Evabritt Strandberg, Fillie Lykow & Jan-Olof Strandberg - "En Sång, Ett Vapen" (1965)

In Sweden, Evabritt Strandberg is probably more famous as an actress, but she has also performed a lot as a singer, and in 1995 she received the Cornelis Vreeswijk scholarship, which is a pretty big thing. En Sång, Ett Vapen (A Song, A Weapon) was her debut album. I have no clue regarding who her fellow musician are. I'm pretty sure this was another album I saved from my parents' collection when they were about to get rid of it.

The record sleeve doesn't contain much information, except the song titles and that the price was 9.75 Swedish kronor (a little more than $1). On some pics I've seen online, there has been a text sheet with the album, where there is probably more information about the album and its content. It's a lack of facts shared online on this LP, so my knowledge is very limited. At least we know the year was 1965 and Franco had the power in Spain, which the whole record is a big protest against. Each song is about Spain and the political situation there, and between each song, either Evabritt (I suppose) or one of the male musicians read a text on the subject. It can be some kind of story, sometimes almost poetry / prose. In a way it's interesting, since it's a relatively unusual layout on a record, today.

What do you know, the price had gone up here!

The music is quite simple, it's songs accompanied by a sole guitar, sometimes there is a trumpet and some kind of percussion, and somewhere a flute is heard. The tempo is calm, as it usually is in trubadur songs. But this is not a record in my taste from a musical point of view. Pretty boring songs and a primitive sound. It's been a long time since Franco disappeared from the earth, so that specific battle is over, but as a time capsule the record may be a little interesting. The fact that fascism is still around today, perhaps not exactly in the form that Franco represented, is of course another question. Maybe new protest albums would be needed today on the subject, with groovier songs and a better sound, I hope.

Since I primarily listen to music for musical enjoyment, this is not an album I will play in the future, nor can I recommend it with a good conscience. Sure, the message and the fight are noble, but I get pretty bored by the music and the texts that are read. And that lots of songs are repeated on the record doesn't make things better.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Natten Är Svart
2 Den Svarta Tuppen
3 Blommorna I Madrid
4 Frihet
5 Jag
6 Mordet I Katedralen
7 Ur Akrobat I Luften
8 Vaggvisa
9 Ur Om Jag Skall Vara Uppriktig

Side B
1 Sången Om Julian Grimau
2 Bokslut
3 Natten Är Svart
4 Den Svarta Tuppen
5 Blommorna I Madrid
6 Mordet I Katedralen
7 Vaggvisa
8 Sången Om Julian Grimau