Visited the shop/museum of the Trangia brand in Trångsviken (Jämtland County) the other day. The actual factory is located close-by, but this is for people that want to check out some history and purchase some portable kitchen gear on sight. They also sell stuff cheap if it has a slight dent in it, I bought an entire set for half the price that was fully functional in the store from that particular shelf. This Swedish company was established in 1925 and they clearly belong at the top if you ask preppers and outdoor enthusiasts. I enjoyed the visit. Here is some snapshots.
From the pages of UK comic book Lion, we get this 242 page collection, “Karl The Viking – Volume 1, The Sword Of Eingar” (Rebellion, 2022). Originally published 60 years ago, it is a wonderful comic by artist Don Lawrence (later to find fame with The Trigan Empire series) and writer Ted Cowan. I really enjoyed this book. The second Volume will be out in January 2023. It is good to see that Rebellion is republishing classic comics from the old days. Other titles include The Trigan Empire, The Spider and The Steel Claw. Wonderful nostalgia.
They truly love Tex Willer in Norway. Now they have launched a new series in large format, 230 pages of never before published material. You could go broke collecting all this stuff.
Took this snapshot from my house an hour before midnight. Rain was coming in so it could have been even brighter. Right now the sun never sets where I live, although it is slowly getting darker again. The opposite is true during the winter, for a brief period. You can really experience the seasons change in these parts (Jämtland County, Sweden). I would not have it any other way.
Jon Lord´s solo album “Before I Forget” was released 40 years ago today, on June 28 1982. I was not aware of that exact date when I added the early 1983 interview with Lord to the blog a couple of days ago, and of course we did touch on this album in that chat. Very happy to see that quite a lot of people has visited the blog to read this interview. Too late today, but I will listen to this record tomorrow for sure.
(My shot of said album, as I hold it up in front of a 1975 Deep Purple poster)
Visited Rödöns Church (Jämtland County) yesterday to check it out. I had heard that two big guns from an old fortress at Frösön (Frösö skans) is located at this site and you can actually see them here as part of the very portal to the premises. Might look a bit odd but the old history of Sweden is a tale of never ending wars, and the church was for the longest time an important part of the state. We had “war priests” that served in the armed forces, an essential part of the propaganda of the day (as well as the spiritual comfort for the people that had to endure life in foreign wars). This site goes back 900 years, right back to medieval times. In 1811 the church had undergone a major facelift, but visitors can still see traces of older parts within the building even today. In 1923, there was a big fire and it took a few years to rebuild and restore the church to what we have now. There is an awful lot of history within the walls of old churches, and they are quite beautiful.
(My shots from said visit – thank you for your company Seth)
Here is a couple of new releases. Neon Rose was a Swedish band that existed between 1970 and 1975, so they were the pioneers of riff based rock in these parts. The 1974 album “A Dream Of Glory And Pride” has just been re-issued on the Wild Kingdom label, both on CD and Vinyl. They had some good tunes and I have always liked that band logo. Check them out. And from the States we have Ted Nugent that has just released his new album “Detroit Muscle”. Still going strong at 73.
I actually thought that I had added this interview to this blog years ago, but I was wrong. You can find chats from 1981 and 1984 in the archives though (see dates below). For this, I have to go back to an article I had in print in Jämtland County (Sweden) back in the day, in a newspaper called ÖP. I have decided to translate the article itself for this blog post. My good friend photographer Michael Johansson took the pictures that day (January 14 1983), both at the hotel in Stockholm and live later that night. It was his first meeting (of many) with Jon Lord. Enjoy.
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ÖP MET JON LORD: “I ENJOY LIFE MORE NOW THAN WITH DEEP PURPLE”
I am not quite sure how to describe Jon Lord to do him justice. Perhaps the best way is a quote that I got from Ian Gillan last year, when he said “Jon Lord is one of the last true gentlemen”. I have now met him twice and on both occasions I have witnessed an incredibly gracious personality. He is more than happy to sign records that fans bring along, even if it is 20 of them, and when he speaks he underlines his words with gestures. This is quite admirable if you look at his career.
The Super Group
In 1968, he teamed up with Ritchie Blackmore (now the leader of Rainbow) among others, and formed what would become the super group Deep Purple. Countless Gold and Platinum records later the band disbanded in 1976, but there are still records coming out (like “Live In London” from 1974) that is selling well. But it is with the group Whitesnake that he is now travelling the world, and although they have a handful of albums out by now he can never avoid the question on whether Deep Purple will come back or not some day.
– “I have not been asked. If Deep Purple were ever to return, we would have to be the best band in the world, not the second best. I am pretty happy in Whitesnake and I do not want to wallow in nostalgia. I do not want to play “Smoke On The Water” again, that is all history now. I also feel that Whitesnake is tighter and way more demanding than Purple ever was. Cozy Powell says that Whitesnake is the most demanding band he has ever worked with, and he can compare with Rainbow and other groups that he has been part of”.
A Little Strange
About Cozy Powell now being the drummer in Whitesnake. How does it feel not to have Ian Paice by your side anymore?
– “Ian Paice and I have worked together on and off for almost 14 years, ever since the early days of Purple, so it is true that it is a little strange not to have him in the band now. On the other hand, I always knew what he would play the next second, so it can feel fresh to have Cozy there instead from that point of view. It has been very difficult for Cozy to replace Ian, because he feels that he is not as good. That is a complex that we are trying to help him with and it should be pointed out that he is a fine drummer in his own right”.
On your latest solo album, “Before I Forget”, there is a song called “Bach On To This” that is unbelievably well executed, with tempo changes and performances that are out of this world. Would that song even work to play live?
The Old Man Can Still Cut It
– “It would be very difficult, even if I could, knowing how much it requires of all the musicians, not least from the perspective of the drummer and the guitar player. “Before I Forget” is my creation, 100%, I wanted to show everybody that there is still life in this old man. Overall, it is a relaxed album, with lyrics straight from my heart. Some for my wife whom I love more that words can say. “Bach On To This” was the song that I could take to the next level, the more demanding side”.
What are the plans for Whitesnake in the next year?
– “We will head back into the studio in March/April for the next album, and even I have a couple of ideas for that one. Before that, we conclude this tour with shows in Japan, we have already sold 36,000 tickets in Tokyo”.
Europe Again
– “In the fall we will be back in Europe again, and I think that Sweden is included in those plans. We have just bought the most expensive sound equipment that you can find on the market, so we are very keen to perform to as many people as we can. Right now we are warming up after the changes in the line-up, when we come back again we will be better than ever. We will also bring a film crew with us for some dates”.
We shake hands and exchange best wishes and within minutes Jon is on his way to the Johanneshov Arena with the rest of the lads of Whitesnake for a soundcheck.
Full Throttle
A few hours later the band just nails it in front of a very excited crowd in the sold out hall. (Swedish artist) Efva Attling is standing beside me as we both enjoy watching David Coverdale (also an ex-member of Deep Purple) work the crowd like the total professional that he is. It would not surprise me if Whitesnake will one day surpass Deep Purple as far as record sales goes. Their approach has so much more on offer than your average Metal band, from blues and pure happiness to God knows what – they are, to cite Jon Lord one last time, “the peoples band”.
(End of interview)
By Mike Eriksson (if quoted let me know about it) – ÖP 1983 / Trinkelbonker (2022)
(Top image and photos in said article by Michael Johansson, Jon Lord 1984 shot by Patrik Hökby)
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CLASSIC ROCK INTERVIEWS ON TRINKELBONKER: BLIND GOLEM 2022 (April 29 2022), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 2, December 24 2021), MURASAKI 2021 (December 3 2021), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 1, November 22 2021), CARINA LIROLA 2008 (November 9 2021), TOTO 1987 (September 17 2021), HEAVEN & EARTH 2001 (July 25 2021), STUART SMITH 1998 (July 4 2021), RAINBOW 1997 (June 28 2021), MARINA AMMOURI 2021 (February 12 2021), VISIONS OF ATLANTIS 2007 (November 10 2020), RITCHIE BLACKMORE & CANDICE NIGHT 2001 (October 27 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (October 18 2020), ACCEPT 1986 (July 17 2020), DEEP PURPLE 1996 (June 27 2020), EUROPE 1986 (June 16 2020), DEEP PURPLE PODCAST 2020 (April 6 2020), KIMBERLY GOSS/SINERGY 2002 (March 31 2020), RAINBOW 1997 (March 9 2020), RAINBOW 1996 (March 6 2020), MICHAEL BRADFORD 2003/MAKING OF DEEP PURPLE´S “BANANAS” (March 2 2020), URIAH HEEP 1988 (February 18 2020), ANNE-LIE RYDÉ 1984 (January 21 2020), CRYSTAL VIPER 2020 (January 16 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (January 12 2020), ARTOMUS FRIENDSHIP 2019 (November 10 2019), NAZARETH 1989 (August 26 2019), VELVET INSANE 2018 (September 11 2018), JON LORD 1981 (December 15 2015), DAVID COVERDALE 1981 (November 13 2015), GLENN HUGHES 1996 (May 12 2015), TOTO 1988 (March 31 2015), YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 1990 (March 1 2015), MARTINA EDOFF 2009 (December 4 2014), MICHAEL MOJO NILSSON 2014 (January 21 2014), THE HUGHES TURNER PROJECT 2001 (December 29 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1996-1998 (October 9 2013), GLENN HUGHES & JOHN NORUM 1988 (September 21 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1994-1995 (September 9 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1993 (September 7 2013), STEVE LUKATHER 1989 (September 4 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1983 (August 22 2013), RAINBOW 1995 (July 19 2013), MICK UNDERWOOD/GILLAN 1982 (June 11 2013), DEEP PURPLE 2002 (May 2 2013), DEEP PURPLE 1998 ( February 25 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1986 (February 12 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1987-1989 (December 31 2012), JOHNNIE BOLIN 2012 (December 24 2012), MARTIN POPOFF & RICH GALBRAITH 2009 (November 12 2012), DAVID COVERDALE 2000 (October 14 2012), JON LORD 1984 (September 7 2012), JOE LYNN TURNER 1992 (August 31 2012), JUDAS PRIEST 1986 (August 22 2012), RONNIE JAMES DIO 2001 (August 20 2012), NIGHTWISH 2002 (August 14 2012).
Hagane has released a DVD called “3rd Oneman Live” in Japan, filmed in a club last year. Very small budget it would seem, but they are still an underground band fighting to get noticed. Things might change for the better in August when they are set to release their first proper album, “Code; 9021”. It is an excellent band, very melodic and with superb musicianship. I hope that a record company outside of Japan picks them up as well, and soon. My advice right now is to get the old stuff on import, like the first mini-album “Episode 0” from 2020 (that features their first classic “WintrySky”) or their first singles. They deserve some attention as they are embarking on this magical journey and I will be happy to support them in a small way on this blog.
(Debut album cover and DVD from official platforms)
Did not know that digital moshpits was a thing, but I just saw it for the first time during the Nightwish livestream from HellFest tonight. The show was broadcasted on the ARTE Concert YouTube channel, and you can watch it from that platform. Excellent show. Looked very hot. Floor Jansen is a wonderful singer and she commands that stage with ease. Good to see.
(My shot of the livestream, note the digital moshpit)
trinkelbonker 