STOCKHOLM - Delayed a couple of weeks in production, the new karaoke DVD containing Gyllene Tider hit songs has finally been released. “Gyllene Tider Karaoke Hits!” features 12 tracks remixed by Anders Herrlin to remove the vocals:



01. Flickorna på TV2

02. (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet

03. När vi två blir en

04. Sommartider

05. (Hon vill ha) Puls

06. Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång

07. Gå & fiska!

08. Juni, juli, augusti

09. Kung av sand

10. Tuffa tider (För en drömmare)

11. En sten vid en sjö i en skog

12. När alla vännerna gått hem



  So far, you can only purchase the DVD via the tour merchandise stands, with profits on this item going to BRIS, a Swedish charity.

• BRIS

STOCKHOLM - Under clear skies, a capacity crowd of some 32,000 people have gathered in Stockholm’s Stadium to see Gyllene Tider’s triumphant return to the venue that was the highlight of the Återtåget tour in 1996. In a few minutes, the crowd will go wild as the opening strains of “En sten vid en sjö i en skog” are heard and the curtain with the 25th Anniversary cake emblazoned on it rips open to reveal Per and the band.

  It’s the biggest rock tour to ever hit Scandinavia. No other act – even the megastar international ones – have attracted such crowds, and none have had such a pervasive impact on an entire Swedish summer.

  Sure, Gyllene Tider was popular before. When the group met with their initial success, teenage girls screamed and fainted in the hysteria that surrounded the group. But to an extent unmatched before, the members of Gyllene Tider have become the favorite sons of an entire nation. “All of Sweden is Proud of You” read one poster being waved by a fan in the crowd.

  “I feel extremely lucky. We all feel unbelievably accepted by the Kingdom of Sweden,” says Per Gessle.

  For some, it’s a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane. The concert set list is full of songs that take Swedish adults back in time to when they themselves were teenagers. But at any concert on the tour, look at the mass of people nearest to the stage, and you’ll clearly understand that this music.. this band… is relevant to today’s teenagers and young adults. In fact, one of the most remarkable aspects of this tour is the demographics: GT’s appeal spans generations. Everyone in Sweden this summer, or so it seems, loves Gyllene Tider.

  Marie Dimberg, who is serving as the band’s manager, confirmed to The Daily Roxette that the the entire anniversary celebration had taken on a proportion far greater than what had originally been expected. “Oh my gosh!,” said Per, in English, to one Swedish reporter.

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NORRKÖPING - When The Daily Roxette arrived at the Norrköping arena early Tuesday evening, we – along with the local newspaper – were invited to photograph the “meet and greet” with, among others, two girls who were fans of GT who had come all the way from Italy. The “Golden Five” were in good spirits and looking forward to the gig. Micke “Syd” was told to keep the beat this concert, to which he replied “Why?!?”… jokingly as always.

  The weather this fine evening was perfect, and when Gyllene Tider took the stage a few minutes after 9pm, the world exploded. The show didn’t differ from the rest of the tour, material wise, but the performance was truly amazing! One could see that Per and his comrades enjoyed the show.

  “This is the best crowd we’ve had, and I mean it!” Per shouted to the 24,000 people present. It had been 23 years since Gyllene Tider last played Norrköping, so Micke “Syd” asked the audience if anyone had been there then. Almost all raised their hands. Micke replied “Anyone younger than 23 is lying!”

  As previously mentioned, the setlist didn’t differ much from the Halmstad gig, they added “(Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän,” and “Fån telefon” that were removed previously, but left out “Skicka ett vykort älsking”. The best songs in Norrköping would have to be “Ljudet av ett annat hjärta” and “Ska vi älska så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly” that really rocked the crowd! After the obligatory break, both Per and MP had changed their clothes, that is almost unheard of…

  All in all a great performance, and a wonderful night. The crowd, the media and Gyllene Tider all felt this was the best gig on the tour so far.

  Photos: Thomas Evensson/TDR

• Corren.se (In Swedish)
• NT.se (Pictures)
• NT.se (In Swedish)
• NT.se (In Swedish)

STOCKHOLM - Micke "Syd" Andersson will record a tour diary exclusively for Swedish Radio (SR) Channel P4. This diary will be broadcast at P4's program "Kalas" on Fridays between 19:03 and 00:00 CET.
  The first part of the diary could be heard already last Friday 16th. Did you miss it? No problem: the audio files are available at both Kalas' and Gyllene Tider's websites.
  In addition, Gyllene Tider will chat with their fans at Aftonbladet.se tomorrow July 21st at 18:00 CET.

• Kalas
• Gyllene Tider
• Aftonbladet

HALMSTAD (UPDATED) - The gates opened at 5 o’clock, Örjans vall was transformed into a huge carnival area, with GT-karaoke, food stands, beer stands and the merchandise stands, which featured loads of different things.

  At 7 The Latin Kings came out, were truly unnoticed by the audience, so they left after 25 minutes. Pugh Rogefeldt joined later and played most of his hits, but in the downpour most people only cared about the wetness…

  Gyllene Tider entered the stage a few minutes after 9, and then the rain was forgotten. The boys played for almost two hours. The show consisted of Per’s standard banter, with some additions from Micke “Syd”. Gyllene Tider played old material for the most part, the setlist is almost identical to the one from 1996. After only nine songs the audience cried for “Här kommer alla känslorna” so Per said sure, we’ll play that, and they did. While Per and MP performed the number the rest of the band left the stage. Micke “Syd” explains “It’s Per’s solo song, then he should perform it solo as well.” Per also tells that they had planned to play “Känslorna” but not at that point in the show, but since the audience demanded it they decided to go for it!

  The concert got raving reviews by Expressen’s Anders Nunstedt (5/5) and lukewarm reviews by Aftonbladet’s Per Bjurman (3/5). At this point TDR has not yet seen what Hallandsposten’s Jan-Owe Wikström has written about the show(s).

  Enjoy the setlist and the fact that the Thursday concert was performed in perfect weather and with an even better Gyllene Tider on stage… Read more…

STOCKHOLM - While it will be some time before this summer’s Gyllene Tider tour is available on DVD, July 28th has been announced as the scheduled release date for the DVD version of the edited films from Återtåget 1996.

• Item on Ginza.se

STOCKHOLM (UPDATED) - Swedish Radio (SR) P3 program “Musikjournalen” will feature a special about Gyllene Tider tomorrow night. The program runs between 20:03 and 21:00 CET.


  Update July 12: The special will include an interview with Robert Thorselius and another fan called Annika, as well as interviews with Per Gessle, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzson.


  The reporter Anna Swantesson will also go through Gyllene Tider’s history and talk about why the band didn’t make it internationally when Roxette later managed to, how Per feels about his early solo albums and nostalgy - as many fans prefer GT’s old material.


  The program will also be available to listen to during a week at Musikjournalen’s website.

• Swedish Radio
• Musikjournalen

HALMSTAD (UPDATED) - A second exhibition celebrating Gyllene Tider’s 25th Anniversary has opened its doors to the public. This one is called “Gyllene Popkonst - en resa genom 25 år” (“Golden Pop Art - a journey through 25 years”) and it’s all about records: Per Gessle’s, Gyllene Tider’s and Roxette’s. All in all, over 500 records are exhibited.

  The entrance is free, although one can leave a voluntary contribution. If you do, you may win a ticket to the final concert in Halmstad, or the Gyllene Tider book written by Jan-Owe Wikström.

  The exhibit is a success so far, and the creators are very happy. “We had more visitors hanging on the ropes than the big exhibition at the museum the opening day,” says Jocke Andersson with a satisfied smile.

  Pop25 is open 11-17 CET Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, except for the concert week when it’s open every day.

  Update: The DVD “Join the Flumeride” is being sold at the exhibition as well.

• Pop25

HALMSTAD - It was the evening of March 19th. It was after four o’clock when the car rolled into a wet and black Halmstad. The rain had followed me all the way home from Vollsjö, Skåne, The Aerosol Grey Machine studio and Gyllene Tider’s recordings for “Finn 5 fel”.



  In just a few hours, the tickets to the extra concert at Örjans Vall would be released and just out of curiosity, I took my car by the Ticket Center to see if anyone had defied the weather gods.



  They had. Not one or ten. The full side of the building was lined with sleeping bags, umbrellas, raincoats and anything imaginable to protect against the rain.



  I rode in the diesel Mercedes that in the beginning of the 80s caused teen hysteria. I rode the Återtåget train in the 90s that caused welfare state nostalgia. But this! Grown up people – don’t for a second believe that this was just teenagers – risking their health and being late for work just for these hot tickets for the home arena concerts.



  Sure, I was a proponent for [having GT play] Örjans Vall back in 1996, but back then the idea was buried in the county’s massive red tape and all they gave were cheap excuses, even though Gyllene Tider themselves had offered to pay to have the grass covered. That’s why I believed in one sold out Örjans. One. Not two. And definitely not… three!

But a mass pop psychosis over the generational gap seems to have struck the country, a collective abstinence for “Sommartider”, clapping of hands, power pop refrains, oooh-oooh choruses, and Farfisa organs which apparently got aggravated with the intake of mazarins last year.



  Not even the eternal pop visionary Per Gessle, who once sent a letter to the editor at NME (in Swedish!) and got it published long before Gyllene Tider was known outside of Halmstad, could have known this was coming.



  While I was observing the guys during the recording sessions there were two things that hit me. First was the sound, whose chemical pop formula and enchantment would’ve been broken had any one of the five been missing. Next was the commitment – it has been a long while since all of them actively participated in the recording process. At the same time, I was wondering if they had realized what they had done. I mean, the star quality gauge isn’t really maxing out regarding the image and the rock attribute.



  But then something that the folklore researcher Åke Daun once said hit me. To reach popular appreciation in Sweden, you have to be happy and natural, simply ordinary. You can’t be too brilliant a star here… then the audience may get reserved – which derives its origin from our ideals as an agricultural society. In the U.S. and Great Britain however, it’s the more extravagant and elegant artists that reach real star status.


  As this is being written, the band has become an exhibit at the Halmstad Länsmuseum, and two Örjan concerts have become three. The 50,000 tickets to Ullevi sold out in a few hours and 400,000 will see the golden triumphal process through the country. I don’t know what remains after that. Everything is sort of done. It would in that case be that Gyllene Tider “does” a Rolling Stones; that they go back to their roots and make some really exclusive concerts at Bio Reflex in Getinge and in Figarosalen in Halmstad, where everything started. That would be something.

Translation by Thomas Evensson for TDR

HALMSTAD - Recording. From zero to fifteen songs in 29 recording days.
From “Snickarglädje” (“Ornate Decorative Carving”) to “Finn 5 fel!” (“Find 5 Errors!”).

  HP was, exclusively, there during the recording of Gyllene Tider’s first studio album in 21 years.

Here is the report from Christoffer Lundquist’s studio, The Aerosol Grey Machine, situated at the end of the road in the middle of the Skåne countryside.



  August 1979 – “This is where you will be boys!”

  Lasse Lindbom showed Per Gessle, Mats “MP” Persson, Micke “Keef” – that was his name back then – Andersson, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzon in through the door to the right after the entrance in the EMI-studio in Skärmarbrink, Stockholm.

  Inside the studio technician Björne Boström was checking some settings on the mixer table. Wow, Studer tape recorders and JBL speakers, the bunch established wide-eyed. They had been almost equally impressed six months before when Lindbom in red tracksuit pants and mauve sneakers came to a slushy Harplinge to, on Kjelle Andersson’s behalf, listen to the band.
But it wasn’t big, studio 2 the name was. This was the place the lesser bands used while the big studio, Number One, was reserved for the more established acts.

  This wasn’t anything that troubled five country boys. They were pleased with what was offered.

  “När ni faller faller ni hårt” was the first song that got finished. It was big. Almost a little magical. That night the boys were gathered around a small cassette player in one of the hotel rooms listening to a raw copy of the song. Cool, they asserted.
Six weeks later everything was finished. Thirteen songs. But it was another song that started getting airplay at Village, a discotheque on Körsbärsvägen in Stockholm where it became a local hit. A song Per only included on the cassette as a bonus to Kjelle Andersson to show how productive they were with the note “This really doesn’t fit in here but I thought you maybe wanted to hear it.” The predecessor was an old cassette that MP had had laying around, “Farlig terräng”. Now Per had written new lyrics:

  “Flickorna på TV2”.



  Read more…