SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA

The band followed its lauded "Måltid" with the equally frenetically infused KLOSSA KNAPITATET which basically means "Crush Capitalism" which was basically intended as a poke at the seriousness of the Swedish Polit-Rock scene and the inability of many of the more many avant-garde prog acts that took things too seriously. Following the basic gist of the previous album, KLOSSA KNAPITATET took things to the next level and while the vocal contributions and moments of accessibility may have found a lesser role on the band's third album, the excursions into wild adventurous improvisational prog workouts was put on steroids. The result was one of the most diverse and complex albums of the 70s RIO movement that seamlessly fused the nonchalant goofiness of Frank Zappa with the heady hairpin turns and compositional complexity of Henry Cow.

While the theme of the album was a joke to state that SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA had no interest in getting political and that everything in the world is a source of comedic relief, the band delivered the goods when it came to its instrumental prowess set on full power on this crazy album that mixed the worlds of rock, jazz, classical, circus music and European folk musical styles with the silly vocal styles still finding their way into the mix but finding a lesser role. Basically what the SAMLAS delivered on KLOSSA is an ever-changing variation of overall themes with festive beer hall music reminiscent of Germany's Oktoberfest suddenly morphing into nerdy jazz-fusion workouts and then drifting off into circus music and moments of progressive rock splendor. Beginning with the same stride piano rolls with "Ingenting" already familiar from "Måltid," the track begins with a rather celebratory vibe that features a series of slick keyboard moves before becoming a dance hall sort of jubilee that then suddenly bursts into the wild unhinged proggy jazz-fusion antics of "Liten Dialektik."

While it's almost impossible to distinguish one track from another due to the incessant unpredictability and aimless wandering about, the tracks somehow reprise melodic touches and balance the utterly silly with the face-slapping technical wizardry which finds the band one minute in a yodeling session at a drunken public gathering and the next in a breakneck speed frenzy of time signature laced fusion and avant-prog angularity. All the musicians deliver some of the most sophisticated outbursts of one of the most varied albums of the entire prog 70s yet somehow the album once completed feels unified by some sort of underlying thematic approach that remains elusive yet somehow tangible. The addition of the accordion and the greater role of guitars clearly enriched the band's overall sound which allowed a greater expansiveness however at its core the band continued a rather wild contrast between the utter ludicrous and the jaw-dropping seriousness of well seasoned virtuosos.

In many ways this is my favorite SAMLA MANNAS MAMA album as it delivers greater doses of proggy excursions into wild and turbulent outbursts that "Måltid" only hinted at. It's simply amazing how this band could morph seamlessly from a polka band to jazz-fusion and avant-prog and then off to a night at the circus or beer hall! By far one of Sweden's most irreverent offerings to the world of prog that took the approach of Mr Bungle long before Mike Patton and Trey Spruance had unleashed their own 90s freakazoid musical menagerie. Kings of the smorgasbord prog effect SAMLA MANNAS MANNA was like no other and on KLOSSA KNAPITATET reached the height of their proficiency where the adolescent immaturity clashed mightily with the savant-like dexterity of their performances. Another masterpiece from these Swedish legends.

While the band made a splash with its debut, it still lacked the explorative depth and technically advanced creativity of its future releases. After the debut percussionist Henrik Öberg stepped down and was replaced with the jazz fusion guitarist Coste Apetrea who added an entirely missing dimension to the band's sound. After touring and finding the proper chemistry between the new lineup, SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA followed up with its most famous album MÅLTID (Swedish for "Meal") which took the band into the top tier ranks of crafting cleverly designed progressive rock with a high level of technical proficiency. While considered a member of Sweden's politically charged PROGG movement, the SAMLAS were clever enough to dress up their political digs in clever Zappa inspired silliness woven into lengthy instrumental jamming sessions that effortlessly shifted from one genre to another.

Sounding as unconventionally avant-garde as it does imbued with catchy melodies, MÅLTID was unlike anything else from Sweden or otherwise even within the oft serious nature of the avant-prog world. With a seamless parade of stylistic shifts that one minute offered extremely adventurous progressive rock workouts followed by silly circus music and Swedish folk song segments that featured exaggerated falsetto vocals, the SAMLAS had a way of hitting you over the head with an extreme technical brutality while making you laugh your ass off as they delivered a sense of whimsy that was right out of the Canterbury jazz camp. The addition of Coste Apetrea's guitar steered MÅLTID more into the world of jazz rock fusion with blustery chops that offered as much nerdy knotty angularism as it did simple repetitive catchy grooves that the band skillfully alternated enough as to make the album flow perfectly from beginning to end.

The album starts off in fine form with the crazy avant-garde noise that opens "Dundrets Fröjder" and then quickly jumps into a hurried jazzy rock style somewhat similar to that of Area or Supersister with exquisitely complex twists and turns that showcase all of the musicians' virtuosity right from the beginning however the band quickly establishes itself as a shapeshifter offering varying motifs that break into blues rock, jazz fusion and more blustering avant-prog workouts before offering relief with the ridiculous helium falsetto vocal styles that accompany a circus music type of rock hybrid. The oddball effect may bring The Mothers of Invention to mind but SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA delivered a sound all its own and with a technical fortitude reserved only for the most demanding avant-proggers and fusionists of the day. As the album proceeds it continues the frantic mishmash of styles zigzagging around like a drunken sailor in the night as moments of technical workouts suddenly cede into folk, dreamy jazz fusion or more circus music inspired moments.

The album also benefited from being recorded at the Decidbel Studio which had a brand new 8-track recorder and the SAMLAS happened to be recording next to Bo Hansson who graciously lent the band his array of keyboards and mellotrons which gives the album an even richer tapestry of dynamics than the debut was capable of producing. Likewise Apetrea's use of a Marshall 100-watt amplifier offered the rock creds that the debut seemed to lack. The band's unique sound was topped off by Bruniusson's home-made percussive kit. The band wrote most of the songs while on their 1972 tour and nurtured them into prog perfection which were recorded in a week's time. The chemistry for the band at this point was perfectly aligned.

The most giddily gleeful of SAMLA MAMMA MANNA's canon, MÅLTID has become the band's most popular as well as the most recognized contribution to the entire Swedish prog scene. Cleverly crafted and insanely avant-garde, the SAMLAS never lost sight of keeping the music accessible both on a melodic level and by keeping connected to the human spirit with lavish prog workouts pacified by the zany use of falsetto vocals and moments that sound like the band is going to break into playing polka music! MÅLTID in effect showcased the liberating playful of extreme experimentation at a time when such things were embraced wholeheartedly with no expectations of outcome. While the Swedish prog scene might've have emerged well after the British scene got the prog party started, it didn't take long for it to catch up and MÅLTID delivered the highest caliber of progressive rock that the era had to offer. Brilliantly technical and wildly hilarious, even the three bonus tracks on the later reissues are as provocatively dynamic as the material presented on the original release. One of the best albums ever to emerge from Sweden as well as one of the best prog albums ever from anywhere!

'Maltid', Samla Mammas Manna's second studio album, is the ultimate culmination of the band's great sense of humor, avant-garde properties, and just overall musicianship. The best way I can describe this record is rock in opposition in opposition. Other bands in the RIO category tend to take themselves seriously: The Cardiac, The Residents, etc. But SMM maintains the technicality of those bands whilst still incorporating humor and fun into all of their songs. These tracks are all light-hearted, even goofy at times. Even the two mini-suites on this album find their way through wacky grooves, calling back to early Frank Zappa. And the first of these mini-suites is the first song on this album, 'Dundrets Frojder'. Fast-paced, groovy, and not afraid of the pure absurd, this song goes full-circle: a melody plays at the beginning, goes through a long improvisational section, then refrains to the original melody. This song makes a switch to the jarring vocals of 'Oforutsedd Forlossning'. Most likely a drunk man screeching in Swedish. Bound to make one laugh uncontrollably, as it did me. There's a long and insanely groovy piano section and the song ends. 'Den Aterupplivade Laten' is a jazzy mood, starting with an Ornette Coleman jam session deal, then entering a slowly-building guitar and bass-led groove that concludes the song. 'Folkvisa I Morse' is a classic jam-band style song, combining acoustic and electric instruments. In the background are noises of someone grunting whilst opening a package of some sort. 'Syster System' is a certifiably weirdo jam that ends with some chanting. As all of the songs on this album, fun and groovy. 'Tarningen' is electric guitar-led, and high-octane as it gets. Sounds like ELP at times. 'Svackorpoangen' is the most vocal-led song on the album, with pub chanting going almost throughout the song. To me, it's the only song on this album with at least okay vocals. But the music is so good, you forget all about it. 'Minareten', the second mini-suite, clocking in at around eight minutes, is arguably the most diverse track on the album. At the beginning, it sounds pretty normal: just like your average whimsical psych rock, like Kaleidoscope or something of the sort. Then, It gets into a Can-esque groove and it's all crazy from there. You got cowbell, Yoko Ono-like vocalizations, funky bass, and so much more all falling into place, it's enough to make you jitter. But it makes me want to dance. The track is too complex for me to describe anymore, but trust me: you'll like it. The ninth and final track, 'Vaerelseds Tilbud' wonderfully and very SMM-ly closes this record. Lilting electric guitar that joins hands with piano, and closes the album in a beautiful fashion. This is an extremely eclectic record. You can make out anything from Can to Magma to Beefheart, and all in record time! This studio effort by Samla Mammas Manna is not one to overlook, no matter how underground it is. Believe me when I say that it's worth the spin! Prog on!

Known for their wild mix of jazz, rock, folklore and circus music, this early album displays the band in simpler form before they went hog wild into jazz-fusion territory on their second album "Måltid" and despite cranking out some veritable rockin' grooves and pounding rhythmic drives, the SAMLAS crafted this debut completely with no guitar sounds at all, another attribute that they shared with their Dutch brethren Supersister but only on this first album. Guitars would become a prominent feature as the band evolved however on this one it's the organ that is the star of the show followed by the bass lines that also include a bit of piano and a subordinate percussive section in the form of drums and congas.

For the most part this is an instrumental journey that mixes the disparate musical elements of 60s psychedelic rock, turn of the decade Canterbury jazz and the silly Zappa-esque avant-prog experiments. The opening "Circus Apparatha" is the most blatant example of the band's career long fascination with carnival music and circus jingles but the vibe remains all throughout the album even when this quartet drifts off into long freeform jamming sessions. Vocals are sparse but when they occur they maximize the Canterbury whimsy and avant-prog absurdities to the n-th degree. The opener contains fairly nonsensical lyrics with some exaggerated German lyrics thrown in whereas elsewhere vocals are primarily used to lighten up the otherwise serious virtuosic musical constructs.

Musically speaking this album is all over the place in many ways. While the first track is steeped in circus music that screams out that the show has come to town, the Canterbury sounds immediately replace the festival and as time goes on psychedelic jams and even some 60s garage band sounds can be heard. The congas at times bring some Santana-esque Latin rhythms to the forefront but without any guitars to wail away, it sometimes sounds a little lacking. "Manna Jamma" is more akin to early Krautrock similar to what bands like Xhol Caravan were crafting around the time. While the later albums would really delve into the more avant-garde experimental world of progressive rock, this SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA debut is actually quite accessible much as the earliest Soft Machine albums were before the band went for the avant-fusion jugular.

This album really sounds like no other even within the greater SAMLAS discography. While recognizably the SAMLAS, this one is missing the guitar heft that Coste Apetrea would bring to the table on "Måltid" and the effect sounds like a more stripped down crude refinement of the more familiar albums that followed. Nevertheless, despite this not measuring up to some of the later works, this is a dynamically unique sounding album that shape shifts throughout its run and keeps the party churning on as the circus show unfolds. While the most 'normal' of the SAMLAS canon, this is by no means a simple rock album. There are many adventurous journeys not only into the absurd but these tracks also contain healthy doses of off-kilter time signatures and unorthodox fusions of disparate sounds. This is a compelling listen for sure and while the band would improve in virtually ever aspect of their sound on the sophomore release, this is by no means a throw away debut. On the contrary this may be required to actually understand how all the craziness came to be!

The music on Måltid blends influences ranging from as far as Canterbury scene to Swedish folk music. The group seems to be highly inspired by Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Their sound is comedic, circus-like, and quite eclectic. The influence of Gentle Giant is also visible in places. Despite that, Samla Mammas Manna have their own distinct sound and Måltid is generally considered one of its finest examples. The band's sound is definitely odd, but surprisingly pleasing, even at the first listen. The cover definitely looks peculiar, despite the fact that there is nothing really unusual or ambiguous about it.

Especially for this album, Samla Mammas Manna recruited a fusion guitarist Coste Apetrea, whose gentle touch plays an important role in the band's music. Despite Apertrea's outstanding solo parts, he does not seem to have an urge of being at the first plan with his guitar often playing a role of a rhythm instrument that lays down a simple groove and repeats it. Lars Hollmer, the band's keyboardist showcases his versatility, going from bebop-like and even classically-inspired piano touches to full-on fusion passages on Fender Rhodes. Hollmer also supplies the band with smooth Mellotron sounds, which bring Matching Mole to mind. As opposed to the band's previous work, he sadly does not play organ, which gave the band a rather interesting flavor. Some of the pieces include whacky high-pitched vocals, which sound a bit like the great late David Byron of Uriah Heep was fooling around. The rhythm section of Hasse Bruniusson on drums and Lasse Krants on bass guitar also does a fantastic job and perfectly keeping up with the dynamic aspect of the group's music.

Despite being classified as avant-prog, Samla Mammas Manna are rather careful with musical sophistication. Odd time signatures, a common element of Henry Cow's music, appear seldom while unusual harmonies, alterations, bitonality, and free form parts are quite uncommon. The group seems to put greater emphasis on the eccentric quality of their music, which indeed is quite entertaining. The songs are quite diverse, without giving an impression of musical inconsistency. "Minareten" puts the band put in the more rock-oriented scenario, which resolves into a jazzy jam, "Svackorpoangen" shows the group's traditional jazz sensibilities, while "Tarningen" has elements of Yes' music with a funky rhythm being put into a symphonic-inspired form.

All in all, Måltid is a very adventurous work characterized by musical intelligence, good sense of humor, and vigor. This will make a perfect addition to every progressive rock collection and is an essential Rock In Opposition album. Highly recommended, 4.5 stars!

Dundret's Frojder (Dundret's Delights) has some fun parts to it, and is tasty. Den Återupplivade Låten (The Revived Song), and Tarningen (Dice) are also good.

I recommend the much better and more completely satisfying "Klossa Knapitatet" and "Snorungarnus Symphoni" which are both 5-star masterpices.

Few artists have embraced such a excentric posture as the core of the group itself. Maybe only Frank Zappa, but he was one man, here we are talking about a band, working organically to be exactly what Samla Mammas Manna achieved to be. And what they achieved? A kinda of cirkus music, with child' touches. That vocals in the fisrt track and in the middle of the album was something my brother and I would do when very young to substitute true lyrcis. But, Samla managed to do that without ANY prejudice to the music itself. Its music of great quality and you can hear every joke as something well placed in the tracks.

Its explosive, its high skilled music, its everything you need for a tired day. Its a 5 star.

Gone are the discreet symphonic orientations of the debut in the name of an even more adventurous and complex sound with an evident R.I.O. approach, while an increase appears in the humoristic edges of the album, either being some playful tunes or the wordless falsetto vocals of the band.The role of the accordion and the acoustic piano is more dominant and so are the jazzy and folky orientations.The album was structured through some short instrumental introductions and longer, complicated pieces with endless tempo and mood changes, always fronted by a Nordic flavor, main reason setting the band part from other R.I.O.-driven groups of the time.To my ears they sound like a cross between RAGNAROK and GENTLE GIANT in this album, delivering intricate and highly technical musicianship full of sudden breaks, swirling around romantic tunes and jazzy arrangements, highlighted by the monumental accordion performance by Hollmer, a man who definitely introduced the instrument to Prog music.And then there is Apetrea's flawless and schizophenic guitar executions, supported by Hollmer's often atonal piano lines.The music sounds often chaotic, but it has a weird charm with all these twists and turns, listening to the 10-min. ''Liten dialektik'' is enough to understand the band's evolution, passing through Jazz, Folk and Rock themes in a blink of an eye.

An album created for those who dare to listen to frenetic, multi-influenced Rock music.Folky Prog/Jazz Rock with a clever addition of Scandinavian nuances.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

Without singing(always something of a pity) the group Samla mammas manna here manage to once again create astonishing progressive rock, totally unique. I wouldn't say Samla has become inferior. On seven of these fourteen tracks they're amazing. I am sure you would hear the magic of wild compositions, symphonic rock, crazy piano and screamings. Samla mixes some sweidsh folk variations with orientalic and europeic craziness and they master accordion, guitar, piano, bass and drums as good as I want. The best tracks are "Frestelsens café", "Oh sa masalana jämfört med Alman river", Första ikarien, Lyckliga Titanic, Satori, Andra Ikarien and Tredje Ikarien. The second of these is an experimental joke and a perfect summing of SMM. The other mentioned songs continues where they quited some years ago with a totally melodic and innovative prog.

The other tracks, unfortunately take the glory away from this record. Well, they are experimental and in a small dosage it's pleasent but when every other song isn't a song there is too much of it. As musical art those tracks certainly have a worth but it disturbs my listening to this otherwise perfect music. So my advise to you is to skip those not mentioned tracks. Listen to the good ones, they're worth it. If this was a lp-record it's time would have been 38-40 minutes and I think the result would have been better. With some awful fillers my rating will be three stars.

Måltid (Meal)'s brightest shining stars are three: "Dundrets fröjder", "Den återupplivade låten" and "Folkvisa i morse". "Dundrets fröjder" (The thunder's delight) is a solid compisition with some recurrent themes, flying on the glory wings of Apetrea's guitar, Hollmer's piano, Bruniusson's drums and Krants' bass. It's a perfect Samla song (of which you can here more of on their two next comming discs), proving masterwork instrumentation och crazy songwriting. "Den återupplivade låten" (The revived tune) begins slowly and explodes in cascades. A totally different Samla song. "Folkvisa i morse"(Folk song this morning) is a short "progg hit" I knew from my childhood, with an easy little joyful melody playing around a breakfast table.

The "Tärningen" (The Dice) is a very good composition and "Oförutsedd förlossning", "Svackorpoängen" and "Minareten" are also worth listening. I don't find "Syster System" or "Vaerelseds tillbud" as interesting as the others. The first of those is little annoying(deliberately) and in the other it doesn't happen som much.

A very interesting and good record but not as important as "Klossa knapitatet" which for me is their best. But please check out Samla mammas manna if you haven't done it(2nd, 3rd or 4th records). Four strong stars from me!