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?

ULF LUNDELL – Vargmåne (Harvest, 1975) / Törst (Harvest, 1976) / Natten hade varit mild och öm (Harvest, 1977)

”Ulf Lundell's not progg!!!” I hear the outraged voices cry. But if John Holm and Ola Magnell should be here, then why not Lundell? Any objections to the inclusion fall in the Tomas Ledin category, i.e. only the prejudicial ear trying to dictate what's right and what's wrong.

Ulf Lundell sent his demo tapes to both MNW and Silence. They rejected him. And it's the same old story: he wasn't political enough. Again the overlords had spoken. So instead, he went to EMI who recognized Lundell's potential and offered him a deal with their progressive subsidiary Harvest. In early September 1975, seven months before his debut novel ”Jack” was published, ”Vargmåne” hit the shops.

Vargmåne (Harvest, 1975)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

Recorded in only four days with Finn Sjöberg (Kvartetten Som Sprängde) as an arranger and guitarist, and Mats Ronander of Nature on harmonica. Reputedly, Lundell was unhappy with the finished album, but it's a prime example of mid 70's Swedish rock, with classic tracks such as ”Stockholms City” and ”Sextisju, sextisju”. ”När duellen är över” should be as classic. But the best track is ”Bente”, a claustrophobic tale of a prostitute trapped in the big city netherworld. going down slowly but mercilessly on drugs. The song ends with a chilling question, made even more icy by Sjöberg's guitar, objective like steel, glass and concrete. His arrangement is perfect, and apart from being one of the best songs I know of written in the Swedish language, it's a billion times more thought-provoking than anything to ever come out on labels like Nacksving, Proletärkultur or, for that matter, MNW. But exactly that might the problem here – they didn't want any questions and independent thinking, they only wanted pre-fabricated answers.

With a song like ”Bente”, it doesn't matter that ”Sniglar och krut” and ”Jesse James möter kärleken” are pure crap.

Törst (Harvest, 1976)
Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

 

There's an equivalent to ”Bente” on Lundell's second album: ”Birgitta hon dansar”. It could almost be the sequel to ”Bente”, with the main character having lost her grip of reality and gotten locked up in a psychiatric ward. The claustrophobia is even denser here, like blinding smoke so thick you could touch it like bleeding fingertips rub against a raw surface. This isn't nice and kind music, it stares you straight in the face with reality's bloodshot eyes.

The ambivalent ”USA” deals with the nation of the song title in a credible 'can't live with it, can't live without it' way that's completely foreign to the militant anti-imperialist lot collecting double standards as if it was baseball cards.

The title track and ”Cobra Rax” in turn offer a peek into the same shady regions of the capital city as depicted in ”Stockholms City” off the first album.

”Jag vill ha ett lejon” might be too lightweight, but thankfully that and ”Och går en stund på jorden” provide some relief on an album that otherwise is as dark as the cover art is white. ”Törst” is often overlooked in Ulf Lundell's oeuvre but to me, it's his best and most gripping album.

Finn Sjöberg is still on board here, and Mats Glenngård appears on violin.

Natten hade varit mild och öm (Harvest, 1977)

as Ulf Lundell & Nature

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: **

This one usually gets general bashing, and I agreed before but I've come to re-evaluate a whole lot with time. It was recorded with blues band Nature (one of Pugh Rogefeldt's signings to the Gump label) on their mutual ramshackle tour of 1976-77. It mixes cover versions of rock standards – ”Route 66” and ”My Generation” sung by Mats Ronander – with chestnuts from Lundell's first two albums plus otherwise unreleased songs. ”Natten hade varit mild och öm” is to Lundell what ”Hard Rain” is to Dylan, i.e. a peculiar and sloppy live document with inferior sound and odd song choices. But that's what makes so intriguing and different to any other Lundell album out there. It's the sound of scruffy hobos thundering across the nation. "Progglådan" contains a Tonkraft show from the same period but while still OK (Lundell sounds nervous), it's a more polite document than this beautiful mess.

”Natten hade varit mild och öm” was reissued on CD in 2000 with five bonus tracks including ”USA” and ”Bente”.

Ulf Lundell went on to record numerous albums and write several books. He's one of the most well-known artists in Sweden.

Full album playlist with bonus tracks

Törst full album playlist with bonus tracks  

Natten hade varit mild och öm full album playlis with bonus tracks

Tonkraft 1976 full album playlist