At age 15, Peter Moren formed the band Peter Björn And John. After a long struggle in the musical trenches, three albums, loads of gigs, and numerous stints at the university and various day jobs, Peter Bjorn And John finally met well-deserved success with their album, Writer’s Block. In his spare time, Moren recorded his new solo album, The Last Tycoon. The album is stripped down (Moren plays most of the instruments himself), and although there are certainly melodic pop songs, the album feeds more from a folk and singer-songwriter tradition than the eclecticism prevalent on Peter Björn And John’s recordings.
Björn Skifs / Det blir alltid värre framåt natten
This is the 1978 Swedish Eurovision song festival entry from Sweden. The lyric is really quite corny, but touching at the same time. It’s about this guy having an okay life, but missing his ex. Of course, it doesn’t translate that well to English, you miss the details. Björn Skifs is a really big name in Sweden still. He was the first Swede ever to top the American charts with Hooked On A Feeling. This is is a staple on the tour bus during my solo tours.
Jorge Ben / Taj Mahal
This is from his amazing Africa Brazil album and it’s a great song to DJ. I love the crazy Guika, it sounds like a horny monkey, and Ben uses it on almost all his songs. Rod Stewart nicked the melody for Do Ya Think I’m Sexy. Ben sued him, so now he gets the royalties!
Victor Misomba and Patrice Ilunga / Mama Josephina
This is the opening song on an amazing collection of field recordings from the 50s called Origins of Guitar Music in Southern Congo and Northern Zambia. It documents the period when they started to pick up the guitar in these territories. The percussion, besides the guitars, are often a bottle and a spoon. It’s a great sound! The rhythms and the finger-picking style can still be heard in today’s African pop music. I guess this way of playing really comes from the Likembes and Thumb Pianos.
Katzenjammers / Cars
I know nothing about this unit, but they sound great! This is their instrumental take on the famous Gary Numan hit, Cars. They only use different forms of steel drums and a drum kit. It’s such a swinging track. Another DJ must!
Richard Hell / Time
This is one of the best pop songs ever. It’s pretty perfect. I’ve covered this quite a few times. I love the whole record, which is really basic and straightforward. There’s no bullshit, and it has a great melody. It was apparently inspired by a Boerges poem.
Chicago / If You Leave Me Now
I’m not joking! This is a guilty pleasure, but I’m happy to give in to it. It’s so beautiful, especially the acoustic 12-strings. And it has a perfect melody. I’ve loved it since I was a kid. Funnily, my friends in the Shout Out Louds recently did a cover of it, which was a lot more indie, of course.
Powder / Flowers
This sixties garage band usually sounded exactly like the early energetic Who. There’s nothing wrong with that in my book. But this lovely flower-children folk-rock-lullaby has more in common with Love and Zombies, which happen to be two of my all-time favourite bands. Softly sublime.
Richard & Linda Thompson / Whitered & Died
This is on one of the best albums ever, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. It’s a really simple lilting song with a lyric and delivery from Linda which gently draws you in. It touches me every time. I really wanted to cover this, but then I read somewhere that Elvis Costello already had. I haven’t heard his version, but that made me not do it. Probably because when Peter Bjorn and John first started out, all the press in Sweden, said that I sounded exactly like Costello, which made me won’t to stop listen to him. I still do like him, though.
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