Some lite lunch sounds now with love from Scandinavia
Sweden's Electric Boys were one of the first and most celebrated purveyors of the short-lived rock phenomenon of the late '80s and early '90s. In 1988 charismatic singer and guitarist Conny Bloom formed Electric Boys with bassist Andy Christell in Stockholm. After scoring a significant domestic hit with their first single, "All Lips N' Hips," the group completed their line-up with guitarist Franco Santunione and drummer Niklas Sigevall and set to work on their first album, 1989's critically acclaimed Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride. Signed to Atco by former Kerrang! scribe turned A&R man Derek Oliver, the quartet garnered rave reviews and built a large following in Europe and the U.K. with their extremely funky retro hard rock sound and gaudy psychedelic look. Producer du jour Bob Rock was brought in to remix the album and record some new tracks prior to release stateside.
Though the Electric Boys weren't as successful as they deserved to be, the distinctive Swedish rockers enjoyed some moderate MTV exposure with their grinding hits "Psychedelic Eyes" and "All Lips and Hips" -- both of which are among the highlights of this inspired debut album. Despite what its title implies, Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride isn't funk/metal in a Red Hot Chili Peppers-like fashion -- rather, the melodic yet aggressive band had more in common with Aerosmith's intense boogie. Combining an Aerosmith-influenced sense of fun with elements of '60s psychedelic rock (including a sitar), the Electric Boys made Carpet Ride one of 1990's most memorable rock releases. Unfortunately, their moderate success has proved to be short-lived. When alternative rock came to dominate MTV in 1992 and 1993 and Aerosmith-influenced bands significantly decreased in popularity, the Electric Boys became a casualty of changing tastes. The group disbanded in the mid-'90s but re-formed in the 2010s with their original line-up and signature sound -- which also included elements of pop and psychedelia -- intact, issuing their ebullient seventh long-player, Upside Down, in 2021.