PÄR LINDBLOM – I grönsakslandet (RCA Victor, 1973)

 

Swedish vocals, instrumental

International relevance:**

Pär Lindblom has had many ways of earning his living. He started out in music in the early 70s, releasing his first album ”I grönsakslandet” on major label RCA Victor appealingly produced by his old schoolmate Tomas Ledin, made his second album two years later, appeared on Mora Träsk's debut album, turned to acting with Fria Proteatern and Musikteatergruppen Oktober, became a household face after appearing in a lottery TV commercial before becoming an author and illustrator of children's books in the late 90s. He also did a temporary music comeback with two CD singles in the mid 90s.

All songs on ”I grönsakslandet” are originals, and probably thanks to Ledin's involvement, he managed to get a line-up of seasoned studio musicians to back him up. Which means the usual suspects Jan Schaffer, Björn J:son Lindh, Stefan Brolund and Ola Brunkert. Lindholm himself isn't quite up to their level. His songs are OK enough, a bit of singer/songerwriter with some flashes of folk, but his vocals have an everyday feel to them. His voice is a wee bit like Bernt Staf's, but less piercingly nasal. 

But the ordinariness is also the contradictory charm of the album: It's like talking to someone about the weather and the rising cost of living and even though nothing is really said, it's quite pleasant, and then you step on the bus and go home with your grocery bag and you think, ”that was a nice fella”. And this was an unspectacular, nice nice album.

Grönsakslandet
Siw färg-tv

GERD – Radio Ellen Special (Radio Ellen, 1982)

 

 Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: **

Radio Ellen was an important feminist show on Swedish national radio aired between 1981 and 1995. They did interviews with unknown women at ordinary jobs, and the content was sometimes controversial for its time. The program broadcast from three cities originally, Luleå, Umeå and Gothenburg, and presented female artists in special studio sessions. The first of those was Gerd Sjöblom-Ulander who appeared on the very first episode, from Umeå in September 1981. A full album of songs she performed on the show was eventually released on Radio Ellen's one-shot label, according to some sources in 1982 although no release date is specified anywhere on the cover or label.

Simply called Gerd on the album, she has quite a fine voice, a bit jazzy and a bit folkish. As a matter of fact, she sometimes reminds me a little bit of UK indie/folk singer Heidi Berry. A few songs are originals, but the majority are covers of the likes of Chi Coltrane, Carla Bley, Laura Nyro and Violetta Parra. Some are acoustic and some feature a band backing. It's not a masterpiece, but it's certainly better than I expected from the album cover. And like I said, her voice is really enjoyable.

Interesting to note is that Gerd's husband also appearing here was saxophonist Lars-Göran Ulander who had previously been in Berndt Egerbladh's quartet, has albums out with free jazz pianist Per-Henrik Wallin, and later joined forces with Mats Gustafsson in his free jazz powerhouse outfit Fire! Orchestra.

No links found

ERIK ASCHAN – Erik Aschan (E. Aschan 73, 1973)

Swedish vocals, English vocals

International relevance: **

It took me a while to realize what my real problem with Erik Aschan is. He's part talented and part delusional – he probably holds the world record of mentioning his own name most times on a record cover, but although egomaniacs can be annoying, they're not necessarily scary. Then I realized that listening to Aschan is like talking to a friendly stranger in the street and suddenly catching a dark flash in his eye that gives you an uneasy feeling you can't quite explain. Not that I think Aschan is a violent man or anything, on the contrary, I think he's Mr. Peace himself, but something just feels off and it makes me feel awkward. 

This is Erik Aschan's first of six privately pressed albums up to 1986, and unlike several of his later ones an all acoustic effort. A couple of tracks are quite good like ”Om du inte fanns” and ”En sommarvind”, the latter a bit similar to Roy Harper around ”Folkjokeopus”. Others are melodically indistinct and just samy strummy which make me lose attention. And then there's ”Vilse i stora skogen”, ten very self-indulgent minutes that the album would have done better without. It's a thousand times better than John-Erik Axelsson, but a Kjell Höglund Aschan is not.

Full album

CARL-ANDERS DEXTER – Sån't som får mig att ilskna till (Contra, 1978) / En sång om friheten (Contra, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Carl-Anders Dexter is a truly rare bird in the progg universe. He hates everything from the political left, and he really hates communists. I mean he really hates them! He hates them so much that he recorded two albums in 1978 and 1981 respectively just to tell everybody how much he hates communists. And then he released them on Contra, a publishing company known for really hating communists.

Dexter (if that's his real name - ”dexter” is Latin for ”right” and it seems a little too appropriate if that was his birth name) was obviously a Merle Haggard fan. There's two Haggard songs on ”Sån't som får mig att ilska till” (=”things that makes me angry”). One of them is, needless to say, ”Okie From Muskogee” which may or may not be ironic on Haggard's part, but here every trace of possible irony is gone. There's a bit of country in Dexter's original songs too, but filtered through the jiggly sound of Swedish dance bands. With the difference that Dexter's songs are so musically stiff that I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to dance to them.

And then there's his vocals. His prosody is peculiarly squeaky and his articulation is so exaggerated that the whole thing almost comes off as parody – his rolled Rs are so overly clear that he sounds like a singing vibrator.

But there's no parody involved here, and if Dexter has anything like humour in him, it only comes out as coarse assaults. It's like listening to an inverted Knutna Nävar. They are both equally intransigent, only coming from the extreme opposites of the political spectrum. Except that Knutna Nävar actually had one or two pretty good songs and they sometimes even, probably by mistake, could swing a bit.

Carl-Anders Dexter's two albums were later reissued as ”Dexter ilsknar till igen”, a CD-r again on the Contra label with a few songs omitted plus one previously unreleased radio session (how on earth did he get on the radio?!). He also had a privately released cassette out in 1992. His albums are cheap and not too hard to find, but they're best left to wither away in the flea market bins or wherever you may find them.

From Sån't som får mig att ilskna till:
Sagor som sagor
Bekämpa kommunismen

From En sång om friheten:
En sång om friheten
Tjejer

FRANS MOSSBERG – Tystnader (Piglet, 1982)

  
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Singer and guitarist Frans Mossberg was part of the Uppsala scene centered around Sub-gruppen and Störningen in the mid/late 70s, but it wasn't until 1982 his lone solo album appeared on the mysterious Piglet label. ”Tystnader” is a bad album made even worse by the digital reissue's appalling brickwall mastering. What was previously just an album of subpar singer/songwriter stuff has now become a bloody chore to sit through thanks to the ravaged sound. There's a certain place in hell for people doing this to music, be it bad or good.

Full album playlist for self-harmers

PETER NORDSTRÖM – Ensam och fri (Bastun, 1980)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Little known rock singer/songwriter that worked hard on his Ulf Lundell look on the album cover but sounding more like a lesser version of Swedish country/soft rock singer Lalla Hansson.

Peter Nordström debuted in 1978 with one-off single ”Det kommer nya tider”/”Salongsbolsjeviken” featuring Björn J:son Lindh on piano. He appears on the ”Ensam och fri” album too, plus Kebnekajse's Mats Glenngård, Berndt Egerbladh and a number of seasoned studio musicians such as Jan Bandel, Ola Brunkert and Peter Lundblad.

The album is insignificant and Nordström's lyrics are full of ”lonely man drifting restless through the world” clichés that are quite irritating as he doesn't sound at all like somebody with a romantic hobo lifestyle. Rather like a perfectly ordinary bloke who sends his kids to school in the morning and walks the family dog named Fluffy when he comes home from his boring work at the local insurance agency xeroxing papers no-one really needs.

The best track is ”Det här är mitt liv” but that's a Swedish cover of Danish band Gasolin's hit ”This Is My Life” from a few years earlier. In short, this is a redundant album and the only one Nordström made.

Full album

JAN HAMMARLUND & KJERSTIN NORÉN – Några här, några där... (Amalthea, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

I've already written about Jan Hammarlund's entire 1970's catalogue here, but he continued making records long after that, with a discography reaching well into the 2010's. Never foreign to working and performing with other (predominantly female) artists, there are several releases co-credited to others. This is one of them, made together with Kjerstin Norén. She was one of the original members of Röda Bönor, and subsequently had another band called Kjerstin Norén & Damorkestern with members from Husmoderns Bröst.

”Några här, några där” – with the unweildy subtitle ”Jan Hammarlund Och Kjerstin Norén Sjunger Sånger Av Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano: Ivan Della Mea - Giovanna Marini - Paolo Pietrangeli” – consists of songs by contemporary Italian songwriters (as the subtitle says) translated to Swedish. The vocals are split rather evenly beteween the two singers, and although Norén might not be the greatest voice ever heard, her songs are still a welcome break from Hammarlund's always annoying warbles.

The album as a whole has a somewhat different feel than many other Hammarlund albums which has a lot to do not only with Norén's involvement but also the arrangements. The most different-sounding track is ”Balladen om Ardizzone” with its renaissance-styled framework. A well seasoned line-up surely helps too; how about Kjell Westling, Fred Lane, Lena Ekman, Ale Möller and his mate from various constellations Dan ”Gisen” Malmquist to name but a few? Recorded in Copenhagen, a couple of Danish musicians get on the payroll too.

But all in all, this remains too much of a Jan Hammarlund album, and unless you're a fan of his, you may just as well pass on it.

Full album playlist

ANDERS CARINGER – Valfrid (Wisa, 1975) / Cellstoff (Wisa, 1977) / Du nya du fria (Wisa, 1981)

Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

A rather extensive curriculum vitae he has, that Anders Caringer: author, music and drama teacher, educationalist, crossword maker, pastor and prison chaplain, not to mention having been a musician since the early 60's when playing with various bands unknown to most. And then, releasing a mere three albums between 1975 and 1981 before returning as a recording artist in the mid 00's with another two albums (one being a three-CD box set). He's still active.

He made his album debut in 1975 with ”Valfrid”, credited to Anders Caringer and Bland Andra (meaning 'and others'). It's one of those albums that sounds unexceptional at first but appear a bit skewed when you listen closer, like some Christian 70's albums can be - the songs aren't simplemindedly linear and have quite a few unexpected harmonic turns. The style is basically singer/songwriter folk with religious and political concerns, but none of it too much in your face. The sound is predominantly acoustic with congas and harmony vocals, but you can spot an electric wah-wah guitar here and there. ”Verklighet” even has a full band and an off-kilter rhythm that falls somewhere between undeveloped reggae, semi-gospel and misunderstood funk ending up like nothing of it. Perhaps the track that best captures the underground feel that permeates the entire album. The real standout track however is ”Glädje”, an oddly lilting number with a softly soaring melody that expands and contracts, following its own path to a hypnotic jazz waltz rhythm. Definitely one hidden gem of a track!

”Cellstoff” followed in 1977 and has a very different sound provided a number of musicians including studio bassist Backa Hans Eriksson and the guitar work of Tomas Ernvik on a little less than half of the LP. Ernvik is particularly evident on ”Degdag” where his bizarre chords and chopped-up guitar fills perfectly emphasize the ominous mood of the track. Another successful track is opening cut ”Identitet” that features a quirky, jazzy piano solo that seems chase the restless beat down the road and out of town. ”Cellstoff” isn't as consistent as ”Valfrid”, but these two tracks are unusual enough to demand a listen.

1981's ”Du nya du fria” has a long list of credits but it's the sparsest sounding disc in this lot. The sound is skeletal but despite a small ensemble of wind instruments here and there. The bare bones production pushes Caringer's voice and religious/social/philosophical reflections to the fore. The songs have fewer peculiar twists this time, and while most songs are well written enough they're generally more ordinary than on Caringer's previous outings. The best track is also the most subdued one; ”Simons sång” is a heartfelt but somehow brooding song to a newborn child.

I think Anders Caringer is one of the more interesting Swedish Christian singer/songwriters I've come across. Not all here is great, but there are indeed more than worthwhile moments, even flashes of brilliance. You could easily put together a very good, LP length compilation of the best moments from these three albums. With the current upsurge of interest in the Swedish Christian music scene of especially the 70's, I think the time is ripe for a general Caringer (re)discovery.

Valfrid full album playlist
Cellstoff full album playlist
Du nya du fria full album playlist

JOHAN PETRÉN – Bevingade ord (Spegling, 1982)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: **

With too many people carelessly throwing the word 'pretentious' around for anything they don't understand, let's see what the Oxford Dictionary has to say about the word:

pretentious adjective
/prɪˈtenʃəs/
(disapproving)

trying to appear important, intelligent, etc. in order to impress other people; trying to be something that you are not, in order to impress

Johan Petrén is a Gothenburg local singer/songwriter who released two albums, ”Bevingade ord” in 1982, and ”Ut i det blå (Sånger från Scilla)” in 1995. He emphasizes his lyrics and this is where 'pretentious' comes in. He has literary ambitions, but many of his wordings come off as cringeworthy. Like many a self-aggrandizing writer, he has a way of making banalities sound VERY IMPORTANT when they're in fact not, further emphasized by his somewhat pompous way of singing.

But Petrén is in fact an otherwise good songwriter. Some songs here are simply great, such as album opener ”Du är alldeles unik” with an lilting drive and an irresistably melancholic melody laced with the windy wooden sound of Maria Apelmo's simple but very effective recorder. ”Och floden fortsätter flyta” is the second best track in this lot and another perfect slice of Petrén's melodic talent.

”Bevingade ord” is – to the best of my knowledge – one of only three LP's released by the Spegling label (the other two being a classical record and a choir album). Their ambition was to record music unaffected by excessive production; they strived for a natural sound. The sparse instrumentation – the acoustic guitar, the flutes, the electric and acoustic basses etc – sounds full and rich and very inviting.

I oftentimes say that a dimension is lost on listeners who don't know the Swedish language, but in this case, it's quite the contrary. The lyrics are indeed the weakest link in Petrén's songs, so I'd say you're much better off not understanding them. That makes the songs stand tall on strictly their musical terms. While Johan Petrén carves out a slightly personal niche, I believe fans of (a much less lyrically talented) Kjell Höglund and (a much less political) Dan Berglund very well might love this.

There are lots of unreleased songs on Johan Petrén's Youtube channel, some dating back to the early 70's.

Tåglåt från Hestra
Ödets tärning
Visa till min käraste
Utan nån skugga
Och floden fortsätter att flyta

BJÖRN ARAHB – Jag är en bekymrad socialist (YTF, 1974)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Björn Arahb was a visa singer (to remind you, visa is a certain kind of Swedish singer/songwriter music) that made handful of albums in the 70's and early 80's. 

Released in 1974, it's made up by songs written and released by the #1 visa singer Cornelis Vreeswijk. Several jazz and prog alumnis back him up, including Wlodek Gulgowski, Sabu Martinez, Jan Bandel and Luis Agudo (Energy). Lorne de Wolfe of Contact designed the album cover. Together they work up a funky groove on some tracks – try for instance ”Telegram for Lucidor”, ”En visa till Ellen när hon hade flyttat hemifrån” or ”Ågren”. Thing is, you can get it too from Vreeswijk's own albums around 1969/70, and better. And as Arahb tries hard to mimick Vreeswijk's special way of phrasing, ”Jag är en bekymrad socialist” comes off as a redudant work of a lesser copycat. The album is of course meant as a tribute but it falls flat compared to the original.

Full album playlist

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Låtar från Knuff (MNW, 1973)

Kabikiklas / Kenneth Nyström, Lars Garpenfeldt, Kurt Skoog & Finn Sörensson / Eftertryck Förbjudes / Urban Nilsson & Per-Olov Åström / Finkelmans Lakejer / Risken Finns / Hem Igen Med Maritha / Thomas Fahlander & Mats Rendahl / Konjak Och Ljummet Vatten / Halv Sex / Kul 67-gänget / Bristande Vardag
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

This early MNW release is most notable for featuring the vinyl debut of Risken Finns, predating their first LP. ”Knuff” was a TV series discussing ”sex, gender roles, unemployment, school, life in the big city, and what it is like being young, for example” as the liner notes read. The track ”På strövtåg genom björnens dungar” by Bristande Vardag had previously been featured in radio show Bandet går but wasn't included on the ”Blandat band” album. ”Låtar från Knuff” is like a cousin to ”Blandat band”, as most of the featured artists were non-professionals and never released anything beyond this volume. The three Risken Finns tracks aren't actually the best on the album – that award goes to the quartet of unknowns Kenneth Nyström, Lars Garpenfeldt, Kurt Skoog and Finn Sörensson whose ”Tacka mina vänner” is anti-capitalist storytelling at its musical best, while Hem Igen Med Maritha's ”Den stora maskeraden” is a feminist intervention, oddly catchy with its light groove – much better than what political pamphlets usually are. Eftertryck Förbjudet in turn delivers a slice of pretty heavy proto-punk on "Vi är ju endast produkter".

Obviously not a masterpiece, this is still a valuable peak into a bygone era (with some sentiments still valid). At least if you know Swedish. In the ear of a non-Swede, this will probably sound just like an occassionally bad, sometimes decent and in a few cases very good compilation of bands and artists mostly long lost to oblivion. Which it is.

Eftertryck Förbjudes - Vi är ju endast produkter
Hem Igen Med Maritha - Den stora maskeraden
Risken Finns - Sexualdebatten
Konjak Och Ljummet Vatten - Över-rock

LOLLO ASPLUND – Eldsjäl (MNW, 1981)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Lars Olof ”Lollo” Asplund is a rather overlooked figure now although he was a versatile, well-known character back in the day. He debuted to a wider audience already on a TV show in the early 70s, worked with a choir on one of his albums, wrote music for a movie in the 90's, performed regularly to and with children and released an album of children's music in the 80's. He wrote about music for a local newspaper and hosted several literary nights in his native town Linköping. He even scored something of a radio hit with ”Råckenråll till frukost” from his debut album ”Eldsjäl” recorded in 1980 and released the following year.

Despite being issued by MNW, ”Eldsjäl” sounds more like a Metronome album, like something by Ola Magnell. Asplund's slightly warbly voice and the occassional Latin American influence also make me think of Jan Hammarlund in places. The album has a well-rounded production courtesy of Thomas Almqvist, and a cast of musicians well acquainted to studio work including Stefan Brolund (Monica Törnell, Bernt Staf, Björn J:son Lindh, millions more), Malte Sjöstrand (Solen Skiner, Robert Broberg, Rolf Wikström and others) Ale Möller, Turid and of course Thomas Almqvist himself. The songs are well-written and there's nothing really wrong with it, not hard to listen to but essentially unengaging..

Full album playlist

JAN HAMMARLUND – Järnvägsräls - Live (Silence, 1982)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

As always with Jan Hammarlund's albums, it's a lot more fun to see who appears on them than it is to listen to them. This time, Kenny Håkansson joins forces with Ye Olde Helium Warbler. A live document recorded on various locations in the early summer of 1982, it's a set of songs not appearing on any other Hammarlund albums up to that point. With mostly band accompaniment, it has a fuller sound than other albums of his, but as many of the musicians (Håkansson included) adopt an up-to-date early 80's sound, it still sounds slicker than a lot of his prior work, especially with Dane Niels Hofman on fretless bass (not a good thing).

The album is notable for featuring a first ”Jag vill leva i Europa” that became something of a signature song for Hammarlund, especially when re-recorded a couple of years before the Swedish EU referendum.

Full album playlist with bonus track

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?

ERIC BIBB – Ain't It Grand (MNW, 1972)

English vocals
International relevance **

Eric Bibb is a well-known name these days, hailed for his live performances and numerous albums somewhere between blues and singer/songwriter material. Born in New York City in 1951, he was given his first steel string guitar at the age of seven. Quitting his studies in Russian and psychology, he left for Paris in 1970, assumably as a draft dodger, before settling in Stockholm shortly after. Once there he got in touch with the still relatively new MNW label and MNW co-founder Roger Wallis who took him under his wings and released Bibb's first-ever album ”Ain't It Grand” in 1972. Wallis also provided horn arrangements and piano for the album, joining forces with people like saxophonist Christer Eklund (Grapes Of Wrath, Slim's Blues Gang, Rolf Wikström), bassist Torbjörn Hultcrantz (Bernt Rosengren, Albert Ayler and numerous other jazz luminaries) and Dave Spann (Red White & Blues, Vildkaktus).

”Ain't It Grand” has those sweet characteristics of a good debut album. Bibb was already a skilled player with a keen sense of delivery (and a very pleasant voice), but the music isn't yet fully formed. It has an intimate, stripped-down feel and there's a seeking, trying quality to it, a certain hunger to prove its greatness to the world. Sometimes it reminds me of Terry Callier and Bill Withers, sometimes it's a bit like John Martyn. One track, the lovely ”Tuesday Mornin' Rendezvous” even hints at UK guitar maestros Bert Jansch and John Renbourn. The more laidback tracks are nicely balanced against a couple of songs relying more on groove, such as the album closer ”The Last Time?”. The semi-shuffle ”Lovefire” in turn has some biting electric guitar and gurgling wah-wah faintly like a lighter variant of Pete Cosey's work on Muddy Waters's and Howlin' Wolf's psych blues albums on Cadet Records. The understated aggression of the playing goes well together with the lyrics reflecting Bibb's anti-racist and anti-draft stance.

”Ain't It Grand” is something of a forgotten nugget, especially in the MNW discography. It captures the spirit of the times but doesn't feel the slightest antiquated. For reasons beyond my knowledge, it took him five years to release his second album ”Rainbow People” on the audiophile imprint Opus 3. A more exact and polished effort for sure, but also lacking the imperative and directness of his beautiful debut.

His stint with Opus 3 also hooked him up with folksy singer/songwriter and U.S. expatriate Bert Deivert for a couple of collaborative albums, and as a side note, I'd like to mention Deivert's own 1979 album ”Handcrafted Songs” which might appeal to fans of Bibb's folksier sound, especially that which veers towards the U.K. style perfected by Bert Jansch.

Bibb's vast discography includes further collaborations with artists such as Taj Mahal, Maria Muldaur, Swedish gospel singer Cyndee Peters, and Eric's dad Leon Bibb.

Full album playlist

MARIE BERGMAN – Complete albums 1974-1980

 

Marie Bergman is one of those artists too far from progg to belong here and too close not to do so. She's 'progg-by-association' but she's basically a singer/songwriter with the oft-hired Swedish studio mafia of the 70s backing her, granting her a couple of commercial successes in the second half of the decade. Her cover of Kate & Anna McGarrigle's ”Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine”, translated to Swedish by her good friend Ola Magnell as ”Ingen kommer undan politiken”, was a radio staple in and around 1977, and her version of Kjell Höglund's ”Lugnare vatten” was also on a rather heavy rotation a couple of years later. She appeared as a backing singer on all three of John Holm's 70s albums, as well as on discs by Ola Magnell, Rolf Wikström, Björn J:son Lindh, Pugh Rogefeldt and several others less progg related artists. In short, she was a stahlwart on the Metronome label led by producer Anders Burman's instincts and nose to sniff out off-kilter yet still commercially viable signings. Well, she was actually on Metronome already earlier as a member of the very successful vocal group Family Four which she joined in 1969.

Mitt ansikte (Metronome, 1974)
Swedish vocals
International relevance *

Her first album after leaving Family Four sounds a bit like a crossbreed of Ola Magnell and Joni Mitchell, the latter absolutely permeating the track ”Tiden”. The American West Coast sounds also come through in her cover of Neil Young's ”Helpless” (translated by Magnell). The title track and ”Villiga Ville” however are two funky tracks in sync with the times, while ”Sånger” is a loungy throwback to the Family Four style.

Närma mej (Metronome, 1977)
Swedish vocals
International relevance *

It took her three years to deliver her second solo album, but marked a breakthrough to a wider audience. It features ”Ingen kommer undan politiken” and her sensitive take on Ola Magnell's ”När vällingklockan ringde” from his ”Höstkänning” album released the very same year. ”Närma mej” is an album very much in the same style as her debut albeit with the funk substituted for novelty-of-sorts duds like ”Sången om den eviga lyckan (Johan)” and ”Mål eller miss” (the latter actually a cover of American folk singer and activist Odetta). The ”Blue” era Joni Mitchell influence is still evident though, especially on the piano based title track. Also included is a Swedish cover of Little Feat's ”Roll Um Easy” as ”Vänj mej varsamt”. Say what you will, she had good taste!

Iris (Metronome, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance *

Third album and more of the same, only with a glossier production. This time the covers are by Swedish songwriters only, namely Björn Afzelius and his ”Balladen om K”, and the aforementioned Kjell Höglund's ”Lugnare vatten”. ”Lugnare vatten” is the best track on the album along with the surprisingly anguished (for Bergman) ”Lägg inga plåster på såren”. The most obvious ersatz Joni Mitchell this time is called ”Lekvisa”.

MARIE BERGMAN & LASSE ENGLUND

Jorden är platt (Metronome, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance*

A joint venture between Bergman and much respected guitarist Lasse Englund; they also married the following year. It's a children's album and also the most interesting installment in Bergman's discography. Some songs are rather strange, and it seems that the idea of making music for kids pushed both Bergman and Englund out of their comfort zones. One track – ”Mammas stora säng” – even shows a faint resemblance to psych collector Hawaiian darlings These Trails. All in all, this is the Bergman album that comes closest to progg. But despite that, and despite being the most interesting album of hers, it's still not good enough to recommend. It's a bit of a curiousity, but not much more than that.

All these albums have their moments, but too few to recommend. From a progg perspective, they remain very minor footnotes. Bergman's recording career continued to 2013 when her, for now, last album was released. Her style hasn't changed much over the years and the sound of her albums have been very anxious to follow the production trends. When her early albums, her best ones, aren't very good you can imagine the rest.

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MIA SANDBERG – ...från mig (Sonet, 1980)

 
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Mia Sandberg entered the scene at the waning end of progg, heading towards the future but still with traces of earlier times. As an artist, she's rather forgotten today, but she released three albums and several singles in the early 80s. She has infrequently reappeared as a musician a few times after that, although her main occupation these days is as a therapist and an occassional author.

”Från mig” was her debut album, released in 1980 to largely positive reviews. It includes her most successful track ”Svart eller vit” which opens the album. Sandberg sings her confessional songs in a slightly husky voice, and she's a decent enough songwriter. Too bad then that the album passes rather unnoticed. The main problem is that major label Sonet obviously didn't want to lose money on their then new signing, giving it an overly anxious production. The music kind of evaporizes before you have a chance to notice it's even there. (Sonet hired Flemming Ostermann of Danish band Savage Rose to handle the knobs which makes the sound even more puzzling as Savage Rose hardly were known for a cowardly sound.)

Still, if you're looking for a more toned-down Stina Nordström, a more dressed-up Barbro Hörberg or perhaps even a more glamourous Turid, this might appeal to you. But if you pass on it, you won't miss a lot.

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BJÖRN EHRLING – Frihetens legender (YTF, 1978)

 
Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

Björn Ehrling was a 'visa' singer, that particular Swedish brand of singer/songwriters that was widely popular in the 60s and 70s. Ehrling released only a few albums during his recording career, two of them on the YTF imprint. This is his second LP, and with a title like ”Frihetens legender” (”the legends of freedom”) you might expect politically inclined songs with a possible Spanish or Latin flair. If so, you're almost right – the material is chosen entirely from the Portugal's rich fado tradition and then translated to Swedish.

Ehrling's got a decent voice used in the same slightly over-zealous style that often comes with the visa genre. It's a largely forgettable album included here only as a favour to the Turid completists out there as she adds backing vocals to the track ”Nu är vi fria”. Bear in mind though that her effort is of minimal proportions, and unless you knew it's actually her, you could mistake her for just about any angel-voiced chanteuse.

Nu har vi fest

STEFAN MELLBERG – Pieces Of My Mind (SMR, 1978)

English vocals
International relevance: **

Late-to-the-party singer/songwriter Stefan Mellberg's only album, housed in a sleeve with a nice private pressing vibe. Unfortunately, the cover art writes cheques that the songs can't cash. While Mellberg is capable of a couple of decent tracks, i.e. ”Amelia – Where Is the Sun?” and ”Well, That's the Way” (the latter with a slight Leonard Cohen bent), most of ”Pieces of My Mind” is rather unengaging soft rock. On a couple of occassions, Mellberg tries to change the pace with a bit of jazz, reggae and good old rock'n'roll. It falls flat however, especially on album closer ”Dream Lover”, the particularly bad faux reggae track. The sound is quite good for a private release (SMR = Stefan Mellberg Records), and the otherwise unknown backing musicians are OK, but Mellberg's vocals have an frustrating, uninterested feel. Maybe he was struggling with the English language too much? Not that his efforts are very convincing... Mellberg's voice has a slight touch of Ola Håkansson's (of Ola & The Janglers) and I figure he had a musical taste firmly rooted in the 60's judging by the melodic traits.

It's certainly better than other more embarrasing examples of artistically bankrupt nobodies in the singer/songwriter vein, but 'not inept to the point of insulting' just isn't enough. It's not a very expensive album and it shouldn't be either. As a matter of fact, it's hardly even worth the $10 people usually ask for it.

Full album (Spotify)

JOHN-ERIK AXELSSON – Barn (G-Produktion, 1971)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: *

”Spår”, the second album from this singer/songwriter, is a numbing act of inprofiency where Axelsson stumbles around in his catastrophes disguised as 'songs' like a drunken elk trying to avoid an electric fence. Surprisingly enough, this – his debut – is better (although I'm uncomfortable using the word 'good' in any form when talking about Axelsson). At least it sounds as if the backing musicians have some notion of what's happening. They even manage to get some groove going on ”Jag vill” (that curiously enough sounds a bit like the old soul nugget ”The Snake”, brought to perfection by Al Wilson in 1969).

But, then there's Axelsson himself. His lyrics are unbelievably lousy and sung with too much self-esteem. The effect is tragicomic as often the case when incompetent performers overrate themselves to the point of megalomania. Because no matter if the backing musicians are within the spectrum of adequacy, they can't conceal that John-Erik Axelsson is so lost in overestimating his own abilities.

While ”Barn” isn't quite as cringeworthy as ”Spår”, it's still a genuinely terrible album where you constantly sit anticipating in horror the next lyric like ”I went to a party last Wednesday and I met a woman with fat fingers” (from ”Kvinnor”, ”Women”) will jump out of the speakers to smack you straight in the face like a Mach 3 rotten plum bizzarely appearing out of nowhere.
 

"Barn"
"I badet"