Bo HANSSON is famous for his 1972 concept album "Lord of the Rings" which came out decades before Hollywood ever made any noise about Tolkien's trilogy. The music was taped on a remote island off Stockholm, on an 8-track recorder, in a summer house studio with the help of a few friends and musicians. It received Gold Record awards in England and Australia. Licenced by Tony Stratton-Smith's Charisma label in England and America, it was also the subject of an extensive TV ad campaign that turned it into a hit in progressive rock circles at the time.
"Lord of the Rings" is a beautiful, timeless album of instrumental psychedelia worth hearing, even if it does sound rather 70ish production-wise. It doesn't feature any "fantasy/medieval" themes ? la AYREON but captures the otherworldly, pastoral feel of Tolkien's work, like a Nordic album should. HANSSON later pursued with the more jazzy album "Magician's Hat" in '73 and, then with a second winner in '75 entitled "Attic Thoughts", which features a much better sound than the "Lord" album. This time, violin and acoustic guitars are added to the mix while organs and synths swell in impressive solos. "Music Inspired by Watership Down" (1977), however, was quite a disappointment and signalled HANSSON's decline. He finally released "Mitt I Livet" in 1985 but the flame had already died long ago. Having turned 60 in April 2003, he is now rumoured to be incapacitated by illness and has ceased recording.
Both "Lord of the Rings" and "Attic Thoughts" are a must for any collector of early Swedish prog, even if you still can't tell Gandalf from Frodo.
1972 Lord Of The Rings @ 256
1. Leaving shire (2:47)
2. The old forest / Tom Bombadil (3:42)
3. Fog on the barrow - Downs (2:28)
4. The black riders / Flight to the Ford (3:48)
5. At the house of Elrond / The ring goes South (4:23)
6. A journey in the dark (1:07)
7. Lothl?rien (3:22)
8. Shadowfax (0:50)
9. The horns of Rohan / The battle of the Pelenmor fields (3:58)
10. Dreams in the houses of healing (1:50)
11. Homeward bound / The scouring of the shire (2:11)
12. The grey havens (4:56)
13. Early sketches from Middle Earth (8:50)
1973 Magician's Hat @ 320
1. Big City (11:28)
2. Divided Reality (6:17)
3. Elidor (1:34)
4. Before The Rain (1:31)
5. Fylke (1:50)
6. Playing Downhill Into The Downs (1:39)
7. Findhorn's Song (1:43)
8. Awakening (2:43)
9. Wandering Song (3:13)
10. The Sun (Parallel Or 90?) (7:07)
11. Excursion With Complications (3:23)
1975 Attic Thoughts @ 320
1. Attic Thoughts (5:30):
a) March
b) Repose
c) Wandering
2. Time and space (1:37)
3. Waiting... (7:34)
4. Waltz for interbeings (3:21)
5. Time for great achievements (3:11)
6. The hybrills (1:28)
7. Rabbit music (6:23):
a) General Woundwort
b) Fiver
8. Day and night (4:30)
9. A happy prank (3:15)
1975 Mellanvasen @ VBR
1. Funderingar p? vinden (5:33)
2. Tid och rum (1:40)
3. V?ntan... (7:34)
4. Vals f?r mellanv?sen (3:26)
5. Dags f?r stord?d (3:11)
6. Hybrillerna (1:24)
7. Kaninmusik (6:30)
8. Dag och natt (4:33)
9. Lyckat uppt?g (3:16)
10. Kristallsviten (6:21)
1977 El-ahrairah @ VBR
1. Utvandring , del 1 - 5 (Migration)(16:35)
2. Patrull (Patrol)(1:23)
3. Skogen (The Forrest)(3:39)
4. Flykt (The Escape)(4:10)
5. Watership down (9:38)
6. Migration Suite (Live in the Studio) (11:38)
1977 Music Insp. By Watership Down @ 256
1. Born of the gentle South
2. Allegro for a rescue
3. Legend and light
4. Trial and adversity
5. The twice - victory
6. The kingdom brightly smiles
7. Migration Suite Live
More swedish sound alike Bo hansson
Code:http://www.sagorochswing.com/
Link checked on Fri May 02, 2008 6:53 am [WBB_Linkchecker_Bot]
Bo HANSSON 6 alb (swedish prog) 
Linear Mode
Similar Threads