The world according to Gessle (TWATG), the third full-length studio album by Per Gessle, his solo debut in English, has been released today, April 19th. Last April 4th the first single, Do you wanna be my baby, was published in Sweden, France, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Italy and South Africa. It has been made in the Netherlands and will be released in Europe in April and May. It includes two old demos (Always breaking my heart and I wanna be with you).
The new album by Per does not mean the final of Roxette. In February 1997, Per and Marie signed a new contract with EMI for another 10 years. By the way, Marie sings in a song of TWATG, I'll be alright, so she is also there.
In my opinion, The world according to Gessle is more than a solo project. It could mean two important facts:
- In some songs, the band Gyllene Tider (and its lost English version, Modern Times) is back, with Per Gessle, Micke Andersson, Mats MP Persson and Anders Herrlin (this time, without Göran Fritzon)
- Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman (Roxette's producer and keyboards), Christoffer Lundquist (Brainpool's bass) and Jens Jansson (Brainpool's drummer) play together in three songs of the new album: Stupid, B-Any01-U-Wanna-B and Wish you the best.
- What's more, the producer, mixer and engineer of all the disc is Michael Ilbert, former producer of the last albums of Brainpool (Soda, 1994; Painkiller, 1995) and Gyllene Tider's last new songs with The Lonely Boys and Halmstads Parlor (1996). Ilbert has also worked with Ulf Lundell and The Wannadies. With him as producer, it seems that Gessle has found the "retro-sound + pop" that he was looking for.
TWATG is in some ways the opportunity of listening Gyllene Tider in English again; very good songs after "She doesn't live here anymore", one of our favourites, but nothing new indeed.
On the other hand, we have three pop songs with Brainpool's air due to the alliance between Gessle and Öfwerman with Lundquist and Jansson. We'll keep waiting for more.
The new album by Per does not mean the final of Roxette. In February 1997, Per and Marie signed a new contract with EMI for another 10 years. By the way, Marie sings in a song of TWATG, I'll be alright, so she is also there.
In my opinion, The world according to Gessle is more than a solo project. It could mean two important facts:
- In some songs, the band Gyllene Tider (and its lost English version, Modern Times) is back, with Per Gessle, Micke Andersson, Mats MP Persson and Anders Herrlin (this time, without Göran Fritzon)
- Gessle, Clarence Öfwerman (Roxette's producer and keyboards), Christoffer Lundquist (Brainpool's bass) and Jens Jansson (Brainpool's drummer) play together in three songs of the new album: Stupid, B-Any01-U-Wanna-B and Wish you the best.
- What's more, the producer, mixer and engineer of all the disc is Michael Ilbert, former producer of the last albums of Brainpool (Soda, 1994; Painkiller, 1995) and Gyllene Tider's last new songs with The Lonely Boys and Halmstads Parlor (1996). Ilbert has also worked with Ulf Lundell and The Wannadies. With him as producer, it seems that Gessle has found the "retro-sound + pop" that he was looking for.
TWATG is in some ways the opportunity of listening Gyllene Tider in English again; very good songs after "She doesn't live here anymore", one of our favourites, but nothing new indeed.
On the other hand, we have three pop songs with Brainpool's air due to the alliance between Gessle and Öfwerman with Lundquist and Jansson. We'll keep waiting for more.
PER: Why do it in English?
Gessle: Stupid question coming from you. I wanna go world-wide of course. Wouldn't you?
PER: If Roxette had released an album 1997, would it have sounded like "The World According To Gessle"?
Gessle: "The World According To Roxette"? I don't know. This is how I want a pop record to sound today, anyway. Marie may have another vision. It takes more than one to tango, you know.
PER: Does it - we're tangoing alone right now?
Gessle: Everything's possible in pop interviewing. But Marie likes the record. She sings on one of the songs too.
PER: Why?
Gessle: Because she's the best.
PER: Your music isn't always pure pop. Looking back it seems you've been all over the place. And there are tendencies to that on your solo album as well, even if it's a more...coherent noise. Why's that?
Gessle: I listen to a lot. I like a lot. And so I do a lot. That may blur the overall identity, but f**k that. I'd rather have fun and skip the format-thinking. The unifying thing is probably that I generally write potential singles with distinct verses and choruses. I've never liked "album tracks". Leave them to Pink Floyd.
PER: Yes, please. Did you hear that Monty Python will reform next year?
Gessle: Great. And in Las Vegas too. Brilliant. Must go there. But it probably collides with some Formula 1-race.
Gessle: Stupid question coming from you. I wanna go world-wide of course. Wouldn't you?
PER: If Roxette had released an album 1997, would it have sounded like "The World According To Gessle"?
Gessle: "The World According To Roxette"? I don't know. This is how I want a pop record to sound today, anyway. Marie may have another vision. It takes more than one to tango, you know.
PER: Does it - we're tangoing alone right now?
Gessle: Everything's possible in pop interviewing. But Marie likes the record. She sings on one of the songs too.
PER: Why?
Gessle: Because she's the best.
PER: Your music isn't always pure pop. Looking back it seems you've been all over the place. And there are tendencies to that on your solo album as well, even if it's a more...coherent noise. Why's that?
Gessle: I listen to a lot. I like a lot. And so I do a lot. That may blur the overall identity, but f**k that. I'd rather have fun and skip the format-thinking. The unifying thing is probably that I generally write potential singles with distinct verses and choruses. I've never liked "album tracks". Leave them to Pink Floyd.
PER: Yes, please. Did you hear that Monty Python will reform next year?
Gessle: Great. And in Las Vegas too. Brilliant. Must go there. But it probably collides with some Formula 1-race.
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Per Gessle's words are taken from the self-interview of TWATG booklet, published in April 1997.
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