Bo Hansson - "Magician's Hat" (1973)

This was Bo Hansson's second solo album, and in Sweden it was released in 1972 as Ur Trollkarlens Hatt. But as I found it here in Montreal, I've got the North American version in the collection, and in the rest of the world it was released one year later. Hansson's solo debut is more famous, Lord of the Rings, but this one is also good.

Magician's Hat is somewhat more accessible than its predecessor, as Hansson has moved a little closer to the musical midfield, although it's still very far from the top of the pops. I appreciate that the gloomy, neurotic mood that rules the Lord of the Rings is not found here. You will not feel uncomfortable and uneasy by listening to Magician's Hat. On the other hand, his first album is more unique, it's hard to find something similar, while the music of his second release is to some extent similar to some other contemporary music, mainly from the progressive and jazz fusion genre.

On a few songs, some choir is heard, otherwise it's instrumental. Of course, there's a lot of organ and synthesizer, as that's Hansson's main instruments, but also flute, guitar and saxophone are given a lot of space. Perhaps a bit more unfocused than its forerunner, but it never floats out in long jams without goal or meaning. Part of this more unfocused atmosphere might be explained by a lots of songs are rather short, which makes the music jump more from point to point. To me it's a fun record to jam along with, with my flute, as the music gives a lot of space for freedom and your own creativity.

So, if you like instrumental, progressive music with some jazz influences, Magician's Hat might be something to look into. It's a somewhat druggy atmosphere and I guess many bongs have been smoked while the record has been spinning on the turntable. Not a simple and instantly accessible album, but I still choose it before Lord of the Rings, since it is a bit less challenging in its form.


Tracklist

Side A
1. "The City" - 7:20
2. "Divided Reality" - 6:17
3. "Elidor" - 1:34
4. "Before the Rain" - 1:31
5. "County" - 1:50
6. "Playing Downhill into the Downs" - 1:39

Side B
1. "Findhorn's Song" - 1:43
2. "Awakening" - 2:43
3. "Wandering Song" - 3:13
4. "The Sun (Parallel or 90 °)" - 7:07
5. "Excursion with Complications" - 3:23

Bo Hansson – ”Music inspired by Lord of the Rings” (1970/1972)

When I as a child and teenager looked through my parents' vinyl collection, it could be difficult to find something that would interest me. But every now and then I encountered a surprise. This album was one of those. I don’t really know why my mom or dad bought this album because it’s not what they would normally listen to, maybe it was a gift, but it gave me an experience of music that was very different from what I had previously heard.

Bo Hansson was in the late 60s half of the Swedish duo Hansson & Karlsson, where Karlsson was the drummer Janne "Loffe" Karlsson. They recorded several CDs together and their yet unreleased jams with Jimi Hendrix have a mythical status. The duo dissolved in 1969, and Bo Hansson began a solo career.

Inspired by Tolkien's books, especially the Ring trilogy, Bo borrowed a friend’s apartment and began recording demos for what would become Music Inspired By ... When his friend after some time returned, he discovered he had been evicted from the apartment due to numerous complaints by the neighbours concerning noise from the apartment. As studio time was far too expensive Bo went out to a cabin in the Stockholm archipelago. There he continued the recordings along with drummer Rune Carlsson and producer Anders Linder, who had just started the record label Silence Records. They used a four-channel tape recorder but Anders was able to borrow the only eight-channel tape recorder at that time in Sweden (at the Swedish Radio) by claiming that he was thinking of buying one and wanted to test it. He also persuaded a couple of session musicians at the Swedish Radio to contribute to the recordings.

The final recordings were made in 1970 at Studio Decibel, and that year the album was released in Sweden. It had a different cover than the one you see above, my parents had this original version (but now it’s either at my or my brother’s place).

In Sweden the LP got the name Sagan Om Ringen which is the Swedish name of the Tolkien trilogy (which translates to The Tale of the Ring). The album got Tony Stratton-Smith's attention, the owner of the English record company Famous Charisma, and he released the LP internationally 1972. It then got a new cover and the name of the album was also changed as Tolkien and his publisher didn’t allow the album to have the same name as the book, hence the addition Music Inspired By ... In addition, they said no to Bo's desire to have vocals in some songs.

The music on the album is hard to define, it has a sound of the early 70's and personally I get a vibe of early Pink Floyd. This is because I hear some similarities with Richard Wright’s keyboard playing and Nick Mason’s drumming. However, it should be clarified that the music is still relatively far from Pink Floyd's creations.

The album is instrumental and has a really unique sound, but when I as a child and teenager listened to it I had a hard time with it. The complaining guitar, the organ, the drums, the Moog synth creates a desolate world. Maybe it's Mordor I see before me? A fairy-tale world of misty moors, dark mountains and a gray sky. I was always a little uneasy when the LP spun on the turntable.
Today I feel better about the record even if some feelings from my childhood remain. I don’t know if Bo had any thoughts about what feelings the music would provoke, but to me it’s still a relatively dark and mysterious album. It does not make me light hearted and easy-tempered, so to speak. At the same time I’m impressed by the music and I believe it must have been a great time in our history when music like this could get a lot of air time on the radio.

The album has a solid position in the music history, both nationally and internationally, and is considered to be a milestone in the progressive genre.

Finally, I may add that this album was supposed to be Silence Records first release but Gudibrallan got there first with the album Ut I Vår Hage. Bo Hansson passed away in 2010 after a life largely lived in anonymity.

 

Tracklist

Side A

1. "Leaving Shire" – 3:28

2. "The Old Forest & Tom Bombadil" – 3:43

3. "Fog on the Barrow-Downs" – 2:29

4. "The Black Riders & Flight to the Ford" – 4:07

5. "At the House of Elrond & the Ring Goes South" – 4:40

Side B

1. "A Journey in the Dark" – 1:10

2. "Lothlórien" – 4:01

3. "Shadowfax" – 0:51

4. "The Horns of Rohan & the Battle of the Pelennor Fields" – 3:57

5. "Dreams in the House of Healing" – 1:56

6. "Homeward Bound & the Scouring of the Shire" – 2:54

7. "The Grey Havens" – 4:57