LALLA HANSSON – Complete 70s albums

 Upp till Ragvaldsträsk (Columbia, 1971)
Tur & retur (EMI, 1973)
Fångat i flykten (EMI, 1976)
Enstaka spår! (EMI, 1978)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Featured in the ”100 other artists to check out” list in ”The Encyclopedia Of Swedish Progressive Music”, and another odd inclusion. Lalla Hansson was in 60s band Fabulous Four who did a couple of great freakbeat tracks, but as a solo artist, Hansson went for a more country tinged soft rock style. It's pretty twee stuff but I kind of like some of what he did, which is a decidedly unhip thing to say. He relied heavily on covers, especially on his first two albums, but his Swedish translations are often very good – he had a real knack for transposing mostly American songs to a Swedish setting. Which of course is competely lost on non-Swedish listeners, and with very little progg involved here, there's not much to recommend here in that context.

Upp till Ragvaldsträsk full album playlist
Tur & retur full album playlist
Fångat i flykten full album playlist
Enstaka spår! full album playlist

TUNDRA – Dubbla budskap (EMI, 1982)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Largely forgotten and consistently horrible latecomers with poet Jacques Werup of Storm on saxophone. Some lyrics have an anti-militarist sentiment and they're the most progg thing here as the music is mainly slick, radio friendly and occassionally discofied MOR. Lead-off track ”Solfångaren” however displays a clear inspiration from Chilean music. ”Solfångaren” was also recorded for their minor label debut single in 1981 with a non-album track on the flip. They had a couple of singles out in 1984 and 1986 respectively, plus another album in 1985, ”Våga livet”, which is so indescribably nauseating it will make your ears throw up.

Full album playlist (Spotify)

SYDKRAFT – Sydkraft (EMI, 1979)

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance:*

This is an album I've hesitated to put up here for years. But as it's among those '100 bands you also might want to check out' in ”The Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music” book, I thought that I should have a go at it anyway, if only to get it done with. While it has faint progg hints as in the guitars of ”London (Hela dygnet laddat)” and ”Lycka till”, it's not really a progg album at all. It's closer to the commercial pop rock of bands such as Noice, Snowstorm and Magnum Bonum. Names that mean little or nothing to foreign listeners but say a whole lot to Swedes. And what they say is not good.

Sydkraft may have had more pronounced new wave or pop punk edge than the aforemention bands, but not enough to redeem their truly annoying songs. The best track is the Buddy Holly cover ”Love's Made A Fool Of You” which features some pretty hot harmonica from Mats Ronander (Nature et al), but it's still pretty redundant. The worst moments by far is Sydkraft's attempt at reggae which is closer to an insult than a tribute. For some reason, some people holds this album in pretty high regard, but don't ask me why because I found this one a 24 carat clunker. They had two singles out as well (both included on the digital reissue), but thankfully they never relased another album.

Full album playlist

WILDMARKEN – Wildmarken (EMI, 1976) / Och nu på sjuttiotalet (EMI, 1977)

Wildmarken (EMI, 1976)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

I'll never understand what makes one album a sought-after rarity when a better album hardly attracts any interest at all. For example, why do people fork out tons of cash for crap like Epizootic, Shaggy and Asoka when they ignore albums like ”Wildmarken” that has just about all the features that make collectors go bonkers? 

While not 24 carat knock-out stuff, Wildmarken's heavy rock is well made with decent vocals and plenty of biting guitars, sometimes even with growling wah-wah. Only two ballads interrupt the heavy flow (”Guld” and ”En längtans dag”, the latter with a dash of Blue Öyster Cult) but it's tracks like ”Gitarr och dragharmonika”, ”Långt bort från stan” and ”Som en extra dag” that define the album. An LP ripe for discovery for those into the heavier side of progg.

Och nu på sjuttiotalet (EMI, 1977)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

Wildmarken's second album suggests they tried to move forward while adding even more power to their music. You can hear sax on the first track ”Han som var rädd för giftgasen”, and there's some discofied clavinet on ”Vinet är slut”. And sometimes they just take the easy boogie way out, as on ”Ida Petronella Lundström”.

While I appreciate Wildmarken's attempts not to make their debut album over again, it doesn't necessarily mean I think their attempts pay off that well (and whoever came up with the idea of having a flock of cavemen grunting background vocals certainly should have kept it to himself.) (And I hope the cover designer got fired). There is, however, one great track here, ”Vad vill dom”, that rounds off the album in a better way than it perhaps deserves.

 

Wildmarken full album playlist

Och nu på sjuttiotalet full album playlist

ROBERT BROBERG – Complete albums 1970-1974

A truly singular artist who made his debut as a skiffle singer in the late 1950's. He made several albums over the next decade and became famous for his hummable and humourous troubadour styled pop songs, many of them became mainstream classics.

The Pling & Plong Show (EMI, 1970)
as Robert Karl Oskar Broberg

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

In 1970, Broberg made a TV series for children, ”The Pling & Plong Show”. It was crazy, corny, imaginative, bizarre but also popular. The songs from the series were released on an album the same year it was televised, and just by hearing the soundtrack you'll get an idea what the show was like. The album jerks back and forth between genres and while it doesn't hold up nearly as well as Jojje Wadenius' ”Goda' goda'”, it has a couple of memorable songs, especially the contagiously swinging title track.

En typiskt rund LP med hål i mitten (Pling & Plong, 1971)

as Robban

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: *

Robert Broberg's first proper album of the 70's was released on his own label named after the children's TV series. There are good songs on the album but a lot of them appear wasted on a overzealous humour. You can trace a John Lennon influence on the album's finest tracks ”Redan när vi sätter oss till bords” and ”Insidan av ditt lår”.

Jag letar efter mig själv (Pling & Plong, 1972)
as Robert Karl Oskar Broberg

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

The album title – ”I'm looking for myself” – suggests Broberg was harbouring existential doubts. And he did. He later spoke a lot about his bipolar disorder, something that came to affect his career in different ways. ”Jag letar efter mig själv” is a rather dark album even when the music sounds cheerful. The contradiction between what's said and how it's said creates a sometimes unnerving tension. At times it's as if Broberg thinks aloud and talks to himself (especially on the very explicit ”Snabbköpsbutiken”) which gives the entire album a certain rough and candid feel.

Vem är det som bromsar & vem är det som skjuter på? (RKOB, 1974)

as Robert Karl Oskar Broberg

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

This is the closest Robert Broberg ever got a political album – as it happens, members of Hoola Bandoola Band appear on it. But it's not the typically trendy political album of the time. Broberg asks questions Kjell Höglund could have asked, and some of them are probably blasphemous to the converted smartaleck legions: 'If you want to change the world, should you start with the world or yourself?' Broberg recognizes the real person, the individual of flesh and blood, beyond the rigid political structures. And as should be clear to anyone who's read this blog before, I'd much rather listen to people allowing themselves to ask questions and inhibit doubts. Or, as Broberg says: ”It's got to be fun making a revolution”. But contrary what some people used to think in those days, an album isn't the lyrics alone – the songs here are very good with an introspective feel to go along with the words. 

One of Broberg's finest.

The Pling & Plong Show full album playlist
En typisk rund LP med hål i mitten full album playlist
Jag letar efter mig själv full album playlist
Vem är det som bromsar & vem är det som skjuter på? full album playlist

FINN SJÖBERG – Finn (EMI, 1978)

 
Instrumental

International relevance: **

Finn Sjöberg was a member of Örebro's Squareheads Blues Band in the late 60's before founding Kvartetten Som Sprängde in 1972. They released their monolithic classic ”Kattvals” the following year and they backed singer/songwriter Bernt Staf on his ”Valhall” album, also in 1973. Kvartetten Som Sprängde disbanded in 1975 and Finn Sjöberg turned to session work for a large number of Swedish acts including ABBA.

”Finn” is his only solo album to date and is disappointing to anyone hoping for a 'lost' Kvartetten Som Sprängde album. Only album highlights ”Gånglåt från Barrstigen” (clearly alluding to Kvartetten's "Gånglåt från Valhallavägen") and ”I Fatimas hand” have some strains suggesting Sjöberg's acclaimed past – the lion's share of ”Finn” is in a softer unimpressive jazz rock vein. 

Full album playlist

PETER O. EKBERG – Så häftigt!! (Polydor, 1976) / Peter O. Ekberg (TOR, 1976) / Så länge vi har oss (TOR, 1978) / Det känns som att va på en fest (EMI, 1979)

Guitar slinger Peter O. Ekberg went from 60's band Germs Group to a short stint in Thorleifs, an outfit of that particular brand of evil called Swedish dance bands, before going solo in the mid 70's. His solo albums are largely uninteresting, but with a few progg moves, I thought I should comment on his albums in brief.

Så häftigt!! (Polydor, 1976)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Ekberg's first proper album was recorded with back-up band Attila. Mostly displaying standard rock with a commercial edge, a couple of tracks have progg sensibilities, particularly ”Big Abdullah” and ”Du satans onda cirkel” with room enough for Ekberg to show off his guitar abilities. Ballads ”På lingonlandet” and ”De vackra orden” are decent. All in all, this is Ekberg's best album.

Peter O. Ekberg (TOR, 1976)

Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

The self-titled second LP follows along the lines of Ekberg's first, with some proggier tracks including the heavy album opener ”Han kan va' du”. ”Hjördis sång” is a drowsy instrumental reminiscent of Janne Schaffer's solo albums. Ekberg widens the scope with jazz, funk and country influences but the results are still dull and unengaging.

Så länge vi har oss (TOR, 1978)

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance: *

More of the same, but with a higher funk and fusion factor than previous albums. The track with the greatest progg emphasis is the instrumental Roland Gottlow composition ”Hemåt”, but it's a pretty lame excuse for such a soporific album as this.

Det känns som att va på en fest (EMI, 1979)

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance: *

A shift to major label EMI and the introduction of his band Peter O. Ekbergs System didn't do much to improve Ekberg's music. On the contrary: it got worse, with funk slap bass, stiff drumming and even more uninteresting songs firmly rooted in the worst kind of boogie blues (the title ”Good Time Blues” says it all). It's unlikely that you'd get as far as to the instrumental last track ”Tills nästa gång” but if you do, you'll discover a few traces of progg there. But believe me, it's not worth the trouble.

Ekberg also released a couple of 45's and later became a session musician for both Swedish and American artists. He lived in Austin, TX for a few years, performing with Jerry Jeff Walker, Keith Ferguson and others. Ekberg made a few more albums much later, the most recent one released in 2016.

Så häftigt!! full album

Peter O. Ekberg full album

Så länge vi har oss full album

Det känns som att va på en fest full album 

MERIT HEMMINGSON – Huvva! (EMI, 1971) / Trollskog (EMI, 1972) / Bergtagen (EMI, 1973) / Balsam (EMI, 1975)

There's something cheesy about a lot of what Merit Hemmingson has released over the years, but when her blend of Hammond jazz, pop and Swedish traditional music worked in her favour, it certainly has an appeal that is hard to resist.

Hemmingson began her recording career in the 60's, releasing a few albums including two on RCA Camden. Songs like ”A Taste of Honey”, ”Watermelon Man”, ”Can't Take My Eyes Off You” and ”Little Green Apples” saw her trying to make a name for herself in the instrumental soul jazz/easy listening mould. It wasn't until her first album for EMI that she found the folk music based style that made her popular act in Sweden with numerous TV appearances and respectable album sales. Her best albums are still highly rated by quite a few, and she even had a bit of a renaissance in recent years, and did a few shows with Kebnekajse.

Huvva! – Svensk folkmusik på beat (EMI Columbia, 1971)

Instrumental, wordless vocals

International relevance: ***

With the help from luminaries such as Jojje Wadenius, Slim Borgudd, renaissance musician Sven Berger and noted folk fiddler Ole Hjort, Merit Hemmingson brought her vision to life. Leaving the crowd pleasing easy listening chestnuts behind in favour of exclusively traditional tunes, she carved out a niche that at the time was entirely her own. Her reputation of being the groove queen of Sweden began here, with swinging renditions of ”Gånglåt från Ovanåker” and the much loved ”Gammal jämtländsk brudmarsch”. But ”Huvva!” (a word in northern dialects roughly meaning ”crikey!”) has a fair amount of reflective moments too – the short ”Gammalståschans hjärtesuck” is laced with mournful wordless vocals, and ”Vindarna sucka uti skogarna” touches on Hansson & Karlsson at their most sombre.

Although ”Huvva!” is her fourth album, it feels like her debut. And a strong 'debut' it is.

Trollskog (Mer svensk folkmusik på beat) (EMI Columbia, 1972)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals, wordless vocals

International relevance: ***

”Trollskog” continues where ”Huvva!” left off, taking some of predecessor's musicians along. Added to the studio line-up is Björn J:son Lindh on flute, guitar wiz Janne Schaffer and percussionist Sabu Martinez and others. The partial personnel changes made for a somewhat funkier style, and even attributed a psychedelic tinge to some of the tracks. Almost as good as "Huvva!".

Bergtagen (EMI, 1973)

International relevance: ***

Instrumental, wordless vocals

After releasing ”Det for två vita duvor – folkton i Vikens kapell” together with impossible-to-pinpoint larger-than-life comedian/poet/childrens' TV host/thinker/eccentric Beppe Wolgers earlier in 1973, (Wolgers also appears on a couple of tracks on "Trollskog".) Hemmingson returned with an album made with newly formed three-piece backing band Folkmusikgruppen. It's a self-assured album and she obviously feels at ease with having her own band as opposed to working with seasoned studio musicians, but at the same time the concept was slowly beginning to wear thin. The sense of pioneering exploration that made her first two proper folk albums so appealing is waning off (she even re-recorded ”Gammal jämtländsk brudmarsch” or the album), and the prevalent jazz influences are oddly enough stifling to the music. ”Bergtagen” has a couple of fine tracks (including the contageously groove ”Domaredansen”) but it's far too uneven to compete with ”Huvva!” and ”Trollskog”. Having said that, I still think it's an OK album to have, especially to complete the informal trio of folk albums that began with "Huvva!".

Balsam (EMI, 1975)

Instrumental, English vocals, wordless vocals

International relevance: **

 

By the time of ”Balsam”, Hemmingson obviously realized she couldn't take the hitherto successful concept much further without repeating herself too much. Bringing more scat singing, harmonica, synthesizers, strings etc, plus a more expensive sounding production to the table, ”Balsam” is in some way a return to her pre-”Huvva!” years, with a greater emphasize on easy listening, only grander in scope. Unfortunately it meant a step completely in the wrong directions, with Hemmingson losing her tracka altogether. An atrocious discofied version of soul classic ”I Heard It Through the Grapevine” proves my point well enough.

 

Hemmingson has continued performing and making albums through the years, but with ”Balsam” painfully marking the end of an era, there's no reason for this blog to go further down her discography.

 

Huvva! full album playlist
Trollskog full album playlist

Bergtagen full album playlist
Balsam full album playlist