THE AUDIENCE / DEDE – Världsvan nervositet (He He Production, MC 1982)

 

Swedish vocals, spoken word

International relevance: -

Mysterious and bizarre, this tape-only split release was released locally in Gothenburg in assumingly extremely small numbers in 1982. It's hard to say what genre it actually is except that DeDe's 10 minute portion is poetry reading. DeDe (real name André Carlsson) was reputedly a regional underground legend of sorts, but his poetic talent is limited. His poems here (some of them recorded in front of an audience) concern the bleakest side of a grey concrete society, but he fails to come up with much apart from clichés about a pitiful suburbian life in Sweden in the early 80s. Some long 10 minutes right there.

Part one of the tape is wasted on The Audience, apparently a duo consisting of Hans and Edgar (”the true mods” according to the tape card). One of them beats anti-rhythmically on drums (occasionally anti-rythmically strumming an acoustic guitar) while the other one recites seemingly improvised lyrics about... what exactly? A whopping 32 tracks are listed on the cover (one of them written by Lou Reed, or so it says) but running for a mere 24 minutes, it's hard to call them actual songs. It's more like a fatiguing flow of complete nothingness, like a cross between Malaria and an Imp.Ink totally devoid of any tension, talent or musicality. A vaporous miasma from the lowest sediments of underground culture.

Sometimes dubbed ”post punk”, sometimes ”electronic”, ”Världsvan nervositet” is neither. The true genre name is ”utter rubbish”, and I'd be thrilled to hear why the guy on Discogs who paid almost 80 quid for this shit paid almost 80 quid for this shit. Grab a random artifact at your nearest garbage dump and it will be both better and cheaper.

Full tape

DICE – Live (Belle Antique, 1993; rec. 1978-1979)

 

English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

The second of two live Dice discs on the Japanese Belle Antique label, the other being ”Live 1977”, and this the weakest of all available Dice albums. Compiled from four different sources, the sound quality varies. Only the last four cuts, billed as bonus tracks, are of studio quality but they're also the musically worst. No specific date is given, late 70s I guess, but the band sounds like a faceless FM radio band on these demos, like a mix between Kansas and Steely Dan.

The live portions are audience tapes of so-so quality, and Belle Antique has tried to cover up their limitations with added reverb. It still sounds like audience tapes though, I've heard worse, but the tinny sound soon gets fatiguing.

”Live 1977” was a motivated release, but ”Live” looks more like an attempt to squeeze water out of a stone. For Dice completists only.

No links found

OPPOSITE CORNER / PALLE DANIELSSON -6- – Club Jazz 5 (SR, 1971)

 

 Instrumental

International relevance: ***

The ”Club Jazz” series was a series of nine volumes of jazz recordings made for Swedish Radio between 1970 and 1974, a bit like a jazz equivalent of the three ”Tonkraft” double LPs released in the early 80s. The albums were usually split between two artists, one per side, and not all couplings made sense. There's for instance one album with Arbete & Fritid on one side and trad jazzers Kustbandet on the other. ”Club Jazz 5” has a better match, with a very early Opposite Corner recording and one by a rare sixpiece line-up led by bassist Palle Danielsson.

This session with Opposite Corner is five years earlier than their proper debut album ”Jazz i Sverige '76” and a bit different. It's not full on free jazz wild but they let loose a bit more here than they did later on. And it's much better! The Arabic scales in opening track ”Ayazin” is very tasteful, and Gunnar Lindgren delivers some fine tenor sax soloing in ”Blacklouti Strikes Back”. Last track from them is ”Tibetanskt urindop” and is probably as close Opposite Corner ever got to Arbete & Fritid. A very good session, well worth hearing even if you're not into their later work.

Turn the record over and you find four tracks from Palle Danielsson's band. This is where it gets really interesting. Featured here is an all star cast of Lennart Åberg, Bobo Stenson, Jon Christensen, Bengt Berger and Roland Keijser along with Danielsson himself! A highly vivid session with Berger in particular going bonkers on the drums – it's among the most ferocious drumming I've heard from him, and it's interesting to note that this was recorded in the same year as Fickteatern's ”Allt växer till det hejdas” which also has some mad Berger playing. But the ensemble effort is great all through, and I really wish there were more recordings from this particular lot.

So with two unique and splendid sessions, this is one for the ages.

Full album

CARL-ANDERS DEXTER – Sån't som får mig att ilskna till (Contra, 1978) / En sång om friheten (Contra, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Carl-Anders Dexter is a truly rare bird in the progg universe. He hates everything from the political left, and he really hates communists. I mean he really hates them! He hates them so much that he recorded two albums in 1978 and 1981 respectively just to tell everybody how much he hates communists. And then he released them on Contra, a publishing company known for really hating communists.

Dexter (if that's his real name - ”dexter” is Latin for ”right” and it seems a little too appropriate if that was his birth name) was obviously a Merle Haggard fan. There's two Haggard songs on ”Sån't som får mig att ilska till” (=”things that makes me angry”). One of them is, needless to say, ”Okie From Muskogee” which may or may not be ironic on Haggard's part, but here every trace of possible irony is gone. There's a bit of country in Dexter's original songs too, but filtered through the jiggly sound of Swedish dance bands. With the difference that Dexter's songs are so musically stiff that I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to dance to them.

And then there's his vocals. His prosody is peculiarly squeaky and his articulation is so exaggerated that the whole thing almost comes off as parody – his rolled Rs are so overly clear that he sounds like a singing vibrator.

But there's no parody involved here, and if Dexter has anything like humour in him, it only comes out as coarse assaults. It's like listening to an inverted Knutna Nävar. They are both equally intransigent, only coming from the extreme opposites of the political spectrum. Except that Knutna Nävar actually had one or two pretty good songs and they sometimes even, probably by mistake, could swing a bit.

Carl-Anders Dexter's two albums were later reissued as ”Dexter ilsknar till igen”, a CD-r again on the Contra label with a few songs omitted plus one previously unreleased radio session (how on earth did he get on the radio?!). He also had a privately released cassette out in 1992. His albums are cheap and not too hard to find, but they're best left to wither away in the flea market bins or wherever you may find them.

From Sån't som får mig att ilskna till:
Sagor som sagor
Bekämpa kommunismen

From En sång om friheten:
En sång om friheten
Tjejer

DICE – Live 1977 (Belle Antique, 2013; rec. 1977)

Instrumental
International relevance: ***

Japanese archival label Belle Antique released three discs of archival Dice material. The recordings here were made for Swedish Radio on 11 May, 1977, and portions of the show were also included in ”Progglådan”. But this is the complete session.

Recorded between ”The Four Riders Of The Apocalypse” (one of the archival CDs) and their only proper album ”Dice”, ”Live 1977” falls somewhere inbetween stylistically. It's not quite as pompous as ”Four Riders”, more 'complex' or if you prefer 'unnecessary complicated” and thus not as focused as the following album.

I'm not sure it's actually a live recording because there's no audience – it sounds more like a studio session with the songs interspersed with interview bits. A distracting feature as the album would have run much smoother without the spoken parts. They should have been edited together to a bonus track instead. Still, a must to Dice fans.

Sjukdomen (from Progglådan)
Begäret (from Progglådan)

THE DEEJAYS – Haze (Hep House, 1967)

  
English vocals
International relevance: *

Mentioned in the postscript of ”The Encyclopedia Of Swedish Progressive Music”, which is the only reason why I feature them here. But unless you're a die-hard fan of mid 60s beat music, you could pass on this album – if it wasn't for the final track. ”Striped Dreams Checked Fear” is marvellous slice of top level Euro psych. A better way to check it out however is through volume one of the ”Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils” series.

The Deejays were in fact a British band active in Sweden, and they had another album out the year before, plus numerous singles between 1964 and 1968. They had a few more decent tracks, but none can compete with ”Striped Dreams Checked Fear”.

Full album
or go straight to "Striped Dreams Checked Fear".
There's also an extended version of it. 

DAY DREAM – DAGDRÖM (Polydor, 1978)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Another shortlived project from the rather illustrious character Janne Goldmann (of Gin & Grappo and albums with his band Rock Und Roll Gruppe). He's one of those artists I don't know if I actually like, but still appreciate for his off-kilter character. I never really feel like listening to his records, but I'm glad he made them because they're always oddly unruly and peculiarly off and I want things like that to exist in this world. His music's almost always grounded in straight-ahead rock music, but Goldmann always seemed to enter it diagonally from behind. And coming out of it not quite where you expected.

”Dagdröm” is the only album by Day Dream, and the only Goldmann album released on Polydor. It would hardly have been released on that particular major label hadn't it had its prominent share of commercial appeal, but I doubt there are any other Swedish major label albums with lyrics like ”and so one day he caught gastritis” or ”your kids are tiny, tiny insects”. And there are probably not too many others namechecking fellow artists Peps, Ola Magnell and Motvind in the same song either.

The songs themselves indeed have some proggish shadings but what really stands out already during early listens is Ola Boström's guitar. He delivers several fiery solos that wouldn't be out of place on some 70s heavy rock rarity that costs a lot more than ”Dagdröm” ever will.

So, as with most Goldmann albums, this isn't one I spin very often at all, but I find it mildly amusing the few times I do. 

No links found

JOHNNY 'MBIZO' DYANI – Witchdoctor's Son 'Together' (Cadillac, 1987; rec. 1979-80)

Instrumental, other languages
International relevance: *

Not to be confused with the ”Witchdoctor's Son” album from 1978, this album was recorded in Stockholm winter 1979/80 with Kenny Håkansson, Bosse Skoglund, Hassan Bah (of Kebnekajse) and Dudu Pukwana. It wears Johnny Dyani's South African heritage proudly, and despite Dyani being best known as a jazz pianist and bassist, there's very little actual jazz here. It's much closer to Soweto's township music. A huge exception is the track ”Kalahari” clocking in at almost nine minutes with Kenny Håkansson really letting it loose, firing off psychedelic fireworks almost as if it was Baby Grandmothers all over again. It comes a real surprise as there's nothing else on the album even close to that. The rest of the album isn't too interesting from a progg perspective, but that track alone is worth the price of admission.

Together
Johnny's Kwela
Marabi Soweto
High Priest
Kalahari
Crossroads
Tula Tula

DIDDLERS – Is Good For You (Sonet, 1969)

English vocals, Swedish vocals, other languages
International relevance: *

An early incarnation of folk band Låt & Trall, and more interesting from a historical point of view than a musical one. Musicwise it's straight-laced folk music with a very strong Irish bent. This may be 1969, but these days you can go to any local fake 'Oyrish' pub and hear exactly the same thing you hear on this album, complete with a mock accent put on for 'authenticity'. It works best when the always genuine Marie Selander takes the lead, as on the best cut ”Go To Sea Once More”.

Selander is one of the participants who later got an artistically rewarding career. Add to that Urban Yman who went on to Blå Tåget and the various Träd, Gräs & Stenar incarnations. The ever present master musician Kjell Westling was also a member of Diddlers, as were Pyret Lindström and Slim Lidén who both joined Freedom Singers a few years later (along with Selander).

By the way, shouldn't it be "ARE" instead of "IS" in the title?

Full album playlist

DYANI, TEMIZ, FEZA – Music For Xaba, Vol. 1 (Sonet, 1973) / Music For Xaba, Vol. 2 (Sonet, 1980) / Rejoice (Cadillac, 1988) (all recorded in 1972)

Instrumental, English vocals, other languages
International relevance: ***

Turkish born drummer Okay Temiz is a true legend to me, partly for his involvement with the amazing Maffy Falay-led Sevda, and partly for his own ensemble Oriental Wind which like Sevda took the Turkish musical traditions into jazzy territories with great grandeur. But he also collaborated with other musicians as these three albums prove.

The twin volumes of ”Music For Xaba” were recorded one evening in November 1972 at Theatre 9 in Stockholm, with South African pianist/bassist Johnny Dyani as leader. Mongezi Feza was also of South African descendance, and a trumpet player who made his mark on Swedish music with Bernt Rosengren among others.

I'm not too fond of the ”Xaba” releases. The trio uses a lot of force to drive the music forward but it's as if there's something keeping the musicians apart despite the best of intentions. The best moments occur on the second volume, in Feza composition ”Mad High” and Dyani's ”Witchdoctor's Son”. I've heard these albums a fair bit over the years, but they still don't make real sense to me.

”Rejoice” is recorded less than two weeks before ”Music For Xaba” at The Modern Museum of Art in Stockholm (and not released until 1988). The sound is a tad lesser here but it's a superior date, with the three musicians connecting much better, creating a flow and an intensity lacking from the other releases. ”Mad High” makes another appearance here, as do ”Makaya Makaya Makaya”, and even though the former was a high point on ”Xaba”, this one tops it.

”Rejoice” demonstrates what this trio was capable of, ”Music For Xaba” that these guys also had lesser nights.

Music For Xaba Vol. 1 full album playlist
Music For Xaba Vol. 2 full album playlist
Rejoice full album

DRÖMPOJKARNA – Drömpojkarna (Grisbäck, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: -

Featured here mainly because of the label Grisbäck run by Ulf Bejerstrand, and because it's included in the '100 bands that didn't make the cut' in The Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music. Very little here could possibly be called progg, although there's a couple of references to the Music Movement mentality in one of the lyrics. Mostly "Drömpojkarna" is just straightforward pop, or perhaps 'rural new wave' if such a thing exists. I suspect it was some of the lyrics that appealed the most to Beijerstrand's prepubescent toilet humour.

The album was reputedly recorded in just 17 hours and it's probably true. If you can ignore the weak vocals and some of the most embarrassing lyrics (which is hard if you're a Swede), some of the songs are in fact rather good and wouldn't have been out of place on some early outing on the seriously amiable Svenska Popfabriken label. (As a matter of fact, Drömpojkarna went to the village of Klippan in Skåne after this debut album was released to record their final two 45s in the Svenska Popfabriken's legendary Studio Bombadill.) "Vagabond” is a catchy enough psuedo-country number, and the band's theme song ”Drömpojkar” is a nice slow garage rock inspired track, while a basement organ adds an ethereal, almost psychedelic touch to ”Äppelpaj med vaniljsås”. But the flat production and the general uniformity of the songs makes the album too one-dimensional to sit through in a single session. And, like I said, there's not much here for the progg-head.

However, a completely remixed version of the album appeared in 2023. The remix is so different it also turns "Drömpojkarna" into a new and better album. There's more depth to the new mix, and the narrow soundstage, previously more or less mono, has widened to great benefit.

After releasing the two aforementioned singles, Drömpojkarna members went on to join other Svenska Popfabriken bands (including the obscure Hugh Scott Band who re-recorded "Vagabond") and Aston Reymers Rivaler.

Full album playlist
Full remixed album playlist

DAGENS UNGDOM – Pick-nick på bilparkering (Mistlur, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Avid blog readers might remember I have a certain weakness for bands straddling the fence between progg and punk. Something interesting happens when the twain meet, when traceable remnants get energized by a new attitude. Sometimes the results are excellent like Kräldjursanstalten, sometimes they're just... Boojwah Kids. You can't always win.

From Hudiksvall, Dagens Ungdom stormed the stage in 1980 with the four track EP ”Den sanningssökande hunden” (”the truth-seeking dog”) on Mistlur, a label that like Dagens Ungdom walked the thin line between progg and new wave/punk. The EP is more a lot more punk and reggae than their subsequent full length album – the best was yet to come.

Dagens Ungdom stayed with Mistlur, and in 1982, their first and only album appeared on the label. It's a more accomplished work than their EP, rich with angular rhythms and sudden changes, sometimes reminiscent of a less bombastic, more skeletal Cardiacs. Some tracks are a bit contrived but their compositional grasp had tightened a lot overall in the two years that had passed since their somewhat trying debut EP. It's hard to single out any particular track – ”Pick-nick på bilparkering” works best as a whole despite a slight inconsistency due to a couple of less than potent pastiches. It's not as exciting as Kräldjursanstalten, but if you too are interested in the progg/punk borderline style, it's well worth hearing.

Full album playlist
Full EP

GUNNEL DERNING – Inte bara mjukt och fint... (Liphone, 1979) / GUNNEL DERNING & MIKAEL LAMMGÅRD – Öppen (Liphone, 1982)

 
Inte bara mjukt och fint.... (Liphone, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Gunnel Derning reminds me of some other singer but I can't remember which. There's a touch of
Stina Nordström here, but it's really not her I'm thinking of. Then again, it may be just anybody who owns too many Joan Baez records and listened to them all. Just add extra histrionics. Derning wallows in preciosity which quickly makes ”Inte bara mjukt och fint” hard to digest without any following health issues. Not that a better singer – with a less awkward phrasing – would have saved the album as most of the material is typical rosy-cheeked singer/songwriter fare with a Christian vibe. Not that I know if Derning was a Christian; given how it sounds, it's perhaps more likely she later started new age weekend courses with names like ”Get to know your inner mother owl” and ”How to offer your menstruation blood to the full moon for strength and vision”, only £250, sweat lodge included. ”Du talar ord” is a half-decent track, or at least would have been with a better singer and fewer session musicians pretending to be groovy, man.

By the way, isn't the album cover kind of creepy?

Öppen (Liphone, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ** 

For Derning's second album, she teamed up with previous member of Hare Krishna band Rasa Mikael Lammgård who realizes Derning's every new age dream to the fullest. If you don't trust me, just look at the album cover. ”Öppen” is more progressive in its song structures, but amazingly enough, that only makes it worse. A couple of acoustic songs sound like leftovers from ”Inte bara mjukt och fint”, but plenty of tracks are soaked in 'spiritual' synthesizers and inner-mother-owl reverb. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the track ”Kundalini” adds a rheumatic drum machine to the tablas, mock funk slap bass and fusion fuzz guitars. And if you thought it couldn't get any worse than that, check out the cheap synth horns on ”Mandala”...

I bet dealers will hype Gunnel Derning once they 'discover' her albums as "acid folk similar to Stenblomma" with a price tag equally deranged (unless they already have) but don't fall for any such delusive nonsense.

Inte bara mjukt och fint full album playlist
Öppen full album playlist

DORIS - Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby? (Odeon, 1970)

English vocals
International relevance: **

This album sometimes get lumped in with progg, but it's not really a progg album. "Did You Give the World Some Love Today Baby" may have been released in 1970, but it's still mid to late 60's sunlit pop with sprinkles of light groove and easy listening jazz. Doris Svensson is a fine singer with a distinctive voice with mildly rough edges that fits her style nicely, but progg it is not. Except with one spectacular exception: the eerie "You Never Come Closer". 

Hands down the standout track in this collection, it was featured on an British acid jazz comp in the 90's which brought new attention to the original Odeon album (which, of course, skyrocketed in value) and provoked the demand for a CD reissue in 1996, expanded with neglectable singles tracks by Doris's previous pop outfit Plums.

"You Never Come Closer" is a cool-beyond-belief track, later reworked by its composer and noted jazz pianist Berndt Egerbladh for the soundtrack to Swedish 70's television drama thriller series "Ärliga blå ögon" ("honest blue eyes"). Worth mentioning is that horror painter and sometime cover art designer Hans Arnold did the short but wonderful intro sequence of the series. The soundtrack recording was sung by James Hollingworth, released as a 45 in 1977, the same year the TV series became a mandatory watch to hoardes of Swedish viewers. (I've added a link to the intro at the end of this review for you to compare Doris original track to the reworked soundtrack variant.)

The title track of "Did You Give the World Some Love Today Baby" is a nice enough easy listening tinged pop track, but the next best tracks after "You Never Come Closer" are "Don't" and "Beatmaker", both utilizing a charming flower sprinkled groove in a mild funky fashion. But they never come closer to perfection than "You Never Come Closer" does...

A classic album for whatever reason, but still overrated to my ears. And not progg.

Full album playlist
Opening sequence to "Ärliga blå ögon"
James Hollingworth soundtrack 45

DAG VAG – Complete albums 1979-1983

Dag Vag was one of the bands bridging the declining old and the burgeoning new. They called their music 'trans-continental rock reggae' and that explains their music pretty well. Frontman Stig Vig (real name Per-Åke Odeltorp) was previously known as Per Gud and used to hang around with Träd Gräs &Stenar (TG&S). He recorded several of their gigs and released two TG&S albums on his own Tall label, ”Djungelns lag” and ”Mors mors”. Stig Vig's first band was God's Sideburns which he founded in 1966. He was in several other bands in the early 70's including the music theatre group Blomkraft with members from Archimedes Badkar and TG&S. In 1978, he released the single ”Dimma” as Dag Vag & Svagsinta, a raw and fantastic solo DIY effort with its roots in progg but punk in attitude that eventually led to him forming a full band, keeping the name Dag Vag. In the early 00's, Stig Vig said in an interview that he wanted Dag Vag to be fun and joyful alternative to the increasingly narrow-minded politicized progg, and with consciously simple lyrics.

Dag Vag (Silence, 1979)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

 

Already known to Silence Records as the live engineer for Tråd, Gräs Och STenar, it was only natural that Dag Vag scored a deal with the label. The album opens with an excellent cover of ”Sanningens silverflod” from TG&S's green album, and features two more translated covers, The Fugs' ”I Couldn't Get High” (”Jag blev inte hög”) and Bob Dylan's ”Tombstone Blues” (”Snorbloos”). However, the best track on this splendid album is the original number ”Idioterna” that captures the band's 'trans-continental rock reggae' at its best.

First edition was released with clear vinyl. 

Scenbuddism (Silence, 1979)

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

When original guitarist Olsson left (real name Ola Backström, known from albums by Stockholm Norra, Torkel Rasmusson, Tore Berger, Lena Ekman et al), Kenny Håkansson of the recently disbanded Kebnekajse stepped in. His first vinyl appearance with the band (as Beno Zeno) was the live album ”Scenbuddism”. Covers of The Modern Lovers' ”Egyptian Reggae” and a translated ”Wild Thing”, but mostly terrific original material including the classic reggaefied version of ”Dimma” . Håkansson delivers some of his best guitar work ever but perhaps he shines brightest on 8+ minutes closing track ”Tokna & galna”.

Palsternacka (Silence, 1980)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

 

Still good but not as consistent as their first two albums. The lovely ”Jag har drömt” has lyrics adapted from Swedish poet Dan Andersson and collectively set to music by the band. Highlights also include ”Rulla på” and ”Lång väg”.

7 lyckliga elefanter (Silence, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

The weakest of their original early period albums, with too many highlife and new wave influences, including a translated version of Generation X's ”Dancing with Myself” (”Dansar med mej själv”). ”Min pappa” is however brilliant, written by Zilverzurfarn (real name Johan Zachrisson). 

Almanacka (Silence, 1983; recorded 1978-1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Dag Vag disbanded in 1983 and released this live compilation as a farewell album, recorded between 1978 and 1981 and including a trippy version of ”Snorbloos” and a very dubby version of ”Tokna & galna”. Also Kenny Håkansson's brilliant and otherwise unavailable ”Om döden”. Features Don Cherry on several tracks. The expanded CD reissue has different cover art:

Dag Vag also released a number of non-album 45's and has a track on the ”Nej till kärnkraft” comp released in 1979, the great original version of ”Många gånger om” (re-recorded in a lesser version for ”7 lyckliga elefanter”). All stray tracks were later added to the CD reissues along with previously unreleased tracks.

The band reunited in the late 80's with several disbandings and reunions following over the years. Stig Vig died in 2012.

Dag Vag full album playlist with bonus tracks
Scenbuddhism full album playlist with bonus tracks
Palsternacka full album playlist with bonus tracks
7 lyckliga elefanter full album playlist with bonus tracks
Almanacka full album playlist with bonus tracks

FREEDOM SINGERS / DE FÖRENADE FNL-GRUPPERNA – Albums 1968-1974

Two groups, closely related to both each other and the Gothenburg communist party KPLM(r), with anti-imperialist lyrics dealing with the liberation of Vietnam. Maria Hörnelius and Marie Selander were both among the many Freedom Singers members.

FREEDOM SINGERS – 68 (Befria Södern, 1968, 10”)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Freedom Singers first album, an eight track ten inch, was a joint venture by the FNL groups of Gothenburg and Stockholm. The music is part American sounding protest songs (ironically enough), part Swedish styled singer/songwriter, and part standard fare communist anthems. ”Befria södern!” has become a classic of sorts in the circuits of like-minded, and also gave name to the bands' own label.

FREEDOM SINGERS - Antiimperialistiska sånger (Befria Södern, 1970)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Second album is mainly the work of the Gothenburg FNL faction, but it doesn't helped making the music much better. If you've heard one of these albums, you've basically heard them all. But at least this one has a couple of decent songs if you can look beyond the dreadful genre typical fist-waving, more precisely ”Wall Street”, the Jefferson Airplane inspired ”Richard Dollarhjärta” (their best track), and Fugs cover ”CIA-visan”, the latter two with full band backing including fuzz guitar. ”Bläckfisken” (not the Björn Afzelius song) is passable. Anthem ”Befria Södern” makes another appearance.

DE FÖRENADE FNL-GRUPPERNA

Till det kämpande Vietnam (Befria Södern, 1971)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Includes contributions from various FNL groups from Stockholm and Uppsala in a standard protest style with few variations. Some tracks sound like Fria Proteatern with accordion. Horrible. And for the third time, ”Befria Södern”. 

DE FÖRENADE FNL-GRUPPERNA - Vietnam är nära (Befria Södern, 1972)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

More of the same, although the lush string arrangement on ”Vid läsningen av Ett tusen poeters antologi' is an (temporary) advancement. ”Maktens män” and ”Roten till det onda” feature a full band but aren't as 'good' as ”Richard Dollarhjärta”. ”Avskedet” and ”En kamp på tusen slagfält” are the least maddening tracks here. And oh, ”Befria Södern” finishes off the album.

DE FÖRENADE FNL-GRUPPERNA - Framtiden är vår (Befria Södern, 1974)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

”Vi hjälptes åt” almost sounds like something UK folk prog band Spirogira could have done, for what it's worth. ”Basarbetaren” has some of that ”Richard Dollarhjärta” fuzz but it's still a crap track. And in case you thought they had forgotten, they didn't: Here's the fifth version of ”Befria Södern”.

Freedom Singers released on further album, ”Lär känna Vietnam”; recorded live in 1973 with a Vietnamese song and dance group (and including ”Befria Södern”). They also released a 1975 EP, ”Vietnam Kambodja befriade!” to celebrate the end of the Vietnam war. Thankfully, that was the end of Freedom Singers/FNL-grupperna as well.

Of course I concur with the sentiment here – it's needless to point out that the Vietnam war was a disgrace to mankind, but the fundamentalist vibe to these record is as repellant as on many political albums in a similar style. Sitting through these albums one more time for the review made me nauseous. I felt physically ill, I kid you not. Also, they are outdated, at best an academic reminder of the dogmatism of bygone days.

Knutna Nävar evolved out of Freedom Singers.

from 68

Leve det vietnamesiska folkets befrielsekamp 

Antiimperialistiska sånger
Wall Street
Å Sentab och jag
Visan om Gunnar Myrdal
Vårt sagoland 

Rövarvisan 

Vi sår vårt ris 

Befria Södern 

Bläckfisken 

Hur ser friheten ut? 

Visan om Olof Palme 

Kafferepet

En liten quisling 

Richard Dollarhjärta 

CIA-visan  

from Framtiden är vår

När avtalstexten torkat 

Vi hjälptes åt 

Visan om terroristlagen 

Basarbetaren

Kambodja ska bli vårt

En vanlig kvinna i Vietnam

Kissingers fredsvals 

Ett helt lands framtid 

Folken i Indokina kämpar även för oss 

Till det kämpande Vietnam full album
Vietnam är nära full album playlist

DIMMORNAS BRO – Dimmornas Bro (Silence, 1977) / Mål (Silence, 1979) / Jabbi Dabbi (RCA Victor, 1981)

Dimmornas Bro (Silence, 1977)
Swedish vocals, instrumental 

International relevance: **

 

Before Staffan Hellstrand became a domestic hit maker, he was in the semi-symphonic Dimmornas Bro.

Despite being OK musicians, Dimmornas Bro never reached the higher levels of symph prog they probably aimed for, simply because their songs weren't very good. They try hard to earn credibility points with tracks ”Romeo” and ”Fängelset, skolan alltså” but end up like some faux Genesis. Dimmornas Bro was really a pop rock band and that shines through no matter what time signatures and how many synth washes they used. If it matters to anyone, this is their best album.

Mål (Silence, 1979)
Swedish vocals, instrumental 

International relevance: **

 

Really terrible album made even worse by then-fashionable disco influences. ”Tilt” suggests Staffan Hellstrand might have heard one Samla Mammas Manna album and two by The Beatles, but the end result is disheartening to say the least. Some symph moves seemingly left over from their first album turned up in ”Mål's” instrumental final track, but they couldn't save their debut and they certainly can't save this dud either.

 Jabbi Dabbi (RCA Victor, 1981)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

 

Leaving Silence for multinational label RCA Victor gave Dimmornas Bro a more 'glamorous' production touch, but just like Hellstrand sings in ”Moln”, the one track here with very distant prog touches: ”all the warning signs go flashing red”. ”Jabbi Dabbi” is very bad early 80's mainstream pop rock.

 

Dimmornas Bro full album

Mål full album 

Jabbi dabbi full album playlist

DE GLADAS KAPELL – Spelar Nilsson (Svenska Love, 1978)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

With Kornet's Stefan Nilsson, Samla Mammas Manna's Coste Apetrea, Jojje Wadenius of Made In Sweden and Peter Sundell from new age synth guru Ralph Lundsten's Andromeda All Stars forming this super group, it's pretty obvious from the start what ”De Gladas Kapell spelar Nilsson” is about: über competent fusion with all tracks written by Stefan Nilsson. Those who want impeccable musicianship first and foremost will love it. And yes, it's better than anything Kornet ever released and yes, it's a little more lively than Coste Apetrea's devastatingly boring solo albums but I had low school grades in math so De Gladas Kapell's many intricate equations and complex calculations mean absolutely nothing to me.

Coste Apetrea made sure to include De Gladas Kapell when he compiled ”Progglådan”.

Cover art by Tage Åsén who painted several albums for the Samla Mammas Manna clan and others.

Full album playlist
Tonkraft 1978
Rio dejavu
Lösnäsor
Ockhams rakkniv

DOM SMUTSIGA HUNDARNA – Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues (MNW, 1977) / Hotel Cancer (Nacksving, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **/**

Dom Smutsiga Hundarna were a Gothenburg band, founded already in 1969 but with a volatile, ever-changing line-up until their demise in 1983 (not counting rare reunions). They performed at the first Gärdet festival in 1970, then augmented by members from Träd, Gräs & Stenar. Their live appearances sometimes turned into exercises in chaos, and they were surrounded by controversy from time to time, as in 1973 when they recorded a session that Swedish Radio for some reason refused to broadcast.

It took Dom Smutsiga Hundarna a further four years before they got their album debut together, released by MNW in the year of punk 1977. Some consider the forceful advent of punk the death blow to progg (a statement that is up for debate for many reasons). But while some bands felt lost in the tsunami of punk's frustrated fury, Dom Smutsiga Hundarna was rather invigorated by the 'new' youthful sounds.

That's not to say that ”Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues” is a punk album – it's firmly rooted in the progg aesthetic and without a doubt that's where it belongs, but it has definite punk shadings, especially in the vocals and sometimes in how they play, as on ”Med förtvivlans mod”. Then again, you could possibly trace that back to bands such as Love Explosion and Gudibrallan anyway.

I don't think ”Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues” is a particularly good album but it's an important one in how it bridges the gap from what came before and what was just beginning to happen.

”Hotel Cancer” followed in 1979 after a switch from MNW to Nacksving, the title and cover art satirizing both Coca Cola and The Eagles' worldwide hit ”Hotel California” in one go. It's a historically less significant album than their debut, but with better production, tighter performances and more realized songs. Some of punkier tracks admittedly come off as a bit contrived, occasionally with a faint Stranglers nimbus thanks to Bert Gren's organ, and sometimes slightly in the Devo vein. But ”Hur ska du någonsin kunna förstå?” and the title track are straight up prog. ”Vilddjurets återkomst” is a great track, the album's highlight. Worth noting is that Arbete & Fritid appears as backing singers on "Att vara eller inte vara"!

A revised line-up released one further Dom Smutsiga Hundarna album on Nacksving in 1983, ”Framtiden rusar emot dig”. A couple of non-album singles also exist. Two further tracks are featured in "Progglådan", one recorded for Tonkraft in 1977 and the other possibly a studio outtake. Loads of unreleased pre-debut recordings can be heard on singer Ingmar "Tomten" Flurén's Soundcloud page, some very interesting stuff there.

Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues full album playlist
Hotel Cancer no links found

DICE – Dice (Marilla, 1978) / The Four Riders of the Apocalypse (Belle Antique, 1992; recorded 1977)

English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: ***/***

Dice's was originally released on illustrious character Hans Edler's Marilla label, known for its stylistic diversity. ”Dice” is probably the only symphonic effort on the label though. It bears the band's Yes influences on its sleeve (not literally meant) with dashes of Focus, Gentle Giant and Egg. Complex and competent tracks with quite a few guitar leads to go with the abundant keyboards. A very accomplished work only marred by insufficient vocals. Not my cup of tea, but certainly a lot more lively than most of what Kaipa did (another relevant comparison) and a must for symph heads.

”Dice” was reissued by Japanese label Belle Antique in the late 80's, and they also released the archival ”The Four Riders of the Apocalypse” a couple of years later. Recorded before their first and only proper album, it lets us have a peak into their progress. Dice's ambitions were high but their compositional skills not yet fully developed. It sounds as if they wanted to prove everything at once, making the pieces overcomplicated and directionless (which of course could be said of quite a few symph rock albums...) Although I don't like Robert Holmin's vocals on ”Dice”, but the instrumental ”Four Riders of the Apocalypse” feels unfinished without them.

Belle Antique has also released two albums with material from Dice's live archive, including one show recorded for Swedish Radio in 1977, also partly found in "Progglådan".

Dice full album
The Four Riders Of The Apocalypse full album

Tonkraft 1977 full album playlist (tracks 7-11)