Per Gessle’s new album, Sällskapssjuk is released today.
Tracklist
1. Hoppas
2. Henry väntar på en chans
3. Plåster (feat. Amanda Ginsburg)
4. Jag är regnet (feat. Lisa Miskovsky)
5. Nyper mig i armen (feat. Albin Lee Meldau)
6. Hjärtats vackraste rum (feat. Helena Josefsson)
7. Det tar den tid det tar
8. Beredd (feat. Molly Hammar)
9. Har på känn (feat. Uno Svenningsson)
10. Ingen kan som du (feat. Helena Josefsson)
11. Sällskapssjuk (feat. Lena Philipsson)
12. Ingen annan
13. Utan din humor (feat. Helena Josefsson)
Besides streaming (Spotify, Deezer, YouTube, etc.), there are different physical formats and exclusive additions you can order at Bengans:
- Bengans-exclusive oxblood red vinyl
- Black vinyl
- Black vinyl + signed card
- CD
- CD + signed card
- Bundle incl. Bengans-exclusive oxblood red vinyl LP + the 4 singles on 7″ vinyl + signed card
Per to RoxBlog about the songs that were not released as singles from the album and the recording team:
It became quite a warm and cozy record. The dogs (Emmylou, Tingeling and Baloo) belong to Anna Lindmarker who’s a famous TV-personality in Sweden. She’s a friend of Fredrik Etoall. I thought a dog would be the perfect spice for the albumtitle and she had three of them!!!!!
Working with two amazing local Halmstad musicians, “Gicken” Johansson + Magnus Helgessson, really helped me getting some new blood into my system. And good ole Ola Gustafsson became the main guitarist sharing lap steel duties with “Gicken”. Ola’s truly amazing. I’ve done several recordings with him after this album and he’s mindblowing!
When I started the sessions in March 2022 I didn’t have the duet-idea at all. I just sang the songs myself, sometimes Helena came up to the studio to try things out. Most recordings started with me on acoustic guitar and MP on mandolin to get the vibe I was looking for. Then I did piano and bits and pieces myself before moving into the Sweetspot Studio with “Gicken” + Magnus. Ola did his parts in Stockholm.
The first songs we recorded were two old ones from the mid 80’s; “Ingen annan” + “Hoppas” together with “Utan din humor” which I wrote with Linnea Henriksson back in 2018. The wonderful melody in the verses comes from her! That triggered me to finish the song.
“Har på känn” also has music from 2018. And “Henry väntar på en chans” is, of course, “Break Another Heart” from Gyllene Tider from 1984. “Det tar den tid det tar” was written in 2015.
I guess 70% of the recordings were done in 2022. The idea of making duets didn’t come until in the spring of 2023 when most songs were done. So I had to change keys on some of them to fit the other singers voices and remake them partly in the studio. However, the last songs I wrote were written as duets to begin with; “Hjärtats vackraste rum” + “Jag är regnet” + “Nyper mig i armen”.
All in all, I’m very pleased with the result. My singing partners definitely made a difference and helped improve the songs from my point of view. And Gicken + Magnus + Ola + MP = a dream team.
Hoppas was called Jag hoppas att du finner as a demo recorded on 7th June 1984. In March 2022 Per said:
It’s another song written for the “Scener”-album. I’ve always liked this one. Unfinished lyrics. That’s probably why it was left out in the cold.
Here you can listen to Gyllene Tider’s Break Another Heart from The Heartland Café album (1984) that has become Henry väntar på en chans on this album.
The demo to Ingen kan som du was recorded on 17th February 1984 and it was released on The Per Gessle Archives – På väg – Demos 1982-86. PG recorded another demo on 28th May 2003 and released it on The Per Gessle Archives – Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 3. Here you can listen to the song with Marie’s vocals. Lyrics were written by Per, music was written by Marie + Per.
Ingen annan was recorded as a demo on 9th March 1984. In March 2022 Per said:
It’s a pretty cool song in 6/8-beat. Forgot about this one. Thanks for bringing it up. I might use it some day.
And he kept his word! Haha.
Photos by Fredrik Etoall