Roxette

Per shared another two demo cassette covers the other day, No. 5 and No. 6, so why not have a closer look at those tracklists, too. Again, you’ll find only those PG comments added here that are related to the exact demos (date and version) on the list. Links in the article are listening links.

Keep posting those cover scans, Mr. G!

Demo cassette No. 5

A

1. Önskar (8th July 1986)
Released on The Per Gessle Archives – Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 4.

Info from PG: „We [Roxette] were scheduled to do some demo recordings in late summer. I was still working on my third Swedish solo album. Some people who hear this recognize it as a Roxette song called „Sleeping Single”, which eventually came out on the „Look Sharp!” album. We never used this on the first Roxette album at all. I think the main reason is that we didn’t have any English lyric for it. It was never a contender for the first Roxette album. My third Swedish solo album became the first Roxette album basically. Most of the Swedish songs were translated into English and became the „Pearls Of Passion” album by Roxette. In 1987 I had a different approach to the song and also a great title, „Sleeping Single”, a great lyric and as soon as Marie started to sing it, it was just heaven. It sounded perfect. But this is the very first Swedish version. Diamond in the rough.”

2. Young (11th July 1986)
The song was released in Swedish by Ofwerman (Staffan Öfwerman) in 1987 as his debut single released on Jimmy Fun Music. It’s not strange if it sounds familiar. Listen to Per Gessle’s Detective Jones demo from 1996 or Detektiv by Gyllene Tider!

3. Joy Of A Toy (14th July 1986)
Released on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 1.

Info from PG: „This is one of the few songs that was written straight for Roxette’s debut album, „Pearls Of Passion”. This is a song I wrote together with Mats Persson and we recorded the demo in July 1986, just ten days or two weeks prior to the Montezume demos, which was the first time Clarence, Marie and myself worked together to do demos for the „Pearls Of Passion” album. So this is the summer sound of Halmstad in 1986. I’m sorry for singing out of tune a little bit, but we didn’t have the digital equipment in those days to correct the voices.”

4. Ingen är en ö (12th August 1986)
There is a song with this title by Ingemar Olsson from 1970. Can it be a cover of that one?

Info from PG: „It’s an original song by me. It sounds like Gyllene Tider being hit by a monster truck. And not in a positive way…”

5. Lazer Age (12th August 1986)
Info from PG: „It’s not my song. It’s a demo made by Thomas Hafström and was supposed to be the follow up to his “Tillbaka till sommaren”-single which I produced in 1985 or 1986. It never happened.”

6. Secrets That She Keeps (15th August 1986)
Released on the extended version of Pearls Of Passion.

7. Jag tror att jag älskar (17th October 1986)
This is what later became Surrender by Roxette. There is another T&A demo called Jag älskar (jag tror inte hon förstår) (Surrender) from spring 1986, released on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 4. and the Montezuma demo from 25th-26th July 1986, Jag älskar (Surrender) was released on Bag Of Trix – Music From The Roxette Vaults Vol. 4.

The song (Jag tror att jag älskar) was released in Swedish by Anna (Anna-Carin Borgström) in 1988.

8. I din hand (11th November 1986)
There is another, later demo released as B-side of the Ömhet single recorded on 14th June 1993 at T&A. There is a big question mark here, because Per once said regarding the 1993 demo: “Svante Thuresson + Anne-Lie Rydé made a beautiful version of I din hand. A song I wrote together with the missus Åsa back in 1993 while preparing for the Crash! Boom! Bang!-sessions. Recorded hours after it was written. And hey, MP is playing the accordion! Always a treat.”
In the PG talks with Sven Lindström on Per’s Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig release he also talks about 1993 when the song was written.

So what about this 1986 demo?

Info from PG: „Oh no not that song again! This particular demo from November 1986 is sung by Milla (from Millas Mirakel), who helped me out with some vocals once in a while for many years. This is actually the second demo of “I din hand”. However the music is totally different compared to the 90’s versions. The lyrics are similar.”

9. Sänder 1 S.O.S. (16th November 1986)
Info from PG: „”Sänder ett SOS” is a terrible song. MP and me did lots of tracks trying to figure out how to program our new sequensers and synths. This is one of them.”

10. Varje gång (4th December 1986)
The song was released in Swedish by Anna (Anna-Carin Borgström) in 1987 and by Wizex also in 1987.

11. A Little Bit Dangerous (11th February 1987)
The Dangerous demo released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 5.

Info from PG: „It [Dangerous] was No. 1 on Cashbox and No. 2 on Billboard, so those days we preferred Cashbox. Maybe we even played it on the first Roxette tour [Rock runt riket]. In the summer of ’87. This song we definitely rehearsed. Nowadays Marie always says it’s one of her favourite Roxette songs, but in those days she didn’t really approve it that much. Maybe it was written to become a single, but we never recorded it at all until the „Look Sharp!” session. This is actually the first demo and just a couple of weeks later I did another demo, which is just me and an acoustic guitar. Then we did a third demo with Clarence and Marie and Jonas in Stockholm. Either this version or the acoustic one was posted to Don Johnson. It’s a good question, which one, but I hope it was some other version. He got it in a padded envelope with a printed message „If you don’t like it, you’re wrong.” I have this letter that came back to me from his management saying he didn’t like the song. Of course it’s hard to hear what it was gonna be like when it was fully produced a couple of years later. That’s the nature of the game when it comes to demos. The whole intention with demos is that you try things out. Maybe it’s the first time ever you sing the song and you go back, you change some chords, change some lyrics here and there and you just restructure the song differently. That’s why you make demos in the first place. The key here is too low for me, but that’s the way it goes.”

12. För långt ifrån (ak. vers) (25th February 1987)
Translating the title into English, it could be So Far Away, but So Far Away started out as Som i en dröm…

Info from PG: „It isn’t that bad….. It’s an original song written for… can’t remember. Will probably pop up in an Archives-box one of these years…”

13. Dangerous (ak. vers) (25th February 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

B

1. Kom ut till stranden (25th February 1987)
There is another demo on The Per Gessle Archives – På väg – Demos 1982-86 from May 1986.

2. The Voice (24th March 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 3.

Info from PG: „It was recorded for the „Look Sharp!” album, but we never included it on the album. We recorded it, but we used it as a B side on a single. I think it was „Dressed For Success”. It got a Pino Palladino treatment here. He had his heydays in the 80’s on those Paul Young records. MP is playing this bass on the synthesizer and using all this fretless feel to it, which is really interesting. I thought it was Paul McCartney style of playing bass guitar. This song I guess didn’t make the album, because in those days of course you had the LP format, so you had to keep around 20 minutes on each side to make it sound proper.”

3. Rocket (9th April 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 1.

Info from PG: „I thought this was one of the coolest songs that I wrote for „Look Sharp!”, but Clarence Öfwerman who produced us, he didn’t like this at all. He thought it was too much bubblegum. So we scrapped it and I actually kept it, rewrote it, changed the beat into some sort of shuffle and it became „Knockin’ On Every Door” instead. So it’s the same song, same chords in a different beat. That became one of the main tracks on the „Joyride” album instead in 1991. It was pretty disguised since it was a totally different beat to it and I think Clarence felt that beat fit the song better. I like this demo, because I like this acoustic guitar with a small, little drum machine. It’s got a really cosy feel to it. So I thought it was a really nice demo. Sometimes you keep songs, time goes by, so many things happen and then you just pick them out again and dress them up a bit and they find a new home.”

4. Night Wire (9th April 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 4.

Info from PG: „This song was written in the spring of 1984. At that time I was preparing for my second Swedish solo album, „Scener”, so I don’t really know why I wrote this one. It was a very complicated time for me, so I wrote so many things going different directions. However, this version must have been demoed for the „Look Sharp!” album. Of course it didn’t make it. There is something about it that I like, but it’s all history now.”

5. Xmas For The Broken-?? (14th April 1987)
It’s the It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted) demo released on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 2.

Info from PG: „When this demo was made, we were trying to do our best to get interest from the record companies outside of Sweden. Then EMI Germany, they say „why don’t you write a Christmas song?”, because it’s easier to get on the radio, to get airplay for the Christmas season if you have a Christmas song, if it’s good. So off I went and I wrote this one. „It Must Have Been Love” with the Christmas reference in there in the lyrics. We recorded it and they didn’t want it, because they didn’t really like it that much. It eventually became a big Christmas song for us here in Sweden. So it was high on the charts and became a gold record in the end of ’87. We didn’t put it on any album, because of the Christmas reference and we just had this like an off single. A couple of years later, after we had our international breakthrough, we got this request or offer to be part of this Hollywood movie, eventually called „Pretty Woman”. They asked for a ballad. „Pretty Woman” at the time wasn’t a big budget movie, Richard Gere was on his way sliding down, Julia Roberts was a debutant. The original title of the movie was „3000”. It was very vague. They asked us if we wanted to be involved and we said we don’t have any time to make new recordings, because we were travelling all over the world doing promotion with the „Look Sharp!” album. But I remembered we had this ballad, this Christmas song. And I said „we have a great ballad, you could have that one. We can change the lyrics.” We changed Christmas day to winter’s day and stuff like that. Refreshed it up a bit with a new guitar intro and stuff like that and then we didn’t hear anything. Suddenly, while we were recording something else, I got a phone call from Garry Marshall, who was directing the movie and he said „I just wanna tell you that I love this song so much and I have re-edited the movie and made a great spot for the song. There’s no dialogue over the song, the lyrics speak for itself. It’s a very strong scene in the movie. It’s just fantastic. I just wanna thank you for this, bla bla bla”. And I said „yes, OK, nice, bye-bye”. Time went by and eventually this „Pretty Woman” movie became a super smash. I think it grossed 800 million dollars or something. One of the biggest movies ever. Out of the blue we just had this super hit all over the world. Together with „Listen To Your Heart”, „It Must Have Been Love” became our biggest song ever. I think it’s fascinating that the difference between having a big hit record and having a flop record is so small. I mean it’s the same song and if that film wouldn’t have happened, nobody would have heard of this song anymore. It would have been hidden under the Christmas tree forever. That’s the way it goes. Sometimes when you work with pop music that I’ve been writing all my life, the difference between the song that makes it as the first single or the song that doesn’t even make the album is so tiny. There are points in the lifespan of songs when they are equal. One makes it and one won’t make it.”

6. Dressed For Success (20th May 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 2.

Info from PG: „It’s like a month after we recorded the demo of „It Must Have Been Love”. It’s a good spring for sure. My aim at the time was to write material that I knew Marie could deliver and wanted to sing and loved. „Dressed For Success” was very much written for Marie and it had that little thing in the bridge where I’m asking „Whatcha gonna tell your mother?” and she’s answering, but it’s Marie’s song. She just makes it unbelievably good. Immediately, when we recorded it we felt like we had the first single. It’s a stand-out track, especially Marie’s vocals. This is how the demo sounded in May 1987 and yeah… it’s cool.”

7. För spänningens skull (20th or 21st (?) May 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s an uptempo, quite catchy pop ditty that had many titles. One was “Varje hjärtas detektiv”. Has that one been released?” [Varje hjärtas detektiv was released by Fredrik in 1985.]

8. Silver Blue (21st May 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

9. Sleeping Single (22nd May 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 2.

Info from PG: „This was of course made for the „Look Sharp!” album. I had the Swedish lyric, but I didn’t have the English lyric, so I wrote „Sleeping Single”. It was customized for Marie. It just made sense. It’s a great little track. I wanted to make a little bit more danceable songs at the time, so the whole idea of having Mats playing some sort of funk guitar and these guitar licks, we tried to make it a little bit more groovy. Mats had to play those licks all through the song, 3 minutes and 45 seconds, poor him. He did a great job, as always. It’s a good song. I like it a lot. When Marie sang it in the studio together with Clarence’s production – very sparse production, but it just sounded terrific. For me „Sleeping Single” and „Paint” are just as important on „Look Sharp!” as „The Look”, „Dressed For Success”, „Dangerous” and „Listen To Your Heart”. It’s got a very special sound to it.”

10. Pocketful Of Rain (12th June 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – Demos & Other Fun Stuff! Vol. 4.

Info from PG: „It was between the first Roxette album and „Look Sharp!”. I bought this new synthesizer, the Ensoniq SQ1 and I tried to learn how to program it. I actually did a couple of songs on that synthesizer. „The Look”, „Don’t Believe In Accidents”, „Come Back (Before You Leave)” and „Pocketful Of Rain” as well. So it was basically done at home in my apartment, but then I took it to the Tits & Ass studio and did sum overdubs and vocals. The finished version was created in June 1987 for the „Look Sharp!” album, but we never recorded it at all. Anne-Lie Rydé made a single out of this in Swedish. I can’t remember who wrote that one, but I don’t think it was me.” [Anne-Lie Rydé – Ta mig hem; lyrics by Jane Larson]

11. Dressed For Success (ak. vers.) (12th June 1987)

Demo cassette No. 6

A

1. One Is Such A Lonely … (26th August 1987)
The One Is Such a Lonely Number demo released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

2. Thrill Of It All (26th August 1987)
It’s The Thrill Of It All demo released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

3. Den perfekta lögnen (27th August 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s nice. I’ve kept that one in the shade and will probably use it one day. At least the music. Me like. Still.”

4. Som i en dröm (reggae) (28th August 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s terrible.”

5. From Head 2 Toe (15th September 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s an acoustic version sung by me. For some reason.”

6. Love Spins (15th September 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

7. Boom Boom … (15th September 1987)
The Boom Boom (And Boom Boom Again) demo released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

8. In My Own Way (15th September 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

9. Never Is A Long Time (24th September 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s a live piano version I made on my own in my apartment on Torsgatan 9 in Halmstad.”

10. Never Is A Long Time (11th November 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

11. Från topp till tå (Lene) (12th November 1987)
The song by Lene (Johansson). She says it was recorded in November 1987 in EMI studios in Stockholm. Words and music by Per Gessle who was also the producer. Technician was Anders Herrlin. It was their contribution to Melodifestivalen 1988. It didn’t get through.

12. View From A Hill (17th November 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 3.

Info from PG: „This was recorded for the „Look Sharp!” album and I loved that track when I did it. I felt it sounded perfect. It sounds so 80’s and you can hear all those Pet Shop Boys influences in that British synthesizer techno sort of sound in there. It turned out to be one of those three songs that Clarence Öfwerman didn’t produce on „Look Sharp!”. We went to England with an English producer called Adam Moseley and he produced three tracks for us. He did „Cry”, „Chances” and „View From A Hill”. But I always preferred my demo to the Roxette version. Because my demo, the demo we did here in the Tits & Ass studio is much more pop music. Adam’s production was a little bit more funky. Something different. Also, of course since we didn’t have any Roxette players playing on those three songs, it was English session players, it sounded not that much Roxette. Anyway, I love this demo. It was a very creative period of time for us. It also just shows the direction I felt Roxette should go into, more modern sounds than the first album.”

13. Love Spins (18th November 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition.

B

1. Chances (24th November 1987)
Released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 1.

Info from PG: „It was of course written for the „Look Sharp!” album. If I remember things right, the whole idea with this was to show what kind of direction I want Roxette to go. I wanted it to sound like modern pop. As you can hear from the demo it sounds almost like a Pet Shop Boys track. It’s got lots of Pet Shop Boys influences. Of course I didn’t want us to sound like Pet Shop Boys, but I wanted us to get rid of that sort of organic band feel that we had on the „Pearls Of Passion” album. I was really in favour of going into the technology side. This was never a big song with Marie or with Clarence Öfwerman, our producer. It wasn’t produced by Clarence, it was produced by an English guy, Adam Moseley, who did three songs on the „Look Sharp!” album and this was one of them. ”

2. Satellite (1st December 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s an early version of I Could Never Give You Up!”

3. Boom Boom (9th December 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s made by MP and me. A clumpsy version with a big guitar riff and heavy drums. Hmmm……”

4. I Could Never Give … (18th December 1987)
The (I Could Never) Give You Up demo released on Look Sharp! 30th Anniversary Edition and on The Per Gessle Archives – The Roxette Demos! Vol. 5.

Info from PG: „This demo was made just before Christmas in 1987 and was intended of course for the „Look Sharp!” album. It didn’t really make the LP, but managed to squeeze in as a bonus track on the CD. How about that? In those days the LP was still the standard format. Even „Joyride” had like three extra tracks on the CD, which weren’t intended to be on the album at all in the first place. The real version is the LP. I don’t think this song is up the same quality as other songs on the album. That’s why it was left out in the first place. This is like an OK song. There was really tough competition on that album and this is a left-over. MP was trying his best to do Nile Rodgers-ish guitars, which was brilliant, but songwise it’s not really up there for me. It’s a lucky song, because it got on the B side of „Listen To Your Heart”, so it sold well. That’s typical, isn’t it? You put the bonus tracks, the left-overs on B sides. That’s how it used to be, so you get an additional value when you buy a single. Or maybe to sneak you in to the record store one more time to get the B side that you don’t have in your collection. Maybe that’s the case. I know all the tricks.”

Release The Tiger: Orig. Bootleg 88 (insp. v. 1 1988, mix 8th January 1988)

1. Om hon visste vad hon ville
2. Ny pojkvän
3. Småstad
4. Oh Yea Oh Yea (Oh Oh)
5. Vandrande man
6. Jo-Anna farväl

These songs were released on Gyllene Tider’s Instant Hits! – Samtliga hits 1979-1989 under the Pers Garage project [Pers Garage = GT without Anders Herrlin]. You can listen to them on GT’s Konstpaus on streaming services.

Småstad (högre sång)

From Head To Toe (18th December 1987)
Info from PG: „It’s the EMI demo but only with my voice on it, no Marie in sight.”