The Daily Roxette - Editorial

Brazilian site jumps the gun and puts single on sale over one week early

Lars-Erik_Olson — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:29:34 +0200

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Brazilian portal UOL has somehow jumped the gun and made "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)" available for purchase today, even though the international release date is scheduled for January 7th. A fan browsing UOL (which is extremely popular in Brazil) discovered this fact late Thursday evening (early Friday morning in Brazil) and purchased the song. Other fans in Brazil were then made aware of the availability of the song on UOL via a post on Orkut's (similar to Facebook) "Roxette Community" and by middle-of-the-night phone calls to each other. How exactly this happened is unknown, but apparently there was either a breakdown in communication between EMI Brazil and UOL, or there was a programming error on UOL's side, as the site does cite 2011 as the release year.UPDATE: EMI Sweden contacted EMI Brazil about this mistake, and they in turn contacted UOL. The single is no longer available (until the proper release date). EDITOR'S NOTE: Obviously, this was a mistake. It's a mistake that – if not contained – has the potential of doing harm to Roxette's sales chart success, as a coordinated release has more impact and much effort has been put into marketing strategies. We urge fans in Brazil (and now sadly elsewhere) to resist the temptation to "share" the song with others. We strongly believe that having waited this long for Roxette to make a complete return, that all of us can and should wait until the song's official release date. We implore you not to think you are doing someone a favor by "sharing" the song with them, because in doing so... you are doing Roxette a disfavor. It should also be noted that in writing this story and editoral, we became aware that the team behind RoxetteBrazil made a similar appeal. —LEO

Updated: Yes

"Gessle over Europe" the review

tevensso — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:56:35 +0300

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First there was nothing, then there was "Wings over America." Now there's "Gessle over Europe"! The live CD/DVD combo awaited by many a fan. Was it worth the wait? Yes. Yes it certainly was! The CD is amazing, crystal clear sound, heavy bass and with a live feeling that puts you right back into the audience again. If you were there in the first place, that is... Kudos to Christoffer Lundqvist! The packaging is identical to the Roxette re-releases; a high glossy "eco" pack that looks like a small vinyl LP. Speaking of which, the album comes as a double LP with three bonus tracks as well, not reviewed here though.The tracks on the album come from the best concerts available, and from what I can understand, some concerts were better than others. "Gessle over Europe" isn't mixed together to sound like one homogeneous concert so there are some fade ins and outs. This only affects the crowd noises though.I won't review the concert again, so if you want to read about that, check that review out here. In short: This album is a must have. I would recommend it to non-fans even. However, I have to mention some of the better tracks (and this is hard): "Doesn't Make Sense" is out of this world on this album, and so is "It Must Have Been Love" and "Listen to Your Heart." I can go on and on, but I'll limit myself to these three. What I keep wondering is if they've cut the last part out of "Listen to Your Heart" as I want to remember it from the concert that Per sings "you tell her goodbye..." yet another time.Now, Capitol is marketing this as a CD with a bonus-DVD, while I think the audience may see it the other way around.

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Overall the DVD is one of Per's nicer releases, and I'm glad they left off the two promo interviews that otherwise would've stolen another 30 min of precious disc space. There are some technical aspects I will mention later. Anyway, the picture quality is most of the time very nice, not to say even perfect at times. While at times it's very pixelated with both macro blocking and digital banding. That's what you get when you compress the material too much. The concert is recorded in hi def, and I would've loved a blu-ray of this! This is reviewed on a 46" LCD monitor by the way, and I know for a fact that it will look a lot better on a smaller TV. The average bitrate per second is 6.41 MB/sec which is fair, but not excellent. The bitrate of the Unplugged DVD was 6.16, while the "HITS" DVD was 3.57 and "All Videos Ever Made" 3.4 (that's very bad)! So you can see it has gotten better over the years. The concert has been interspersed with an interview with Per sitting by the ocean where he talks about the concerts, fans et cetera. Nice bits and pieces. The DVD is subtitled, a first! Both in English and in German. The German subtitles have a problem though; the letter ß (double s) has for some reason been changed to ü (y). I also see some problems with the English subtitles that could've been avoided. Didn't anyone watch this before the pressing? Another, more annoying problem is that running the DTS audio track there are a few audio drop-outs, while the Dolby Digital track is spotless. There is also a plain stereo track.Per's solo videos are included after 12 years. I never liked Jonas Åkerlunds Gessle videos, but here they are, and they look decent. Son of a Plumber's videos are here as well, they are of the same quality as the older ones. Finally, the 100 tribal videos are actually not all available on YouTube, so that's good. And they've solved the lower resolution of Per's home videos by showing them picture in picture. A fine solution indeed. Enough moaning, the DVD is "free" and is very worth its price, when you don't knitpick it, but as a reviewer it's my job to knitpick. For you in countries that may not get the release try ordering via Gessle.com (Bengans) or Hotstuff. They both ship worldwide and they both carry the LP.

Location: LJUSDAL

Updated: No

Roxette remasters reviewed

tevensso — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:13:24 +0300

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090909 the Beatles remasters were released (by EMI), both in stereo and in mono, now EMI is releasing Roxette's entire (well...) album catalog remastered, albeit only in stereo... "The Rox Archives." Which is more anticipated I cannot say, but from what I can gather both the Beatles's and Roxette's albums are released in this new "eco friendly" packaging. Which is a fancier name for a high gloss gatefold paper sleeve. The albums look very spiffy, with a collection name on the former jewel case spine; "ROX ARCHIVES VOL. X. FILE UNDER POP" written in the style of an old plastic strip type labeler - all labels of the releases follow this pattern. All the albums have the same back sleeve. Do the albums come with a booklet? Yes they do, and they are indeed redone, however, they are not better, in fact they are very plain with just the lyrics and the odd photo. These are not collector's items as Per stated, and mind you they are also not priced as new releases. So, to recap: very very nice looking sleeves, quite disappointing booklets. But the music, you ask? Hey, I'm getting there! First, let me present to you some graphs of "Neverending Love." The top one is the 1986 release, the middle is from 1997 and the bottom is the new 2009 release. As you can see the sound has gotten more compact for every release. But is this a good thing? There's no right answer to that question, some songs are better more compressed and some aren't. In my opinion, pop music generally doesn't suffer from this, as long is it's not overly compressed and/or distorted. What gets lost is the dynamic range.We're using "Neverending Love" as an example here and the song is much much louder on the new release, but I feel that the song sounds better than before so it's not just louder.

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The sound of these albums is nothing short of amazing! The bass punches like it hasn't done before, the highs are crisp like a razor, and like I said - pop music doesn't usually suffer from this kind of compression. There's much more presence in the songs, I feel almost like I'm in the studio at times. The sound of first and foremost "Look Sharp!" and "Joyride" is truly great, the sound of these albums was very dated. Now they both feel like they were more or less recorded in 2009. "Pearls of Passion" was already remastered once, but gets the treatment again, with good results. "Tourism" sounds as perfect as the other albums, especially the studio tracks, but also the live material. Two tracks that sound extra excellent are the country version of "It Must Have Been Love"and the live version of "Things Will Never Be the Same." "Crash! Boom! Bang!" is my favorite Rox album and the remaster does not disappoint. "Crashing Guitars" is even more crashing, and "What's She Like?" sounds better than ever. "Honey butt, keep your big mouth shut!" "Love is All" is magical, sounds more like a hymn than ever before... Over to newer albums!"Have a Nice Day" and "Room Service" both sound better than their older counterparts, but not that much better. Obviously this is because by 1999 people had learned how to make CDs sound as nice as vinyl records. As far as I can tell none of these CDs are encoded in HDCD format.By the way, "Soul Deep" on "Joyride" is so much better than the original boring version, but the best version of all is on the B-side of "Church of Your Heart". Too bad EMI feels that the majority of the bonus tracks should be available as digital downloads only. There are many among them that I personally would have liked on CD, and not on a semi-decent 256 Kbit AAC-file (iTunes). According to Per there were talks about a box with all albums and a bonus CD with all the bonus tracks, but the plans were scrapped.What else can I tell you? The "Joyride" inner sleeve is actually like the original, scrapped, gatefold sleeve with the picture now where it was supposed to be, while the "Tourism" sleeve suffers from the small format and the generic back side. "Pearls of Passion" is no longer dubbed "The First Album" and "Look Sharp!" has the original LP sleeve with "A collection of 12 songs..." instead of the CD sleeve with "...13 songs..." In conclusion, these releases are what every Rox fan needs to own if you like Roxette's music and have a decent stereo system. The albums sound terrific in headphones. I have not heard the iTunes material so I cannot review that. One last tip: don't eat cheez balls while handling the new sleeves... Update: Erik Broheden at Masters of Audio (former Polar Mastering) has remastered the albums.

Location: LJUSDAL

Updated: Yes

Per Gessle's show in Gent a magical night

colinvdbel — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:19:46 +0300

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EDITOR'S NOTE: TDR reporter Colin van der Bel files this additional account and review of the Party Crasher concert in Gent, Belgium. Update: Click here for a special TDR slideshow with more than 100 pictures of the concert! GENT, Belgium — It was a cloudy afternoon in Holland as this reporter began the drive down to Belgium to see Mr. G and his Heavy Metal Kids live in Gent's Handelsbeurs music venue later that night. When I arrived, a large group of fans had already assembled and were pretty excited when Clarence and Pelle made a brief appearance. The show wasn't sold out completely, but surely the enthusiastic fans would made up for that! The show started with support-act Martinique, who performed (singing, playing the guitar and even doing the elecric-boogie) a number of his songs. Also worth noting is that, in my opinion, the selection of music played before the show and during the intermission was excellent!

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And then suddenly the music stops and we all hear the sound of birds, soon to realise we're listening to an excerpt from the title theme to 'The Sound of Music'. The globe on stage turns a bright orange and then Per and the Kids mount the stage! The band starts playing, Per starts singing, and the crowd just explodes! The songs were great and the band played as tight and strong as ever. "Hey Mr. DJ" was played for the first time during the tour this night and believe me, it was beautiful. I have nothing but praise for Helena: you were awesome! "Nox" was certainly up to speed now, and songs like "Sleeping In My Car" and "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" rocked hard! The uptempo songs were contrasted by beautiful ballads - they couldn't have chosen a better setlist for tonight. Being a fan of Per's demos, I immensely enjoyed him singing some of those Roxette songs - it was like a dream come true at last! All in all I think everyone was really satisfied with this show… I know I certainly was. About half an hour after the show, Per came out to do a signing. A large number of fans had already made a fairly long line in front of the tables, carrying CDs, LPs, T-shirts and whatnot to be signed by The Man himself. Per took the time to take a picture with everyone who wanted and signed everything that had to be signed, so that no one was disappointed. I must give him credit. It's just excellent of him to be there for everyone! Chris, Pelle, Magnus and Clarence also mingled among the crowd, allowing for some more items to be signed, including a huge Spanish flag. To sum up, I think it was a magical night and everyone was very happy and pleased. Per and band really seemed to enjoy playing for us and the crowd just loved it. I for one am surely looking forward to the show in Amsterdam!

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Not so silly, really: Dreams of Roxette together again

Lars-Erik_Olson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:59:06 +0300

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As this article is being written, Per and his band are being called back on stage to perform an encore before a noisy, raucous crowd in Helsinki, Finland. It's the first night of the Party Crasher tour and, like many other international tours involving Per Gessle, Helsinki is again serving as the first stop. It's an exciting moment, one to be repeated over the next few weeks in venues across Europe.Partly as a result of the obligatory pre-tour publicity campaign – the tour after all ended up being subtitled "The Man from Roxette" – and partly the result of the natural progression in the timeline that has marked the remarkable recovery story of Marie Fredriksson, there's been considerable mention in the media recently of a possible reunion of Per and Marie as Roxette.Both Per and Marie, in speaking to various journalists and reporters, have over the last few months mentioned the possibility of some kind of Roxette project surfacing again. Lately, Per's been quoted in an article appearing on Chart Attack as saying "I'm sure something will happen." With both Per and Marie talking out loud, on the record, to reporters... not just once but repeatedly... it's now seemingly safe to say that it's not just possible, but extremely likely that we'll at least be able to hear Per and Marie again performing together as Roxette. Per has said that he and Marie recently picked up some acoustic guitars and sang some of Roxette songs together... to see how it felt. Apparently, it felt good for them both.We congratulate Per (and his partners-in-music) on tonight's premeire concert. Untold numbers of our readers are looking forward to attending one of the upcoming concerts on this tour, and The Daily Roxette looks forward to providing extensive coverage. These are good days for fans of Per Gessle's music. Still, as we enjoy the Party Crasher album, and hear Per singing Roxette material on stage again... we know we're not alone when thinking about Helsinki tonight. We wonder if it's too much to hope for that this favored first-stop city might be called into service yet once again? It's not so silly, really... to consider the possibilty of Per and Marie jetting to various locales to give their fans a treat. For example, fellow Scandinavians a-ha just did that in Brazil... flying in to do one concert in Sao Paulo and one in Rio. Yes, we're all a bit older and have learned to manage our expectations, but for now at least we'll once again entertain the idea of seeing both Per and Marie on stage together. Our prayers, after all, were answered once before.

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Year in review 2008: Per crashes the party, Marie live on stage again

roxeteer — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:19:58 +0200

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Happy new year, readers of The Daily Roxette! A year has passed again and it's time to take a look back.

In 2008, there were two news items over the others. Per releasing a new solo album, "Party Crasher," and Marie joining the Stjärnklart tour and performing live after what seemed like forever. But let's start from the beginning of the year.

January went with no major news, but in February we reported about Marie's second art exhibition, "Ett bord i solen" ("A table in the sun"). Her art was on display at the same Stockholm gallery as the first time, although the gallery had changed its name since then. A beautiful, limited edition book of the exhibition was also released. In September, Marie's art was on display in a Gothenburg-based gallery.

Swedish TV4 interviewed Marie when her exhibition opened in Stockholm. In an open-hearted interview Marie revealed that the brain tumor took away the sight on her right eye. Marie also said that when she finally got a clean bill of health in the summer 2007, she became a new person. When the cancer was at its worst, Marie almost didn't have the energy to get out of bed. "The worst thing was that I didn't even want to sing. It's definitely a kick to be back," Marie said in the interview.

In May, Marie turned 50. Many fans sent their greetings to her and we got a lovely reply from Marie.

The world suddenly got bigger

In February, we announced probably the most unanticipated re-release of the decade: "The World According To Gessle - The Extended Edition," or "super duper extra turbo deluxe with cheese on it" edition as Per puts it. The final version of the re-released contained a whopping 26 bonus tracks of which most were previously unreleased. I say the "final version," because we were able to report you pretty much in real time how the track listing of the album changed. Check our articles for version 1, version 2, version 3 and finally version 4 of the listing.

The quality of the demos on the bonus disc is superb and there are real gems, such as "Elvis In Deutschland," a ballad version of "Elvis In Germany (Let's Celebrate)" with a different chorus, and "Writer," a demo of "Reporter" with pretty much no other differences than some parts of the lyrics (such as the title).

In May, we had an exclusive interview with Per about the TWATG re-release. In the interview, he talks about why the album was re-released and what it felt like going through his demo archives. Thomas also asked him if he ever feels like releasing another album like TWATG: "[H]ell yes, someday I'll make the definitive ultra-catchy-power-pop-guitars-skweeked-to-13-sort-of-record! It would be nice. I have it in my system somewhere. It pops up every other Saturday night when I make silly dance moves."

We didn't have to wait too long for that to happen…

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Crashing the party

In October, Per revealed his English solo album, "Party Crasher." The first single off the album was called "Silly Really" and it was released on October 29. With "Silly Really," Per showed that he has moved to a different direction from his previous Swedish solo albums.

"The songs are written in the '70s '80s era type of dance music. The result is a fun album that is both immediate and in your face, but also brooding and beautiful." said Per in the press release. "My wife says the album sounds like The Bee-Gees meet Gyllene Tider. I don't really agree, but I can see her point. It has a sweet disco feeling all over it. But recognizing Per Gessle over the beats shouldn’t be a problem."

Right after the album was publicised, we had an interview with Per who was visiting London. In the interview, he gave insight to the process of making "Party Crasher" and (naturally) about his Rolls-Royce. The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet also had an interesting interview a few days later. To Aftonbladet, Per told that he has "three damned great Roxette-songs sitting in a drawer, and just as many GT-songs."

In an interview with another Swedish newspaper, Expressen, Per listed his best songs and the best female singers he has worked with. Marie of course topped the latter list: "It was a revolution when she came into my life. Just like Clarence (Öfwerman), she makes my ideas take off. She made my songs have credibility, as if taken from the Bible. She can sing sexy, softly, expressively. Marie is everything."

The "Party Crasher" album was released in December. Like a few times before, we published a round table review of it.

Marie back on stage

In November, Marie joined the Stjärnklart stage show tour. Stjärnklart stage shows started in 1986 and it has featured many of the top artists in Sweden. In 2008, Marie Fredriksson was one of them. Marie hadn't toured since her brain tumor was discovered in 2002. Now, back in shape, she performed three of her most beautiful ballads, "Ännu doftar kärlek," "Så skimrande var aldrig havet" and "Tro," between the more action-packed dance number.

We also published a report of one of the shows and an exclusive interview.

On the soundtrack

In 2008, both Marie and Per had their music featured in a motion picture. "Där du andas," a song performed by Marie and written by Niklas Strömstedt and Anders Glenmark, was the title song for "Arn - Riket vid vägens slut." The movie was the most expensive Swedish film ever, with the estimated budget of 210 million SEK.

"Där du andas" single debuted at #1 on the Swedish charts - making it Marie's first #1 single ever!

Per's song "Kvar i min bil," a leftover from the En händig man-sessions, had a prominent place in a horror movie called "Låt den rätte komma in." Different versions of the song are played no less than three times in the movie. In one scene, the lead actor is shown putting the the 45rpm single on a record player so as to listen to it.

And let's not forget these…

In March, the readers of The Daily Roxette voted "Listen To Your Heart" as the best Roxette song ever.
In April, we had our annual April Fool's joke. This time we reported of Per opening his first statue exhibition.
Also in April, it was the 25th anniversary of Per's self-titled debut solo album. In October, it was the 20th anniversary of the release of Roxette's international breakthrough album "Look Sharp!"
In June, a Top 10 list of the most played songs by Swedish composers outside of Sweden in 2007 was released. Per was #1 with "Listen To Your Heart" (with Mats MP Persson) and #7 with "It Must Have Been Love."
In July, Marie's Swedish ballad collection "Tid för tystnad" was released in Argentina! It was the first Marie (or Per) solo album ever printed and released in Argentina. It charted at #16 on the Argentinian album chart.
In August, another mysterious thing happened in Australia, where the 1989 single "Dangerous" suddenly charted on the national download charts.
Also in August, Per and MP received yet another Million-Air Award for "Listen To Your Heart." The song has been played four million times on US radio.
In December, we reported that Roxette and related artists discography book "The Look for Roxette" has been released as a free online service (still Beta.) You're also able to register for the site, store a list of your own Roxette collection there and buy and sell items with other fans.

What to expect in 2009?

We haven't heard much yet, but at least we already know that Per is planning a European tour with multiple dates in Sweden and possibly a concert in London. The London concert is planned to happen in April. Also, we know that the next single from "Party Crasher" will be an edited version of the ballad "Sing Along." It will be released already in this month. A remix version of "Silly Really" will also be released in January.

And maybe, maybe we have some hopes to see Marie and Per performing together again. Marie has found the desire to perform live on stage again and Per… well, he never stops working anyway. In her February interview, Marie told TV4 that she and Per discuss possible Roxette projects constantly. And Per does have those three "damned great" songs waiting…

We have published "Year in review" articles also in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Most viewed articles on The Daily Roxette in 2008

Releases in 2008

Albums

Various artists: Den flygande holländaren (1988 compilation re-released with bonus tracks)
Per Gessle: The World According To Gessle (Re-release with 26 extra tracks!)
Per Gessle: Party Crasher
Roxette: The Pop Hits & The Ballad Hits & The Complete Video Collection (2CD + DVD)
Gyllene Tider: Finn 5 fel! & GT25 Samtliga hits! & GT25 Live! (2CD + DVD)
Patrik Isaksson: 10 år - En snäll mans bekännelser (Greatest hits album, includes "Det som var nu," a duet with Marie)

Singles

Marie Fredriksson: Ett bord i solen (Promo single)
Marie Fredriksson: Där du andas
Per Gessle: Silly Really

Other

Caroline Larsson: In The Moment (Album with one song written by Per)
Caroline Larsson: Hold On My Heart (Hey It's Alright) (Single, written by Per)
Opeth: Watershed (Includes a heavy metal version of Marie's "Den ständiga resan")
Reflexion: Twilight Child (Single with a heavy metal version of "Listen To Your Heart" as its b-side)
Vanilla Ninja: Crashing Through The Doors (Spegelboll) (Single, music written by Per)

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TDR reviews "Party Crasher"

roxeteer — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:32:53 +0200

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Visa: Here we are again, reviewing a new album together. This time, joining in are Thomas, Judith, Colin and I. We'll go through Per Gessle's new album "Party Crasher" song-by-song.
Colin: Yes, we're back! Yet again Per manages to surprise us and create an album that is totally different from anything else he's ever done - and yes, me like!
Judith: I'm very surprised, positively surprised, about this album. I was impressed by "Silly Really" from the first moment, and I actually expected the whole album to be like that, kind of disco feeling "let's dance!". The album, however, contains only a few fast songs. At the beginning one might think "Why is this called 'Party Crasher'?", but after listening to the album a couple of times, I started to understand what the title means to me. This release is a big party, a welcome back. For once, finally, I like most of the songs on the album! Any frequent reader of TDR will know, the past Gessle albums for me have been like "yeah, it's ok but nothing special" and I've forgotten about them after a few listenings and ended up with 2-3 songs of each in my mp3-player. This is totally different this time.
Thomas: Wow, time goes so fast, here is another album by the Man… This is the fifth Aerosol Grey Machine-album, and it sounds nothing like the other four. Let's get it on!

Silly Really

Visa: The first track and single shows the new direction of Per. Gone is the back-to-basics pop-rock of "Mazarin," "En händig man," and "Son of a Plumber," now it's time for computers and dance beats. "Silly Really" stands out on the album. I'm not sure if it's entirely a good thing. It feels a bit more polished, more "produced," if you will, than the other songs. It's hard to say if the other songs have the same hit potential. This song certainly has. And it's going all Michael Jackson-Thriller in the end. Gotta love it!
Thomas: I asked Per about the album's direction sometime this summer, and when he said "Thriller" I assumed he was joking, as usual. But turns out he wasn't! I love this song, it does stand out, but I wouldn't say too much? A perfect album opener, and you just gotta love the video… I do hope this gets a wider release. Remixes anyone??
Colin: Oh yes, let's get this party started (or should I say crashed?) - it kicks off with the single, groovy!

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The Party Pleaser

Visa: The bubblegum pop Per knows inside out. Nothing spectacular, but goes on like a rocket to a club on the Moon. I wouldn't have put this song next to "Silly Really." Now it feels like a sequel. It may have had a better place between the ballads later on the album. A fine song, anyway.
Thomas: If this isn't a smack-in-the-face-shut-your-mouth, nothing is! I really like this song, and I have to agree with Anders Nunstedt (which I don't always do) that it sounds like two Rox-robots mangling P!nk with a steamroller. The fastest track of the album?
Judith: Let's party… or let's go on partying!
Colin: What could I possibly say more about this track? I really love the verse and the way it builds up to the chorus, we're still on the dance floor!

Stuck Here With Me

Colin: I first heard a snippet of this song in a documentary and I instantly fell in love with it. Helena is awesome in this song and I totally digg this vibe! Even though I'd only heard a small bit of the song then, it stuck in my mind until I got the entire song and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised - excellent job Mr. Gessle: Timbaland can leave the building. Definitely my favorite song on the album!
Judith: There are two songs on the album I'll possibly skip. This is the one of them. I like the music, I like the lyrics, I like everything… except Per's falsetto. Sorry, that is a no-go for me. I might keep it on my player in the end, time will tell.
Visa: What, Per goes r'n'b?! I don't like this kind of music much, so no thank you, sir! Expressen's Anders Nunstedt thought this song sounds like Justin Timberlake. Maybe it does.
Thomas: This certainly isn't my cuppa either, but I do enjoy the massively heavy bass on this song, and it kind of sticks in my head. R'n'b á la Justin (or anyone) makes me cringe, but if nothing else, C&C prove they can match it with the best out there. Great production on this one! I played this song on a huge PA-system today, and the bass made the walls vibrate…

Sing Along

Visa: Ballad with lots of Helena singing. Would sound great live, with acoustic piano only.
Thomas: I was actually thinking to myself "How the hell will they be able to play this album live?" "Sing Along," which used to be named "Sing-A-Long," is a cutie. Helena's voice is so nice on this album and this song is no exception. I get some small Roxette vibes here.It's something in the production I can't really lay my hands on, but it's there.

Gut Feeling

Visa: The only song on the album that is more rock, with a reference to T. Rex. Rolls on nicely and has a certain Gyllene Tider sound in the synth. It should be Göran and his Farfisa!
Thomas: Ha ha ha, yes, this is definitely GT on speed! Lots of guitar, at least to be this album. I just can't figure out where the riff is borrowed from. The first time I heard it I was almost sure it was a cover. One of the last songs to be recorded.

Perfect Excuse

Thomas: Oh, this is the "Michael Jackson" song! When I heard this the first time I almost cried, and not from happiness! But after say 10 spins I had this at the top of my list. Very nice ballad, sung in a totally non-Per way. Lot's of Helena in it too.
Visa: Per lists this as one of his best songs ever. Well, it's a beautiful ballad, but not without its shortcomings. I would've wished the song had more power towards the end. Now it ends up being a bit bland.
Thomas: Bland?
Judith: I must agree on Per's comment! I think the song is one of the best on the album, together with "I'm Glad You Called."
Thomas: Which isn't on the actual album of course.
Colin: This reminds me of the Plumber album. Helena's voice really fits Per's - a match made in heaven! This song sucks you in and before you know you're on a tropical island, whistling in the sun…

Breathe Life Into Me

Colin: Ahh, time to relax! This song is extremely contagious. You just want to lay back and start whistling yourself, preferably sipping on some good old Jamaican rum.
Judith: This is the one I always skip. I don't think it fits the album either.
Visa: Another ballad. Less Helena this time. I like Per's singing voice on this song. The arrangement fits his voice superbly.
Thomas: I totally adore this song! Light and airy with a small reggae backbeat and some synthesizer whistling. And if I'm not mistaken they have added a Farfisa or similar to the background!

Hey, I Died And Went To Heaven

Visa: Lovely ballad with Per singing verses and Helena singing the chorus. The chorus really gets stuck on you.
Judith: Another favorite. Got stuck in my head, too, from the beginning.
Thomas: Sorry to say, but I can't stand this one. And what's even worse, it gets worse every time I listen to it. I totally skip this now. However, I do think the chorus is OK, it's the dreary monotonous verse that drives me insane. Sorry again Per!
Colin: I have to apologize, too. I haven't listened to it much, though it's a nice ballad. For some reason I keep skipping it!

Kissing Is The Key

Thomas: One of my absolute favorites of the album. Hard to describe it, it's (almost) a mid-tempo song that has for instance a "ray gun" in the background, also kissing noises and a groovy "chica-chi-chica-chi" in the beginning. I want this to be single #2.
Visa: Yes, this can very well be the next single. Funny lyrics and a nice beat. They could've left that kissing sound out, though!
Judith: My first thought "What? Kylie?" and then I couldn't stop my feet and my body.
Colin: That's some good single material right there, you got that right, Visa. Why not make a remix 12" again? This song deserves it!

Thai With A Twist

Visa: Good to know that "womanizer" rhymes with "tranquilizer"… Power pop with nonsense lyrics. Per knows his business! I don't like the title, though, it sounds like a slogan for frozen food.
Thomas: Yes indeed. What is Thai with a twist? Thai food with some lemon juice on? Ha ha! Strange title, great song. Typical "The Look" or "Crush on You" lyrics. I can hear Roxette or Gyllene Tider record this. Don't like the saxophone! Note to C&C: Audience sounds yes, sax no!
Colin: My second-favorite song on the album - this chorus is Per at his best. Not sure aboutthe audience and sax though, I'd love to hear this live (I'll do the audience part)!

I Didn't Mean To Turn You

Visa: Have you noticed that the lyrics for all the songs in the world are actually about sex? If the lyrics first sound like they don't, it's only because they use metaphors. Then there are these songs that are saying it very straight out. Let's have sex and let's do it now!
Thomas: All songs? What about "Tuffa tider"? This is the B-side of the single "Silly Really," and according to C&C too good to be left out. I agree, even though I didn't enjoy the flute the first time I heard it. What can I say? It grew on me, and I absolutely love the line "By the way, no way she's your kind! (She's not your kind!)"
Visa: Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. But think about it next time you listen to the radio. You can get much fun out of it.
Colin: At first I didn't really know what to think of this. When I first got the new single, I felt like back when 'Do You Wanna Be My Baby?' was released. I was shocked at Per's new style then and I had to listen the song a few times just to recognize his voice and be convinced it was really him! The instrumental part stick around and I find myself whistling it occasionally.

Doesn't Make Sense

Visa: Sounds a lot like one of my all-time favorites, the French electro-pop group Air. And with that sound, you can't go wrong. Excellent ending to an excellent album!
Thomas: I know I sound like a broken record, but this is a favorite of mine! Rather unorthodox of Per to end an album with a song like this. Quite fast-paced ballad, or is it even a ballad? Obviously the lyrics are written for Woody!
Judith: For some reason I didn't listen to this song the first couple of times I listened to the album, it was a great surprise when I did. I know, I am just like "great, amazing, perfect," I guess it's easier to negatively review something, on the other hand, I can't get enough of this album, so what should I say? Luv it!
Colin: Yes, an interesting song to close the album! In my opinion ' I'm Glad You Called' would've been a better closer, but this is still a very good song.

I'm Glad You Called (iTunes bonus track)

Thomas: Hmmm, Roxette meets Enya, and with great results! A track that didn't fit the style of the album so it was left off. I can see that as it doesn't fit the style, but the track is way too good to not be released. I've added this as the last track on my home made CD!
Visa: I was thinking about Enya in the intro of the song, too. I don't like the song too much. It sounds like a b-side or a demo. But of course, Per's demos are of very high quality!
Colin: Like Thomas, I added this as an album closer as well. After Roberta of course! At first I thought this could be rather boring but it turns out to be really, really nice!

Theme From "Roberta Right" (Telia bonus track)

Thomas: Roberta rocks! And it starts like a Nintendo video game! I mean the music… duh…
Visa: Whoa! Why is this song only released as a bonus track to Telia customers? There should be a way for everyone to get their hands on this song. Sounds like a Roxette song from the Room Service-era. And it really should be Marie singing that one part at 1:15…
Thomas: Yes, "Come along, come alive!" and "Nothing, nothing, NOTHING!!" Helena reaches new levels on this track, and how about that AC/DC inspired riff? I'm going out on a limb here, but this should be single #2 off "Party Crasher"! I know I said that before too. Even if it's not actually on it… It's sad that it gets released only via Telia with much worse quality than for instance iTunes, but especially a CD.
Judith: My first thought was "Why were these two songs left out of the album?" They surely deserve much more than being 10110! I hope they both are released as they should, on a CD, with their place on the booklet.
Colin: Wow! This track is awesome! Did C&C find an old Commodore computer somewhere? Per definately keeps the party going!
Thomas: Gabriel Gessle co-wrote this. Good one Gabe!

Judith: The "you don't know what's happening to me, you don't know what you are doing to me" in "Sing Along." The explosion on "Thai." The chorus on "Kissing." I want more of "Perfect Excuse"! Those hidden sounds, effects, those funny clever lyrics I've always loved of Per's songs, that feeling is finally back!
Visa: I was going to say that the explosion on "Thai" should've been left out! But maybe I'd like Marie's recent music more if it had more explosions.

Judith: Music is, to me, all about feelings. I don't care much how famous an artist is, how good an artist should be, how many stars an album has on Amazon. All I care about is what I feel when I listen to the album. Do I have fun? Do I cry? Do I get angry? Do I want to close my eyes when that special part of one song is approaching and just enjoy it? Do I want to listen to it again and again? Then it's just the best album for me. And this is just what PC is.
And, going back to the title, actually, the album is great background music for an evening having dinner party home drinking some wine with some good friends. Just chill-out, relax, laugh, have fun. Believe me, I've tried, ha ha!
And, yes, I must say it, Helena is great on this one. "Perfect excuse," "Hey I Died," "Sing Along." Hats off!
Visa: As I already said, I think this album is excellent. It may be a bit of a surprise to many, but it's just that this time it's more "Roxette-Per" than "Mazarin-Per." Many of the songs would've been perfect as Roxette songs. Every day, I find a different song from this album playing in my head. Every song has earned its place on this album.
Thomas: I give this album 4.5 out of 5. It's a very nice album, not very Per Gessle, while at the same time it is. I can imagine he wanted "Scener" to sound something along the lines with this album in 1985. I can certainly recommend it to anyone who likes good, swinging music.
Colin: Overall I would say that this album is a very welcome surprise! It's nothing like we would've expected, but then again, that would be boring, wouldn't it? I think the vibe and atmosphere this album creates started in some of the Plumber songs. Helena sings more, and with excellent results! I really like their voices together and can't wait to see this stuff live on stage…

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Year in review 2007: Gessle on tour, Marie and husband in studio - but where was Roxette?

roxeteer — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:53:21 +0200

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12 months have gone by in a flash and it's again the time for The Daily Roxette's annual "Year in review" article.

2007 was something you can call a slow news year - Roxette wise. Per released a Swedish solo album, "En händig man," and did a summer tour, but there was not a single Roxette news article after March 2007.

Late December 2006 and a couple of days later in January 2007, Radio Halland aired an interesting two-part interview with Per Gessle. In the interview Per revealed for the first time that he's working on a new solo album. The reporter had also heard rumors of a summer tour and asked Per about it. According to Per, nothing had been decided at that point and that the "Mazarin" tour had been put together only two months before the premier night. In March the tour looked more likely when Expressen published a story about Per releasing an album soon with a tour following it.

Per also claimed he's working on a follow-up to Son of a Plumber album, but later Per admitted that he was only trying to fool people with it. Although, later in the year, Son of a Plumber did make a surprise comeback…

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Album and tour finally public after months of rumors

In February, the last Roxette single, so far, was released. "Reveal" included two new remixes of the song and a slightly modified single edit. The same month, Roxette's "Hits!" reached gold album status in Sweden and got a raving review in a US magazine Blender.

Only a week after Expressen's article, Per published a press release about a new solo album, "En händig man," to be released in June and a tour, starting in July in his hometown Halmstad. Per also did something not many artists can: the concert tickets were available immediately, three months before the album. Good or bad? Who knows…

In March, we also had a great exclusive interview with the Man himself. Per told us about the recording sessions of "En händig man." 21 songs were recorded, some live in studio. Originally, Mats "MP" Persson was playing in the band, but his parts got removed in the mixing process. Per also told that EMI Blue Note was going to release the Son of a Plumber album in the US, but because of EMI downsizing, the plan was cancelled. "Too bad, as my contact at Blue Note just loved the album. I'm still shopping around though, as the album is quite timeless it doesn't matter if it's not released in 2007," Per said to The Daily Roxette.

In the interview, Per also predicted that the Swedish press will call the tour a flop because he will never reach the numbers Gyllene Tider did in 2004. Per predicted well, since in June the Swedish tabloids wrote about bad ticket sales: none of the concerts were sold out. EMA Telstar's CEO Thomas Johansson tried to put them back on track: "En händig man" tour was at that time the best-selling tour in Sweden and in any case, usually only 50 % of the tickets get sold beforehand. Out of the 140,000 tickets, 80,000 had already been sold. This didn't help and tabloids continued to compare the figures to the record-breaking Gyllene Tider tour.

Micke and Marie - husband and wife - in "A Family Affair"

At the end of March news broke on the first solo album of Marie's husband Mikael Bolyos, "A Family Affair." We also got the chance to publish a snippet of the lead single, "When The Lord Is About To Come." Later, when we published the track listing, we also published a snippet of another song from the album, "Me & My Guitar."

"A Family Affair" album was interesting to the fans of Marie, since she was contributing to many of the songs. The last song, "Hometown," is extra interesting since it was featured in the Colin Nutley movie "Sånt är livet" which contained many of Marie's songs, one of them being "Tro," but was never released before this.

There were a couple of more new Marie releases later in the year. Aimed to the Christmas shoppers, Marie released a ballad hits album "Tid för tystnad." It contained a fully new song "Ordet är farväl," written by Py Bäckman and Micke Bolyos, which was also released as a single, and a Swedish version of "A Table In The Sun," "Ett bord i solen."

The summer of the handy man

The lead single of "En händig man," a song with the same title, was published in May and the complete track listing of the album a few days later. The Daily Roxette proudly presented the world premiere of the song.

We had a nice chat with Per and heard his feelings when the album was finally ready. In the interview, we hear some nice tidbits about the songs on "En händig man." For example, "Om jag vetat då (vad jag vet nu)" was originally intended for Roxette and had the English title "If I'd Known Then (What I Know Now)." It never got recorded, because Marie was ill at the time and they decided to concentrate on "Opportunity Nox" instead. The closing track "Min hälsning" (my personal favorite! -Editor's note), was originally recorded as long as 29 years earlier in 1978. Per had totally forgotten this song he found on an old cassette while looking for cassettes to be photographed for the book! More details on the songs we got in June, when Per told details of each song, exclusively for The Daily Roxette.

Like so many times before, right before the tour Per and the band had a "secret" concert in Per's hotel in Halmstad. Two days later, they climbed the big stage at Örjans vall. 17,800 people witnessed them perform 23 songs live. "The concert itself was very Gyllene Tider oriented, with 10 out of 23 songs. The rest consisted of seven 'En händig man' songs and six from 'Mazarin'," wrote Thomas Evensson in his article for The Daily Roxette. He wasn't the only who noticed the large number of GT songs: the Swedish newspapers wrote about it over and over again during the summer.

One month and 20 cities later, "En händig man" tour was over. The Daily Roxette had a chance to meet him. "Life's empty, boring and quite sad to tell the truth. It always is when you've finished a tour. So the whole band is singing the blues at the moment!!! Everyone wanted to go on for at least another month. This has been the most enjoyable tour I’ve ever done," Per told our reporter.

The final concert in Stockholm was filmed, broadcast on TV and later released as a DVD in December. A notable thing in the release was that the cover picture was taken by our very own Thomas Evensson.

Being Per Gessle

In October, Per's biography "Att vara Per Gessle," got published. The book is written by Swedish journalist Sven Lindström. The book itself is huge: it's roughly the size of an LP, has 280 pages and weighs more than 2.2 kilos. A bonus CD is included, containing previously unreleased tracks, such as the demo of "The Look" with Per singing and a demo of "Joyrider" which, of course, was made later famous with the name "Joyride." There was also a special edition of the CD, available only through AdLibris. That CD contained two more tracks, including an earlier demo of "Joyrider," showing nicely the progress made when a song turns into releasable shape.

Per and Sven Lindström had a few signing sessions around Sweden. Here are a couple of previously unpublished photos from the Malmö session by Ulf Stjernbo:

Oh, and that surprise comeback of Son of a Plumber? SOAP and Per released a double A-sided single with "Pratar med min müsli" from the "En händig man" album and a completely new instrumental track "Shopping With Mother," (supposedly written for the Swedish TV-show "Boston Tea Party") which really sticks to your ear!

A more or less complete list of releases in 2007

Albums:

Gyllene Tider: first four albums re-released, one remastered, no bonus tracks included
Per Gessle: En händig man
Per Gessle: En händig man (with 4-song EP)
Per Gessle: En händig man (iTunes only, with bonus track "Ett perfekt ägg")
Per Gessle: En händig man (Telia only, with bonus track "En händig man (blåser)")
Per Gessle & Nisse Hellberg: The Lonely Boys (remastered and re-released with previously unreleased bonus tracks)
Per Gessle: Kung av sand - En liten samling 1983-2007 (bonus CD released with Aftonbladet newspaper)
Per Gessle: Doppade bara tårna - Demos 1977-90 (bonus CD with "Att vara Per Gessle" book, available in 2 different versions)
A few Gyllene Tider and Per Gessle albums released digitally in the US!
Marie Fredriksson: Tid för tystnad - Marie Fredrikssons ballader

Singles:

Roxette: Reveal
Per Gessle: En händig man
Per Gessle: Jag skulle vilja tänka en underbar tanke
Marie Fredriksson: Order är farväl
Per Gessle & Son Of A Plumber: Pratar med min müsli (hur det än verkar) / Shopping With Mother

DVD:

Per Gessle: En händig man på turné

Helena Josefsson: Dynamo (her first solo album)
Mikael Bolyos: When the Lord Is About to Come (single)
Mikael Bolyos: A Family Affair (album)
Suzie Candell: I Gotta Be Me (album, contains a country & western version of "Sleeping In My Car")

We have published "Year in review" articles also in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

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"Att vara Per Gessle" - a review

tevensso — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:31:04 +0200

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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!

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"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.

Location: LJUSDAL

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Mikael Bolyos gets reviewed

ncurran — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:09:40 +0300

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Mikael Bolyos - A Family Affair (EMI MBM 3971032) Mikael has (somewhat unfairly) come in for quite a bit of criticism from Roxette fans over the years, especially since he started collaborating musically with Marie, as some fans felt that he had moved Marie's music into a direction they didn't like. The surprising thing is that many of the same fans who criticised Micke's influence on albums such as “The Change” have been very positive about his latest project “A Family Affair”. I actually have really liked the work that Marie has done with her husband, and he was indeed responsible for my favourite song from “The Change”....”Mother”. Personally, although this album is not going to make as one of my all time favourites of Roxette related material, I like the album a lot. It is a very eclectic mix of styles and sounds incorporating old sixties pop, jazz, eighties pop, and even more modern sounds. I think that this diversity is both the key to the record's success, and its downfall. At times I think it doesn't work very well because it jumps between too many different sounds and lacks cohesion, but then I also think that this is one of the attractions of the album: because it is a very personal collection, almost a story of Micke himself and his family, hence the title “A Family Affair”. Indeed, I can almost imagine Micke, Marie and their friends jamming away in their basement to the songs, as we saw in the Marie's “A Second Chance” documentary a few years ago. Here are my thoughts on the individual tracks . Merry Go Round: A mid-tempo, very Beatles-esque kind of track. A very catchy little number, and one of my favourites. My only slight criticism would be Micke's voice. It's obvious he is not a natural singer. He sings in tune, but it is quite monotone and lacks emotion. However, it doesn't really detract anything from this song, as it is the kind of number that just plods along nicely anyway. On&On&On: A slower, bluesier number. Another song with a great hook. Marie is on backing vocals sounding great as usual! Me & My Guitar: “Yeah-eah-eah-yeah-yeah”....the song starts with Marie in her best rocky voice that we've come to know and love! This is a faster track, and I don't really think Micke's voice is strong enough to pull it off, but still a nice track. When the Lord is About to Come: One of my favourites on the album. A very different sound, with interesting lyrics. A duet with Mats Ronander, though I can't work out who is singing what!

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The Corner of Your Eye: The first track with Marie on lead vocals, and it seems to be the fan favourite of Marie's tracks on the album. While it still has the “Micke sound”, it is by far the poppiest of the tracks so far on the album. It's got a catchy chorus, and I could almost imagine it on a Roxette album. It does sound a little dated though, made worse by the sax solo, which kind of spoils it for me actually. Lilly: This was probably my least favourite track on my first listen of the album. I am still not too keen, but it is growing on me. The main problem here is probably the tracklisting though. It felt like the album was progressing into a different sound, and with this one it sounds like we've jumped back to track 1! Tell It to My Heart: The second track with Marie on vocals....and it's another poppy track. I really like the arrangement of this song. In some parts it sounds a bit retro, but there are also modern sounds such as the vocoder vocals in the chorus which sound like they were lifted from a Madonna album. The beat is kind of strange as well. At first you aren't sure if Marie is singing in line with the beat, but that is just how the song is arranged and it actually really works. I get the feeling this is the kind of song that you are either going to love or hate. Fortunately, I love it! And contrary to the popular opinion so far on The Daily Roxette, this is my favourite of the Marie tracks on the album! You're On My Mind: This one has Mats on lead vocals. The song itself is nothing special, although it does have a nice hook and Mats probably does actually have a better voice than Mikael. It just sounds a bit uninspired though. I can imagine a £50 a night singer performing this in a wine bar. What Am I Supposed to Do: The intro to this one sounds like Tina Arena's “Chains”. I quite like the tune to this one, and it has a nice arrangement. Outro: Na na na na na na....not much to say about this one. It's nice, but not really a song in itself. Hometown: For Marie fans, probably the most anticipated song of her career, mainly because she had previously said she did not intend to release it. I'm glad she changed her mind! It's a really beautiful melody, carrying on in the Roxette tradition of closing the album with a beautiful ballad sung by Marie!

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