
The Swedish Progg Blog
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The Swedish Progg Blog is a website for reviews of Swedish progg albums from the golden era of 1967-1982. Learn about Swedish vocals, English vocals, other languages, and instrumental International relevance.
The Swedish Progg Blog
5M ago
Instrumental
International relevance: **
Now here are some peculiar turn of events! Lee Schipper was an American physicist specializing in energy efficency research and considered something of a pioneer on climate issues. He was also a vibraphonist and recorded an album in 1973 with Swedish musicians Stefan Brolund, Ola Brunkert, Christer Eklund, and thick-as-thieves couple Schaffer & J:son, plus Americans Art Lande on piano and Ted Curson on trumpet, and produced by Swedish big band leader Lasse Samuelsson. The album, appropriately entitled ”Phunky Physicist” was originally only released ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
5M ago
Chilly Chimes / Fifth Avenue / Overdoze / High Voltage / Santa Luzia / Superstition Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: *
A case of 'progg by association', as the main motive for including ”Ljud från Friberga” is that it has two exclusive tracks by Chilly Chimes that eventually developed into Mörbyligan. Two bad tracks at that, sounding like revved-up singalong second rate rhythm & blues. Santa Luzia has vague progg credentials too sounding like an electrified youth recreation center version of Röda Bönor. The album's often classified as punk, and while some of t ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
5M ago
Instrumental, other languages
International relevance: *
Not to be confused with the ”Witchdoctor's Son” album from 1978, this album was recorded in Stockholm winter 1979/80 with Kenny Håkansson, Bosse Skoglund, Hassan Bah (of Kebnekajse) and Dudu Pukwana. It wears Johnny Dyani's South African heritage proudly, and despite Dyani being best known as a jazz pianist and bassist, there's very little actual jazz here. It's much closer to Soweto's township music. A huge exception is the track ”Kalahari” clocking in at almost nine minutes with Kenny Håkansson really letting it loose, firing off psy ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
5M ago
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 l ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
6M ago
Instrumental, English vocals
IRG: **
The expression ”don't be fooled by the name” has rarely been as appliable as here. If you expect anything close to Kebnekajse violinist Mats Glenngård's first solo album, the lovely ”Kosterläge” from 1972, then you'll be sorely disappointed. This is closer to Kebnekajse's last album ”Vi drar vidare” which had Glenngård at the helm as Kenny Håkansson had left the group by then. ”Vi drar vidare” is an insult to the band's once glorious name, with limp fusion jazz, and that goes for ”Violin Race” as well. This is an equally bloody awful piece of shit, with fr ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
6M ago
Instrumental, other languages
International relevance: **
Imagine a Sevda album where the spotlight is almost exclusively on their deft violin player Salih Baysal and you'd get ”The Myth”. It's a solo album of his to all intents and purposes, but with Maffy Falay and Okay Temiz appearing on various drums and percussion, it's still something of a lost Sevda album, or at least a Sevda stripped to the basics. Especially the second side where Temiz really have a go at it on the drums.
But the focus is really on Baysal's violin and, on several tracks, his throaty, experienced voice. The material i ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
6M ago
Instrumental
International relevance: **
A real oddity, this. The music itself is rather straight ahead jazz funk but what sets it apart from other jazz funk albums is that the main instrument is steel pans! Pannist Rudy Smith left Trinidad for Sweden in the late 1960's and played with plenty of Swedish musicians including Bernt Rosengren, Ingemar Olsson and Ewert Ljusberg. His Modern Sound outfit went through several changes, from quartet to quintet before becoming Modern Sound Corporation in the late 70's. While steel pans produce a sound that's extremely annoying to me, Smith uses them mor ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
6M ago
English vocals
International relevance: *
Totta's – or Tottas to use the Swedish possessive form – Bluesband began life as a side project to the other two bands Torsten ”Totta” Näslund was part of in the 70's, Nynningen and Nationalteatern. This side project was even called Nynningens och Nationalteaterns Fritidsorkester ("fritidsorkester" meaning something like ”hobby orchestra”), before eventually evolving into Tottas Bluesband with several members from the old Nynningen and Nacksving label coterie. With the blues always close to Totta Näslund's heart, this was a chance for him to fully imm ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
6M ago
Instrumental
International relevance: ***
Recorded with the second Rena Rama line-up with American Leroy Lowe on drums instead of Bengt Berger who left after their first album. Not released until 1983 on Urspår's sublabel Organic Music, but taped live at Stockholm's premiere jazz club Fasching one winter's evening in 1975. The other Rena Rama albums are mostly OK but not really top shelf material to my ears; it always sounds to me as if they hold something back. That's not the case here. Housed in a beautiful cover, ”Live” bursts with free jazz energy, especially Lennart Åberg who blows ..read more
The Swedish Progg Blog
6M ago
Swedish vocals
International relevance: *
Their second to last album (followed by ”Kamikaze” in 1983) not counting reunions. They were never a good band to begin with, but this is even worse. The radio friendly hard rock production makes them sound like a second rate Jerusalem, and singer/guitarist Juris Salmins machoisms are even more grating than before.
Full album playlist ..read more