A VARIOUS ARTISTS SPECIAL – 3 Nacksving compilations 1975-1978

Established in 1975, the Nacksving label ran until 1981 when it went bankrupt. Label boss Tommy Rander bought it and became the sole owner after which he tranformed it to Transmission which kept going up until 1987. The Nacksving studio is still in use however; it was originally built because Rander didn't understand why the progg bands had to have inferior sound and lesser production values than the commercial music business. The label, always under ultimate direction from Rander, became the political epicentre of the progg movement at its tail end which led to its demise as creativity was choked by political dogma. When asked why the progg movement ended, Mikael Wiehe has said it ended because its time was over, and while true, the death of it was certainly hastened on by the narrowminded and unforgiving political bureaucrats at the Gothenburg headquarters.

NACKSVING – ETT SAMLAT GREPP FRÅN GÖTET (Nacksving, 1975)

Featured artists: Nationalteatern / Nynningen / Ariman / Soffgruppen / Motvind / Tintomara / Trio General Goof

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

First ever release on the Nacksving label, including both well-known acts and artists exclusive to this release. Tommy Rander worked at the Gothenburg department of Swedish Radio at the time, and the recordings on the album were made in session for the broadcasting company. With the budget of a fledgling record label, i.e. no money, Rander 'borrowed' the recordings from his employer. The Swedish Radio wasn't exactly happy with it when they discovered the caper, rebuked him, but let him stay on the job.

The album is a good cross section of what Gothenburg had to offer stylewise in the mid-70's, with jazz, rock and political folk pop. Most of it is rather unexceptional though, but the Nynningen and Nationalteatern collaboration ”Ta tillbaka Hagahuset” is powerful (in the same vein as Nynningen track ”För full hals”), and ”Parkeringshets” is the great Soffgruppen in a wonderfully violent mode.

FRISTIL (Nacksving, 1977)

Featured artists: Motvind / Ensamma Hjärtan / Dennis Huntington Band / Väsen / Björn Afzelius / Afzelius, Aldman, Hartelius, Löfdahl and Text & Musik

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

A showcase of various Nacksving artists, including the only record appearance of avant folk outfit Väsen (not to be confused with the 90's folk rock band of the same name) including later-to-be musicology professor Lars Lilliestam. Their two songs are OK, but the album is most noteworthy for the superior vocal version of Motvind's best track ”Lära för livet”. The Ensamma Hjärtan contribution is a disappointing 8 minute slow blues.

FRÅN FLYKT TILL KAMP (Nacksving, 1978)

as Lilla Nacksvingsligan

Featured artists: Björn Afzelius / Lars Aldman / Blues Annika / Sam Westerberg / Torsten "Totta" Näslund

Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Released as Lilla Nacksvingsligan, this album was a charity album for prescription drug abusers and consists of songs recorded specifically for the purpose, with backing musicians from Nationalteatern and Nynningen. Blues Annika's ”I förvaring” is OK but not on par with her solo album (and country music deniers should know that it's much more of a country song than blues). Still the best track of the album, followed by Sam Westerberg's ”Opiets väg”. The rest of it is forgettable, and three Lars Aldman tracks are four too many.

from Nacksving - Ett samlat grepp från Götet

Nationalteatern & Nynningen - Maltesaren 

Nynningen - Batongerna ska dansa 

Motvind - Feta snutar 

Nationalteatern - Ettan 

Motvind - Fikapaus 

Nationalteatern & Nynningen - Ta tillbaka Hagahuset
Soffgruppen - Parkeringshets
from Fristil

Motvind - Bakfull 

Motvind - Lära för livet 

Ensamma Hjärtan - Hal som en ål 

Väsen - Avenyen + Blåskiten

from Från flykt till kamp

Blues Annika - I förvaring

Björn Afzelius - Missbruk

Sam Westerberg - Opiets väg 

Torsten "Totta" Näslund - En kugge i systemet

RÖDA ROPET – Spänn bågen (Ungkommunisters Förlag, 1975)

Swedish vocals

International relevance **

One of Gothenburg's better communist affiliated bands, featuring future Sky High main man Clas Yngström (also of Soffgruppen) on guitar. Some songs were written by Dennis Huntington of Love Explosion and Huntington Band, in addition to a couple of translated versions of Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry songs, plus ”En yngling” written by singer/songwriter Dan Berglund. 

The alternately male and female vocals are a bit overenthusiastic at times but never quite fall into the trap of smug conceit too many others got chewed up in. Sure it has its fair share of proselytizing, but ”Spänn bågen” is a pretty rocking thing, highlighted by the raging ”Ge mig sanningen” and closing track ”Pedro”. It's an OK album, taken for what it is.

Nynnat och sjungit 

Dom e dom 

Spring Lasse spring 

En yngling

Lite borta ska man va

Ge mig sanningen

Pedro

HUNTINGTON BAND – Huntington Band (Nacksving, 1977)

Swedish lyrics

International relevance: **

Dennis Huntington had made a bit of a name for himself years before he founded Huntington Band. He used to be in the seldom mentioned Lag & Ordning who released an album in 1979, ”51, Moderately Beat”, four years after it was recorded. His best known work ought to be with Love Explosion, whose ”Bästa låtar” is a DIY classic.

Huntington Band's only album is held in lower esteem than his previous bands. Perhaps because it's a less frantic effort, more along the lines of Motvind, Nationalteatern, Mobben and Ensamma Hjärtan's more straightforward songs. It's fair to say that it is a Gothenburg album typical of its time; the Gothenburg bands were less experimental and relied more on blues based rock with a harder edge than their Stockholm contemporaries in particular. Gothenburg has always been a workers' town, a left wing stronghold, and it's not too far fetched too say that the down to earth approach to life also affected many of the 70's bands.

It's a pity that Huntington Band's eponymous album is overlooked. Huntington himself was a good songwriter as proven by this album as much as anything else he did. ”Vad är det som händer” is a hard rocking number, while ”Barn av vår tid” (not to confuse with the Nationalteatern song of the same name) adds a semi-funky groove. ”Utan moral” veers towards Santana territory, with an eager drive and a contagious beat. Ten minute track ”Tre hjältar” rounds off the album in an angst ridden way, as grey as the concrete houses of a Gothenburg suburb. Famous saxophone player Christer Boustedt adds a crying alto sax to the song which further adds to its sense of underlying desperation. Tracks like ”Vårt samhälle” and ”Håll mig hårt” are probably responsible for giving the album a reputation of being a blues rock album, but although being a no-nonsense, straight ahead album, it's more varied than your standard palefaced blues rock album.

Being such a neglected effort, ”Huntington Band” is still pretty cheap to get, but it doesn't show up very often. Being released on Gothenburg's premiere progg label Nacksving, it's likely easiest to find locally in and around Gothenburg. It's well worth to pick up if you run across it, but you should bear in mind that the focus to a fair extent lies on the lyrics, why foreign listeners miss out on some important aspects of the songs.

Huntington Band did at least one session for the Swedish Radio but they're unfortunately not included in the massive live recordings compilation box set ”Progglådan”.

Dennis Huntington also wrote songs for fellow Gothenburgers Röda Ropet, and he later became the drummer for Togges Gossar, an obscure outfit that, apart from playing at weddings and parties, released a mere three singles in the 80's. Huntington sadly died in 2011. His son Ivar Huntington plays in a band called Fred På Jorden who performed some of his dad's songs at a memorial concert in 2012. 

Side one
Side two