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“Att vara Per Gessle” - a review

Written by tevensso on December 7, 2007 to , and .

LJUSDAL - Per Gessle approved this biography to be written by old friend and journalist Sven Lindström when Marie Fredriksson was diagnosed with cancer. He felt that his story should be told while the people he had been hanging out with were still alive. Immediately the idea came up to use the quotation-technique used in the book "Please kill me," which both Sven and Per regard as a major inspiration. Sven drafted a few pages and sent to Per who immediately changed his mind, he didn't want people talking about him!
Then both Marie and Rolf at EMI got sick, so Per changed his mind again, and here we are!

"Att vara Per Gessle" is mostly filled with information the regular fan already knows, but this information is better, straight from the sources, more meat on the bones so to speak. And Sven's writing is superb. If I compare this book with the previous ones about Gyllene Tider and Roxette, this one is miles ahead, both information-wise and language-wise. We also get literally heaps of photos, and pictures of old letters, faxes and notes. Basically a plethora of "new" information for the ever thirsty fan.
The book is heavy, it weighs 2.2 kgs (5 lbs), and is in LP format (12"x 12") - a nice coffee table book with a bonus CD named "Doppade bara tårna - demos 1977-90" containing seven demos (nine if you buy the special Ad Libris version);

"Saken slår mej som på huvudet"
"Lägg din hand i min om du har lust"
"Svarta glas"
"It Must Have Been Love"
"The Look"
"Listen to Your Heart" and finally
"Joyrider."

The two missing tracks from this CD are "Dansar ner för ditt stup i rekordfart" ("Soul Deep") and a full demo of "Joyrider."
8,000 copies of the Ad Libris version have been printed, compared to 22,000 copies of the normal version.
Of course these demos alone are worth the price of the book. "Svarta glas" is for instance the fabled Swedish demo of "Neverending Love" - Roxette's first hit from 1986.

Among the more interesting information in this book, to me, is the full tracklist to the never released Modern Times album! Too bad the world never (?) will find out how Gyllene Tider's album would have sounded. Worthy noting is that the single "Beating Heart" ("När vi två blir en") didn't make it to the final cut…
The other interesting thing is that we get to know more about how Per feels about EMI worldwide, he even used the phrase used many times here at TDR "Every Mistake Imaginable" when talking to the execs at EMI USA. That wasn't very appreciated! Per has been very frustrated with EMI over the years.

Now I know this book is very hard to find outside of Sweden but if there's a will there's a way. Many fans have imported this via local book stores or via Swedish fans. Shipping is a killer due to the weight of course, in most cases more than the book itself. An interesting fact is that Bonnier's is thinking about a release outside of Sweden. Nothing more is known at this point.

Do I miss anything in this book? Of course, I always miss things, more demos, more info more photos! Seriously, Per is very generous with his demos, he draws up one from his pockets at the weirdest of times, which artist does that? I don't miss much in this book, there are always angles that I would have wanted to know more about, but maybe part II will be out in a decade or two? It's also not 100% pro Per, and even if the negative quotes are at a minimum, they are still there. In my book that adds to the credibility.

All in all, a great book for the fan who thinks he/she knows it all, and for the common man interested in Per Gessle. Get it when you can! The price is not at all bad (in Sweden.)

A huge thanks to Sven and Bonniers for the review copy.

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23 comments

rossyrox said on :

“All in all, a great book for the fan who thinks he/she knows it all” - for those who can read the damn thing.

RJ1976 said on :

Thanx :-) ... Have the book, but anyway :-) ... And it’s the no. 1 selling book at Bonniers at the moment :-P

Sascha said on :

Sounds all great about the book but one problem remains: It’s in swedish only!
I’ll be the first to buy one if released in german or english. For me, all the great demos and pictures just don’t justify buying a book I can’t read.

tevensso (moderator) said on :

Yes I know, a point I’ve stated in the review. But didn’t you see there are at least some plans to reach abroad?

Sascha said on :

Yes and I’m glad about that, just want to stimulate the publishers! :-) A tip for international markets: Print the name Roxette onto the title...

Claire said on :

i really want this book regardless of the language but dont wanna pay the same costs again for the shopping. think will hang on til the next time im in sweden which wont be for a while.... :(

Junkie said on :

The book is also sold in Helsinki’s Stockmann book store, so you can get it not only in Sweden. The sad thing is that it is only in Swedish and all the numerous fans all around the world (and who will buy this book except a devoted fan?????) need a translation or just pay for the great collection of pictures, 7-9 demos and sometime fammiliar tracklists and tour-lists... ))))

JossanGessle said on :

Hi Per nice book

ket-ket said on :

i hope it’ll ever comes abroad and not just swedish fans would be able to read it,even though it’d be in 2-3 or in more years time i’d be thankfull and happy,to know more about my idols

madmoosegirl said on :

The book is great and was worth paying the extra postage to ship a copy over with the 9 track CD! It also looks good on the coffee table even if my visitors don’t have a clue what it’s about, one friend referred to it as “Oh that’s the guy you chase around Sweden” ….

Ltheroxettefan said on :

I do love the book, it’s wonderful, looks fantastic, one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read ;-)

———
L(isa)

7-Twenty-7 said on :

I have no interest in a book I can’t read. As someone else said: it’s pointless to spend a lot on money just in photos and a bunch of not-so-great demos. And that Ad-Libris trick is (as any other ’limited’ or ’special’ versions only available for a few people) totally unfair. I don’t know why they didn’t include the 9-track CD in all the books, to make everybody happy.

AURYTE said on :

The book is really interesting, though I have read only 20 pages or so. But I plan to read it in full in summer. I wish I had more time, so I could read it now and then proudly tell to my Swedish teacher that I have read such a special book. She already knows that I’m Roxette fan :P

And those demos, I fell instantly in love with them.
*****************************************************************
Du borde sett hur underbart jag mår

nusaderenda said on :

It’s such a great book! Very good work.

the_first_boy_o... said on :

I have one questions and comment. As far as i know the book is in Swedish, so not all of us speak swedish so the real illusion will be getting the CD/Songs and not the book itself because we can’t even read it. Does anyone know if this company that is planning on selling the book outside Sweden is also planning to translate it to english?

tevensso (moderator) said on :

An interesting fact is that Bonnier’s is thinking about a release outside of Sweden. Nothing more is known at this point.

mixella1 said on :

For a fan why does he/she listen to Swedish song of Per and Marie and not buy the book too, even if it’s in Swedish. I wish to tell everyone even Per if he ever read this lines that both Marie and Per have inspired me to do a lot of things in life that otherwise I wouldn’t do. For example I learned English, play the guitar and even a small course of Swedish language so I bought the book and I will try to understand what they saying there (with the help of the dictionary) . And maybe I will share it (parts anyway) in my native language on our Romanian website roxette.ro

ditroia said on :

Sh*t I bought the book from Bengans.se and I didn’t know there was another version.

2 Q’s

Does Ad Libris ship OS [Specifically Australia]

Or can I download the two extra songs in HQ elsewhere?

If I buy the ad Libris version, does andyone in oz want to buy my mint ’normal version’

Cheers

Dave

Never Left The Joyride..
Visit http://www.roxette20.eu/

cooliscool said on :

I like their intention. The music sounds awesome, and 1z0-007 dumps some effects are pretty cool. But the singing is just plain crap and is not mixed well - it doesn’t gel with the music. It sounds separate/isolated and cheap. If it would have been with Marie and Per’s voice with this backing music it could have been
70-270 dumps totally awesome.1Y0-A09

alton100 said on :

Actually, I have to say thanks to Tomos who posted that news 70-551 at the R2R forum.Anyway, great thing, looking forward to it :-)Actually, I have to say thanks to 70-549 Tomos who posted that news at the R2R forum.Anyway, great thing, looking forward to it :-)Actually, I have to say thanks to Tomos who 70-548 posted that news at the R2R forum.Anyway, great thing, looking forward to it :-)Actually, I have to say thanks to Tomos who posted that news at the R2R forum.Anyway, great 70-545 thing, looking forward to it :-)

alton100 said on :

I have no interest in a book I can’t read. As someone else said: it’s pointless to spend a lot on money just in photos and a bunch of not-so-great demos. And that Ad-Libris trick is (as any other ’limited’ or ’special’ versions only available for a few people) totally unfair. I don’t know why they didn’t include the 9-track CD in all the books, to make everybody happy.I have no interest in a book I can’t read. As someone else said: it’s pointless to spend a lot on money just in photos and a bunch of not-so-great demos. And that Ad-Libris trick is (as any other ’limited’ or ’special’ versions only available for a few people) totally unfair. I don’t know why they didn’t include the 9-track CD in all the books, to make everybody happy.
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alton10 said on :

Hum... Never thought I’d one day be making a comment here... But on this one I really just can’t resist! Well HeartCentre20... Don’t know if I’d have “the courage” to report on that “joke present” detail myself but...It sure was the greatest Saturday night - yes it was!! And the biggest thanx to Roxette again, for presenting Portugal with another unforgetable visit!! :) Now we all [think I can speak in “behalf” of everyone else on this] only hope one day someday we’ll have too “our” concert... ;)
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