P, C & C ... Who's the "Händig Man"? (IV): En Händig Man, the album

"En händig man" was released today, at least online. "En Händig Man" is – like "Mazarin," Gyllene Tider’s "Finn 5 Fel!," "Son of a Plumber" and most recently Roxette’s two new tracks "One Wish" and "Reveal" – recorded in The Aerosol Grey Machine down in the heart of Skåne. It is also recorded with (mainly) the same band and the same producers.

CDON has a bonus track named "Ett perfekt ägg," another instrumental, while iTunes has both "Ett perfekt ägg" and "En händig man (demo)." But wait, that's not all! Telia has yet another bonus track named "En händig man (blåser)." CDON's and Telia's tracks are copy protected. On Wednesday the physical CD of "En händig man" hits the stores. The vinyl edition will be out in about three weeks from now. This morning, Per's new video was presented on SVT in all secrecy…

01. En händig man
Per Gessle: "Was written on the balcony on a sunny day in Halmstad last summer. The title and the main idea for the lyrics came first. We recorded 2 versions in the studio in Skåne.
The first one (which we now refer to as "En händig man (blåser)” /btw. ”blåser” means “to blow”/ sounds totally different with a quite a big intro and with a… that's right, a brass-section, with horns. Clarence and Christoffer wanted to try out a brass and a string section. But I felt my voice sort of disappeared in the arrangement. I had a completely different route planned for this song. I didn't really like it, it felt like the original idea got lost in the shuffle and my voice sort of disappeared in this big mess… so we made a new, more “primitive” take and that one became the opening track and the first single! The version you hear on the album and single is more or less the way I wanted it to be. But you know, you have to try different things all the time otherwise everything would sound the same at the end of the day."
LJdM: "A nice mid-tempo track, it sounds really smooth and relaxed"


02. Pratar med min müsli (hur det än verkar)
Per Gessle: ""Pratar med min müsli" has got a killer organ-intro! Did an acoustic demo in Tits & Ass last summer that turned out really cool. When I played it for C&C (Clarence Öfwerman & Christoffer Lundquist) totally new things popped up in their amazing minds. Suddenly we had a "Doors organ", a rattling drum beat in the choruses and The Lovely Helena (Josefsson) blessing the middle eight. I was overjoyed of course! The lyrics, I’m sure you know, are about a lonely sod sitting by himself talking to his breakfast about how great everything will be… maybe… eventually…"
LJdM: "The Doors' frisky sound. According to TDR, Per says this guy is having a conversation with his breakfast cereal about this girl he wants. He feels they have a future together even though they are total opposites. Well, his breakfast has a beautiful female voice: Helena Josefsson's!"

03. Jag skulle vilja tänka en underbar tanke
Per Gessle: ""Jag skulle vilja tänka en underbar tanke” became just as good as I had hoped for. That’s probably my favorite track of them all. Was everyone's favorite in the studio from day 1! It's one of those songs that makes you smile while you're writing it! It has happened a few times over the years and I was lucky to experience it even as a 47 year-old!!! The title came first, I've had it in my big black book for ages. We saved this song to the very end since we wanted to get some experimentation out of our systems recording other songs first. Cos this song needs almost nothing. Our main job was to hold back. A few acoustic guitars, some backup vocals and a bassline McCartney would have been proud of. Glorious. Probably I would choose "Jag skulle vilja tänka en underbar tanke" as the next single. I think it can be really really powerful live. It’s got that semi-religious feel to it, hallelujah, have a beer and a smile, you know what I mean?"
LJdM: "A mid tempo track that just hits my heart. Great lyrics and a relaxing melody. It stays in your mind"

04. Fru Nordin
Per Gessle: "Well, my wife's name is Nordin so everyone assumes it's about her. And that's… so funny. Well, maybe it is… come to think of it…! I wrote it in the studio in Skåne last winter and knew immediately that it needed some frenzy, some "The Who-inspired guitars" and kinky drums that Jens (Jansson) plays so good just after breakfast. Didn't like my lead vocals so I re-did them late at night just before the final mix in April. It's so much better now."
LJdM: "Some more noisy guitars and distortion! In my opinion, it could have better been a Gyllene Tider's song".

05. Dixy
Per Gessle: "Was also written in the studio in Skåne last winter, both lyrics and music at the same time. It took about 2 hours. When I was done I played it for C&C and we did a take immediately. I had the capo on the 9th fret (my old Martin) and someone thought it would be funny to have a clarinet playing some free-form notes, almost Dixieland-style that we know nothing about. Said and done, Christoffer fetched an old dusty clarinet and did the overdubs before dinner! What a guy! Especially considering this was the second time ever he held the instrument. What would I do without these guys???"
LJdM: "Chris playing the clarinet? He is a genius. And Helena with the "Sha-la-la-la-la-la…" It is one of the hidden pearls of the album."

06. När Karolina kom
Per Gessle: "Yepp, wrote it in the studio in Skåne! The verse has a sort of summer vibe to it that's very appealing to my ears, the chorus is really just finishing up the verse and takes no space at all. It's the verse that's the whole thing, you know… The core in the lyrics is about… no one you know… we're talking about my childhood and the '60s… hence the line "himlen var full av astronauter" ["the sky was full of astronauts"]… They landed on the moon in 68, right?"
LJdM: "Childish love. Karolina seems to have been a neighbor of Per's in the late '60s! Per means a 7-year old girl."

07. Hannas kärlekspil
Per Gessle: ""Hanna" pops up here and there. She’s so funny. Don't remember much about this, I know I was listening to The Kinks a lot when I wrote it and it does sound a bit like an old Kinks-song from, say '65. Nice saxophones in the middle eight which C&C recorded while I was looking away."
LJdM: "Hanna is back, Hanna from "Henry, dansa inte disco" and "En händig man." Another '60s flirt, an up tempo track. It seems GT meets the Beach Boys - clap your hands everyone!"

08. Om du kommer ihåg
Per Gessle: "I like this one a lot. "Om du kommer ihåg" I’m very proud of. It has one of those very intimate lyrics and melody lines that just pops up in your head. In my head anyway… hard to put my finger on it. I wrote the melody and the lyrics at the same time in my library here in Stockholm, in front of the TV in my living room in August last year. They fit rather good together. And my fingerpicking is of course out of this world, ha ha ha… It's hard to be this simple and hold on to it, anyone who writes songs knows this."
LJdM: "One of our top songs. A reminiscent of "Tycker om när du tar på mej" mixed with some "På promenad genom stan." Acoustic, very smooth. Helena provides the necessary background atmosphere…sounds like dreaming away. Simple, direct, touching lyrics".

09. Om jag vetat då (vad jag vet nu)

Per Gessle: ""Om jag vetat då" was written as "If I'd Known Then (What I Know Now)" for Roxette 2002, but there wasn’t any time, Marie was ill so we had to concentrate on just one track. So we chose "Opportunity Nox" instead. Rox never recorded it so I wrote some Swedish lyrics to it that's been in the drawer ever since. Gyllene was scheduled to record it for "Finn 5 fel!," but the song didn't fit the concept. Everyone in the band liked it but we felt we needed another type of material for that particular record. But for this album, it was perfect. Its time is now!!! I like this one very much. It has a lovely '60s aura around it. And Christoffer added some groovy Beatles-inspired 12-stringed acoustic guitar licks in the verses that are top notch in my book! Awright."
LJdM: "It’s really a beautiful song, strings & chimes and all. Very powerful chorus, a beautiful duet Even better than it would have been with Roxette I think".

10. TomTom
Per Gessle: "Was written ten seconds too late to be included on "Mazarin." The problem with songs collecting dust is that you forget, or get tired of, them. I had forgotten about this one, but C&C reminded me! I seem to recall that I was going to write a whole streak of songs featuring TomTom, but this is as far as I got. I'm sure he'll be back."
LJdM: "Nice intro and relaxing song with easy lyrics. Another song with Gessle's summer sound"

11. Våldsamt stillsamt
Per Gessle: "This is how I sound when I put on my dark skinned mask! Ha ha ha! The balcony in Halmstad again! It was time for some '60s R&B and this is how white I sound when I wear my James Brown-mask, ha ha ha!!! I got the title and the rest came all by itself. This kind of song doesn't need too much “weight” in the lyrics. If it does then the lyrics take over and they shouldn't. They should just support."
LJdM: "Blues feeling. Lonely Boys? Lots of energetic drums, Hammond organ, saxophones ... and cow bells. Very Gyllene Tider, but with a twist."

12. Trött
Per Gessle: "I seem to recall this was born just after the end of the GT25 tour in 2004. I love these great neanderthal guitar riffs (my best since "Come Back Tomorrow (And We Do It Again)" from the Plumber album!!!) and this one has some Led Zep in it. We stress this even further with an electric piano that dubs the riff. Can become very cool live…"
LJdM: ""Fast, heavy Gyllene Tider sound. One can almost see Micke Syd play this one. And in the second verse you get a gorgeous angelic background choir!"

13. Samma gamla vanliga visa
Per Gessle: ""Samma gamla vanliga visa" has that lovely '70s pop feeling that I adore. Sort of like "Hjärta utan hem" from "Finn 5 fel!." Another idea that's been with me quite a while. Wrote the verse in the studio in Skåne and finished it off down in Halmstad. The idea was to write a summer song without muscles but with a spark in the eye. One of my favorites from the EHM-sessions. I love Helena’s middle-eight. Such a great girl."
LJdM: "Shalalala song. "Samma gamla vanliga visa" is a title Per has been wanting to use for a long while now."

14. Min hälsning
Per Gessle: "Wow! I wrote this when I was 19 in 1978. There are some old rehearsal demos by Gyllene Tider from 79 but GT never recorded it. I rewrote some lines in verse 1 that were really stupid, otherwise I kept everything intact. I was looking for old demos and tapes that looks "vintage" and worn and can be shown in the forthcoming PG-book and I ran into this old cassette. I had totally forgotten about it. I remember I liked the song a lot at the time, but it didn't fit into the concept of the first GT album. Sorry to say…. I've forgotten who the song was about… such a shame… "Min hälsning" became an unexpected winner. It's recorded completely live in the studio with vocals and all. We didn't know how to arrange it so we wound up doing a real old fashioned live recording in the studio. I sang and played the guitar, Clarence strummed another acoustic geet while Christoffer grabbed an electric Gibson ES-175 jazz guitar. It sounded fab after just one take, we couldn’t do it any better. Then we added a bass guitar and an organ and Helena paid visit with some splashes of her technicolor magic. Hallelujah."
LJdM: "Finally we get a ballad as the end of the album and side B of the LP. A very old GT song – beautiful in its purity. Almost country sound"

EP1. Hon vill sväva över ängarna
Per Gessle: ""Hon vill sväva över ängarna" from the EP is also excellent in my book. Another one of my favorites. Wrote both the lyrics and the music down in the studio in Skåne. It felt perfect as the opener of the EP. Recorded it in two different keys but we chose the "highest." I love love love this chorus."
LJdM: "It is another Gyllene Tider sounding up tempo song with a great bass line."

EP2. Signal
Per Gessle: "Didn't really know where this song should go. I always felt that the lyrics should be in the front row. I liked that. Christoffer thought it sounded like an old Fleetwood Mac-song so I guess we started thinking along his lines. The “pom-pom” vocals in the outro are very much L. Cohen, don’t you think?"
LJdM: "We truly love the verse and bass line."

EP3. Solen kom från ingenstans

Per Gessle: "Was the ending track of the album until we recorded "Min hälsning." I like the lyrics and Helena sings as wonderful as ever. There's an instrumental version as well, called ”Vet du vad jag egentligen vill?” but I guess you know that."
LJdM: "Solen kom från ingenstans" is the vocal version of "Vet du vad jag egentligen vill?" from the single "En händig man," and it's just lovely. "

EP4. Du kommer så nära (du blir alldeles suddig)

Per Gessle: "Exists in two different versions. This, which ends the EP, was recorded in the Tits&Ass studio in Halmstad last summer. Stripped, only acoustic guitars and some beautiful hi-pitched pling plong on the piano and a mini synth. It felt good. But it’s such a sad lyric."
LJdM: "All acoustic guitars and an organ humming in the background to end the EP."

In our opinion, "En händig man" does not beat "Son of a Plumber" or "Mazarin" but there are some really good songs inside it. The voice of Per sounds better than ever and Helena Josefsson helps a lot to create a marvelous sound.

LJdM

I have to shape up on the next record! All in all, I’m REALLY pleased with the album. It turned out just the way I wanted it. All 18 tracks have passed every test in my book. Hope you’ll enjoy them!

Per Gessle

By the way, today, Helena Josefsson recommends us to listen to Karin Turesson music.

Wow! Well done, Karin! What energy and what fine lyrics! Hurrah!

H.Josefsson

Karin Turesson has been working at Christoffer Lundquist's Studio. Karin writes about her life and her music:

My life is and always has been music. Playing the piano all started as we were then living in Germany, and continued when we moved to Sweden. I formed my group in 2000 consisting of voice, piano, string quartet, bass (Ulric Johansson) and drums (Mats Persson, from Roxette). Maybe you've seen us at: Kulturhuset in Stockholm, Umeå Jazz Festival, Malmöfestivalen, Mejeriet in Lund. I've been playing with Annalena Brundin, Agnes Berg, Nina Persson (Cardigans), Robyn, Tingsek, Hello Saferide, Ebbot (Soundtrack of Our Lives)...

K.T.

Karin Turesson has recorded a new video, Fel eller Rätt, directed by David Giese. Karin sent to LJdM's editor the link to the video (Watch the video here) and wrote about it:

In the film I'm a "cleaning woman" reflecting about what is right and wrong in life, and if those who have been evil to us will get an evil end when life is ending.

Kind Regards
Karin

LJdM

I am Mariette Hansson (MaryJet), an up-and-coming young performer from Halmstad, Sweden, who has been a part in numerous musical groups in the past years. I am now working on my first solo album, In the skin, which is expected to be released in the winter of 2007. Most of the material is written by myself, and to back her up during recording are some fantastic musicians, as well as producers Mats "MP" Persson and Rickard Bengtsson.

This is MaryJet band:

• Mariette Hansson - vocals and guitars
• Fredrik "Gix" Johansson - bass
• Mats Johansson - keyboards and backing vocals
• Mats MP Persson - acoustic guitars
• Jaime Salazar - drums and percussions
• Tony Levin - Chapman Stick
• Linnea Olsson - cello and backing vocals
• Margareta Sköld - violin/viola
• Fredrik Davidsson - trumpet/flugelhorn
• Therese Allbjer - backing vocals
• Ralph van Manen - vocals
• Sandra Holmgren - backing vocals
• Soundengineers / Producers/ Heroes: Rickard Bengtsson & Mats Persson
• Graphic Designer: Johan Augustsson

Me and MP worked in his studio (Tits & Ass, in Halmstad) since April. It's really great working with him! We're only at the beginning of this project but I already sence a feeling that this is going to be something like magic! TK gave me his first prototyp of his newly-constructed "fet-boost" guitarpedal! It's love across all borders!

Mariette Hansson, from Halmstad, SE - MaryJet

P, C & C have a party in their heads (II): Byrds, Troggs and other news about Gessle and AGM Studios

“I dag är det min födelsedag…” (“Today it’s my birthday…”) Per Gessle sang on “Mazarin” and while the song wasn’t written in January, it’s his birthday 46th today. Per also has promised The Daily Roxette a new project in 2005, so we await that eagerly. Is it going to be a new solo album? We’ll see! He has been working in the studio again with Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman.

According to TT Spektra, Per Gessle will be one of the interviewees in Swedish national television’s new series “Sixties.” He will be one of the artists telling about the 60s influences in his music, especially The Byrds and The Troggs.

Gyllene Tider received two Aftonbladet Rockbjörn awards for their outstanding performance in 2004. According to Expressen, Per paid 9,563,784 SEK (1,049,800 Euros) of taxes in 2003. With this figure he was the second biggest tax payer in Halmstad. The third single from Gyllene Tider's “Finn 5 Fel!” will be “Jag borde förstås vetat bättre" and the release date for the single will be February 2. The tracklist is still: 1. Jag borde förstås vetat bättre; 2. Speciell (T&A demo); 3. Tuffa Tider (T&A demo).

We have news from Metro Jets (Magnus Borjeson and David Birde). The last months they have been working in Brainpool's Rock Opera, Junk, but now they are working in a new album at Chris Lundquist's Aerosol Grey Machine Studio in Skäne.

Red light on! Studio? What studio? Rather than recording more of their brilliant material, Metro Jets spent last year playing comedy shows and rock opera. I´m not kidding you. This is a strange world (yeah, as if you didn´t know that already). Anyway. We have put an end to that now. We had to. Metro Jets are being driven to the studio as you read this. The studio is not even located in the city, so there is no way that they can get out without me picking them up. Car? What car? No car for you. Metro Jets next release will be out this spring.

LJdM

I listen to any kind of music. I do have a especially strong love for pop and rock music made roughly between 1965 and 1975. In that period there was so much amazing music made I can't believe it. The Beatles, The Who, Crosby,Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, Dr.John, The Band, Genesis, Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, Simon and Garfunkel etc etc etc. This list could fill the whole page if I would continue...and all the soul music recorded in this period, the Motown stuff, Stax, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin...not to speak of country music from the same period: Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton. Fantastic music! But I listen to so much different music from any period including contemporary music and classical music. To tell you the truth I'm a totally single-minded music nerd. I'm really not interested in anything else. After a 12-14 hour working day in the studio I often wind down by - listening to music!

Christoffer Lundquist - AGM Studios

P, C & C find GT's five errors and Brainpool's long-running soap opera (V): GT25 - Sommarturné 2004

Le Journal des Mouches misses Mazarin but GT25 Turné has been a huge phenomenon in Sweden this summer. A post-tour advertisement appearing in several newspapers reads “Thank you all who made GT25 the biggest tour in Sweden through all time!” The ad goes on to proclaim a sold-out tour, (492,242 tickets!!) and that “Finn 5 fel!” has sold more than 210,000 copies so far, and “GT25” (Greatest Hits) more than 65,000.

According to TDR, under clear skies, a capacity crowd of some 32,000 people gathered in Stockholm’s Stadium to see Gyllene Tider’s triumphant return to the venue that was the highlight of the Återtåget tour in 1996. For some, it’s a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane. The concert set list is full of songs that take Swedish adults back in time to when they themselves were teenagers. But new teenagers also were there. It seems everyone in Sweden this summer loves Gyllene Tider.

“This is the biggest thing that ever happened in my life, after my children being born” said Göran Fritzon to Aftonbladet at Ullevi. “I don’t really know what to say. I’m speechless,” added Per Gessle. “It was really hard to keep the tears in the first couple of songs,” confessed Micke “Syd” Andersson, “my voice trembled when I sang the backing vocals.” After the show the band went to the VIP area to celebrate the record with their families and friends who had come to support the band.

When The Daily Roxette came to Örjans Vall it was pouring cats and dogs, the rain started trickling at 5 and escalated to a downpour at 7, when The Latin Kings entered the stage. TDR had a little talk with Per Gessle at 7:45 (see below). During the interview, Mats “MP” Persson allegedly got sick of the rain and told the others that he would stop it. So MP sticks his hands in the air and shouts. The rain stops immediately. When TDR comes out from the interview at 8 the rain is gone! While the setlist didn’t contain any surprises, the concert itself did. Gyllene Tider’s members became “honorary citizens” of Halmstad 2004 for being such great ambassadors for the town for so long.

After the concert Sweden’s Princess Madeleine came backstage and congratulated Gyllene Tider on a great show. Then the Golden Lads entered the semi torn down stage and had cake and champagne before the press. Anders sprayed the photographers with champagne… All in all… a great end to a great tour, by a great band.

• 18/08/2004 Örjans vall Halmstad
• 17/08/2004 Jogersö Oxelösund
• 14/08/2004 Torget Skellefteå
• 13/08/2004 Park arena Sundsvall
• 11/08/2004 Sundbyholms slott Eskilstuna
• 10/08/2004 Gränsö slott Västervik
• 07/08/2004 Ullevi Gothenburg
• 06/08/2004 Elmia-fältet Jönköping
• 04/08/2004 Eiravallen Örebro
• 31/07/2004 Mölleplatsen Malmö
• 30/07/2004 Värendsvallen Växjö
• 28/07/2004 Karstorps fritidsområde Skövde
• 25/07/2004 Lugnet Falun
• 24/07/2004 Stockholms stadion Stockholm
• 23/07/2004 Stockholms stadion Stockholm
• 21/07/2004 Rottneros park Sunne
• 20/07/2004 Idrottsparken Norrköping
• 18/07/2004 Sofiero slott Helsingborg
• 17/07/2004 Pinneviken Lysekil
• 15/07/2004 Örjans vall Halmstad
• 14/07/2004 Örjans vall Halmstad

By the way, today it is an important day. Don't forget it! Tonight it will be the premiere concert of Brainpool's rock opera, JUNK. Christoffer Lundquist, Jens Jansson and David Birde have been working on it since 2000. LJdM will review the concert very soon. Helena Josefsson, Clarence Öfwerman and Magnus Börjeson are going to take part in the concert.

LJdM

P, C & C find GT's five errors and Brainpool's long-running soap opera (III): Per feels quite tired right now, but answers 25 questions; MJs video

Despite he is tired, Per Gessle answered 25 questions by The Daily Roxette

• Age: 45. Family: Wife Åsa; Gabriel, 6.
• Lives: House in Sandhamn, apartment in Stockholm.
• Car(s): Predilection for the Italian ones.
• Hobbies: Art, racing.
  

What is the most important record in history?
In the big picture, probably “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley. But for me, I think it was “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” by The Beatles, which was the flip side of “Yesterday.” John Lennon’s voice changed my universe. And for God’s sake, don’t forget the guitar riff in the same song. Help me, that’s great!

First album you bought?
“The Kink Kontroversy” by The Kinks for five kronor (from my brother who needed money to buy cigarettes in secret…)

What record purchase are you most ashamed about?
Never regret a record purchase! I have both Peter Holm and Metallica in my collection.

What is your biggest concert experience?
Pugh & Rainrock at Folkets Park, in Halmstad 1974 I think. Pugh had just shaved off all his hair…. “Bolla och rulla” was the album. Then there are of course a lot of other goodies. Motörhead in London 1977, U2 with BB King in Melbourne 1989, Paul Simon here and there, Tom Petty is the best of all sometimes, Rolling Stones last year at Cirkus in Stockholm. I wept three times… And Hep Stars in Karsefors 1966. “Surfin’ Bird” was great.

Which is the best party album before going out?
Anything by Sweet. Glamrock is extraordinarily underrated!

What’s the best album to have in a car?
Right now I have The Beatles’ “White Album”, but I like mixing it with R.E.M.

Your worst memory from Återtåget?
My slipped disc that almost ruined it all for us. It was at its worst in Lysekil. Ugh!

What do you remember from the Gyllene Tider hysteria during the 80s?
Ugly Esso Motor Hotels! It was obviously very much fun, we never understood how it happened that we got so popular. But usually we stayed on our own, we were pretty insecure back then, we were very young.

What’s the best song on “Finn 5 fel!”?
There are several that I’m very fond of: “Nere på gatan,” “Jag borde förstås vetat bättre,” “Ordinärt mirakel,” and “Varje gång det regnar.” I like all the songs of course… otherwise they wouldn’t have been recorded! But the band really has really impressed me. They all have become “specialists” in their individual field lately. It sounds incredibly cool.

What’s your worst vacation memory?
I was very disappointed with Mauritius this winter. It didn’t suit us at all. Thankfully, I had a happy guitar with me so I wrote some songs to “Finn 5 fel!” there.

What’s the last book you read?
I’ve just bought Walter Yetnikoff’s autobiography. He was the manager of CBS in the 70s. Lots of gossip about people I’ve met.

Are you superstitious and how does that show?
No, although I do spit three times over my shoulder when I see Micke Syd dance.

Do you believe in God?
Sometimes.

What pet would you like to have and why?
I’m a cat person. I’ve grown up with cats. But right now, we have a turtle named Göran Persson.

What fast food is your favorite?
None. I’ve really shaped-up the last few years. But sure… if there are French fries around, my fingers get very long.

What do you think about plastic surgery and would you consider it yourself?
I don’t know. Maybe. Guys get wrinkles easier than girls…

Do you ever miss the feeling to have to save money to buy something… or can you appreciate things just as much anyway?
I don’t know. Really hard question. I think one is both a little blasé and very spoiled. But I’ve worked for my money, so I’m not ashamed of the fact that my family and I are well off.

You’ve realized your boyhood dream about gorgeous and fast cars. But what do you do with them, and which is the favorite?
I don’t really like driving awfully fast so I prefer 1.) to accelerate from 70 km/h to 130 km/h nicely, sort of. And 2.) to look at them. I’m a design freak as you know. The coolest car in the market right now is the new Rolls Royce Phantom. I rode in a jet-black one in New York the other week, and I fell totally in love with both my wife and the car! It’s a bit dubious to drive it to the local supermarket to get milk and cinnamon rolls though. So I probably won’t get one.

Have you ever thought about moving abroad?
Yes, constantly – especially during the Roxette days, when we worked abroad almost all the time. But I find that I miss Sweden very easily. We’ll see what happens in the future. I still don’t know what I will be when I grow up.

Describe a totally normal day, when you don’t work or have any other obligations?
There aren’t almost any of those. If I’m completely free, I sit around fiddling with some lyric or melody, or take care of the office, my mail and e-mail. Of course I try to spend as much time as I can with my family. And the gym at least twice a week, of course.

What’s happening with life after the summer tour? Any new projects or albums planned?
I’ve promised my wife to take a year off! It’s tough times for a dreamer like me to make two albums and two tours in only two years! I went directly from the Mazarin tour to my writing den and started composing “Finn 5 fel!”.

How has Gabriel changed you?
Hard to answer. When you get to become a parent, it suddenly feels like you’ve ALWAYS been one. There has sort of never been a time without children… it’s very natural. I think I’ve become softer and more sensitive as a person. You also get reminded about your own childhood all the time, which can be very painful.

When were you at the County Museum in Halmstad last, and what memories do you have from it?
I hardly remember that. But I interned there when I went to high school. Archeology was my kick back then.

Tell us something people in general don’t know about you?
I’m terribly nearsighted. –8.5 in both eyes. And I’ve always wanted to be able to slalom and ride a horse. Preferably at the same time. By the way, I don’t have tinnitus. That’s an old tabloid hoax that keeps haunting me.

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According to metrojets.com, Metro Jets' first single, THE MORNING SHOW, celebrates 10 weeks on the national Swedish radio playlist. Metro Jets are Magnus Börjeson (Beagle, Favorita) and David Birde (Brainpool). Christoffer Lundquist is the producer of their music.

YouTube - Metro Jets: The Morning Show

Debut video by Swedish power pop duo Metro Jets featuring Magnus Borjeson and David Birde

3 min 56 s - Directed and drummed by Jens Jansson. check it out!

Brainpool is rehearsing with the Malmö Symphonic Orchestra for this summer premiere of their long-waited "rock opera". Per Gessle talks about GT bestselling album. Meanwhile, David Birde and Christoffer Lundquist speak about the commercialism.

LJdM

120,000 copies sold of “Finn Fem Fel” in 23 days; 412,000 sold tickets to see Gyllene Tider this summer. My head feels really tired right now. It’s really tiring to write, record an album, go on tour... and then start the process again. I don’t think I will do this again. It is simply too stressful to get involved in such big projects every year. It was possible to release an album every year and be constantly on tour, but now this doesn’t work anymore. But I feel a great energy because it’s very fun to play with Gyllene Tider. It will take some time till the next project. I have to find time to start to write songs again. I have to give myself time to gather new strength so that what I do has substance.

Per Gessle

In 2000, we Brainpool found ourselves in a position where we weren’t popular anymore. And since selling points were no longer an issue, we could afford this “commercial suicide”! A rock opera! We wanted to write something about this commercialism that we find so problematic and omnipresent. It’s a reaction towards the pop music business where one never exists beyond one’s latest hit record and one isn’t permitted to any artistic progress. One is just expected to produce hits and sell records.

David Birde - Junk Musik

The industry no longer spends years on building up an artist’s career. Today bands aren’t allowed to sell records at a loss for five years before finally making a commercial break-through. Whereas a lot of those artists we now acknowledge as seminal were commercial failures for ages and lost their record labels a great deal of money before turning into a success. But that’s a thing of the past. Record companies don’t work that way anymore. Present circumstances are very different and turn the musicians into renaissance type artists that do an increasing part of the job themselves. It’s no longer enough to be a good musician, you also have to be a salesman, entrepreneur and businessman. Something we’ve never been particularly good at.

Brainpool's new rock opera: the main goal for us is distribution. If none is willing to pay for our music I’d rather give it away for free so that it can reach as many as possible. But obviously I would prefer getting paid for my work so that I can afford to make another record. But distribution is our number one priority. I’m happy if a lot of people download our album for free because it’s not as if those people would’ve bought it anyway. It’s a case of either downloading it for free or never hearing it at all.

Christoffer Lundquist

P, C & C find GT's five errors and Brainpool's long-running soap opera (II): Finn 5 fel, released

The long awaited “Finn 5 fel” (Gyllene Tider's first new album in 20 years) is out in the stores in Sweden today, as written in TDR. Per Gessle and Micke “Syd” Andersson met with the press last Friday to listen through the album and comment on the songs.

The album is produced by Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman. Will it be a bestseller or a flop? Christoffer Lundquist is about to release a "rock opera" with his band Brainpool about the recording industry. Christoffer spoke about it from his studio, AGM, in a Swedish documentary recorded by Hampus Linder.

1. En sten vid en sjö i en skog

• Micke: It’s fun because Per has played a lot of guitar on this album, and here he plays the guitar solo.
• Per: Yes, they are nice to me in this band… The song was written up in Stockholm October 2003 after we had decided to try to cut another album with Gyllene Tider.

2. Solsken

• Per: It came to a very late and wet night. I found one of those dictaphones with a lot of old song embryos on. I played it to the producers Clarence and Christoffer who liked it. I wrote the lyrics the day after.
• Micke: The best song, absolutely. This you should play in your car along the coastal highway down in Halmstad with a cute girl next to you… You should play it when everything is great. I get a smile on my face when I hear it.

3. Tuffa tider (för en drömmare)

• Per: I went to a music store to get a ukulele, because I’d heard that George Harrison always traveled with one. I bought two and got one for free so I left the store with three ukuleles. I sat down trying to learn how to play it and realized you tune it as a violin and so I wrote “Tuffa tider”. The others wanted to turn it into a reggae so I left the room! But it turned out as a reggae finally and I guess it’s fine.
• Micke: There’s a melancholy sound to it, but it’s special. When a friend of mine heard it he thought “what a fun song” but after a while he heard that it actually has sad lyrics.

4. Ordinärt mirakel

• Per: I don’t quite remember how this song came to me, we tried it out anyways, and it became a nice and pretty song. Anders plays a horrifying great bass on this song.

5. Ta mej… nu är jag din!

• Per: We were listening to a live album by The Who and heard that riff in “Summertime Blues”, then this song came alive. It felt like something we’ve never done before.

6. Jag borde förstås vetat bättre

• Per: This is sad, it’s about a guy who still is hoping… this song is one of my favorites.
• Micke: There’s a bridge there that is the best we’ve ever done… it’s a waltz beat and Fritzon who isn’t a pro was totally unstoppable on the piano! He didn’t need a long time before he was going.
• LJdM: Strings arranged by C. Lundquist and C. Öfwerman; backing vocals: by Helena Josefsson.
  

7. Du måste skämta

• Per: Was written during my vacation in Mauritius this January. I always travel with a guitar and some simple recording equipment. The original demo was made on the plane though, in my cell phone. I still have that version…

8. Nere på gatan

• Micke: I’d say this is more “Mazarin” than Gyllene Tider, but I like the beat in this song. This is also a melancholy song.
• Per: The idea behind this song was a falsetto melody. Gives the album a little more weight to counterbalance all the summer hoopla.

9. 72

• Per: This song is about the year 1972 when I was 13 years old. I actually wrote it for “Mazarin” but my producers felt it was too tough. I saved it and now it fits better.

10. Ande i en flaska (Gabba gabba gabba come on come on karma karma)

• Per: This is a tribute to “Ramones” which I actually wrote for Roxette, but it suits Gyllene Tider much better. It was ment to be on “Have a Nice Day” and was named “Ghost in the House”.
• Micke: I like it, it has such a nice beat.

11. Varje gång det regnar

• Per: I wrote this exactly when “Mazarin” was finished, in April 2003, and is probably closer to “Mazarin” than Gyllene Tider. One of our two ballads.
• Micke: Absolutely the most beautiful song I think.
• LJdM. Backing vocals by Helena Josefsson and Jennie Löfgren.
  

12. Hjärta utan hem

• Per: This is the kind of 3-chord song that you think you’ve heard before. It was written on Mauritius early this year. Micke also sings the lead here, we sing about the same girl.

13. Speciell

• Micke: The first singing here sounds almost like a stubborn teenager. It’s just two minutes long, this song.
• Per: Was supposed to be more acoustic, but became power pop anyways.

14. Har du någonsin sett en dröm gå förbi?

• Per: I hadn’t made a demo for this song. I came down to Skåne a Monday in February and I presented the song in the studio. They liked it, we recorded it and it was done before dinner.
  

LJdM

It’s easy to become cynical towards the recording industry but that’s just pointless. None will thank you for whining. It’s rather a question of having distanced myself to the industry. I no longer find it important. Now I only care about our music. At the same time, the record industry is going through a lot of changes and none knows what the outcome of it will be, which is very exciting. Hopefully these changes will boost creativity and constitute a rebirth and provide a better musical climate than the one we have today … But to be bitter and cynical – it’s just a waste of time!

The traditional methods of music distribution are gone. You can no longer record an album, release it on vinyl or cd and expect people to buy it. These days there exist plenty of other distribution channels like the internet, where it’s still quite hard to buy music legally. So in effect, music has become a free commodity. A lot of people aren’t prepared to pay for it any longer.

Christoffer Lundquist

P, C & C find GT's five errors and Brainpool's long-running soap opera (I): a double single

According to TDR, the upcoming Gyllene Tider-single will be “En sten vid en sjö i en skog” and it will be released next Wednesday. But there’s “another” single as well.

It’s an old Gyllene Tider tradition to release double A-sided singles; it started with “Flickorna på TV2/Himmel No. 7” and continued with “Ska vi älska så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly/(Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän.” Now, this new single will follow that tradition by including two tracks: A-side “En sten vid en sjö i en skog” and the A-side: “Tuffa tider (för en drömmare)” (Tough Times (For a Dreamer)). “Tuffa tider” includes a ukulele and an ocarina, while “En sten…” is a power-pop song á la Gyllene Tider.

We have also found the credits of the full album, Finn 5 Fel! Clarence Öfwerman appears as GT producer for the first time and Christoffer Lundquist did a great work in his studio as producer, technician and mixer. Helena Josefsson features as backing vocals.

Lyrics By, Music By, Guitar, Vocals - Per Gessle
Bass - Anders Herrlin
Drums, Vocals - Micke 'Syd' Andersson
Guitar - Mats M.P. Persson
Organ, Piano - Göran Fritzson
Backing vocals: Helena Josefsson and Jennie Löfgren

Producer - Clarence Öfwerman
Producer, Technician [Tagm & Polar] - Christoffer Lundquist
Technician [T&a] - M.P. Persson
Mastered By - Björn Engelmann
Mixed By - Christoffer Lundquist (except song nr. 7, by M. Ilbert)

Artwork By [Cover] - Kjell Andersson , Pär Wickholm
Artwork By [Painting In Photos] - Bruno Liljefors
Photography [Biologiska Museet] - Jonas Linell
Photography [The Aerosol Grey Machine] - GT , Jens Jansson

Now we have other important news: Chistoffer Lundquist's band, Brainpool, will premiere their long-running "rock opera" this summer in Malmö with a big orchestra. David Birde, Jens Jansson and Christoffer Lundquist have been working in this project since 2000.

By the way, the short-film "Bikini", directed by Lasse Persson, was premiered last month. The music of the film was written by Magnus Börjeson. Bikini is an animated musical starring an young man who is afraid to come out…who is afraid to come out of the locker. The plot takes place on a beach year 1960, where a couple of happy twins and their lady friend like to spend the summer.

Original title: Bikini
Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Lasse Persson
International release date: 2004-Apr-1
Animation: Lasse Persson, Magnus Hjerpe
Design: Lasse Persson
Music: Magnus Börjeson
Sound: Olle Tannergård
Produced by: Swedish Ecstasy Film in cooperation with Filmpol Mitt, Film i Skåne and Swedish Television AB. Supported by Swedish Film Institute/Jesper Bergom-Larsson
Principal cast: Magnus Börjesson and Susanna Dzamic (voices)
Category: Animation, musical
Screening details: 35mm - 1:1.85 - Colour - Dolby SR - 7 min - English
Awards: Honourable Mention, Berlin International Film Festival, Germany, 2005; Jury Award for Best Short Film, Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Denmark, 2005

LJdM

It’s been like going on a very much longed for school trip recording with the Gyllene-guys again. We recorded 15 songs down in Skåne and 14 have made it to the album. Half of them feel like strong singles so it’s been almost impossible to select a single. So we picked two!

Per Gessle

The first concert I ever went to was a Gyllene Tider concert, during Moderna Tider, I remember I listened to it in secret because I thought it was a big embarrassing, a bit girly music, and I liked heavy important prog rock, but there was something about his voice you couldn’t resist, couldn’t not listen to it, that hit me.

Christoffer Lundquist

When David Birde and Christoffer Lundquist first introduced me to the idea of a "rock opera" one late evening, I thought it really sucked. I thought it sounded awfully lame and didn’t see how we would ever manage to pull it off. But once we got started, it turned out to be lots of fun. And because it became such an enormous project, it became increasingly important to prove to ourselves that we could finish it! We’d been working on it for ages. At times we felt like giving up because it was getting so damn tedious, but then each time we sat down to work on it again, we got the feeling that we simply had to complete it, since it’d been such a mad concept from the beginning!

Jens Jansson - Junk Musik

P, C & C back in the AGM office (VIII): GT25 and Metro Jets are out

According to TDR, Gyllene Tider is celebrating the release of “GT25 - Samtliga Hits” album today. The big news is that they are actually celebrating the release of two albums: June 2 they will release their brand new album with brand new songs, titled “Finn fem fel” (“Find Five Errors”). The new album is being recorded in Christoffer Lundquist’s studio in Vollsjö, Skåne, the same studio that baked “Mazarin”.

The first single out of "Finn fem fel" is “Sitter på en sten vid en sjö i en skog” (“Sitting on a Rock by a Lake in a Forest”). Anders Herrlin - bass guitar, says that the album “sounds like how we wanted to sound in 1980…” and "most of the songs were recorded in less than half an hour. We also decided that no other instruments were to be used than our own. The synthesizer sounds are actually all made by the Farfisa, for instance.”

Micke “Syd Andersson” - drummer thinks that the 25th Anniversary "is so big that we cannot comprehend what’s going on. We are truly overwhelmed. Weird that we even had a career looking like that!”

Meanwhile, Magnus Borjeson and David Birde (= Metro Jets) have released their first single in Sweden on Aprin 2: THE MORNING SHOW. It was also recorded at AGM studio and produced by Christoffer Lundquist.

According to Indie Spin Zone:

"This single by the Metro Jets is the perfect pop fix for those of you who are waiting patiently for the new Beagle album. Magnus Borjeson from Beagle and David Birde from Brainpool bring you this slice of power pop perfection which is actually the theme song for Sweden's new hit TV sitcom "The Morning Show". This song has the biggest 70's AOR rock hook we've heard in years! The B-Side "The Midas Touch" is also brilliant."

Listen to these songs in Metro Jets' myspace

LJdM

P, C & C back in the AGM office (VII): old GT, new Metro Jets

According to TDR, Gyllene Tider is beginning the celebration of their 25th anniversary by re-releasing their first three LPs – “Gyllene Tider,” “Moderna Tider” and “Puls” – with re-mastered tracks. At the same time, they’re releasing a new CD: “GT 25 - Samtliga Hits!” (“GT 25 - All the Hits!”) on March 24th.

But old hits are not enough for this band. While it hasn’t been officially announced, The Daily Roxette has reported previously that Per and others have talked about new material that they are recording, so the widespread expectation is that a new album/single/EP will be released later in the spring, just in time to help promote the tour. Gyllene Tider members are recording new songs in AGM studios with Christoffer Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman. Helena Josefsson could take part in some songs as background singer.

The summer of 2004 will see Gyllene Tider tour the country of Sweden again, eight years later.

Meanwhile, a new band is born: Metro Jets. They are Magnus Börjeson (from Beagle and Favorita) and David Birde (from Brainpool) and are produced by Christoffer Lundquist. Read the story about this new band.

LJdM

During the hardest rains that central Europe had seen for nearly a century, David Birde, the guitarist and songwriter of Brainpool, tried to get from Amsterdam to Prague. David had left Sweden a couple of weeks earlier, using his last savings to get away from the usual problems of a musician (lost love and, eh, strange band members). It didn´t work very well. Lost love tend to be haunting and these days even band members got cell phones. When the train finally arrived to Prague, almost 30 hours delayed due to the storm, David decided to get something to eat. He heard live music coming from a cellar and went over to take a look. This was the ”Maijtjenaliv”, a club that the medical students in Prague was running. David went inside and stayed the whole night. Somewhere between a strange and a stranger beer, he started talking to the bartender, who immediately responded ”From sweden? That´s funny, do you know the guy in the black shirt over there?” In the other corner, Magnus Borjeson, former lead singer of Beagle, was talking to a stunning looking German medical student. Magnus had left Sweden for the same self-obsessed reasons as David, after his band favorita turned out to be one of the world´s best hidden musical secrets. The coincidence was almost too good to be true. Two days after the night at Maijtjenaliv, David and Magnus had a plan. They wanted to live in a place where it never rained. They wanted to play, record and write music. (they also wanted to find love, but we´re asked to leave that out of this text). A couple of weeks later Magnus heard about two free apartments in Malmö and phoned David. they moved in next door and started writing music. They also found love (but we´re told to leave their wifes out of this text). And here´s the happy ending: Metro Jets are actually working on their first album. Metro jets want to send out a special thank you to Maijtjenaliv (cheers Josefa & Jamila!) for making this possible :)

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Magnus Börjeson - David Birde
Metro Jets

P, C & C back in the AGM office (VI): Gyllene Tider's recordings begin

I am surprised: I was nominated as the Halland Resident of All Times. It’s like trying to compare Picasso to the painters a long time before him. You can’t really do that.

I isolated myself for a couple of days and wrote four songs in Mauritius. But on my birthday we went out on a catamaran ride. It was a huge difference compared to the cold weather of Halmstad!

Currently, I am working in the studio with Gyllene Tider. We have been here for two days. We are still trying to find the sweet and airy sound. We just played a song, but it sounded too good. It can’t sound like that with Gyllene Tider! I have written a lot of songs and we’ll see what happens. Our goal is to accomplish a single or – if we’re extra lucky – an EP. An album is still a dream, although we do have enough material. If we are to record a full album it needs to follow a red line at least. I don't know the exact dates for the Gyllene Tider summer tour yet. It’s EMA that sets up the tour plan, but of course we’ll be performing here in Halmstad and along the west coast. The premiere will be in the middle of July and then we’ll keep going until the middle of August.

Per Gessle

Interview from: Hallands Nyheter; Source: TDR

P, C & C back in the AGM office (V): Per turns 45 - Gyllene Tider’s comeback planned for eight years

Per Gessle turns 45 today. And 2003 has been a great, special, amazing year for him. TDR remembers other special moments in Per’s life.

• January 12, 1959 Per is born.
• 1978 First record ever - The “Billy” EP.
• 1979 Gyllene Tider’s first single on EMI - “Flickorna på TV2”.
• 1979 First #1 on the Swedish charts - “Flickorna på TV2”.
• 1983 Per’s first solo album, “Per Gessle” is released.
• 1986 Roxette is born, first single “Neverending Love” is released.
• March 28, 1989 “The Look” goes #1 on Billboard and breaks Roxette worldwide.
• 1993 Roxette plays MTV Unplugged at Cirkus in Stockholm.
• August 21, 1993 Per marries Åsa.
• 1996 Gyllene Tider reunites for Scandinavia’s biggest tour ever.
• 1997 Per’s first solo album in English, “The World According To…” is released.
• August 5, 1997 Per and Åsa’s son, Screamin’ Lord G (Gabriel) is born.
• June 16, 2003 Per releases “Mazarin” and creates a mass hysteria in Sweden.
• 2004 Gyllene Tider turns 25 years, a new album and a tour is in the pipeline.
  

The year of 2003 was a huge success for Per Gessle. The hit single “Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)” was the most played song on Swedish radio stations, both on SR (Sveriges Radio) and commercial stations, during 2003. It’s the first time since Music Control started this list in 1996 that a Swedish artist is #1 on that year list. At second place came Robbie Williams with his song “Feel”, and at #3 Blue and Elton John’s hit song “Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word”. All in all four Swedish songs were on the top ten.

According to Expressen, after having spent Christmas with his family in Halmstad, Per Gessle says it’s now time for him to work on the new Gyllene Tider record that will be released to coincide with this summer’s upcoming 25th Anniversary tour. The article claims that the comeback was planned – or at least considered – as early as 1996, during Återtåget. The tour will start in July, local venues are being booked now, and the only worries are that they might not sound good or that it will rain.

LJdM

My receding hairline tells me taht I have reached middle age. I thought this was something that only happened to one’s father. It’s important so that the tour with Gyllene Tider isn’t only a retro thing, even if we will be playing the old hits. How far along the process is? I won't comment it. Then you won’t have anything to write about the next time.

Per Gessle

Mazarinerna is the band (VIII): Mazarinerna Fan Website

Fan page about Mazarinerna project

This page tells about the band, called Mazarinerna. They are the people who participated in recording Per Gessle's Swedish solo album 'Mazarin' and also played live with him during the Sommar Mazarin Turné 2003 (SMT).

The Tour:
The very tour began in Sweden on Tuesday, 29 July 2003 in Per's native town Halmstad and ended in Eskilstuna on Sunday, 27 August. Later it was decided to continue the tour and the band travelled to Oslo (23 September, Rockefeller club) and Helsinki (25 September, Tavastia club). The show in Copenhagen was cancelled. More than 175,000 people attended 15 live concerts. They also released live DVD 'En Mazarin, Älskling?' ('A cupcake, dear?') with the record of live show in Göteburg on Wednesday, 6 August 2003.

Per Gessle:
Born: 12 January, 1959. Don't think I should explain you who is Per Gessle. He'd written all the lyrics and all the music for all of 14 tracks to his solo album 'Mazarin'. During the tour, he was on lead vocals and played harmonica, electric and acoustic guitars.

Jonas Isacsson:
Born: 10 June, 1959. Electric guitar during the SMT. Has played electric guitar (almost all the lead parts and also backing and acoustic guitars) on all Roxette albums from the 'Pearls Of Passion' through to 'Room Service'. Featured in Roxette's MTV Unplugged appearance in 1993. It's him, who has written that guitar string in the very beginning of Roxette's song 'The look'. Released his solo album "Evergreen", which features only music, performed by Jonas on electric guitar.

Christoffer Lundquist:
Electric guitar, banjo and backing vocals. The album 'Mazarin' was recorded in his home studio in Skåne (South Sweden). Bass player in Brainpool (signed to Jimmy Fun) he plays with Roxette since 1999, including Room Service Tour 2001.

Jens Jansson:
Drums. Plays in Brainpool. First I saw Jens on some TV-rip playing with Per & Co. when Gessle was performing "I wanna be your boyfriend" cover at BingoLotto in 2001. Also performs with Magnus Sveningsson (from The Cardigans) in a project, called Righteous Boy.

Anders Herrlin:
Born: 17 September, 1961. Bass and backing vocals during the SMT. School friend of Micke "Syd" Andersson and bass player of Gyllene Tider. Went on to become Roxette bass player and has toured constantly with them. Worked closely with his old "partying" friend Marie Fredriksson on her solo album 'Den Standiga Resan'. Featured in Roxette MTV Unplugged apeparance in 1993. Programming genius.

Helena Josefsson:
Born: 23 March, 1978 in Kalmar. Her full name is Helena Marianne Josefsson. Backing vocals - and after hearing her singing live I should say it was damn brilliant! Amazing voice! She also played tambourine and harmonica. While watching the mentioned live DVD's documentaries, one can note, that Helena is left-handed. Helena also plays keyboards and sings in Sandy Mouche, which is produced by Christoffer Lundquist. It was him who's heard Helena's demos and suggested her singing with Per on his "Mazarin" album.

Clarence Öfwerman:
Born: 22 November, 1957. Keyboards and backing vocals during SMT. First produced Roxette's album 'Pearls Of Passion' and has been involved in every Roxette ablum since as producer and keyboards player. Featured in Roxette's MTV Unplugged performance in 1993. Responsible for most of Roxette's string arrangements. Plays in group Passagerarna who released a Gessle-Öfwerman song 'Never say goodbye'. Co-produced Roxette's 'Have A Nice Day' album.

Marie Fredriksson:
Born: 30 May, 1958. May be I shouldn't have written her name in here, but as she participated in recording 'På promenad genom stan' single, which was also included on 'Mazarin' album, she does have the right to be a part of this fantastic band! Though it's a pity she hasn't joined other musicians from the band on the stage, but Marie was like a VIP guest to view the premiere concert in Halmstad. Let's hope to see her in some live show on GT's upcoming tour 2004! :-)

Ilya Volkov
-(a.k.a. Kreecher)- Roxette House