Tracklist of The Per Gessle Archives Volume 1 revealed

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)

2 books written by Per Gessle to be published in autumn

PG_SydsvenskanWe could already read about it in the press release of The Per Gessle Archives – A Lifetime Of Songwriting that there will also be two books related to the project. Now Sydsvenskan informs that both books will be quite fat.

One will be in Swedish, containing approximately 150 of Per Gessle’s Swedish songs with Gyllene Tider and from his solo career. This book is said to be 300 pages long and will probably have the title:Texter, klotter och funderingar”.

The other will be in English and is about the English songs, mainly from Roxette. Its title will probably be:Songs, Sketches and Reflections” and will be approximately 400 pages long.

There are books about Per, but now these two books are written by himself. He gathers his notes and thoughts on songwriting over the years. The books will be richly illustrated with Per’s notes and sketches, as well as with private and so far unpublished photos. Even the lyrics will be featured, some printed and some in the form of original notes Per had taken. As we know, Per is always doing sketches, drawing and takes many notes while writing songs. Now all these will be in the books next to his thoughts and stories related to the lyrics. How exciting is that!

And if it’s not enough, each book will contain an interview with Mr Gessle about songwriting. In the Swedish version it’s Tomas Andersson Wij who does the interview, in the English version it’s Sven Lindström.

The publisher of the books is Roos & Tegnér, the same company that published the fabulous book Alla tiders Gyllene Tider” last year. So, we can be sure that these two books will be of very high quality not just in terms of content, but also in their appearance.

According to the article, both books will be launched at the Gothenburg Book Fair during the last weekend of September 2014. It’s not yet known if Per will be there at the book fair, but looking back at the past book launches related to him – last time in 2013, one month after Sven’s Roxette – Den osannolika resan tur och retur” was published –, it’s quite predictable he’s going to be there.

September is going to be a fantastic month this year, isn’t it?

P.S.: The box-set “The Per Gessle Archives – A Lifetime Of Songwriting” is out on 24th September and as Per informed yesterday, the first two volumes are available digitally on Spotify in May. Vol. 1: 16th May, Vol. 2: 23rd May. This includes “The Conversations” (open hearted comments on each and every track = PG interviewed in English by Sven Lindström).

P.S. #2: Until September you can go and read Per’s thoughts about his songs here, on RXB. This is the collection of Mr G’s thoughts and info on demos, songs, videos, etc. he shares on Roxette Official.

 

Update: info from Per about the books:

P G B O O K S U P D A T E :

2014 is the Annus Mirabilis Overdose Year!
Two books on steroids will be released in September 2014.

1. 204 English lyrics + drawings + sketches + comments on most of the songs by me + excerpts from my studio-diaries + private pics + long interview (Sven L) about songwriting etc. This book is in English.
2. 153 Swedish lyrics + drawings + sketches + comments on most of the songs by me + excerpts from my studio-diaries + private pics + two long interviews about songwriting (different journalists…) etc. This book is in Swedish.

Both are, as expected, totally humour-free and will be available as two different items but together they will make a happy marriage. Especially with The PG Archives-box on your lap. /P.

 

 

The Per Gessle Archives – limited edition single is out!

KIMB_LC_Per_GessleI’m not sure how many of you could get hold of Per’s limited edition vinyl (500 copies) yesterday, on Record Store Day in Sweden. There was some info from here and there that the single has never reached some record stores. Most probably, it was not sent to all of them in Sweden, so online ordering seems to be the most secure way to get your copy. CDON and Ginza had it for some days online, but I think they sold the number of copies they had very fast, so they took the item off their websites already. Bengans announced it will be available at them (the remaining copies after Record Store Day) at 3 pm CET on 28th April. Be fast with your order on Monday, because it will work like first come, first served.

Now getting down to the songs. Kvar i min bil (AGM, 28th April 2007), an outtake from En händig man album (as Anders Nunstedt mentions), ending up in Tomas Alfredson’s film, “Låt den rätte komma in” (= “Let the Right One In”) we could already hear earlier in the movie, as well as e.g. on YouTube and the lyrics to it were already available. I love the fact that now this great 60’s party song is released.

Loud Clothes, which was written for Have A Nice Day in 1998 is the B side of the single. To me it’s no surprise it was left off the album. Somehow it really doesn’t fit the HAND tunes. One falls in love with this song (T&A Demo, 30th August, 2002) in a second. How fabulous Gessleish lyrics again! I’m always amazed at Mr G’s songwriting skills. How can one come up with such words and lines? Ringa-linga rama-lama joy. Haha. My favourite! Sounds too cool! The whole song might remind you of Substitute (For the Real Deal). At least this melody came to our minds when listening to it. Instead of faded and fading clothes we get loud clothes. Here you have the lyrics to the demo:

 

Loud Clothes
Words & music by Per Gessle

She puts on loud clothes
She looks like a ringa-linga rama-lama joy
She puts on loud clothes
She talks when she walks blowing kisses through the noise
She puts on loud clothes
She looks like you wanna put your fingers on her skin
You can’t stop lookin’
She moves through the common people pulling every string

She really knocks you out
She really blocks your mind
It feels like you knew her
From somewhere back in time

She brings silence
Her lips never mention what you really wanna hear
She brings silence
You can’t find the words when you’re dying to get near her

She really knocks you out
She really blows your mind
It feels like you knew her
From somewhere back in time

To be here makes sense to be
To be here makes sense to me
She’s got loud clothes

 

After listening to these 2 songs, you are just longing for hearing more. As it was announced, the first 2 volumes of the total of 11 vol. of The Per Gessle Archives will be available on Spotify in May, but to hear all the almost 200 songs (172 to be more precise) we have to wait until 24th September 2014, when the complete box-set is released in form of CD and vinyl. Bring on September!

 

Another surprise for Record Store Day

As Per posted about it on Roxette Official some weeks ago, a surprise was coming for Record Store Day. When it was announced some days ago that a limited edition ”The Look” vinyl will be released on Record Store Day in Sweden, we thought that it’s a great surprise for us Roxers. But now it turns out that besides the beautiful, limited edition, 25th anniversary ”The Look” red vinyl (1000 copies) there is another surprise for this year’s RSD. We are spoiled and we love it! Per Gessle also releases a limited edition 7” vinyl called “The Per Gessle Archives”. So limited that only 500 copies will be available!

Finnish Record Shop X states that the limited edition PG vinyl is in their stores from 19th April (Record Store Day everywhere except Sweden…, where it is 26th April), but on CDON you can see it’s available from 26th April. Ginza states no date, Bengans hasn’t listed it yet.

KIMB_LC_Per_GessleThe vinyl is featuring 2 songs from a forthcoming box set:

Side A – Kvar i min bil
Per wrote this song for Tomas Alfredson’s film, “Låt den rätte komma in”(= “Let the Right One In”). It has never been released, but is loved by all Mr. G fans. Listen to the song here.

Side B – Loud Clothes
For a Roxette album Per writes about 25 songs and then selects those that fit. “Loud Clothes” was written for “Have A Nice Day” in 1998. An interesting thing is that in May 2010 a fan asked Per on Facebook what’s up with some of the never released songs listed under his name in the BMI repertoire and “Loud Clothes” was among them. Per replied LC is a pretty decent one. “I/We might use them some day.” Now he is using it. Yay!

So, who knows what else shows up on the box set! According to Ginza, the title of the box set is “The Per Gessle Archives” and will be released on 24th September 2014, but both pieces of information haven’t been confirmed yet. It’s not yet known whether it’s going to be a vinyl box set or it will be available in CD version, too. Fingers crossed for all fans who want to get hold of these limited edition goodies.

 Update by Judith: as one can see on the Finnish website, the single will be released by Cosmos Music Group, you may remember Per became co-owner and board member of the company about a year ago.