Instrumental
International relevance: **
It's hard
for a progg fan not cross paths with Skäggmanslaget as they were one
of the most popular traditional folk outfits in the 70s whose
popularity was only elevated by their collaboration with Contact on
most notably ”Hon kom över mon” which remains a celebrated progg
chestnut to this very day. Contact, of course, also appeared on
Skäggmanslaget's debut album ”Pjål, gnäll och ämmel” to great
effect on the track ”Gråtlåten”.
”Kniviga låtar
tillägnade länsman i Delsbo” is their third album and it's a
straight-up folk effort with no rock music involved. Unless you count
their fiery playing that is that was rock'n'roll enough compared to
many other traditional fiddle constellations of the time. The album
consists of fifteen tracks from their native Hälsingland, an area in
the southern part of Northern Sweden known for its rich musical
history. Skäggmanslaget is smack dab in the middle of tradition, and
born and raised straight into it, they are as credible as they are
engaging. The liner notes declare ”it sounds genuine, and fun it
is, and rocks it does”, and that description is as good anything I
could come up with to describe the album. Having an interest in Swedish folk fiddling of course helps, but the Skäggmanlaget's contagious enthusiasm should be obvious to anyone. This is one pretty great album in its field.
Full album playlist