Releases

Gyllene Tider – Moderna Tider 40th anniversary

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“We were constantly trying to keep up with our own success”, says Per Gessle, talking about the times 40 years back, more precisely, 1981. Gyllene Tider broke through with thunder and crash a year earlier and the shy boys from Halmstad didn’t really know how to be in the media, what clothes they should wear or how to behave on big stages… even if they were the biggest.

The difficult second record – the one that so many fail with – was on the doorstep. But it couldn’t be a fail for Gyllene Tider – it became a success beyond all expectations.

Now, 40 years later, Moderna Tider is being hailed with a 3-set vinyl box containing the original vinyl, a vinyl with all the songs that were released around the album but weren’t included on any record, as well as a vinyl with all the songs from the original album in their original format, recorded live in the rehearsal studio in Harplinge.

Release date is 19th November. Besides the LPs, the box will also contain a 36-page booklet with Sven Lindström interviews with the Golden Five in it.

Tracklists

LP #1:

Side A

  1. Vänta på mej!
  2. Tuff tuff tuff (som ett lokomotiv)
  3. På jakt efter liv
  4. När vi två blir en
  5. Det hjärta som brinner
  6. Du spelar svår att nå
  7. Kom intill mej

Side B

  1. (Kom så ska vi) leva livet
  2. Min tjej och jag
  3. Povel Ramel, Paul McCartney och jag
  4. Chrissie, hur mår du?
  5. Kärleken är inte blind (men ganska närsynt)
  6. När alla vännerna gått hem

LP #2:

Side A – 19.32

  1. Gyllene tider för rock’n roll – 2.57
  2. Vill ha ett svar! – 2.15
  3. Och jorden den är rund. – 1.58
  4. Ge mej inte det där – 2.13
  5. Ljudet av ett annat hjärta – 3.49
  6. Teena – 6.04

Side B – 21.00

  1. För dina bruna ögons skull – 3.37
  2. Vem tycker om dej? – 4.29
  3. Leka med elden – 4.50
  4. Beating Heart – 3.04
  5. To Play With Fire – 4.50

LP #3:

Side A – 23.10

  1. Vänta på mej! (Live replokalen 10 feb 1980) – 2.54
  2. Tuff tuff tuff (som ett lokomotiv) (Live replokalen 1 jan 1981) – 3.02
  3. När vi två blir en (Live replokalen 12 aug 1980) – 3.09
  4. Det hjärta som brinner (Live replokalen 12 aug 1980) – 3.05
  5. Du spelar svår att nå (Live replokalen 20 jan 1980) – 2.41
  6. Kom intill mej (Live replokalen 9 jan 1980) – 2.59
  7. Henry, dansa inte disco! (Live replokalen 20 jan 1980) – 5.03

Side B – 20.59

  1. (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet (Live replokalen 20 jan 1980) – 3.22
  2. Povel Ramel, Paul McCartney och jag (Live replokalen 19 jan 1980) – 3.48
  3. Chrissie, hur mår du? (Live replokalen 20 jan 1980) – 3.51
  4. Kärleken är inte blind (men ganska närsynt) (Live replokalen 18 juni 1980) – 3.52
  5. Vill ha ett svar! (Live replokalen 7 jan 1981) – 2.17
  6. S.O.S. (Live replokalen 18 juni 1980) – 3.34

You can pre-order your copies on Bengans, Ginza and CDON. Only 2000 copies will be available!

Check out how cool the box looks HERE!

 

Roxette – Joyride 30th anniversary release

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The Joyride 30th anniversary box with the whole story, demos and previously unreleased material will be released on 26th November.

Already tomorrow, 8th October, the single Small Talk will be released with two previously unreleased versions of Small Talk and Hotblooded.

This year marks 30 years since Roxette released her third album Joyride, which followed up the band’s record global breakthrough with the album Look Sharp! in 1989.

Roxette had in record time turned into a global hit phenomenon thanks to the three US hits The Look, Listen To Your Heart, It Must Have Been Love and other big hits such as Dressed For Success and Dangerous.

Joyride was the album that was supposed to cement the unlikely successes of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. Which indeed it did. The album not only became Roxette’s bestseller, the title track zoomed all the way up to the top of the US charts on 1st May 1991 – giving Roxette their fourth US No.1. Thus, the group set a record that no Scandinavian group or artist has managed to surpass.

Massive box with unique material

The Joyride anniversary is celebrated with a vinyl box consisting of 4 LPs and a 3-CD box, which in addition to the original edition contains lots of unreleased or hard-to-get material that paints a larger picture of a piece of Swedish music history: demos, alternative versions and leftovers.

In addition, a richly illustrated 32-page booklet is included, which in text and with unique images from Roxette’s archive tells the story of how a classic Swedish pop album came to be.

Twelve previously unreleased songs

Twelve of the songs are previously unreleased, including the first recording of Hotblooded, which for a while was intended as the album’s opening song before Joyride pushed it to second place. Interestingly enough, there are also two Gyllene Tider songs here, which in January 1990 were candidates to end up on the upcoming Roxette record.

Per Gessle remembers:

It’s about “Run Run Run” and “Another Place, Another Time”, which Gyllene released on our English album “The Heartland Café” in 1984. And when I was looking for material for the new album in the autumn of 1989, I got hooked on these two. We made new and more “Roxified” demo versions of them – and especially, “Run Run Run” I think could have been a very strong one.

However, the recordings were shelved – in the Rox HQ there was a small but strong taboo against Roxette and Gyllene Tider being mixed together, so therefore they have been collecting dust in the archive. Until now.

Candy for all Roxette fans

Other 1990 demos that can now be heard for the first time are Small Talk, Church Of Your Heart, Physical Fascination, Things Will Never Be The Same, I Remember You and especially the upcoming single B-side The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye – one of the strongest songs that never managed to take a place on the album, later a big favourite among many Roxette fans and recorded by several other artists, including American singer Laura Branigan.

Sweet Thing is also one of many candidates which never managed to elbow its way onto the Joyride album, but which now sees the light of day for the first time.

In addition to the LP box with four vinyl albums, the original album is also released for the first time with a gatefold cover and pressed in marbled or black vinyl.

Joyride 30th Anniversary Edition tracklists

4LP box

LP #1 

A
1 Joyride
2 Hotblooded
3 Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave)
4 Knockin’ On Every Door
5 Spending My Time
6 Watercolours In The Rain

B
1 The Big L.
2 (Do You Get) Excited?
3 Small Talk
4 Physical Fascination
5 Things Will Never Be The Same
6 Perfect Day

LP #2 

A
1 Soul Deep
2 I Remember You
3 Church Of Your Heart
4 The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye
5 Fading Like A Flower (US single version, Humberto Gatica mix)*

B
1 Joyride (US single version, Brian Malouf mix)
2 Soul Deep (Tom Lord-Alge mix)
3 Church Of Your Heart (US adult contemporary mix)*
4 Hotblooded (Live Sydney Dec 1991)
5 Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave) (Live Sydney Dec 1991)

LP #3 

A
1 Joyride (T&A Demo – May 23, 1990)
2 Hotblooded (T&A Demo – Jan 23, 1990)*
3 Fading Like A Flower (T&A Demo – Aug 31, 1990)
4 Knockin’ On Every Door (T&A Demo – Aug 15, 1989)
5 Spending My Time (T&A Demo – May 24, 1990)
6 I Remember You (T&A Demo – Apr 1, 1990)
7 Watercolours In The Rain (T&A Demo – Jan 24, 1990)

B
1 The Big L. (T&A Demo – Apr 1, 1990)
2 (Do You Get) Excited? (T&A Demo – Aug 19, 1989)
3 Small Talk (T&A Demo – aug 30, 1990)*
4 Church Of Your Heart (T&A Demo – Jan 8, 1990) *
5 Physical Fascination (T&A Demo – Jan 3, 1990)*
6 Things Will Never Be The Same (T&A Demo – Jun 17, 1989)
7 Perfect Day (T&A Demo – Aug 23, 1990)

LP #4 

A
1 Sweet Thing (T&A Demo – Oct 28, 1990)*
2 Seduce Me (T&A Demo – Aug 22, 1990)
3 Run Run Run (T&A Demo – Jan 10, 1990)*
4 Things Will Never Be The Same (T&A Demo – Sep 17, 1989)*
5 Love Spins (T&A Demo – Jan 3, 1990)
6 Come Back (Before You Leave) (T&A Demo – Apr 8, 1990)
7 The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye (T&A Demo – Mar 16, 1990)*

B
1 Hotblooded (T&A Demo – Dec 13, 1990)
2 Things Will Never Be The Same (T&A Demo – Dec 13, 1990)
3 Another Place, Another Time (T&A Demo – Jan 11, 1990)*
4 I Remember You (T&A Demo – Mar 15, 1990)*
5 Queen Of Rain (T&A Demo – Jan 2, 1990
6 The Big L. (T&A Demo – Mar 29, 1990)
7 Joyrider (T&A Demo – May 22, 1990)

*Previously unreleased

CD and Digtial tracklists

CD1

  1. Joyride
  2. Hotblooded
  3. Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave)
  4. Knockin’ On Every Door
  5. Spending My Time
  6. I Remember You
  7. Watercolours In The Rain
  8. The Big L.
  9. Soul Deep
  10. (Do You Get) Excited?
  11. Church Of Your Heart
  12. Small Talk
  13. Physical Fascination
  14. Things Will Never Be The Same
  15. Perfect Day
  16. The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye
  17. Joyride (US Single version, Brian Malouf mix)
  18. Fading Like A Flower (US Single version, Humberto Gatica mix)*
  19. Soul Deep (Tom Lord-Alge mix)
  20. Church Of Your Heart (US adult contemporary mix)*

CD2

  1. Joyride (T&A Demo – May 23, 1990)
  2. Hotblooded (T&A Demo – Jan 23, 1990)*
  3. Fading Like A Flower (T&A Demo – Aug 31, 1990)
  4. Knockin’ On Every Door (T&A Demo – Aug 15, 1989)
  5. Spending My Time (T&A Demo – May 24, 1990)
  6. I Remember You (T&A Demo – Apr 1, 1990)
  7. Watercolours In The Rain (T&A Demo – Jan 24, 1990)
  8. The Big L. (T&A Demo – Apr 1, 1990)
  9. (Do You Get) Excited? (T&A Demo – Aug 19, 1989)
  10. Small Talk (T&A Demo – Aug 30, 1990)*
  11. Church Of Your Heart (T&A Demo – Jan 8, 1990) *
  12. Physical Fascination (T&A Demo – Jan 3, 1990)*
  13. Things Will Never Be The Same (T&A Demo – Jun 17, 1989)
  14. Perfect Day (T&A Demo – Aug 23, 1990)

CD3

  1. Sweet Thing (T&A Demo – Oct 28, 1990)*
  2. Seduce Me (T&A Demo – Aug 22, 1990)
  3. Run Run Run (T&A Demo – Jan 10, 1990)*
  4. Things Will Never Be The Same (T&A Demo – Sep 17, 1989)*
  5. Love Spins (T&A Demo – Jan 3, 1990)
  6. Come Back (Before You Leave) (T&A Demo – Apr 8, 1990)
  7. The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye (T&A Demo – Mar 16, 1990)*
  8. Hotblooded (T&A Demo – Dec 13, 1990)
  9. Things Will Never Be The Same (T&A Demo – Dec 13, 1990)
  10. Another Place, Another Time (T&A Demo – Jan 11, 1990)*
  11. I Remember You (T&A Demo – Mar 15, 1990)*
  12. Queen Of Rain (T&A Demo – Jan 2, 1990
  13. The Big L. (T&A Demo – Mar 29, 1990)
  14. Joyrider (T&A Demo – May 22, 1990)
  15. Hotblooded (Live Sydney Dec 1991)
  16. Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave) (Live Sydney Dec 1991)

*Previously unreleased

Listening links to the Small Talk single (released on 8th October): Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube (1; 2), Deezer.

Per says:

The “Small Talk”-demo was made by MP and me at the old Tits&Ass Studio on August 30, 1990. It was written two days earlier. “Hotblooded” was recorded by Marie, MP and me the day after Marie and I wrote it in my tiny penthouse apartment in Halmstad in January 1990.

You can already pre-order all the Joyride 30th anniversary goodies that will be released on 26th November (black vinyl, marbled vinyl, 4LP box, 3CD set) on Bengans, Ginza and other well-known places, as well as in your local record stores / online record shops.

Click for the PRESS RELEASE in Swedish.

Promo video can be found HERE!

 

PG Roxette covers Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”

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Per Gessle – together with Helena Josefsson, Dea Norberg, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist and Jonas Isacsson, under the banner “PG Roxette” – is among those 53 artists who have covered their favourite songs from The Black Album of Metallica, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. From the 12 tracks of the album Per didn’t hesitate when asked which one he wanted to interpret – he picked Nothing Else Matters.

The Metallica Blacklist is now released digitally and will be out on 7 LPs / 4 CDs as well on 1st October. All profits will be donated to charities of each contributing artist’s choice along with Metallica’s own foundation, All Within My Hands.

In June, when PG shared the news he said:

I’m thrilled to participate in the “Metallica Blacklist” project. Picking a song to record from their classic “Black Album” was pretty easy for me. “Nothing Else Matters” has always been a favourite of mine. Wow, it’s such a great track!

Under the banner ”PG Roxette” I joined forces with long-time Roxers Clarence Öfwerman + Jonas Isacsson + Christoffer Lundquist + Magnus Börjeson together with Helena Josefsson + Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band of the past.

My ambition was to treat the song with respect while transforming it to a style of my own. I’m very pleased and proud with the outcome.

All proceeds from the recording will go to Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and to UNHCR, a charity I chose together with Marie Fredriksson’s family.

Upon the release he adds:

I remember hearing Nothing Else Matters all the time on the radio in the early 90’s when Marie and I travelled the world constantly. We always joked about that it actually could have been an amazing Roxette ballad, hahaha!

We both loved it very much. So what I’ve tried to create now is to make it sound like a classic Roxette song.

I’m extremely proud to be part of this Blacklist-project that connects artists and bands from all over the world for good causes. Thank you Metallica.

Watch a short video of the recordings HERE!

You will find PG Roxette’s interpretation of Nothing Else Matters on Disc 4 on streaming sites.

Listen here at the song’s direct links: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube!

Credits
Produced by Magnus Börjeson + Clarence Öfwerman + Christoffer Lundquist + Per Gessle
Recorded at Farozon, Malmö + Sweetspot Studios, Halmstad + Aerosol Grey Machine, Vallarum, Sweden in January 2021
Engineers: Magnus Börjeson (Farozon) + Staffan Karlsson (Sweetspot) + Christoffer Lundquist (Aerosol Grey Machine)
Mixed by Ronny Lahti at The Lahti Headquarters, Stockholm, Sweden
Played by:
Magnus Börjeson: Programming + keyboards
Clarence Öfwerman: Programming + keyboards
Christoffer Lundquist: Ondes Martenot + keyboards + electric guitar
Jonas Isacsson: Lead electric guitar
Helena Josefsson: Vocals
Dea Norberg: Vocals
Per Gessle: Vocals

 
Metallica photo by Patrícia Peres, WorldWired Tour 2018, Budapest. PG still is from the official trailer.

What you’ll find on Spotify as the artist details of PG Roxette:

Per Gessle is one of Scandinavia’s most successful artists and songwriters of all time. With a gift for catchy hooks, both musically and lyrically, he has composed chart-topping pop hits for more than four decades. Starting his career in 1978 as the songwriter and lead vocalist in Swedish early 80´s pop phenomenon Gyllene Tider, he and singer Marie Fredriksson teamed up in Roxette with the humble aim to conquer the pop world. Which they did like no other Scandinavian act. Breaking big all over the world in 1989, they would score four US Billboard Hot 100 Number One’s – “The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “It Must Have Been Love”, and “Joyride”.

When Marie Fredriksson sadly lost her long battle to cancer in 2019, the Roxette saga seemed to be over. But the songs were still here, there and everywhere. And so were the fans. A new chapter had to be written. Which it is. And it’s called PG Roxette.

Per Gessle is determined to keep the Roxette legacy alive. Always being the main songwriter and driving force in the band he continues to work both in the studio and on the road. For this project Per has joined forces with long-time Roxette collaborators Clarence Öfwerman, Jonas Isacsson, Christoffer Lundquist and Magnus Börjeson together with the amazing vocalists Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band.


PG Roxette “Nothing Else Matters” header pic is from Spotify.

Update on 17th September 2021: a music video has been published and some more info from Per.

Wanna know how NOTHING ELSE MATTERS came about in the studio? Here’s the story.
I’ve always thought NEM was a beautiful song. It’s got strong melodies, pretty straightforward but smart chord progressions, a lyric you can interpret in many different ways. It’s epic. If I should cover it I would love it to sound like a classic Roxette ballad! Shorten it a bit + create a magnetic intro.
We noticed at the Marie Tribute in Gothenburg 2020 how amazing Dea + Helena sound when they sing together. They sang FADING LIKE A FLOWER at the concert and we were all blown away.
So the basic idea for the vocals on PG Roxette’s take on NEM was to use that particular sound you get when you mix two very different voices and blend them. That’s what we did in the verses and in the outro. Dea + Helena share the duties. The choruses were mine to sing. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to work with three distinctive voices in one song. It certainly appeals to my restless mind!
The programming was done primarily by Magnus + Clarence, then Christoffer came aboard and did some overdubs. His recent baby, an Ondes Martenot from 1928 came in handy. Jonas did his guitar parts in Stockholm and he sounded like he always does; out of this world.
It was an amazing journey from start to finish. Ronny Lahti, who worked many times on Roxette albums in the past, did some extraordinary mixes. He’s another master.
And hey, here’s some footage from the recording sessions filmed by Anders Roos.
Badabam from P.

Making Something Out Of Nothing – Per Gessle gets into classical music

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As SVT informs, world star Per Gessle continues to break new musical grounds. In recent years he has made electronic music, country and recorded a Metallica cover. Now he steps up on the classic stage.

He says:

It’s like being in a toy store. There were a lot of instruments that I didn’t even know existed.

On 1st September, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Joachim Gustafsson and singer Emmi Christensson recorded the piece, Making Something Out Of Nothing, written by composer Tommie Haglund with lyrics by Per Gessle in Stockholm Concert Hall.

The authors come from widely differing musical worlds, but are both Halmstad residents and ran into each other at the confectionery Regnbågen down in the city center.

Tommie says:

We started talking to each other. Later I would have a festival with my music in Stockholm and asked Per if he wanted to come and listen. He did and I was very happy that he came. The idea arose: “what if you were to do something together”.

After Gyllene Tider and Roxette, Per Gessle has increasingly made himself known as a musical chameleon. This autumn he will go on an acoustic tour with old hits, but he has also had time for electronic music with the Daft Punk-scented side project Mono Mind, a solo album with country musicians in Nashville and a cover of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.

For the moment, it is therefore classic that applies.

Per says:

I try to do things that feel fun and challenging. Otherwise I get bored.

He enthusiastically talks about the Metallica collaboration, which will celebrate that this autumn it is 30 years since the group released their self-titled album Metallica.

Per tells:

Under the name PG Roxette, I have collected the old Roxette band and done a cover of ”Nothing Else Matters”. It sounds like an old Roxette ballad all of a sudden. I’m very proud to have been asked by them.

The text for Tommie Haglund’s Making Something Out Of Nothing was picked up by Per Gessle from the drawer and filed.

Per tells:

It was actually written for the last Roxette album, ”Good Karma” many years ago. I wrote my own music for the lyrics, but never really liked my own music, so when Tommie asked about lyrics, I already had one that I like a lot.

In addition to the premiere in Sweden next spring, the plan is for the piece to be exported to Colombia. The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, with Swedish Joachim Gustafsson as the new chief conductor, will perform it at home in March 2022. As an extra spice, Per Gessle’s lyrics will be translated into Spanish and probably sung by Colombian superstar Shakira.

Tommie tells:

It’s the orchestra’s suggestion. It would be fun if she manages to sing it.

In SVT’s video – where you can hear a snippet of the piece – Per tells:

For me, it’s pretty much about understanding oneself, if one has to describe it briefly. It’s a quite tough lyric. It questions a lot.

Stills are from SVT’s video report.

Per Gessle and Co. on The Metallica Blacklist

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As Per Gessle informs, together with Dea Norberg, Helena Josefsson, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist and Jonas Isacsson he is among those 53 artists who are covering their favourite songs from The Black Album of Metallica, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. 12 songs in several interpretations will be released on 7 LPs / 4 CDs under The Metallica Blacklist project. Per & Co. covered the legendary Metallica ballad, Nothing Else Matters.

All profits go to charity. Release date is 10th September 2021.

Pre-save links are available HERE.

 

Per says:

I’m thrilled to participate in the “Metallica Blacklist” project. Picking a song to record from their classic “Black Album” was pretty easy for me. “Nothing Else Matters” has always been a favourite of mine. Wow, it’s such a great track!

Under the banner ”PG Roxette” I joined forces with long-time Roxers Clarence Öfwerman + Jonas Isacsson + Christoffer Lundquist + Magnus Börjeson together with Helena Josefsson + Dea Norberg, both closely linked to the Roxette touring band of the past.

My ambition was to treat the song with respect while transforming it to a style of my own. I’m very pleased and proud with the outcome.

All proceeds from the recording will go to Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and to UNHCR, a charity I chose together with Marie Fredriksson’s family.

 

Stills are from the official trailer.