A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 8: Various singles

 

BLUESET – Midnight Rambler / The Band (Efel, 1970)

English vocals

International relevance: ***

Second single from Södertälje's Blueset. ”Midnight Rambler” is a pointless cover of The Rolling Stones monolith while the 'B' side is an autobiographical revamp of Willie Cobbs' ”You Don't Love Me” (which in turn was a modification of Bo Diddley's ”She's Fine, She's Mine”). Not any of Blueset's best moments.
 

RÖDA KAPELLET & UNGA GARDET – EP (Arbetarkultur, 1974)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Recorded in 1973 and released as a four-track EP the following year, this was Röda Kapellet's first release. Two of the songs are performed with vocal group Unga Gardet in a typical political leftwing style à la a less militant Freedom Singers/Knutna Nävar. Not good. The two remaining tracks are by the electric (and better) incarnation of Röda Kapellet. Not that neither ”Västeråsvisan” nor ”Rätt till ett meningsfullt jobb” is particularly good, but both have some drive to them that make them at least a little bit catchy. 

 

OKAY TEMIZ - Denizaltı Rüzgarları / Dokuz Sekiz (Yonca, 1975)

Instrumental

International relevance: ***

Something as unusual as a single from the magnificent Okay Temiz, released only in Turkey in the same year as the ”Turkish Folk Jazz” album but very different. It's actually rather different to most of Temiz did, especially in the 70s (although I do recognize the riff from somewhere). ”Denizaltı Rüzgarları” has a persistent, driving groove and is one of the funkiest tracks in his ouvre, and I could imagine someone remixing it for the dance floor unless it has already happened. ”Dokuz Sekiz” in turn is a freaky percussion workout with downright psychedelic shadings. An excellent non-album two-sider from both ends of the spectrum, thankfully reissued in 2017 by UK based label Arsivplak specialized on Turkish rarities – originals are rare and costly.

JAJJA BAND – Tårarna / Linda (MNW, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

A supergroup of sorts with members from November, Träd Gräs & Stenar, Eldkvarn, and Sigge Krantz from everyone from Bröderna Lönn to Archimedes Badkar. Not that it says much about how Jajja Band sounds – they were more of a standard period rock band with light strokes of punk and new wave. Interesting as a footnote to the abovementioned bands but nothing that stands up on its own merits.

 

MUSIC TEAM – Funny Way Of Livin' / Sweet Lorraine (no label, 1979)

English vocals

International relevance: -

The 'A' side is stupid horn rock boogie, the 'B' side is better but only just. And what's better about it is effectively ruined by Boel Peterson's intrusive back-up vocals anyway. Said to be a private release but the labels are suspiciously similar to the labels of Janne Goldmann's R & P Records so maybe there's a connection.

 

ACHILLEUS – Allt vi begär / Öbergs präster (Pang, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

One of many, many bands lured to the rogue label Pang Records by the dodgy Lars E. Carlsson who ran it between 1978 and 1984. The single was pressed, as often with Pang, in 500 copies and the band was gravely dissatisfied with the results. They were a hard rock band with some symphonic moves, and the inferior four track studio was not what they were promised and couldn't capture the sound they aimed for. They remixed the single in 2024 for streaming platforms, and while still an insufficient recording, it does sound better now. It's musically not very good though. Those who nevertheless want to hear more early Achilleus material can check out their streaming compilation ”The Sins Of Youth 1982-1984”.

 

TIEBREAK – Mina grannar (gillar inte rock'n'roll) / Balladen om Lotta Bengtsson (Pang, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

The singer's dialect suggests Tiebreak might have been from the Swedish West Coast. They sound very much like a Gothenburg version of Sydkraft, meaning irrelevant stupid rock'n'roll. Both songs are bad.

 

VICTIM – Framtid med hopp / Det var då han vann (Pang, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Clumsy hard rock verging on heavy metal from Vimmerby in the county of Småland. Poorly rehearsed and with a horrible, insipid singer. The cover art is bad even for a Pang release. Very expensive these days, but that has definitely more to do with rarity grade than musical value.
 

 

HELIUM HEAD – In The Sky / Take Me Home (Pang, 1982)

English vocals

International relevance: **

One more Pang 45, and one of the better. The band was from the small town of Yxbo in the Hälsingland county in the middle of Sweden and might have taken their name from the Sir Lord Baltimore song. The guitars are a bit metallic but Helium Head is generally closer to good old fashioned hard rock. ”In The Sky” is really catchy, and while the 'B' side ”Take Me Home” is also very melodic, it's not as good as the other track – it's a little bit too poppy for the style. Still a pity they never released anything else, they had more talent than many other bands screwed over by Pang.

Released without a picture sleeve.
 

 

DREAD NOT – Reggae Inna Umeå (no label, 1982)

English vocals

International relevance: *

Reggae band of little significance. They came from Umeå as revealed by the single's title, and despite a prime time television appearance, nothing came of the band except this one self-released and self-produced 7”. The only member I recognize is drummer Jan Gavelin who was in Harald Hedning in the mid 70s. Closer to brit reggae acts like Aswad and Steel Pulse and not very close to Jamaica, the 'A' side ”This World” is OK albeit formulaic, while 'B' side ”Welcome Brother” is entirely forgettable.

Blueset no links found
Helium Head no links found
Okay Temiz full single playlist (Bandcamp)
Tiebreak full single
Victim full single
Röda Kapellet & Unga Gardet:
Västeråsvisan / Världsungdomssången (with Unga Gardet) / Unga gardet (with Unga Gardet) / Rätt till ett meningsfull artbete
Jajja Band:
Tårarna / Linda (Soundcloud)
Music Team:
Funny Way Of Livin'
Achilleus:
Allt vi begär / Öbergs präster
Full remixed single playlist
Dread Not:
This World / Welcome Brother 

SKY HIGH – Sky High (Good Vibes, 1980)

 

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Guitarist Clas Yngström had been active since the early 70s and appeared on disc already in 1971 on Acke Gårdenäs's (Acke & Gurra) single ”There Is A Man In The Rain”. He joined forces with Dennis Huntington (Love Explosion) in political rock band Röda Ropet and appeared on their lone album ”Spänn bågen” in 1975. In the same year he took a real step forward as a guitarist with Soffgruppen who released their ”Greatest Sits”, one of the most forceful fusion jazz albums released in Sweden. He stayed with Soffgruppen for a couple of years, and following their demise, he started power trio Sky High in 1978. Starting out as a lingonberry version of Jimi Hendrix performing mostly his songs, they later turned into a lingonberry version of ZZ Top.

Sky High's first single was released by Sista Bussen in 1979, featuring completely pointless and more or less note-by-note covers of ”Red House” and ”Stone Free”. They then switched to Swedish vocals for a second Sista Bussen single, the anti nuclear power track ”Säj nej... till kärnkraft” backed with ”Säj ja... till livet”. The 'A' side was a translated Earl King cover while the flipside was a funky original track. The Hendrix influence is still evident, and Yngström really loves his own guitar wanking.

The eponymous debut album also appeared in shops in 1980. Only one Jimi cover, a translated version of ”I Don't Live Today”, but Yngström's own songs sound so much like Hendrix covers too that it's almost identity theft. Plus, he's a very nondescript singer. The only thing that gives this album some character is that all lyrics are in Swedish, something that would change already to the even more unlistenable second album ”Still Rockin'” from 1982.

”Sky High” was reissued on CD in 2005 with ”Red House” from the debut single plus both tracks from the second one as bonuses. Also added were two further provocatively redundant Hendrix covers (in English), ”Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” and ”Little Wing”.

Full album playlist with bonus tracks 
"Stone Free"

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: PROGGLÅDAN

You've probably noticed I mention ”Progglådan” (="the progg box") every now and then. It might be a good idea to explain what it is for those who might not really know.

”Progglådan” is a 40 CD (!!!) box set released by the Swedish Radio in 2013, compiling tons of recordings mainly from their weekly Tonkraft show that ran for 11 years beginning in 1972. The show's forerunner was Midnight Hour in the late 60s. ”Progglådan” came in a slipcase containing four smaller boxes with 10 discs each housed in cardboard sleeves. The four smaller boxes are thematically organized. Box A has heavy rock and blues, box B features instrumental and experimental bands, original proggers and punk, box C is folk progg and singer/songwriters, and box D collects melodic rock. A fantastic testament to Swedish progg with the best recordings from Swedish Radio's vast archive of special sessions – or is it?

In reality, it's not as great as it looks at a first glance and nowhere near as great as it could have been. Compiled by Coste Apetrea who said he worked on it for three years as the project constantly grew. It's hard to believe he put three years into it. Had he said a month, I would take his word for it. It's so shoddily done that not only is it disrespectful to the people who forked out quite a sum for it when it was available, but also to the artists involved.

Several names are misspelt which is a big no-no for a credible presentation – don't you think so too, Cotse Arpetea? The liner notes are so littered with completely moronic spelling mistakes that it sometimes looks as if Cesto Paterea just hammered down his fingers on the computer keyboard at random. Did you know your computer has a spellcheck function? It's impossible to read them without getting furious at the carelessness, and some ”words” take some time to figure out what they're actually supposed to be. I know for a fact that at least one person offered his proof reading services for free before the the whole shebang went to print, but Swedish Radio ignored him and obviously thought that this exercise in aleatoric typing would suffice. (I've done some proof reading myself over the years, and I prmoise you I've never seen anything like this.) I once wrote a Facebook comment when some gala celebrating ”Progglådan” was to be held, complaining about the impetuous writing and I just got the response ”it's supposed to be like that”. Talk about adding insult to injury. I don't know if it was Secto Trepaea who replied, but NO, IT'S NOT FUCKING SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT! Don't behave like a complete idiot who doesn't give a shit, and don't be proud of it! Thanks for your consideration.

The recording dates are too often wrong and insufficient. I thought Swedish Radio kept pedantic notes on session details, and if they do, then Tesco Repatae must have ignored them in favour of his own guessing game. I once did extensive research on the correct dates as far as possible, but I've unfortunately lost the document since and I just can't be arsed to do it all over again. Besides, it's not my bloody job to correct some ignorant fucker's deficient work. I don't get paid for it but I'm sure he did.

The editing of the recorded material is sometimes haphazard too. Several of the shows have songs cut from the original sessions and I can live with that even if its irritating, but sometimes a spoken intro to a missing song is left intact. It's like a glitch in the matrix. OK, it's a lot of material to listen through, but if you've worked on it for three years, then you should bloody well have the time to check if it's correct. Right, Tesco Eptarea? Otherwise, work on it one more year to make sure it's right.

 
You can always question the selection done for a compilation depending on your own taste, but some of the choices here are downright dubious. I know that Pugh Rogefeldt was asked to be included, but he failed to reply before deadline why the first disc is wasted on Cosmic Ray, a modern band recorded in Silence's studio in 2012 – not a Swedish Radio recording from the time ”Progglådan” covers, 1967-1985. I suspect this rushed decision has something to with Ocest Ptaaree being the producer of the Cosmic Ray recording... You see, he had a peculiar way of sneaking quite a few of his own recordings on here – De Gladas Kapell, Jukka Tolonen Band, Samla Mammas Manna (appear twice), Ramlösa Kvällar, and Cosmic Rays. It might not look much for a 40 CD box set, but no other musician is that extensively represented. And he never once spelled his own name wrong in the credits...

I don't know how royalties from the sales were shared, but I know – again for a fact – that less known bands weren't payed. And I know at least one musician who shall remain nameless was genuinely pissed off with the crappy presentation of the whole thing, telling me something to the effect of ”'Progglådan' will remain a kind of final statement but we'll have to live with this inferior release forever.' Exactly. This was a one-shot thing, and even though Eosct Aaeeprt at one point opened for a second volume, I doubt that will ever happen. This, I suspect, is what we'll get. A chance blown to produce something excellent and honorable for everyone involved. Including the fans, buyers and listeners.

This is why I've never reviewed ”Progglådan” in detail and never will. I don't think it deserves it. I will continue to mention individual shows in dedicated reviews when appropriate but I won't go through it disc by disc because it pisses me off every time I even look at it on my shelf. If you want to know what artists are included, check Discogs. Some of it is very good music, take your pick and check it on Youtube. Or borrow it from an unlucky friend who bought it and copy the stuff you like. Get it whichever way you prefer to get your stuff. It's your decision. Do what you will. Those responsible for it cared bugger all when it was compiled, so why would anyone care now what you do? If somebody objects, just tell them to send their written complaints to Octse Paertea, in two copies.

NOVEMBER – Live (Mellotronen, 1993; rec. 1970-1971)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

Habitually hailed as the best Swedish heavy rock band of the 70s, I'm not that big a fan of November. They had a few great tracks, but they also had a lot of formulaic power trio stuff that Cream had already done much better. So in all fairness, I'm not the target audience for an archival live disc of theirs, even if it's from their golden era of their first two albums.

Released in 1993, ”Live” was one of the first albums on the Mellotronen label (and a few years later reissued as a picture disc LP by Record Heaven). It features tracks from three different dates, one from 1970 and two from 1971. The first seven were recorded in 1971 for the Swedish Radio show Midnight Hour, the forerunner to the long running Tonkraft series that spawned so many excellent recordings. This live session was later included in truncated form in ”Progglådan” but in better sound.

Musically it's OK I guess but I don't know what Mellotronen did to the original tapes to sound this strange and murky. It's as if they've gone through some fake stereo processing even though the source recordings are true stereo as proven by ”Progglådan”. And it's not only the Midnight Hour tape that has this mucky fidelity; everything here sounds the same. Add to that the cheesy cover art, and ”Live” feels more like a bootleg than an authorized release. Real November fans are probably delighted by its existence regardless, but I think this is just a sloppy release in desperate need for a restored and more credible reissue.

Full album playlist

A SEVEN INCH SPECIAL, VOL. 3: Hard & heavy

 UPPÅT VÄGGARNA – Jag hatar politik / Jag färdas (Efel, 1971)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

One of the best Swedish heavy rock singles ever! No wonder originals are dead expensive. ”Jag hatar politik” was also on the third volume of ”Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils” as well as ”The Essence Of Swedish Progressive Music 1967-1979”, the 4CD box set released in conjunction with Tobias Peterson's progg encyclopedia. But the B side is almost as good with an inescapable riff and great soloing. Thankfully, the single was reissued in 2022 by Regain Records as a 12”. Not only that, Regain also unearthed two previously unreleased tracks, doubling Uppåt Väggarna's frustratingly slim discography. The two ”new” tracks, one sung in English, are from a radio session, and while the second of those aren't up to snuff, it's great seeing them out. Let's hope someone will find more archival material soon – Subliminal Sounds?

AFTER LIFE – Help Me / Into The Fire (Playback, 1971)
English vocals
International relevance: ***

Another classic single and another ”Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils, Vol III” selection, namely ”Help Me”. It's a decent track, not on the same level as Uppåt Väggarna, but it's better than the unnecessary and pretty tame Deep Purple cover ”Into The Fire” on the flip.

ZANE – Step Aside / Damage (MM, 1976)
English vocals
International relevance: ***

If After Life found their inspiration in Deep Purple, then Malmö's Zane are closer to Black Sabbath. With their seedy underground vibe, both tracks were comped on different volumes in the often great ”Brown Acid” series successfully exhuming obscure raw and rare hard rock singles from near and far. Both tracks are good, especially ”Step Aside”. A third track was recorded in 1980 and released on ”Vykort från Malmö”, an Amalthea V/A compilation of wildly disparate bands. The song, ”Malmö City”, shows a Zane then a wee bit closer to punk. Still OK though. 

BARON BULT – 75 ton stål / Gamla hjältar (PETCLA, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Baron Bult came from Stockkholm but sounds more like a Gothenburg band. ”75 ton stål” has some heavy aspirations but is essentially just dull rock typical to the turn of the decade. The B side is too close to youth center disco. It's not particularly expensive but I wouldn't pay even a small sum for it. They had another single out on RCA Victor in 1980 before fading into well-deserved obscurity. Prior to Baron Bult, main man Peter Wartin made an album with Claes Nordenskiöld in 1978, also on private label PETCLA.

E.F. BAND – Night Angel / Another Day Gone (Aerco, 1979)
English vocals
International relevance: **

E.F. Band, where E stands for bassist Pär Ericsson and F stands for guitarist/singer Bengt Fisher, became a rather successful band with some longevity, releasing three albums and as many singles during their lifetime. They were part of the FWOSHM, i.e. The First Wave Of Swedish Heavy Metal, the domestic equivalent to NWOBHM, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Only their debut 45 ”Night Angel” is remotely relevant to this blog, simply because it's a pretty effective track with an unexepected almost-Hawkwind drive to it. B side ”Another Day Gone” isn't too exciting though.

THE WAGABOND – This Is Life! / Wagabond (Grisbäck, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Released on Ulf Bejerstrand's Grisbäck label, a fact that should put you off immediately. ”This Is Life!” is a clumsy attempt at hard rock with faint punk elements. B side ”Wagabond” seems to aim for a more progressive style with tempo changes that they handle with the same elegance as if they were a poo snake in their hands. Terrible.

TIDEN LIDER / IMPULS – Norrland Export / Andetag (Manifest, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

A split single on the Northern Manifest label. ”Norrland Export” by Tiden Lider is a rather ambitious track perfectly ruined by Helena Tewolde Berhan's painfully piercing vocals. She sounds like Savage Rose's Anisette on 78 rpm. ”Andetag” by Impuls may or may not have a Pink Floyd influence, depending on what you're references are. Non-descript vocals are a relief after Tewolde Berhan's ear assault, but the entire track is uninteresting with an overlong guitar solo that leads nowhere.

TONVIKT – Samma batonger / Morgontankar (HRM, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Somewhat expensive 45, possibly because of the guitar playing which probably is the best thing about it. The A side is an anti-police brutality statement with clichés well-known from a plethora of punk songs of the same era. ”Morgontankar” is a kind of a ballad which is better than ”Samma batonger” but still not very good. An album's worth of 1978-80 material, some of it better than the 45, has been added to the single on guitarist Hans Hogedahl's Youtube channel. The band came from Kungälv outside Gothenburg.

FROZEN FIRE – Den mogna kvinnan / Eller hur (Pang, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Released on the shady Pang Records. ”Den mogna kvinnan” is little less than a revamp of ”Ballroom Blitz” and the B side is a bit too much boogie rock. Most surprising feature is an organ rarely associated with this kind of music. Pang had a few hard rock releases out, some more sought after than others. 

VAMPA – Plugget E.P. (BMP Produktion, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

An extremely rare three-track EP with an adolescent take on punk inclined hard rock/heavy metal but not without progressive touches. Title track ”Plugget” is a hate song to school and the weakest song on the seven-inch. ”Tåget” is pretty effective with a couple of tempo changes which is a far cry from anything Yes plus an endearingly bad guitar solo. Best track is the 6/8 instrumental ”Blackout”. Not for everyone but I find it all pretty charming. Reissued with new cover art in 2021 by Swedish reissue label On The Dole Records. 

CHRISTER NAHRENDORF 
 Sju minuter kvar (Återblick på år 2003.2) / En existensiell blues (Musiklaget, 1978)
Då e're alright / Hard Rock (Metronome, 1982)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **/*

Solen Skiner frontman Christer Nahrendorf made three solo singles between 1978 and 1986. None of these two here is that interesting but ”Sju minuter kvar” and ”En existensiell blues” both have a a slight symphonic vibe to them that might attract some listeners. At least if you can stand Nahrendorf reciting the dystopic lyrics of ”Sju minuter kvar”.

His second single has back-up band Hårt Regn (=”hard rain”) and is entirely ignorable. ”Då e're alright” sounds like a blatant attempt to get airplay. The B side's ”Hard Rock” in turn sounds like a parody ot exactly that.

Baron Bult full single
E.F. Band full single playlist
The Wagabond full single
Tiden Lider - Norrland Export full single
Impuls - Andetag full single
Tonvikt full single playlist + bonus
Frozen Fire full single playlist
Uppåt Väggarna full single playlist + bonus tracks (Bandcamp)
Vampa full single playlist (Bandcamp)
After Life:
Help Me
Into The Fire
Zane:
Step Aside
Damage
Christer Nahrendorf:
Sju minuter kvar / En existensiell blues full single playlist
Då e're alright / Hard Rock full single playlist

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Vad gör egentligen algerna på vintern? (Scam, 1974)

Featured artists: Stamp Från Kön / Di Sma Under Jårdi / Jan Ekedahl / Anders Peedu / Smaklösa / Olle Karlsson / Gotlands Jazzband / Pax Teatern / Gotlands Teater / Folklynnet / Ramlösa Cykelklubb / Peter Jankert / Lejonklösa / Unknown artist / Tranz
Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental
International relevance: *

A serious contender for strangest album title: ”What do algae actually do in the winter?”. The music within won't answer the question, it actually raises more questions, like ”Why does this album even exist?”. I assume it's an attempt to present the early 70s Gotland scene – Gotland being Sweden's biggest island well known for its unusual rock formations called rauks (and also the home of the godlike Cement).

The Scam label have an obvious place in progg history, having released 45s by acts such as Great Ad, Raunchy and 4 Ever, not to mention Solid Ground's sole album ”Made In Rock”. Although I'm not a fan of ”Made In Rock”, such a release schedule nevertheless raises the expectations a few notches. But almost the entire LP consists of various acoustic acts, several of them aspiring to comedy which isn't funny. A couple of them became rather famous years later, most notably Smaklösa and Di Sma Under Jårdi with the latter scoring a major hit with the appalling ”Snabbköpskassörskan” in 1985. Anders Peedu in turn had been in 60s freak rock band Friends who released a number of garage rock fuelled 45s of now legendary status. However, his contribution ”Rallarvisa” shows no traces of his noisy, ramshackle past – it's a traditional navvy song.

Everything on this album is bad with one striking exception. After sitting through terrible stabs at moronic humour, bad versions of trad songs, limp trad jazz and what might be the worst Bob Dylan cover ever recorded, the whole things goes out with a bang. ”Gamarnas sång” by Tranz is a riff heavy hard rock track mangling away for 7 minutes. If the vocals leave a bit to be desired, then the guitars fully make up for it. Thankfully, the track was salvaged from obscurity when it was included on the second volume of the marvellous ”Swedish Meathballs” comp in 2022, rendering ”Vad gör egentligen algerna på vintern” completely redundant.

Tranz - Gamarnas dans

MOTVIND – Hjärta av stål (Affection, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Their second to last album (followed by ”Kamikaze” in 1983) not counting reunions. They were never a good band to begin with, but this is even worse. The radio friendly hard rock production makes them sound like a second rate Jerusalem, and singer/guitarist Juris Salmins machoisms are even more grating than before.

Full album playlist

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

ÖBACKA SÅGVÄRCK – Haru nånsin varit död (Subliminal Sounds, 1969-1972, released 2023)

Swedish vocals

International relevance ***

I don't know where this notion comes from that if something has gone unreleased for decades, that's enough reason to finally put it out there. Or for that matter where this misconception originates that if something is crappy-sounding and the musicians can tell an instrument from a muckrake by nature should be better than music performed in a comprehensible fashion. Sometimes a reissue label hits pure gold, as Subliminal Sounds did with the amazing Great Ad album, but very few archival releases can match that one. So I took Subliminal Sounds' blurb for ”Haru nånsin varit död” ”a mind-bending musical discovery” with a huge pinch of salt. But perhaps they weren't entirely wrong this time after all?

A shortlived Umeå band, Öbacka Sågvärck only existed between 1969 and 1972. During that period they managed to create some surprisingly forward-looking heavy rock several years ahead of its time. It might be that they even beat November, consensually hailed as Sweden's first proper hard rock band, to the punch. Only that Öbacka Sågvärck were a far dirtier, sleazier, grittier combo judging by these underground tapes.

And underground it is, for better or for worse. Let's start with the bad. The longest track, the closing medley of ”A dä lä dää” and ”Centralgården”, has a horrendous sound, so bad it sounds like a severe hearing disorder. Another drawback is that two tracks are repeated (including ”A dä lä dää”), so if you chop these out, you're left with merely half an album (more precisely side one). It suggests that there wasn't too many usable recordings to choose from, and that fillers were needed to flesh out the running time.

The good thing is that the remaining half is rather impressive. This is how I want my hard rock: a loud, nasty, low-down, take-no-prisoners ruckus, with an authority that can easily out-do several better-known bands in the genre. It's not quite that promised ”mind-bending musical discovery”, and it's not on the same level as Great Ad, but the good parts are indeed valuable and until now unknown pieces in a historic jigsaw puzzle. Regardless of my objections, that justifies this release that deserves to heard and appriciated accordingly by fans and historians alike.

Full album playlist

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Göteborgsrock/Ytterrock (Pang, 1982)

 
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *

A ghastly various artists compilation released on the infamous Pang label in 1982, consisting of B grade Gothenburg bands. As often with albums of this kind, it's stylistically all over the place, with really terrible middle-of-the-road rock by Midnight, some spineless reggae by Malta Feber, hard rock by Nya Ambulansen that only deaf people can enjoy, and some untalented new wave/punk by F.K.M. I doubt that there's anything like Blå Schäfer completists in this world, but if there are, their two tracks are surely the most interesting in this lot (but they suck too).

Full album

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Swedish Meatballs Vols. 1 & 2: The Psychedelic Hard Rock Underground 1970-1977 (Subliminal Sounds, 2022)

 
Featured artists: Älgarna / Högtryck / Styv Kuling / Rabatt / Strike / Jan & Bert / Frozen Fire / Fire / Tranz / Paul Edoh's Class Breakers / Mogens Klyvare Hose Band / Ohlssons Grova / I Blomm
Swedish vocals, English vocals, instrumental
International relevance ***

Long before these two compilations were released, I was hoping that someone would get their hands dirty and get the work done. Who else would but Subliminal Sounds? Two volumes of Swedish 70s hard rock singles ranging from the rare to the impossible, some names completely unknown to me and most likely to a lot of others too. Some of it has been available in crappy rips on Youtube, but who the hell were Jan & Bert (Resonans), Paul Edoh's Class Breakers, Mogens Klyvare Hose Band and I Blomm? Among the better known names I spot Älgarna, Rabatt, Högtryck and Ohlssons Grova.

Released as two separate volumes but they should really be considered one entity. The first volume covers 1970 to 1977, the second 1971 to 1977, i.e. the golden age of Swedish hard rock, the years before squealing heavy metal washed over Sweden from the UK. Not to say that there wasn't any good heavy metal during the NWOBHM era and the Swedish counterpart FWOSHM (the First Wave Of Swedish Heavy Metal) because there was, but if I have to choose I'd go for the pre-HM years. (Those who want to dip their toes in the more obscure waters of FWOSHM might want to try ”Jobcentre Rejects, Vol. 4”.)

As always the case with comps like these, there are tracks you'd rather have swapped for something else, but the duds are few here and not that terrible so it's not really something to get hung up about. I'm more than delighted to see both tracks from Rabatt's exceedingly rare 1971 single here, ”X:et” and ”Look Till You Find”, which also happens to be the most psychedelic sounding on offer. Älgarna's ”Crowned King” sounds almost like Nature on a dark night (and better than Nature if you ask me), while Jan & Bert's ”Kan ljuset vända åter” is a tasty blend of psych, heavy rock, West Coast singing, jazz and progressive. Ohlssons Grova's ”Strange Infection” is a marvellous piece of blues-inflected heavy rock, while ”Mäskaktigt” by I Blomm is a proto-doom instrumental that hints at Black Sabbath and the underworld shadings of Bobby Liebling's Pentagram. I could go on naming names, but you get the drift: These are two volumes unmissable to anyone into 70s heavy rock, and to others as well.

Full album playlist (both volumes)

JERUSALEM – Complete albums 1978-1981

Swedish vocals
International relevance: */**

Jerusalem was the most popular Christian rock band Sweden had to offer at the time, reaching listeners far outside the religious circuits, even playing to foreign audiences. Founded near Gothenburg, they had a lot of the straight-ahead, dry sound typical to the late 70s bands of the area. Jerusalem was mainly a mainstream band but earned their popularity from their touches of hard rock and boogie rock. Their first album (sometimes referred to as ”Volym 1”) was released in 1978 and is an undigstinguished effort that fails to make much of an impression, with lacklustre sound and mediocre writing.

”Volym 2” is slightly heavier, slightly better produced, and slightly better. The most interesting tracks (without being that interesting) are ”Getsemane” and the extended ”Introduktion” which both features some progg characteristics.

Third album ”Krigsman” is probably the best one here overall, and also the most progressive one thanks to the title track with passionate vocals from Jerusalem main man Ulf Christiansson, ”Moderne man” which is the top track in this collection, and the 12 minute epic ”Sodom”.

This might give you the idea that Jerusalem are at least occasionally worthwhile, but I can't say they are. Most of the time they're mediocre and dull. Even duller is Ulf Christiansson's solo album ”I mina drömmar” released as Uffe in 1982, a painfully boring collection of radio friendly dross that shows hardly any of Jerusalem's heavier side which after all is their strongest point.

Jerusalem full album playlist
Volym 2 full album playlist
Krigsman full album playlist
I mina drömmar full album playlist

ALEXANDER LUCAS – Alexander Lucas (Subliminal Sounds, recorded 1969-1976, released 2022)

English vocals, Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***

One of the 'lost' bands of Swedish 70s hard rock, with only one seven-inch released in 1973 on the Efel label. And what a seven-inch it is! Especially the 'B' side ”Svarta skogen” is a full-blooded hard rock classic. The other track, ”Speed”, might be weighed-down by embarrasingly poor English pronounciation and some flat vocals but the song itself is still good. So my interest peaked when Subliminal Sounds announced an archival release of Alexander Lucas. Especially following the label's powerhouse release of Great Ad which will stand as one of the best Swedish tape archive clear-outs for many years to come.

There's a lot to like on ”Alexander Lucas”, but it also reveals the band's shortcomings – the vocals in particular were obviously a constant problem that unfortunately weakens the impact some. The adolescent machoisms occasionally occuring are downright cringeworthy even for a hard rock band, and the material is somewhat inconsistent too. Inferior tracks include ”Race To Heaven”, ”The Saint”, a completely pointless cover of ”Johnny B. Goode” and – worst of all – the absolutely dreadful ”You're Gonna Die” that not only has seriously embarrassing lyrics but also the silliest attempt at ”scary” vocals ever. The compilation would certainly have benefitted from a less allowing selection – it would have presented Alexander Lucas in a generally better light and the listener would have had fewer annoying moments. Nothing here is as good as the 45 tracks that open the album, but there are still a few things here that stand up fairly well and deserve to be heard. The guitar playing is pretty great too, with a nice bite and quite a few Eastern influences. I can also sense small bits of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, November and even Deep Purple scattered among the tracks. ”Free To Ride” even comes off as an early blueprint for a Motörhead that hadn't yet made their debut on record! 

I wouldn't call this essential to the casual listener, but if you're interested in obscure 70s hard rock, this will surely be a welcome listen, especially if you harness your expectations and are prepared for a couple of duds along the way.

Full album playlist

MANTRA – Take It! (A-Disc, 1980)

Instrumental
International relevance: *

Latecomers to the A-Disc roster, Mantra's debut album showed more than a few commercial leanings towards the radio friendly pop rock of the day as well as dehydrated funk fusion and disco. One track, ”Swing Your Thing” suspiciously shares a few features with Toto's ”Hold The Line” which is revealing enough. ”I Sold My Soul (To Rock 'n' Roll?)” is – with a question mark or without it – one of the worst over-used song titles ever. It doesn't matter that it's probably used here as a tongue-in-cheek hint at the slight hard rock charasteristics sneaking into what's basically a mediocre jazz fusion track. Guitarist, songwriter and arranger Henrik Janson obviously had a taste for American FM hard rock, as his playing is soaked with it. The album is entirely instrumental, but whether that's for the better or for the worse is impossible to say since ”Take It” sucks harder than an anabolic Hoover anyway.

Mantra had a few 45s out and released their second album ”Mantraction” on the Hill label in 1982 before Janson turned to a prolific career as a studio guitarist. He was also a member of Mikael Ramel's backing band Harru Lust in the early 80s (appearing on ”Strömavbrott” from 1982 and ”Bra sak” from 1984), and Ramel also wrote the lyrics for one of Mantra's songs on ”Mantraction”.

Balladtime

HEAVY LOAD – Full Speed At High Level (Heavy Sound, 1978)

English vocals
 International relevance: *

Formed in 1976 as a trio by brothers Ragne and Styrbjörn Wahlquist, it wasn't until the early 80's that Stockholm band Heavy Load had their real breakthrough – as a quartet – championed by Sweden's then only high profile heavy metal journalist Anders Tengner. Albums ”Death Or Glory” and ”Stronger Than Dirt” – along with busy gigging – made them into Sweden's first prominent contribution to the ever growing heavy metal scene. With their old Norse aesthetics, they were also pioneers of what was to become known as the nebulous Viking metal style, predating even Bathory with a couple of years.

However, when ”Death Or Glory” was released in 1982, they already had one album out. Released as early as in 1978, ”Full Speed At High Level” was self-financed with support from Stockholm hard rock shop Heavy Sound who put it out on its shortlived imprint bearing the same name as the shop. Falling somewhere between 70's hard rock and the not yet fully developed heavy metal, ”Full Speed At High Level” not only suffers from being insufficiently self-produced, but worse: inexperienced songwriting and amateurish playing. Ragne Wahlquist's vocals are laughably bad, weak and screechy, much like the guitars actually. The drums (handled by Styrbjörn Wahlquist) try so hard to be powerful, but due to the inferior production, it sounds is if they never quite gel with the rest of the music. Dan Molén's bass is perfectly audible though, flipflopflapping about in the midrange. It takes only one listen to ”Full Speed At High Level” to understand why Heavy Load was once dubbed Sweden's very own Spinal Tap.

The best tracks, if you can find anything here worthy of that description, are also the two most rooted in prog, the rambling, twelve-minute ”Storm” and ”Caroline”, which could have been moody with a producer without a broken hearing aid.

Heavy Load's later albums aren't good either, but at least the band hade obtained some clue of what they were doing by then. Here they just don't know squat. ”Full Speed At High Level” flaps and flaps like a psychotic turkey, never going anywhere but right down to the ground. It's easy to poke fun at this meltdown as the ambitions are so high and the results are so low, but honestly, it deserves no better than being laughed at – hard. It's more comedy than anything else, and a definite must-hear for fans of grand fails.

Full album

GREAT AD – Deep Down Death (Subliminal Sounds, recorded 1975-1976, released 2022)

 English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: ***

Malmö trio Great Ad only managed to release two 45's during their existence, both on the Scam label famous (or infamous) for Solid Ground's exceedingly rare ”Made In Rock” LP. With the singles issued in tiny editions of 100 each, in 1975 and 1976 respectively, they too are gargantuan rarities. Both singles are featured on Subliminal Sounds' archival release ”Deep Down Death”, fleshed out with more primitive but for the most part OK sounding recordings (especially in the 'basement' category) made before the band broke up as an even more confident five-piece due to military draft.

The four singles tracks open the compilation with classic mid-70's hard rock with progressive moves. But it's the unreleased material that truly reveals Great Ad's potential and explains why they once were dubbed 'Northern Europe's most violent band'. Tough riffing and unhinged-to-the-point-of-transgressive guitar soloing, plus: surprisingly convincing vocals! The fidelity even emphasizes the band's inherent rawness that sets them apart from several other hard rock bands of the era that may have had weight but not necessarily grit. Great Ad had both, and at times they could whip up a menacing, intimidating sound that almost makes me think of Blue Cheer in their heyday. Not in style, but in power.

There are plenty of albums that should have been kept forever hostage by oblivion and not being reissued. And there are many archival tapes that should never have been excavated from whatever putrid abyss they originated from. That's certainly not the case with ”Deep Down Death”. The question here is not why this was released. The question here is why this wasn't released before. Hadn't fate had other plans for Great Ad, they could have been legends. In a way they were. It only took us almost 40 years to find out.

Full album playlist (Bandcamp)

MA CONNECTION – 8691 (Brute Force, 1981)

 
English lyrics

International relevance: **

Semi-professional sounding private release from this Umeå band which existed from 1980 to 1982 and toured with other local bands as well as being support act to wellknown Luleå band Rekyl. More of a heavy rock outfit somewhere between early ZZ Top (only better, which isn't too hard to be!) and other somewhat less boogie-inflicted contemporaries. Despite the year of release, there are surprisingly few signs of Ma Connection taking cues from the then burgeoning NWOBHM scene. Progressive moves are prevalent albeit faint; they're much more steeped in the pre-heavy metal hard rock of the 70s. Although I'm not much of a genre fan (although not entirely dismissive of it either), I won't deny there's something decidedly appealing about the curiously titled ”8691”. The performances – eight tracks in total – are passionate and the playing is tight and spirited. The vocals are only so-so but they add a down-to-earth blue-collar gutter vibe to the music which in fact is pretty tasty.

The songs aren't bad at all, especially in their field. I find myself tapping my feet and nodding my head to ”Mighty Men Of Power” and the gritty ”You Will Care” which, to top it off rather nicely, sports some Eastern-sounding guitar work. All tracks are originals, and given the high quality of the material, that is in fact pretty impressive. Only album closer ”Aching Heart Disease” is a bit 'meh”, being a rather pedestrian blues (and at almost 7 minutes, overlong).

Only 300 copies were pressed, and on the rare occassions ”8691” comes up for sale, it has a rather hefty pricetag attached to it. I can see why: genre fans must drag their drooling tongues on the ground over this! This one is certainly ripe for a proper reissue. Shadoks, are you listening?

Ma Connection also had a live cassette out, ”Live At Elvira”, of which I know nothing.

For those who may wonder, the cryptic album title refers to Martini Bianco.

Full album playlist

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Frälst! A Selection Of Swedish Christian Grooves 1969-1979 (Subliminal Sounds, 2022)

 
Featured artists: Dunkersgruppen / Shepherds / Tomas Ernvik / Sånggruppen LIV / Sambandet / Birgitta Yavari / Siw Sjöberg / Alea Jacta Est / "Boppe" Bengt-Olof Perhamn / Humlans Funkykapell / Tillsammans / The Vergers / Obajda / Kyrkans Ungdom I Osby / Janne - Roberth - Willy / Mission Impossible / Vatten / Ingamay Hörnberg / New Creation
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: ***

The American Xian (Christian) underground has been pretty well documented with several reissues of key albums and compilations extracting the best examples of what the Jesus Folk movement had to offer musically. A lot of work in that direction is still needed, but this once so neglected musical area has gained more attention in recent years than ever before. True that a lot of Xian music is absolutely dreadful to listen to, every bit as bad as it's said to be, but there are indeed albums from especially the 70s that are quite stunning, and tracks scattered on other, more uneven LP's that are worthy of resurrection. Some truly strange and bizarre music lurks in the world of Xian vinyl; fuzzed out garage rock, brain-dizzying psychedelia, singer/songwriters that are just as talented as better-known non-religious ones... and there are albums that are so weird that almost no readymade tag applies.

I don't think anyone really knows how many Xian albums were released in Sweden during the Jesus era of mainly the 70s, but with Jesus having a strong hold of Sweden during the decade, and with the Swedish Jesus movement being selfsufficient as far as recording studios, pressing plants and distribution go, a guess at several hundreds – perhaps even thousands – isn't at all laughable. Many of those turn up in the most ignored charity shop crates, and most of them remain ignored too by most flea market vinylnauts. I say most, because in some places, those maligned albums have caught more interest as the years have gone by. Somewhere on some album with a particularly appalling cover, an absolutely mindblowing track might hide. Don't forget New Creation's devastating psych anthem ”He Is There”, first brought back to life by the third volume of ”Who Will By These Wonderful Evils”! Finding just one other such track is what keeps the most hard-headed flea market hunters going despite an obvious health hazard doing so. Because bringing home ten, twenty, fifty albums of rosy-cheeked, psychotically smiling Bible thumpers, you make yourself prey to a blah-blah-ga-ga-da-da condition that may take years or more to recover from. Sanity is a fragile thing. Be careful out there.

Therefore, a compilation like ”Frälst! A Selection Of Swedish Christian Grooves 1969-1979” has been much needed for quite some time by anyone with a gnawing suspicion that they might miss out on some real goodies if you don't willingly put your health at risk. I'm somewhere in-between those who don't want to go deeper into the deep end, and those who never once betray their mission to find the next ”He Is There”, and so ”Frälst!” (meaning ”Saved!”) comes in very handy as a rough guide to the netherworld of Xian vinyl.

Compiled by Subliminal Sounds, known for their endless quest for buried treasures, the label has done some death-defying work looking in places few sane people dare to tread. It has to be said that ”Frälst!” isn't the be all and end all release -- after all, its subtitle clearly says "a selection". Thomas Ernvik is featured on all versions, but Vatten only on the vinyl version of the album; Vatten being one of the most heralded Xian Swedish bands, thanks to their hard rock sound championed by many a collector around the globe. And there are other bands that have come up with quite decent tracks too, such as Christallen, that are missing from the selection. And as always, some might questions the track picks. But the interesting thing isn't what's not here but what is. Although not every track in this collection is a winner, ”Frälst!” successfully paints a picture of a 'genre' that thoroughly contradicts the common view of it. While the sometimes over-zealous vocals and in-your-face sermonising can remain a bone of contention, there are some real fiery guitars and relentless grooving going on here, and that's what you have to focus on if you allow yourself step outside any stale preconceptions to be surprised at the width and depth of the 'genre'. I say 'genre', with quotation marks, because it's of course not correct to speak of Xian music as a heterogeneous genre: “Frälst!” contains heavy rock, tracks that head in a slight funk direction, folk, and things that can't be named anything but psychedelia.

Artists include Siw Sjöberg, Sambandet, Kyrkans Ungdom i Osby, The Vergers, Mission Impossible, Obadja and Shepherds. Some of them are slightly better known, such as Tillsammans (on Kompass) and the aforementioned Tomas Ernvik, but most of them are virtually completely unknown outside the religious world – and some probably also within the Xian community. At least nowadays. Thanks to a carefully crafted running order, “Frälst!” comes off as surprisingly consistent. Highpoints include the quirky “I Am Free” (Sambandet), the brooding “Kom till mej” (Tillsammans), the strangely ethereal “Halva världen svälter” (Shepherds) and the marvellous “Mission Impossible” (Mission Impossible) that rounds off the digital version in a doomy organ-driven fashion that easily makes it the best track in this entire lot. The vinyl version has a slightly different tracklist and ends with an even bigger bang, the aforementioned "He Is There" by New Creation. 

I can only imagine what a massive task it must have been to find these gems. Subliminal Sounds deserve all credit possible for not only excavating them, but to construct an album that is, for the most part, rewarding to a point basically no original Xian album is. It's perfectly fine to settle for “Frälst!”, but if you dare going trawling through the flea market crates that God forgot to find more of this stuff, it's a brilliant starting point to set you off.

Full album playlist on Bandcamp

BJÖRN FAMNE – Björn Famne (Rasp, EP 1975)

English vocals, instrumental

International relevance: **

Despite being only a five-track 7” EP, Björn Famne's lone solo outing is a split personality work musically speaking. It features a semi-spacey take on classic trad tune ”Visa från Utanmyra” with soft wah wah, vibraphone and acoustic guitar clearly nspirated by UK folk guitars such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Davey Graham. The acoustic twin guitar work of Renbourn and Jansch is also evident on ”Bach Goes to Town”, while ”Mañha De Carneval” is soft late night bossa nova. ”Njudungssjåttis” is a bluesy rock'n'roll track of little merit.

The track here that really stands out here is the EP's only non-instrumental and also Famne's most famous one, ”Vampire”. Full of wild, screaming electric guitars over a persistent heavy groove it wouldn't have been out of place on Scorpion's ”I Am The Scorpion”. It would also have been the best track on that album. Instead this example of excellent half sloppy hard rock was resurrected for the third volume of the comp series ”Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils" which turned into a fullblown classic.

Björn Famne is still active and has played with several bands in different genres over the years. His recorded output is relatively meagre though. Apart from this very rare EP (made a bit more obtainable by the Woah Dad! Record Store Day 12" reissue in 2016), there are a couple of tracks by Famne led band Famntag on the local ”Aktiv Ungdom: Alsterett” V/A comp. He also made an album and a couple of singles with Örebro band Lix in the early/mid 80's, and appeared on an EP by Christian youth choir Ingarps Ungdomskör, ”Jag vill leva nära dig” (release date unknown).

Full album playlist