FORENINGEN TIL LIVETS BESKYTTELSE

I would like to offer some attention to this charming record done by an early 1970's Danish hippie collective members. I felt their warm vibes of naïve passion breathing some life-force to the dark world of business economics, and offering aural aesthetics which possibly should be enjoyed by vintage hippy music lovers. Instead of archaic stormy chaos of first Amon Düül records, this debut of Foreningen Til Livets Beskyttelse chills out on the calmness of the riverbank afternoon of the record's front cover, and in some moments rejoices like the racing horses at the pasture seen on the back side of the LP.

At the beginning of the album a descending violin reveals an anticipating sound sphere, created with piano, firm bass and the flight of a flute. Susanne begins to recite, tingling bells shimmer the elf king's magic, and slowly tablas strengthen the rhythm. The one key scale progression jam floats quite ethereal, actually growing as very quiet whispered directions, instead of blowing out to anything violent. The following "coat" tune is a quite funny acoustic farm side guitar rant. The jew harp and violin rhythms of it brought me some visions from The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers "Grass Roots" story.

Aside from joking, the song "Betjent Larsen" paints then a very sympathetic portrait of a Danish old-school hippie, throwing to the sonic canvas some powerful emotional vocal choruses, kindly rolling easy joyful melodic theme, and a Scandinavian pronunciation from a lady voice I personally really loved. After this some illusions are cast within a lullaby like tune, staying in straits of archetypical folk ballad standardized by Body Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary. Lonely flute joins the guitar and Susanne Hamilton's tender singing, as the cigarette tips illuminate the studio barn.

A short avantgardist play-around precedes a longer song, which I believe shares with us the seagull's tales. Mystifying winds of chords conjure a persistently repeating bluesy beatnik vision, which might have be inspired by the more rootsy tracks of Jefferson Airplane, and is dominated by wild flutes and accordion explorations. Following this, some loosely waving guitar chords elevate the moods open for Rary's story, which is recited in a narrative way upon the charming pastoral sound walls. This story being told, we encounter a full moon (with a rainbow inside the head or something similar), this longer mantra reminding slightly the sounds from Third Ear Band's rustic recordings. The space for jamming is offered for solo saxophone blows, and as a whole this nocturnal rite for freedom appeared quite powerful.

The last short crazy fooling out track might have been omitted in my opinion from artistic quality perspective, but luckily the stylus can be risen on this coda if liked. I hope the idea grew from the hippies playing on the album themselves, allowing their personality to be expressed most clearly from this adorable album, and not being an suggestion from any producing party who would have aimed just to increase the weirdness of the record with it. Whatever the case really was with the ending, I would still conclude recommending this kind nugget due its sympathetic kindness and elevating rural hippie hypnotics.