HEP STARS/JUL MED HEP STARS LPO 06 (-67) MONO SWEDEN

One of the odder christmas LP:s. Most of it recorded post other sessions and clearly the result of some heavy drinking while unwinding in the studio. Main inspiration to do it in the first place may have come from the "Beach Boys Party!" album and Beatles' fan club singles. But while BBP consisted of carefully made studio recordings produced to sound like unmeditated live takes and the fan club issues were limited to a die-hard fan community, this actually was uncensured recordings of five severely inebriated guys trying to do seasonal songs and initially sold in regular shops. There's talking going on in and between some of the numbers - besotted discussions what to play and if they know the songs or not, spiced with low level puerile humor. Three of the cuts are traditional Swedish songs, executed to Benny Andersson's accordion in a kind of post party atmosphere. Further three hymns faithfully performed by singer Svenne Hedlund to a sparse backing. Two good rockers - "Christmas Today" and "Christmas On My Mind" - a chipmunk style "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas" sung through a megaphone accompanied by a sentimental violin. To that background the final cut sounds like from another planet. A separate take from a Stockholm church where Benny Andersson plays Händel's "Dotter Sion" (eng. "Thine Be The Glory" or "Zion's Daughter") on the pipe organ very accurately, showing what a great keybordist he was even this early. 2001 CD (EMI CMCD 6284) omitted the drunken talk and the Swedish accordion cuts and replaced them with recordings of common seasonal songs, resulting in an average christmas album (probably an attempt to clean up Benny Andersson's part of the ABBA history and make it more acceptable for today's fans). I know some prefer that, but to me it's this vinyl version that really shows the true meaning of the traditional Swedish christmas - getting soaked and silly while trying to do something good. The record was quickly withdrawn and never reissued in original shape. It had label as shown here and fully laminated cover. (ÖGÄ*) (HÄH*) (SCÄ*) (CXÅ*) (CCÖ*)(ÄBBÖ*)