BO HANSSON/SAGAN OM RINGEN SRS 4600 (-70) SWEDEN

It's funny how things sometimes work out. Today this album (eng. title "Music Inspired By Lord Of The Rings") is regarded a folk prog classic and embraced not only by fans of the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, but music lovers in general for its melodic and timeless expression. With that in mind it's hard to belive its beginnings were very modest. Following the Hansson & Karlsson organ-drum duo breakup due to Janne Karlsson beginning a carrer as comedian, actor and TV host, Bo Hansson found himself idle. But after a girlfriend talked him in to reading "Lord Of The Rings" he reignited and felt the trilogy needed a soundtrack. After spending three weeks in his appartment creating the music he then approached Anders Lind, who was just starting his own record label "Silence", with a demo. Lind liked what he heard and they decided to make that the premiere issue for the label (which didn't happen, since the planned second issue Gudibrallan's "Uti Vår Hage" with no. SRS 4601, only took a day to finish while this was still in the making - https://monolover.blogspot.com/2019/07/gudibrallanuti-var-hage-srs-4601-70.html ). Non of them had the money to rent a recording studio, so instead they arranged a primitive one in a summer cottage on an island outside Stockholm. There Hansson and his instruments was situated in the living room, the drummer Rune Carlsson in the bedroom and Anders Lind managing the recordings from a third smaller one. Not sure if saxplayer Gunnar Bergsten and flutist Sten Bergman were there alredy or if those contributions were somehow added later. In any case that attempt is the outcome you get from this first press. For later ones cuts would be added, together with remastring, re-edits and remixes, measures spread or all together over various issues. There were even plans to add female vocals to the British version, an attempt denied by Tolkien himself and his publishers. They didn't allow him to use the English book title either, though by adding "Music Inspired By..." it was approved. I've had copies to and from since first release and always loved it. Not the most adventurous instrumental prog, but all the more soothing and gripping with lots of intriguing parts. It's almost like I'm taking the ring journey myself from my listening chair, though with this in a much safer environment than Frodo and his chums had to endure. Favorite tracks - "Den Gamla Skogen/Tom Bombardill" (The Old Forrest/Tom Bombardill) and "De Svarta Ryttarna" (The Black Riders). Issued and reissued through differing versions and formats all over the world through the years. UK and US 1972 releases on Charisma "mad hatter" label. Premiere Swedish had label as shown here on very thick unflexible vinyl in a thin glossy cover with rear lacking both credits and the "SAM distribution" logo. (SCÄ*) (NÅY*) (CCÖ*)