LARS ALDMAN & HAFFSORKESTERN – Gud hjälpe! (Nacksving, 1977)

 Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Of all the bad Nacksving albums, and there are many, Lars Aldman's two are among the very worst (his first one ”Nånting har hänt” from 1976 is already on the blog). ”Gud hjälpe!” is embarrassing political platitudes set to a B grade version of Nationalteatern styled rock music. In an eye-pokingly ugly sleeve at that. The 8 minute ”Och hör du” could possibly have been OK if done by somebody else. This is so bad that it's no surprise that Lars Aldman refused to discuss his albums when I once asked him about them.

Trädet

THOMAS AHLSÉN BAND – Fåtölj... (Knäpp, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

With Borås situated only a couple of miles outside Gothenburg, it might not come as a surprise that Borås locals Thomas Ahlsén Band reveal some traces of Ensamma Hjärtan and Huntington Band. But there's more to the curiously entitled ”Fåtölj...” (”armchair”) than that. Thomas Ahlsén himself sometimes sings with a Stig Vig (of Dag Vag) inspired drawl, and the album is rather diverse, spanning from the melancholy opening track and album highlight ”Fåtöljen” with it's biting guitar work, to the vaguely reggae influenced ”Gud bevare kungen”, ”Jag har inte hört nå't” that draws heavily on Samla Mammas Manna, and the moody afterhours semi jazz of album closer ”Vägarna leder dig tillbaks” that moves somewhere in the region of later Blå Tåget and Stockholm Norra. Actually, the album has a peculiar overall nightly underground feel, even on the loudest track ”Bly” which borrows more than a little from The Velvet Underground's ”Sweet Jane”.

”Fåtölj...” isn't an essential album but it has a few things going for it. It's pleasant, and it definitely is more interesting than most of what Gothenburg had to offer in 1979.

Ahlsén originally worked as a nurse and was a relatively unexperienced singer when he recorded ”Fåtölj...”. Guitarist/sax player Stefan Sandberg on the other hand had previously been in Modern Music Band, while drummer Rikard Olson used to be in Combo 8, Skrotbandet and, along with keyboard player Örjan Hill, in Lars Aldman & Haffsorkestern.
 

Full album playlist

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

LARS ALDMAN – Nånting har hänt... (Nacksving, 1976)

Swedish vocals, instrumental 

International relevance: **

 

I interviewed Lars Aldman long ago about his role as a host for influential Swedish 80's radio show ”Bommen”. I couldn't resist asking him about the two albums he made for Nacksving in the late 70's. I remember his reply very well: ”I made them, and that's all there is to it”. He was clearly not open to discuss the topic further, I got the impression he was a bit embarassed  about them and most of all wanted to forget his short musical career. I don't blame him. I don't really want to be reminded of them either.

But I have a work to do, and that includes having one more look at Aldman's first album from 1976, recorded with a session band including Nynningen's Bengt Blomberg and Bernt Andersson. It's an awkward attempt at political rock à la Gothenburg where Aldman resided, with some singer/songwriter tracks and an impossibly lousy reggae track (”Livets mening”). The lyrics are as embarassing as the vocals which don't get any easier to ignore as they're much too loud in the somewhat amateurish mix. It's telling that the highlight is the short instrumental ”Första snön”. Of the vocal tracks, ”Döda zonen” is probably the best. Or the least worst...

Döda zonen 

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