FLÄSKET

This is a Swedish band from the early Seventies, I own the CD version of the originally two LP entitled Fläsket. During my first listening session I notice that Fläsket Brinner sounds pleasant, melodic and tight, these are all crafted musicians, especially the guitar players are 'killers' and the rhythm-section plays very dynamic. The first 10 compositions are studio- recordings, the sound scouts the borders between jazz and jazzrock featuring lots of Hammond organ, guitar and woodwind instruments. But the music also hosts some surprising elements like pure rock and roll in with fiery guitar in Anderssons Groove, folky with accordeon and violin in Beate Hill and the funny Puppans Säng delivers acoustic guitar and the voices of children named the Lilliputt-kören! Fläsket Brinner their music has similarities with bands like Ekseption, Camel, King Crimson and Collosseum but more because of the sound than acting like a 'copycat'. The other six tracks are live recordings and contain bluesy climates, in the vein of early Fleetwood Mac and because of the duo- guitarwork also Seventies Wishbone Ash. On these songs there is a lot of room for soli on guitar (often drenched in wah-wah) and improvisations, I love it! The recordings have been remastered very well and the lay-out of the FOC with information booklet is beautiful. So a big hand for the music and this remastered CD version!

3.5 stars really!!!

Second (double) and last album for FB, with an augmented line-up (Ramel on guitars and vocals) while there is a bunch of guest appearing, including Bo Hansson, already invited to participate at their debut album. "Graced" with ione of the ugliest artwok of Sweden, FB's second album was not release on the legendary Silence record label, but Phillips had signed them to a subsidiary label, who'd become very short-lived, since the group's third album was recorded for them, but never released. This double release is made of one studio album (recorded in fall 72) and a live recording (Powerhouse in Orebro), but originally thought of the live disc as a freebie or bonus

Starting on the wild and ever-changing organ-driven Klotet track and its red-hot electric-piano lead follow-up Benny Hammers, the sextet is making sure the listener is aware that everyone in the group has more than just the average chops to their respective instruments (from the pictures, most of them were in their upper 20's or lower 30's) and thankfully don't expand too much vocally (apart from the awful children chants in that space-filler Beate Hill closing the studio album), as only the newcomer seems ready to go at it (once only) and to no avail, since anderssons Groove is one of the weaker moment of the album. Most of the studio tracks are generally (relatively) short but drives the fan all over the spectrum at 100 MPH, often making you wish they'd hang on a tad longer. Musically they're not far away from early Samla Mammas Mannas and a rougher Archimedes Badkar.

The live album is another beast altogether, recorded on a two microphone tape machine (extra- ordinary sound given the conditions), FB is taking on a wilder, rawer and psychyer, less concise (extended solos) and certainly spacier side, hitting an apex with the 14-mins Tista Finskan, already their debut album's highlight, now reiterating this live achievement. Sound-wise, live they're more like an early Floyd (Astronomy Domine-type). Elsewhere, I'm not sure whether we are missing out much, but two tracks were left out (with the group's agreement) in order to fit both vinyls on one compact disc, but I'll trust that these were probably the weaker tracks.

FB's second (and hopefully someday second-last) album is a brilliant but uneven album, with both some highs and lows in both the studio and live disc, but it certainly belongs in most proghead's early 70's Swedish shelf along SMM, AB, Life,