HOOTENANNY SINGERS/INTERNATIONAL POLP 206 (-65) MONO SWEDEN

For more on the band, label and Björn Ulveaus check post on their debute album - https://monolover.blogspot.com/search?q=hootenanny+singers . This was their forth full-lengther in less than two years and, as the title suggest, a trial to reach a more international public. Besides side one having six songs with Swedish lyrics, side two has three sung in English and one each in German, Spanish and Italian. The English ones recorded in London, the German in Munich and the rest in Stockholm. The Swedish are covers of songs from various folk origins - one Norwegian, one Finnish, one Dutch, one German and one Swedish - plus a translated version of Hedgehoppers Anonymous "It's Good News Week". The English ones are - a cover of Donovan's "Breezes Of Patchulie" (here under its original title "In The Darkness Of My Night") and two written by Ulveaus - "Time To Move Along" and "No Time" (whereof the latter was covered by his ulterior ABBA partner Benny Andersson with Hep Stars on their third album a year later - same link as above). There's also one written especially for the band by German schlager composer Michael Kunze, a Spanish cover of Charles Aznavour's "La Mamma" and an Italian version of their own "Stanna En Stund". So international it is though with the same expression and sound as before - acoustic folky, carried by four male voices singing unison or in harmony with a soft almost caressing fallout. Back then it sold well in Scandinavia and Germany, but never reached any wider acclaim. Today it may serve lovers of well performed and produced folky pop plus the most die-hard ABBA completists, but if you want your music to be thrilling in any way this is not the place. Also originally issued on reel-to-reel (Phono-Pop P-110). German vinyl version (Metronome MLP 15226) came with partly other tracking. To my knowledge never released on CD, though most of the songs have showed up on later compilations. Premiere Swedish had label as shown here, thick unflexible vinyl and thin fully laminated cover with top opening. (ÄBBÖ*) (SCÄ*) (CCÖ*) (PKÖL*)