PUURS - Last Friday, November 29th, three Belgian fans and their partners were treated by EMI Belgium and Sweden to a Meet & Greet with Per Gessle at the Polar Studios in Stockholm. Sandra Vets was one of the six winners and invited Cathy Carlier of the Belgian Fanclub to join her.


  Per took his time to talk about the Polar Studios, his work and his family. The winners also heard in sneak preview the upcoming single promoting the Pop Album. It sounds like it could have belonged on the Room Service album, with vocals mainly by Per, supported by Marie.


  “We are looking for the right mix,” the artist explained. “It’s a painstaking job sometimes to do so. I played guitar today and we are adding Marie’s vocals today as well.”


  As to answer the question about the title of the new song, Per diplomatically looked at Li Eriksson from EMI Sweden who stated it was too soon to reveal any titles. In fact, they had not decided yet.


  Many questions were answered, amongst others the one revolving around the K-Otic song.


  “It’s like this,” he explained, “some time ago I was asked to give a couple of songs. This particular song was meant for the Room Service album. I had even made a demo of it – which, to be honest – I found much better sounding than the K-Otic version. But it did not make the final cut so I had it lying around. I have no control over where some of my songs go to. Sometimes it goes to bands like K-Otic.”


  “A Gyllene Tider reunion is definitely possible,” he continued. “It might be a tour next year, but we’ll see what happens. I’m also going into the studios to record some of my solo-work. I’m gathering a band to do that. Of course,” he smiled, “I don’t have a record deal yet.”


  About promoting The Ballad Hits in the UK and US, he stated that it all depends on Marie. “I don’t want to do this promotion alone,” he explained. “But I’m respecting Marie’s wishes. If she feels up to it, we will go there. If not, we won’t. The same goes for the upcoming Pop album.”


  Per was relaxed, witty and funny during this Meet & Greet that nearly lasted an hour. It was a treat for the fans who were there.

• Roxette.be (Full story)

LONDON - This week, the BBC profiled Roxette’s record label in a program entitled “EMI & Me”. The program, which is part of a six-part series, examines a series of British-born organizations and discusses how they have adapted their business practices in their respected tough economical markets, over their many years of operating.

  Interestingly, the program attributes EMI’s (Electrical and Musical Industries) early financial success to the development of radar technology during the World Wars. It wasn’t until EMI secured the distribution rights of Elvis’s UK releases that their music empire started to really evolve.

  Their greatest musical success has always been The Beatles. This four man band enabled EMI to not only sell a great many records, but it also allowed them to sell in many new territories for the first time, most noticeably America.

  In the late 90’s, EMI had gained an unhealthy attraction to big name artists who commanded multimillion pound contracts. One such notable example is Mariah Carey, who signed with EMI for £36 million, only to be later released early from her contract due to poor record sales for a sizable £20 million.

  Recently, EMI was in merger discussions with New York-based Time Warner. This was eventually called off because of regulatory concerns with the monopolies commission.

  The program concluded that EMI has been forced to trim most of its fat by shedding 1,800 jobs worldwide. And consolidating its existing artists who include: Kylie Minogue, Iron Maiden, Radiohead, Tina Turner and Robbie Williams. Robbie recently renewed his contract with EMI for an alleged £80 million.

  Editor’s note: Many fans have noted that “The Ballad Hits” album was released on the “Capitol Records” label. Roxette’s record company is still EMI and Capitol is one of the labels owned by the EMI corporation.

• BBC’s “… and Me” series

The latest compilation release “The Ballad Hits” by Roxette has now landed to the Portuguese top 10 album chart at #9. The last time they reached the top 10 was with the Spanish ballad compilation “Baladas en Español” back in 1997.

  The album “Have A Nice Day” in 1999 only managed to reach #12. Two years later “Milk And Toast And Honey” received huge radio airplay and the listeners loved the song but that didn’t allow them to chart with “Room Service”.

STOCKHOLM - The web design company Famestudios, owned in part by Per Gessle along with Bonnier, “IT-Guru” Christer Sturmark, and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, has fired their project managers and programmers. The reason is, according to the company’s CEO, Ludvig Werner, an isolation of core business.


 “We won’t manage the web productions ourselves anymore but outsource it to other companies. We will focus entirely on digital events,” says Ludvig Werner to Dagens Media, a trade publication.


 In this area of digital events, Famestudios offers, among other things, consultative services for interactive events that can be connected to physical events.


 Famestudios earned a modest 1.5 million Swedish crowns last year, while they, at the same time, lost 6 million.


 Among their clients are the record companies behind Roxette and ABBA, whose official sites are designed by Famestudios.

• Dagens Media’s article (In Swedish)
• Famestudios
• Roxette’s Official website

HELSINKI - Per was interviewed recently by Nyt, a weekly Finnish newspaper (The name means “now” in Finnish), and the article appears in their latest issue. They are known for asking stupid questions and many times in the past, they have managed to upset their subjects. Per seems to have stayed calm, though. Here are some interesting facts that are revealed in the article:

  If Per were to be one of The Beatles, he would be George, because “he has the best haircut.” If he met aliens from outer space, he would give them Abba’s “S.O.S.” single. “It’s a pity I didn’t compose it,” says Per.

  Per’s favourite scent is the scent of his son; he thinks “Lady In Red” is the worst ballad ever made; and Per would never wear a bicycle helmet, because he thinks they are ugly.

  The name “Love Peas” (the initial name of “The Ballad Hits” album) was changed because they learned that it means “testicles” in British slang.

  Per says that it’s not possible that he could’ve killed Olof Palme, because he was attending Marie’s concert at the time. Reporter Ilkka Mattila also asks if Per ever plays air guitar. “I do it quite often, especially when I’m drunk,” he answered. “’Hate To Say I Told You So’ by The Hives is a great air guitar song,” Per tells the reporter.

  The last question is if Per has ever bought one of his own records from a store. “Yes,” says Per. “I’ve bought a record as a gift when I’ve visited a friend. And you have to support our record company EMI. They’re having hard times.”

  Mari contributed to this article.

• Nyt article

MADRID - The Spanish national weekly university newspaper, “Gaceta Universitaria”, published an interview this week with Per Gessle. The interview took place earlier this month when Per was visiting Spain to promote “The Ballad Hits”. They managed to avoid the usual questions and therefore it’s a very interesting interview:


 Roxette have just released “The Ballad Hits”. However, Per Gessle doesn’t consider himself a romantic person. “If you asked my wife, she would say ’No’.”


 When asked if he has changed his way of living, going now to the gym, he answers, with a laugh, “I try to go twice a week. No main target, I just do what I like. Not to show off muscle on the beach: just do it to relax myself. I never go to the hotel gyms.”


 Per thinks that Hotel Ritz in Paris has the best room service (as “Room Service” was Roxette’s previous album) he has ever seen, “I was there two years ago visiting a friend for his birthday.” But he also agrees that there are very good hotels in Asia, like Japan or Bangkok. Even if he likes this good service, he says he doesn’t ask for strange things, “but during promotion you do need swift and fast service.”

• Gaceta Universitaria’s article (in Spanish)

Read more…

STOCKHOLM - The Swedish tabloid newspaper Expressen reports today about a possible Gyllene Tider comeback.


  In 1996, over 250,000 fans attended Återtaget. And now Gyllene Tider is thinking of another comeback. “We have met and discussed a couple of items,” explains Gyllene Tider’s guitarrist Mats Persson to Expressen.


  In 1996 the Återtaget tour was a success, a phenomenon. Expressen tells that the band members met again in Stockholm to discuss a comeback.


  “Gyllene Tider turns 25 years in two years, if there ever is a time to do something it will be then. That would definitely be something to celebrate. A 24th anniversary may be a bit odd. But one never knows, it may happen something unexpected then,” says MP.

• Expressen’s article

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NEW YORK - Per Gessle, as we previously reported, has written a Christmas song for Peter Jöback’s Swedish holiday album, “Jag Kommer Hem Igen till Jul,” that is being released today.


  The song, “Varmt Igen” (“Warm Again”), was composed by Per in Halmstad last June, while he was working with some other songs in Swedish.

  “Fate had it that Ms. Dimberg visited the Tits&Ass studio while I was recording the demo and she obviously fell in love with the song,” Per tells The Daily Roxette. “She asked if Peter could get it for his upcoming album.” He is referring to Marie Dimberg, whose company – d&d Management – manages the careers of both Roxette and Jöback.

  “I hesitated as always when inquiries like this occur, but realized very soon that Peter was working with Lars Halapi, who I consider to be a brilliant producer. And knowing Peter a bit, I knew he definitely was more than able to deliver this tune,” which Per assures he did, and that the song “sounds great.”

  Ever playful, Per laughingly says: “So… everyone goes home in a limousine!!!”

  Meanwhile Jöback, who TDR reached while in rehearsal for his upcoming tour, says that “When I heard the song, I thought it would make the perfect ending to my Christmas album. Ending with ’Varmt Igen’ gives a promise of brighter days when everything is re-born after a long winter.”

  “Per is one of the world’s greatest songwriters,” the singer and musical theater star proclaims, “and I’ve always wanted to work with him. I’m honored to receive this song for this album. The fact that it’s in Swedish makes it even more special.”

  Judith Seuma contributed to this article.

• Peter Jöback’s official website
• Dahlgren-Attling.net

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UTRECH - Eight unreleased demos by Marie Fredriksson, recorded in English and therefore presumably intended as possible Roxette songs, have appeared on a bootleg CD being sold by a Swedish trader at the Mega Record and CD Fair taking place this weekend in the Netherlands.


   The bootleg, called “Marie Fredriksson: Duets, Demos and Odd Live Tracks,” contains 17 songs. Nine of the tracks are from various live performances, but what really has drawn attention are the eight previously unreleased demos that appear on the CD.


   As we go to press with this article, The Daily Roxette has been unable to determine with certainty how it is that these demo tracks were obtained. However, one can clearly see that most were recorded by Marie before the release of “Have A Nice Day” (1999) and her solo compilation, “Äntligen” (2000), since demos for “Beautiful Things” and “Waiting For The Rain” are featured in the CD, as well as “Always The Last To Know,” later released as “Det Som Var Nu,” a duet with Patrik Isaksson.

   “I don’t think they were stolen, I definitely think they were given to him,” says Cathy Carlier who occasionally does freelance graphic design and also heads the Roxette fan club in Belgium. It was she who designed the front and back covers at the request of an acquaintance named “Jan” in Sweden.

• Mega Record and CD Fair’s website

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Roxette and love, what a combination, don’t you think! Well VH1 does! The music channel has placed Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” from the “Pretty Woman” soundtrack at #95 of the top 100 love songs of all time, in a program conveniently hosted by Jennifer Love Hewitt.

  On the first installment of this five part show, they showed the entire Roxette music video and included various interview clips with Per and Marie.

  While VH1 did not mention anything about Roxette’s current plans, they did state that the band was not getting any attention in the US before that video was put out and it is truly the one that made Roxette a household name.
Vixter and Geytenbeek contributed to this article.

• VH1’s 100 Greatest Love Songs

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