SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA

The band Samla Mammas Manna has always been a huge favorite of mine, or should I say all Lars Hollmer work in general. Hollmer always brought a seal of quality to all projects that he participated in and the debut album from Samla is where it all began!

This band-titled debut as just as great as any of the band's later releases which is really amazing considering how early in their career they were. The music here has not yet adapted the jazz and folk music influences that the collective would depict later on and instead we get, for most part, a lot of wonderful instrumental music with playful twists and improv moments. Lars Hollmer show pretty early on that he knows his keyboards inside and out ,while Hasse Bruniusson's drum arrangements fill out the gaps and sometimes even overshadow Hollmer's input.

The album-opening track, Circus Apparatha, does sound like a product of the Swedish progg movement (not to be mistaken with prog), but the creative instrumental arrangements give it a completely different spin and deviate the band pretty much entirely from that movement. A few tracks onwards, we are treated to some wonderful instrumentals like Släde Till Satori and Flickan I Skogen, both showing that Samla is a completely unpredictable collective that can treat its audience to a new experience with every new performance! The rest of the material is great but still is not completely matured. Still, it works well as interludes between the highlights.

Just like many reviewers before me have suggested, the debut album from Samla Mammas Manna is a worthy addition to any progressive rock collection and a must have for Samla fans and RIO lovers in general. To me, it's easily my second favorite album out of the band's '70s albums, surpassed only by Måltid.

***** star songs: Pausus (0:20) Släde Till Satori (4:14) Uvertyr Till Snäll Häst (2:55) Flickan I Skogen (2:22)

**** star songs: Circus Apparatha (6:04) Vidgat Läge (3:19) Schekina (2:52) Manna Jamma (6:07) At-One-Ment (4:20) Skrik Från Embassy - live (2:29) Fittravisan (0:58) E`Pop Tai (4:12)