Week of December 18, 2005

Ragnarök

Personnel:
Peter Bryngelsson - bass, guitars
Peder Nabo - piano, flute, percussion
Dan Söderqvist - electric guitar
Kjell Karlgren - sax
Thomas Wigert – drums
Lars Peter Sörensson – drums
Stefan Ohlsson – drums, guitar
Staffan Strindberg – bass
Henrik Strindberg – guitar, flute, sax

Albums:
Ragnarök, 1976 Silence SRS 4633
Fjärilar I Magan, 1979 Silence SRS 4655
Three Signs, 1981 Silence SRS 4683
Fata Morgana, 1983 Silence SRS 4666

Ragnarök belong to the rich Swedish tradition of moody instrumental theme writers (ranging from Bo Hansson to Bjorn J:son Lindh). Their first album was a revelation of soft, jazzy, instrumental rock based on twin guitars, keyboards and sometimes flute. Tracks such as "Dagarnas Skum" perfectly depicted calm Nordic summer evenings - beautiful, yet cold.

Between the first two albums, Wigert and Bryngelsson played in the heavier rock-oriented group Kung Tung. Some of these influences were brought back to Ragnarök and expanded the musical range of “Fjärilar I Magan” (1979), another highly accomplished work (even better than their first effort) written for a theatre play. Their later LPs never surpassed this but maintained a good standard throughout.

Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries, by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-12-2


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