TRETTIOÅRIGA KRIGET – Archival releases 1998-2020 (rec. 1970-1981)

Trettioåriga Kriget's archives have been trawled through several times over the years by mainly Mellotronen. Together these releases make up a parallell history of the band, with both live tapes and other sorts of material, covering Trettioåriga Kriget's entire lifespan, also including the years following their reformations in the 90s and the 00s. 

Glorious War (Mellotronen, 2004: rec. 1970-1971)
English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

The most interesting of those archive clear-outs is ”Glorious War”, for the sole reason it doesn't sound much like we know Trettioåriga Kriget's style. Consisting of tapes from the very earliest days of their existence, they hadn't yet taken to the adolescent philosophical rants of their later Swedish lyrics, and they were still too sloppy performers to live up to their own musical pretentions that make most of their records sound so constipated. They try hard, but fail which is relieving to hear. Not that ”Glorious War” is very good – parts of ”Konserten”, overlong at its ridiculous 18 minutes are OK – but it's amusing to hear them make such fools out of themselves. The bass solo of ”Assimilation” is the worst I've heard since Malaria. The track ”Thirty Years War” sounds like a nod to the early Mothers Of Invention but without Zappa's brain. ”Gloriwas War” is 53 minutes of pure spiteful fun.

War Years (Mellotronen, 2008; rec. 1971-2007)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

The entire second disc of this double CD is dedicated to the 00's so I leave that aside. Disc 1 covers the band's original ten years. It starts off with a crappy sounding 1971 live recording in the same klutzy vein as ”Glorious War” before moving on to a couple of 1974 selections. The Trettioåriga Kriget sound is beginning to fall into place but the recordings are unbalanced and out of tune which hardly makes the band a favour. Remaining recordings on disc 1 are from '76-'77 amd '79-'81 and tell us what we already knew, that the band went from ostentatious prog rock stuck up on its own holiness to bad new wave.

War Memories (Mellotronen 1998, rec. 1972-1981)
Swedish vocals, English vocals, wordless vocals, instrumental
International relevance: ***

The first compilation of Trettioåriga Kriget's unreleased material appeared already in 1998 and is a mish-mash of studio recordings, radio sessions, live tapes and what have you. So inconsistent and haphazard it's hard to make any sense of it. An early stab at hard rock, later era synth pop and yodeling. (Literally, that is – I'm not talking about Robert Zima's twisted scrotum falsetto.) It does however have early song ”I've Got No Time” which sounds like at least a half decent late 60s/early 70s American rural rock band.

Konserten -73 / King Eric (no label, 2010; rec. 1972-1973)
Instrumental
International relevance: ***

A CD-r single released in 100 copies. ”Konserten” is a trimmed down 1973 recording of the piece from ”Glorious War”, slightly better because it's shorter. ”King Eric” is a crap-fi 1972 recording which starts out as bad jazz before ending in a complete unlistenable mess.

War Diaries, Vol. 1 (no label, 2018; rec. 1974)
War Diaries, Vol. 2 (no label, 2020; rec. 1976)
Swedish vocals, English vocals, wordless vocals
International relevance: ***

Two volumes released through Trettioåriga Kriget's Bandcamp only. The cover for volume 1 says 1974 but some of it is actually from 1975. The four tracks from ”Progglådan” are here too which means that ”Progglådan's” 1973 date is wrong (as is a lot of info in that mess of a box set). Mostly live recordings in good radio sound, plus one demo in OK rehearsal space fidelity.

The second volume is a complete concert recorded Swedish Radio's Tonkraft series in November 1976. The dreaded yodel reappears, but it's still quite possibly the best ever live document of Trettioåriga Kriget, even to my ears, with a focused performance and a well-rounded sound. It's certainly the best to surface officially, head and shoulders above any of the Mellotronen releases. Why this wasn't released first of all is a mystery.

Glorious War full album playlist
War Years disc 1 full album playlist (Bandcamp)
War Memories full album playlist (Bandcamp)
Konserten -73 (first track only)
War Diaries, Vol. 1 full album playlist (Bandcamp)
War Diaries, Vol. 2 full album playlist (Bandcamp)

DAN TILLBERG – Complete albums 1979-1981

Another name from the ”you may also like” list at the end of Tobias Petterson's book ”The Encyclopedia of Swedish Progressive Music”, but unlike some of them, Dan Tillberg at least has some progg bearings, if not so much stylistically so historically. He was, for instance, in Änglabarn. 

Gatstenar (Bellatrix, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

An album consisting exclusively of Rolling Stones covers translated to Swedish by Mats Zetterberg (Fiendens Musik) and Dan Hylander (Raj Montana Band). This is one bizarre beast of an album and probably one of the most uninhibited albums you'll hear in a while. I wouldn't exactly call it good, but the over the top energy, perhaps more akin to punk than progg, is perversely fascinating. Eyewitness reports from the studio sessions promise no intoxicants were involved but they manage to give the whole thing a sloshed street fight vibe, even on the slower tracks. Try ”Hur var det med din morsa, tjejen (kom hon i skymundan)?” (=”Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows?”) or ”Din första kollision” (=”19th Nervous Breakdown”) and I think you'll see what I mean.

Two sleeve variations exist, one brownish yellow and one turqouise with the brownish one being the original.

Mors och fars kärlek (Axiom, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Mostly originals second time around with only a couple of stray covers of Bob Dylan, Swedish garage rockers Problem, and a Chip Taylor penned number. A couple of tracks are co-written with Ronny Carlsson of Rockamöllan and Onna Taas Band. Nowhere near as hysterical as ”Gatstenar” which unfortunately means the skewed appeal of the predecessor is all gone. ”Mors och fars kärlek” most of all sounds like a bad Raj Montana Band album. Best track by far is ”Det är okej” still has a very long way to go to even lick the shoes of Problem's original version, even though Problem main man Stefan Ahlqvist appears on guitar. Partly recorded in Silence's studio, but you couldn't tell from the cold, bony, artificial production.

Kärlek minus noll (Axiom, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Back in covers land again, this time Bob Dylan. But it's better to read the album than to listen to it (if you know Swedish, and even so if you don't). The production is as 80s as it gets already in 1982 – unbearable. But some of the translations are among the best Swedish Dylan interpretentions you'll ever see. Two of them are by Ronny Carlsson, one by Dan Hylander, but most of them – the best ones – are by man of words Mats Zetterberg.

Dan Tillberg made a few more albums in the 80s.

Gatstenar full album playlist
Mors och fars kärlek full album playlist
Kärlek minus noll full album playlist

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

THORES TRIO – Thores Trio (Kulturföreningen Källan, 1981)

  
Swedish vocals, other languages, instrumental, a cappella
International relevance: -

Vastly ignorable late era album on obscure label Kulturföreningen Källan which as far as I know only had one 7” in their catalogue outside of this Tomas Forssell produced LP. Thores Trio weren't particularly prolific on record either – they're featured on two various artists EP's on Manifest. Which is not to say they didn't have a long history because they did. As a matter of fact, they're most likely the longest running band ever to be featured on this blog.

Starting out in the tiny Northern town of Båtskärsnäs in 1933 (!) as Thor-Allans Trio, they changed their name to Thores Trio in 1936. Originally specializing in foxtrot, tango and various Swedish dance types, they stayed true to their style until the very end in 1996 when original member and accordeonist and fiddler Tore Allan Nilsson passed away at the age of 82. Singer Nanna Helin and her husband bass player Erik continued playing as a duo afterwards.

They might seem like an unlikely band to be embraced by the progressive movement, but as self-confessed communists, their politically charged lyrics with a strong local connection fell in well with the progg alumni. The Swedish version of Hanns Eisler's ”Einheitsfrontlied” speaks volumes, less so the puzzling inclusion of German schlager "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön". 

This album's probably charming to the immediate family, a limited number of the remaining 200 inhabitants of Båtskärsnäs, or Tomas Forssell completists, but assumably of very little interest to anyone else. 

"Thores Trio" was re-released with a slightly altered cover in 2021.

Full album playlist

TUNDRA – Dubbla budskap (EMI, 1982)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Largely forgotten and consistently horrible latecomers with poet Jacques Werup of Storm on saxophone. Some lyrics have an anti-militarist sentiment and they're the most progg thing here as the music is mainly slick, radio friendly and occassionally discofied MOR. Lead-off track ”Solfångaren” however displays a clear inspiration from Chilean music. ”Solfångaren” was also recorded for their minor label debut single in 1981 with a non-album track on the flip. They had a couple of singles out in 1984 and 1986 respectively, plus another album in 1985, ”Våga livet”, which is so indescribably nauseating it will make your ears throw up.

Full album playlist (Spotify)

TOTTA'S BLUESBAND – Live At Renströmska (Nacksving, 1981)

English vocals
International relevance: *

Totta's – or Tottas to use the Swedish possessive form – Bluesband began life as a side project to the other two bands Torsten ”Totta” Näslund was part of in the 70's, Nynningen and Nationalteatern. This side project was even called Nynningens och Nationalteaterns Fritidsorkester ("fritidsorkester" meaning something like ”hobby orchestra”), before eventually evolving into Tottas Bluesband with several members from the old Nynningen and Nacksving label coterie. With the blues always close to Totta Näslund's heart, this was a chance for him to fully immerse himself in songs by the likes of J.B. Lenoir, Otis Rush, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf and Jimmy Rogers. They became a popular outfit during the 80's, and also had a weekly spot every Monday on Näslund's and bassist Nikke Ström's own restaurant C Von in hometown Gothenburg. This particular album, the band's debut, was taped live during two consecutive evenings at the Renströmska jazz club in the late summer of 1981.

A lot of people will disagree with me, but I don't think Totta Näslund was a good blues singer. His voice is dull and and colourless and while I'd never question his love for the blues was serious and honest, Tottas Bluesband still sound just like a band playing pubs to beer burping buddybuddies and the occasional married couple with the husband touching his wife in more appropriate ways the later the hour and the drunker he gets. To me, this simply sounds as any old bores with hats and sunglasses on and think they're ”bloooooze, man”. They go through every well-rehearsed move in the book but they never get the blues down for real. It's all form and very little real content. Put on a proper Howlin' Wolf track and this album will run home crying for mum. And if you want straight pub rock go for the real British stuff instead – any early Dr. Feelgood album with Wilko Johnson grinds this album to tiny shards between the teeth.

An equally uninteresting single coupling ”Ain't Your Business” with ”Too Bad” appeared in 1982, and a few more albums followed sporadically during the rest of the 80's. Totta Näslund later had several solo albums before passing away in 2005. His very last regular album was a tribute album to Bob Dylan together with Mikael Wiehe.

Full album playlist

OKAY TEMIZ TRIO – Turkish Folk Jazz (Sonet, 1975) / ORIENTAL WIND – Zikir (Sun, 1979) ORIENTAL WIND – Live In Bremen (JARO, 1982) / OKAY TEMIZ'S ORIENTAL WIND – Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 1982 (Caz Plak, 2022)

Okay Temiz's albums are sprinkled all over this blog, but this post fills in the gaps in his discography up to 1982. It's a rather voluminous body of work, and if you count the albums with him only as a sideman, it becomes unfathomable. But I always take a closer look on an album with his name on it. His name is a stamp of approval. If he's there, it can't be all that bad.

OKAY TEMIZ TRIO – Turkish Folk Jazz (Sonet, 1975)
Instrumental
International relevance: ***

What could possibly go wrong with a title like that? Nothing, and nothing does either. It's recorded as a trio with Swedish jazz legend Björn Alke on bass and Temiz's fellow countryman Saffet Gündeger on clarinet (plus multiple arrangements signed Maffy Falay although he doesn't appear on the album in person). Temiz's Turkish roots have an even stronger emphasis here than on several of his other albums, and the melodies and harmonies get to fly high and free within the smaller trio format. It also means there's more room for Temiz's drumming, and he's really going for it here. He plays in all directions at once, wide and deep, high and low, and right at you. Truly musical drumming, and Gündeger finds his way around the drummer's thunderous tumble. He blows his instrument so hard as if his life depended on it, making wild runs like the clarinet's Coltrane. Even Björn Alke, anything but a bass bungler, gets overshadowed by the Turkish typhoon of sound. It's as if he knows he better stay out of the way and keep the pulse going elaborately but without trying to show off. A one hundred percent stunning album.

ORIENTAL WIND – Zikir (Sun, 1979)
Instrumental
International relevance: ***

The release history of ”Zikir” is a bit complicated and I'm not going to get all tangled up in trying to explain which release is which and what songs are on which edition, as the CD reissue on Ada Müzik sets everything straight in terms of songs included. The picture above shows the album cover used for most early European releases.

This is a very different beast to ”Turkish Folk Jazz”. With more musicians involved, the arrangements are more rigid. There are still room for improvisation of course, but there's nothing here that can match the fury of ”Turkish Folk Jazz”. There's also something about the sound that breathes jazz fusion air, a sort of smoothness that I think is too much out of place for this music. I can just imagine what a smaller band and a more sympathetic production would have done to the outcome. Still there are entertaining moments, such as the wacky ”Kabak Tatlısı” which sounds as if they played a jew's harp through a wah-wah and then added drunken ducks on top of it. But as a whole, ”Zikir” stands as one of the weaker Temiz efforts.

ORIENTAL WIND – Live In Bremen (JARO, 1982)
Instrumental
International relevance: ***

This 1981 recording from the Packhaus Theater in Bremen opens with ”Batum”, a throwback to Temiz's Sevda days although Lelle Kullgrens electric guitar gives it a very different vibe. I don't like his playing at all. But to be honest, I don't think Oriental Wind had a good evening back then in late October 1981. The music sounds strained (very unusual for a Temiz album!) and tense in a bad way. It's almost as if there was something worrying them, as is they had something else on their mind and tried to make up for the missing spark with force. Some moments here are better than others, but I miss the natural flow and telepathy between the musicians most of the time. And flow and telepathy are crucial for this music to work.

OKAY TEMIZ'S ORIENTAL WIND – Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 1982 (Caz Plak, 2022)
Instrumental
International relevance: ***

Ah, now we're talking! Forty minutes of top range Turk jazz action! Still guitar in the mix, but Lelle Kullgren is out and Stefan Osterberg is in and he's much more responsive to the moment, firing off some almost Terje Rypdal-like salvos that hit exactly where they should, But everybody's on the same page here, effortlessly striving in the same direction, thinking with one unified mind. This Montreux show, left in the vaults for a baffling forty years, is the exact opposite of the stifled Bremen date. It's all about the collective efforts, but every musician needs to be mentioned by name as they all play on their absolut top. Lennart Åberg moves like a panther in his death defying guerilla sax solos. Palle Danielsson is freaking insane on the bass, playing stuff that I thought was humanly impossible. He's almost like an orchestra in itself! Bobo Stenson's piano and keyboards might seem a bit tame in comparison, but although he fires away some dazzling keyboard runs, his main role is being the glue that keeps it all together, filling out whatever musical spaces need to be filled The ensemble play is out of this world, it's more than telepathy – they're tight as siamese quintuplets. No need to hold it back: Of every album I've written about here – and we're talking thousands of albums – this album is among the very, very, very best.

Turkish Folk Jazz full album
Zikir full album playlist (CD version)
Live In Bremen full album playlist
Live At Montreux full album playlist (Bandcamp)

EJE THELIN GROUP – Hypothesis (Musicians Record Co, 1979) / EJE THELIN – Bits & Pieces (Phono Suecia, 1980)

Instrumental
International relevance: **/**

Eje Thelin already had a long career as a trombone revitalizer when he recorded these albums, entering the live scene already in the mid 1950's and making his record debut in the early 60's. He went through many changes including a free jazz phase with Joachim Kühn resulting in a couple of early 70's albums of which I gladly recommend the very expressionistic ”Acoustic Space”. He made a gradual slip towards jazz fusion in the 70's, and these two albums from the turn of the decade 1979/80 are probably the furthest he got in that direction. By that time, jazz fusion in general had become a very stale genres lazily giving in to the conventions it had created for itself.

”Hypothesis” however is an unusually vital effort, displaying an openness that had been long lost. Allowing free form (”Duett”) and soul jazz (”Back-woods Song”) into the mix, as well as giving piano player Harald Svensson free reign over the self-explanatory track ”Piano”, and allowing dreamy moods into ”Curved Space” and the two versions of ”Here's That Rainy Day” certainly broadens the palette. Svensson might in fact be the real star here, adding a certain lyricism to the album.

”Bits & Pieces” was recorded with roughly the same line-up as ”Hypothesis”, but expanded with bassist Bronisław Suchanek, occasionally percussionist Malando Gassama and with Steve Dobrogosz on piano on some tracks. The album opens in a moody way with the beautiful ”Gloomy” which lives up to its title and followed by the almost ambient ”Islands”. The entire album is much more peaceful than its predecessor; only ”Castor And Pollux” and ”Carneval” heaten it up a bit. Which album you prefer at a given moment is a matter of mood. You could say that they are two sides of the same coin.

These are not my favourite Thelin albums – I still prefer the noisy Thelin of the early 70's – but regarded in the jazz fusion context where they belong, these two discs are head and shoulders above what the genre most often had to offer at this late date.

Hypothesis full album
Bits & Pieces full album playlist

TINTOMARA – Tintomara (Abra Cadabra Production, 1979) / Lek (Amigo, 1981)

Instrumental
International relevance: **/**

Before pianist Elise Einarsdotter became a respected name in jazz of her own, she was in late 70's/early 80's jazz quartet Tintomara along with for instance flautist Katarina Fritzén known for her work with visa singer Fred Åkerström and also appearing on a later album by Lena Ekman. Her flute is one of the most prominent features in Tintomara where she almost took on the role of a singer.

Tintomara's first, eponymous album (released on Danish imprint Abra Cadabra Production) is an incredibly tight performance with some latin touches and excellent ensemble playing. The sound is lush and airy making for an easy listen, but at the same time it's a bit unengaging. Everything is nice and there's nothing particularly wrong with it, but somehow it never concerns me much. It passes rather unnoticed despite several welcoming traits. Still better than their second album ”Lek” though.

Released on the higher profile label Amigo, ”Lek” is a much more produced affair with an overuse of smooth-over reverb. It's also an unwanted step closer to jazz fusion which is a rather ill-fitting garb for Tintomara who thereby sacrifice too much of the friendly spirit of their first effort.

Tintomara full album
Lek full album

HARALD ”BAGARN” ANDERSSON, ANNA-LISA GRÖNHOLM & SVEN TJUSLINGS TRIO – Stjärnsmällar och tjuvnyp (Proletärkultur, 1978)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

Another leftleftleftwing release from Proletärkultur to go along with compilations ”Stöd de strejkandehamnarbetarna”, ”Hör maskinernas sång”, and albums by Dan Berglund and Maria Hörnelius. The 'star' here must be Harald ”Bagarn” Andersson, a baker, actor and local character who shares the vocal duties with sometime actor Anna-Lisa Grönholm. Unless you count the political message, there's not much progg to expect here. The music is more towards 30's and 40's couplets with that overdone singing style verging on speech. It's otherwise well played and the sound is professional (recorded in Nacksving's state-of-the-art studio) but it's incredibly boring – definitely one of the weaker Proletärkultur outings. It's best left untouched in the cheapo bins where you're most likely to find it.

No links found

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

OKAY TEMIZ – Drummer Of Two Worlds (WEA, 1980)

Instrumental
International relevance: ***

Temporarily stepping away from the Oriental Wind brand, Okay Temiz teamed up with an all-Turkish line-up for ”Drummer Of Two Worlds”, including the excellent woodwind blower living in Sweden, Ziya Aytekin (check out his solo albums!). Sometimes labelled a jazz fusion albums, it's not the typical sexless stuff such a term suggests. It's still basically Turkish content within a jazzy frame as his previous albums, but more experimental and slightly more modern sounding. It's a particularly percussion heavy release, as proven by the title track, the frantic ”Ocean Roller” and the surprisingly spaced-out ”Repercussions”. While some tracks are excellent, I get the feeling that the more pronounced experimentation sometimes gets in the way of the substance of the music. It remains a good album, but it's more an item to complete your Temiz collection than one to begin building it with.

Full album playlist

DYANI, TEMIZ, FEZA – Music For Xaba, Vol. 1 (Sonet, 1973) / Music For Xaba, Vol. 2 (Sonet, 1980) / Rejoice (Cadillac, 1988) (all recorded in 1972)

Instrumental, English vocals, other languages
International relevance: ***

Turkish born drummer Okay Temiz is a true legend to me, partly for his involvement with the amazing Maffy Falay-led Sevda, and partly for his own ensemble Oriental Wind which like Sevda took the Turkish musical traditions into jazzy territories with great grandeur. But he also collaborated with other musicians as these three albums prove.

The twin volumes of ”Music For Xaba” were recorded one evening in November 1972 at Theatre 9 in Stockholm, with South African pianist/bassist Johnny Dyani as leader. Mongezi Feza was also of South African descendance, and a trumpet player who made his mark on Swedish music with Bernt Rosengren among others.

I'm not too fond of the ”Xaba” releases. The trio uses a lot of force to drive the music forward but it's as if there's something keeping the musicians apart despite the best of intentions. The best moments occur on the second volume, in Feza composition ”Mad High” and Dyani's ”Witchdoctor's Son”. I've heard these albums a fair bit over the years, but they still don't make real sense to me.

”Rejoice” is recorded less than two weeks before ”Music For Xaba” at The Modern Museum of Art in Stockholm (and not released until 1988). The sound is a tad lesser here but it's a superior date, with the three musicians connecting much better, creating a flow and an intensity lacking from the other releases. ”Mad High” makes another appearance here, as do ”Makaya Makaya Makaya”, and even though the former was a high point on ”Xaba”, this one tops it.

”Rejoice” demonstrates what this trio was capable of, ”Music For Xaba” that these guys also had lesser nights.

Music For Xaba Vol. 1 full album playlist
Music For Xaba Vol. 2 full album playlist
Rejoice full album

INFRA / TREKLÖVER – Infra/Treklöver (Subliminal Sounds, 1972/1974, released 2022)

English vocals, instrumental

 International relevance: ***

Two names, but basically the same band. Beginning as Treklöver, they recorded a demo for EMI in 1972 which lead nowhere. After recruiting singer Eddy Kristiansen, they changed their name to Infra, taped a 1974 demo for UK label RSO which faced the same fate as their first, leaving two studio sessions left unheard by the public for four decades.

The Infra demo takes up the major part of the album with seriously progressive rock with symphonic aspirations, which for the sake of clarity means plenty of neurotic time signature changes. They indeed aim high, and although they're accomplished musicians, there are split seconds where especially drummer Jörgen Nordgren slips. OK, so it's a demo, but the clean and conspicuously modern-sounding production is too revealing at crucial moments. Eddy Kristiansen in turn is way too operatic and pretentious, but it gets even worse when he tries to 'rawk out' in the busy bordering-on-hysterical ”Keep On Truckin'” in which he gets absolutely unbearable. 

All in all, it's everything I absolutely hate with progressive rock.

Not that the Kristiansen-less two-song Treklöver tape is much better. The production gels a bit better here, and while hired-gun vocalist and organ player Ann-Marie ”Ami” Henning's voice is a bit weak, it's still way more pleasant to listen to than Kristiansen's self-important bombast. But already in the band's early stage, they suffered from time signature Tourettes and it takes me a fair amount of death defiance to get through eight minutes of ”Saturn” (one of their two tracks here).

”Infra/Treklöver” will probably give folks who enjoy playing their Trettioåriga Kriget albums at 45 rpm a boner, but my self-mutilation session with this nonsense is forever over.

Full album playlist (Bandcamp)

TILLSAMMANS - Tillsammans (Kompass, 1976)

 Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Not to be confused with GregFitzPatrick's Handgjort offshoot of the same name, this seven-piece was a Christian outfit that featured Tomas Ernvik on bass and guitar. Suffering from several wimpy ballads, it still has a fair share of progressive and not-quite-symphonic folk rock moves. The playing is consistently good throughout (including some semi-heavy guitar) and the songwriting is above average, especially if you close your ears during the more overt, sugarcoated "Jesus is a nice bloke" songs. Oddly enough, I sense a wee bit of Paul McCartney and his mid 70's Wings here and there.

"Hela mitt liv" opens side B and has a slight renaissance air which nicely compliments the tasteful almost-folk harmonies. Tillsammans retain the faint folkishness on "Undran i vår tid" and on the mournful "Människor", the latter being the best track here. These three tracks help making the second side stronger than side 1.

Despite the reputation Tomas Ernvik earned through Vatten, the album can still be found fairly cheap. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch, often too much on the well-meaning side of things, but some nice guitar passages and a couple of listenable enough tracks, it's certainly better than the standard Swedish Xian albums that appeared in droves in the 70's.

"Hela mitt liv"
"Kom till mig"

"Jag vill leva nära dig"

TEDDYBJÖRN BAND – Teddybjörn Band (Piglet, 1980)

Instrumental, Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

A late-coming wannabe progg band based in Uppsala with a stupid name to boot ('Teddybear Band'). Teddybjörn Band released their sole folk shaded progressive styled album on the baffingly inconsistent and diverse Piglet label, home to Jonas Palm and others.

Opening track ”Toradans” is half decent as a lead-foot Samla Mammas Manna rip-off, but marred by stiff drumming and a synth sounding as if it was nicked from ABBA. The drumming is in fact a problem to the entire album, which is perplexing once you realize there are three different drummers playing here; Hasse Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna), Ingemar Bergman (Kaipa), and Per Gulbrandsen (Sub-gruppen, Störningen). It's not easy to tell them apart as all of them offer up such stiff performances they make a pile driver sound like a James Brown 45.

The vocals are mostly overwrought and overbearing and the worst singer of them all is Ann Chabaan who appeares on a couple of tracks. She takes the lead on ”Du har gett upp”, sounding like a bad dream to ruin even vibrato wobbler Jan Hammarlund's sleep.

To top it off, the production is clinical, almost sounding like a Nacksving album.

Teddybjörn Band tries contortionally to come up with something worthwhile but constantly lose themselves in a morass of clichéd pretentiousness.

One of the singers in the band, Frans Mossberg, did the cover painting and released 1982 solo album "Tystnader", also on Piglet.

Full album

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

TÄLTPROJEKTET – Vi äro tusenden... (Nacksving, 1977)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Tältprojektet is often seen as the peak of progg, but in a way, it also became its downfall. Or at least, it marked the beginning of the end. The whole project was a grand tour de force, with several independent theatre groups (Nationalteatern, Musikteatergruppen Oktober, Tidningsteatern, Narren) and numerous musicians coming together for something that some people said would be impossible to see through.

”Vi äro tusenden” was a four hour stage play telling the story of the Swedish labour movement from 1879 and on, with approximately 100 people touring for four and half months in the summer of 1977, visiting 31 cities all over the country (and some in Denmark), performing 82 shows to 100,000 people. Nothing of that scope had been done before, and nothing of that scope has been done since. ”Vi äro tusenden” was the ultimate proof of what power there was in the music movement and the related independent theatre groups, and an example of what you can do if you unite and strive for the same thing. The progg movement proved its own point by demonstrating it.

A documentary was made, ”Tältet – vem tillhör världen?”, and a record was rushed out by Nacksving so that it could be sold at the shows. People should be able to take home some of the music they had just heard played live. The original idea was also to record the album live in performance, but that proved impossible for practical reasons, why songs from show instead were recorded with Nacksving's mobile studio. Some tracks were composed by jazz legend and member of Musikteatergruppe Oktober Christer Boustedt, but most of the music was written by Nationalteatern's Ulf Dageby and Nynningen's Bernt Andersson and Bertil Goldberg. Both Gothenburg bands had collaborated before, so much in fact that it was getting more and more impossible to tell the two bands apart. Tracks like the powerful ”Aldrig mera krig” (sung by Nynningen's Totta Näslund) and Tältprojektet's anthem ”Vi äro tusenden” are heralded as classics. They're also the two best songs on the album.

Actually, the only two good songs on the album, and the only two distinct enough to work outside their original stage context. The remainder of the tracks have too many theatrical characteristics, with narrative lyrics, sometimes with large choirs, sometimes sounding like run-of-the-mill political songs, sometimes cabaret-like. It's just not very fun to listen to, and the album's true value is mainly historical and academic.

Nationalteatern's Med Reventberg has later admitted that it was hard to get on with their work after Taltprojektet. Nationalteatern tried to set up another massive theatre tour soon after but it didn't work out as well as they had hoped for. And that probably goes for everyone involved. The fatigue set in, and while many (most) of them continued their artistic work (after all, it was their profession), many of them in the spirit of progg, progg was never to be the same again. And new sounds and attitudes were coming around the corner. Punk was ready to take over.

Full album playlist

TRETTIOÅRIGA KRIGET – Complete albums 1974-1981

Prog and symph fan favourites Trettioåriga Kriget were founded in the Stockholm suburb Saltsjöbaden in 1970 as a clumsy gang with ambitions higher than a skyscraper and a competence level sometimes not higher than a newly mowed lawn. But if their band beginnings were humble, their social origins were not – Saltsjöbaden was and is one of Stockholm's wealthiest areas. 

Trettioåriga Kriget (Epic, 1974)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

Trettioåriga Kriget's eponymous album debut came in 1974 and until then they had had the time to rehearse enough for their music to gel. Which unfortunately doesn't make the music better, only terrible in a different way. The ”Glorious War” recordings are largely instrumental, without long standing singer Robert Zima . Once he's present, there's someone to sing the impossibly pretentious lyrics. Really, they're unbearable, hopeless boy's room existentialism. Sad to say, the music has the same swanky feel. This is intellectually constipated arty-farty adolescent dross in a black polo shirt. Still, their best.

Krigssång (CBS, 1975)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

 

Same thing over again, only with a breathier production. The vocals are highly-strung and egocentric, and worse still, they're occasionally 'augmented' by Zima's Uriah Heep falsetto. This album is like a yoga position known as 'head up your arse'. Strenous and full of itself.

Hej på er! (Mistlur, 1978)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

 

Three years later and a new label. Trettioåriga Kriget stayed with Mistlur until disbanding in 1981. For ”Hej på er!” they downplayed their pretentiousness a little bit which could have been a good thing hadn't it turned them into some kind of proto new wave ”Solo” era Kaipa instead. And Robert Zima still annoys me to the verge of breakdown – and lets out his tortured cat falsetto in ”Natten som alltid”. The title track is a decent pop tune of sorts though.

Mot alla odds (Mistlur, 1979)
Swedish vocals 

International relevance: *

 

The 'proto new wave' reference above wasn't chosen at random, as Trettioåriga Kriget moved closer towards a contemporary late 70's style with each Mistlur album. Diehard fans usually dismiss the later albums, and I can see why – Trettioåriga Kriget's new found new wave influences didn't sit well with the expectations of fans of their former style. It worked for Van der Graaf Generator on ”Vital Live”, but it only makes Trettioåriga Kriget sound ridiculous. I mean, more ridiculous than before. Just look at the album cover – who did they suddenly want you to believe they were? The Ramones? Pathetic.

Kriget (Mistlur, 1981)

as Kriget

International relevance: *

Swedish lyrics

Following the release of ”Mot alla odds”, internal conflicts arose which led to Trettioåriga Kriget's demise in 1980. Very soon after some of the members reunited. Most importantly Robert Zima was gone, leaving the vocal duties to bassist Stefan Fredin. He's not a great singer, mediocre, but at least he isn't as nerve-grating as Zima was. Not being the same band anymore, neither in line-up nor style, they shortened their name to Kriget. As such, they released their final album in 1981. It's not very good, mostly standard fare turn of the decade pop/rock that other bands did so much better, but a little irritating than their other pompous drivel.

Trettioåriga Kriget full album playlist
Krigssång full album playlist
Hej på er! full album playlist
Mot alla odds full album
Kriget full album playlist