Løvetann - Opus Magnum box - Crowdfunding

Prog rock band from Bodø, started in 1999 by Fezza Ellingsen.

In addition to Ellingsen (guitar, keys, choir), the band consisted of Arve Heløy (vocals, choir), Harald Olaussen (drums, choir) and Bård Toftebakk (bass, choir).

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Fezza Ellingsen (born Odd Fredrik Ellingsen) has had a long and rich career as a musician in Norway. He started as a musician in his hometown of Bodø in the early 70s, and soon became known as an extraordinary guitar talent. He joined Snoopy, a local dance band that later took the name Snoopy Band.

In autumn 1973, Ellingsen joined the local prog-inspired band April Morning. Here he played together with, among others, Arve Heløy and Geir Gillesen. Later in 1973, Ellingsen became a member of Hammerfestbandet St. Helena, which he was until they disbanded. In the winter and spring of 1975, Ellingsen was in Akasha together with Bjørn Hugo Gjøen and Tor-Johnny Hansen, among others.

After this, Fezza Ellingsen was central to Høst. Later, Fezza Ellingsen had a band called Balder Opera going in Oslo at the end of the 70s. Gjøen and Hansen from Akasha were also here. After a longer stay in Oslo, Fezza returned to Bodø and started the FF Orchestra in 1980. Some of this band's songs later appeared in rearranged versions with Fezza Ellingsen's Løvetann. The year after the dissolution of FF Orchestra in 1983, Fezza ended up together with Bohemene. Here you found, among others, Are Simonsen, who was also to become a co-producer on most of Løvetann's releases. Some of Bohemene's music was later performed with Løvetann under the title "Big Brother Suite" at a concert at Sinus in Bodø in 2004. However, Bohemene disbanded not long after the start in 1984. After this, Ellingsen joined the Bodø band Cobra from 1984 to 1986. The Bohemians/La Boheme was a continuation of Bohemene. This project lasted until 1985.

In the summer of 1988, Fezza Ellingsen had a short-lived band called the Balder Quartet. Here they interpreted folk music, shows, classical pearls, film music and tango. This was a summer gimmick that did a tour in Salten and a studio recording at NRK in Bodø. The quartet also included Arve Heløy, Torfinn Engegård and Ørnulf Lillebjerka. Engegård and Lillbjerka have had long careers in classical music, in addition to the fact that Engegård later appeared in several editions of Karlsøy Prestegaard and Lillbjerka in Tango Concertino. Ellingsen and Heløy continue some of the musical ideas from the Balder quartet in Rabalder. Here the music became significantly rockier, but with the same basis in folk music. This band was also short-lived.

In 1999, Ellingsen started the band Fezza Ellingsens Løvetann. It was a symphonically inspired prog rock band that explored and occasionally experimented with early 70's prog rock as a starting point, but at the same time had clear references to classical music, folk music and Norse lore in the lyrics. Ellingsen brought along Arve Heløy (vocals, choir), with whom he had collaborated in several bands. In addition, the relatively new musicians Harald Olaussen (drums, choir) and Bård Toftebakk (bass, choir) came in. They had been in different bands before, and both played in Jack Frost & The Hooded Crow. This is how they were described in a review of their first three releases in the fanzine Tarkus: "Stylistically, it is a heavy and contrasting form of prog, centered in a melancholic minor-key tone. The music has quite a different sound to classic Høst, just to say the least, and Løvetann simply sounds more modern and symphonic. Certain elements from medieval music and lyrical song can also be traced.” The band was meant to be a studio project where you could perfect yourself and develop at the required pace, which was elaborated in an interview with Avisa Nordland on 13 November 2003: "For us, every record is a project. We record the records over a weekend. Uses 12-15 hours. Before we go into the studio, we like to practice through the material 10-12 times." In the same interview, Ellingsen consistently referred to the releases as symphonies, and it emerged that there were no commercial thoughts behind the band's releases. They were happy if they got the expenses covered so they could get started on the next release. In Fezza Ellingsen's Løvetann, Fezza played guitar and keyboards in addition to singing. In addition, he was the band's composer.

He used the music to set texts and poems by a number of authors. D. H. Lawrence went again as a writer on many songs, spread over several of the records. The band's last album Fugl Føniks consisted entirely of Lawrence lyrics. In 1999, the quartet began releasing a series of CD-R releases in 100 copies. These records were mostly sold locally, while some copies were sent to fanzines, magazines and radio stations around Norway and elsewhere in the world. This led to some interest in the quartet.

On the band's fifth album Øye fo øye, Ludwig Dankertsen was a guest musician on keyboards. On the next two albums Løvehjerte and En duft av roser, Ellen Drevvatne, Tore Hongset, Mikael Rönnberg and Regine V. Strøm were in the choir. In addition, Karin Torsteinsen contributed mezzo-soprano on En duft av roser, which she also did on her debut album En dag som løve. With the album Løvehjerte, someone received a personal letter from Fezza Ellingsen in which he wanted to know which songs they thought were the best. From the proposals received, he put together the album En duft av roser, which opens with two otherwise unavailable songs. In the same year, the band received Bodø municipality's cultural grant for 2002.

The box set contains all albums Løvetann has ever produced + the new album Gyldenløve + the concert at Sinus, Bodø 2003 + bonus tracks.
I løvens hule (1999)  
En dag som løve (1999)    
Ansikt til ansikt (2000)  
Sfinks (2000)  
Løvehjerte (2001)  
En duft av roser (2002)  
Øye for øye (2001)  
Fugl Fønix (2003)  
Gyldenløve (2004/2024) - unreleased
The Times (2013)      
Live Sinus Bodø 2003 - unreleased

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Prices is 800 NOK including P & P. That is $ 73, £ 57 and 67 Euros.

The link is https://www.bidra.no/prosjekt/cdboks-l%C3%B8vetann--opus-magnum/84f71fce-b178-40ca-b9d0-a67350b98b69   28 days of crowdfunding remains. It is already at 35 %.  If project is not succesful, you will get the money returned. If successful, delivery time is estimated March/April 2025.

Please note you can also purchase fully funded albums from the project @ https://norskealbumklassikere.no/collections/prog Fast delivery, I have noted and Paypal is OK. Due to ongoing job and health treatment, I am not logged in as often as I wish but I can be contacted at toroddattoroddfuglestegdotcom if any questions.