Happy marriage of the Per Gessle books

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Update by Per on 11th May:

PG BOOKS UPDATE: No, these are not the real covers. These were made for a catalogue that had to be printed early. The proper covers are not done yet. However, the titles are correct./P.

Some days ago we wrote an article about the 2 books of Per Gessle that are going to be published in September. Now the 2 covers are revealed and we can completely understand what the ”happy marriage they will make together” means as Per put it in his update. The covers look pretty cool and by putting the books next to each other on your shelf, you’ll have that mysterious gaze of Mr. G.

PG_book_covers
Per informed that these are NOT the real covers.

You’ll be able to buy the books separately. Bengans has already listed them (English, Swedish) and Bokus, too (English, Swedish). One book is in Swedish and its title is Texter, klotter & funderingar. Den svenska delen. It will contain 153 Swedish lyrics, drawings, sketches, comments on songs by Per, as well as excerpts from Per’s studio diaries and private pics. The book will also contain an interview with Per about songwriting (done by Tomas Andersson Wij). The other book is in English and its title is Songs, Sketches & Reflections. The English part. It will contain 204 English lyrics, drawings, sketches, comments on songs by Per, as well as excerpts from Per’s studio diaries and private pics. The book will also contain a long interview with Per about songwriting (done by Sven Lindström). The 2 books together are appr. 700 pages long. Bokus might have the wrong number of pages, since in the Sydsvenskan article it was the other way round, the English book being longer, not the Swedish one. And it would make sense, taking into consideration that the English book will contain more lyrics.

The books are set to be published by Roos & Tegnér on 25th September, one day after the release of The Per Gessle Archives box-set. Ojojoj… It gets harder and harder to wait until September… What a torture! 😉

 

Thanx a lot for finding the books, Celestte Williams & Evgeny Perekopskiy!

 

Update on 13th May:

Ginza (English, Swedish) and Adlibris (English, Swedish) also listed the books.

 

Interview with Christoffer Lundquist: “When you have the chance to work with such great people it’s very hard to say no”

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Chris1We met Christoffer Lundquist in Göteborg before Marie’s concert in this city. The last time we met Christoffer was June 2011 in Prague and a lot has happened since then, so we thought it was about time again to sit down and chat about all the Rox-related projects he has been involved in as well as his solo and Brainpool projects.

Enjoy!

Judith: Thank you for your time! It’s been a long time, we met in 2011 last… You’ve been very busy since then!

Christoffer: Sure, a pleasure as always. And yes, lots of things going on.

Let’s start with Marie’s album. How did you get involved with it?

Micke and Marie started working on some of the songs a long time ago, some of them even 10 years ago. They asked during Roxette’s tour if I wanted to be part of recording the vocals because we did that with Roxette and we had lots of fun and it worked out very well. So that’s how it started, and then I got more and more involved. We recorded about half of the album in my studio, for the other half we used mainly what Marie and Micke had recorded themselves and built on those.

So how did you arrange the recordings? Did all the musicians come to your studio in Skåne?
Micke and Marie spent about 10 days in my studio the first time. Then they came to the studio a second time for five days. We also had Jens for a few days recording drums for some tracks. And then the rest we worked out together the three of us.

In an interview Micke told us that there are demos for most of the songs, but that we wouldn’t want to hear those, haha! Did they change a lot from demos to final?
Haha! Oscar is singing in some of them, actually. And I can’t really remember how much we changed. We built on some of the demos so the original kind of ended up on the album, but other songs were done from scratch in the studio, I don’t remember the demos to those. In that case we just heard the demo maybe once or twice and then we did the rest more or less on the fly. In some cases there were ideas on the demos that we wanted to keep, on other cases we started from scratch.

Marie and Micke worked with other song writers, were they involved in the recordings too?
Not really. They were not involved in the recording but more in the background and working with Marie on the lyrics. That was the most difficult part because lyrics are a huge part of Marie’s career and now that she doesn’t write many songs herself, she really needs lyrics that she can feel as if she had written them. That’s really tricky; it’s very personal, especially for Marie because she’s such an emotional singer. She cannot just sing something; she always sings texts that really mean something. So there were lots of attempts that didn’t work, we had new lyrics coming in all the time and every now and then we were like “Yes! This works!” It’s a tricky process because all of the song writers are very great writers; it’s hard to turn them down, someone writes a great text and you have to say “no sorry”, not because it’s not good enough, but because it doesn’t feel right for Marie, and you don’t want to hurt people… But Micke and Marie handled all that, it was their friends and colleagues, I was just standing by.

Did you use many new or interesting instruments this time, besides the sitar?
That was Micke’s or Marie’s idea, I cannot remember. They had that line on the demo “dididididi” (imitating the sound of the sitar at the beginning of the song) done with a cimbalo or something like that, but they wanted to find something more unique. It’s funny because that kind of guitar is used in a Swedish hit called “Jag vill ha en egen måne” by Ted Gärdestad. It was a huge 70ies hit and the artist is great, so it is also a bit of a hint to that song too. We used many of the other instruments as always, we just tried them out and used what we felt worked out. Micke played the church organ as well on “Jag undrar vad du tänker på”.

This album is very different to the other Marie albums, you can hear a lot of country and other styles that Marie hadn’t touched before. Did Marie and Micke already come with this in mind? How much of it is your influence?
Yes, that was not my influence, actually. The second track, “Det bästa som nånsin kan hända”, was almost finished when I heard it, for example. I hardly added anything to that one, one or two guitars maybe. That has the most country flavor I think. I just realised this when I listened to Marie’s previous albums to prepare for this tour that there are such different styles in the other albums, almost every album has its own style. And that is very much Marie, whatever the feeling at the moment is. So how do you like the album and the current style?

I think it’s great. Marie loves guitars… and you can hear that on the album. This album is one of her best. I had always wished she would do something like this.
Oh, great to hear. And yes, she loves electric guitars! We also had Staffan Astner on the album, he has this flashy style and Marie loves that. Whenever he goes crazy with the guitar she is like “Yes! Perfect!”

You could see that on Äntligen tour and on the current tour when she looks at you or Jokke and completely enjoys the solos!
Haha! It’s great to play that too.

So let’s move to another of the projects, mixing of Roxette live album/DVD/Blu-ray.
Yes, and it finally came out! Believe it or not, haha!

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The Per Gessle Archives – Demos & Other Fun Stuff!, Vol. 2

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We didn’t have to wait long for the tracklist of The Per Gessle Archives – Demos & Other Fun Stuff!, Vol. 2 after Vol. 1 appeared yesterday on iTunes for pre-order. The digital release of Vol. 1 on Spotify is 16th May and Vol. 2 is out on 23rd May. As iTunes announced it, the first 2 volumes of the total of 11 in the complete box-set will be available at them from 2nd June. Box-set is out on 24th September.

Vol. 1 includes 16 tracks (47:13) and 34m 01s conversation between Sven Lindström and Per; Vol. 2 includes 14 tracks (46:22) and 27m 39s talk.

iTunes price of Vol. 2 will surely be corrected just as Vol. 1’s price has been changed to 135 SEK (11.99 EUR). Very good price for a lot of goodies, right?

 

Tracklist:

1 Kvar i min bil (AGM – Apr 28, 2007)  2:37

2 Apple in the Mud (T&A Demo – Jul 4, 1995)  2:45

TPGA_Vol.23 Beautiful Girl (T&A Demo – Apr 19, 1999)  3:51

4 Stay (At Home, At Work, At Play) [T&A Demo – Jul 5, 1995]  4:00

5 When I Close My Eyes (No One Can See Me) [T&A Demo – Jul 20, 1999]  3:23

6 Heaven Is Just a Motion Away (T&A Demo – Jan 28, 2006)  2:42

7 Jo-Anna Says (T&A Demo – Jan 8, 2005)  3:15

8 Mannen med gitarr (T&A Demo – Nov 20, 2002)  3:11

9 Hold on My Heart (T&A Demo – Oct 6, 2012)  2:42

10 Västra sidan (T&A Demo – Nov 18, 1984)  2:57

11 Jag borde förstås vetat bättre (T&A Demo – Oct 28, 2003)  3:20

12 Being with You (T&A Demo – Sep 11, 1997)  4:00

13 Faller ner på knä (T&A Demo – Feb 15, 1996)  3:46

14 Gå & fiska! (T&A Demo – Feb 15, 1996)  3:53

 

1 Intro Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 2 (The Conversations with Sven Lindström)  3:23

2 Kvar i min bil (Agm – Apr 28, 2007 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:32

3 Apple in the Mud (T&A Demo – Jul 4, 1995 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:58

4 Beautiful Girl (T&A Demo – Apr 19, 1999 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  2:21

5 Stay (At Home, At Work, At Play) [T&A Demo – Jul 5, 1995 – Conversation with Sven Lindström]  2:07

6 When I Close My Eyes (No One Can See Me) [T&A Demo – Jul 20, 1999 – Conversation with Sven Lindström]  0:35

7 Heaven Is Just a Motion Away (T&A Demo – Jan 28, 2006 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  2:33

8 Jo-Anna Says (T&A Demo – Jan 8, 2005 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:35

9 Mannen med gitarr (T&A Demo – Nov 20, 2002 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  0:37

10 Hold on My Heart (T&A Demo – Oct 6, 2012 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  2:36

11 Västra sidan (T&A Demo – Nov 18, 1984 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  2:31

12 Jag borde förstås vetat bättre (T&A Demo – Oct 28, 2003 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:02

13 Being with You (T&A Demo – Sep 11, 1997 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:48

14 Faller ner på knä (T&A Demo – Feb 15, 1996 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:27

15 Gå & fiska! (T&A Demo – Feb 15, 1996 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)  1:34

 

I’m so glad to see my personal fave PG demo, Mannen med gitarr on the list! A pity that there is only a very short conversation about it (0:37). It’s not too easy to wait until the digital release of these 2 volumes and hear all the gems, as well as the story of all the songs. I bet it will be even harder to wait for the box-set release after we get to hear these 30 tracks and all the other fun stuff.

 

Tracklist of The Per Gessle Archives Volume 1 revealed

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Vol1

iTunes revealed the tracklist of “Demos & Other Fun Stuff! – Vol. 1” that will included the “The Per Gessle Archives” box-set and released digitally on Spotify on May 16th. Volume 1 will contain 16 tracks plus additional comments by Per about each song in interviews done by Sven Lindström.

Volume 2 will be out one week later on May 23rd. The album will be released on iTunes on June 2.

The tracklist sounds promising, doesn’t it?

The cover of Volume 1, which is going to cost 135 SEK (11.99 EUR) (corrected price, Per let us know that the initial price set by iTunes was incorrect), was also added to the iTunes listing.

1 Walk on, Lonely Eyes (T&A Demo – Dec 16, 1999)
2 Being with You (T&A Demo – Oct 22, 2004)
3 Loud Clothes (T&A Demo – Aug 30, 2002)
4 Cafe con leche (AGM – Apr 25, 2007)
5 Fish in a Bowl (T&A Demo – Apr 30, 2000)
6 Hjärta av glas (T&A Demo – Apr 2, 2006)
7 Something in the System (T&A Demo – Jan 3, 2002)
8 Black Sails (Studio 38 Demo – Summer 1982)
9 Always the Last to Know (T&A Demo – Nov 21, 2004)
10 Den tunna linjen (T&A Demo – May 15, 2010)
11 A Girl Like You (T&A Demo – Sep 25, 2004)
12 Byter bara blickar (T&A Demo – Nov 21, 1997)
13 Lägg din hand i min om du har lust (Hamilton Demo – Jun 12, 1978)
14 Kyss från en främling (T&A Demo – Oct 18, 1999)
15 What’s She Like? (T&A Demo – Dec 3, 2010)
16 Before You Go to Sleep (T&A Demo – Nov 23, 1992)

1 Intro Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 1 (The Conversations with Sven Lindström)
2 Walk on, Lonely Eyes (T&A Demo – Dec 16, 1999 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
3 Being with You (T&A Demo – Oct 22, 2004 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
4 Loud Clothes (T&A Demo – Aug 30, 2002 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
5 Cafe con leche (AGM – Apr 25, 2007 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
6 Fish in a Bowl (T&A Demo – Apr 30, 2000 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
7 Hjärta av glas (T&A Demo – Apr 2, 2006 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
8 Something in the System (T&A Demo – Jan 3, 2002 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
9 Black Sails (Studio 38 Demo – Summer 1982 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
10 Always the Last to Know (T&A Demo – Nov 21, 2004 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
11 Den tunna linjen (T&A Demo – May 15, 2010 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
12 A Girl Like You (T&A Demo – Sep 25, 2004 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
13 Byter bara blickar (T&A Demo – Nov 21, 1997 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
14 Lägg din hand i min om du har lust (Hamilton Demo – Jun 12, 1978 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
15 Kyss från en främling (T&A Demo – Oct 18, 1999 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
16 What’s She Like? (T&A Demo – Dec 3, 2010 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)
17 Before You Go to Sleep (T&A Demo – Nov 23, 1992 – Conversation with Sven Lindström)

Where have the official Roxette videos gone?

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Tonight Per posted a non-official video of ”June Afternoon”, because he couldn’t find the official one on YouTube. Weird, because he shared it several times during the past years and we watched it many times for sure, so there is something strange happening here. Now we could find the official JA video only on other sites, e.g. on Dailymotion.

Official videos available on emimusic’s channel (with actual views) are:

  • It Must Have Been Love – 34 074 356 views
  • Listen To Your Heart – 31 078 061 views
  • IMHBL_LTYH_YT_emimusicJoyride – 8 352 248 views
  • The Look – 7 460 461 views
  • Dangerous – 6 347 994 views
  • One Wish – 160 404 views

Roxette VEVO channel has the following clips (with actual views):

  • Wish I Could Fly – 2 907 618 views
  • She’s Got Nothing On (But The Radio) – 1 763 301 views
  • Queen of Rain – 1 128 350 views
  • Way Out – 258 114 views
  • It’s Possible – 229 435 views
  • No One Makes It On Her Own – 120 789 views

 

But where are all the others??? Well, it seems that the videos are being moved to another channel or the channel is changing, because many videos got private settings now. (Other bands, Iron Maiden, Blur and Daft Punk among others are facing the same issue it seems. Thanx for letting us know, Tina Engmann.) Hopefully, Warner Music will be able to solve it, because if emimusic channel deletes all the remaining Rox videos – even the 2 most popular ones with more than 30 million views each – it won’t be too funny. No clue if there is any chance to keep the statistics and the view counts. As far as I know, they can only be kept if the video stays where it is and has the same code / link.

By the way, I couldn’t even find e.g. Per Gessle’s ”Silly Really” official video on YouTube anymore. Probably, it’s the same situation.

Marie Fredriksson’s YouTube channel is still working, but there you can only watch ”Sista sommarens vals” and the PR videos for Nu! and the tour. And of course, Per’s home video channel is still there.

Until it gets – hopefully – solved, you can go to the Roxette channel on Dailymotion to watch 42 official videos and to the Per Gessle channel to watch 5 official videos.