BO HANSSON

Everything that deals with J.R.R.Tolkien, call it a book, a film, a music album, a review, gets my attention. The world he created within his works has been hailed as a modern mythology; a real piece of art that involved the ''invention'' of two languages and a detailed narration of events, journeys, clans and civilisations. This is Bo Hansson's version of what Lord of the Rings could have sounded like if it was a musical piece - or the way he personally perceived the magic of the script...

In terms of structure, the album is based on separate compositional pieces that do not directly link with each other musically or thematically - not exactly what you would have expected from a concept album. According to the conceptual theme of each track, the music sometimes flows in a relaxed psychedelic atmosphere (i.e. Leaving Shire, The Grey Havens) or turns into adventurous, agonising passages (i.e. The Black Riders, The Horns of Rohan).

With a large dose of late 60's psychedelia, improvisation is the main source of inspiration for this album. The extensive use of organ and moog synthesizer give this album an unexpected touch that makes it very attractive, especially if one reads about the recording conditions under which it was created. It seems that vocals were not in Bo Hansson's mind while composing (or rather improvising...) thus the result is a 100% instrumental record. To my ears, guitars play a secondary role here, while the presence of drums and inspired tribal rhythms really add to the overall sound. To some listeners the sound of the percussion (often resembles to Santana) might seem dated, but I personally feel it gives a charming touch.

The production is not clear and polished (see description of recording equipment used in biography section) but this does not affect the intention of the band; on the contrary, it generates a nostalgic feeling that blends with the actual music.

What the album suffers from is the coherence that would constitute a concept musical piece and the repetitiveness that - while evident throughout the whole record - starts to appear more in the latter tracks. However, it is interesting to observe that the happy, dreamy moments in the story are represented by tracks with similar atmosphere in the record and the same happens with the darker, more anxious, agonising sections. The length of the album is short but this does not affect the quality. This does not entirely mean that Hansson's interpretation of the story is successful. No matter how subjective this is, I could not actually imagine Tolkien's world while listening to this version but I can't deny it is still an interesting one.

If I were to pick highlights, the more adventurous The Old Forest..., The Black Riders... and the dreamy Lothlorien caught my attention for sure. Friends of early Caravan and bands alike of the late 60's/early 70's might appreciate Hansson's efforts. A definitely interesting result despite its limitations...

This record is recorded with little modern studio posibilities, it's just some guys playing atmospheric themes. The recording quality isn't very good, but somehow it amazes me. It's like they are playing gently in the corner of your room. No haste, no potential of making bombastic progressive music. No, this is prog reduces to it atmospheric sound combined with some medieaval sounds. The atmospheres are dark most of the time, but sometimes other emotions are played. Bo Hansson is a good keyboardplayer, but his sounds are a bit dated. The strange thing is I still tend to like the silly organ sounds combined with the ambient drums and bass.

The tracks all have a name, but you wouldn't pick em out. This whole record is like one big song, one piece of art. As mentioned before this is no ordinary progrock, but jamsession-like flow music with medieaval sounds. The artwork is nice, but dated because of the recent movies. I like to play this record, but it's not a masterpiece of any kind. I will give it three stars. If you are searching for prog with a different approach, atmospheric music or soundtrack-like music this is something you wouldn't want to skip on! If you like songwriting, epics and a lot of viriatiy of sounds you might want to look somewhere else for you prog. I bought it myself for one euro on vinyl and it's worth it! Good, but non-essential.

Three stars. Not for everyone.

This is one of thos albums i been wanting to hear for a long time and now i finally got it, and it dident dissapoint, this is an amazing piece of music, a must have for every prog lover, its even beter if you have read the book like i have the music fit the book thems perfectly, most songs are realy beautiful and some realy sad, this is music that culd make you cry and when i hear the final "De grå hamnarna" and think about the ending of the book, it almost makes me cry, yust like the ending of the book made me many years ago. The album is full of great keyboard and guitar playing, its a bit short, but realy good, this is one of the best prog album i heard in a long time. A early masterpice, a english verision came out in 72 with difrent cover but same music, the orginal album this one was made in 70, so make no mistake Hansson wasent copying anyone this is all his orginal work and my gues is that he inspiered some of the bigger prog names, but who knows, this is anyway a must in any prog collection a forgoten prog gem.

Unlike the majority of keyboard wizards in the 1970s Hansson never presented himself as a virtuoso show-off. But he was adept at creating atmospheric soundtracks for imaginary films, playing guitar and bass alongside his synthesizers (which at any rate were used more for instrumental color and texture), and employing a large cast of guest musicians to fill out the soundstage.

The album title is appropriate: it sounds like the composer was doing a little housecleaning, collecting enough unused musical scrap from every corner of his head to fill (just barely) an entire LP. Most of it is in the slow to mid-tempo range, leaning closer to contemporary Space Rock than Symphonic Prog, and with a relaxing lack of rock 'n' roll histrionics (although "A Happy Prank" ends the album on an upbeat, almost jazzy note).

There's some good music here for such a short album, but the three-part title track and the superlative "Waiting" are the obvious highlights, exhibiting all of Hansson's considerable talents as a writer and arranger. The latter tune in particular (at 7+ minutes the longest selection here) has a haunting midnight-sun melody unequalled elsewhere on the album, or for that matter anywhere in Swedish music at the time.

"Attic Thoughts" never achieved the same popularity as his 1972 "Lord of the Rings" album, but that may have simply been a reflection of the craze for all things Tolkien in the mid 1970s (if that album had featured cover art by the Hildebrandt brothers, it would have gone platinum). This effort may not have the same thematic appeal, but in its own modest way it succeeds in capturing the sub-arctic beauty of backwoods Scandinavia better than some of the more renowned bands (and I'm not picking on THE FLOWER KINGS) from the same country.

So if any listener wants to try this album, I recommend to search for a copy of "Live at Pompeii" and try it, because that's the closer you will get to the overall sound of "The Lord of the Rings".

Of course this is not a negative commentary, I love the album, but if you want to listen something, you need to have a clear idea about what you are going to have before you instead of being disappointed because lack of information.

Now, despite it's quality, the album has a serious problem, BO HANSSON was too ambitious, you can't make a conceptual album about a trilogy of epic proportions as The Lord of the Rings, with 12 songs of 3 or 4 minutes length as average, as HANSSON you would be only able to scratch the cover of the book. There's no time for a coherent development and for a real musical narration as you should expect from a conceptual album.

But, even when Psyche Prog is not the best style to suit the famous trilogy would be unfair to say that the sound is something less than excellent and more than adequate, "HANSSON" with his skills managed to adapt two styles that IMO were almost incompatible.

One of the reasons I didn't review this excellent album before is because it's based mostly in atmospheres, keyboards and guitar jamming, and being the songs so similar, it's very hard to make a track by track review as I usually do.

The music as I said before has a strong Psyche PINK FLOYD influence, the guitar jamming is much less aggressive than Gilmour's but honestly more delicate and elaborate.

The organ is another issue, sounds incredibly close to the sound of "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" but in other moments with a strong resemblance to 666 by "APHRODITE'S CHILD", something very positive, because the pompous Greek Orthodox Canonic influenced music suits perfectly with an album based in a book about the fight of good against evil with obvious religious background.

Before rating "The Lord of the Rings" I must mention the superb drumming work by "Rune Carlsson" whose perfect timing and dexterity with the cymbals is the spine over which the music is supported.

Not a masterpiece of Progressive Rock, but for sure an album that must be included in any Progressive Rock collection, so I will go with 4 solid stars.

The music here is all instrumental, and nowhere near the kind of grand, almost gothic sound that some of the later soundtracks and Tolkien tribute albums would tend to have. In fact, Hansson’s keyboard arrangements and eclectic style remind me of quite a few Swedish acts like In the Labyrinth, Autumn Breeze, Gjallarhorn (Swedish-speaking in their case), and even Isildur’s Bane at times. His music is ambient at times, experimental at others, and almost always vaguely familiar, although I’m guessing I never heard this record on the radio or at a friend’s house so the familiarity aspect is suspect.

This is not the type of sound most people would expect of a Lord of the Rings-inspired piece of music. Later recordings ranging from Led Zeppelin to Mostly Autumn are more grandiose, pompous, and expansive. Hansson instead focuses on the fantasy side of Tolkien’s tale, weaving a musical (mostly keyboard) tapestry through the Old Forest to the House of Elfrond and eventually back toward home, skipping huge parts of the story in the process but establishing an almost mystic mood that must have been awesome to use as a backdrop when reading the three volumes way back then.

The congas and Santana-like guitar licks on “The Black Riders/Flight to the Ford” capture the anxiety and high drama of that passage without being overbearing or cheesy, much like “Homeward Bound / the Scouring of the Shire” evokes a mood of finality to the adventure.

Like I said, not the sound I would have envisioned for a Tolkien soundtrack for sure, but Hansson was a creative genius who gave us a fascinating alter-interpretation on this hugely popular literary classic. I can’t say this is a masterpiece because there are a few spots where the repetitious organ and hand drums seems to drag on a bit much, and because the level of attention paid to certain parts of the tale don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense (“Lothlórien” and “Shadowfax” – why)? But in all this is a great musical work that is bound to be appreciated by nearly all progressive music fans, regardless of their genre of choice. Highly recommended and four stars.

peace

The highlights of the album are the longer songs. Attic Thoughts is a good three-part opener, with beautiful guitar and keyboard melodies. Waiting is the best of the album with excellent piano, organ and synthesizer work. The song has different moods and melodies and the rhythm section is very good also. Waltz For Interbeings is another highlight, because it mixes jazz and waltz in a very interesting way, with good keyboard work, as always. Rabbit Music is another highlight of the album, with many parts and different melodies in the song.

What puzzles me is that although the prog rock is competent, it lacks something that call attention. If you listen to it continuously, you will not find any bad part in it, but rarely it will call you attention. Unlike Watership Down, this album lacks memorable melodies or songs, the only exception maybe is the shor Waltz For Interbeings. So although the album is good, it is not an essential prog album neither his best album.

I actually don't care for the way Attic Thoughts opens as if it's a song in progress at mid gallup, but then the first guitar lead breaks in about 90 seconds later and all if forgiven. The pace remains fairly slow with keys and guitar playing in front of a bells-like percussion. Some piano also is sprinkled in like rain and the piece becomes quite peaceful and melodic. After the opening title track, "Time and Space" is a brief mixture of synth effects and very quiet acoustic guitar serving as a nice intro to "Waiting." Here delicate, melancholic guitar and synth hover above dreamy mellotron, as a strong bass and drumming back it up. Hakansson gets a co-writing credit on this long track, the only one not by Hansson alone. It moves along at a consistent pace pitting Hansson's keys against Hakansson's lead guitar creating some good fantasy imagery, a very strong track. "Waltz for Interbeings" is a funny title for an unusual track starting out funky, before going waltz, then hyper-jazzy, finally settling into more Hansson keyboard over conga groove. It's an odd song but satisfying at the same time. "Time for Great Achievements" begins with majestic drum rolls and keyboards/guitar notes packed with a forceful pride and insistence. This is one of the more outwardly rocking tracks here packing some real punch initially before leaving room for Bo's forays into the quiet and spacey. After the center section it picks up again. Another quirky short transition piece is "The Hybrills." Soft string keys opens another warm piece titled "Rabbit Music." Playful and varied is the composition here with all manner of moody keyboards. An odd percussion in the quieter parts, soft and bubbly, gives much of this a different feel. "Day and Night" gets edgy and frenetic at first, building up tense keyboards to a persistent guitar loop. It eventually breaks into the calm again with Hansson playing soft, dreamy notes over acoustic guitar, his depiction of night. "A Happy Prank" closes the album as it began, a bold group effort with the band way up front kicking it out. Some really cool warbled guitar effects and acoustic guitar rhythm add to the sound.

While LotR came early and stood up to music being made anywhere else, proving bold and visionary to other artists, by the mid 70s (recorded 74-75) when Attic Thoughts surfaced others had already explored more interesting territory and done it better frankly. While still a good album that is a must for Hansson and Scandy prog fans it is not as essential as his debut work which should be the more coveted title. If you're new to Hansson, definitely start at the beginning. Attic Thoughts is a fuller, more rounded band sound as many will point out but that doesn't mean it is more important or better material than the amazing debut. But he is a unique sounding artist with interesting material that should be heard by '70s prog fans.

Bo Hansson is an acclaimed Swedish progressive rock multi-instrumentalist deserving of more attention than he received. Here in the States he couldn't get arrested which is our loss but this album did quite well in other parts of the world. Hansson plays all of the keyboards and guitars on his debut homage to Tolkien, getting help only on the drums, saxophone and flute. "Lord of the Rings" is a largely quiet and contemplative album with a sound that is dreamy, spacey, often melodic. Some sections do wake up with energetic if not outwardly rocking playing. I guess I would describe the album as a mixture of Floyd for emotions, Popul Vuh for the meditative aspects, and Oldfield for the spirited moments like "The Black Riders and Flight to the Ford." This track runs the gamut from bright keyboards to rhythmic conga playing to acid-drenched guitar solos. In fact Oldfield work like Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn sound as if they could have been influenced by LotR which precedes both Oldfield classics. Overall the album is draped in organ textures, with accompanying saturated lead guitar, bass, flute and sax. Closer "The Grey Havens" sounds very much like a Popul Vuh track with organ layered over the top. It sounds the same beginning to end with slow, subtle variations happening below the surface. If that sounds appealing don't pass up this album!

In his excellent Guide to Progressive Music, Bradley Smith notes the album "exudes a hypnotic and mysterious atmosphere.not really jazz, rock, or classical, nor is it soundtrack music.at the time of its appearance there really were no precedents for an album like this.resembles the 68-70 era of Pink Floyd a la "Set the Controls" only without vocals.takes the most moody and spacey elements of that style and expands it to album length, quite an innovative move for 1970.an intoxicatingly Gothic and psychedelic atmosphere that is drifting, pulsing, organic, spiritual, melodic, and friendly." [Bradley Smith] A fabulous description and I couldn't agree more!

The one area where I don't find the album particularly successful is in the conjuring of images of Tolkien from the music. Others state that the music directly brings the book to one's mind and perfectly matches music to story. Honestly, if I didn't know the album was based on the Tolkien book I would never have made the connection. It's great and adventurous progressive rock but it doesn't remind me of Tolkien-esque images nearly as much as some other works. That minor quibble aside "Lord of the Rings" is highly recommended to fans of instrumental fantasy prog; Oldfield fans, Nektar fans, and Floyd fans would all I suspect enjoy this very much.