and download.

10 år sen sist / Jag vet hur du mår / Blunda och be / Jag har spelat många roller / Whisky och valium / Prestigeladdad kyla / 30-strecket / Jag hoppas det inte är försent / Rädd som fan

ANDERS KARLÉN – Way Out (Mistlur, 1981)

 
Instrumental
International relevance: **

Jazz guitarist Anders Karlén had previously been in Birka with saxophonist Nisse Sandström; Birka were awarded with the 1978 installment in Caprice Records' ”Jazz i Sverige” series. He also appeared as a session musician on albums by a number of rock acts, but managed to release only two albums under his own name, ”Way Out” in 1981 and ”Nuance Stances” in 1985.

”Way Out” is not an enjoyable experience. I'm not a fan of jazz guitar in general (jazz guitarists can get so bloody smug and self-important), but if you also add synth and fretless bass to it, you can be sure you'll get a particularly antiseptic fusion jazz album. And trying to drown in it that much reverb is a very bad idea. . While there are the occasional moment here when it sounds as if there are, in fact, traces of life somewhere deep inside, the reverb makes it diffuse it's very hard to enjoy. Producer (and Mistlur label co-founder) Stefan Glaumann was experienced enough when he made this album, and I've never thought of his work as especially ill-advised (actually, I've never thought of it at all which is about the greatest compliment you can give to a producer), so who knows what was slipped into his drink when he did this.

If there in fact is a good album deep inside ”Way Out”, I can't tell. Probably not, but if somebody found it, let me know.

No links found

SPRING QUINTETT – Spring Quintett (Polar, 1981)

Instrumental
International relevance: **

Mixing members from Sweden, Denmark and Norway, ”Spring Quintett” was released in Sweden on Polar in 1981. An unusual release for a label best known for ABBA, as this is a relatively imaginative fusion album, centered around EGBA member Bjarne Roupé's guitar and Mats Lundvall's piano. The songs were mainly written by saxophonist Stefan Grahn, and they don't take the easy way out; the songs have quitks and angles not too typical to early 80s standard fusion. Spring Quintett had a broad scope of jazz styles merging into something rather original and underappreciated. You can hear traces of performers as diverse as Pharoah Sanders, Terje Rypdal, Harald Svensson, and late 70s free jazz, with dashes of Albert Ayler's and Ornette Coleman's melodicity. While not an absolute top shelf release, it does have a quite a few interesting touches and moments. I would have liked to hear more from this outfit, but this was unfortunately their only album. The streaming version has one bonus track though.

Full album playlist (with bonus track)

HÄXFEBER – Häxfeber (MNW, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

This is one of those albums I thought would entirely different than I suspected it would be. Long before I heard it I thought this would be a jazz album somewhere between Tintomara and Salamander. But Häxfeber proved to be a rock progg band but was probably the all female line-up that fooled me because it was still more common with women jazz groups than rock ditto in Sweden in those days (although punk changed some of that).

Häxfeber weren't the best of instrumentalists. Especially drummer Karin Fält should have practised her drum fills a bit more before putting them on permanent record. ”Avenyn” is one of the most evocative tracks on their eponymous album, but the drum stumbles somewhat spoil the mood that the vaguely reggae influenced beat and the heavily reverbed guitar create. Another snag is the vocals, as if the singers felt they had to proclaim the feminist themed lyrics with too much urge to get heard (which might have been perfectly true). Then again, we mustn't forget that 1980 was a landmark year for Swedish punk, and Häxfeber were clearly aware of what was going on around them.

I do like guitarist Birgitta Larsson though. She isn't flashy (that doesn't automatically equals good anyway), but her licks and leads are quite tasteful, and she's also good at finding suitable sounds. The albums doesn't hold up all through, but there are several good, effective songs that would have been even better with a generally more proficient execution.

”Häxfeber” is a decent album with both flaws and strengths, a bit of an unfulfilled promise. Häxfeber had some talent but not the time to develop it – they disbanded after this album, and only Birgitta Larsson appeared shortly in another band, the obscure Scandal Beauties who had two songs on V/A compilation ”Vilda vanor” in 1985.

Med blåprickig slips  
Syntesen

ENERGIOPERANS KÖR & ORKESTER – Den femte naturkraften (Lilla Räven, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

This is the most unusual anti-nuclear album I've heard. A real one-off thing on a private, one-off label. The music were made for a street theatre performance in 1980 called "Energioperan" and involved 23 musicians and 46 singers, collectively known as ”The Energy Opera's Choir & Orchestra” in translation. The best known names are probably Anita Livstrand (Vargavinter, Bitter Funeral Beer Band, solo), Margareta Söderberg (Arbete & Fritid) and Catarina Abelli (Hot Boys, and Torbjörn Abelli's half sister -- she also did the cover art for this album).

It ought to be a well established fact that I have serious problems with political albums where a thousand singers insist on singing their slogans all at once, and true that ”Den femte naturkraften” (=”the fifth force”) has its share of appalling tracks. But a fair bit of it is actually rather captivating. The choir provides an ethereal feel to some of the numbers, and a few selections are really toned down with Oriental and Balkan folk shadings. Especially the bewitching ”Siarens sång”, sung and co-written by Anita Livstrand with a snaky melody framed by flute, tablas and 'acid folk' acoustic guitars. (I don't like that term, but it's highly applicable here.)

So if you navigate past the odd rock track and one or two dreadful political shouties, there's quite a few moments well worth investigating here. And with an Anita Livstrand runaway track like ”Siarens sång”, it's definitely worth spending some loose change on it. 

No links found

TEMPELROCK – Det stora lyftet (Planet, 1979)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A somewhat energetic hard rock band with former Solid Ground member Björn Uhr as the songwriting guitarist. I don't think Solid Ground's ”Made In Rock” deserves its standing as a classic. I find their Deep Purple approximations to be quite clumsy and unsatisfactory, but ”Made In Rock” is still at least seventy-four times better than ”Det Stora Lyftet”. It takes a lot more than chugging guitars and a boogie rhythm to make good hard rock, but that's just about everything Tempelrock had to offer. Oh, and some radio friendly pop rock with disco touches. Plus one of the most pointless covers of ”Ticket To Ride” imaginable.

Two album tracks were released as a single. Tempelrock reformed in the 2010s (but I can't imagine anyone actually asking them to). Bassist Peter Jägerhult appeared post Tempelrock on a debile single by Staffan Runius & Mia Alasjö in 1978 before joining the incredibly crappy band Attack (featuring Wasa Express drummer Åke Eriksson). Drummer Werner Lindström joined Råg I Ryggen singer Jonas Warnebring in the band Spray. Guitarist Sten Tempelman became a record producer. Björn Uhr followed suit with Jägerhult and joined Attack and also did lots of session work.

No links found 

OLLE WIDESTRAND – Jesus Christ Morningstar (Prim, 1972)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

This is not an album for the casual progg fan. It's a rock (well, sort of) musical that begins where Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's "Jesus Christ Superstar" ends. Olle Widestrand wrote the whole thing in only three days and three nights, and it draw quite some attention upon its stage premiere in 1972. It was released on the Prim label owned by the Swedish Pentecostal Movement. Prim was one of the major Christian labels, and like Hemmets Härold and Signatur operating outside the regular pop world, with a well developed distribution network established long before someone even said MNW.

”Jesus Christ Morningstar” wasn't composer Olle Widestrand first foray into the music world, but it was the one that laid the foundations of him as a legend on the Christian scene. It's an ambitious work, involving the voluminous youth choir of the Immanuel Church in Jönköping, smack dab in the middle of the Swedish bible belt. Add to that four solo singers and eight players providing the musical backdrop. 

What makes this album oddly appealing is the overall mood. It has that early 70s sound common to Swedish Jesus music albums from the late 60s/early 70s, with evocative organs and an almost garage-y sound. Some melodies have a folkish feel. ”Jesu begravning” (=”the funeral of Jesus”) has a slightly awkward lyrical meter but is nevertheless rather captivating with a wonderful piano not dissimilar to Jan Johansson's jazz renditions of old Swedish folk songs. The next track, ”Marias upptäckt” (=”Maria's discovery”) is a slow track with that incense-like organ and a lilting rhythm -- it wouldn't have been out of place on ”Frälst! - A Selection of Swedish Christian grooves 1969-1979”.

”Jesus Christ Morningstar” may not be everybody's great everyday spin, but it definitely has qualities that ought to appeal to fans of ”Frälst!”. If anything, it shows how important mood and atmosphere is to an album. Not every song has to be great, but if there's an atmosphere that creeps up on you and draws you in into a world of its own, much is accomplished. Those infatuated with the still underexplored world of Swedish Christian pop, rock and psych from the turn of the decade, will want to hear this if they haven't already.

Han lever

JIMMY NIELSEN & KARMEL – Complete recordings 1980-1982

 

Försök förstå vad livet är... / Är du beredd??? (no label, 7" 1980)
released as Jimmy Nielsen

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Jimmy Nielsen came from Norrahammar, a part of Jönköping, the capital of the Swedish bible belt. It's no surprise then that Nielsen is a Christian singer, but his music is often heavier than your typical Jesus pop fare, possibly inspired by the commercial success of Christian hard rock band Jerusalem. Nielsen's debut came with this self-released 7” in 1980. The 'A' side isn't that heavy though, it's just a terrible perky pop tune. The flip's ”Är du beredd???” is better, although it's too light to fully work as the boogie rock Nielsen and backing band Karmel attempted.

Varför är din blick så negativ? (Karmel Musikproduktion, 1981)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

After the weak debut 45, Nielsen and his band now renamed Karmel -81 went for a full length album. With a better production they come closer to what they aim for. The sound is better and the band is tighter, but the songs still aren't very good. The pedestrian blues rock and boogie stomp is diluted with some absolutely dreadful funk moves including the then fashionable slap bass technique that those who use it certainly won't get into heaven for. Neither will drummers wasting space with drum solos à la the two and a half minute ”Smurd” on side 2. Best track is ”Fort fort springer du”, a surprisingly garage-y track that was recycled for the band's final 7” in 1982 along with another album track, ”Heroin där fick du tji”.

This turned out to be Nielsen's and Karmel's only album, but it had a second pressing as Jimmy Nielsen Band with a different artwork, so I guess it was fairly successful among their Christian peers.

 

 

Maxi-EP (no label, 12" 1982)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

This four-track 12” is probably the best thing Nielsen released, even though it rehashes the disgusting slap bass jazz funk instrumental ”Funk My Soul” from the LP. But apart from that, he had the good taste of dropping the constipated boogie blues for a more singer/songwriter oriented material which suits him better. Not that any of it is particularly imaginative, but I think the last track ”Misslyckad” is at least passable.

Full 1980 single playlist
Varför är din blick så negativ? full album playlist
Maxi-EP full 12" playlist

CALCUTTA TRANSFER – Inte bara elände (Mistlur, 1980) / 2 (Mistlur, 1982)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Calcutta Transfer were essentially Dag Vag's little brothers. Their rock reggae style is so similar I would easily forget just who I'm listening to hadn't it been for the authentic Dag Vag being tighter, heavier and with better songs. Which is not to say that Calcutta Transfer didn't have their bright moments too because they had, as on ”Bara spärrar (00.30)” on ”Inte bara elände” and ”Jag ville, jag vore” on the second album – both good songs. It's just that Calcutta Transfer were so irritatingly epigonic that even their finer tracks are somehow lost to redundancy. Still, they had their fans and even toured with their idols Dag Vag. (However, I happily give them bonus points for the cover art of "Calcutta Transfer 2", paraphrasing Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica".) 

The band made a couple of singles in addition to their albums. Their third full-length disc ”Easy Loving” appeared in 1986, and while it's outside the blog scope and also suffers from a more typical 80s sound, it's their most mature work.

The Transfer's main man Tom Hofwander later re-appeared as producer Internal Dread working in his self-built Rub A Dub studio in Stockholm. From the mid 80s and on, it became an often used recording location for all sorts of bands. Hofwander sadly died in a car crash in 2012.

from "Inte bara elände"
Hålet / Det kliar / 00.30 / CBI / Ganges  
from "Calcutta Transfer 2"
Liemannen 

And as a bonus, here's their 1981 Tonkraft show. 

LASSE ENGLUND – Den andra depressionen (Alternativ, 1977)

 
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

Lasse Englund's second and final album for Kjell Höglund's Alternativ imprint, following two years after his lovely debut ”Drakväder”. During that time, Englund broadened his musical palette, adding influences from African and Caribbean music, rock, jazz, and contemporary singer/songwriters to the folk baroque stylings that made ”Drakväder” such a sweet and delicate album. It's an admittedly more diverse album, which is another way of saying less focused. I really appreciate Englund as an acoustic guitarist steeped in the tradition of the great British fingerpickers, and while there are a couple of short examples of that on ”Den andra depressionen”, they're too few and far inbetween. Englund is neither the most distinctive songwriter (or cover chooser), nor the most engaging singer, so leaving his strictly instrumental work for songs with vocals isn't his best move for a winsome record. ”Den andra depressionen” is nice and pleasant but forgettable.

Worth noting is that Kjell Höglund wrote lyrics to four of the songs, while Turid provides backing vocals to one track.

No links found 

NYNNINGEN – 50 (Eggmusic, 2023; rec. 1972-2021)

   
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

I never understood what the fuss with Nynningen was all about. I've always thought they were a more overtly political but less talented little brother to Nationalteatern. A couple of OK songs, most notably ”För full hals”, but mostly just mediocre Gothenburg progg rock. Furthermore, I think their canonized singer Totta Näslund was a bore. Still, Nynningen's music has such staying power to many that they reformed by the end of 2016, even releasing new music to this day (obviously without Näslund who passed away in 2005).

”50” is a compilation album released in 400 copies to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2023 (which is odd as their first album came in 1972). It contains previously unreleased recordings, both old and new, with five out of the eleven songs being recorded between 1972 and 1979. Only one track has been available before albeit in a longer version, ”Ungkarlslåt” which was released on Nacksving comp ”Ett samlat grepp från Götet”.

The strange thing about ”50” is that I think it's much better than any of their proper albums. Even more surprising is that some of the tracks from 2016-2021 are among the better on the album, especially a vivid, extended live take of ”Atlantiska oceanen” (originally on ”För full hals”). But more interesting to this blog are of course the 70s tracks. We get a loose and unleashed ”För full hals”, and a much more urgent ”Balladernas konst” from a 1972 radio/TV simulcast, with hard lead guitar substituting the album version's flute. Also, an unexpected Swedish cover of Roy Harper's ”I Hate The White Man”, recorded in 1979 and named ”Jag hatar maktens herrar”.

Given the broad time frame, the sound variations, and the fact that new tracks are mixed in with old tracks, ”50” is pretty inconsistent and doesn't hold up as a cohesive album. But it was never meant as such to begin with but as an alternative overview of Nynningen's career. It's not intended as a substitute but as a complement. The jumbled chronology bothers me a bit, but with a few relevant and/or superior versions of some of their better tracks, it's still well worth hearing. 

Full album playlist 

ROBERT BARKLUND – Barkbitar (Mercury, 1972)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Robert Barklund is mainly a stage and screen actor, but he used to be in 60s band Bamboo that had a couple of late 60s singles issued. Today they're best known for being Mikael Rickfors' first band years before he joined The Hollies for a short period in the early 70s and later still becoming a domestic hitmaker. Barklund himself only released one album under his own name, ”Barkbitar”. 

Being on major label Mercury, it's an often commercial sounding pop visa effort but also with several dashes of British soft prog as suggested by Barklund's Swedish cover of The Moody Blues' best track ”Melancholy Man”. It comes off like a mix of Sten Asger-Jensen and Bruno Wintzell but with vocal qualities similar to B.L. Magnell. But what imparts it with a prog/progg feel is some strong enough guitar leads, an atmospheric organ and a general early 70s sound.

”Barkbitar” is definitely a hit and miss album. The two Elton John covers drag, and rock'n'roll pastiche ”Barkbåtsblues” makes me wince, but two of the proggiest tracks ”Simsalabim” and ”Man har gjort ett experiment” are quite good. The latter shows prominent environmental concerns and has the album's best guitar work to boot. There's also a very strange track here, ”I det lackmusröda skymningsdiset”; a recited poem set to a backdrop of jittery acoustic guitar and bizarre Moog effects.

”Barkbitar” may not be a great album and is certainly not consistent, but it nevertheless has a few worthwhile moments.

Full album

A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 11: Late era hard & heavy

GUN SMOKE
Midnight Train / Thoghts (Artside, 1975)
English vocals
International relevance: ***

Housed in a very fetching sleeve, this is a bit of a lost gem. Regional label Artside is almost exclusively known for dance orchestras of the most dubious kind, so how Gun Smoke ended up on the label is way beyond me. ”Midnight Train” is hard rock and and psych rock in equal parts with an urgent drive and a very appealing melody. The excellent lead guitar is present all through the track and really fires it up during the solo. ”Midnight Train” is a mini masterpiece that has gone under the radar for far too long. The misspelt ”Thoghts” is a ballad with a nice, drowsy, hazy atmosphere. It's decent I guess but it just can't touch the A side's brilliance. But ”Midnight Train” alone makes this one of the best 45s featured on this blog.

Gun Smoke reunited in the 00's as Gunsmoke and released a CD in 2005. It has a vastly inferior re-recording of ”Midnight Train”, and is more in a southern rock style.

 
HIGHBROW – Rock On (T-Bone, 1978)
English vocals
International relevance: **

Rooted in mid 70s hard rock but moving in the heavy metal direction with dual guitars and some boogie rock moves. The A side ”A Loser” found its way onto the all-Swedish volume of the ”Jobcentre Rejects” compilation series doing a great job documenting rare NWOBHM (and FWOSHM - first wave of Swedish heavy metal) singles otherwise lost to obscurity. The vocals, handled by Norweigan born Dave Nerge, leave bit to be desired but at least they're gratifyingly free of the genre's more annoying mannerisms. B side ”Roumers” (which I guess is supposed to mean ”Rumours”) is perhaps more interesting with an unusual melody with overlapping vocal lines. All in all, it's pretty well executed and not without talent. It's not surprising that all members went on to other bands, some of them quite successful, after releasing a second single in 1979.

 

ROCK SET – Piteå kommun / Up In My Room (Frontalrock, 1979)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

Rock Set really must have hated their hometown judging by the track ”Piteå Kommun”. They vehemently describe it as a terrible place where time stands still, everything is boring and everyone has alcohol problems. Set to a riff suspiciously similar to Eddie & The Hot Rods' ”Writing On The Wall”, the message gets through loud and clear. Coupled with a blues rocking ”Up In My Room”, this is a great and highly sought-after classic, sometimes going for up to around 200 euros! Thankfully, the guys behind the aforementioned ”Jobcentre Rejects” series reissued it as a deluxe 7" in 2021, making it easier (and cheaper) to obtain. Perhaps too punkish for some, it still remains an excellent example of the rough-hewn DIY ethos that signified punk as well as progg. 

Rock Set released a few more singles (and there's a self-released CD-r compilation of theirs including previously unreleased material), but none of their later outings were as good as this one. 

 

KARL BRUN & HIGHWAY – Ikväll / My Love Is Burning (no label, 1979)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

Highway were a Gothenburg band augmented with Karl Brun (real name Kenneth Pilo with his nom de plume being a reference to Snoopy character Charlie Brown) and issued this self-financed 1979 single in 200 copies. Brun only appears on ”Ikväll”, an example of idiotic radio friendly boogie stomp. The English spoken B side is credited solely to Highway and is better in a Deep Purple-ish style sans the organ. Obviously rare and seemingly quite expensive when offered for sale, but definitely not worth the price.

TEJP – Tung rock / Sanningen (Tejp, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

”Tung rock” means ”heavy rock” in English, and it's not far from the truth. Or perhaps this one's more speedy than heavy. Both tracks on this very rare and valuable 7” are a revved up mix of harder rock and punk, a bit like Hela Huset Skakar but not quite as good. Tejp won't win any awards for groundbreaking songwriting, but both tracks are soaking with a devil-may-care attitude, and the unpolished execution gives them a very charming underground feel perfectly matched by the primitive cover art. I'm quite fond of the kind of energetic no-nonsense, hit-and-run rock'n'roll Tejp play, but it will definitely not satisfy anyone demanding complexity or sophistication.

 

VANADIS – Heaven Can Wait / Do Me A Favor (CF, 1979)
English vocals
International relevance: *

This year's award for strangest cover art goes to Vanadis from the southern city of Helsingborg. It's not the only quirky thing about their only outing, recorded in 1978 and released the following year. Singer Jan Göransson has a dry, strangely timbreless voice which is very far from what you associate with a hard rock singer. The drum sound is peculiar too, especially on ”Do Me A Favor”, with the flat, thuddy bass drum being too loud and the guitars to low in the mix. Producer Göran Sandquist was responsible a few more records in the years to come, but this was done in of his earliest days on the job and he obviously hadn't gotten the hang of it. It sounds as if he was more accustomed to radio production than music ditto. Not that the songs are too impressive either – they're too standard sounding – but they would certainly have had more oomph had they hired someone who knew what he was doing at the mixing desk.

Vanadis started out in 1975 as Aniara. They split up in 1979 due to military service, but some of the members later joined other bands.

BAKRUS
Kärnkraftsrock / Blåljus (Bakrus, 1979)
Nettan / Lämrock (Blåljus, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

A band from Åsa, a small town a few miles south of Gothenburg. They left only two self-released singles behind, and the first one at least was recorded in Nacksving's studio. Generally undistinguished semi-hard rock hinting at '77 punk and lyrics with typical post-Nationalteatern sentiments. ”Kärnkraftsrock” is against nuclear power, ”Nettan” against drugs and prostitution. Both singles are rare and sought-after but just not worth it. The best track is clearly ”Lämrock” which can be also found on ”Killed By Death, Vol. 51”. 
 

HAIRLINE BLUE – Snart så kommer jag hem / Månen (Harline Blue, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Had the mix been better balanced, maybe this would have made a greater impact although not by much. ”Snart så kommer jag hem” is semi-boogie rock with shouty vocals. Not good. The B side is a ballad of sorts with a pseudo Christian vibe (although it isn't religious). ”Månen” has some decent heavy lead guitar with proggish overtones, but it's not enough to save it. 

 

ARMATUR – Rock 'n' roll / Mr. X (Duvan, 1980)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

The A side is every bit as daft as its title – if you have to convince people you're rock 'n' roll, you're not.

”Mr. X” is quite good however, although it has a loan or two to repay to Black Sabbath. But Armatur are hardly the only ones in debt to Sabbath, so I let them get away with that. The vocals are only so-so but the track has a nice push to and a very good lead guitarist. Only 500 copies were pressed, and with one of the tracks being so good, it's easy to see why it's in such demand with asking prices in parity with that. Recommended if you can find a copy. But don't play the A side.

 

DAKKS – Änglarna / Tema för säsongen / Metallmani (Dakks, 1981)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Not very wellknown, and not very expensive. Not very good either, and certainly not stringent. During the course of only three songs, they swing from one style to another, and I've no idea if they want to be a hard rock band, a pop band or an experimental ska band. Given the main track, the artwork, and the song title ”Metallmani” (=”metal mania”), I guess that hard rock/heavy metal was what they aimed for. But who am I to say from such an inconsistent effort. Singer David Taylor sounds like he would be in a Christian band – there's something about his tone colour that would fit that. However, one source claims he's the guy later known as Roy Taylor (real name Tony Hellander) in Swedish hair metal band Trash, but I can't decide if that's correct or not. No matter what, Dakks only release is more confusing than appealing.

 

REPULZ – Telling Your Future / God Save Rock 'n' Roll / Problembarn (Stepping Mexicam Produktion, 1981)
English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Sometimes classified as punk, Repulz actually think they're hard rock. But whatever idea they might have had in their heads about their own sound, they failed to put it into practice. This 45 is just plain bad with pedestrian songwriting, a clumsy drummer and a singer who obviously skipped English classes in school. ”God Save Rock 'n' Roll” is as clichéd as its dull-witted title. The slightly punkish ”Problembarn” (=”problem child”) is the only song in Swedish and is probably the best track here for that very reason.
 

BOOGIETRYCK 

Röd eller blå / På andra sidan (Try Musikproduktion, 1982

 Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

An insignificant band from northern Sweden that nevertheless released another 45 and a full LP in 1984 in addition to this debut 45. Pretty much in the typical straightforward Northern rock style with a fair amount of boogie rock mixed in. ”Röd eller blå” is the better of the two tracks but none of them is very good. Rekyl and Kylans Rockorkester did this thing better even if the style itself isn't too interesting to begin with.

 

WULCAN – Mysterier / Travellin' (Wulcan, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A very obscure, very rare and very expensive 45 from a band originally known as Paradox formed when the drummer was only 8 years old! As Wulcan, they won a local talent contest in 1986 which resulted in a second single. This their debut was paid for by the band, and display a fair amount of talent. ”Travellin'” is a bit on the mediocre side despite some fully functioning harmony vocals, but the Swedish side ”Mysterier” (=”mysteries”) is very good with a mood setting piano intro and a really beautiful melody. The lyrics seem to have Christian overtones but it's hard to say for sure – there's certainly no overt preaching going on here. Although not really in the old school hard rock vein a la November, Midsommar or Great Ad but a couple of steps closer to heavy metal, it's such a wonderful track that I still recommend it. I really hope it will reissued in some way considering the asking prices for an original. Maybe there's even some unreleased stuff of the same calibre hidden away somewhere?

Gun Smoke
Midnight Train / Thoghts (poor sound) 
Highbrow
A Loser (Bandcamp)
Vanadis
Heaven Can Wait / Do Me A Favor
Bakrus
Kärnkraftsrock / Blåljus 
Nettan / Lämrock 
Hairline Blue
Snart så kommer jag hem / Månen  
Armatur
Rock 'n' Roll / Mr. X 

Tejp full single
Karl Brun & Highway full single playlist
Rock Set full single playlist (Bandcamp) 
Dakks full single 
Repulz full single
Wulcan full single

FILARFOLKET – Birfilarmusik från Malmö (Amalthea, 1980)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Originally named Birfilarna, they released one album as such, ”Än svänger det” in 1978. After reorganizing the group, they adopted their new name Filarfolket, and eventually enjoyed quite some success in the 80s. Maybe they're best known for properly launching the career of multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller who for a long time has been a go-to musician when you've needed any odd stringed instrument. Other notable Filarfolket members include Dan ”Gisen” Malmquist and for a while also first class fiddler Ellika Frisell.

Filarfolket have always been a good-natured lot, rarely digging into the darker side of Swedish traditional music. Instead they've always had a broad musical outlook, gladly interweaving musical elements from the entire world, from the Balkans all the way to Africa and Asia. Their curiousity for how musical traditions are connected and compatible was seemingly endless, and with high level skills to combine them seamlessly, they truly were a creative outfit.

With ”Birfilarmusik från Malmö” being their first album under the Filarfolket moniker, they hadn't yet developed their unprejudiced approach in full, but the typical Filarfolket moods are already set. The music's extremely well played, enthusiastic and warm at heart, but as I refer my folk music darker, it gets a bit too rosy-cheeked and cheerful for me.

Opp å ud å å

PROMILLE – Tonåring (UFS, 12", 1979)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A small scale release with four tracks pressed onto twelve inches of vinyl. Promille had a melodic sense but also a rather heavy sound – last track ”Drömmen” for instance has a lot of AC/DC in its hereditary material. The 'political by proxy' lyrics deal with social issues of small town youth (”tonåring” means ”teenager”) and are quite well written. All songs are band originals and OK. The performances are convincing and it's clear that Promille had more talent than a lot of other obscure bands lacking the financial back-up from proper record companies. Unfortunately, they wasted it when they changed their name to Midnight releasing two dreadful AOR tracks on the Pang Records compilation ”Göteborgsrock/Ytterrock” in 1982. 

Full 12"  

KYLANS ROCKORKESTER – Complete singles 1979-1982

Rekyl's little brothers Kylans Rockorkester are previously represented here with their debut LP ”Välfärdsblues” from 1980, but they were a pretty active band with a back catalogue featuring one more full length album from 1983, a couple of V/A compilation appearences and several singles in both the 7” and 12” formats. These are the four singles they released during their original lifetime.

 

På din fela gul & blå / Ölrusig rock 'n' roll artist (Manifest, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Their debut single predated their first album with about a year, but their blues based style were more or less carved out from the beginning, only a little less polished. None of the tracks are spectacular but the Creedence Clearwater Revival quoting ”Ölrusig rock 'n' roll artist” was later re-recorded for the debut album.

 

I Lycksele finns ingen hundpsykolog / Tip Top (Manifest, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Released the same year as ”Välfärdsblues” but not featured on the album. B side ”Tip Top” is a country flavoured track of little distinction but ”I Lycksele finns ingen hundpsykolog” is a hard driving track that very well might be their best track of all.

 

Frihetsblues / Killarnas fantom (Tonpress, 1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Two overtly bluesy tracks of little merit, curiously enough pressed and released in Poland.

 

I väntans tider / Egofil / För evigt fångad / Framtidsman (Manifest, 12". 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

A twelve inch EP with a lot of production sheen pointing towards their final proper album ”Kylans snapshot” in 1983. These four tracks are closer to the more sophisticated last album by Swedish punk legends Ebba Grön than the early Kylans releases, making them even less interesting than their previous work.

På din fela gul & blå full single playlist
I Lycksele finns ingen hundpsykolog full single playlist 
I väntans tider full 12" playlist
Frihetsblues / Killarnas fantom