Battre Lyss - Till Den Strang Som Brast An Att Aldrig Spanna En Bage

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 31 / 5 / 2018

Label: Sommor
Format: CD

intro

Swedish collective’s Bättre Lyss’ long-lost debut from 1975 receives its first general release and proves to be not quite the progressive/hard-rock album from them that was expected

Newly remastered from the original master tapes the only album from Sweden’s Bättre Lyss was originally only released as a private pressing in 1975. There are a number of albums that were privately pressed and which have been reissued in later years that really should have languished in the cellars, garages or attics where they had been abandoned for a number of years. Given that ‘Till Den Sträng…’ is sung entirely in Swedish and that the only name recognized by this writer of any of the players is that of Anders Nordh from his work with late 60’s band Blond and his later band Life there wasn’t much hope that this collection of eleven band-written songs would be worth spending much time on. The press release informs us that the album is rare Swedish psychedelic hard rock and progressive; it’s certainly a world away from the music Abba was making in 1975 that’s for sure. The jury is out still on if this could in any way be classed as psychedelic but at times it’s certainly in what came under the progressive genre at the time it was recorded, even if those times are few and far between. It’s a shame that many progressive music fans will pass this album by because of the language barrier. All the musicians (the core band of three, bassist and vocalist Rolf Hammarlund, Christer Plamquist who played piano and acoustic guitars as well as adding vocals and Rolf Johansson who occupied the drum stool who were joined by a small collective of like-minded musicians which included the aforementioned Nordh on guitar) were, according to the evidence captured here, accomplished musicians who had a flair for writing and performing melodic progressive rock music. although the music here is very much on the boundary on those genres. The album is one of those where it matters not if the listener doesn’t fully understand the lyrics as the sound is so well arranged and produced that, while it would obviously be an advantage to fully understand the lyrics (of which at least some appear to be political), if progressive rock is your thing then you will get at least some enjoyment out of the album. The addition of saxophone, clarinet and flute shifts some of the tracks away from the dominance of piano, organ and heavy guitars. The opening song, ‘Göta Lejon’ (a theatre located in Stockholm), is a prime example of how the band can shift from melodic hard-rock to soft-rock and how the introduction of wind instruments adds a much appreciated softer texture to the sound before blistering lead guitar takes over to finish the song in a blaze of glory. It’s not all hard-rock and progressive either; ‘Emma’ is a sing-along, catchy pop song, which again features some excellent lead guitar playing, while ‘Vidsel-Sthlm, Enkel’ has an almost music-hall feel about it. Once again it’s saved by outstanding guitar licks. Considering that, apart from the aforementioned Nordh there were two other lead guitar players, it’s not surprising that it’s that instrument that makes the most impression. ‘Anna’ is a pretty little ballad, certainly not qualified to be tagged either progressive or hard-rock. The only concession to this is again some ear-catching lead guitar work. There are tracks that deserve the progressive tag though, ‘Sagan Om Viggen’ being but one track worthy of the description. Again it’s the guitar work that stands out most. ‘Till Den Sträng…’ is far from being a long-lost classic, and it’s a bit of a stretch to class it as progressive or hard-rock although it does drift into that territory at times. It’s a pleasant listen and expertly performed but the band seemed to lack any true direction, and it’s no surprise that they never appeared to deliver a follow-up. It’s not an album without merit; the guitar players see to that but one wonders what its fate will be gaining its first general release some forty years after it was recorded.

Track Listing:-