Arbete & Fritid - 1969-1979 (1991)
Arbete & Fritid - 1969-1979 (1991)
Discography:
Arbete & Fritid 1970 (3,4,5)
Arbete & Fritids Andra LP 1971 (2)
Rolf Lundqvist Å Arbete & Fritid - Slottbergets Hambo Å Andra Valser 1972 (13)
Arbete & Fritid Samt Kustbandet - Club Jazz 6 1972
Arbete & Fritid 1973 (1,12)
Arbete & Fritid - Ur Spår 1974
Margareta Söderberg - Käringtand 1975
Arbete & Fritid - Se Upp För Livet 1976 (11)
Arbete & Fritid - Sen Dansar Vi Ut 1977 (6,7)
Arbete & Fritid - Håll Andan 1978-1979 (8,9,10)
Unreleased Tracks 1978 (14,15,16)
Musicians that play in the group from 1969-1979
Ove Karlsson - Cello, Guitar, Bass, Fiddle
Roland Keijser - Saxes, Flutes, Piano, Organ
Torsten Eckerman - Trumpet, Piano, Organ, Percussion
Kjell Westling - Guitar, Fiddle
Bengt Berger - Drums
Tord Bengtsson - Organ, Fiddle, Guitar, Bass, Moog
Bosse Skoglund - Drums
Thomas Mera Gartz - Fiddle, Guitar, Sax, Drums
Torbjörn Abelli - Bass
Janne Zetterqvist - Drums
Thomas Tidholm - Saxes
Ulf Wallander - Saxes
This is Mera's review of the group
Arbete & Fritid (Work & Leisure) 1974-79 (the years I was involved, but the group had existed since 1968-69)
I was playing electric violin, electric guitar, singer, flute, tenor sax, drums in this group. A great group of improvisation, very adventurous long tunes which were open to all kinds of musical influences and instrument mixtures. Influences from Swedish folk musik, the Balkans, Turkish and Indian scales, over jazz, rock, atonal art music, pop songs, schottische, tango and waltz, drones, space music, crazy free form with the roar of laughter ready any moment, pure word babble and lecture as tenor sax solo. Anything could happen at any moment. Great seriousness, big humor. One of the most musically reckless groups of the Swedish 1970 decade. Existed in several personnel shapes but all the time the cello, elec. guitar, violin, singer, toys player Ove Karlsson was the anchor of the group. During the time I was member Roland Keijser, Torsten Eckerman, Bosse Skoglund, Tord Bengtsson, Torbjörn Abelli, Janne Zetterqvist, Thomas Tidholm and Ulf Ärtan Wallander were playing. Touring around Scandinavia and around once again and again, music forum, jazz clubs, rock clubs, schools, jails, people festivals, music festivals etc. Several LP-records. Television.
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A review
If I haven´t blown you all away yet than prepare for another monster band from Sweden. Arbete & Fritid (Work & recreation) can be said as a jazzier Swedish folk music based version of our Cult heroes Träd, gräs och stenar. This band sounds exactly like the Träd, Gräs och Stenar of 1999! This band has the same minimalist Heavy psych foundation as have Träd, gräs. but Arbete & Fritid include to that foundation melancholic Swedish folk music and jazzy twists here and there. As none of the godly Arbete & Fritid albums have either been reissued. Silence reissued this compilation of this godly original bands stuff ranging from the 1970 debut through to the late 70´s. If you are thinking… sure their early albums must be great, how about the later stuff? Well answer: just as great and original and as crude and raw as ever before. Bands like Träd,gräs and Arbete & Fritid are timeless and original beyond the puny concept of rock music. These guys are REAL not long hairs doing this in wait of a more lucrative bizz career. Just look at the pics of the band in this issue, need I say more. This compilation varies from Heavypsych Swe folk gems to avant-garde minimalistic Harvester/Träd, gräs style numbers. Believe it or not Träd, Gräs och Stenar´s drummer Thomas ”Mera” Gartz played in this band as did bass player Torbjörn Abelli. You have spaced out Psych such as ”Jag är inte som andra”. My simple words don´t do this band justice. So I suggest you get yourself a copy of this compilation and pray that this bands albums get reissued, including the Legendary live album ”Ur spår” (I must hear it!) More need not be said. Swedish avant-garde Heavy psych at it´s best!
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This is a review for the fifth album by François Couture
The world of '70s Swedish left-field music holds many amazing gems, and Arbete Och Fritid ranks among the best ones. This album was recorded and released in Sweden in 1973. The 2003 CD reissue on Music Network's MNW imprint adds 20 minutes of bonus material in the form of a single piece recorded by the Swedish National Radio in 1972. At this point in time, the group consisted of Tord Bengtsson, Torsten Eckerman, Bosse Skoglund, lyricist Roland Keijser, and leader/artistic mastermind Ove Karlsson. Add Bernt Berger and Kjell Westling for the session from 1972. This album showcases a profound fusion of Nordic folk, psychedelic/progressive rock, and avant-garde music. You never know what to expect next. A saxophone solo can evoke Albert Ayler (in Ostpusten -- Västpusten), a violin/cello duet section at the end of Petrokemi det Kan Man Inte Bada I brings a contemporary classical touch, while other cuts share interests with the likes of Alan Stivell, the Samla Mammas Manna, and You-era Gong. The first half of the album (side one on the original LP) consists mostly of rock-ified and freaked-out renditions of folk tunes, Nordic but also a Turkish one (Elâzig-Dans). Festive, they boil just enough to be innovative and wild without losing the listener. Side two is more challenging, with some style-hopping within a single track. The bonus Ostpusten -- Västpusten alternates between inspired space rock episodes and free jazz breaks, with a mock-Western finale -- the group pulls it out like a new Dutch swing outfit (think ICP Orchestra or Clusone Trio). Sound quality is not fantastic (some signal overload when saxophones and trumpet hit it), but this album has a lot to offer. Only three tracks have lyrics. The booklet of the reissue is very informative, but, sadly, in Swedish only.
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Another review for the same album
First reissue of this legendary Swedish band from the early 70s; this was their third album (first for MNW, prev. 2 were for Sonet), originally issued in 1973. Arbete & Fritid were very much in the Silence-label underground style, comparable to Träd Gräs och Stenar (with whom they shared some bandmembers). Nice looking reissue (with a rare bonus track), only downside is that the considerable liner notes are in Swedish only! Arbete & Fritid was formed in 1969 and was for ten years an ever-changing band that explored all types of musical directions but with a solid folk music base. The band frequently changed members with cellist and composer Ove Karlsson being the exception. The musicians teaming up in Arbete & Fritid all had a experimental jazz background but were also inspired by avant-garde minimalist composers such as John Cage, Terry Riley and LaMonte Young. But it was the newly awaken interest in Nordic folk music traditions that got the band started in 1969 and it was the bands unique blend of folk music, jazz, rock and avant-garde experiments that made them one of the truly unique bands in the early 70's, long before anyone heard of world music. Arbete & Fritid was one of the most appreciated live acts during the 70's, maybe because you never knew what the concerts were going to be like. It could start off as a rock concert, as a meditative Indian concert, as a vital folk music gig or as an avant-garde jazz night -- and before it was all ended you could be sure to have all your preconceptions turned around. These concerts would many times also include some half-crazy vocal tracks, in dadaist tradition. Arbete & Fritid have inspired many other artists to experiment with Nordic folk music and with the nearly 1000 concerts they played they opened a lot of people's minds for music without boundaries. Many of the lengthy jams that made up their gigs were never transformed into records. This album was recorded in Vaxholm in 1973. This CD reissue includes a bonustrack 'Ostpusten-Västpusten', that was recorded by the Swedish National Radio in 1972.
Tracklist:
1. Ganglat Efter Lejsme Per Larsson 3:05
2. Finsk Sorgmarsch 4:19
3. Gabergsbrudens Dodsmarsch 1:29
4. Arbete & Fritid (Korkort) 7:59
5. Esso Motor Hotel 5:30
6. Tva Springare 4:13
7. Vals 2:39
8. Dorisk Drone 6:52
9. Thulcandra 7:35
10. Harmageddon Boogie 3:17
11. Jag Ar Inte Som Andra 3:51
12. The European Way 4:49
13. Smavarmt 3:38
14. Maklins Brudmarsch, Orsa 4:17
15. Hin Hales Halling 3:34
16. Franska Valsen 2:50
Arbete & Fritid - Arbete & Fritid (1970)
Tracklist:
1. Damen i svart 7:46
2. Garbergsbrudens dödsmarsch 1:27
3. Arbete och fritid 7:53
4. Mora-Nisses vallåt 4:17
5. Esso Motor Hotel 5:24
6. Engelska kanalen 6:35
7. Vind 3:41