VARIOUS ARTISTS – Festplatsen 1974 (Happy Cop & Hiphop Bee, 2024; rec. 1974)

 Featured artists: Monica Törnell / Risken Finns / Nynningen / Mikael Ramel / Peps Blodsband / Cornelis Vreeswijk
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

”Festplatsen 1974” follows obscure label Happy Cop & Hiphop Bee's overwhelmingly brilliant ”Hälsa på som förr” by Mikael Ramel & Unga Hjärtan, and what it is is best explained by the liner notes: ”Festplatsen (='the festival grounds') was an entertainment show made for both radio and TV and recorded live at small festival grounds in July and August 1973, The music and the talk should, as much as possible, reflect the locality by mixing local talents and invited national and sometimes international personalities.” The show was aired in five episodes and was hosted by Mikael Ramel and Bengan Dalén of Fläsket Brinner and at the time also member of Ramel's band. Satirical duo Risken Finns were musical regulars on the show.

This album has selections from three of the five episodes, and apart from the obvious inclusions of Risken Finns and Ramel himself, there are appearences from Monica Törnell, Peps Blodsband, and Sweden's prime troubadour Cornelis Vreeswijk. There's also an unusual example of Nynningen backing Risken Finns in a wonderfully raucous version of Risken's chestnut ”Du känner väl mig”. If Nynningen's own albums would have been that unhinged they'd have been way better! Risken's two other contributions are good too although more in their usual acoustic vein.

Mikael Ramel's songs with Dalén are more low-key than those on ”Hälsa på som förr” but still absolutely great. These four tracks are an essential addition to his regular albums and the splendid live album mentioned earlier.

I'm a bit disappointed with Peps Persson and his Blodsband though. This was around the time when Peps switched from blues to reggae, and here they occasionally sound as if they're not sure which to choose. Both ”Falsk matematik” and ”Djupt i mitt hjärta” sound confused, especially with the addition of accordeon which seems to have a hard time finding its place in the mix. The Swedish cover of ”Little Red Rooster” – ”Liden rö tocke” – fares better by being a straight-ahead blues, but all four Peps tracks seem a bit off.

The sound quality is excellent mono all through and the album was released in a minimal edition of only 100 copies on vinyl, no CD.

The full fifth episode of ”Festplatsen” is available for streaming on Mikael Ramel's website and has a couple of Kebnekaise tracks not on this album. 

 No links found

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

MONICA TÖRNELL – Don't Give A Damn (Philips, 1975) / Bush Lady (Mercury, 1977)

English vocals
International relevance: *

Monica Törnell's first two albums are sadly underappreciated examples of Swedish folk rock. Not one to adapt to expectations, she turned away from what was a perfect setting for her wonderfully raspy voice sounding much older and more mature than she actually was. Her third album came in 1975, a collection of hollow sounding studio funk with English lyrics. It's a sad change, and although Törnell tries hard to fit in with the music, she sounds lost and desorientated. An artistic decline has rarely come as fast between two albums like this. The only interesting (not good, interesting) track here is the pained and totally spaced-out album closer ”Hangover”.

Her next album was ”Bush Lady” appeared two years later and continues along the lines of its precursor. The sound is a bit fuller, but the music is still ill-fitting  for Törnell. Her Van Morrison cover ”Into The Mystic” might appear an inspired cover choice on paper, but unfortunately she ruins it with oversinging. There are other moments like that on the album; it's as if she suddenly thought she was some Betty Davis. Thing is, Davis expressed her personality, a sexually frustrated flamboyant funk freak of the highest order which Törnell was not. It sounds entirely misguided and overreaching, almost on the brink of self-depracation. It gets a tad better when she cools it a bit on ”Catastrophie” [sic!] and ”Snowcold Day”, but it's much too little much too late.

Monica Törnell claimed she didn't give a damn, fine, but maybe she should have. After the initial promise, these two albums are a huge letdown and a serious waste of talent. But maybe she eventually realized it too, as neither of the albums are available on her official streaming channels other than partly in re-recorded versions.

from 'Don't Give A Damn'
(People) Don't Give A Damn 
Time Will Bring Us Together
Long Long Weekend
Give It Back

from 'Bush Lady'
Into The Mystic

MONICA TÖRNELL – Jag är som jag är... (Philips, 1978) / Ingica Mångrind (Philips, 1979)

Jag är som jag är... (Philips, 1978)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

After two English language albums, Monica Törnell returned to Swedish with ”Jag är som jag är...”, produced by Björn J:son Lindh and featuring Okay Temiz on percussion on ”Lotus och Casanova”. Some samba, some jazz, some fusion, some folk, some blues, all with the typical session musician sound of the day, clean and perfect and ultimately very dull.

”Progglådan” features a live show from around the time of ”Jag är som jag är”.

Ingica Mångrind (Philips, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Törnell's last album of the decade is even worse than ”Jag är som jag är...” with too much production sheen and hopelessly lifeless perfomances. Worst of all is the Swedish Dylan cover of ”Like a Rolling Stone”, and the disastrous take on The Beatles' ”Drive My Car”. 

Jag är som jag är full album playlist

"Vita om hösten" from "Ingica Mångrind"

"Nationernas visdom" from "Ingica Mångrind"
Tonkraft 1978 from "Progglådan"

MONICA TÖRNELL – Ingica (Polydor, 1972) / Alrik (Polydor, 1973)

Ingica (Polydor, 1972)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Swedish troubadour Cornelis Vreeswijk discovered Monica Törnell in 1971 when she was only 17 years old. Polydor released her debut the following year, an album that reveals Törnell had a surprisingly mature voice despite her young age. The label engaged a stellar cast of studio musicians for the recordings, including Björn J:son Lindh, Jan Bandel, Hawkey Franzén, Janne Schaffer and Vreeswijk himself.

”Ingica” features songs written specifically for the album by Vreeswijk, Carl-Axel Dominique (of Solar Plexus) and J:son Lindh, plus Franzén and Vreeswijk translated covers of Melanie, Eric Anderson and Jethro Tull. The album is in a melancholy folk rock vein with Törnell's raspy voice to the fore. A consistent work, especially for such a young artist as Törnell was at the time.

Alrik (Polydor, 1973)

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: **

”Alrik” is similar in tone and style to the debut, only with deeper running folk strains. The album uses more or less the same set of musicians, and Törnell herself sounds a bit more confident here, bringing in more songs written by herself than on the previous album. The best track however is the album's first, the traditional ”Öje brudmarsch” with some mean Schaffer guitar.

Ingica full album playlist
Alrik full album playlist