A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 2: Blues

 LIBERTY BLUES – Road Scrambler / Right Way Blues (Marilla, 1971)
English vocals
International relevance: **

All Liberty Blues managed to release during their five year existence was this single. Very much a throwback to the kind of rhythm & blues that was in vogue in the 60s. ”Road Scrambler” is brimming with fuzzed out energy, fighting to get out of the murky cellar in which it was recorded. At least it sounds like that. Being released on Hans Edler's Marilla imprint, maybe a few cents were put into the recording after all. The B side is a slow rolling blues but it still has a similar underground vibe including that overheated fuzz solo. Plenty of youthful charm and if you're into the style at all it's rather enjoyable.

OHLSSONS GROVA – One Scotch One Bourbon One Beer / One More Mile (NCS, 1971)
English vocals
International relevance: **

Legendary Kalmar outfit who had two singles out in 1971. This was their first, notable for some mean guitar playing courtesy of Bo Wilson. Wilson much later formed his own group, and the band also has loose ties to another Kalmar band, Kung Tung. It's plain blues, but it's very solid and that guitar elevates the single to a new level. The flipside of their second single was included on ”Swedish Meatballs, Vol. 2”. Both their singles are very rare and expensive.

VIGGO – Sings His Own Mississippi River And Blues In Stockholm (Intersound, 1971)
English vocals
International relevance: *

Norweigan born Viggo Paulsen moved to Stockholm in 1969 and there he recorded his only single. Both songs are just Viggo, his acoustic guitar, harmonica and somewhat tortured vocals. It's not so much blues as a 60s styled folk singer/songwriter. Not very good and certainly not worth the ridiculous asking prices on the collectors market. 

COOL HAMBONE – I'm So Tired Of It / Supervisor Blues (Tibet -46, 1972)
English vocals
International relevance: **

Rolf Wikström's debut was this 33 1/3 rpm single with two songs both around the 6 minute mark. There's not much that differs this from Wikström's better known later efforts except the English vocals. His raspy voice is already there, as is his penchant for overbearing guitar soloing. Without a doubt a desirable item for Wikström freaks but very little on offer to those who are not.

FRIENDS – To Bad / Burning Love (SMF, 1980)
English vocals
International relevance: **

Not to be confused with any other Friends, this is the lost chapter of the Blueset saga, with two original Blueset members, singer/guitarist Kenth Loong and bass player Ingemar Linder. The A side is a Loong original with misspelt title ”To Bad”, a slice of autobiographical blues based rock that isn't very exciting. The flip side is a stiff cover version of Dennis Linde's ”Burnin' Love” made famous by Elvis. Those who expect more of Blueset's shabby, stoned psych blues will be sorely disappointed. Two versions exist, a standard black vinyl issue and a red one.

Liberty Blues full single playlist
Cool Hambone full single playlist

Ohlssons Grova:
One Scotch One Bourbon One Beer
One More Mile
Viggo:
Mississippi River
Blues In Stockholm
Friends no links found

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Blandat band (Tibet -46, 1974)

 

 Ragnar Borgedahl / Sanitetsgruppen / Leif Ljung & Lennart Andersson / Ralph Onegård, Rainer och Reino Santi & Dan Jedenfeldt / Jämmer & Elände / Sjön Suger / Per Lönngren, Roger Wannberg & Bernt Lööf / Bernt Lööf & Jan Eriksson / Jemerton Jönssons / En Liten Ters / Equador Trampe & EVRF / Jaj Magnusson, Tore Söder & Alice Eriksson
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

”Bandet går” (”tape's rolling”) was a Swedish radio programme riding the airwaves throughout the 70's, starting in autumn 1971. True to the 'play your own song' ethos of the then burgeoning progg movement, it provided a public slot for unsigned DIY artists who sent their often crude home recordings made on reel-to-reel or cassette tapes, hoping to get their short time in the spotlight presented by well-known pop presenter Kersti Adams-Ray and long time music asset Stefan Wermelin. Many – most! – never got any further, but a few artists later rose to fame and even fortune. Among the contributors were Philemon Arthur & The Dung (the epitomic band of home recordings), Per Gessle (later to become a international mega star with Roxette), Ulf Lundell and Joakim Thåström of Swedish punk legends Ebba Grön and arena postpunkers Imperiet.

With Stefan Wermelin's involvement and never-tiring passion for off-pist music, selections from the radio show were released on the Tibet -46/Musiklaget label co-operated by him. Most participants never released anything outside of ”Blandat band” (”mixed tape”), but Ragnar Borgedahl had great success with the irresistably catchy ”Hum, hum från Humlegårn” when re-recorded for his debut LP. Sjön Suger managed to release a full four albums in the years to come, while Jemerton Jönssons had only one album in 1975.

But the best tracks both feature Bernt Lööf. One along with Per Lönngren and Roger Wärnberg whose ”Alla här på jorden” has a slight Christian vibe but is a really good full band track. The other track is with Jan Eriksson entitled ”Kan ljuset vända åter?”, a semi-psychedelic jewel that was rightfully brought to new life on the excellent ”Swedish Meatballs” heavy rock compilation. Two really good songs that have me hoping for a full archival release of these guys. They certainly deserve it.

The rest of the material is, as suggested above, much less impressive. Choose between misguided stabs at humour that probably wasn't funny even in 1974, C grade singer/songwriters with hardly any merit at all, and some sing-this-all-together crap typical of its time.

Ragnar Borgedahl - Hum hum från Humlegårn
Bernt Lööf & Jan Eriksson - Kan ljuset vända åter?

MALARIA – Malaria (Tibet -46, 1970)

English vocals

International relevance: None whatsoever, to anyone, anywhere

 

To the utter dread of some of my dearest friends (my girlfriend in particular), I have a seriously developed fascination, actually liking, for outsider music. You know, those people with a strong urge to make music although they really don't know how to do it. Music many people call just plain bad. However, bad music to me is music that tries so hard to appeal ”everyone”. Music without a personality, music without an idea and a true creative drive. Simply put, music without a reason. I'd much rather listen to every Shaggs or every Kenneth Higney in the world, than sit through 2 minutes of any Rihanna song of your choice. I find these outsiders inspiring in all their whacked-out, no-clue glory.

But I do have limits to this interest. They're far off, but they exist.

Malaria is way, way, WAY beyond that limit.

Honestly, this isn't just the worst progg album I've ever heard. It's the worst album I've ever heard. Of all. And I have thousands and thousands of albums to choose from. In so many genres. There is no worse album than this in the entire world. I kid you not. I speak the truth.

So, I like people without a clue how to make music. Malaria don't even have a clue what they don't have a clue of. Pull a dictionary from your shelf. Look for every derogative word in there. Put them together and you have a positive, overrating description of this album.

I've listened to this album several times, just to figure out what the hell is going on here. But it's impossible; you can't figure it out and neither can Malaria. But here's what I think is the deal: They're trying to make a psychedelic folk album. Well, they did at least end up with an album... released in 20 copies back in 1970. I'd be surprised if they managed to unload the entire edition. If they did, only their sorry friends must have bought it. If so, Malaria likely lost the very same friends within an hour. And their parents.

The friends probably lost their parents too.

The folk medley on side 2 is, er, ”interesting”. It's so completely lost at sea with no boat in sight on the entire Northern hemisphere. Or the Southern hemisphere either. Picture a family of drunken monkeys trying to figure out whether this flute is supposed to be in your mouth or in your ass, or if you can eat this drum, and you come close to what it sounds like. Compared to that, the ”Scarborough Fair” cover that follows it is almost enjoyable...

The ”favourite” track on the album is possibly ”Hold On, Abraham” though. It has a bass solo. Or something you might want to describe as a bass solo if you're in a good mood and the sun is shining and you slept well for a good long night. I once sent a Malaria CD-R to a friend of mine, with the appropriate warning and a malicious cheer to go along with it. He replied to me, ”I went on a Mallorca holiday for a week, and upon my return, the bass solo was still playing...” And remember, when the bass solo ends, it's followed by a guitar solo...

To say that the three Malaria guys, whose names shall be kept in secret out of care of their possible children, don't know how to play is to give unnecessary credit to their... musicianship. It's as if they've never seen a musical instrument ever before in their entire lives. ”Look! Is this what they call a guitar? Oh, this hole here, I think you're supposed to shout into it! Golly gee, I'm a guitarist now! Girls like guitarists! Cool!”

There was a vinyl reissue of this album in the 90's. I think it was in an edition of 200 copies. I used to have one of those. I bought it second hand in the shop where I first heard it. I needed to have it as a reminder of the first experience. It made me laugh so hard I accidentally turned another customer over; he was squatting on his haunches and I was laughing so hysterically I wasn't aware of him. I just couldn't stop laughing.

The knocked over guy didn't return to the shop for several months.

Later I sold my copy. I explained to the guy behind the counter just how bad the album was. He doubled the price I asked for it. ”If it's that bad,” he said, ”someone will buy it before the end of the week.” He was right. That's record collecting for you, folks!

There was also a massively rare 10 copies edition of the reissue with the cover and the inner sleeve screenprinted by Jon McCafferty who did the cover of "Green" for R.E.M.

If I am to say something good about this album, how impossible it may seem, then I guess it has to be that it reputedly inspired The Underground Failure to record and release their album soon after. If it isn't true, then there's nothing good to say about Malaria.

The Tibet -46 label later evolved into Musiklaget who released a handful of albums in the 70's.

"Hold On Abraham"