The origins of Nationalteatern can be
traced back to Lilla Teatern in Lund that developed into Malmö based
Gorillateatern. When they split in two in 1969, Dalateatern became
one part and Nationalteatern the other. Nationalteatern relocated to
Gothenburg in 1970, and the following year, songwriters Anders
Melander and
Ulf Dageby joined the troupe. Throughout the decade,
Nationalteatern wrote plays and music that acknowledged the suburban
youth that felt ignored by society and its politicians.
Nationalteatern appeared at lots of youth centres in and around
Gothenburg, slowly building an
appreciative
following with their straightforward music and socially aware lyrics.
They also wrote several children's plays.
Ta det som ett löfte... ta det inte
som ett hot (MNW, 1972)
Swedish vocals, instrumental
International relevance: **
Nationalteatern's first album was a
product of its time, permeated by the idea that everybody should play
an instrument to create a truly collective effort. Not everyone was
keen on that, group member Med Reventberg admitted in an
interviewfor Swedish pod radio show Snedtänkt in 2018. She had no interest in
playing the guitar or whatever, and thought it would be much better
if the musicianship was left to those who mastered better than she
(and others) did. It's easy to get the impression that it was solely
a concession to the era's fashionable collectivity ethos, and that
impression grows even stronger upon hearing ”Ta det som ett
löfte... ta det inte som ett hot”. ”Ut i kylan” is a decent
track, and one of the few here not entirely lost to the
communal/collective nonsense. This is easily the worst of
Nationalteatern's 70's albums (”Kåldolmar och kalsipper” doesn't
quite count).
Two cover variations exist, the
original with a light green colour – a misprint – and a later
version in a much darker green as seen above.
Livet är en fest (MNW, 1974)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
Nationalteatern's most classic album.
”Livet är en fest” is like a 'best of' album of sorts,
collecting the musical highlights from several different stage plays.
Many of the songs have an anti-drug message clad in irony that was
easy to distinguish at the time. But irony's often lost over time,
and today people unfamiliar with the songs original context
misinterpret them as being pro drugs (which Anders Melander has
commented on with a fair bit of unease). The songs have survived, but
not so much the original meaning of them. In an awkward way, that
proves that good songs have a greater longevity than the message.
And the songs are good, with
plenty of memorable hooks. But that doesn't mean I want to hear them
over and over again, not anymore. The title track was originally
performed as a country song but transformed into a Rolling Stones
inspired rock workout is overplayed, ”Lägg av” is simply
embarassing today and ”Stena Olssons Compagnie” – a reworking
of The Coasters' ”Riot in Cell Block No. 9” – is hard to listen
to today, as is the irritating mock reggae of ”Speedy Gonzales”
and the crypto calypso of ”Hanna från Arlöv”. But I still like
Melander's ”Jack the Ripper” and ”Bängen trålar”, but two
tracks are enough only for a single, not an album. A seriously
overplayed album.
Beware of early CD editions, remixed
with reverb added to the original recordings to make them sound more
'contemporary'. When confronted, Ulf Dageby replied ”who cares
about mixings?” Well I, for one, do. And I, for one, don't like
revisionism.
Kåldolmar och kalsipper (MNW, 1976)
Swedish vocals, spoken word
International relevance: *
Briefly mentioned in my
children's progg post, this is a kids' record with a plot being a mish-mash of
several different Nationalteatern plays. Heralded as a classic
children's album, ex-members of Nationalteatern later said it didn't
turn out quite as consistent as it should have. When they recorded it
there were also fights over the overt political opinions expressed on
the album. While Nationalteatern always had a left-wing bent, they
rarerly stated it that openly, usually only describing social issues
and problems, leaving the listener/spectator to draw their own
conclusions.
Obviously, the songs on ”Kåldolmar
och kalsipper” are aimed at kids and not very fun to listen to, but
”Agamemnons stora ballad om flykten från sitt hemland” and
”Jenny, havets skräck” are OK even to grown-up ears.
Vi kommer att leva igen (Nacksving, 1977)
as Nynningen & Nationalteatern
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
In early 1977, the Big 2 of Gothenburg
progg,
Nynningen and Nationalteatern. joined forces for a stage play
about the oppression of the Native Americans, just in time for the
200th anniversary of the United States of America. Despite the
collaboration, ”Vi kommer att leva igen” is more of a
Nationalteatern album as Ulf Dageby wrote all the songs for it. Not
very good songs though, too dependent on the stage context.
1977 was also the year of
Tältprojektet, a large scale collaboration between several
independent theatre groups and musicians, and often considered the
peak of the 70's music and theatre movements.
Barn av vår tid (Nacksving, 1978)
International relevance: *
Swedish vocals
Few album covers have captured the
feeling of late 70's grey hopelessness as well as ”Barn av vår
tid”, and the music reflects it. Nationalteatern's best album, with
songs like ”Kolla kolla”, ”Spisa” and the majestic, eerie title
track crowning the album – one of the major songs of the progg era.
And ”Men bara om min älskade väntar” is perhaps the best
Swedish Dylan translation ever, of ”Tomorrow Is a Long Time”,
heartfelt and sincerely sung by Totta Näslund, originally of
Nynningen but from ”Kåldolmar och kalsipper” more and more
involved in Nationalteatern.
Rockormen (Nacksving, 1979)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
Recorded while on tour with the
”Rockormen” 'rock opera' in late 1978. With Ulf Dageby taking a
step back only providing two songs and lyrics for another, members
Peter Wahlqvist and Bertil Goldberg wrote most of the remaining
material. With none of them being as driven songwriters as Ulf Dageby
and the then ex-member Anders Molander, the album is weak.
Rövarkungens ö (Nacksving, 1980)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **
Ulf Dageby had grown increasingly
unhappy with the theatre format. He wanted to write songs without
having to consider a plot or stage functionality. ”Rövarkungens ö”
clearly demonstrates in what direction Dageby wanted to go. The
tracks are longer, most of them around 5-7 minutes long, and the
title track even clocking in at 12 minutes. It's obvious Dageby
enjoyed his new-found freedom and Totta Näslund's vocals, but the
album is pretty dull in that Nacksving way.
Luffarrock – en lurkmusikal
(Nacksving, 1981)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
A 'musical' originally written and
performed in 1974-75, the songs weren't recorded and released on disc
until 1981. An often overlooked entry in Nationalteatern's
discography, or should I say ignored? It's best left that way, unless
you want silly songs sometimes performed in a semi-reggae style that
doesn't sit at all well with the band. A terribly stiff production
too.
All Nationalteatern albums have been reissued. 9CD box set "Lägg av! Historien om Nationalteatern" compiled the albums in their entirety, adding numerous bonus tracks. A live session from "Lägg av!" is also featured in "Progglådan".
The theatre division of Nationalteatern
released one further album on Amalthea in 1987 ”Peter Pan”, a children's
play with the spoken parts interspersed with horrible synth laden
musical bits, before dissolving in 1993. Nationalteatern's the rock
band has reunited several times, released a live album in 1991, and
another one in 2006. They're still active performing their old hits
to nostalgic audiences across Sweden.