P, C & C wanna be Ramones' boyfriends (III): A new album in Swedish?

According to Aftonbladet and The Daily Roxette, Per Gessle is currently writing songs for a forthcoming Roxette album. So far, five or six songs are ready and more are coming. During Christmas, Per going to record demos in Halmstad and in the spring Marie will join him to record the final versions. Per talks about it.

But it is not his only project. Per could record soon a new Swedish album with his partners of Gyllene Tider (MP Persson, Anders Herrlin, Göran Fritzon and Micke Syd Andersson) or maybe with his new band (Clarence Öfwerman, Chris Lundquist and Jens Jansson). His friend Mats MP Persson, could be there anyway.

By the way, one of our favourite films this year in LJdM has got many international prizes in the last months.

Music for One Apartment
and Six Drummers
(2001; 9 min 31 s)

• Produced by: Kostr Film, SVT and Film i Skäne
• Directors: Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson
• Music: Ola Simonsson
• Music productor: Magnus Börjeson

PRIZES

• Capalbio Film Festival 2001: Best Film
• Napa Valley Film Festival 2001: Grand Prize
• Göteborg Film Festival 2001: Audience Award, Honorable Mention
• MECAL Film Festival Barcelona 2001: Audience Award
• Copenhagen Film Festival 2001: Honorable Mention
• Odense Film Festival 2001: Jury Special Prize
• Vila Do Conde Film Festival 2001: Audience Award
  

LJdM

After the recording of the demos, we’ll see. But I hope we would be able to release a new Roxette's album during the next year. A tour could continue in 2002. There are places we didn’t visit this year: Ireland, Italy, South Africa, Asia… it’s a big world.

I have so much Swedish material lying around. I haven’t recorded much of it, but there are a lot of songs. There will be a day when we choose to take a break from Roxette again. And I miss communicating in Swedish. So, there will certainly be an album.

My favourite songs ever? Difficult question. I like e.g. 'Love Grows' by Edison Lighthouse, 'Jeepster' by T-Rex and 'Stand By Me' by Ben E King.

Per Gessle

P, C & C wanna be Ramones' boyfriends (II): Goodbye, George

George Harrison (Liverpool, 1943), Beatles member, died on 29 November 2001. He was 58 years old and had a lung cancer.

One Harrison's song opened my blog in 1997. My sweet lord was the first song that Per Gessle oficially played with Brainpool. My sweet lord and George Harrison are also a symbol here.

Per Gessle was one of his fans. He has written an article in Aftonbladet about him. You can read the translation here.

LJdM

George Harrison played a big part in the fact that I became obsessed with pop music as a seven-year-old. And to be honest, it wasn’t because of the way he played guitar, or even the Beatle’s music. It was the cover picture on the jacket of “Rubber Soul.”

The tough suède leather jackets. The attitudes. The hairstyles. And for me there was no doubt about it, George was the coolest.

Since then, I’ve always liked George. His songs stood out on the Beatles albums. He ended up having to stand behind the giants Paul and John the whole time – which was unfortunate. You can hear [his talent] on ”All Things Must Pass” where several of the songs he wrote during the Beatles period, but were never included on albums, are collected. In my opinion, it’s his strongest solo album.

George was also the man who took the Beatles on their musical journey to India, and introduced them to world music. He was I think the man behind John – sort of the glue that held the Beatles together.

After the split up, he and John worked together. They were a little like a pair, a team. But I have the feeling that George never really took his own music as seriously as it deserved.

Maybe he preferred the role of being in the background.

There are probably not a lot of people who know that he was behind several of the comedy gang Monty Python’s biggest films… “Life of Brian” among others. He financed them. George – there also – but the whole time a step behind John Cleese and the others.

I never met George, but I have stood outside his gigantic villa in Henley-on-Thames together with Japanese tourists.

As a fan. P.G.

Per Gessle