NEW YORK - Lest the chorus of voices raised to voice disappointment with the tracks being offered in the long-awaited RoxBox serve to cloud the bigger picture, let’s not overlook some core issues.

  We suspect we’re not the only ones for whom Roxette has had an impact beyond the expected. In a myriad of different ways, Per and Marie… their music, their concerts, their personalities, and yes, even such details as their album covers, have affected our lives (many fans can’t help but think of Roxette whenever they see raspberries or a five-pointed star).

  Friendships have been made directly because of Roxette. Some have been of a romantic nature, and led to marriage. We’ve always been impressed by groups of fans that get together periodically to share their enthusiasm for this band, but even the solo “joyriders” (Roxers if you prefer) who share their passion here in our SmallTalk section, feel a sense of community, at least on occasion.

  One of those occasions came almost exactly four years ago. News quickly spread that our beloved Marie Fredriksson was in the hospital, and fans around the world came together to express their concern and offer “get well” wishes and prayers. TDR helped to collect and assemble these sentiments into not just one, but several books full of statement from fans… many of which spoke of how much Roxette’s music had meant to them up to this point in their lives, and gave specific examples.

  We’d like to think, without getting too philosophical or theological, that all of our wishes and prayers were answered. Is it a miracle that Marie recovered?!? We’re not prepared to answer that, but we ARE certain that it’s a continuing cause for joy and celebration for the readers of this newspaper.

   From our particular vantage point, we see sunny skies ahead. Marie is healthy again, and has returned to both the recording studio and – just this past week – the stage. Per continues to throw his heart and soul into creating new music, and the word is that both Per and Marie enjoyed their reunion as Roxette.

  It’s now entirely within the realm of possibility that the phenonemon that is Roxette can continue after the candles on the 20th Anniversary cake have been blown out, and the cake has been cut and eaten. Another full-length album? A tour of some sort? We’ve been reluctant to report this before, for fear of somehow “jinxing” things, but both seem to be possibilities again.

  We’ve all known Per long enough now to know that he’s the kind of guy that can take some good-natured constructive criticism. We hope that when he reads Neil’s commentary below, and all the other comments regarding the RoxBox, that he’ll keep in mind that “at the end of the day” (as he’s prone to say), that we’re all – like him – just a bunch of pop nerds. We haven’t lost our gratitude for the abundance of great music we’ve enjoyed in the past… and we look forward to what’s yet to come. – LEO

EDITOR’S NOTE - The following opinion piece by Neil Currran is indicative of the maelstrom of mostly negative comments that we’ve received today, mostly about the track listing for the upcoming Rox Box. The opinions expressed are those of the author. – LEO



DUNDEE, Scotland – A celebration of surviving 20 years in the fickle world of showbiz… and a career that has included 4 US Billboard #1 singles, world tours, over 45 million albums sold. This should be a time when those of us who have supported two humble musicians from Sweden should be united in celebrating what has been an amazing career, and the fact that after a worrying and turbulent time in Marie’s private live, that she once again feels able to work with Roxette again, even in this small way.


  It is rare that Roxette fans agree on anything. The Daily Roxette’s forum and reader’s comments sections will always be places where we enjoy lively debate and discussion. But, it seems that today we are almost united… yet not in a positive way.


  There has been bickering in the pages of TDR ever since the Rox20 celebrations were announced. Some fans had steam coming from their ears at the thought of yet another “greatest hits,” while others rejoiced at the return of Roxette. There were also others that did both at the same time, myself included.


  We have been dealt a double whammy today. Firstly the cover for the new single “One Wish”. As it was unveiled there was an audible gasp of air as we simultaneously proclaimed that this “can’t be the real sleeve”…”it looks fan made”…”a bad attempt at Photoshop”. However, soon afterwards it was announced that this amateur, tacky picture will indeed be gracing record stores all over the world in October. What remains to be seen is who will actually actually buy it. Never mind though, us Roxette lovers have a tough skin, and it is only a cover after all.


  Our second snippet of news on the other hand was a little harder to swallow. The much anticipated Rox Box, for “the fan who thinks they have everything,” has been a talking point ever since the concept was first thought of in the ’90s. What exactly would we get in this box that we don’t already have? When Per mentioned to TDR that there would be 14 unreleased songs, the fans could hardly contain their excitement (though many of us did think at the time that this was too good to be true). Read more…

STOCKHOLM - The Daily Roxette has received the final tracklists of Roxette’s “Hits” (or rather “A Collection of Roxette Hits - Their 20 Greatest Songs”) and the Rox Box. Enjoy.

* One Wish

* The Look

* Dressed For Success (Chris Lord-Alge Mix)

* Listen To Your Heart

* Dangerous

* It Must Have Been Love (Humberto Gatica Mix)

* Joyride

* Fading Like A Flower [Everytime You Leave]

* Spending My Time

* How Do You Do!

* Almost Unreal

* Sleeping In My Car

* Crash! Boom! Bang!

* Run To You

* Wish I Could Fly

* Stars

* The Centre Of The Heart

* Milk And Toast And Honey

* A Thing About You

* Reveal

Read more…

STOCKHOLM - What is assumed to be the sleeve of Roxette’s upcoming new single “One Wish” has appeared on the Internet. So far there is no confirmation that this indeed is the real sleeve, but The Daily Roxette believes it to be genuine. The picture used is taken in a bowling alley as previously stated.

  If in fact this is the real sleeve, it’s quite a coincidence that the designer has chosen to use the same font The Daily Roxette used for the word “Roxette” on our conceptual sleeves! The font is called “Magneto” by the way.

  “One Wish” is due out October 4 in Sweden. Radio airplay is set to begin September 20. The known B-side to the single is “The Rox Medley.”

Sascha contributed to this article.

UPDATE: TDR now has confirmation that this is the actual design for the cover of the sleeve.

STOCKHOLM - Swedish artist Pugh Rogefeldt gave a concert in Tantogården in Stockholm yesterday night and counted with a special guest: Marie Fredriksson, who joined him on stage to sing “Här kommer natten” and “Guldgruva” during the encore. Marie was announced as Sweden’s own Aretha Franklin and the audience welcomed her with standing ovations.


  Pugh is one of Marie’s favourite artists and she covered three of his songs in her latest album “Min bäste vän,” including the two she performed with him yesterday.


  Sandyam contributed to this article.

• Article in Svenska Dagbladet
• Photos from concert

STOCKHOLM - The Daily Roxette received the following press release this morning:

  Roxette celebrates 20th Anniversary with a new single, a greatest hits and the definitive box set.



  In the spring of 1986, Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson decided to record the dance pop single “Neverending Love.” They called themselves Roxette, and it was the beginning of a fantastic career which now spans 20 years - and this has to be celebrated!


  Roxette has sold over 45 million albums and 25 million singles since the international debut in 1989.


  During extensive worldwide tours, Roxette has visited every corner of the world, performing to more than two million people.


  Roxette’s singles have topped every chart in the world including the Billboard Hot 100, where they’ve had four #1’s: “The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “It Must Have Been Love” and “Joyride”. Furthermore, two of their songs reached #2 on the same chart: “Dangerous” and “Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave)”.


  In 2005, Per Gessle was honored by the American music publishing organisation BMI with an award for four million airplays of “It Must Have Been Love” from the classic movie “Pretty Woman.” Four million spins, on US radio alone, equals 36 years of nonstop airplay. Statistics show that the song is still so popular that there are always at least two American radio stations playing “It Must Have Been Love” around the clock. It’s hard to find a better definition of the word evergreen.


  “Listen To Your Heart” is also moving into the finer parlors. This fall, Per will receive another prestigious BMI Award for more than 3 million airplays of “Listen To Your Heart.”


  In 2002 Roxette was struck by tragedy when Marie Fredriksson was diagnosed with cancer. After extensive treatment and re-habilitation, Marie is now fully recovered and slowly getting back to recording and performing again.


  To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, “Roxette Hits!” will be released on October 18. The album features all their major hits and two brand new songs, which were recorded in Summer 2006, “One Wish” and “Reveal”. On October 4, “One Wish” is released as the first single from the album. The song starts its airplay on September 20.


  “It was great to work with Marie again! We had three fantastic days down in Skåne and we are very happy with the result. Everything was very easy, Clarence played keyboards, Marie prepared some coffee and Christoffer and I played hockey. I won,” comments Per.


  The successful collaboration between Jonas Åkerlund and Roxette goes on and in the next days Jonas will start the shooting of the video for “One Wish.”


  Roxette’s 20th Anniversary is also highlighted with the release of “The RoxBox ’86-’06,” a special treat for true fans who thought “they had everything [in their collections].”


  “The RoxBox ’86-’06” includes 4CDs featuring all the hit singles and best album tracks, two new songs, rare recordings, demos, and much more. Included in the box set is also a 3-hour plus DVD with all Roxette’s video hits and the previously unreleased complete Roxette MTV Unplugged TV show.

  The first promotion picture - which you can see to the right - has also been published. Taken by Jonas Linell at the video shoot for “One Wish.” Click on it to enlarge!

STOCKHOLM - The King of Sweden and Per Gessle have a common passion: collecting automobiles.

  Jonnie Wistrand of Dagens Industri put together a list of the cars owned by Swedish celebrities, some of whom drive rather ordinary cars, while others – like Per and the King – own several high-priced sports cars.

  Per’s automobiles include a Mercedes S500 (1999); Ferrari 599 GTB (2006); Ferrari 550 Barchetta (2001); Ferrari F430 F1 (2005); and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo (2004).

  King Carl XVI Gustaf’s collection includes a Pontiac Tempest GTO Convertible (1966); De Tomaso Pantera (1971); Ferrari 456 MGT (1999); AC Cobra (1966); Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé (1987); Porsche 911 T Targa (1973); Volvo PV 60 (1946); Ford Mustang Shelby (1966); and a BMW M3 CSL (2003).

Daniel Alvedahl contributed to this article.

• DI/DinaPenger listing of Swedish celebrity’s automobiles

STOCKHOLM - Per Gessle is going to write book about his life. Now the truth behind the rows with Gyllene Tider, his love to Åsa and success with Marie Fredriksson may become public.

  Co-writer Sven Lindström, who is a copywriter and music journalist (at Sydsvenskan) who has interviewed Per several times over the years, says that the book should probably arrive next year. Sven has also written several sleeve notes for Roxette.

  Anna Tillman, PR and information manager at publisher Albert Bonniers, says “For now we’re aiming for the Swedish market, but of course this is the kind of book we’re bringing to the book fairs in Frankfurt and London.” She continues “It’s an authorized biography. Everyone’s involved. Per Gessle has given us full access to his archives so we have a lot of material. It’s fun with artists that have documented so much over the years.”

  Anna also mentions that the book is scheduled for the spring of 2007.

• Aftonbladet’s article (In Swedish)
• Sydsvenskan (In Swedish)

STOCKHOLM - In response to several rumors on the releases of the “Rox Box” and “Greatest Hits,” Per Gessle tells The Daily Roxette that there will be the following releases:

1. One standard CD with 20 tracks + a 12-page booklet.
2. One deluxe package with a 20-track CD + 18 videos on a DVD + a 20-page booklet (“Awesome!”, Per comments).
3. One standard CD for the Spanish-speaking markets with 20 tracks including one Spanish song (one English removed) + a 12-page booklet.
4. The ROX BOX with 78 songs including 14 unreleased ones + all the videoclips Roxette has done + the entire MTV Unpugged show.

  The official titles will be: “The Rox Box/Roxette ’86-’06” and “A Collection of Roxette Hits - Their 20 Greatest Songs!”

  This week some Spanish radio stations (in Barcelona) reported that Roxette “will be in town soon.” When TDR asked Per for a comment on this, he replied that he didn’t know anything about that, except that “they might have been talking about Marie, since she has a house there and has been there lately.”

KUNGSBACKA - Per’s mother Elisabeth, sister Gunilla and nephew Christofer Loneberg are currently exhibiting their artwork at Tjolöholms Slott, a beautiful manor house here built in the Elizabethan style. The house, erected between 1898 and 1904, fascinates thousands of visitors every year.

  The art exhibition, titled “Three Generations, Three Expressions,” includes acrylic and oil paintings along with various drawings. Both Per and Åsa attended the opening (vernissage) yesterday.
  All of the paintings displayed are for sale.

  The exhibition continues until August 13, and is open daily between 13:00 - 19:00.

• Tjolöholmens Slott