After Christer Stålbrandt had disbanded November, he started Saga on New Years Eve 1973. Their eponymous album is more progressive than November's recordings and also features cello and saxophone - played by Björn Isfält (Xtra) and Christer Eklund (Grapes Of Wrath) respectively. The experimental tracks "Djävulens läppar" and "Ensamma rum" are especially exhilarating, while "Jakten tillbaka" and "Källardrottning" sound more or less like November circa 1972. Mats Norrefalk later played with Thomas Wiehe, Raj Montana Band and Mamba.
| 1974 | ■ | Saga | Sonet SLP-2550 | ★★★★★★★★8 |
See Jason's Fleece
This band was formed in Uppsala in 1969 and fused jazz-rock and music associated with circus and theatre. Their unique sound has made them one of the most internationally acclaimed bands of the Movement. The first album featured no guitars and was all instrumental, except for the standout "Circus Aparatha". Percussionist "Bebben" Öberg then left and his place was taken by guitarist Coste Apetrea. The music now became much more complex and also featured a huge dose of humour. The occasional vocals were only used as an effect, sometimes barely audible and often featuring nonsensical lyrics. Two classic albums followed, Måltid and Klossa Knapitatet, before they recorded Greg FitzPatrick's symphony Snorungarnas symfoni, which also fealured Kalle Eriksson (trumpet) and Ulf Wallander (saxophone). The band then went into limbo and Hollmer and Apetrea toured with Eriksson and Wallander as Ramlösa Kvällar, a name taken from a track on Klossa Knapitatet. The band regrouped in 1977 as Zamla Mammaz Manna with Eino Haapala replacing Apetrea and recorded a double album comprising of two separate albums, Schlagerns mystik and the experimental För äldre nybegynnare, which purchasers could cut in two, according to instructions on the sleeve. The single "Lejonet av Ljuga" is a reggae protest song with lyrics in Swedish. A final album, Familjesprickor, appeared in 1980 featuring drummer Vilgot Hansson. Hollmer and Haapala then formed Von Zamla. The classic Samla Mammas Manna line-up of Holmer, Apetrea, Krantz and Bruniusson reunited for the 1999 album Kaka with Japanese drummer Tutsuya Yoshida taking over the drum stool for 2002's Dear Mamma.
| 1971 | ■ | Samla Mammas Manna | Silence SRS 4604 | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1973 | ■ | Måltid | Silence SRS 4621 | ★★★★4 |
| 1974 | ■ | Klossa knapitatet | Silence SRS 4627 | ★★★3 |
| 1976 | ■ | Snorungarnas symfoni | MIMW 70P | ★★★3 |
| 1978 | ■ | Schlagerns mystik / För äldre nybegynnare * | Silence SRS 4640 | ★★★★4 |
| 1979 | ■ | Lejonet av Ljuga / Ryssland Island är väl inge ä va rädd för * (S) | Svenska Love Records SLS1 | ★★★★★5 |
This band was formed in Uppsala as early as 1964. Originally known as The Shakemen, they became S:t Michael Sect the following year. The band released two singles on their own Sunset label and went through several line-up changes. The third single "And Most Of All" was recorded in 1967 but wasn't released until the following year. Pictured on the sleeve were founding members Thomas Frisk and Hans Lundin as well as newcomers Tomas Eriksson and Rolf Lindahl, who both joined after the recording. By 1970 the name was shortened to San Michael's and after more line-up changes they were down to the trio of Lundin, Eriksson and drummer Westbergh, who recorded an organ-led progressive album featuring Swedish lyrics and the occasional guitar and flute. With the addition of guitarist Nane Kvillsäter they recorded one more album. However, it was never released and the group folded in the autumn of 1972. Lundin and Ericsson continued as Ura Kaipa in 1973. They used two tracks from the second San Michael's album as the debut single for their new band, which soon evolved into Kaipa.
| 1968 | ■ | And Most of All / I Can't See * (S) | Sweden Records S4506 | ★★★★★★★7 |
| 1971 | ■ | San Michael's | California CLP33505 | ★★★★★★★★8 |
This guitar icon first recorded in 1962 and was a member of several 60's groups, including Ted & The Top Teens, Sleepstones, Attractions and Grapes Of Wrath. In the latter band he hooked up with drummer Ola Brunkert and the pair formed Opus III in 1970. The same year, Schaffer entered the Swedish studio scene and quickly became the number one guitar call. He also appeared in the bands of countless TV-shows, instantly recognisable for his long blonde hair and the habit of always playing with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. This exposure - and the high quality of its music, of course - made his debut sail all the way to #1 on the Swedish charts, despite being a largely instrumental jazz-rock album. It featured Schaffer's long running partners Björn J:son Lindh (keyboards) and Stefan Brolund (bass) as well as Brunkert. Highlights included the classic "Halkans affär" and "Fillins mignon", a fiery duet with guitarist Bengan Karlsson (Heta Linjen). For the UK edition, a blues sung by Slim Notini was substituted by the new title track "The Chinese". Percussionist Malando Gassama, who had guested on the first album, was fully integrated into the line-up for the second album and played most of the drums on Katharsis. This was a more structured album and featued cameo appearances by Mats Glenngård (Kebnekajse) and keyboardist Rabbit Bundrick of UK group Free. The following album, Earmeal, was partly recorded in America and was an even more polished affair, featuring members of Toto. Janne Schaffer has countinued to release a steady (low of albums and today enjoys his legendary status. He also participated in several 70's album projects, including Baltik, Ablution, Ardy & Lasses Öronpaj, Svenska Löd AB and Pop Workshop.
| 1973 | ■ | Janne Schaffer | Four Leaf EFG-7232 | ★★★3 |
| 1974 | ■ | The Chinese (UK version of Janne Schaffer) | Vertigo 6360 107 | ★★★★4 |
| 1974 | ■ | Andra LP | Four Leaf EFG-501 2106 | ★★★3 |
| 1974 | ■ | Second LP (UK version of Andra LP) | Vertigo 6360 118 | ★★★★4 |
| 1976 | ■ | Katharsis | CBS 81142 | ★★2 |
| 1976 | ■ | Katharsis (US release) | Columbia 34499 | ★★2 |
| 1978 | ■ | Earmeal | CBS 83002 | ★1 |
| 1978 | ■ | Earmeal * (US release) | Columbia 35508 | ★1 |
| 1978 | ● | Happy Feet (S12) (US promo) | Columbia AS-589 | ★1 |
See also Compilations
Bo Anders Larsson started out in Vaxholm 60's bands Tintacs and Ron Faust, which both included Lorne de Wolfe of Contact. Larsson was also one of the founders of MNW and became the label's resident engineer and producer, including the first three albums by Hoola Bandoola Band and all of Gunder Hägg/Blå Tåget's 70's albums. His solo album was released as Scorpion and was produced by the legendary American Kim Fowley, who also produced Contact's first album as well as an album of his own at this time. I Am The Scorpion featured a variety of styles - from lightweight bubblegum to heavy psychedelia with lots of fuzz guitars. It also included tributes to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, who both died at the time of the recordings. Musicians included Lasse Summanen (Charlie & Esdor), Hasse Jonsson (Rowing Gamblers), Pelle Holm (Kebnekajse), Rolf Adolfsson (Fria Proteatern), Sam Ellison, Ted Ström and all of Contact. Possibly the weakest track on the album, "Michoican", was chosen as a single. The initial pressing mistakenly featured the track "Sagitarius" on the B-side. The following summer saw the release of a final Scorpion single. It featured Lasse Summanen (guitar), Esdor Jensen (bass) and Charlie Franzén (drums) working with Larsson as a band and the quartet also did a few gigs together. The B-side was "Wolf's Mouth Song", an instrumental tour de force of acid soundscapes alternatively titled "Fuck The Cops" when reissued on the Charlie & Esdor CD. The A-side was a fuzz induced version of "It's All Over Now" and, unfortunately for Larsson's solo career, it really was. He left MNW in 1973 to pursue a career as producer and sound technician in other studios. He reunited with Lorne de Wolf in Vargen in 1975, but went back to the recoring console when the project evolved into Hansson de Wolf United.
| 1970 | ■ | Michoican / Everybody Knows My Name (S) | Green Light 28S | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1970 | ■ | I Am The Scorpion | Green Light 9P | ★★★★★★★★★9 |
| 1971 | ● | It's All Over Now / Wolf's Mouth Song (S) | Green Light 37S | ★★★★★★★★8 |
Marie Selander was among the fans gathered at Arlanda airport when The Beatles first came to Sweden in October 1963. She was even able to sneak a ride in the same taxi as John Lennon back into town. Right then and there she decided to form a band. Initially called Dimples, the all-girl band later renamed themselves Nursery Rhymes and released three singles, including the classic "We're Gonna Hate Ourselves In The Morning" from 1967. The following year she joined folk group Diddlers, a band which later evolved into Låt & Trail. She also sang with Freedom Singers and Skäggmanslaget. In 1970 she recorded an album of old-time children's songs with Finn Zetterholm and the following year participated in the Sånger Om Kvinnor project. Her solo album, Från den svenska vildmarken, included four members of Blå Tåget as well as bassists Palle Danielsson and Nikke Ström (Nynningen) and drummer Bengt Berger. The album is a fine achievement with her strong voice topping a warm wall of sound filled with flutes, guitars and drums. She returned to traditional folk music with the album Å än är det glädje, å än är del gråt - recorded with Styrbjörn Bergelt and Susanne Broms - and then turned experimental again with Vargavinter. Marie Selander started studies at the Royal Academy of Music in 1980 and later became an authority on the mechanics of the voice. She has also worked as a guest professor al the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
| 1970 | ■ | Lillfar och Lillmor * | SR Records SR-70-LPS-1101 | ★★2 |
| 1973 | ■ | Från den svenska vildmarken | MNW 36P | ★★★3 |
| 1976 | ■ | Å än är det glädje, å än är det gråt ** | Ett minne för livet MILP-001 | ★★2 |
This album was taken from the Klarateatern's subtly political musical "Sessorna på Haga" about the Swedish royal family. It was written by Suzanne Osten and Per Lysander with music by Gunnar Edander. Along with Ejebrant, Osten and Edander were former members of Fickteatern and were also responsible for the feminist album projects Jösses Flickor and Sånger Om Kvinnor. The music is surprisingly progressive for this kind of album, especially on the track "Den svarta prinsessan och den röda". Musicians include Anders Henriksson (Baltik), Peter Lundblad (Figaro), Janne Bandel (Atlantic Ocean) and Peter Sundell (Egba). The cast featured strong acting names like Inga Landgre, a 40's film star who is still an active actor despite turning 80 in 2007.
| 1976 | ■ | Sessornas sånger | YTF 50192 | ★1 |
This band was formed in Gothenburg in 1973 and had a British keyboardist and an Austrian drummer. Their album features English-language hard rock with some progressive moves. High points on Lessons For Beginners include "No Strings" and the instrumental title track, which is their version of "In The Hall Of The Mountain King", composed by Edvard Grieg 100 years earlier. The UK band Nazareth once showed an interest in recording the song "Destination Nowhere", but Shaggy objected. After the break-up, Ryan moved back to England and Rognås joined hard rock band Rhapsody. Thomas Engström went on to publish the book "Stora Dansbandsboken 1963-2003".
| 1975 | ■ | Lesson For Beginners | Royal RGLP80 | ★★★★★★★★8 |
This Gothenburg band was formed as The Rangers already in 1961. Shakers scored two hits with "Too Much Monkey Business" and "All I Want Is My Baby". After several line-up changes they turned psychedelic in 1967 with their 8th single "Tracks Remain". Then followed the collector's classic "Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)". This was reportedly the first Swedish 60's single to top the USD 1000 mark in a record auction. It has also been the namesake of a reissue series featuring rare Swedish 60's and 70's music. The band was always greatly influenced by The Rolling Stones and the last Shakers single was taken off the Their Satanic Majesties Request album. Tommy Rander later became one of the main spokesmen of the Movement and helped found the Nacksving label. He also hosted the long-running radio series "Rundgång". Johnny Andersson had previously been in legendary Malmö band Namelosers, while Björn Linder went on to join Blond and Marsfolket.
| 1967 | ■ | Tracks Remain / I've Been Loving You Too Long (S) | Fontana 271275 TF | ★★★★★★★7 |
| 1967 | ■ | Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils) / The "46" In Wind Street (S) | Fontana 271278 TF | ★★★★★★★★★9 |
| 1968 | ■ | Sing This All Together / Summertime Blues (S) | Mallwax MAL5002 | ★★★★★★★7 |
See Compilations
See Filip
This Kvartetten Som Sprängde guitarist was an in-demand session man, appearing on albums by the likes of Ola Magnell, John Holm, Kjell Höglund, Marie Bergman and Ulf Lundell. He also toured Europe and Australia with ABBA. Sjöbergs instrumental solo album features a cast of fellow studio aces, including Stefan Nilsson (Kornet), Ola Brunkert (Opus III), Mike Watson (Marsfolket) and Malando Gassama (Resa). Highlights include the eastern sounding ”I Fatimas hand” which features prominent flute from Jan Kling as well as acoustic guitarist Lasse Englund. There's also the progressive folk of "Gånglåt från Barrstigen" and the jazz-rock of "Draklåten". Finn Sjöberg then waited 20 years for his next solo album, 1998's Guitar Heaven.
| 1978 | ■ | Finn | EMI 062-35020 | ★★★★4 |
See also Compilations
Jola Rota is one of those gloriously rare and highly original albums of the Swedish underground. It features Skogsberg's voice humming tunes in a traditional folk music vein. On several tracks he is virtually unaccompanied. The songs with instrumentation deliver electrifying drones from Kebnekajse members Mats Glenngård (violin, Jew's harp), Thomas Netzler (bass) and Göran Lagerberg (cello, bass). Guitar and bass were also provided by producer and Gump label head Pugh. The production is comparable to some contemporary German bands on the Kosmische Musik label. All in all, a real trippy album for fans of out-of-this-world experiences. The track "Offer rota" was included on Carsten Regild's album. Joakim Skogsberg went on to become an artist but resumed his recording career in 1999 with the album Indi Dust Garden.
| 1971 | ■ | Jola Rota | Gump 2 | ★★★★★★★★★9 |
This band was formed in Luleå in 1976 by members of Nynningen, Norrbottens Järn and Norrlåtar. Tommy Skotte (Spilld Mjölk) was the only member not coming from an established group, so they named the group after him. They backed Tomas Forssell on his 1977 album Ingenting står stilla. Several members later left and by the time of their debut single only Skotte, Lindström and Forssell remained of the original group. The band focused on an environmental agenda and their second single foreshadows the impending popular vote on nuclear power in Sweden in March 1980. They moved their base to Gävle in 1983 and still exist as a theatre group - now known as Skottes Musikteater - with Kalle Zerpe as the only remaining 70's member.
| 1979 | ■ | Rädda Kalixälven / Taita tulla (S) | Kalian BD-1 | ★1 |
| 1979 | ■ | Frihetens eko / Vaggsäng fern i tolv (S) * | Kalian BD-2 | ★1 |
See also Compilations
This Gothenburg band began playing avant-garde music using garbage and junk as instruments and appeared on the Levande improviserad musik compilation in 1975 and, as a result, gained some notoriety. The band eventually began using real instruments, but kept the name. Their first album is a live set of solid jazz-rock from the Nefertiti club in Göteborg that was recorded in January 1979. They made a second album, Afro Carib, in 1980 with some new members, including Britt Ling of Göteborgs Brechtensemble. Niels Nordin went on to join Tottas Bluesband and later Black Ingvars. Tomas Olsson had been in Blåkulla and Text & Musik. Stefan Sandberg had previously played with Thomas Ahlsen Band and Lars Aldman and is nowadays with Peps Persson. Olle Niklasson played on many sessions and went on to become the editor for Musikermagasinet.
| 1979 | ■ | Övervintring | Nacksving 31-21 | ★★★3 |
This trio of longhairs from Delsbo was very influential in making Swedish traditional folk music hip again. They first recorded with Contact in the spring of 1970 and performed at the first Gärdet Festival that summer. Contact returned the favour by playing on "Gråtlåten" from Pjål, gnäll & ämmel. The album also featured Marie Selander on vocals and earned them a Grammis award. Snus, mus & brännvin was more experimental and featured prominent Movement sidemen Urban Yman, Bengt Berger and Kjell Westling on two tracks. It also featured old-time folk musicians Vifast Björklund (guitar, vocals) and Ceylon Wallin (nyckelharpa). Petter Logård left after the fourth album but the others continued to play as a duo. Thore Härdelin' daughter Emma Härdelin is the singer of electric folk band Garmarna.
| 1970 | ■ | Jag är lite ledsen ikväll / Hon kom over mon * (S) | MNW 7S | ★★★ |
| 1970 | ■ | Pjål, gnäll & ämmel | Sonet SLP-2510 | ★★2 |
| 1971 | ■ | Snus, mus & brännvin | Sonet SLP-2522 | ★★2 |
| 1973 | ■ | Kniviga låtar tillägnade länsman i Delsbo | Sonet SLP-2541 | ★1 |
| 1974 | ■ | På jakt efter Skäggmanslaget | Fjedur EFG-501 7006 | ★★2 |
| 1975 | ■ | Gammeldans på Skansen ** | YTF 50220 | ★1 |
| 1971 | ■ | Rittarpolskan (EP) | Juke Box JSEP 5609 | ★1 |
| 1972 | ■ | Loka-Britas polska / Hins polska / Visa från Mailing/ Bytt Lasses brudmarsch (EP) | Juke Box JSEP 5618 | ★1 |
This is one of the earliest Swedish blues bands with beginnings that goes all the way back to 1960. Singer and pianist Slim Notini's original cohorts were Guy Öhrström (Handgjort), Bill Öhrström (Fläsket Brinner) och Göran Ramberg (Grapes Of Wrath). For a while, Bo Hansson was their guitarist. They first recorded in 1963, but there was nothing released except an 1966 EP on the obscure Beat label. Along the way they picked up Göran Malmberg and Pelle Ekman from the T-Boones and backed Peps Persson on his first album Blues Connection. A year before, during a 1967 trip to Chigago, Notini had played on Magic Sam's legendary album "West-Side Soul". In 1970 Notini formed a new version of the band with the line-up listed above, including Rolf Wikström and session ace Ola Brunkert, who had been in the band already in the early 60's. Slim Notini then made a cameo appearance on Janne Schaffer's first album and joined Peps Persson for the Blues på svenska album in 1975. He went on to play with Ulf Lundell, Cyndee Peters and others.
| 1971 | ■ | The Blues Ain't Strange | Sonet SLP-2523 | ★★★★★5 |
See also Compilations
This Gothenburg band was centered around bassist Matz Nilsson. The music is complex instrumental jazz-rock and the album featured a guest appearance by trumpeter Stephen Franckewich. The mellow "Vindkraft" was composed by future guitar hero Clas Yngström, who was also in Röda Ropet and would go on to form Sky High. Yngström and Pierre Swärd first recorded together in 1971 with Acke. Swärd later played with Mikael Ramel and went on to make a name for himself as an organ wizard. Matz Nilsson formed leading fusion band Hawk On Flight and appeared in the band on countless TV-shows. He also played on Mount Everest's third album together with Anders Kjellberg, who was also in New Creation and Vatten.
| 1975 | ■ | Greatest Sits | Nacksving 031-02 | ★★★★4 |
Poet Einar Heckscher and Norwegian pianist Johnny Mowinckel (Atlantic Ocean) formed the band Telefon Paisa in 1970 together with Tommy Broman (guitar), Labbe Bergström (bass) and Dick Nettelbrandt (drums). Early on, Telefon Paisa became notorious for unpredictable and not-so-sober performances. Guitarist Ingemar Böcker (Kebnekajse) was briefly in the band, but was soon replaced by Hans Berggren (saxophone). Nettelbrandt was then offered a car from his mother to quit the band. He accepted and was duly replaced. When it was time to record an album this volatile band had broken up. Still keen on making a record, Heckscher and Mowinckel called in old drummer Nettelbrandt. They named themselves Sogmusobil, short for Stark-Och-God-MUsik-Utföres-Snabbt-Och-BILligt [Loud and good music performed fast and cheap]. Telefon is one of the most psychedelic Swedish albums ever released, Heckscher's strange poetry is sung or spoken in English on the A-side and in Swedish on the B-side. Highlights include the prime psych number "Lost Identity", the acid rock of "Arabic In The Morning" and the percussive mantras in "Olle". It also featured a short cameo appearance by Lasse Öberg on the track "Öberg". There has been much confusion among collectors regarding this record, leading many to believe this is a Telefon Paisa album - but it really wasn't. In 1973, however, a reunited Telefon Paisa released the album Strömmens pärlor as Levande Livet.
| 1971 | ■ | Telefon | GUMP 1 | ★★★★★★★★8 |
See also Compilations
Initially called Bäska Droppar, this band was formed in 1971 when former Made In Sweden members Jojje Wadenius and Slim Borgudd joined forces with jazz organist Monica Dominique and her classically trained pianist husband Carl-Axel. They provided experimental background music for the children's album Gullivers resor by Beppe Wolgers, before changing their name to Solar Plexus. The eponymous double album debut was released in April 1972 and is generally considered their crowning achievement. It was followed by an English version six months later with the Swedish-language vocals from Wadenius re-recorded into English by former pop star Tommy Körberg. He had guested on one track on the original album and now became a full-time member. Wadenius left soon after to join American band Blood Sweat & Tears. His replacement was Bosse Häggström, also from Made In Sweden. Solar Plexus played a variety of styles from complex progressive rock to political songs to classical pieces and everything in between. In 1973 the band backed Tommy Körberg on his solo album Sjunger Birger Sjöberg. They also contributed to the 1975 album Öppen eller stängd kanal by comedians Hasse & Tage but the band split up the following year. Körberg signed on for the new version of Made In Sweden and also recorded an album with Monica Nielsen. Häggström joined Wasa Express while Borgudd became a race car driver.
| 1972 | ■ | Solar Plexus | Odeon 154 34573/4 | ★★★★★5 |
| 1972 | ■ | Solar Plexus (English version) | Odeon 154 34684/5 | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1973 | ■ | 2 | Odeon 062-34797 | ★★★★4 |
| 1973 | ● | Diktens port / Sommar (S) | Odeon 006-34845 | ★★2 |
| 1973 | ■ | Solarplexus (UK compilation) | Polydor 2383 222 | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1974 | ● | You Must Talk Today / The Girl Of The Dawn (S) | Harvest 006-34954 | ★★2 |
| 1974 | ■ | Det är inte båten som gungar, det är havet som rör sig | Harvest 062-34975 | ★★★★4 |
| 1975 | ■ | Hellre gycklare än hycklare | Harvest 062-3516 | ★★★★4 |
See also Compilations
Originally named Hamlet, this Stockholm band played their debut gig as Solen Skiner at the first Gärdet festival in 1970 and appeared on the Festen på Gärdet compilation. By the time of their first album, Lidström and Näslund had been replaced by Nahrendorf and Kilander. The album contained political Swedish-language blues rock. It was produced by Tore Berger (Blå Tåget), who had previously sung with the band. Three members of the band then played on Dennis Pettersson's album. Strålande Tider was an improvement on their debut and included tracks like "Jag vill leva" and "Tio våningar att falla". Solen Skiner folded in 1978 and Christer Nahrendorf went solo. Original bassist Åke Näslund is a distant relative to Canadian rock legend Neil Young.
| 1976 | ■ | Solen skiner | MNW 60P | ★★2 |
| 1977 | ■ | Strålande tider | Musiklaget MLLP-9 | ★★2 |
Solid Ground released a legendary hard rock album that is probably the rarest ever to come out of Sweden. The members disliked the fruit of their recording sessions to the extent that they destroyed most copies before anyone had the chance to form an opinion. Hjelmqvist and Berge were former members of 4 Ever, a band that recorded for the tiny Scam label. Their new band stayed with Scam and released a single with the strong B-side "Tell Me". The song was re-recorded as "Just Tell Me" for their album. Besides its extreme rarity, Made In Rock is also notable for the great guitar work of Björn Uhr. Other highlights include "Tombstone Kiss" and the long instumental passages of "Solid Ground". Uhr later formed the pop band Attack with drummer Åke Eriksson (Wasa Express). Together the pair wrote their giant hit "Ooa hela natten". Made In Rock has been reissued on CD by the Mellotronen label with the songs from the single included as bonus tracks.
| 1975 | ■ | My Song / Tell Me (S) | Scam SS015 | ★★★★★★★★8 |
| 1976 | ■ | Made In Rock | Scam LPS-L007 | ★★★★★★★★★★10 |
This project featured three members of Blond and two members of Jason's Fleece and was put together by producer Anders Henriksson. They recorded a quickie cash-in Swedish version of Mungo Jerry's current monster hit "ln The Summertime". However, it's the B-side that merits their inclusion here, a fine progressive pop number in the vein of Jason's Fleece. Göran Lagerberg went on to join Kebnekajse and was also a busy session musician alongside Janne Bandel and Björn J:son Lindh. Together with Karin Stigmark all three also participated in Henriksson's Baltik project.
| 1970 | ■ | På en sommardag / På en sommarnatt (S) | Mercury 6062 009 | ★★★★4 |
This Vänersborg duo recorded one instrumental album of Hammond organ and drums, strongly influenced by Hansson & Karlsson. The compositions of Sound Express are more straightforward than those of their mentors. Highlights include "Gothique", which had an overdubbed wha-wha guitar from Tillbjörn Persson, and "Youth". The track "Slight Return From New Year's Day At Hillbrigde" was a complete departure and featured only harmonica and a bluesy guitar. The album was released by Lidköping-based label Anette, which also released Blåkulla. It was run by dance band Cool Candys, a group Persson later joined.
| 1969 | ■ | Sound Express | Anette ALP148 | ★★★★★★★7 |
Spilld Mjölk was formed in Luleå by Erik Ahlstrand and Tommy Skotte, who also wrote the music and the Swedish-language, leftist lyrics. The music on Svart mjölk is experimental acoustic psychedelia. Notable tracks include the political "Under statsministerns dass" and the sitar drones of "Tills döden skiljer oss åt". The album was privately pressed and distributed by Erik Ahlstrand. Lars Fryklund was a member of Anton Swedbergs Swängjäng while Tommy Skotte went on to form Skottes Musikorkester together with Tomas Forssell and Ted Ström.
| 1975 | ■ | Svart mjölk | Spilld Mjölk 1L | ★★★★★★★7 |
See also Compilations
Spjärnsvallet was formed in the autumn of 1974 by Arbete & Fritid's Bengt Berger & Kjell Westling, along with Berger's Archimedes Badkar colleague Christer Bothén and Nynningen's Nikke Ström. Spjärnsvallet consists of wild experimental jazz with strong world music influences. The band broke up when Berger moved to Ghana not long after its release. Spjärnsvallet reunited in 1981 to record an album with Fred Lane, with Sigge Krantz (Stockholm Norra) on bass instead of Ström.
| 1976 | ■ | Spjärnsvallet | MNW 57P | ★★★★4 |
This band was formed in Söderhamn in 1969 and showed strong influences from Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears on their first single. Thurell and Eriksson left after its release and were replaced by Holm and Söderström. Ut på vischan featured Swedish lyrics about environmental issues and also showed similarities to both Solar Plexus and Jason's Fleece. Rundqvist, Lewin and Westin then left. Their places were taken by Jutterström, Carlsson and Hilldén. After aiming for success with a cover of Big Dee Irwin's 1963 hit "Swinging On A Star" their long-term deal with Polydor fell through. The band instead started their own label. It was initially known as Plask but was soon shortened to PLA. Their first self-released single featured the B-side "Sunday Ride", with English lyrics written by American rocker Linus. He also provided the words for the side-long progressive number "Karrottorokokrockokrokorock" from the following eponymous album. 1974 also saw the first of two singles where the band backed female singer Maritza Horn. The last Splash album - again eponymously titled - featured instrumental jazz-rock with an experimental vibe. It was recorded in a priest's house outside Söderhamn by Mikael Ramel, who had a mobile studio. Splash returned the favour by backing Ramel on his album Rycker dig i svansen and then decided to call it quits. The trusty rhythm section of Hempo Hilldén and Kaj Söderström had started their careers in 60's group Why and were both later in 80's hard rock band Trash. Thomas Jutterström became a member of Fläsket Brinner.
| 1971 | ■ | Gobby's Train / High Up North (S) | Splash 1 | ★★★★4 |
| 1972 | ■ | Ut på vischan | Polydor 2379 036 | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1973 | ● | Swinging On A Star / Keep On Playing That Rock 'n' Roll (S) | Polydor 2053 122 | ★★★3 |
| 1974 | ■ | Orangutang Boomerang / Sunday Ride (S) | Plask PLA 101 | ★★★★4 |
| 1974 | ■ | Splash | PLA 3001 | ★★★★★★6 |
| 1978 | ■ | Splash | PLA 2 | ★★★★★★6 |
See also Compilations
Singer/songwriter Bernt Stafs Swedish lyrics were politicized with witty irony. His first album, När dimman lättar, earned him a Grammis award and featured a stellar cast, including Björn J:son Lindh, Jojje Wadenius, Kenny Håkansson, Lasse Wellander and Sten Bergman. It spawned three singles, including Staf's best-known song "Familjelycka". He then sang "En stilla havsvals" on labelmate Pugh's Hollywood album. It was also intended as a duet single, but was quickly withdrawn. Vingslag won Staf another Grammis. It kept most of the musicians from the debut and also included contributions from Göran Lagerberg (Tages), Bengan Karlsson (Heta Linjen) and UK keyboardist Rabbit Bundrick (Free). The Live album was recorded mostly with Bernt Staf alone with his guitar. For Valhall, his most adventurous album, he teamed up with Kvartetten Som Sprängde and Bo Hansson. After 1976's Vår om du vill there were no solo releases for five years. Bernt Staf made five more albums before his death in 2002.
| 1970 | ■ | När dimman lättar | Metronome MLP 15385 | ★★2 |
| 1970 | ■ | Hovmästarsoppa / Uppståndelsen (S) | Metronome J 27.072 | ★★2 |
| 1971 | ■ | Familjelycka / Ute på drift (S) | Metronome J 27.097 | ★★2 |
| 1972 | ■ | Vingslag | Metronome MLP 15444 | ★★2 |
| 1972 | ● | En stilla havsvals/Sanningen * (S) | Metronome J.27.107 | ★★★★4 |
| 1972 | ● | Anita Transisto / Strömparteren (S) | Metronome J 27.112 | ★★★3 |
| 1972 | ● | Mitt livs novell / En vintervisa (S) | Metronome J 27.117 | ★★★3 |
| 1972 | ■ | Live | Metronome MLP 15475 | ★★2 |
| 1973 | ■ | Valhall | Silence SRS 4623 | ★★2 |
| 1975 | ■ | SR - alltför radikal? / Högenergi eller lågenergi (S) | YTF EFG-101 6125 | ★★2 |
| 1976 | ■ | Vår om du vill | YTF 50111 | ★★2 |
This Stockholm band was formed in 1965 and immediately got attention as Mikael Ramel was the son of Swedish legend Povel Ramel. Their early records were released as Steampacket II to avoid confusion with the British band Steampacket, which included future megastar Rod Stewart. Their third single, the freakbeat classic "Take Her Anytime", is one of the most collectable Swedish 60's releases and in England it was released as by The Longboatmen. Per Bruun joined the band in time for their big hit "Viva L'Amour", a song which didn't feature Ramel as he couldn't make the trip to London for the sessions. Steampacket made a move towards psychedelic music with their 8th and final single "Fruitseller Oldman's Song". The B-side was a strong version of Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird", featuring a wicked acid guitar solo. Mikael Ramel went solo after the break-up and his former bandmates all contributed to his albums. Per Bruun joined Fläsket Brinner and the late Rolf Scherrer was in the first Kebnekajse line-up.
| 1968 | ■ | Fruitseller Oldman's Song / Bluebird* (S) | Knåppupp KN4603 | ★★★★★★★7 |
Helene Bohman was a student in Lund when she formed Stenblomma with Englishman Johnson-King and Timo Toivolainen, who was from Finland. Bohman wrote all, but one, of the songs for their album, which included contributions from Träd, Gräs Och Stenar's Jacob Sjöholm, Torbjörn Abelli and Thomas Mera Gartz as well as Johan Runeberg (flute, sitar) and Lave Lindholm (bass). Among the backing vocalists were Jan Hammarlund and Mikael Katzeff (Elektriska Linden). The result is an excellent collection of Swedish-language mellow folk psych with prominent flutes. Helene Bohman went on to join the Tjejclown project, while the late Gregory Johnson-King was also a member of Folk Blues Inc.
| 1973 | ■ | Alla träd har samma rot | Silence SRS 4620 | ★★★★★5 |
See Atlantic Ocean
This band was formed in Norrköping in 1973 and named themselves Stinkfotarna. According to the sleeve, due to the smell of the recording studio. Their instrumental single features funky rock with a basement feel and a prominent fuzz-guitar on the B-side. Peter Wiberg is still active and occasionally plays harmonica and banjo with indie-pop singer Timo Räisänen, while Hans Derestam went on to play with Blues Bag and is now found in Moosters, with radio personality Dave Nerge and Roxette drummer Pelle Alsing.
| 1977 | ■ | Borgio / In Your Mind (S) | Europa-Ton STSM 7-EU | ★★★★4 |
Veterans Harald "Bagarn" Andersson and Anna-Lisa Grönholm performed in communist revues in Gothenburg already in the 30's. On this album they recorded new versions of working class tales that originate from the 30's and 40's. The old-timers in Tjuslings Trio provide an accurate soundtrack of the period.
| 1979 | ■ | Stjärnsmällar & tjyvnyp | Proletärkultur PROLP179 | ★★2 |
See also Compilations
This five-man band can almost be seen as a reincarnation of Blå Tåget, since it contained three of that band's most important members: Torkel Rasmusson, Tore Berger and Leif Nylén. Stockholm Norra's sole album is quite political and much more serious than those of Blå Tåget and Guilder Hägg. It includes Rasmusson's ten-minute epic "Med blodad tand". When performing live, the band also played songs from Rasmusson's and Berger's solo albums. Stockholm Norra was reissued on CD by MNW in 2004 with the B-side from the single added as a bonus track. Sigge Krantz was a former member of Archimedes Badkar, while the late Ola Backström joined Dag Vag using the alias "Olsson".
| 1978 | ■ | Vad önskar du dig för nånting i julklapp? / Den nyaste regeringen (S) | MNW 52S | ★★2 |
| 1979 | ■ | Stockholm Norra | MNW 84P | ★★2 |
Former Kaipa guitarist Roine Stolt went solo in 1978. On his first album he is helped out by former band-mates Mats Löfgren (vocals) and Mats Lindberg (bass) as well as drummer Hasse Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna) and keyboardist Per Andreasson, among others. The music is progressive rock with Swedish-language lyrics and features Stolt on a variety of instruments, including guitar synthezeiser. Fantasia then grew into a real band, which released the Din cigarett album in 1982. Roine Stolt later formed the bands Stolt and Flower Kings and also released two more solo albums in the 90's.
| 1979 | ■ | Fantasia | Svenska Love Records SLLP06 | ★★★★★5 |
Famous poet Jacques Werup formed this progressive band in Malmö in 1973. His Swedish-language lyrics on Stormvarning have a socialist message with a poetic, yet violent, touch. The band strove to make the music radical, with most of the music written by Rolf Sersam. The standout cut, "Snart bryter stormen ut", was written by Werup and guitarist Mulle Holmqvist, who really shines here. Ek and Karlberg were then replaced by Lasse Bergrensson and Percy Malmqvist, who both had played with Holmqvist in 60's band The Troublemakers. Storm at the Top saw the entire band mooning on the back cover. It featured English-language lyrics and less experimental, but still progressive, music. EMI in London wanted Storm to have a big tour in Great Britain, but bad wages made the band decline the offer. The third and final album was released in 1977 and featured a new rhythm section, consisting of former Lotus members Stefan Berggrensson and Håkan Nyberg. Casanova i Mjölby is an excellent Swedish-language concept album. It tells an anachronistic story about Italian legend Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) coming to a small town in Sweden in 1977 to witness society in decay. Like its predecessors, the album was co-produced by the band and Gunnar Lindqvist (G.L. Unit). The vinyl is housed in a great sleeve by painter Bo Hultén. Despite the album being the peak of Storm's career, the band quit soon after. Werup went on to release several solo albums, often collaborating with his former Storm collegues.
| 1974 | ■ | Stormvarning | Harvest 062-35010 | ★★★★★5 |
| 1975 | ■ | Storm At The Top | Harvest 062-35179 | ★★★★4 |
| 1977 | ■ | Casanova i Mjölby | Harvest 062-35324 | ★★★★4 |
See also Compilations
Pierre Ström - no relation to Ted Ström - became a professional troubadour in 1965. His début album was produced by Roger Wallis and contained lush orchestrations. Then followed an album of songs by Leonard Cohen. It included the track "Lavin", which was sung through a Leslie cabinet. The third album, Första maj, was recorded with Finn Zetterholm and consists of eleven traditional socialist songs, with their treatment of "Warzawianka" Obeing the most effective. Rallarvisor comprised of old railroad workers' songs, performed on traditional instruments. På Palmes tid was one of many collaborations with lyricist and sleeve designer Owe Junsjö. It consists of self-penned Swedish-language protest songs, with a progressive touch on tracks like "Solens gyllene lampa" and "Motströms". Pierre Ström is still active today as a songwriter and troubadour. He is the President of YTF - Yrkestrubadurernas förening [Professional Troubadour Association] - and was previously also a member of Elektriska Linden.
| 1970 | ■ | Drottninggatan 7 / Det var inte menat sä (S) | Green Light GL 0011 | ★★2 |
| 1970 | ■ | I vädurens tecken | !ntersound ISOLP101 | ★★★3 |
| 1970 | ● | Suzanne / I vädurens tecken IS) | !ntersound IS05 | ★★2 |
| 1971 | ■ | Sjunger sånger av Leonard Cohen | !ntersound ISOLP103-S | ★★2 |
| 1973 | ■ | Första maj * | YTF EFG-7222 | ★1 |
| 1973 | ■ | Rallarvisor | YTF EFG-7357 | ★1 |
| 1975 | □ | I vädurens tecken (Reissue) | YTF EFG-5016094 | ★1 |
| 1975 | □ | Sjunger sånger av Leonard Cohen (Reissue) | YTF 50171 | ★1 |
| 1975 | □ | Rallarvisor (Reissue) | YTF 50172 | ★1 |
| 1976 | ■ | På Palmes tid | YTF 50173 | ★★2 |
See also Compilations
When Contact split up, leader Ted Ström recorded Knut Teodor Ström, which featured former bandmates Björn Holmsten and Bosse Linné, Erik "Kapten" Dahlbäck (Fläsket Brinner), Bengan Karlsson (Heta Linjen) as well as the Kebnekajse trio of Göran Lagerberg, Thomas Netzler and Gunnar Andersson. Highlights include the organ-driven folk psych of "Frost" and the mellow "Tidig morgon". Ström then moved to Luleå and joined the bands Norrbottens Järn, Anton Swedbergs Swängjäng and Skottes Musikorkester. On his second solo album, Kärva lägen, he was backed by Rekyl and Tomas Forssell. Social realism was the main theme of that album, with Strom's melancholic voice giving the music some depth and feeling. Jazz-rock band Kornet provided backing on För evigt ung alongside Lasse Englund, among others. Ted Ström has continued making and producing music, mostly for films and TV. His song "Vintersaga" has been a hit for both Monica Törnell and Jerry Williams.
| 1973 | ■ | Knut Teodor Ström | Grammofonverket EFG-7346 | ★★★3 |
| 1977 | ■ | Kärva lägen | Manifest MAN009 | ★1 |
| 1979 | ■ | För evigt ung | Sonet SLP-2651 | ★1 |
| 1979 | ● | Vinterresa / Vårt lilla bo (S) | Sonet T-7979 | ★1 |
Uppsala band Störningen started out as Lön För Mödan. They were part of the SUB collective that initiated the record label of the same name, with all members participating on SUB-Gruppen's album Närdom talar om fred. Störningen played soft rock with a political message and notable tracks on their album include "Främlingen på Stockholm C” and the nine-minute progressive song "Fruset land". The band split up in June 1976 when Frans Mossberg moved to Norway. Forsberg and Staland also appeared on Mobben's third album.
| 1976 | ■ | I görningen | SUB LP0176 | ★★★3 |
The SUB collective was a large group of people from Uppsala that included members from Störnin-gen and Mobben. They started the record label Subverskivbolaget, SUB for short, and its first release was the collective effort När dom talar om fred. The Swedish-language political lyrics concern war and military service and the music has some progressive moves. Also included on the album is one song by the band Trotsålderns Barn from Umeå.
| 1975 | ■ | När dom talar om fred | SUB LP7501 | ★★2 |
This band came from Sollefteå. They recorded one Swedish-language album and released it privately in 1979. Tracks include the mellow "Varen" and "Jag star på min himmel" as well two funky instrumentals.
| 1979 | ■ | Suget | Suget musik UFSLP793 | ★★2 |
See also Compilations
Anton Swedbergs Swängjäng was a lose congregation formed in Luleå in 1972. The members came from local bands like Norrlåtar, Rekyl and Norrbottens Järn. In 1975 the band released a folk-rock album with Swedish lyrics and much emphasis on the extensive brass section. Several members of the group also played on Andreas Aarflot's solo album. Despite the spelling on the bass drum, shown on the cover of their album, Swedbergs was most often spelled with a "w".
| 1975 | ■ | Anton Swedbergs Swängjäng | Manifest MAN001 | ★★2 |
This much sought after instrumental album was pressed in only 200 copies. The music is funky pop-jazz with a prominient horn section. It was produced by radio personality Janne Forssell together with engineer Gert Palmkrantz and the group. Janne Schaffer later used the name Hörselmat for his road band and an 80's album. Nils-Erik Svensson later changed his last name to Slörner.
| 1971 | ■ | Hörselmat | HM-KU-FI SLP-001 | ★★★★★★★★★★10 |
This project released a single to help raise money for the communist party SKP, sung by Ann Sofi Nilsson. Christer Jonasson wrote the music and Gunnar Ohrlander was responsible for the lyrics. All three were members of Fria Proteatern, while Jonasson was also in Höj Rösten and, later, FJK.
| 1976 | ■ | Till Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti / Den okände soldaten (S) | Oktober OSS601 | ★1 |
This was music from the play "Kärleksföreställningen", about the adult industry and there were also some tracks taken from the plays "Tjejsnack" and "Moa, Osten, Stella". All were written by Suzanne Osten and Margareta Garpe with music by Gunnar Edander. The trio was also responsible for the Jösses Flickor and Sänger Om Kvinnor projects. Osten and Edander were former members of Fickteatern. Suzanne Osten is still active as a director for both stage and films.
| 1974 | ■ | Kärleksföreställningen | Ljudspår EFG-501 2089 | ★★2 |
This classic album project was initiated by Gunilla Thorgren and Louise Walden of feminist activists Grupp 8. Waldén produced the album together with Fickteatern's Suzanne Osten and Gunnar Edander. The feminist lyrics were written by authors Wava Stürmer and Sonja Åkesson as well as Osten and Waldén. The music was composed by Edander, with one song contributed by Leif Nylén (Gunder Hägg). There were also three numbers taken from Osten's and Margareta Garpe's play "Tjejsnack". Most songs were sung either by Marie Selander, Lottie Ejebrant (Fickteatern) or actress Ulla Sjöblom. Musicians included members of Gunder Hägg and Gläns Över Sjö Och Strand as well as Bengt Berger and Sam Ellison. The result is an astonishing achievement with strong Swedish-language lyrics. It caught the spirit of the age and was an instant classic among left-wing and feminist groups alike. Sånger om kvinnor has been reissued numerous times and is one of the most important albums of the Movement. Suzanne Osten and Gunnar Edander were also behind the album projects Sånger För Kvinnor Och Män, Jösses Flickor and Sessonas Sånger.
| 1971 | ■ | Sånger om kvinnor | MNW 23P | ★★2 |
See also Compilations
Folk singer Margareta Söderberg began her career in the early 60's. Her only album consists mainly of traditional Swedish songs, some à capella and some backed by the bands Arbete & Fritid and Pojkarna på Storholmen as well as Fred Lane and members of Södra Borgens Balalaikor. It is a lush recording that manages to deliver a medieval feeling. Margareta Söderberg also sang on Älgarnas Trädgård's album Framtiden är ett svävande skepp.
| 1976 | ■ | Käringtand | YTF 50130 | ★★★3 |
See also Compilations
This large balalaika and domra ensemble was formed in Stockholm in 1969 by Embrik Underdal and Thomas Lundkvist. They were the leaders of a beginner's course of balaika playing and their pupils comprised the original group. They played mostly traditional Russian folk music and performed at the second Gärdet Festival in 1970. The group made three albums on MNW with several line-up changes along the way - only a handful of the members played on all three albums. They are still going strong but there was a long wait until the fourth album, Kamarinskaya, was released in 2002. Södra Bergens Balaikor contributed to albums by Hoola Banddola Band and Tillsammans while main vocalist Karin Biribakken also sang with Jan Hammarlund, Nynningen, Bella Ciao and Musikteatergruppen Ariel.
| 1971 | ■ | Södra bergens balalaikor | MNW 19P | ★1 |
| 1973 | ■ | 1973 | MNW 37P | ★1 |
| 1979 | ■ | Skiva | MNW 96P | ★1 |