VARIOUS ARTISTS – Norrbottensplattan vol. 2: Kom igen! (Manifest, 1978)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

It's not often that a seven-inch finds its way to the blog, but this is is one of them. (It's not that I don't care about singles, it just hasn't happened very often yet.) Then again, it's almost like half an album, with five tracks running at 33 1/3 rpm. It's the second volume of two, with volume 1 being released by Manifest the previous year, 1977. It features a couple of lesser-known outfits, as well as members from familiar bands from Sweden's Northern regions, such as Rekyl, Skottes Musikorkester and Anton Swedbergs Svängjäng.

The weakest track shares the A-side with the best one. Lule Stassteater, a local independent theatre group, contributes a 'funny' stinker called ”Flyttvisa från Norrbotten” quickly followed by the excellent "Snålblåst" by members of Rekyl's, Skottes Musikorkester and Det Rivna Pianot collectively named Snålblåstgänget. If ”Snålblåst” sounds familiar, it's probably because you've heard songwriter Tomas Forsell's own version of it on his second album ”Nya tider” from 1980. Forsell's recording is the better of the two, but the song is simply excellent you just can't fail with it. To my ears, it's one of the Great Songs of the progg era.

The B side offers up three tracks, none of them particularly good. Folket I Ton's ”Vi vägrar att flytta” is run-of-the-mill shout-your-propaganda-message crap; Pyramid's contribution ”Arbete och liv” sounds like a late 70s Christian MOR track with the religious theme replaced by unexeciting political lyrics, and Anton Swedberg Svängjäng's ”Kom igen!” is probably their weakest ever outing and another ”shout-your-propaganda” track even worse than Folket I Ton.

If you like ”Snålblåst” as much as I do, you might want to seek this one out, otherwise you can safely pass on this.

Lule Stassteater - Flyttvisa från Norrbotten
Folket I Ton - Vi vägrar att flytta
Pyramid - Arbete och liv
Anton Swedbergs Svängjäng - Kom igen!

HELA HUSET SKAKAR – Complete releases 1978-1982

Hela Huset Skakar (”the whole house is shaking”) is one of the bands bridging progg and punk, with sentiments from progg and an energy similar to that of punk. (Sometime member guitarist Guld-Lars were also in one of the foremost Swedish punk bands KSMB.) They originated from Huddinge outside Stockholm, and shared the devil-may-care attitude with two confrontative Uppsala bands, progg pioneers Gudibrallan, and Rävjunk in their punkiest mode. Given Hela Huset Skakar's rhythm & blues stylings, I hazard a guess that the early Stones and Huset contemporaries such as The Count Bishops and Eddie & The Hot Rods also were among their main influences.

Ingenting blir bättre av sej själv/Mammas städskåp
(Sista Bussen, 7”, 1978)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Hela Huset Skakar's vinyl debut came in 1978 with 7” ”Ingenting blir bättre av sig själv” coupled with ”Mammas städskåp” on the Sista Bussen label. The 'A' side a prime example of their revved-up R&B featuring rock'n'roll infused sax playing and abundant sloppiness that works in their favour. ”Mammas städskåp” is equally great, similar to what I imagine what it would sound like if Philemon Arthur & The Dung were in fact an electric band trying out Them's garage chestnut ”Gloria” and getting it all wrong. A statement debut!

 

Ner med gud/Spring undan borgare
(Sista Bussen, 7”, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

The 1979 follow-up 45 is even more frantic than its predecessor. On ”Ner med gud”, their abrasive R&B is pushed further into mayhem with singer Lennart Markebo going beautifully over the edge in his disdain for God and religion. ”Spring undan borgare” is a similarly spiteful, sax-fuelled assault on right-wing politics, with an amphetamine-soaked wah wah guitar bursting out loud at the very end of the track. This is a seven inch fire bomb in the face of suppressing authorities, both mental and social.

Moralisk upplösning
(Sista Bussen, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Hela Huset Skakar's sole LP ”Moralisk upplösning” was recorded around Christmas 1979, with additional sessions in June 1980. It was partly recorded live, with a similar sleazy basemount sound like their earlier singles. All new material except for a re-recording of ”Ingenting blir bättre av sej själv”. Most it is in the same vein as the first two 45s, but they stretch out a bit on a couple of more proggish and/or pseudo-psychy tracks. Side B is the winner, as side A has a couple of lagging tracks in a 'funny pastiches' kind of style. But like I said, most of it is high-octane to-the-point kerosene-spitting hard-to-resist rhythm & blues that no matter what was the band's foremost trademark and ultimate strength.

Hos Ultra
(Sista Bussen, MC, 1982)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

The final release to fit within the time frame of this blog is a cassette-only release recorded live at Ultrahuset, a legendary punk hangout where most punk bands (and quite a few others too) performed from 1980 to 1988 when the place closed. It was run by the legendary Tompa Eken who not only offered a stage for struggling underground bands, but also baked cinnamon buns for the bands and audience alike to enjoy. Those buns are as legendary as Ultrahuset and Tompa himself and a mandatory snack for anyone who visited Ultrahuset!

Hela Huset Skakar's performance on 14 March, 1982 isn't that great. While it retains their infamous energy, their repertoire was slowly developing in a not too successful way. As with several Swedish bands around this time, ska influences began to creep in through influential British 2-Tone bands like The Specials, The Selecter and early Madness. Some bands could deal with it without losing their impact, but in the case of Hela Huset Skakar, those influences didn't feel authentic enough to sit well with their original crunchy R&B sounds. Among the best tracks on this rough-sounding document are the final two. One is a cover of Lag & Ordning's ”Nynnat & sjungit”, while the other one is a sped-up by-the-throat assault on ”Summertime Blues”, much closer to Blue Cheer than Eddie Cochran.

Hela Huset Skakar contributed several exclusive tracks to a couple of various artists releases: three are found on the "302:an från Fullersta" LP in 1980, one on tape only release "Mediokra hjärnor" in 1982, and a further three 1982 live selections can be found on the "Ultra lever eller lajv" cassette. They released another live tape (recorded on several later Ultrahuset dates), one further 7” and the ”Lite till” 12” in 1984, all on Sista Bussen. There are also a handful of post 1982 recordings on other various artists comps. In 1995, a compilation CD simply entitled ”1978-1995” was released, and the band reappeared with a comeback album in 1997, ”Ännu mer”. They were also featured on Sista Bussen comp tape "Andlig spiz" in 1984. Interestingly enough, two Huset members – guitarist Christian Wigardt and drummer Håkan Persson – hosted the Swedish Radio show Ny våg (”new wave”, airing punk, new wave and art punk) in the late 70s and early 80s.

"Ingenting blir bättre av sej själv"
"Mammas städskåp"
"Ner med gud"
"Spring undan borgare"
Moralisk upplösning full album
Hos Ultra full album

BJÖRN FAMNE – Björn Famne (Rasp, EP 1975)

English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

Despite being only a five-track 7” EP, Björn Famne's lone solo outing is a split personality work musically speaking. It features a semi-spacey take on classic trad tune ”Visa från Utanmyra” with soft wah wah, vibraphone and acoustic guitar clearly nspirated by UK folk guitars such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Davey Graham. The acoustic twin guitar work of Renbourn and Jansch is also evident on ”Bach Goes to Town”, while ”Mañha De Carneval” is soft late night bossa nova. ”Njudungssjåttis” is a bluesy rock'n'roll track of little merit.

The track here that really stands out here is the EP's only non-instrumental and also Famne's most famous one, ”Vampire”. Full of wild, screaming electric guitars over a persistent heavy groove it wouldn't have been out of place on Scorpion's ”I Am The Scorpion”. It would also have been the best track on that album. Instead this example of excellent half sloppy hard rock was resurrected for the third volume of the comp series ”Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils" which turned into a fullblown classic.

Björn Famne is still active and has played with several bands in different genres over the years. His recorded output is relatively meagre though. Apart from this very rare EP (made a bit more obtainable by the Woah Dad! Record Store Day 12" reissue in 2016), there are a couple of tracks by Famne led band Famntag on the local ”Aktiv Ungdom: Alsterett” V/A comp. He also made an album and a couple of singles with Örebro band Lix in the early/mid 80's, and appeared on an EP by Christian youth choir Ingarps Ungdomskör, ”Jag vill leva nära dig” (release date unknown).

Full album playlist

GRAPES OF WRATH – Deserter U.S.A. (HB Artist, EP 1969)

English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

A very rare EP featuring Janne Schaffer and Jojje Wadenius on guitars, and Ola Brunkert on drums, consisting of four tracks taken from the movie ”Deserter U.S.A.”. The movie is a documentary about that exactly, Americans that fled to Sweden to escape the Vietnam draft.

There's a dash of horn rock on the first song ”Tell Me the Reason”, which despite not being very good is the best of the lot. The remainder of the EP consists of instrumental jazz rock that might sounded fresh then but unimaginative now. Sometimes Grapes of Wrath sound like a lightweight version of Made in Sweden which after all isn't that surprising given Wadenius involvement.

The EP's certainly not worth the money asked for it; it's reputation is solely built on scarcity and the musicians' names, and not on musical merits.

Schaffer and Brunkert went on to form the equally shortlived Opus III soon after.

Pi + Tell Me the Reason

FEM ÄLGAR I ETT BADKAR – Bastuträsk (EP, Great Music Production, 1980)

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: *

The curiously named Fem Älgar I Ett Badkar (”five elks in a bathtub”) originally released this four track 7" EP only. The style is similar to a couple of other Skellefteå bands, Måns Mossa and Njutånger – guitarist Arne Jonasson was actually in both Njutånger and Fem Älgar I Ett Badkar. Not only is it a bizarre and silly name, it's also code for 'a yawn and a snore and of very little progg interest'.

A previously unreleased song is featured on the CD that came free with the 2002 book ”Hela hjärtat mitt – ögonblick ur Skellefteås pophistoria”, and further archival material is also up on Youtube.

Full EP

NJUTÅNGER – Grodden/Vem leker med dockor? (7”. Fest Produktion, 1981) / Njutånger (12”, Fest Produktion, 1982)

International relevance: **/**

Swedish vocals

A band from the northern town of Skelleftehamn, and that enjoy some interest from progg fans. Their debut 45 ”Grodden” b/w ”Vem leker med dockor” is straight ahead rock in a Rekyl/Kylans Rockorkester vein, with heavy guitars working in its progg favour. The self-titled, four track 12” EP is a bit different, with a few post punk shadings unusual to progg on ”Havet är djupt”.

Both discs were released by Manfest's subsidiary label Fest, but for their full length debut ”Bitterljuv” from 1983, the band moved to the main imprint. A reformed Njutånger recorded a couple of demos more interesting than their early material. Those and more can be heard on Njutånger's Youtube channel.

7"

"Grodden"

"Vem leker med dockor?"

”Njutånger” 12" EP
"Havet är djupt"

"Storm"

"Yrsel går över"

"Dystert och vilse"