Vote for Per Gessle on GAFFA-Priset 2018

It’s been a while since the last time we could vote, but now it’s time again. Since 2011, GAFFA has, with the help of readers, distributed prizes to the year’s most important artists. You can for a list of artists from 11th December to 14th January. The prizes are distributed on 10th February 2018.

For being able to vote, you have to register (you can do it with your Facebook profile even) and log in. In each category you can for 3 artists / bands. Your choices will be saved automatically. You don’t need to press any confirmation button.

The most important categories for all Gessleists are ”” ( = Solo Artist of the Year) and ”” ( = Live Act of the Year). Make sure you tick in the option ”” in both of these sections. 😉 Then keep your fingers crossed until the voting ends that it’s Mr. G who will be the winner in both categories!

Ready, steady, !

Pic by Patrícia Peres taken in Vaasa – 25th August 2017

 

Per Gessle – En vacker kväll – the live album

Per’s live album from this year’s summer tour was released on 8th December. We could be sure about the live record being out soon when Christoffer shared a short video of mixing it at the end of October. When the news came out that the material is recorded in Borgå, Finland, I was a bit surprised that it was more of a Swedish summer tour and in the end they release an album recorded in Finland. But suddenly, it dawned on me that it was the very last show of the tour and being in the crowd, I remembered how awesome and emotional that last gig was on 26th August 2017. Now, listening to the album, I would say it was a PERfect choice. Fab PG, fab band, fab crowd, fab vibes!

Even if I would have loved to hear a real complete show on this live CD and most importantly, Ljudet av ett annat hjärta and Spegelboll, the 2 biggest party songs, I see why they’re not there. The album has its flow and even with only 13 tracks it feels like a whole show. I write 13 TRACKS and not 13 SONGS on purpose, because Segla på ett moln and Queen of Rain were played only as intros and Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång wasn’t a complete song either, but played after Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång) for a crowd sing-along.

On Första pris I can so see Malin-My rocking the violin, on Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång) I can see the crowd dancing together, 2 to the left, 2 to the right, the whole band’s acting on stage, Per’s Gessleish moves, his facial expressions while singing Tycker om när du tar på mig… Oh, the tour feeling is coming back!

I’m very happy that It Must Have Been Love has made it to the album. However, I think it was no question for anyone it would end up there after all. Angel-voice Helena makes it very special. Not only this song, but her voice is killer on Varmt igen and Tycker om när du tar på mig as well.

Honung och guld, being recorded in Borgå is this way the version where Per and the band performed it together with Good Harvest. Nice having them on the album too.

It’s a pity that the vinyl release didn’t work out in time, but I’m very sure that this CD is a wonderful tour souvenir for all who were there not only in Borgå, but at any of the shows on the EVK tour and also a lovely release for those who didn’t have the chance to hear these songs live in person.

As the Halmstad concert was fully recorded for SVT’s future program on TV, I just hope that we will get that later on a DVD. No matter how much time after the tour and how many new projects are in sight for next year. It can come hand in hand with the English release of Per’s Nashville project in spring 2018. We don’t mind! 😉

This is how the songs were in the setlist (leaving out the ones that didn’t make it to the album):

  1. På promenad genom stan
  2. Vilket håll du än går
  3. Segla på ett moln / Första pris
  4. Min plats
  5. It Must Have Been Love
  6. Honung och guld (together with Good Harvest)
  7. Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång) / Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång
  8. Varmt igen (with Queen of Rain as intro)
  9. Tycker om när du tar på mej
  10. Småstadsprat

And this is the live CD tracklist:

  1. På promenad genom stan – 3:35
  2. Vilket håll du än går – 3:17
  3. Segla på ett moln – 0:50
  4. Första pris – 4:47
  5. Min plats – 3:04
  6. It Must Have Been Love – 4:52
  7. Honung och guld – 4:16
  8. Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång) – 2:29
  9. Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång – 1:46
  10. Queen of Rain – 1:52
  11. Varmt igen – 4:39
  12. Tycker om när du tar på mig – 4:50
  13. Småstadsprat – 4:01

P.S.: For anyone else who is missing Spegelboll a bit, click HERE 1 and HERE 2, head to GessleHomeVids. Almost the complete song from Borgå is there. 😉

You can still order the live album and tour photo book at or and you’ll get your copies signed!

Pic by Patrícia Peres taken in Borgå – 26th August 2017

 

Per Gessle to sign tour photo book and live CD

“En vacker bok” and “En vacker kväll” are to be released on 8th December. If you want them signed, you can meet Mr. G in Stockholm on 18th December (Monday) at 17.30 pm. He will be at the NK department store (Hamngatan 18-20, Stockholm) to sign the tour photo book and live CD.

In case you don’t have the chance to be there, you can pre-order the album and book at or and you’ll get your CD and photo book signed!

Per Gessle live in Gothenburg 2017 – photo by Anders Roos

 

 

Per Gessle on TV4 – Nyhetsmorgon

Per appeared on TV4’s morning show, Nyhetsmorgon today. He was Jesper Börjesson’s guest together with Niklas Strömstedt. Mr. G entered the studio at 9:53 am and greeted Frederik Zäll (from Eskobar; Frederik is usually cooking on TV4 and he was in the kitchen now again). The 4 guys also took a picture together. They mentioned that they toured together 2 years ago, Roxette and Eskobar. Then Jesper mentioned that they would chat with Niklas and PG after the news in some minutes, about the documentary Niklas did with Per.

After the news they came back at 10:10 am and shortly talked about the fact that Per saw Bruce Springsteen on Broadway and he thinks it’s a very good show.

Then the guys were talking a bit about Niklas Strömstedt’s Christmas show and then about the documentary Niklas did with Per. It will be broadcast on TV4, December 18 & 19, ”Gessle enligt Gessle”. Jesper said Per is a bit mysterious, doesn’t talk too much about his private life. Per said it’s conscious. He wants to express himself through his music. He said, Niklas asked questions in the documentary as a friend, as another musician, so it’s a bit different.

 

Niklas and Per know each other since long. An old picture from EMI studio was shown, it was from the times when they recorded Gyllene Tider’s first record. Niklas was there and Lasse Lindbom as well. Jesper said it was before GT’s breakthrough and asked Niklas where he was in his career at that point. Niklas said he was making demos, actually, also with Per and MP and he almost was there to get a contract with EMI too and they recorded ”Glitter, glögg & rock’n’roll”, the album with various artists at EMI. A short part of the song ”Da’n före da’n” (Niklas Strömstedt & Gyllene Tider) off that album was played on the show and PG was ”dancing” to the rythm while stitting, as well as playing the air piano.

 

Jesper asked Per if his career is different in Sweden and abroad. Per said in Sweden it’s more about Gyllene Tider and Per Gessle, while internationally it’s more about Roxette. Jesper asked him if anyone abroad asks questions about Gyllene Tider. Per said no, they don’t even know anything about it. Except for hardcore fans. To journalists he often talks about how it all started with Gyllene Tider, because most of them abroad think ”The Look” was the first thing that happened in his career.

A tiny part from the upcoming documentary was shown. That’s about Per’s troubadour era and he is telling the story of waking up a man from coma with their music back then.

 

Niklas and Per met a lot during GT times, they toured and wrote songs together in the beginning of the ’80s. Niklas said he always liked PG’s songwriting and knew Per was capable of writing hits and if it worked in Sweden, why it wouldn’t work abroad. He thinks Per and Marie together were perfect, so he wasn’t surprised about their success.

Jesper asked PG what he sees when he looks back on the past 30 years. Per said he is of course very proud, but surprised at the same time that it all became so big, also in the US. Jesper asked Mr. G if he is still as eager to write songs as before. Per said he always tries to do what he really wants to. It’s also nice to cool down a bit, what he did via his Nashville project and try out new things. Niklas said they were thinking if they could come up with someone who wrote a real big hit after becoming 60 and they couldn’t find anyone. Niklas thinks in a songwriter’s life there is one period when he burns on top and then maybe other things come in the way. Per said pop always reflects its own time. When making pop music today, he can make it from his ’60s-’70s roots and producing it in a modern way. Working with young people maybe. His musicality is naturally not from today, it’s from the past.

They talk about Christmas songs and this way also a bit about 30-year-old ”It Must Have Been Love”. Per mentioned the text change from Christmas day to winter’s day and it becoming a soundtrack song to the movie, Pretty Woman.

Jesper said it was nice meeting PG again. Per said it’s always fun to be there.

Niklas performed ”Tänd ett ljus”, a very popular Christmas song he wrote together with Lasse Lindbom and Jesper asked Per after the song what he thought about it. PG said it was amazingly good.

 

 

 

Gessle according to Gessle

I’ve just found an interesting program title on TV4’s December schedule. Gessle enligt Gessle (= Gessle according to Gessle). There is written it’s a Swedish entertainment program from 2017. It’s also written that it’s season 1 and it has 2 parts. Part 1 is set to be broadcast on 18th December, at 21:00 CET, part 2 is on 19th December, at 21:00 CET. Sooo… what’s that???

Well…, Niklas Strömstedt works at TV4 now and he met Per during the summer tour and also in the studio after the tour, as well as in Tylösand in September. So I would say they were working on this program. Sounds absolutely exciting! And season 1… does that mean there will be a season 2 later? OK, OK… First let’s see season 1! 😉

 

Pics are copied from Per’s Instagram: PG and Niklas in the studio & PG and Niklas in Tylösand