An obscure boogie rock quartet that released a single on the Manifest label. The Swedish-language songs are in the vein of Rockvättna and Rekyl.
| 1979 | ■ | A-Rock / Här är jag igen (S) | Manifest MES2 | ★★2 |
A guitarist from Vetlanda, whose five-track EP has gained notoriety because of the fuzz-indulged song "Vampire". The remaining tracks are mellow guitar pieces in the vein of Lasse Englund. With the exception of drummer Leif Johansson, Famne played all instruments himself. He then joined the hard rock band Blå Pärlor from Örebro and has also appeared on records featuring Christian music.
| 1975 | ■ | Björn Famne (EP) | Rasp Records FALK7506 | ★★★★★★6 |
Lars "Ferne" Fernebring was previously the creative force behind Risken Finns. On his eponymous solo album, Ferne is backed by noted Skåne-musicians like guitarists Thomas Wiehe and Jan Gerfast, Änglabarn's Dan Tillberg and future Mikael Wiehe drummer Joakim Rooke. The track "Progressiva texter" delivers blistering criticism against the commercialization of the Swedish Music Movement. Also notable is the mellow folk psych of "Nattexpressen". Ferne made two more albums in the 80's.
| 1979 | ■ | Ferne | Bellatrix BLP 703 | ★1 |
See Färnlöf, Lasse
See also Compilations
This Stockholm-based theatre group was formed in 1967 and released an album with an environmental theme in 1968. It was recorded ā capella with an occasional drum as the only accompaniment. A second album was recorded for MNW in 1971 with the help of Arbete & Fritid's Roland Keiser, Bengt Berger & Kjell Westling. It is evident that Fickteatern is more dramatically than musically oriented, as most songs have a theatrical feel. Their Swedish-language material is about working class life and the U.S. invasion of Vietnam. Gunnar Edander and partner Suzanne Osten went on to produce several plays and albums with predominantly feminist themes, most notably Jösses Flickor, Sessornas Sånger and the classic Sånger Om Kvinnor.
| 1968 | ■ | Människan i stan | Amigo AMLP 805 | ★★★3 |
| 1971 | ■ | Allt växer till det hejdas... | MNW 16P | ★★★★4 |
This band was formed in Lund in 1977 and bridged punk and the Movement. They were produced by Dan Tillberg of Änglabarn and all their records, exept the last single, were released on his Bellatrix label. The music is more agressive than the average Movement band, with prominent saxophone and political lyrics in Swedish. Their first album, now hailed as a Swedish punk classic in some quarters, was re-issued on CD in 2005 and included the first two singles as bonus tracks. Rock journalist Mats Zetterberg was also the singer of Bluesblockel, a band that recorded an album of John Mayall songs translated into Swedish in 1980. Fiendens Musik released one more album and a final single before folding in 1981.
| 1978 | ■ | En spark rätt i skallen / Du går aldrig säker (S) | Bellatrix BS1 | ★1 |
| 1979 | ■ | Pappa har alltid haft rätt / Tredje tåget (S) | Bellatrix BS2 | ★1 |
| 1979 | ■ | Fiendens Musik | Bellatrix BLP704 | ★★2 |
| 1979 | ■ | Moderata brudar / Slutna sällskap / Arabisk bonus (S) | Bellatrix BS3 | ★1 |
Longtime musical partners Anders Nordh and Palle Sundlin had both previously played together in Trolls, King George Discovery, Life, Baltik and Resan, while Nordh was also in Blond and Bättre Lyss. Here they hooked up with Nailband's Peter Lundblad and Tommy Andersson for a decidedly more commercial venture, scoring a hit with "Framåt". Sundlin wrote half of the songs on the album, some of which resemble Life's softer tracks. The rest were pop by Peter Lundblad, who later wrote the perennial summertime sing-a-long favourite "Ta mej till havet".
| 1975 | ■ | Framåt / D.J. (S) | CBS 3732 | ★★2 |
| 1976 | ■ | Figaro | CBS 80750 | ★★★3 |
Filip Sinai had previously been in Qartoffel Und Zpagetti Inc, which released an ultra rare single in 1969. As a solo act he privately released an album and two singles with witty Swedish lyrics and a basement feel to it. Notable tracks on the album are "Dansa i grytan" and the slight psychedelia of "Cladoutsch". Although playing guitar, keyboards, bass, and Jew's harp himself, Filip also called in friends Per Schiller (guitar), Hans Svedmalm (bass), Kim Lindholm (drums), Maud Larsson (vocals, percussion), Thomas Kronberg (guitar), Anders Agenmark (violin) and a very young Thomas Eriksson (vocals, guitar, percussion), to help out. The latter eventually found fame as pop star Orup, while Schiller and Lindholm scored several hits with their band Magnum Bonum.
| 1972 | ■ | Tjocka Berta / Cez* (S) | Tut QS1 | ★★★3 |
| 1975 | ■ | Tio voro dina tår / Från 6:e våningen (S) | Tut QS2 | ★★★3 |
| 1976 | ■ | Hur man schnyter älgar, farsan! | Tut QLP1 | ★★★★★5 |
See also Compilations
After performing at the Gärdet Festival in August 1970, Fire was offered to record a single for Hans Edler's Marilla label. Their fuzz-indulged rock music is sung in Swedish, somewhat in the vein of November and Life.
| 1971 | ■ | Sommarn är förbi / Sommarn är skön (S) | Marilla MAS88 | ★★★★★★6 |
See also Compilations
American Greg FitzPatrick came to Sweden in the summer of 1967 via Finland, having made three singles there. He joined Stockholm band The Quints, which soon changed its name to Atlantic Ocean and featured such prominent musicians as Björn J:son Lindh and Sten Bergman. At this stage, FitzPatrick didn't have a work permit and had to use the alias Göran Ahlin. In late 1969 he left the band to travel Asia and upon his return to Sweden the following year formed the sitar-based Handgjort. His next project was Tillsammans but he also found time to appear as guest musician on numerous Movement albums, as well as Led Zeppelin's album In Through The Out Door. Greg FitzPatrick also composed a symphony called Snorungamas symfoni, which was recorded by Samla Mammas Manna in 1976. He then recorded two progressive solo albums. The first was called Det persiska äventyret, a very ambitious recording with covers of Movement songs and original material sung in Swedish with a very noticable American accent. Actually, his lyrics were first written in English and then translated into Swedish by Tore Berger and Håkan Lahger. Bildcirkus was the second project and is a keyboard-focused instrumental symphonic excursion. Guitarists Goste Apetrea and Lasse Englund played on both albums, while Stefan Nilsson (Kornet) and Hans Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna) appeared on the second. After providing synthesizer backing to the hit-making 80's duo Adolphson & Falk, he then turned to the business side of music by forming the successful Fitzpatrick company dealing with imports of musical instruments and music computer software. Having sold his business he now works as a computer consultant. Greg FitzPatrick should not be confused with the Greg Fitzpatrick who was a member of Canadian groups Lords Of London and Nucleus.
| 1977 | ■ | Det persiska äventyret | MNW 80P | ★★★3 |
| 1978 | ■ | Bildcirkus | Mistlur MLR-2 | ★★★★4 |
The unusually named Finspång band "14" released eight singles and one album between 1965 and 1968. Their last single was recorded in England, but the Larsson brothers couldn't get leave from the military service and didn't make the trip. Instead, the British session musician Pete Brandall was called in to help out. The resulting Beatles-style psychedelia was, for some strange reason, released in a sleeve with a picture taken for their début single and didn't match the music at all. Even more psychedelic mixes of both songs were included on the 1998 CD In a Bunch... And More!, which featured their entire output. Olle Nilsson then formed Vildkaktus and later played the role of John Lennon in the high-profile Beatles tribute band Liverpool.
| 1968 | ■ | Umbrella / Drizzle (S) | Olga OLE006 | ★★★★★★★7 |
This Åmål band was formed in 1965 and first recorded for the Swe-Disc label the following year. Most of their output are either light-weight vocal numbers or Shadows-style instrumentals. What merits their inclusion here is the fuzz-induced "Souls" from their Club Teen EP. It was released by ice cream manufacturer Trollhätteglass and you could get the EP by sending in a coupon included with their products.
| 1968 | ■ | Club Teen (EP) | Club Teen RM 5173/5174 | ★★★★★5 |
See also Compilations
When Atlantic Ocean disbanded in the spring of 1970, Sten Bergman brought in new faces Bengt Dahlén (Lee Kings) and Per Bruun (Steampacket), alongside Erik Dahlbäck of comedy group Gårunt Show and jazzer Gunnar Bergsten (G.L. Unit), to perform the final Atlantic Ocean gigs already booked. The band then changed the name to Fläsket Brinner, playing their trademark progressive rock mixed with folk and jazz elements. The recorded performance at the second Gärdet Festival in August 1970 featured a short-lived three guitar line-up featuring Dahlén, Bo Hansson and Kenny Håkansson, but the latter quit soon thereafter. The debut album was released in March 1971 and featured a guest appearance by double bassist Owe Gustavsson. One side was a live recording from the latter half of 1970 at Konserthuset, where the band opened for Mothers Of Invention, while the other side was recorded live in the studio. In August 1971, Sten Bergman left the band and Hansson took over on organ. Mikael Ramel, who had previously played with Bruun in Steampacket, then joined as a singer and guitarist although Fläsket Brinner continued to record mostly instrumental music. The double LP Fläsket consisted of one live and one studio album. The live disc featured a stripped-down line-up of two guitars, bass and drums featuring Dahlén, Ramel, Bruun and Dahlbäck. On the studio disc Bergsten, Bergman, Hansson, Bobo Stensson and Owe Gustavsson - as well as Anders Nordh (Life) and several others - also helped out. In the second half of the 70's, the line-up went through still more changes. New recruits included a returning Håkansson, Bosse Skoglund (Arbete & Fritid, Nature), Jan Ternald and Sebastian Öberg (both of Älgarnas Trädgård) as well as Thomans Jutterström (Splash). Definitely one of the major bands of the Movement, Fläsket Brinner finally disbanded in 1981. They reformed in 2003 and that year also saw the release of the 4-CD box set Swedish Radio Recordings 1970-75 on the Mellotronen label.
| 1971 | ■ | Fläsket Brinner | Silence SRS 4606 | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1971 | ■ | Wild Thing / Gunnars dilemma (S) | Silence Zing 103 | ★★★★★5 |
| 1972 | ■ | Fläsket | Ljudspår EFS-DL-7202 | ★★★★★★★7 |
Although known as Carin Kjellman & Ulf Gruvberg on their first album, the duo evolved and added musicians thus prompting a name change to Folk & Rackare. Their extraordinary approach to traditional folk music also developed over time. The first album, Med rötter i medeltiden, consists of strict interpretations of traditional folk music, but it loosened up on subsequent recordings. On Anno 79 the band experimented with electric instrumentation and intricate song structure. Folk & Rackare later recorded everything from traditional Christmas carols to progressive rock, continuing well into the 80's. For many years, Ulf Gruvberg has worked as a producer for Swedish radio, producing numerous live music shows. Jørn Jensen and Trond Villa were former members of Norwegian group Folque.
| 1974 | ■ | Med rötter i medeltiden * | Sonet SLP-2049 | ★★★3 |
| 1976 | ■ | Folk & Rackare | YTF 50240 | ★★★3 |
| 1978 | ■ | Rackarspel | YTF 50241 | ★★★3 |
| 1979 | ■ | Anno 79 | Sonet SLP-2628 | ★★★3 |
This Gothenburg trio recorded one country blues album with laid-back band accompaniment on some tracks. Highlights includes opener "Fattening Frogs For Snakes" and the self-penned "Big Brother", which mentions the Vietnam war. Guesting on the album were Bo Winberg (Spotnicks), Thomas Ellerås (Knutna Nävar) and Johan Dielemans (Myglarna). Englishman Gregory Johnson-King was also a member of Stenblomma.
| 1972 | ■ | Corn Street | Pep PLP10003 | ★★★★★5 |
See also Compilations
This Kalix ensemble started performing at Vietnam War demonstrations in 1970. The Swedish lyrics are left-wing and the folk music is well crafted.
| 1979 | ■ | Det spirar en upprorets blomma | Kalmungeforsens brus KB 1-81 | ★★★3 |
The Folkvind trio's album sounds similar to labelmates Emigrantorkestern, with traditional Swedish-language folk ballads performed on traditional instruments. The group considered it to be the music of the working class and therefore saw this as a political statement. Slim Lidén (Diddlers, Opponer) and Marie-Louice Söderström (Fria Proteatern) guested on the album.
| 1977 | ■ | Folkvind | Oktober OSLP 514 | ★★★3 |
Tomas Forssell's first album sounds similar to the recordings of Rekyl, which is not surprising since Rekyl actually backs him on some of the album's songs. Skottes Musikorkester - where Forssell was a member - provides backing on other tracks. Almost all albums released on the Manifest label deliver a pleasant mixture of traditional Swedish folk and rock sung in Swedish. This is no exception. On his second solo album, 1980's Nya tider, he is backed by members from his old band Nynningen, making it sound more or less like a Nynningen album. Tomas Forssell later adopted the Häjkon Bäjkon persona performing for children and his own child, Gry Forssell, would eventually become a popular TV-personality.
| 1977 | ● | Irja / Slumpen* (S) (Promo) | Manifest B&W-R 013003 | ★★2 |
| 1977 | ■ | Ingenting står stilla | Manifest MAN010 | ★1 |
This Stockholm band saw an ad offering an oppurtunity to make a record. The catch was they had to pay for it themselves. They duly obliged and recorded this incredibly obscure single featuring Swedish language political rock with a bluesy vibe. It was pressed in a few hundred copies by the tiny Scam label, run by Hazze Östlund. The band broke up a few months later, having made a memorable gig at the 1974 Gärdet Festival. Hjelmquist and Berge then formed Solid Ground, which recorded an ultra collectable album for the same label. Tobbe Johansson later changed his last name to Benckert.
| 1974 | ■ | Tunnelbaneblues / Vansinniga Berta (S) | Scam SS003 | ★★★★★★★7 |
See also Compilations
The legendary Los Angeles scenester Kim Fowley arrived in Sweden in 1970 to produce three albums for MNW: Contact's Nobody Wants To Be Sixteen, Scorpion's I Am The Scorpion as well as his own solo album, which featured three songs co-written with Lome de Wolfe of Contact. The sessions were held simultaneously and the same group of musicians appear on all three albums. At the same time Fowley also released a single on Sonet.
| 1970 | ■ | Born To Make You Cry / Thunder Road (S) | Sonet T-7808 | ★★★★★5 |
| 1970 | ■ | The Day The Earth Stood Still | MNW 7P | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1971 | ■ | Thunder Road (EP) | Juke Box JSEP 5607 | ★★2 |
After Lea Riders Group disbanded in May 1968, Slim Borgudd and Bosse Häggström went on to form Made In Sweden while leader Börje "Hawkey" Franzén was eventually sentenced to a month in prison for refusing to fulfill mandatory military service. In jail he met Björn J:son Lindh (Atlantic Ocean), who was doing time for the same offense. Together they wrote the material for Franzén's debut solo album, Visa från Djupvik. The melancholic material is sung in Swedish and some tracks have a psychedelic touch. It features drummer Janne Carlsson (Hansson & Karlsson, Pugh), jazz bassist Red Mitchell as well as Kenny Håkansson and Bella Ferlin of Baby Grandmothers, with whom Franzén had appeared in the Swedish version of the hippie musical "Hair" and on the resulting album Hår. Franzén and J:son Lindh then teamed up with Sam Ellison to form Jason's Fleece, a group which also released a single as Sam-Hawkey-J:son. His second solo album, the inventive Visor från gungor och sand, was intended as a children's album, but appealed mainly to adults. Two more albums followed, featuring musicians like Carl-Axel Dominique (Solar Plexus), Lucas Lindholm (Heta Linjen), Anders Henriksson (Baltik), Ola Brunkert (Opus III) as well as former Jason's Fleece bandmates Björn J:son Lindh, Janne Bandel, Kenneth Arnström and Göran Lagerberg. Then there was a nine-year wait until 1981's Smulvisor & bitlåtar. Hawkey Franzén is still very much active as an actor and troubadour.
| 1970 | ■ | Visa från Djupvik | Mercury MCY 134 700 | ★★★★4 |
| 1970 | ■ | Tyst / Visa från Djupvik (S) | Mercury 6062 004 | ★★★3 |
| 1970 | ■ | Jag vill ha en lessen / Axelsson* IS) | Mercury 6062 008 | ★★★3 |
| 1970 | ■ | I dag sköt jag ihjäl eil okänd man / Gotta Get Away** (S) | Zoom Z1113 | ★★★3 |
| 1971 | ■ | Visa från gungor och sand | MNW 15P | ★★★★4 |
| 1971 | ■ | Visa från och till | Mercury 6363 004 | ★★★3 |
| 1972 | ■ | Visa av och med | Viking VIM4000 | ★★2 |
| 1972 | ● | Jag har städat mitt rum / Men tiden gör ingenting (S) | Viking VIS1002 | ★★2 |
On their first album, Freedom Singers consisted of the combined FNL choirs from Gothenburg and Stockholm. The music was Swedish-language folk songs about the liberation of Vietnam from the American invasion, most notably their theme song "Befria Södern" with words by Ola Palmaer. Among those credited on the cover we also find the Diddlers duo Slim Lidén and Pyret Moberg. Another early member was Diddlers singer Marie Selander. Apart from contributions by Maria/Gamla Stan's FNL-choir from Stockholm and Maria Hörnelius, the major part of the second album was recorded by the Freedom Singers band from Gothenburg, consisting of the last eleven persons in the above list. They now paid more attention to the music side of things and Nils Lövdahls fuzz guitar is prominent on the two standout cuts "CIA-visan" and "Richard Dollarhjärta". The latter was sung by Brita Josefson. Half of the members of the Gothenburg band then went on to form Knutna Nävar. Mia Gerdin became a producer for Sveriges Radio, championing women's music, while guest musician Curt-Eric Holmquist has frequently been seen as the bandleader for various TV-shows. Many of the people involved here also participated on several FNL compilations released by the Proletärkultur label.
| 1968 | ■ | Freedom Singers 68 (LP10) | Befria Södern BS1 | ★★★★★5 |
| 1970 | ■ | Antimperialistiska sånger | Befria Södern BS2 | ★★★★★5 |
See also Compilations
When the theatre group NJA-Gruppen transformed into Fria Proteatern in 1971, they started their own Folksång label. Their releases were cast recordings of their plays, the first being Har ni hört kamrater? which sounded similar to the NJA-Gruppen album. Next up was Typerna och draken, an album about the newspaper monopoly in Sweden. The following year Fria Proteatern released a difficult to find live album on the Danish label Demos. Fria Proteatern closed their label in 1975 and signed with Oktober, which was closely related to the communist party SKP. Their subsequent releases are similar in sound to the band's early folksy recordings with political Swedish lyrics. Ringbom, Forsslund, Idering and Adolfsson were previously members of the successful 60's group The Mascots while Idering, Söderström and Jonasson also were in Höj Rösten. Ann Sofi Nilsson was in the cast of Hår and also released a solo album. Tomas Bolme, Stig Engström and Rolf Skoglund are all well-established actors.
| 1971 | ■ | Har ni hört kamrater? | Folksång FRS1001 | ★★2 |
| 1973 | ■ | Vi blir fler / Tänk dig ett Stockholm (S) | Folksång FRS2001 | ★1 |
| 1973 | ■ | Typerna och draken | Folksång FRS1002 | ★★2 |
| 1974 | ■ | Ett enat folk / ÖB, IB och Säpo (S) | Folksång FRS2002 | ★★2 |
| 1974 | ■ | Koncert i København okt. 1973 | Demos 19 | ★★★3 |
| 1975 | ■ | Sånger från ljugarbänken | Oktober OSLP-510 | ★★2 |
| 1976 | ■ | Knytkalas | Oktober OSLP-516 | ★★2 |
| 1977 | ■ | Med vilken rätt | Oktober OSLP-519 | ★★2 |
Fria Teatern was a political theatre group, which produced three musicals about living and working in the iron works village Hyttefors. The songs were recorded with musical backing from Musikteatern Svea Strang and released independently on their own label. The music sounds similar to Bella Ciao and Fria Proteatern.
| 1979 | ■ | Bruket ska leva | Teaterlåtar TLLP001 | ★★2 |
This band came from Södertälje and played political pop/rock in the vein of Rekyl. The first album was produced by MNW founder Bo Anders Larsson (Scorpion, Vargen), while Tomas Ernvik (Vat-ten) and Sven Zetterberg (Blue Fire, Chicago Express) guested on the second. Friskt Vatten released one more album and two singles in the 80's.
| 1978 | ● | Rumba i bastun / Konkurrensvisa (S) | YTF 10461 | ★1 |
| 1978 | ■ | De e vi | YTF 50460 | ★1 |
| 1979 | ■ | En svensk tiger | A-Disc BS-791009 | ★1 |
This Gothenburg symphonic rock band was formed in 1976. Initially called Funktion, they were influenced by Canadian Gino Vannelli and added a Christian touch to their English-language lyrics. Borre was replaced by Hilliges in 1979 and his equipment alone weighed around 1000 pounds. Function had trouble finding a permanent bass player and studio musician Sam Bengtsson was called in for the the album. It was released on the Christian label Prim in December 1979. Ludwigson later recorded some religious solo albums and Hilliges' music is often used at funeral ceremonies. Furberg is a lawyer, working with IT-related laws, while Wågsjö plays violin with GöteborgsOperan.
| 1979 | ■ | Play It Maestro | Prim 570.580 | ★★★3 |
Mostly known for his filmscores, jazz trumpeter Lasse Färnlöf recorded the groundbreaking album The Chameleon in November 1969. The A-side contained music from Torbjörn Axelman's movie "Kameleonterna", while the B-side featured the side-long "Birthcry". Musicians included saxophonist Bernt Rosengren (saxophone), Bobo Stenson (piano), Rune Gustavsson (guitar), Jyoti Shirodkar (sitar), Palle Danielsson (bass), Rune Carlsson (drums) and Monica Nielsen (vocals). Lasse Färnlöf died in 1994. His most famous composition is probably the theme from the 1965 movie "Att angöra en brygga".
| 1969 | ■ | The Chameleon | RCA LSP10279 | ★★★★★★★★8 |
This single was recorded to coincide with the first issue of the magazine "Arbetarkamp" by the political party Förbundet Kommunist. Kupferberg later became a professor. There were only around 50 copies pressed and these were given away to members.
| 1975 | ● | Arbetarkampvisan / Om Peter Himmelstrand vore kommiinist (S) | AKS 1 | ★★2 |