Samla Mammas Manna

Schlagerns Mystik/
För Äldre Nybegynnare

1978

Personnel:

Lars Hollmer:
Electric piano, Korg polyphonic, Hohner-symphonic grand piano, Farfisaorgan, accordion, vocal

Hans Bruniusson:
Drums, xylophone, chimes, vibraphone, pinochet, radio, vocal

Eino Haapala:
Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vibraphone, vocal

Lars Krantz:
Electric bass, double-bass, acoustic guitar, trumpet, vocal

Although traditional folk elements had always made their place in Zamla's music, never had they been so pronounced as on the first disc of this set. The title of the disc translates to The Mystery of Popular Music, and the music is something of an intricate Swedish folk buffet, and also near to children's music. The tunes are highly melodic, and the instrumentation is largely traditional, with accordian, xylophone, acoustic guitar, and various odd percussion. Later, Lars Hollmer would win the Swedish equivalent of a Grammy award, and it is apparent that he and his bandmates have a deeply rooted, though highly unique, sense of their native musical culture. Light, often funny, and rather charming.

The second disc, translated as For Older Beginners, is a different story altogether. The music is taken from various concert recordings, and is made entirely of group's improvisations. These guys played without a net every night, and the level of imagination and communication here is staggering. Not for everyone, but if you like this kind of stuff, it doesn't get much better.

Not Margareta: Accordian-led song, seemingly about a mischevious little girl, but is actually about an outcast prostitute. This tune epitomizes the childlike qualities of the band, at the same time demonstrating their mastery of folk arrangements. Listen once, and find yourself humming this at the oddest times.

The Fate: Instrumental on the first disc; this tune is the only real indication of Zamla's proggy past. It clocks in at around 17 minutes, but is not as long as it seems...honest. Actually, the music is simpler than the twisted fusoid workouts of earlier albums, and what really stretches it out is the mid-section improv, which is arguably their best on record.

Watchmaker, Pts. 1&2: Group improv, Zamla style. Various pings, pitter patter, and slight pops make themselves known, wordless chatter, a scream or two, some percussive wallop, guitar noise, and somehow it all makes sense...atleast for the time being. At the end, all the clocks start to chime and cuckoo, and it makes you wonder whether or not everything was planned. Of course not, and that's why this really is for 'older beginners'.

Familjesprickor

1980

Personnel:

Lars Hollmer:
Keyboards, accordion, vocal

Eino Haapala:
Guitar, vocal

Lars Krantz:
Bass, vocal

Vilgot Hansson:
Drums, percussion

Hans Bruniusson:
Drums, percussion

The group had all but abandoned instrumental prog on Schlagerns...or so you thought. This album ditches almost all of the quirky folk-pop for hard-edged RIO jams. Many fans choose this as a favorite, and while it lacks the warmth of previous releases, it is arguably the most intense, and easily demonstrates the most technical facility.

Oddly, this album contains some of the most straight-forward music the band produced. "The Forge", despite some disorienting electric percussion, is basically hard fusion, and "Ventilation Calculation" verges on banality a la Spyro Gyra. The good generally outweighs the not-as, however, and this is a fun, if atypical, Zamla album.

Five Single Combats: Wherein the band kicks out the jams, tricked-up and relentlessly. Actually, there is a considerable RIO influence at work here, taken from bands like Univers Zero and Henry Cow, but where those bands can be ultra-serious and pseudo-pedantic, Zamla is like a cartoon on speed. Time signatures get hammered, percussion goes a-flying, and darned if that old saloon piano doesn't give this kind of stuff a zing!

Pappa (with right of veto): The only real sung 'song' on the album. This was recorded live, and sounds like a traditional folk tune given the evil-circus music treatment. Two drummers really put some weight on this tune, and when the hyper-kinetic ending hits, you're just about ready to declare your everyday avant-rock lame. Actually, if Mr. Bungle had heard this band, I'd say they ripped them off, but of course, I know better.