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What is going on with Per?
27 replies
DEFAULT_GREEN said on November 27, 2007 06:18:
I don’t know what is going on with Per lately with all the THEMED
songs that he is making...
Is he trying to proove that he is tallented and can also produce the same
classics that was done years ago?
I think its because he is bored and he is out of ideas now he is just fiddeling around.
cause personally whenever you create anything THEMED releated it is not original.
What I mean by themed for thoses who are lost.. the whole SOAP album for an exception of maybe 5 songs.
this shopping with mother
most of gyllene tyders new album
what happened to the original music he use to create.
WE WANT PER NOT PER TRYING TO IMMITATE SOMEONE ELSE.
CRIZ said on November 30, 2007 19:41:
Read his biography and you will understand....though I also agree with your opinion but after reading his bio I understood!!
whateveriam said on November 30, 2007 22:00:
Haven’t you people seen that SOAP and the current solo stuff is essentially the brainchild/vanity project of someone (possibly with more money than sense) who’s either bored of current music, and therefore can’t be bothered to even try and move music forward and be innovative, or maybe he is just being overly-nostalgic for his youth and childhood?
I’m sorry, but much as I like SOAP, Mazarin, EHM, I can’t help feeling that I’m somehow trapped in my parent’s childhood...
CRIZ said on December 1, 2007 13:22:
That’s why I learned swedish > to stay informed, to get the details!
Per needed the SOAP project a lot for his own development. It was a new way of working for him. Without any demos, more relaxed, far away from his pedantic way of working. Roxette had sort of died already thru Have a nice day and Roomservice recordings. So it was neccessary for Per to try something else. IF we ever get something new from Roxette than I guess that SOAP, Mazarin and Händig man really helped to make things better again.....even though that SOAP didn’t fit my taste very much. Too dusty...I’m a child from the music of the 80s...and Per is a child from the music of the 60s.
DEFAULT_GREEN said on December 3, 2007 05:59:
Ok, if it was done for musical of whatever development then he still does not
have to create an album? As far as I know when you are still in “development stages” you do let people pay for it cause it was “you in training” and not applying knowledge... anyway
you learn, THEN you do... no do as you learn and then give that result.... hellloooo????
and as far as I know Per has given his best work when the demos was mostly done by himself anyway so why he wants the others in the “group” to contribute I don’t know cause they are definatly taking the Per sound away and adding to much of their sound to the mix
RJ1976 said on December 3, 2007 09:09:
Could’nt agree less... In my oppinion he just gets better every year. He’s like good wine. Gets better over the years :-) ...
whateveriam said on December 3, 2007 09:29:
To quote a reasonably known romcom
’He’s losing his mind!...And I’m reaping all the benefits...’
DEFAULT_GREEN said on December 3, 2007 12:17:
Ok what I’m trying to say, what if he decided through the Joyride era to
experiment to further is knowledge then we would have a soap album and not a Joyride... see where I am going?
He is is much better in writing No1 pop songs... and for every SOAP song that
he is writing he could have written another Chart topping “Joyride pop rock song”
makes sense now?
Lennon said on December 3, 2007 12:26:
I appreciate artists being authentic in honest in what they do. And for Per I appreciate that he obviously managed to free himself from the expectations of the audience and record-company. Of cource he could have made more roxettish hits to satisfy his audience, but I think you could already hear the difference between “The Look” and “One Wish” - The difference between being innovative and genuine with a new idea on the one hand, and just work in established patterns and reproduce the own stile again and again on the other hand. The last one might sound nice for the fans, but it does not satisfie the artist!
Now he does not care about saling-figures. Hi is (compared to many young stars) independed of record-labels and managers. He dares some experiments now, and I think this is a good decision. I understand your point of view because I also do not like every new track he releases.
But remember that noone is forced to buy his stuff! You should not expect that an artists does what YOU want him to do. You have no contrract with him and a musician is not a service-provider :-)
I think that there is still a lot of classic “Gessle” in the new releases. And not everything is just old-fashioned!
Also remember that a usual artist being in the business for so many years releases a new record every five years or so!
Not Per, he shares his ideas with us and releases albums nearly every year! More experiments, more spontanious, not so much brushed up to the pop-trends anymore, but I prefer this way! I take him much more serious as an artist today!
–
Download our songs:
http://www.melancholodic.de
bevi said on December 3, 2007 14:32:
I agree 100% with Lennon
“The difference between being innovative and genuine with a new idea on the one hand, and just work in established patterns and reproduce the own stile again and again on the other hand. The last one might sound nice for the fans, but it does not satisfie the artist!”
DEFAULT_GREEN said on December 4, 2007 06:54:
You still don’t understand what I am trying to say.
While writing lets say Shopping with Mother he could have writting
a Joyride or Spending my time which is much better songs not for me you but for everyone
what would have happenened if he wrote shopping with mother and Kurt the fastest plumber in the west on the day he wrote Joyride and Spending my time, they would not have existed and we all including Per would not have had those timeless classics behind his name.
so what I am saying is that for every luke warm experiment he is doing he
could have written another classic. so basically for the last 3 albums he missed out on some of the best work he could have ever done and could have exceded.
Imagine if I have a party in my head was written on instead of it must have been love?
NOW you don’t have to imagine cause he did write it and we will never no what classic we missed out on when he wrote I have a party in my head.
Its like the song Salvation go ... “don’t pass me by” and for every experiment he is doing a classic is passing him by, such a shame
bevi said on December 4, 2007 13:29:
what i dont understand is why he has to write classics.. just because some fans miss them? Maybe he just doesn´t want (is not that he can´t) to do more stuff like that,that´s all.
Personally i love his last works so i don´t care if they are considered classics or not. I like them and this is the important thing for me.
Besides, is quite difficult to write stuff as in the past cos now he´s working alone. There´s no new Roxette material for the moment and the songs he´s creating are supposed to be sung by him and not by the amazing voice of Marie (i suppose it also influences the result cos is not the same writing a song knowing Marie will add her voice to it than doing it knowing he is going to be the singer of it).
I don´t see the sense of thinking “what would have happen if he has written “I have a party on my head” instead of...”, he didn´t do it! he wrote (over 10 years ago) that songs that you consider classics and nothing can change that so now all we have is his new stuff that i repeat i personally love.
I think Per could do songs as IMHBL, Listen to your heart and so but people change, Per changes and i seriously wouldn´t want to have more songs sounding similar to that ones. Some fans complain that last Per´s works sound the same or old but they wouldn´t mind if he would keep on doing songs similar to the ones he made 10 years ago? I don´t believe in classics,just in good or bad songs and for me (i´m always talking about my own opinion) his last songs are really good.
PerAndren said on December 4, 2007 14:01:
I didn’t have the time to read everything above, but I personally believe Per has never done anything unique - every album has strong influences, which I don’t consider as a bad thing. Roxette is mostly american FM-rock in my ears. But I get your point with the last GT-album, that one sounded a bit boring - nothing surprising. But the GT-songs from 1996 had both the old GT-sound and some fresh synthetizers for instance, so I guess I like the mix.
Lennon said on December 4, 2007 16:36:
@default green:
It’s all a question of personal taste, isn’t it? To me “It must have been love” is not such a special song, it has simple lyrics and a nice melody, but all in all it’s quite weak. Personally I like “Party in my head” much more than IMHBL, it is catchy, but not that predictable. It has a very special atmosphere and sound, the combination of lyrics and melody/chords is more extraordinary than those old-fashioned power-ballads from the 80s.
If you want more Spending my Times and Joyrides, why don’t you write those songs by yourself? Or at least try it! You say Per should do this, although he grew out of this state. You say he wastes time by not writing this music you want to hear, this sounds a little bit strange to me :-)
–
Download our songs:
http://www.melancholodic.de
CoyRoy said on December 6, 2007 06:33:
On an interview they showed in South Africa back in 1995, just before Roxette’s South African tour, they asked Per and Marie about the sound of CBB, Per mentioned that CBB was “getting closer/back to our roots”.
In my opinion they should stick to guitar, power pop like the CBB album, Joyride and even the ever-green “The World According To Gessle.” If you combine those 3 albums you have a bunch of killer-hit songs.
I don’t know why Roxette ever thought of releasing the HAND album, those techno shit don’t fit them and Room Service was just pointless.
Someone once mentioned that “Opportunity Nox” was probably the best “retro-seventies-disco” song EVER recorded - I agree. There’s a lot of rocking 70’s sound in that song - a shame it didn’t became the hit Per hoped.
A Swedish journalist said that when you listen to Room Service and HAND, it’s easy to hear that Roxette is a band that has lost it’s direction.
Just stick to the guitar pop/rock, Per!! I think Per is a bit lost and is trying to figure out what to do next. I’m sure he’ll write some BIG monster hit once he’s cleared his head and realise his true roots.
the big D. said on December 6, 2007 10:01:
Hey ho, guys n girls,
in my opinion you have to see the whole thing. back in the eighties -as often mentioned- per was in the end of his twenties, perhaps tried to become famous, had “no family” and a marie in best circumstances musically. In those days Roxette was a new sound.
I agree when someone says he feels bored or wants the old roxette-ish styles back. But why can’t for example “soap” not become a classic. for me it is! I’ve never heard an album so often at my friends -house freaks, pop fans, r n b supporters- everyone love this album, there is a reason why all of them like it although they normally hear absolute contrast music in general.
If I were Per I would be proud of this.
By the way- everytime Per releases a new album it is excting to “hear” what it will sound like, isn’t it? He changes his style and exactly that is the reason I buy his records! He doesn’t bore!
CoyRoy said on December 6, 2007 14:50:
Per’s last few solo albums really were GREAT, maybe not EHM (in my opinion), I just think Per needs a short break to relax and let the inspiration flow. He’s a genius, in some way, and I’m sure we’ll hear GREAT things in the near future from him.
And those of you who said that he has to re-think his songs to fit his style, you’re SO right. I bet he’s finding it hard to write simple songs to fit his voice, as he sometimes said that ballads come easier and they are all made for Marie to sing.
I may sound like a record player on “repeat”, but I still, for one, believe in my heart that someday soon Marie will want to make a new Roxette album. I just pray it will happen. I really miss Marie out there in the spotlight.
But I’m sure Per is LOVING all the attention he’s getting, because in Roxette, nobody really notices him - only Marie, because she has to deliver most vocals and she’s OH SO SEXY!!!
So, dear Mr. Per Hakan Gessle - take a short holiday and relax and don’t work too much!!
ChrisWilliams said on December 6, 2007 16:37:
I’ve read every comment and I’m really confused by all this.
I think Per has always written what he wants to write. In the 1980s, Per was particularly interested in the pop charts (as he himself has said over the years) so it’s perfectly natural that he was going to write songs that were direct, simple and straightforward. He wanted a Christmas hit in Germany, so he wrote It Must Have Been Love. He wanted a big ballad, so he wrote Listen To Your Heart.
I feel that nowadays he wants to express himself differently, so he writes songs with quirky lyrics and original melodies. [*]
I don’t know of any artists who write worldwide #1 hits ’forever’. ABBA did it for about 8 years, the Beatles for about the same. And if we start with The Look and go up to Wish I Could Fly which is, arguably, Roxette’s last true worldwide hit, then that’s a good 8 years.
...stop holding onto the past because the world, according to Gessle, has indeed moved on.
[*] I must say One Wish is rubbish :-D
Inga said on December 7, 2007 23:47:
I followed this discussion for quite a while and I would like to comment on the issues addressed here.
There were only two songs on SOAP that I liked, the rest wasn’t Per for me.
I really like “Fin fem fel”, “Mazarin” and “En händig man”. I like to listen to those albums because of the light heartedness in the songs. Per once described his favorite music along these lines ...”it catches you and then you are happy for the next 3 minutes”. Sorry, but what happend to this attitude? When I listened to SOAP for the first time it made me feel lugubrious and most definitely not happy. I am not sure how many fans say that they like SOAP just because it is a Per Gessle project and who disavow the fact that they actually don’t like it. I believe that it is no “blasphemy” to criticise the master. That is why I really appreciate this thread. Speaking ones mind freely is very important and I only can encourage people to make their opinion known.
If Per feels the need to prove something to himself, that’s OK for me. But I probabyl won’t buy a second SOAP album and spend my money for some nice and fresh young music.
Inga
CoyRoy said on December 8, 2007 17:34:
I still think Per is over-worked and needs a break. He needs to travel, taking his notebook and taperecorder with him and start working like he did in the Joyride days.
SOAP is NO masterpiece in my opinion, BUT there are some catchy, old-fashioned songs on it. Some of the songs sound like the stuff my parents used to listen to in the 60’s - good to keep those memories alive and let us younger generation experience those times. BUT those DREADFUL musicals/instrumentals inbetween - God, shoot me!! It’s taking up space and means NOTHING to me. But hey, if Per wants to do it - then let him (although I wish he wouldn’t). LOL
What happended to songs like love-sick-horny-teenagers making love, or those ever-sad-kill-yourself ballads. Sad ballads are the best, that’s why I still think The Ballad Hits is the ULTIMATE Roxette compilation!!!
I think One Wish is fantastic!! It’s catchy!! I just don’t like the part where Marie sings:
“Please don’t tell me what I don’t need to know / Please don’t offer what I shouldn’t know / I don’t wanna know what doesn’t show...” - what the f*ck is that!! It’s too much repetative! When you start writing lyrics like that, then you need to take a few head-ache pills and go on vacation!! (or start seeing a therapist!) LOL.
No, Per is great and he’s a terrific song-writer - he proved that on the CBB album - I still think that album had the BEST lyrics any Roxette album ever had!! Very progressive and grown-up.
Kathrin said on December 8, 2007 21:03:
I agree with CoyRoy!
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Have Fun!!!
whateveriam said on December 9, 2007 07:00:
@Kathrin, do you ever say anything other then you agree with someone else?
RobS said on December 9, 2007 09:39:
CoyRoy said: “BUT those DREADFUL musicals/instrumentals inbetween”
I personally like them. But to each, there own I guess.
Also with the One Wish lyric, I think it’s fine, at least to me. I see it as a roundabout way of saying “I wanna keep on the straight and narrow, don’t try and tempt me, I only want what is real. etc.” Not quite the same is it? And it’s not like Per hasn’t done that sort of thing before.
“I still think that album [CBB] had the BEST lyrics any Roxette album ever had!!”
I somewhat agree with that, although i do remember reading one or two reviews way back then, saying that Per’s lyrics were even more “bubblegum” and he only tried to use the harder music to cover it. Strange.
Good on him for trying something different.
Nice post ChrisWilliams, except the part about OW ;-)
the big D. said on December 9, 2007 15:35:
Well, to me, the soap album means a great “concept” album. it’s a trip through happiness and sadness and after about 60 minutes it ends and I feel fine. great work! ehm isn’t that great work for me, mazarin was much better. but in fact, I like to hear per, but it’s interesting to see that there are no songs over 3 minutes any more, no more long, “rising” songs.
perhaps he should compose a musical or a soundtrack for a film. why not- it could be the next step in his career.
regarding the lyrics of the songs I also miss songs like “I can see him dance away” or the perfect summer impressions given by ...”didn’t I tell you everything is possible in this deja-vu?...”; oh yeah, baby, june afternoon, hopefully next june will come soon...
Debora said on November 29, 2007 23:13:
I understand what you mean and I couldn’t agree more with you.