"Lägg av! / Historien om Nationalteatern", the Nationalteatern 40th anniversary boxset, as discussed here, is officially confirmed for release in November via and will include 9 CDs and a 132-page book. More: http://www.mnwmusic.com/artists/nationalteatern/nationalteatern.html
is working on an 8CD Nationalteatern boxset to be released for the classic Swedish progg band's 40th anniversary this fall. Besides all of the band's studio recordings, the set will also include a new live disc and 30 never-released bonus tracks along with commentary text from 15 members of the group, both new and old, talking about the group's history and much, much more: http://www.mnwmusic.com/artists/nationalteatern/nationalteatern.html
Various ArtistsIt seems silly to call this "Volume 2" when disc one is essentially a reprise of the original "Svenska punkklassiker" comp with a slightly different tracklist and an extended timeframe. Sure, a few quality acts got culled in the process (or resigned to the excellent "Svensk postpunk klassiker" collection), but the heavy hitters (Ebba Grön, KSMB, etc.) remain. As for extending the date range to cover the entire 80s, well we can argue endlessly about who was unfairly left off and so on, but overall I think it allows for more variety, thus a better sampling of what early Swedish punk has to offer.
Disc two however, is where things become problematic. Swedish punk in the 90s was a mixed bag, to say the least, and I'm sure there's all sorts of folks out there who bristle at the inclusion of many bands here. C'mon, I love Fireside, but to call them classic Swedish punk is stretching things. Sure, they evolved from the right place, but to hear them followed by Skitsystem is quite a transition.
Anyhow, all issues of personal taste set aside, this collection does deliver a decent overview of the Swedish punk scene for novice listeners. The intro essay by Mikael Sörling gives the music historical context and the extra notes for each track (all på Svenska 'natch) are a most welcome touch, especially considering that they are sorely lacking from other collections in the Klassiker series. Of course, in an ideal world, we'd have a double-disc collection for each decade, but it still succeeds well enough as-is to earn a reserved recommendation.
- Avi Roig
Ebba GrönSwedish legendary punk band Ebba Grön only recorded three studio albums, but since their demise in 1983 (after being together for 6 years), three compilations, one live album and a four disc box set have all been released (the last compilation was released in 2005). The reason for this is simple - Ebba Grön still sell records in Sweden, due to the simple fact that they were really good (their singer Joakim Thåström also had a successful career after Ebba Grön, both with Imperiet and currently as a solo artist). Earlier this year all of their studio albums were reissued with a couple of bonus singles and b-sides not featured on the original albums stuck onto each disc. Ebba Grön's first album "We're only in it for the drugs" (don't let the English title fool you, Ebba Grön, on their records, strictly sang in Swedish, and also - the title is ironic) came out 1979 and it's without a doubt their finest work and one of the best Swedish albums of all time. After that they went a bit too soft and acquired too much of that 80s swing that sounds so dated today. If you'd like to check out some classic Swedish punk, I'd recommend you to get "We're only..." or "Ebba Grön samlingen". "We're only..." is raw and energetic whereas with the follow-ups, Ebba Grön became more and more pop and less punk. "Kärlek och uppror" is a bit hit and miss and their third (self-titled) album is more miss than hit, despite having classics such as "Flyktsoda" on it. The Swedish punk scene in the last 70s and early 80s was perhaps vibrant and some great songs were certainly produced, but overall it didn't really make too much of a mark. Ebba Grön are the exception to this, they were in a different league to the rest, a bit like what Refused were to Swedish hardcore in the 90s.
Individual Scores:
We're only in it for the drugs: 10
Kärlek och uppror: 7
Ebba Grön: 5
- Simon Tagestam
