VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sånger och musik från Kvinnokulturfestivalen (Silence, 1977)

Rut Hermansson / Eva Blomqvist / Sabina Kristensen / Monika Lundin / Frankie Armstrong / Lena Ekman / Jan Hammarlund / Marie Selander / Lena Granhagen / Monica Törnell / Andra Bullar / Lava / Ulla Bendrik-Johansson / Turid / Margareta Söderberg / Monica Törnell / Cyndee Peters / Röda Bönor 

Swedish vocals, English vocals, a cappella
International relevance: **

Kvinnokulturfestivalen (Festival of Women Culture) was a three day event held in Stockholm in late October 1977 with many of the usual suspects coming together. This album is a selection of songs recorded at the festival and features Marie Selander, Turid, Lena Granhagen, Andra Bullar, Margareta Söderberg and Röda Bönor to name a few. Most of it is acoustic and most of it sounds exactly as expected, meaning political folk with a righteous message.

A couple of tracks have electric backing and those selections are also the best. Marie Selander's ”Carcara” even manages to work up a physical groove very rarely heard on political albums. Lava, a seemingly temporary grouping assembled specifically for the festival, is Lena Ekman backed by the likes of Sigge Krantz (Archimedes Badkar, Stockholm Norra, Torkel Rasmusson, Lokomotiv Konkret et al) and Ola Backström (Stockholm Norra, Torkel Rasmussion, Dag Vag). Their ”Svartsjuk” starts out a bit trying and uncertain but grows organically as it goes on. Ola Backström's slide guitar isn't exactly Elmore James – more of a slurry Robbie Krieger – but it works to good effect and pushes the song almost to the six minute limit. And Monica Törnell is far better here than on any of her own albums from around this time.

The performers are perhaps more interesting than the performances, but as said above, the album isn't entirely without musical merits. It's not a great album by any means, but remains one of the better feminist albums from the period, for what it's worth.

Full album playlist

JAN HAMMARLUND & KJERSTIN NORÉN – Några här, några där... (Amalthea, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

I've already written about Jan Hammarlund's entire 1970's catalogue here, but he continued making records long after that, with a discography reaching well into the 2010's. Never foreign to working and performing with other (predominantly female) artists, there are several releases co-credited to others. This is one of them, made together with Kjerstin Norén. She was one of the original members of Röda Bönor, and subsequently had another band called Kjerstin Norén & Damorkestern with members from Husmoderns Bröst.

”Några här, några där” – with the unweildy subtitle ”Jan Hammarlund Och Kjerstin Norén Sjunger Sånger Av Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano: Ivan Della Mea - Giovanna Marini - Paolo Pietrangeli” – consists of songs by contemporary Italian songwriters (as the subtitle says) translated to Swedish. The vocals are split rather evenly beteween the two singers, and although Norén might not be the greatest voice ever heard, her songs are still a welcome break from Hammarlund's always annoying warbles.

The album as a whole has a somewhat different feel than many other Hammarlund albums which has a lot to do not only with Norén's involvement but also the arrangements. The most different-sounding track is ”Balladen om Ardizzone” with its renaissance-styled framework. A well seasoned line-up surely helps too; how about Kjell Westling, Fred Lane, Lena Ekman, Ale Möller and his mate from various constellations Dan ”Gisen” Malmquist to name but a few? Recorded in Copenhagen, a couple of Danish musicians get on the payroll too.

But all in all, this remains too much of a Jan Hammarlund album, and unless you're a fan of his, you may just as well pass on it.

Full album playlist

LENA EKMAN – Det beror på ögonen som ser (Mistlur, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

I didn't expect this to be anything but a disappointment after Lena Ekman's first proper album: ”Hjulspår” is simply one of the best yet-to-be-properly-discovered progg albums, at times a haunting LP that beats Turid in her own game by a mile and gives Stenblomma a run for her money too. With three years apart and a new label (Mistlur instead of Silence), ”Det beror på ögonen som ser” was deemed to have lost something, or at least be different enough to be a let down. Not that change is a bad thing, but ”Hjulspår” is in a special league with qualities that are hard to repeat, and even harder to follow up on a second album.

And no, it's not another ”Hjulspår”, but do not repeat my mistake: ”Det beror på ögonen som ser” is a very fine achievement. Ekman's slightly husky, mature voice is as inviting as ever, and the songs are mostly very good. As a matter of fact, it's hard to pick a weak one and much easier to choose a favourite, which is the excellent ”Vänner ändå”. Almost all of them are Ekman originals, but she manages to sneak in a cover of Danish singer/songwriter Trille as first track. Name players such Hasse Bruniusson, Marie Selander, Turid, Thomas Almqvist and, at the top of the heap, Kjell Westling offer a very pleasing lowkey backdrop that puts Ekman's appealing vocals in the sweet centre spot. The album has a pronunced acoustic feel; a delicate setting for Ekman's delicate songs.

”Det beror på ögonen som ser” is definitely worth picking up by those into the singer/songwriter side of progg, and it's good enough also for those who just happened to have a love for well-crafted and subdued songs well-equipped for playing at dusk.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS - 3 FEMINIST ALBUMS

It's no wonder that the feminist movement gained momentum in the politically charged 70's. The fight for social equality between men and women connected well with the struggle for working class liberation. It paved way for #1 feminist band Röda Bönor, and later Andra Bullar, but prior to that, several feminist projects had already received attention.

SÅNGER OM KVINNOR (MNW, 1971)

International relevance: *

Swedish vocals

The first album entirely devoted to the topic of feminisim was ”Sånger om kvinnor” in 1971 with its origins in a stage play called ”Tjejsnack” written by Suzanne Osten and Margareta Garpe for Stockholms Stadsteater (Stockholm City Theatre). MNW wanted to release an album with the music used in the play, but as there wasn't enough material for a full LP, additional songs were written specifically for the release.

Much appreciated upon its release ”Sånger om kvinnor” was also questioned. While the lyrics were written by women, the music was composed by Gunnar Edander (formerly active in independent theatre group Fickteatern), and the backing musicians were an all male cast of Bengt Berger, Urban Yman, Kjell Westling, Roland Keijser, Tord Bengtsson, Leif Nylén and others. Ironically enough, it's the musical backing that impresses the most, with several fine efforts from the musicians involved. The album sports a massive lot of singers including the aforementioned Suzanne Osten and Margareta Garpe, but also Ulla Sjöblom, Lise-Lotte Nilsson, Lena Söderblom, Louise Waldén, author Sonja Åkesson and the excellent Marie Selander. Not all of them are as good singers as Selander. Also, the music is annoyingly silly and yippee jolly from time to time, but it has a couple of good moments – ”Innerst inne är du en riktig kvinna, Louise”, and Leif Nylén's excellent ”Törnrosa” (sung by Marie Selander). ”Vi måste höja våra röster” became an instant classic feminist anthem.

TJEJCLOWN - MED LIVMODER I STRÄNGARNA (MNW, 1974)

Swedish vocals, spoken word

International relevance: *

 

In response to ”Sånger om kvinnor”, ”Tjejclown” was made with only women writing and performing the songs, some of them spilling over from ”Sånger om kvinnor”, but also including such well-known names as Anita Livstrand, Turid, Hélène Bohman (of Stenblomma) and Lena Ekman. Obviously of greater symbolic value than ”Sånger om kvinnor”, but if you don't want to listen to political symbols just for the sake of it, it's a bad and largely amateurish album. There's not one track here of the same stature as ”Innerst inne är du en riktig kvinna, Louise” and ”Törnrosa”, but ”Flugsvampens visa” is passable.

JÖSSES FLICKOR - BEFRIELSEN ÄR NÄRA (YTF, 1975)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

”Jösses flickor – befrielsen är nära” was originally highly successful musical/play premiered at Stockholms Stadsteater in 1974, depicting the evolution of the women's liberation movement (three years before ”Tältprojektet” did a similar thing with the working rights movement). Again the music was written by Gunnar Edander, meaning it was a little more carved out than ”Tjejclown”. Unfortunately, he borrowed so much from the pamphlet progg style so fashionable among the communist crowd at the time that the best thing I can say about the album is that the songs at least are short...

To sum it up, all this is (mostly) bad music for a good cause. For more enduring, digestible and entertaining feminist progg, please turn to Röda Bönor.

 

Sånger om kvinnor full album playlist

Tjejclown full album playlist

Jösses flickor - befrielsen är nära full album playlist

BELLA CIAO – Om åtta timmar... (MNW, 1976) / När dagen randas (Nacksving, 1978)

Om åtta timmar... (MNW, 1976)

Swedish vocals, Italian vocals, spoken word

International relevance: *

När dagen randas (Nacksving, 1978)

Swedish vocals, Italian vocals, instrumental

International relevance: *

Bella Ciao was like the central station of progg – seemingly everyone passed through at one point or another. Thus, collaborators are too numerous to mention but sometimes included Kjell Westling, Jan Hammarlund, Lena Ekman and Fred Lane. With participations also by members of the Narren theatre group and their album often centered around a certain theme or topic, the albums have a slight conceptual feel.

Centered around Italian immigrant and Bella Ciao founder Carlo Barsotti, their music often had a southern European and even burlesque touch despite the serious working class message. Their joyful playing makes their 1976 debut album ”Om åtta timmar...” one of the better political albums of the era. The vocal style on these traditional Italian working class songs is sometimes loud and a bit harsh, but if you can come to grips with that, it's really an entertaining album.

”När dagen randas” is in a similar style to ”Om åtta timmar”, but something is lacking – not only two of the band's previous members Lena Ekman and Jan Hammarlund. It simply isn't as frothingly playful, and I'm tempted to blame it on the label change, from MNW to Nacksving, run by progg potentate Tommy Rander. He had a remarkable talent for sucking breath and blood out of the best music, leaving only an empty shell of political doctrines dead on the ground behind him. Not that ”När dagen randas” is that bad, but it never reaches the level of their debut.

Bella Ciao released two more albums, "Misteri Buffo" also on Nacksving in 1980, and ”Bella Ciao sjunger 'Från 1945 till evigheten'” on their own impring in 1981.

Om åtta timmar... full album playlist

from När dagen randas

Någon har frågat mig

LENA EKMAN – Hjulspår (Silence, 1977)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

An unjustly overlooked singer/songwriter who was part of the Bella Ciao collective, joined the Tillsammans project (who didn't?), contributed to feminist album ”Tjejclown”, and worked with Jan Hammarlund and Turid, most notably on ”Igår, idag, imorgon”. Turid also covered Ekman's song ”Om snällhet”. Ekman's much better original version can be found on ”Hjulspår”, her only solo album in the 70's. I actually think that ”Hjulspår” is better than anything Turid ever did, with darker shades and a very appealing and honest 'folk psych' touch, even a UK one. Ekman's vocals actually remind me a bit of June Tabor even if Tabor has a deeper ring to her voice.

The arrangements are sparse with several seldom hired musicians such as Carin Kjellman from Folk & Rackare, Staffan Hellstrand from Dimmornas Bro and even Silence co-founder Eva Wilke. The songs are delicate and sincere but never ridiculous – they are small wonders hidden in Mats Ekman's gorgeous cover art. 'Lost classic' is an overused term but it certainly applies to ”Hjulspår”. This is an excellent album, a beautiful piece of art, way overdue for a wider appraisal, not to mention reissue.

Full album playlist

JAN HAMMARLUND – The 1970's albums

Jan Hammarlund was a controversial figure to some, especially to the far left. One of the first in Sweden to come out as gay, Hammarlund became a spokesman for the Swedish gay rights movement. He wrote songs where he openly criticized homophobia including that of KPML(r) communist party leader Frank Baude. Remember, Sweden in the 70's wasn't as open as some might think as far as gender equality and sexual minority liberation go, and openly declaring your homosexuality was a bold move back then (and in some quarters still is, sadly).

Befriade från skolan (Silence, 1972)

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: **

Hammarlund got in trouble for other reasons too. His first album was withdrawn as the track ”Flamma stolt” used the music of classical composer Hugo Alfvén without clearing copyright issued before the release. A second editions was quickly pressed with the song substitued for a recitation of the lyrics. A pretentious panic solution that doesn't work very well.

It was obvious from the start that Jan Hammarlund was a gifted songwriter in the UK folk and singer/songwriter vein (Tobias Petterson mentions Donovan, an appropriate comparison). What you think of him largely depends on what you think of his vocals. He possesses a thin, high voice with a vibrato that reminds me of Buffy Saint-Marie. To me, that style soon becomes hard to stand and mawkish which makes it hard for me to sit through more than a couple of songs, even if the music itself is pleasant. Those who can listen beyond those mannerisms can probably enjoy ”Befriade från skolan” a lot more than I.

The album also features a Hoola Bandoola Band cover, a mellow take on the classic ”Vem kan man lita på”.

När bandet slutar spela (Silence, 1973)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

His second album blends original compositions with well chosen covers of Nationalteatern, Richard Fariña (the beautiful ”Swallow Song”, turned into ”Svalornas sång”) and the aforementioned Buffy Saint-Marie. ”När bandet slutar spela” is his best album by far, but I still have a rough time with Hammarlund's gossamer voice.

Tusentals stjärnor över Chile (Chilekommittén, 1974)

Swedish vocals, other languages

International relevance: *

Hammarlund's first foray into Chilean music that helped popularizing political singer Violetta Parra in Sweden. Half of the tracks were written by her, with additional songs by for example Brecht/Weill. A dull album, especially colourless following ”När bandet slutar spela”.

Landet jag är van vid (Silence, 1976)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

One Parra song, three by Malvina Reynolds, a couple of traditionals and more of that increasingly irritating helium vibrato. Guest appearances from Fred Lane (Bella Ciao, Tillsammans, Margareta Söderberg), Kjell Westling and Turid.

Igår, idag, imorgon (Silence, 1976)  

with Turid and Lena Ekman

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Hammarlund, Turid and Lena Ekman are a perfect match as they were similar as both songwriters and singers. When they teamed up, however, their music earned a more prominent Swedish folk feel (many of the songs here are traditional), with several of the songs performed more or less a capella. Interesting as an atypical curiousity, but largely unsatisfying as an album.

Innan tåget är på väg (Silence, 1978)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

 

Hammarlund brought Lena Ekman along and added several other prominent players such as thr always excellent Bosse Skoglund on drums, Greg FitzPatrick on bass, and guitarist Lasse Englund. Includes songs by Malvina Reynolds, Björn Afzelius and Fria Proteatern.

Nåt på spisen med varann

Micke Malung

Ett rop som stiger (Silence, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

”I'll sing to you if you can stand my voice” begins ”Ett rop som stiger”, Hammarlund's second album of exclusively Chilean songs. Thing is, I can't. After seven albums (and a few 45's), I've had it with Hammarlund's vocals, and here they claw on my nerves even more than before, with Hammarlund singing in a strained and forced kind of way. Turid appears once again, and multi-instrumentalist Kjell Westling adds his bass clarinet talents.

Jan Hammarlund is still active and has released numerous albums over the years. He's also featured in ”Progglådan”. 

In my opinion, his greatest achievement is bringing attention to and fighting against the injustices brought on gay people. With the minor exception of "När bandet slutar spela", his albums are a sure pass for me.

När bandet slutar spela full album playlist
Innan tåget är på väg full album playlist