4 LOCAL V/A COMPILATIONS: Musikpuls / Umeå Rocks Vol. 1 / Först Värnamo... sen världen... / Linköpingsrock '82

Region specific compilations are often very hit and miss, with more misses than hits. There might be some nuggets hidden away there, but it's admittedly a dirty work finding them. Also, their main purpose is often demonstrating the musical breadth of a region, meaning they're usually stylistically inconsistent. That certainly goes for the four discs presented here.

 

MUSIKPULS (Wisa, 1981)

Featured artists: Axels Misär / Gathering Freak / Exodus / Untermensch / P-Nissarna / Hellzephyrs Poporkester / Spader Madame / Decerth / Sunshine Explosion / Skilda Världar / Starglide

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: * 

From Dalarna in the middle of Sweden comes this ragbag collection of blues, punk, heavy metal, post punk pop,ska and FM rock. The best known bands are P-Nissarna (punk) and Hellzephyrs Rockorkester (pop/rock with Janne Goldman and Arbete & Fritid connections). Gathering Freak's ”Skywalker” is a slightly under-rehearsed heavy metal track but still probably the best cut on the album, featuring future metal band Six Feet Under's vocalist Björn Lodin.

 

UMEÅ ROCKS, VOL. 1 (Brute Force, MC, 1981)
Featured artists: Steve Roper Band / Döbelns / The Pinheads / Arrows / Ma Connection / Nylle & Nallarna / Peppes / Vampires / Europa / Street Level / Boi Top / Checkpoint Charlie / Caligulas Barn / La Machine / Incontinents / Unknown artist
Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

Probably the most interesting item in this quartet of V/A's, but also the one hardest to find as it was released on tape only. It was the first issue ever on Brute Force Records that later would morph into Garageland Records. Some names wellknown to progg heads here, most notably Steve Roper Band, Ma Connection and Checkpoint Charlie, while The Pinheads might be the most widely familiar name overall. As expected, ”Umeå Rocks, Vol. 1” is all over the place genre-wise but there's a couple of interesting tracks here. Ma Connection's ”Cascade Of Love” is a great slow blues that might be better and moodier than anything on their album ”8691” with some really heartfelt guitar playing from Jan Bjuhr. Vampires were a very obscure synth based band with bass and electric guitar augmenting the cold synthetic sound that (to my knowledge) only ever released this one track ”Stake At The Hard”, an ominous instrumental with faint krautrock traits, almost like a drowsy post-apocalyptic Cosmic Overdose. Incontinents are in a similar vein only with a lighter mood and more adept lead guitar. Not as good as Vampires but still one of the highlights of the tape.

The unknown band at the end of the tape is exactly that, an unknown band. Whoever they are, they deliver a pretty bad cover of The Who's ”Substitute”.

I don't think there ever was a second ”Umeå Rocks” volume.

FÖRST VÄRNAMO.... SEN VÄRLDEN... (Värnamo Musik, 1981)
Featured artists: Abcess / Paj-Cana / Snubbelfot / Omar / Luftgrop / Chronicle / Moder Jord / Akupunktur / Fladderhälarna
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

Värnamo is part of the Swedish bible belt, situated in the Småland region. Although all bands on this album are from Värnamo, there's not much religion to be found here. The best known group here is Omar featured with one of their better tracks, ”Opium”. They're actually one of the most accomplished bands in this lot too, as many of the other contributing combos surely would have benefitted from a few more rehearsal hours. The emphasis is on rock sometimes reaching into punk and hard rock, although there are occasional ska/reggae influences heard in Abcess and Luftgrop. The most ambitious track comes from hard rock/prog outfit Moder Jord – actually a bit too ambitious for their technical prowess. The curiously named ”Fiskmuskler” (=”fish muscles”) is nevertheless one of the best tracks in this generally pedestrian collection.

The album title means ”first Värnamo... then the world...” which obviously is intentionally ironic, or at least proved to be. Except for perhaps Omar, none of these bands reached very far beyond the city limits.

 

LINKÖPINGSROCK '82 (Studiefrämjandet, 1982)
Featured artists: Articats / DR/DR / Wallraff / Glamour / Axewitch / Midwinter / Dr. Pollon / Bulldogs / Bädda / DNA / Müsk / Skenet Bedrar

 Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: *

Time to go to Linköping, home to Kultivator, Mendoza and Erik Aschan and an album released by the study circle Studiefrämjandet in 1982. Linköping has always been a musically active city keen to provide rehearsal spaces to young bands, and ”Linköpingsrock '82” is a testament to that. The bands are well rehearsed although the musical styles aren't particularly interesting. There's a bit of formulaic punk, dull funk rock, pedestrian pop rock and mediocre synth pop. Again it's the heavy metal kids that bring home the medals. Axewitch's ”Nightmare” has an effective riff, and they're the most professional sounding band in this collection. No wonder they actually had a career following this compilation, with several albums out during the first half of the 80s. Artifact didn't – ”A Tribute To You” is the only thing they released – but their mix of heavy metal and symphonic rock might appeal to some readers.

Musikpuls full album 
Umeå Rocks, vol. 1 full album   
Först Värnamo... sen världen... full album   
Linköpingsrock '82 full album

A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 4: Late era progg

 BALL
Leaving (For A New Land) / Ballgame (Philips, 1977)
Busker / Frida's Bank (Hi-Hat, 1978)
English vocals
International relevance: *

A Finnish-Swedish band active in Stockholm. They only made two singles, the first one also released in Finland on Hi-Hat with sides reversed and a different cover, the second one only released in Finland. They are mentioned in ”The Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music” but none of them is very proggish at all. Ball was more of a classic rock band who probably thought they were very metal, but only ”Ballgame” could possibly be called hard rock. Bass player Kaj Söderström and drummer Henrik ”Hempo” Hilldén were previously in Splash and later went on to the rhyming Trash, a heavy metal band who made two albums in the 80s. Hilldén also played with Pugh Rogefeldt and Mikael Ramel in the 70s and later had an international career. 

 

SYDKRAFT – Surfway / Så tung, så lång (EMI, 1978)
English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Two tracks both on Sydkraft's bad full length album but in different and better versions. ”Surfway” works vastly better as the surf punk number it's here than as the terrible fake reggae track on the LP, If you want great neo-surf pop, please go to UK band The Barracudas debut album instead. Flipside ”Så tung, så lång” has more energy in this early version than on the re-recorded album version. Yes, better, but still not good.

 

 

HETS – Uran / Valutatango (Alternativ, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Peripherally interesting for being on Kjell Höglund's Alternativ label. The 'A' side is an anti-nuclear song and the 'B' side is a cabaret styled song against tax refugees. Not worth the effort. Another single exists plus a full album, both on Alternativ.

STAFFANS LÄRJUNGAR – Tures trumpet / Dresden '45 (Staffan Records, 1979)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **

Private 45 from a Gävle band with no further releases. ”Tures trumpet” sounds a bit like an inferior early Dom Smutsiga Hundarna track, with a whacky trumpet solo at the end. ”Dresden '45” is a bit more interesting, an instrumental with a bit of atmosphere with organ and clumsy guitars. Recorded in two days in Mora Träsk's studio. Bassist Bengt-Olof Tedeborg later went to other Gävle bands including new wave band Grenzfall. Trumpeter and organist Jan Lindström later changed his surname to Berglin and became one of Sweden's most brilliant cartoonists.

STEVE ROPER BAND – Freda'n är här / Betonglåten (Opel, 1979)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Umeå band with Lars Gillén on drums. Gillén later co-founded Umeå label Garageland Records that did some early reissues of Lea Riders Group and Friends. ”Betonglåten” is the best and most proggish track of the two with some prominent guitar playing. ”Freda'n är här” is more pop oriented, and later Steve Roper Band releases are mediocre power pop. They also have a track on V/A compilation "Vi har rätt till jobb".

 

ALDRIG I LIVET – När Hyland sjunger lalala... / Brända barn (Fest Produktion, 1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Yet another act from the north of Sweden, this time from Luleå. The 'A' side is a forgettable ska track but ”Brända barn” is OK, not entirely unlike a slow Nynningen or late Nationalteatern track in style. I suspect Tomas Forssell might have been an inspiration here as he moved to Luleå after Nynningen's demise.
 

 

DOM SMUTSIGA HUNDARNA – Festen är över / Sista dansen (Nacksving, 1982)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Second to last outing from this Gothenburg band, only followed by their final album ”Framtiden rusar emot dig” in 1983. By this time they had lost their early scruffy appeal and become just another Nacksving band, and hadn't it been for the saxophone, this could have been any mediocre band of 1982.

 

GOTLANDS TEATER

Knark (Noon, EP 1982)

Rockpojken / Tonys sång (Noon, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Gotlands Teater was a theatre ensemble who made its vinyl debut already in 1974 with single-sided LP ”Modell /74”. Eight years later three singles appeared, including five track 33 1/3 EP ”Knark” and ”Rockpojken”. Obviously styled after the edgier side of Nationalteatern, most of it is just unexceptional rock music. Best track is ”Horor och knarkluder” from ”Knark”. 

"Rockpojken" was released with three different covers. 

Worth noting is the theatre's creative director and actor Anders T. Peedú who was in garage band Friends in the 60s. 

 

CRUT

Efter 5 långa år / Tunnan (Ljudbarrikaden Spartacus, 1978)

Jönköping / Balladen om puben Lycka (Skivbolaget Sjöbo, 1980)

Hååvee / Grande Finale (Sjöbo Påpp, 1981)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Crut is already on this blog with their album ”Världspremiär”. ”Jönköping” and ”Grand Finale” are both on the album in very similar versions, while ”Balladen om puben Lycka” is an entirely different recording. The basement hard rock of ”Efter 5 långa år” is the best thing they ever did while ”Hååvee” is absolutely moronic crap. Remaining tracks fall somewhere inbetween, but closer to crap.

GUNNAR EDANDER – Musiken ur ”Kameliadamens kärlek och död” (Skådebanan, 1981)
Instrumental
International relevance: **

Gunnar Edander composed the music for ”Kärleksföreställningen”, ”Jösses flickor”, and ”Sånger om kvinnor" to name but some of his best known work. This seven-inch belongs to his most obscure efforts however. It's two instrumental tracks from a play based on Alexander Dumas' ”The Lady of the Camellias” (also knowns as simply ”Camille”) and performed at Stockholm City Theatre in 1981. ”Kameliavalsen” (with French subtitle ”La Valse aux Camélias”) is almost akin to 20th century modernist piano music. Or perhaps even a spastic unknown recording by a completely psychotic Lars Hollmer. B side is the title track from the play, ”Kameliadamens kärlek och död” (”L'amour et la Mort de la Dame aux Camélias”) and a very different thing. Starting off like a variation on ”Fûr Elise”, it soon expands into a romantic, spacious piece with strong melancholic underpinnings. A very moody composition and quite captivating. This is by and large the most intriguing music I've ever heard from Gunnar Edander and it's a shame it remains virtually unknown.

Sydkraft full single 
Hets full single
Staffans Lärjungar full single 
Aldrig I Livet full single
Dom Smutsiga Hundarna full single
Ball:
Leaving (For A New Land)
Ballgame 
Busker
Frida's Bank
Steve Roper Band:
Freda'n är här
Betonglåten
Gotlands Teater:
Knark full single
Rockpojken full single
Crut:
Efter 5 långa år full single playlist
Jönköping full single playlist
Hååvee full single playlist
Gunnar Edander no links found

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Vi har rätt till jobb! (Slå Tillbaka!, 1978)

 
Featured artists: TBC / Checkpoint Charlie / Steve Roper Band / Rikets Affärer / Burträskar'a / Gnid Och Drag / Pertti Och Aimo / Paddy Perssons Grop / Ålidhems Nyfolkliga Dansorkester
Swedish vocals, other languages, instrumental
International relevance: **

Slå Tillbaka! (”fight back”) was apparently not a record label per se, but an organisation working against unemployment, racism and drugs but released this one album. ”Vi har rätt till jobb!” (”we have the right to work”) was recorded live in Umeå 1978 during a one day festival to support the cause of the organisation. It features ten acts, none of them particularily well-known outside of this album. The best known (or should I say the least unknown) bands make up the first side of the album: TBC, Steve Roper Band (performing a cover av Röda Ropet's ”Spring Lasse spring”, Checkpoint Charlie and Rikets Affärer. They all play straighforward rock with a slight hard rock bent and an even minor punk touch, and they're all decent for what they are. Side 2 is entirely different, focusing on folk music and singer/songwriter styled material that fail to impress. It's doubtful that the same person would appreciate both sides, but the heavy side might appeal to genre collectors. It's neither a very rare nor expensive album, so anyone possibly interested in it will be able to pick it up cheap.

No links found