A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 5: Political and religious

THE VERGERS – Se dig för / Fader vår (Celesta, 1969)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

”Se dig för” is included on ”Frälst!” but B side ”Fader vår” remains uncomped. Not a very good one, weaker than the A side, so there's no need to look for this 45 if you have ”Frälst!”. This was the last of The Vergers' four singles.

 

FRIA PROTEATERN – Chile (Folksång, 1974)
Swedish vocals:
International relevance: *

Two tracks unique to this Chile solidarity single, although side one's ”Ett enat folk” is available in a live version on ”Koncert I København Okt. 1973”. Side B has ”IB, ÖB och SÄPO” about the political scandal described in some detail here. For Fria Proteatern fans only.

OPPONER – Alfa blues / Till min make (Opponer, 1975)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Two tracks not on Opponer's full length album. ”Alfa blues” is exacrly that, a blues number of no particular merir, while ”Till min make” is a traditional tune with new lyrics by Opponer singer Anna Olofsson and bassist Mats Sönnfors. A much better song with that sweet melancholy typical to the best Swedish folk tunes. Released with the aid from the workers at pump facorty Alfa Laval.

ELEVER PÅ MUSIKLÄRARSKOLAN SÄMUS I GÖTEBORG / FRIA PROTEATERN – Vietnam Kambodja befriade (Befria Södern, 1975)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

As the Vietnam war ended in 1975, so did the stream of releases from De Förenade FNL-grupperna and their cohorts. This was the last of those, a three track EP split between Fria Proteatern and Elever på musiklärarskolan SÄMUS i Göteborg (students at the Gothenburg school for music teachers). Released to celebrate the war's end, it's typical political stuff very much in line with the other Vietnam albums and singles, and so best ignored. Fria Proteatern's ”Balladen om Rune Henry Johansson” is also on ”Sånger från ljugarbänken”.

BJÖRN AFZELIUS BAND / NATIONALTEATERN – Kamrater, Bodenarbetare / Rädda varven! (Nacksving, 1978)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Two exclusive tracks, one by Björn Afzelius Band and one by Nationalteatern. Afzelius's ”Kamrater, Bodenarbetare” is in support of the strikers at Boden's car factory in 1978. It's a pretty good track with slight folk rock shadings, good especially for Björn Afzelius. Nationalteatern's ”Rädda varven!” is a call to save the Gothenburg boatyard threatened by shutdown which eventually happened. A weak track in an undistinguished Gothenburg/Nacksving rock style.

EN RÖD KÖR OCH SÅNGGRUPPEN DEN MÄNSKLIGA FAKTORN – Säj nej! (no label, EP 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

A privately pressed single released in 1980, the year of the Swedish nuclear power referendum and has anti-nuclear message. It has two acts, the choir En Röd Kör and vocal folk group Den Mänskliga Faktorn, although it's hard to say if it all involves the same people. Acoustic as it is it could easily fall into the Fria Proteatern trap but there's something very charming and disarming about the unpretentious atmosphere. The rock & roll pastiche ”The Sysselsättning Rock” is pretty terrible but the other songs are in fact rather catchy. Well, perhaps I wouldn't call the title track exactly catchy, but it's a quite atmospheric adaptation of a Czech herding song. It's nothing I would particularly recommend, but I've heard far worse and way more self-important examples of political songs than these.

The Vergers:
Se dig för (Bandcamp)
Fader vår
Fria Proteatern:
Ett enat folk (El Pueblo Unido)
IB, ÖB och SÄPO
Opponer:
Alfa blues
Till min make
Vietnam Kambodja befriade:
SÄMUS - Vietnam är befriat
Fria Proteatern - Balladen om Rune Henry Johansson
SÄMUS - Kambodja är befriat 
Björn Afzelius/Nationalteatern:
Björn Afzelius Band - Kamrater, Bodenarbetare
Nationalteatern - Rädda varven!
En Röd Kör och sånggruppen Den Mänskliga Faktorn:
no links found

KENNETH THORSTENSSON – Ack Värmland... (Oktober, 1976)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Hyper-leftist label Oktober, home to Fria Proteatern and other similar nincompoops as well as being responsible for a number of unlistenable fistwaving various artists compilations, released Kenneth Thorstensson's only album. As a singer, his talents are limited – to put it politely. He sings in the Värmland dialect with an annoying vocal style that's oddly shouty with a monotonous kind of timbre. He's backed by musicans from Södra Bergens Balalaikor and Opponer which imemediately gives away that the music is in a sort of folky style. Some songs have a cabaret touch which doesn't help its case. Most songs are Thorstensson penned, either entirely or in collaboration with others, but he borrows a traditional song as well as defaming John Fogerty with ”Vi gir aldri åpp”, an embarrasing translation of Creedence Clearwater Revival's ”Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”. Hearing it, I'd rather ask ”Have You Ever Felt the Pain?” because this is seriously painful to endure. Hopefully you haven't.

When Thorstensson turns to yodeling on side 2, I just fall down dead with shame on his behalf.

Thorstensson later founded (the better) Arvika Gammeldansorkester.

A curious footnote: Robert Aschberg took some of the pictures used for the album cover. Aschberg later
became known as a provocative talk show host and is still known as an outspoken media personality. In the 70's, he was involved in the leftist circuits. Later he explained it was because they had the prettiest girls.

Full album playlist

ARBETETS SÖNER & DÖTTRAR - Arbetets Söner & Döttrar (Oktober, 1972) // OPPONER - Gårdslåtar (Opponer, 1974) // LÖPANDE BANDET - Nån gång måste man landa... (MNW, 1975)

 ARBETETS SÖNER & DÖTTRAR – Arbetets Söner & Döttrar (Oktober, 1972)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Plenty of people were affiliated with Arbetets Söner & Döttrar at one point or another, including the omnipresent Kjell Westling (Blå Tåget, Arbete & Fritid, Låt & Trall, Spjärnsvallet, Vargavinter and many more) and Greg FitzPatrick (Atlantic Ocean, Handgjort, Tillsammans, Samla Mammas Manna etc), and Bosse Hansson which may or may not be the Bo Hansson of ”Sagan om ringen” fame. This no doubt makes Arbetets Söner & Döttrar look interesting, but don't be fooled by the names – the label on their self-titled album is a lot more informative as to how the music actually sounds. Like all albums released by Oktober (run by SKP, The Communist Party of Sweden), it's standard fare political pamphlet progg through and through, with a few folk folk influences and even fewer rock influences. Although fringe Stalinists Knutna Nävar's political stance is less than appetizing, they made a much better point musically speaking with ”De svarta listornas folk” than what Arbetets Söner & Döttrar were ever capable of. ”Arbetets Söner & Döttrar” has very few – if any – musical merits.

Arbetets Söner & Döttrar also appeared on Oktober's 1972 compilation album ”Upp trälar” along with Röda Stjärnan and Västra Söders Sånggrupp before splitting into two factions releasing one album each, Löpande Bandet och Opponer. The latter beat the former to the punch, having their self-released ”Gårdslåtar” out a year before Löpande Bandet wooed MNW into releasing ”Nån gång måste man landa” in 1975.

OPPONER – Gårdslåtar (Opponer, 1974)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Opponer continued the slightly folksier style suggested by Arbetets Söner & Döttrar, but adding a little bit of rock to the mix. ”Lasse Liten och spindeln” sports some prominent psych collector friendly guitars, as does medley ”Jig-A-Reel”, combining two traditional Irish tunes, ”Whelan's Jig” and ”Drowsy Maggie”. However, the folk influence is mainly of the Swedish kind, as evident in ”Trall efter Ylva”, ”Rop”, ”Kays gånglåt” and even the diffusely psychedelic ”Det kan väl hända”. Despite such mildly pleasant folk moves, it's tracks like the inferior ”Bortgjord”, ”Hjältarnas uttåg” and ”Du måste nog bestämma dig” that define the album, leaving behind an aftertaste of communal political brainwashing to add to the semi-religious vibe marring several of the tracks. Regardless, Opponer was a popular live act among the politically like-minded, and ”Gårdslåtar” is still sought after by some, but make no mistake: it's not a great album – at best decent but forgettable, at worst something you wish you could forget. However, it's way better than Löpande Bandet's album...

LÖPANDE BANDET – Nån gång måste man landa... (MNW, 1975)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

”Nån gång måste man landa...” is a downright horrendous album of the most moronic pseudo-heavy blues rock imaginable. If the music won't kill you, Lotta Sandberg surely will. She's one of worst ”singers” I've ever heard on a progg album – or on any album for that matter. A former opera singer with obvious Janis Joplin delusions, you wouldn't even want to torture your enemies with her bleating caterwaul. Thankfully, Löpande Bandet split up about a year after their cat killer jamboree of an album was released, setting guitarist Rolf Wikström off to a long and lucrative solo career.

Arbetets Söner & Döttrar - Ni kan inte lura oss längre

Arbetets Söner & Döttrar - Vi sår vårt ris

Gårdslåtar full album

Löpande Bandet - Den evige läraren + Nattskiftsrock