Studio (Tages album)
Studio is the fifth and final studio album by the group Tages, released in 1967 on Parlophone in Sweden. It was notable for producing the first gatefold album packaging from an artist/group original to that country.[1]
| Studio | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 December 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1 October - 16 November 1967 (except "She's Having A Baby Now" on 17–18 April 1967) | |||
| Genre | rock, pop, psychedelic, folk | |||
| Length | 31:16 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Producer | Anders Henriksson, Ron Richards | |||
| Tages chronology | ||||
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Background
Work on Studio was generally sporadic across 1967, with most of it being completed in the fall (October–November). The album material was largely composed by vocalist and bassist Göran Lagerberg, lead vocalist Tommy Blom, and producer Anders "Henkan" Henriksson, who also contributed keyboards and orchestral arrangements. Two of the album tracks, "Like A Woman" and "It's In A Dream," were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, England on 8–9 October 1967; the rest of the album was recorded at Europafilm Studios just outside of Stockholm.
The track "She's Having A Baby Now" had been recorded in the spring of 1967 and released as a single on Parlophone in June, but was controversial upon release due its lyrical content, which was largely misunderstood. Lead vocalist Tommy Blom told Ugly Things magazine in 1988, "We had one release which was called "She's Having A Baby Now." It was going to be released in England but was banned by the BBC. They didn't want to play that. It was controversial. 'She's Having A Baby...' If you listen to the words, it's actually socially pornographic. I don't know if you use the same words in English? We call an article a socially pornographic thing. It's not pornographic in the way of pornography. It's when they go into a family disaster and they exploit it."[2]
The album is notable for being one of the first to include traditional Swedish instruments in its arrangements. According to Blom, "Some of the cuts from the album were very influenced by the Swedish traditional music. "Have You Seen Your Brother Lately" has some instruments which were used in ancient Swedish history. That was a bit before 1969 and 1970 when groups in Sweden got money from the Government—culture money—because they took Swedish folk music and turned it into rock and roll. They moved the traditional harmonies and things into rock and roll. We had already done that in 1968."[3] The album was released on the Parlophone label on December 4, 1967.[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Have You Seen Your Brother Lately" | Lagerberg, Henriksson | Göran | 2:15 |
| 2. | "It's My Life" | Lagerberg, Henriksson | Göran | 2:40 |
| 3. | "Like A Woman" | Lagerberg, Larsson, Henriksson | Tommy | 2:25 |
| 4. | "People Without Faces" | Blom | Tommy | 1:55 |
| 5. | "I Left My Shoes At Home" | Blom, Larsson | Tommy | 1:40 |
| 6. | "She Is A Man" | Henriksson, Palmers | Tommy and "Henkan" | 2:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Seeing With Love" | Blom, Lagerberg, Larsson, Töpel, Svensson | Göran | 3:35 |
| 8. | "Created By You" | Dieden | Tommy | 2:45 |
| 9. | "What's The Time" | Blom, Larsson | Tommy | 2:15 |
| 10. | "It's In A Dream" | Lagerberg, Henriksson | Göran | 2:45 |
| 11. | "She's Having A Baby Now" | Blom, Lagerberg, Larsson, Töpel, Svensson | Göran and Tommy | 2:08 |
| 12. | "The Old Man Wafwer" | Blom, Lagerberg, Henriksson | instrumental | 4:20 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "There's A Blind Man Playing Fiddle In The Street" | Blom, Lagerberg, Henriksson | Göran | 1:57 |
| 14. | "Fantasy Island" | Lagerberg, Larsson, Henriksson | Göran and Tommy | 2:28 |
| 15. | "To Be Free" | Lagerberg, Töpel | Tommy | 2:59 |
| 16. | "I Read You Like An Open Book" | Lagerberg, Henriksson, Moar | Göran | 2:40 |
| 17. | "Halcyon Days" | Frampton, Bown | Göran and Tommy | 2:16 |
Personnel
- Göran Lagerberg - vocals, bass
- Tommy Blom - vocals, percussion
- Danne Larsson - rhythm guitar, piano, vocals
- Anders Töpel - lead guitar, vocals
- Lasse Svensson - drums
References
- Tages Official Website. "Studio". www.svenskpophistoria.se.
- Magnus Englund. "An Interview with Tommy Blom". 60spunk.m78.com.
- Magnus Englund. "An Interview with Tommy Blom". 60spunk.m78.com.
- Tages Official Website. "Studio". www.svenskpophistoria.se.