TOMMY KÖRBERG – Sjunger Birger Sjöberg (Sonet, 1974) / TOMMY KÖRBERG & STEFAN NILSSON – Blixtlås (Sonet, 1979)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: */**

Tommy Körberg is a huge star even internationally thanks to his appearance in the ”Chess” musical. He's an incredibly versatile performer and a massively gifted singer, but he can also be massively boring and his vocal precision can make him sound cold. Most of his solo works are way outside of progg; his relevance to this blog mainly extends to his recordings with Solar Plexus and Made In Sweden. ”Tommy Körberg sjunger Birger Sjöberg” fits despite not really being progg as it's really a Solar Plexus album in disguise, featuring the entire band minus Jojje Wadenius. The songs are musical adaptions of Swedish turn of the century poet Birger Sjöberg, As expected with the people involved, it's a well performed affair. It's very polished, so polished it's lifeless. There's little or nothing of Solar Plexus's usual frivolous approach to musical genres, and the general feel is that of restrainment and control. The three tracks that rise slightly above the inherent dullness are ”Släpp fångarne loss”, ”Samtal om universum” and ”Bleka dödens minut”. They have vague strains of a suppressed unease if you listen closely – very closely – but still lack the spirit the album is in such great need of.

Tommy Körberg returned to Swedish poetry as a source for inspiration five years later, but his approach was vastly different on "Blixtlås" (subtitled "Svensk 70-talspoesi", 'Swedish 70's poetry'). Featured are  longtime Körberg cohort Stefan Nilsson (Kornet, De Gladas Kapell, Hörselmat) and other people from mainly the jazz and fusion legions (plus a harmonica cameo from Mats Ronander). It has a sound I don't like, but the music and arrangements are still more vivid than on the Birger Sjöberg album. But ”Blixtlås” wasn't made as a companion piece, and taken as a singular work, it simply sounds lika a cold, cerebreal and clinical fusion jazz workout.

Sjunger Birger Sjöberg full album playlist
Blixtlås full album playlist

SOLAR PLEXUS – Complete albums 1972-1975

In terms of sheer musicality, it's hard to beat Solar Plexus. Led by married couple Carl-Axel and Monica Dominique, and featuring Jojje Wadenius and Bo Häggström from Made In Sweden, they could play anything – and sometimes did. They were originally named Bäska Droppar, a name they shared with the traditional Swedish wormwood liqour.

Solar Plexus (Odeon, 1972)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals [Swedish version] / 

Instrumental, English vocals [export version]
International relevance: ***

Funky, jazzy, bluesy, progressive, folky, avant, silly, serious, dull, exciting – all of it is true at one point or another on the album. The sheer musicality of it all is the greatest thing about this album. Sometimes they're actually too clever for their own good, but when it works it's certaonly better than Made In Sweden.

Jojje Wadenius original Swedish vocals for the album were substituted with English vocals by Tommy Körberg for an international launch. Körberg made a guest appearance on the Swedish version of the album, but after re-recording Wadenius's vocals, Körberg became a full time member of the band. Which version you prefer is a matter of taste I suppose. Both have their advantages, but my impression of the export edition is that Körberg doesn't quite feel at home being only a hired gun.

2 (Odeon, 1973)

Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: ***

Their second album, aptly titled ”2” and without Jojje Wadenius who had just left Sweden to join Blood Sweat & Tears. Tommy Körberg in turn was here a fully integrated part of Solar Plexus. You win some and you lose some; the band won a powerhouse vocalist but lost some of their curious-minded experimentation. ”2” isn't as adventurous as their first album focusing more on soul styled songs to fit Körberg's vocals. I wish they would have gone further out on a limb like they did on their debut.

Det är inte båten som gungar – det är havet som rör sig (Harvest, 1974)
Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental 

International relevance: ***

The album kicks off with the great, funky title track, but loses steam after that. Most of the album lacks real punch; the sound and songs are too polished, and it sounds like just another day at the jazz rock work.

Hellre gycklare än hycklare (Harvest, 1975)

English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

If the previous album was weak, this is even lamer. The band goes through the motions and true inspiration is hard to find. Körberg's vocals sound a bit detached and uninspired, with a style hinting at his future career in musicals. Great rhyming album title though, especially if think of "better a joker than a hypocrite" as a well deserved quib at the increasingly holier-than-thou factions of the music movement.

Solar Plexus appears on several albums outside of their regular discography, most notably on ”Progglådan” that features a radio concert, probably from 1974. (”Progglådan” compiler Coste Apetrea cared as much for proper dates and correct info as he did for liner notes proof reading...) Solar Plexus provided music to actor Beppe Wolgers's children's album ”Gullivers resor” in 1971, appears on one track on Abdo's album ”Salma”, and provided music to comedy duo Hasse & Tage's live radio broadcast ”Öppen kanal – eller stängd?” in 1975, released on LP later the same year.

Although I don't like everything they did, I have the deepest respect for them and particularly the Dominique couple. They had free souls and a huge non-discriminating love for music, which in itself is a grand source for inspiration.

Solar Plexus (Swedish version) full album playlist

Solar Plexus (English version) full album playlist 
Solar Plexus 2 full album playlist
Det är inte båten som gungar full album playlist
Hellre gycklare än hycklare full album playlist

SLIM BORGUDD – Funky Formula (Four Leaf, 1976)

English vocals

International relevance: ***

Originally drummer with Hawkey Franzén's great 60's band Lea Riders Group, then Made In Sweden, then Solar Plexus, Tommy ”Slim” Borgudd turned celebrity studio musician in the 70's and successful Formula 1 driver (hence the cover).

”Funky Formula” is indeed one funky affair –  Borgudd was obviously into James Brown and 70's hard funk. It features Jan Schaffer, Björn J:son Lindh, Jojje Wadenius, Göran Lagerberg and former Lea Riders Group/Made In Sweden bassist Bo Häggström. Three singers also join in: Björn Skifs (known to the whole wide world for fronting Blue Swede who scored a U.S. hit in 1974 with their version of ”Hooked on a Feeling”), Tommy Körberg (Solar Plexus, Made in Sweden) and – surprisingly enough – rock'n'roll singer Jerry Williams. Some might frown in disbelief at the vocalist choices (especially Jerry Williams) but they're all pretty solid in this setting. ”Funky Formula” isn't a top shelf effort but it's OK.

Full album playlist

ABDO – Salma سالمة (Odeon, 1973)

Other languages

International relevance: **

 

Not exactly progg but progg related, with Solar Plexus appearing during one of the segments of 17+ minutes track ”Ah Ya Zen”; Slim Borgudd (drums), Bosse Häggström (bass), Monica Dominique (organ), and Carl-Axel Dominique (electric piano). Borgudd and Häggström were also in Lea Riders Group and Made In Sweden. Also guesting are Torbjörn Carlsson of Splash and Björn J:son Lindh. Abd al-Rahman al-Khatib (Abdelrahman Elkhatib, عبد الرحمن الخطيب) himself left his native Egypt for Sweden, there becoming a teacher and a musician, sometimes known as Abdo.

”Salma” is a rather ambitious work, drawing inspiration from the Arabian classical music of Egypt with Western choral music – three different choirs appear on the album. Although its progg appeal is limited overall, the album is well worth seeking out for its qualities of its own. The music is often sparse and reflective, spacious yet intimate, much thanks to Abdo's pleasantly melancholic baryton voice.

The album was released in France in 1974, also on the Odeon label but housed in a different, more "progressive" looking cover:

Salma Ya Salama 

Hela Hop
Ah Ya Zen