Samma skrot och korn

Per Gessle recorded demos of songs in Sweden ^[4] , and the album itself was already recorded at the La Fabrique studio in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in southern France ^[1] with the participation of all members of Gyllene Tider , as well as with Helena Youssefsson. The producer of the album is Christopher Lundqvist . French musicians and sound engineers also took part in the work on the record.

In an interview with Jens Peterson, correspondent for Scensommar magazine, an appendix to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet , Per Gessle and bassist Anders Herrlin told why this particular studio was chosen in France. Gessle saw on television a documentary about Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and he really liked the studio in which they played. After a short search, he found out that this studio is located in Saint-Remy-de-Provence , north of Marseille . In the fall of 2018, Anders Herrlin went there alone to check if the studio is suitable for recording a new album. The verification result was positive and in the spring of 2019 the group arrived in France already in full force. Gyllene Tider began work the same day that Morrissey left the studio. Gessle said that they even found his vegan cookbook in the guest toilet. ^[5]

Most of 2018, Per Gessle spent writing new songs for this album, including Skrot och korn, Henry har en plan på gång and Det kändes inte som maj. A total of 16 songs were recorded, 14 of which were included on the album - exactly as many as The Beatles usually included on their LPs. ^[one]

• Per Gessle - vocals, guitar
• Mike Andersson - drums
• Mats MP Persson - Guitar
• Anders Herrlin - Bass
• Goran Fritzon - keyboards
• Helena Yousefsson - backing vocals

1. Skrot och korn
2. Det kändes inte som maj
3. Jag drömde jag mötte Fluortanten
4. Någon att hålla i hand
5. Vid hennes sida
6. Aftonstjärna
7. Vanliga saker
8. Bjud till!
9. Låt denna trumslagarpojke sjunga!
10. Mannen med gitarr
11. Bara i en dröm
12. Henry har en plan på gång
13. Allt det andra
14. Final

1. Jag drömde jag mötte Fluortanten (May 10, 2019)

• “Någon att hålla i hand” is the second time in the band’s history that she writes a cover on her studio album. The band first recorded the song “Skicka ett vykort älskling” on their debut album. It was a cover of Shocking Blue's “Send Me A Postcard” hit. This time the song “Någon att hålla i hand” is a cover of the 1965 hit of the Swedish band Sven-Ingvars . ^[one]
• “Mannen med gitarr” was supposed to be on Gessle’s solo album “Mazarin” (2003), but there was no space left for her on the disc. A little later, the song was recorded by the Swedish singer Monia Sjöström on her album Söderns hjärtas ros (2000). The demo of the song dated November 20, 2002 performed by Gessle is available in the Per Gessle Archives box.

• Hokan Steen, a columnist for the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet , rates the album 3 out of 5. Steen calls Gyllene Tider “the largest [most important] Swedish hobby orchestra” and notes that the group still wants to seem like a Halmstad old - school pop group that played in public parks in the 1980s. The critic assurance team is still “genuinely popular among the people thanks to countless mega hits by Pehr Gessle” and, despite English or American influence, Gyllene Tider is still the Swedish band. Steen said that Steven calls the cover of the 1965 hit of the Swedish band Sven-Ingvars "Någon att hålla i hand" recorded on the album very suitable, including because the sound of the group is close to The Beatles and Tom Petty . The song “Henry har en plan på gång”, writes Steen, could well be borrowed from the Swedish band Torsson, “the undoubted masters of Swedish live rock.” The critic also notes that the general atmosphere of the album is “bittersweet” and all the songs sound like Gessle’s classic solo albums with the addition of arrangements of the Farfisa synthesizer and Mike Andersson’s vocals (for example, in the song “Låt denna trumslagarpojke sjunga!”). Steen also notes two strong ballads on the album: “Vid hennes sida” and “Bara i en dröm”, which in his opinion seemed to have been taken from Gessle’s last two country solo albums. ^[2]
• Göteborgs-Posten's Jan Andersson rates the disc 4 out of 5 and notes that “Sweden’s favorite pop group has released their best album in the last 35 years.” ^[6]
• Fredrik Antonsson, a columnist for the Nyhetbyrån portal, begins his review of the album by saying that “ Gyllene Tider songs with Per Gessle's recognizable voice have been a natural part of Sweden’s musical history for four decades.” Bearing in mind that this is the group’s final album, he notes that she “will finish at the peak, and the disc is confirmation that the group has retained its soul and has reached a respectable age with style and dignity.” Antonsson notes that since the beginning of his career, the band's sound has evolved from Noice to Depeche Mode and even later Kent , but today they are more faithful than ever. One of the best songs on the album, the critic calls the one where Mike Andersson sings, the second time in the entire musical history of the group. As a result, the album received the highest rating. ^[7]
• The Wermlands-Tidningen portal notes that "Gessle's ability to surprise in a limited way is simply amazing." The album, in the opinion of critic Per Wilker, "consists of a dozen identical and easily remembered pop lozenges, although you can hear the echo of the last two Gessle solo albums." The best song on the disc is called "Mannen med gitarr". ^[8]
• The newspaper Kristianstadsbladet writes that the songs on the album are "sometimes superbly gessian, and sometimes their texture is very awkward." An interesting performance of the cover of the Sven-Ingvars hit is noted: when the organ is replaced with the Farfisa synthesizer; and the choice of the song was not accidental, as the groups collaborated in the past, for example, Gessle wrote one of the group’s songs, “Högt i det blå”, which became a hit in the 1990s. One of the best songs on the album is called “Bjud till!”. Summing up, the publication notes that the album was a worthy end to the group's 40-year contribution to the history of Swedish pop music. ^[9]
• The reviewer of the Swedish tabloid “ Expressen ” Anders Nunsted in the review of the album recalls the story of Gyllene Tider, and also notes that the album is a logical end to the career of the band, who record music for only one reason - it’s a joy for musicians. He calls Gessle “an experienced blacksmith of pop songs” and admires the arrangements of the songs, but writes that “there is no more music left in this wonderful group of music.” Like many of his colleagues, Nunstead calls “Någon att hålla i hand” the best song on the album, the cover version of the Sven-Ingvars hit is “pretty charming” and also notes “Henry har en plan på gång” and “Aftonstjärna”. ^[10]
• The Gaffa edition in its review notes that Gessle's voice sounds like in the 1980s. A cover for the Sven-Ingvars song is again noted, and it is also noted that everything should be over soon (a hint at Gyllene Tider's hit “Det är over nu” - It ended ), but “nostalgia will be immortal”. Album rating: 3/6. ^[eleven]
• Värmlands Folkblad columnist Tobias Holmgren also believes that it really is time for the band to finish making music. He notes that “the Farfisa synthesizer, which is played by Goran Fritzon, will take its rightful place in the Swedish music museum somewhere between the modem and the telephone booth in 2067, because the group, in his opinion,“ did not create anything worthwhile after 1996 of the year". All that the album promises the viewer is “a harmless sequel to“ Här kommer alla känslorna ”- a particularly exciting song“ Vid hennes sida ”, as well as the first single from the album“ Jag drömde att jag mötte fluortanten “. Everything else is a tired bunch of poems by high school students inspiring like mosquito bites in July, ”concludes Holmgren. “Let it all be over now. Actually. ”Summarizes the critic. ^[12]

• Gyllene Tider Official Site