VARIOUS ARTISTS – En kärlekshistoria (CBS, 1970)

Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

This is the soundtrack to Roy Andersson's first feature film ("A Love Story") which resulted in his immediate domestic breakthrough as a director (although he's best known internationally for his award winning 2000 movie ”Songs From The Second Floor”).

Björn Isfält of Xtra was hired to score the film and he's written or co-written all pieces here except ”Would You Like To” which is by Jan Bandel and Greg FitzPatrick, with vocals by Staffan Stenström. Stenström sings on four of the songs, all them also also released as singles. If his name sounds familiar, it's probably because he was also in Atlantic Ocean (and their forerunners Quints) and, as numerous others, later involved in the Tillsammans project. A more surprising name in this context is Anita Lindblom who was a commercial pop singer in the 60s and 70s, whose ”Sånt är livet” was a massive hit in 1961 and has since become a Swedish evergreen. But she had a role in the movie and was probably expected to sing as well.

As always the case with soundtrack albums, this isn't meant to be a consistent whole, and it isn't. The Lindblom tracks stick out as two sore thumbs, and while Isfält's instrumentals are pleasant, they're really not something that motivates too many listens. Which leaves Staffan Stenström's contributions which are very good. I really like his husky voice which adds a beautifully brooding atmosphere to the four songs he's on. As the singles are rather hard to come by (and the same can be said of original copies of the soundtrack LP), the CD reissue from 2003 is probably the easiest way to obtain them. I think it's worth it, actually mandatory to Atlantic Ocean fans as these four tracks make for a very nice addition to their otherwise small output.

Full album playlist

ISILDURS BANE – Lost Eggs (Svenska Unikum, 1994; rec. 1976-1993)

Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

Founded in 1976 and hailing from Halmstad (home of Per Gessle), Tolkien fans and symphonic rockers Isildurs Bane didn't make their album debut until 1984 with ”Sagan om den irländska älgen” ('the saga of the Irish elk'). They weren't entirely unknown then, having recorded a lengthy session for Swedish Radio's slot for live music Tonkraft in 1982. And they'd been recording prior that, as archival compilation ”Lost Eggs” reveals.

Seven of of the tracks herein fall outside the scope of this blog as they were recorded between 1984 and 1994, but the remainder was put to tape between 1976 and 1982. So let's concentrate on them.

I'm not a fan at all of the synthetic approximation of British prog rock somewhere between Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant as presented on ”Sagan om den irländska älgen”, but their sound was most deliberate as proven by these early tapes. Many of their elements were already in place, the mid 70's FM rock guitars, the dated synthesizers, the 'complex' time signatures, the twee vocals and the overall cheesiness. The only difference is that ”Lost Eggs” isn't as cohesive as their proper albums, but that's no surprise as it wasn't recorded as such.

Isildurs Bane nevertheless proved to be a long lasting and well liked unit. They've even released two collaborative albums with prog master Peter Hammill in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

Full album playlist (Bandcamp)

INFRA / TREKLÖVER – Infra/Treklöver (Subliminal Sounds, 1972/1974, released 2022)

English vocals, instrumental

 International relevance: ***

Two names, but basically the same band. Beginning as Treklöver, they recorded a demo for EMI in 1972 which lead nowhere. After recruiting singer Eddy Kristiansen, they changed their name to Infra, taped a 1974 demo for UK label RSO which faced the same fate as their first, leaving two studio sessions left unheard by the public for four decades.

The Infra demo takes up the major part of the album with seriously progressive rock with symphonic aspirations, which for the sake of clarity means plenty of neurotic time signature changes. They indeed aim high, and although they're accomplished musicians, there are split seconds where especially drummer Jörgen Nordgren slips. OK, so it's a demo, but the clean and conspicuously modern-sounding production is too revealing at crucial moments. Eddy Kristiansen in turn is way too operatic and pretentious, but it gets even worse when he tries to 'rawk out' in the busy bordering-on-hysterical ”Keep On Truckin'” in which he gets absolutely unbearable. 

All in all, it's everything I absolutely hate with progressive rock.

Not that the Kristiansen-less two-song Treklöver tape is much better. The production gels a bit better here, and while hired-gun vocalist and organ player Ann-Marie ”Ami” Henning's voice is a bit weak, it's still way more pleasant to listen to than Kristiansen's self-important bombast. But already in the band's early stage, they suffered from time signature Tourettes and it takes me a fair amount of death defiance to get through eight minutes of ”Saturn” (one of their two tracks here).

”Infra/Treklöver” will probably give folks who enjoy playing their Trettioåriga Kriget albums at 45 rpm a boner, but my self-mutilation session with this nonsense is forever over.

Full album playlist (Bandcamp)

IMP INK – Imp Ink (Piglet, 1980)

Instrumental

International relevance: **

Probably the most interesting album on Uppsala's elusive Piglet label, and also the first LP on the imprint. Imp Ink (sometimes stylized as Imp.Ink and Impink) straddles the line between kraut rock, free jazz, avantgarde, progg, folk, and dark dreamy soundscapes. Members aren't mentioned on the sleeve, but the line-up is known to include Roland Zinder and Jonas Palm. It's a wild ride, sometimes scary and even the quieter moments have an arresting intensity. At times they're moving towards a Träd, Gräs & Stenar and Third Ear Band territory, but with a greater outcome, more dramatic and a lot more captivating results. Occassionally, it even hints at Italian 70s horror movie soundtracks. The underground vibe is palpable and adds meritoriously to the general mystical, sinister feel of the music.

While the different segments have individual titles, but not being song based, the album should be listened to in one go for optimal effect.

Being one of the better yet unheralded obscurities of the progg era, this is definitely an album to seek out. Especially if you're into the darker side of improvisation. Keep in mind though that it's very rare and therefore a bit on the pricey side. Given the small editions of other Piglet releases, I assume it's a pretty fair guesstimate that no more than 500 copies were pressed, if that. It exists with three cover variations, although I think they were all released simultaneously. It's highly unlikely there was any demand for a second pressing at the time... Today though, it screams out for a reissue.

Side A

Side B

ISKRA – The 70's albums

Iskra made free jazz and improvisation fun. They could be playful and made the music accessible through audience participation, but they never lost their integrity. They used silence to create a dynamic tension, much like The Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Jazz i Sverige '75 (Caprice, 1975)
Instrumental

International relevance: ***

 

Iskra's first album was this double LP in Caprice's ”Jazz i Sverige” series, which caused some annoyance with jazz purists and a debate whether this was jazz or not. Nevertheless, it's an excellent example of Iskra's brilliance. All their trademarks are here, hushed reflection, sudden full force aural outbursts, percussion pieces exploring rhythms, ethnic influences, and of course their disarming playfulness. You could say that Iskra was a complete band as they included the full range of human characteristics in their music. This is easily one of the best ”Jazz i Sverige” installments, and Iskra at their best.

Allemansrätt (Ett Minne För Livet, 1977)
Instrumental 

International relevance: ***

 

Opening with a piece of humour (”Den ensamme cyklisten”), this is one of Iskra's most relaxed efforts, and also the one with less violent jazz outbursts. Instrumental quacks, farts and laughs might seem silly to some but it puts a smile to my face. It's not my first-hand Iskra recommendation to someone unfamiliar with them, but once you've grown to love them, this is a joyful little addition to the collection.

Besvärjelser (Ett Minne För Livet, 1979)

International relevance: ***

Instrumental

Their most serious album, permeated by an eerie mystical feel (the title means ”incantations” in English). ”Besvärjelser” moves on a subconscious spiritual level, like a ritual, why it stands out as Iskra's most profound release. This and ”Jazz i Sverige” are both essential albums.

In 1983, Iskra made the disappointing ”Fantasies” for the Mistlur label. It sounds like a well meant attempt to beef up their sound, meaning it's produced in a way their previous albums aren't, but unfortunately, it detracts from the immediacy of their best music. ”Luft” followed in 1990, and then it took more than twenty years for their next album to materialize, this time on the Country & Eastern label. Interesting enough, that album – ”Liberté Égalité Humanité” – is their best one altogether, just about perfectly balancing everything that's good about Iskra. There's also a digital compilation released by Caprice featuring a fair amount of previously unreleased material. The album, ”Gränslös musik”, was released in conjuction with an Iskra biography of the same name, almost like a soundtrack to the book.

Iskra full album playlist
Allemansrätt full album playlist
Besvärjelser full album playlist
Gränslös musik full album playlist

PÄRSON SOUND / INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER / HARVESTER / TRÄD GRÄS OCH STENAR – 1966-1973

What can be said about Träd Gräs Och Stenar (hereafter referred to as TG&S) that hasn't been said before? They're one of the most renowned progg bands, both domestically and internationally. Their career is well documented, from the earliest days to their more recent activities as a recording outfit, so there's no real reason for dwelling upon any detailed biographical facts. Just a quick background check: Their original 1967 line-up consisted of Bo Anders Persson (guitar), Thomas Tidholm (vocals, sax, flute), Torbjörn Abelli (bass), Thomas Mera Gartz (drums), Urban Yman (violin) and Arne Ericsson (cello). Bo Anders Persson was already a noted avantgarde composer, and his idea was to fuse the minimalism of Terry Riley and La Monte Young with the rock'n'roll of The Rolling Stones. Initially operating as Pärson Sound, they changed their name to International Harvester in 1968.

Sov gott Rose-Marie (Love, 1968)

as International Harvester
Instrumental, Swedish vocals, English vocals 

International relevance: ***

 

Tracks like ”Klockan är mycket nu”, the pointlessly short ”It's Only Love”, the overlong ”How to Survive” and a couple of others should have been substituted by the 25 minute ”Skördetider” that was saved for bonus track on the 2001 CD reissue. But those tracks are massively overshadowed by, for instance, the punkish ”There Is No Other Place”, the imperative ”Ho Chi Minh” and the great ”I Mourn You”. Oddly enough, the classic ”Sommarlåten” fades out after only a couple of minutes while it could stretch out to a forever when performed live. My personal favourite however is the captivating title track, also way too short with its mere three and a half minutes. But despite a few weak spots, a very good album.

Hemåt (Decibel, 1969)
as Harvester
Instrumental, Swedish vocals 

International relevance: ***

 

With their name shortened to Harvester, the band released ”Hemåt” in 1969. A mess of good, underdeveloped and undevelopable ideas, in a sound quality that ranges from the wonderfully confrontative basement fidelity of ”Sov gott Rose-Marie” to the plain unlistenable. Sound and intent coincide fully only on ”Kristallen den fina”. TG&S's interest in Swedish folk music shines through on ”Kuk-polska”, an early but heavyhanded and rheumatic attempt at folk rock. All in all, ”Hemåt” is frustrating and inferior. And again, one of the best tracks were left to unreleased until the early 00's CD reissue – especially odd as it's the album's title track!

Träd, Gräs Och Stenar (Decibel, 1970)

Instrumental, English vocals, Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

Harvester lost original member Thomas Tidholm already in 1968 (they would reunite briefly as Hot Boys for one lovely album in 1974), and the band reformed in 1969 as Träd, Gräs Och Stenar, releasing the first LP bearing that name in 1970. The first side is devoted in full to two tedious cover versions of Bob Dylan's ”All Along the Watchtower” and the Stones' ”Satisfaction”. The Dylan song in particular is too wrapped up in the 'everybody can play' ethos. Obviously, everybody can not play – Bo Anders Persson's guitar solo is way off at times. And no, I don't think it's charming. I cringe every time he fires off a bum note. And that happens a lot.

”Sanningens silverflod” is the album's high point (later bettered and immortalized by rock reggae band Dag Vag) but Persson proves that slide guitar isn't quite his thing either. Thomas Mera Gartz's ”Svarta pärla” is shaky but evocative enough to come in as the album's second best track. With ”Tegenborgsvalsen”, TG&S digs deeper into Swedish folk with as bad results as on ”Hemåt”. Sound quality is again down the drain. ”Allt makt åt folket” is six long minutes of people blowing whistles, clapping hands and chanting. Man, this communal trip is really getting on my nerves...

Rock för kropp och själ (Silence, 1972)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

TG&S may look like the archetypical Silence band, but the only album originally made for the label was ”Rock för kropp och själ”. Includes a studio version of TG&S's classic cover of Philemon Arthur & The Dung's ”In kommer Gösta”, premiered at the Gärdet festival two years earlier. Most of the album slides around in a mud pool of nothingness; the title track is a 24 minute jam that reaches its climax much too late, ”Våran vila” is lead-footed boogie, and ”Solen går upp, solen går ner” is two long minutes of audience chanting. The best track is ”I ljuset av din dag”, sung by Gartz.

Djungelns lag (Tall, 1972)

 Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

A live album recorded on tour in Sweden and Norway. The sound quality isn't quite as atrocious as one would expect but the music is a bit hit and miss. A powerful ”Sanningens silverflod” opens the album and ”Drammen export” closes it in a fine way. The acoustic ”Dibio” and ”Munfiol” are crap; ”Vår vila” suffers badly from lousy guitar soloing. Even worse guitar canbe heard on the drowsy ”Tidigt om morgonen” (the title means ”early in the morning” and these people obviously couldn't get out of bed at all). CD includes the 31+ minutes bonus track ”Amithaha” seguing into ”In kommer Gösta”, meaning a lot more fumbling guitar noodling.

Mors mors (Tall, 1973)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: ***

 

Another live album (decent sound), this time recorded in Sweden and Denmark in 1972. There's not much to set this one apart from their previous albums, with the possible exception of what might be the dullest Rolling Stones cover ever, ”The Last Time”. Other than that, it's the usual extended jamming, some OK, some of it sleep inducing. Best track: ”Dansa jord”. CD bonus: 26 breathing minutes of ”Sommarlåten” – should have been on the album.

ARCHIVAL RELEASES

PÄRSON SOUND (Subliminal Sounds, 2000; recorded 1966-1968)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

Ranked #18 on the blog's Top 25

The first official peak into the voluminous TG&S vaults is also the best, not only of their archival releases but thebest TG&S album of all, recorded as a fledgling band in various locations. Outdoors performances blend with recordings made for Swedish Radio. The sound quality differs between tracks, but the music is incredibly powerful and overwhelming. The impact is bone crushing! Their drone rock never worked better than in their early Pärson Sound days, and I'd be hard pressed to come up with an international band or artist in the same vein that can actually compete with Pärson Sound. TG&S themselves couldn't, that's for sure.

Gärdet 12.6.70 (Subliminal Sounds, 1996; recorded 1970)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

The TG&S performances at the two legendary Gärdet festivals – arranged by themselves in June and August 1970 – are progg landmarks, and it's surprising it took so long before anyone made them publicly available in full. (A track from the second festival was featured on the ”Festen på Gärdet” album.) Subliminal Sounds unearthed a recording from the first festival and released it on CD in 1996. The mono sound is a bit muddy and distorted but OK for a 1970 audience tape. The music is standard TG&S. Lots of jamming, sometimes propulsive, sometimes at a standstill, some notes shouldn't be there, and another version of ”Satisfaction” certainly shouldn't be there.

The album was re-released in 2011 on double vinyl and expanded with a previously unreleased sidelong water-treading jam entitled ”Låt oss tänka ett par dagar”, recorded some time in the winter of '69/'70.

 

Live 1972 (1/2 Special Skivor & Trams, 2001; recorded 1972) 

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

Recorded in February and March 1972, this basically sounds like a bonus disc to ”Mors mors” that was recorded around the same time, although this has a bit weaker sound and weaker performances. For completists only. (Reissued with bonus tracks by Anthology Recordings in 2016.)

Kom tillsammans (Anthology Recordings, 2016; recorded 1972)
Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

 

Released as part of the ”Träd, Gräs Och Stenar” 6LP/3CD box set only, i.e. not sold separately. (Picture above shows the box set front.) The main discs in the set are expanded double disc versions of ”Djungelns lag” and ”Mors mors”. and ”Kom tillsammans” consists of more live recordings from 1972, some of them with vocals. ”Medan vinden vänder sig” is OK and combines a reflective mood with a movement forward. The sound quality leaves a lot to be desired, it appears that reverb was added which emphasizes the distortion on several tracks, most likely prevalent on the original tapes. Unless you need more samey sounding TG&S in your life, this is something you can ignore.

Another box set was released by Silence in 2018, focusing on the two original (International) Harvester albums, adding three LP's of unreleased live material. A Tonkraft radio performance with TG&S trading off tracks with a group four folk fiddlers is included in ”Progglådan”. Numerous unofficial live tapes in varying quality circulate. There's also the very interesting ”Love Is Here to Stay” Subliminal Sounds comp of Bo Anders Persson's pre-Pärson Sound pieces 1965-1967, including the up until then only released example of his early experimental work, ”Proteinimperialism”.

No-one can deny that TG&S were instrumental to progg's emergence, through arranging the Gärdet festivals and through their pioneering and influential musical work. But 'influential' isn't necessarily synonymous with 'good' or 'consistent'. TG&S have become the holiest of all holy progg cows – if you like progg, you're expected to like them, almost obliged to. I frankly don't think they're that good. ”Pärson Sound” is utterly brilliant, ”Sov gott Rose-Marie” is a very fine album, but a lot of the Harvester/TG&S ouevre is way overrated to my ears. Every album has its moments, but none of them holds up in its entirety. (A compilation of their best tracks would be more to the point.) Their jams drag on and get one-dimensional and predictable too often. Somebody once described their music as a journey, but to me a journey is a lot more than sitting on a train that doesn't leave on time and then suddenly derails at full speed.

TG&S's attempts to vary the style are usually not very successful and further reveal their ineptitude. You have accept the 'everybody can play' premises as fundamental, and if you don't their approach doesn't work as often as I wish it would. And the thing is, I always get the feeling that TG&S's ineptude is an end in itself, as if they're being bad on purpose, which live recordings by the reincarnated band suggest as well. That, to me, is a kind of pretentiousness which isn't better than any other kind of pretentiousness.

Sov gott Rose-Marie full album playlist with bonus tracks

Hemåt full album playlist

Träd Gräs Och Stenar full album playlist

Rock för kropp och själ full album playlist

Box set including Djungelns lag, Mors mors + Kom tillsammans

Gärdet 12.6.70 full album playlist

Pärson Sound full album playlist

Live 1972 no links found

IBIS – Ibis (Grammofonverket, 1974) / Sabbas Abbas mandlar (Dragon, 1980)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***/**

Ibis evolved out of the excellent Vildkaktus but has very little in common with pianist Gösta Nilsson's and guitarist Olle Nilsson's former band. The music on their debut is jazz fusion, albeit with a much dirtier edge than the genre usually allows. Sometimes during the noisier parts they remind me a wee bit of French band Magma but possibly only because the tenstion they create from time to time.But ”Ibis” do indeed has quite a few more progressive moves than their far more academic Swedish fusion genre fellows. While I prefer the splendour of Vildkaktus, ”Ibis” is an interesting piece worthy of several plays.

Their second album with an untranslatable pun on Samla Mammas Manna for title didn't appear until six years later, and features a vastly different line-up with only Gösta Nilsson left from ”Ibis”. The personnel change obviously prompted a change in style, and ”Sabba Abbas mandlar” is a straight post bop jazz record with only a few contemporary fusion tinges on ”Summer Eyes” penned by new member and jazz legend Bengt Ernryd. An OK album but keep in mind it collects few progg points.

Ibis full album

Sabba Abbas mandlar full album