Since Roxette’s longterm guitar player Jonas Isacsson didn’t participate on the latest album “Charm School” and the current World Tour, many fans wondered why they stopped to work together and wished him to reappear on new projects like the “Tourism 2” (working title) album. Jonas now responded to fans on Facebook in sort of an open letter:
Dear friends!
I’m honored and happy that you enjoy my
guitarplaying so much.
But let Roxette do their new stuff as they want.
It took some time for me to get rid of the ghost and
… grasp that I don’t work with them anymore.
I was sad but now I’m getting over it.
The old records are still there for all to hear and I’m
proud of my work. But that was then!
This is now and Rox are doing fine without me.
And I’m doing fine without them.
Let us carry on just like that.Take care!
Jonas Isacsson
His last appearance with Roxette was the “Night Of The Proms” tour 2009 and the performance for Princess Victoria’s wedding in June 2010.
Good luck with your new projects, Jonas!
Thanks to Roland for the Info!
Update: Roxette comment this article via Facebook:
We all love Jonas dearly + are sure we’ll work together again.
Please, can any Roxette-insider-fan tell us what has exactly happend between them and Jonas? Does anybody know the real reason why Jonas isn’t with Roxette anymore?
I’m just curious, of course I accept Jonas’ decision that he now moves on to other projects. But I’m so thankful for the sound he brought Roxette and that HE has invented the typical guitar-sound on the beginning of “The look” which is one of the reasons why the song is soooo good! 🙂
Thanks Jonas and keep rocking!!
Hmm… don’t know whether anything has actually “happened” between them. He played the lead guitars on every Rox album until RS 2001 and accompanied Rox on their RS tour – Marie fell ill after that, and when Per “moved” to Chris’ AGM Studio with the recordings for “Mazarin” in 2003, Chris took over the role of the lead guitarist and Jonas simply wasn’t needed anymore. This may be one reason – maybe he has also been busy doing other things and has simply not had the time to play/record with Rox. But since he made a reappearance on the Night of the Proms, I don’t think there’s been any quarrels – I rather guess that they’ve just decided to take different paths music-wise. I also think it’s quite hard for a guitar player to be taken seriously if he’s being considered a “riff-generator” in a pop band. That’s probably what Jonas refers to as a “ghost” he had to get rid of in his FB entry. So he may have wanted to establish a reputation as a guitarist who’s capable of more than coming up with intros for “The Look” and the kinky riffs for “Joyride”.
Jonas is brilliant, I have his Evergreen album and it’s fantastic. I truly believe that he contributed to a lot more than just his guitar playing to the rox sessions. I am convinced that Jonas and Anders were in part responsible for the unique Roxette sound we all miss so much. The moment Rox started working with Christoffer Lundquist (HAND), the more they grew appart from that unique sound and they started sounding like a million other pop artists. Let’s just not make up theories about what that ‘ghost’ comment may refer to, because we simply don´t know.
@AbominableSnowman: In the press release for his solo album “Evergreen” (http://www.sliderecords.com/text/artists/Jonas/JonasReleaseE.html), Jonas is quoted as saying, “[…] but for a guy who has worked as a riff man for hire, at last [sic!] it is hard to know what [kind of style] is your own.” That’s why I thought he might have referred to his “riffmanship” in bands such as Roxette as that ‘ghost’. Of course I’m just speculating here. But at the same time, I’d rather not go down the ‘Anders-and-Jonas-trademark-sound’ road again. We simply don’t know what Roxette would sound like TODAY if they had stuck with the same musicians for 25 years, and it was their conscious decision to work with Christoffer. We as fans need to keep up with the times, I guess.
That was than, this is now, things will never be the same … 🙂
Chris is the one how brought Roxette back with SGNO into the spotlight. Chris is a great producer and guitarist. I don’t like his bass-guitar playing by the way (I prefere “deep bass-lines” he used to play the bass very high … I hope you know what I mean).
I think the main reason is, Per and Marie want to be on tour with “fun people” like Chris, Magnus and Pelle. They wanna have good vibes backstage and on stage. Jonas is more of a quiet guy, I guess.
But for 2Rism it would be cool to have Jonas back on one or two tracks and also Anders talent would be great to listen to again on a Roxette song.
Just “One” Wish.
In my humble opinion it does not really matter who the lead guitarist is with a band such as Roxette….the important thing is Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. Without them there is no Roxette. I think Jonas did a brilliant contribution to the early Roxette, but everyone moves on sooner or later in their career, it is inevitable. This is also happening with Helena Josefsson right now. She is finishing up with Roxette to focus on other things.
I think that Christoffer brings a lot to Roxette as he is such a super guitarist and programmer. The guitar solo on Doesn’t make sense – Party Crasher tour, comes to mind and seeing this guy live with his guitars when they played South Africa…..simply amazing! Pure talent!
Jonas is a great musician but time goes by. Roxette disappeared and between 2001 and 2011 Gessle worked with his own band, the band he prefers to work with: Clarence, Christoffer, Magnus, Helena and Jens Jansson (or Pelle). I think Mazarin and Son of a Plumber are Per’s favourite albums. I know Jonas also took part in the projects of Per during this years, but his role became less and less important. Marie and Per has simply chosen the band they wants to travel with around the world … and record with too. Don’t forget that Clarence, Christoffer and Magnus have worked as a producer with different artists.