HALMSTAD (Updated) - Per has been kind enough to send us another update on the new project. He says the single has been chosen, and he will get back with the title. The b-side will be exclusive to the single. Regarding the album Per says that it will be relased in three different versions: a twelve page booklet, a 24 page booklet and a "deluxe" version which will include an EP ("En händig EP") with four extra tracks not available on the "normal" album. (Which will have 14 tracks.) "We're still talking about an LP [vinyl] version, but I'll get back about that. Believe it or not, but we're still mixing, we'll be done tomorrow, Sunday!"

Per comments about the EP. The songs on the EP are not left-overs, they are as great as all the other songs. "The reason I made a 14+4 scenario is that 18 songs on one single album is too much in my book! The album would be too long (I think)," Per explains. "The EP is just as good as the 'normal' album, but a unit of its own."

Update: Word has just arrived that there will be an LP. Seven tracks on each side, all in all 41 minutes. Simple division shows us that the average song on "En händig man" is 2.56.

(Updated) - "Att vara Per Gessle – den auktoriserade biografin" ("Being Per Gessle - the Authorized Biography") is the title of a new book that tells all about Gyllene Tider, Roxette and the man himself. The book is being written by reporter Sven Lindström and follows Gessle from his youth in Halmstad to the Big Break and further on to international success.

Besides interviews with the man himself, the book also contains a lot of impressions by school mates, colleagues, relatives and friends. Of course the book also contains quite a few pictures from Per Gessle's almost 30 year long career.

The book is released at the end of September in Sweden.

Per informs The Daily Roxette that they are working on a few different sleeves.

Update May 8th: According to the publisher's website, the book will be out on September 4th and will officially cost 445 SEK (about 45 Euro), but will surely be available a lot cheaper in different online stores.
Here you can also find a list of all (online) stores where you can order the book.

Update II: According to Per the book has been delayed until the end of October due to a change of art directors.

HALMSTAD - Gyllene Tider's "Småstad" and Per Gessle's "På en promenad genom stan" are featured on the compilation album "Halmstads Greatest vol 1." All the songs on the album are performed by artists from the city of Halmstad, reports the local newspaper Hallandsposten. The album is the first release by Halmstad Records, a new label founded by Per's friend, Gyllene Tider guitarist Mats "M.P." Persson and businessman Bengt Petersson.

"Halmstads Greatest" will be released in mid-May. A big release party will be held in Hotel Tylösand with all the artists featured on the album invited.

Editor's note: Hallandsposten article also has a nice picture of the famous T&A Studio in M.P.'s basement where many of Per's demos are recorded.

STOCKHOLM - Per "dropped by" and updated The Daily Roxette on the new project: "We've mixed 11 out of 23 tracks until today. It sounds tuh-riffic!" Per also says that the album photos were taken last week by Anton Corbijn in Lisbon, Portugal. They are finishing the sleeve this week and the album goes to mastering next Friday. "We're toying with ideas like a vinyl edition, a bonus CD and stuff like that. What do I know??"

A single will be released as promised, Per won't tell us yet what the title is but the planned release date is May 23. (This is a guess, but the single is planned to be released the third week in May, and as singles are released on Wednesdays…)

April 11 EMI released new versions of Gyllene Tider's first four albums - "Gyllene Tider," Moderna Tider," "Puls" and "The Heartland Café." What's new with these is that "Heartland" is finally remastered and no album contains bonus tracks anymore. The price is low; 79 SEK, which is about €9.

Gyllene Tider's albums have now been released on CD three times; 1990 (jewel cases, bonus tracks), 2004 (digipaks, bonus tracks and remastering) and 2007 (jewel cases,) except "Heartland" - 1990 and 2007.

Courtesy of Mikael Bolyos we are able to stream "When The Lord Is About To Come," the first single off his forthcoming album "A Family Affair".

Mikael has also revealed that Marie Fredriksson is singing on the album, which will be available through the usual online music stores such as CDON, Ginza and iTunes.

The Daily Roxette also wants to take this opportunity to congratulate Mikael on his 50th birthday!

Listen to "When The Lord Is About To Come"

Mirror

LONDON (Updated) - Wall Street Journal reports that EMI Group will today announce that it will start selling music on Apple's iTunes Store without copy-protection. EMI, the world's third largest music label, will be the first major record company to ditch digital rights management (DRM) from its catalog. The announcement is scheduled to be made in a press conference featuring the Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs.

EMI Group had reportedly attempted to sell DRM-free music in the past but met resistance from online music stores who demanded "insurance" payments to guard against potential increase in piracy and lost sales.

It was already reported earlier this year that EMI will remove copy-protection from its CDs.

Update: EMI has published a press release stating that they and Apple will indeed start to sell DRM-free music on iTunes Store. The DRM-free tracks will have twice the quality compared to the ones with copy-protection, but they will cost €0.30 (or $0.30) more. Old iTunes users will be able to "upgrade" their existing songs to the better quality by paying just the price difference. EMI's DRM-free songs and music videos will be available on iTunes in May. EMI is planning to expand the programme to variety of digital music stores "within the coming weeks."

STOCKHOLM - In a open hearted, albeit short, interview with Per he has revealed to The Daily Roxette that the new album "En händig man" does not consist of new material after all. Per has done a "Bon Jovi" meaning he has recorded old material in a new and different way. Just like Bon Jovi's "This Left Feels Right - Greatest Hits with a Twist." In this way "Leva livet" has become a power ballad, while for instance "Spegelboll" is now a jazz piece.

There will be a couple of new tracks on the album, but the main part is old stuff. "I wanted to take a new view of some of my older material," Per says, and continues "Some songs I was never happy with, this way I can make them sound just the way I always wanted." Per compares this new album with the restored and changed original "Star Wars" trilogy.

So the title "En händig man" is really referring to Per being handy in changing the songs around. The album is out June 13, as planned.