BADROCK FÖR BARN I ALLA ÅLDRAR

First album of a loose formation (they will never record two albums with the same line-up) that was probably closer to a hippie community that could write some tight songs, but also extended themselves in lengthy jams. Their first album is an excellent example of this as their type of jazz-rock was much laced with ethnic influences that they almost get lost in the confusion and the fusion of their main two musical preoccupations. Their first album received release in 73 with an amusing comic character, probably called Archimedes over a starlit nightsky.

The albums starts on three short songs that can have thinking Samla or Zappa, tight little tunes that are actually far away from each other as possible: the opening Det Stog is Samla-type, Kaumba starts on ethnic percussions before veering folk, while Sweet Loves is a delightful track with plenty of sax works driving you to the heart attack as it is so tense. The rest of the opening side is taken by the superb almost 14-minsWago Goreze, a repetitive but slow-evolving and spell-binding track that starts out on a bass line accompanied with diverse chimes , than entering a slow superb sax that comes from behind and gradually takes the spotlight. This track is somewhat reminiscent of Third Ear Band (first period) or Tery Riley (Rainbow in CA) in its glacial climactic best. It is minimalist and trancelike characteristic has two sax hovering in the heavens while the great ethnic percussion instruments keep flowing on the earthian grounds. Outstanding.

The flipside is made of short pieces (max 5 mins but min 0:27") that are spread ovzer a wide musical spectrum: the short Yelir is double flute thing, while Sempokjens is a delightful dual guitar piece that either Phillips or Hackett could've written. Taxar Springa is a mid-eastern sounding based mostly on the use of an oud and one can't help but refer to the European piece just before it. Most of the tracks on side 2 come linked to each other, no intervals separating them. Mister X is a return to Samla/Zappa- type of song starting full out and ending with a good piano break. The unwriteable Sammansmaltning is a return to the lengthy epic on the first side, although its not quite as repetitive, but just as spellbinding with its dual sax attack. Then comes a delightful 3+mins cover of Trane's ALS, while Jarnet is a wahwah guitar soloing away over a jazz-rock beat. Badande Gurun is a head-spinning fast tune, contrasting heavily with the following Morgonstjarnan, a slow guitar starter slowly evolving in a sax-led crescendo, while the self-explanatory Repris is reprising a previous track.

This first album opens a certain kind of Badkar musical integrity as future albums will be fairly different from each other, but remain completely uncommercial and typically in the AB spirit. But unfortunately for them, they will ever be better than in their debut album, which is the only essential one from them.

Unknown yet quite original band from Sweden,who blended Free Jazz,Progressive Rock and Folk music.They were formed in 1972 by percussionist/keyboardist Per Tjenberg, soon to be joined by multi-instrumentalist Jonas Adolffson, and playing a style close to FRANK ZAPPA.Their first gigs were quite a shock for the audience,as ARCHIMEDES BADKAR's cast was constantly changing from four up to twenty (!) members,while their lives consisted of dancers,motorcycle bikers and fire-eaters!Label MNW took the risk to sign the band,who released their debut in 1975.

The sound at times is very close to some early-70's German Kraut-Jazz bands like OUT OF FOCUS,KRAAN or EMBRYO,that means innovative Jazz-Rock filled with trumpets and saxes with plenty of improvisational parts.However ARCHIMEDES BADKAR used a lot the acoustic guitars or mandolin,mixed with the sound of vibraphone and a bit of electric piano to create an almost Avant Garde-like atmosphere at times.As Tjenberg was a percussionist,it is reasonable that the sound is dominated by strong doses of percussions here and there,delivering a tribal musicianship with ethnic tendencies.This is actually a very good album,at moments it sounds totally different from what you expect from a Jazz-Rock band...and that is a good thing.

Recommended for explorers of the ''difficult'' and the ''unknown''!

Quite a playful little first album by Archimedes Badkar. An entirely instrumental affair, this is the first of only three albums that they released. 'Badrock' has certain leanings towards 'Embryo' from a few years earlier. Also quite similar but less intrusive than a few other Swedish bands from that era, namely 'Arbete Och Fritid' and the majestic 'Algarnas Tradgard'.

There are a lot of acoustic instruments used in this recording. Trumpets, flutes, violins and cellos, which although initially are slightly irritating, gradually induces you into a state of hypnosis.

The production values aren't the best, with a certain 'tinnyness' present throughout which some listeners may find distracting. It has that particular vibe that Scandinavian bands held at that time. The middle section is very nice and quite dreamy and folky in a mediaeval sort of way.

It's not a bad effort, quite pleasant and jaunty with a fair amount of unusualness but nothing special.

ARCHIMEDES BADKAR were a fairly large band out of Sweden who kind of had this revolving door with musicians coming and going. There was this ethnic vibe to their sound and it blows me away how many of the 8 musicians on here were multi instrumentalists. I mean the drummer adds trumpet, the bass player adds mandolin, guitar and piano, the keyboardist adds clarinet, the violinist adds sax, recorder and mandolin. Not sure why there's so much mandolin(haha). We also get vibes along with more clarinet, guitar and bass. And this is their debt from 1975.

I must say I was pretty disappointed with this one. I have their third album surprisingly called "Tre" and it's an easy 4 star record that left me quite impressed. Not so much with this one though as we seem to get a lot of repetitive sounds and mostly relaxed music. This is especially true with that one long song, the fourth track that is almost 14 minutes long. Relaxed and repetitive but that one works for me and it's the second best song on here after their cover "A Love Supreme" and maybe that's saying something. We get 13 songs worth about 46 minutes, so yes after that 14 minute tune we get a lot of very short pieces.

So I would say check out "Tre" if you can.