01	Notes From The Past (Part One)						03:09
	02	Night-Bike-Ride (On Lilac Street)						03:28
	03	Mirrors Of Yesterday						06:17
	04	Leaving The Horizon						14:10
	05	In The Space Of A Twinkle						03:27
	06	Folke's Final Decision						04:03
	07	The Name Belongs To You						13:46
	08	Second Journey Inside The Green Glass						05:55
	09	A Road In My Mind						07:17
	10	Morganism						10:33
	11	Notes From The Past (Part Two)						06:58

Kaipa - Notes from the past

Tracklist
1. Notes from the past
2. Night-bike-ride (on Lilac Street)
3. Mirrors of yesterday
4. Leaving the horizon
5. In the space of a twinkle
6. Folke's final decision
7. The name belongs to you
8. Second journey inside the green glass
9. A road in my mind
10. Morganism
11. Notes from the past - Part II

Musicians
Hans Lundin
Keyboard

Roine Stolt
Guitars

Patrik Lundstro"m
Lead Vocals

Morgan A*gren
Drums

Jonas Reingold
Bass

Aleena Gibson
Vocals on "A road in my mind"

Tove Tho"rn Lundin
Vocals on "In the space of a twinkle"

General Information
All music and words by Hans Lundin,
except "In the space of a twinkle", words: Mari-Pierre Amat,
interpretation of the Swedish words: Kevin Fickling

Produced by Hans Lundin
Recorded by Lundin at HGL Studio, Uppsala, Sweden

Guitars recorded by Stolt at Cosmic Lodge, Uppsala, Sweden
Drums recorded by Lundin & A*gren at The UAE Magnetofon, Stockholm, Sweden
Basses recorded by Reingold at Reingold Studio, Malmo", Sweden

Mixed at Cosmic Lodge by Lundin & Stolt 23-26 July 2001
Mastered at Cosmic Lodge by Stolt 30-31 July 2001

Artwork and booklet design by Per Nordin
More of Per: www.lonelyarts.com

Photos: Per Nordin, Hans Lundin, Stefan Beeking, Stig Lundin, Tove Tho"rn Lundin & Anette Lindbom




Hans Lundin : Hammond organ, synthesizers, mellotron, piano & vocals
Roine Stolt : Electric & acoustic guitars
With : Morgan Agren (drums), Patrik Lundstrom (lead vocals), Jonas Reingold (bass), Aleena & Tove Thorn Lundin (additional vocals).

Music and words by Hans Lundin except n°5 (words by Marie-Pierre Amat)
Produced by Hans Lundin
Submitted by PhC.


Kaipa - Notes From The Past

Released: 2002 (March 25)
Label: InsideOut
Cat. No.: IOMCD 097
Total Time: 79:07


Reviewed by: John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, February 2002
Those of you who had the pleasure of checking out the Kaipa albums when they were released on CD, courtesy of Musea, might have felt saddened by the fact that they only got to know about these guys way after the band had disbanded. Out of the Kaipa ashes The Flower Kings was founded, yet guitarist Roine Stolt remained good friends with Kaipa keyboard player Hans Lundin, so much so that both musicians agreed to unleash yet another Kaipa album to the world. With the addition of the talented bass contributions from FK and session musician Jonas Reingold, the drum madness of Morgan Agren, who's known from his stint with Zappa and Mats & Morgan, and the vocals of Ritual singer Patrik Lundstrom, Notes From The Past continues where albums like Kaipa, Inget Nytt Under Solen and Solo left off. In fact, Kaipa released two other albums that in every respect were not worth being re-issued on CD because they didn't contain enough good material to get the CD treatment. On both Hander and Nattdjustid you'll find a couple of good tunes, but you can hear the band was searching for a more commercial sound in order to sell more albums. Sadly it didn't work out. Looking back at what went wrong, both Roine and Hans could now learn from their mistakes and thus steer the material for the new album in a direction which comes close to the nucleus of the first three albums. The distinctive guitar sound of Roine will nevertheless take your mind back to some of the Flower Kings highlights, which I feel is an obvious reaction, as FK has been going strong for the last couple of years, not forgetting Transatlantic, of course.

A perfect example of what to expect throughout the entire album can be found in the opening thrack "Notes From The Past - Part 1," which kind of sums up all of the influences we will encounter on this new Kaipa journey. Especially the intro for "Night-Bike-Ride (On Lilac Street)" has this deja vu feel to it. Lundstrom illustrates what a great singer he is during the wonderful, melodic "Mirrors of Yesterday." Lundin introduces the immortal mellotron rather heavily during "Leaving The Horizon," a 14-minute plus epic that again holds a lot of the Flower Kings trademarks, although all of the material has been penned by Lundin (who certainly must have listened a lot to the FK output, learning his lessons from the band's current success). But then again maybe one can say that Stolt "borrows" a lot from the vintage Kaipa period in the FK music, so who was first: the chicken or the egg? The folk influence is heavilly present during "Folke's Final Decisio"' although some heavy blues is introduced as well. The main melody here alternates between keyboards and guitar delivering a fresh sounding tune.

One of the highlights of the album and certainly one that will please many guitar fans has to be the epic "The Name Belongs To You." With Lundin's mellotron sounds opening for Patrik's vocals, the song evolves in a rather strange way in order to find the right "hook" on which to hang the entire song. In between Patrik's vocal acrobatics we witness a rave collection of guitar solos brought to you buy the one and only "king of Swedish guitar playing" Roine Stolt. Several sounds from the magical mellotron are used to underline the symphonic nature of "Second Journey Inside The Green Glass" which holds a lot of Ars Nova elements. Meanwhile the first chord sounds almost like "Watcher Of The Skies" revisited, before once again the guitars go completely wild.

We welcome nice female vocals in "A Road In My Mind" courtesy of Aleena Lundin & Tove Thorn Lundin adding a nice ballad to the already impressive collection of wonderful tunes on this album. Containing a slightly country-ish feel, the song is taken into overdrive by means of the organ before calm sets in once again in order to let the vocals shine. "Morganism" is probably the weirdest track on the album, introducing a horn section and fuzzy wah-wah sounds, not forgetting a section where the rhythm goes completely over the top. Again guitar and keys work tremendously well together, adding a fantastic vibe throughout the song, often getting close to the better parts of the impressive career of the band Chicago. At the end of this song Kaipa has added something that doesn't really fit the atmosphere of the song, but hey this is prog remember? The album closes with a rerun from the main theme as delivered in the opening track. So it's vintage sounds galore once again with some stunning keyboard interventions by Hans Lundin, backed at first by soft acoustic guitars that soon switch towards distorted guitar. The album ends with the sound of the wind blowing through the Skandinavian countryside, opening plenty of opportunities for a follow up. No doubt this album will please Flower Kings fans the world over, as the music sounds so very much like FK all over the place. Let's say that it's more FK than Kaipa. Luckily the inclusion of singer Patrik Lundstrom adds an extra flavour to the music, making it a splendid release. Now if Roine Stolt can take some time off between FK and Transatlantic commitments maybe he can take Kaipa on the road, a thing that will certainly be appreciated the world over. NEARfest 2003 anyone?

More about Notes From The Past:

Track Listing: Notes From The Past - Part 1 (3:09) / Night-Bike-Ride (On Lilac Street) (3:28) / Mirrors Of Yesterday (6:17) / Leaving The Horizon (14:10) / In The Space Of A Twinkle (3:27) / Folke:s Final Decision (4:03) / The Name Belongs To You (13:46) / Second Journey Inside The Green Glass (5:55) / A Road In My Mind (7:17) / Morganism (10:33) / Notes From The Past - Part II (6:58)

Musicians:
Hans Lundin - Hammond, synthesizers, mellotron, piano, vocals
Roine Stolt - electric and acoustic guitars
Morgan Agren - drums
Patrik Lundstrom - vocals
Jonas Reingold - bass
Aleena Lundin and Tove Thorn Lundin - additional vocals

Contact:

Website: kaipa.info
Note: will open new browser window

Email: kaipa@kaipa.info

Discography

Kaipa (1975)
Inget Nytt Under Solen (1978)
Solo (1978)
Hander (1980)
Nattdjustid (1982)
Notes From The Past (2002)



Kaipa - Notes From The Past

Released: 2002
Label: InsideOut
Cat. No.: IOMCD 097
Total Time: 79:07


Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, May 2003
I don't have a long history with Kaipa, so all I have to go on is this CD, the result of the band's reformation last year by original members Roine Stolt on guitar and Hans Lundin on keyboards. They are joined by guests Morgan Agren on drums, Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings) on bass, Patrik Lundstrom (Ritual) on lead and backing vocals and both Tove Thorn Lundin and Aleena on lead vocals, each for one track. Heard in isolation, you may suspect this release was from the The Flower Kings, but whether that means that Stolt carried on the Kaipa sound with TFK or brought the TFK to this new Kaipa: I can't say. From Bobo's comments in his review, I gather that, as I suspected, it is the former.

There is much one can say about Notes From The Past, one filled with bright and light arrangements, leaving one with a positive feeling when all is said an done (as bit like Yes in that). Every track is packed with beautiful, soaring, searing guitar lines from Stolt, the equally beautiful, and melodic, symphonic keyboard work from Lundin. I like the way Lundstrorm sings, his tone is soft, which fits right in with the swirling beds of keys, the shimmering guitar phrases, the splashes of percussion and throbbing bass. On Mirrors Of Yesterday" his delivery is intimate, close. There is something very uplifting about the upbeat and breathy vocal section of "Leaving The Horizon." As with the best releases, what's happening underneath the main instruments, in this case the bass and drums, is just as interesting.

The brush with which this tapestry of music is painted includes colours from the Yes palette, and not just in the above mentioned positive outlook, but also in the occassional Steve Howe like guitar passages from Stolt. But you will find a few Pink Floyd strokes on the canvas, too (in the opening passages of "Notes:" for example). Tove Thorn Lundin recites the poetic words of "In The Space Of A Twinkle" over what begins as thoughtful, melancholic keyboard phrases, but soon becomes just as optimistic as the rest of the music on the album.

Booming, heavy rock comes in the form the instrumentals "Folke's Final Decision" and "Second Journey Inside The Green Glass," with the epic length "The Name Belongs To You," sandwiched in between. Like the other pieces on the album, "The Name:" is a piece with varying textures, more signature guitar playing from Stolt, and keys from Lundin. Much of this piece's mood leads into that which begins "Second Journey:" though this soon stomps its way with a meaty, pulsing keyboard effect under layers of more keyboards line, layers of keys keyboards and the taut bashing of drums. In the former, Stolt's guitar phrases cut with fine prescision without losing any warmth; they charge comfortably ahead, leading the rest of the instruments where Stolt wants them to go.

"A Road In My Mind" is the other track that features someone other than Lundstrom on vocals, and this time it is Aleena. I'm afraid I don't care much for her style of singing, which seems rather strained, certainly when she's trying for the higher notes. A mainly acoustic track, the middle section is another energetic guitar solo by Stolt that comes like a sudden downpour of rain, clearing again to return to the main theme.

"Morganism" is at once an angular, big bandish, jazzy and fusion piece that also features guests Lennart Lind on trombone, Lars Lindejo on sax, and Tege Rolander on trumpet. As you might expect by the track's name, Morgan Agren's drums are front and center, sharing space first with Stolt's tight guitar lines, then Lundin rich, symphonic keys, and then with Reingold solidly throbbing bass. And you'd think that that would be enough to make this piece complete, but on the other side of halfway through, we get a sparse piano interlude that leads into a flurry of drums and percussion from Agren: and with them together we get a slow, tension wraught build to: to a conclusion. One expects that it will lead to a restatement of the first theme. That it doesn't, a) makes them feel more like two pieces and b) means the ending of the latter is less than satisfying.

As with the Flower Kings, there may more music than is necessary, but it's wonderfully played. Does that excuse excess? No, but it does give it some redeming value. Nevertheless, I think this is a wonderful album, quite rich and deep, textured:. not unlike the Per Nordin artwork that graces the cover and booklet (and whom I shamefully failed to mention in my Progression article on cover artists). This is what got me into progressive rock, this tapestry of sound that reveals new layers on each listen, reveals little elements that you don't notice the first time through, the second time through: It's not perfect, and so doesn't quite get the full marks, but it is very, very good and does come recommended.

Rating: 4.5/5

[See also Bobo's and Marcelo's reviews -ed.]

More about Notes From The Past:

Track Listing: Notes From The Past - Part 1 (3:09) / Night-Bike-Ride (On Lilac Street) (3:28) / Mirrors Of Yesterday (6:17) / Leaving The Horizon (14:10) / In The Space Of A Twinkle (3:27) / Folke:s Final Decision (4:03) / The Name Belongs To You (13:46) / Second Journey Inside The Green Glass (5:55) / A Road In My Mind (7:17) / Morganism (10:33) / Notes From The Past - Part II (6:58)

Musicians:
Hans Lundin - Hammond, synthesizers, mellotron, piano, vocals
Roine Stolt - electric and acoustic guitars
Morgan Agren - drums
Patrik Lundstrom - vocals
Jonas Reingold - bass
Aleena and Tove Thorn Lundin - additional vocals

Contact:

Website: www.kaipa.info
Note: will open new browser window

Email: kaipa@kaipa.info

Discography

Kaipa (1975)
Inget Nytt Under Solen (1978)
Solo (1978)
Hander (1980)
Nattdjustid (1982)
Notes From The Past (2002)






KAIPA :: NOTES FROM THE PAST

Band/Artist: Kaipa
Title: Notes From The Past
May 21, 2002

Total Time: 77:03 .

Personnel:
Roine Stolt - Vocals, guitar
Hans Lundin - Keyboards

Additional Guest Musicians:

Morgan Agren - Drums
Patrik Lundstrom - Lead vocals
Jonas Reingold - Bass
Aleena and Tove Thorn Lundin - Additional vocals



Notes From The Past

Have you ever heard the expression "Good for the soul', or "Just what the doctor ordered", you get my drift right? Kaipa is the best soul food around, and I want to tell you why. The music on this CD is so achingly beautiful and such a fulfilling experience you come away after listening in a better frame of mind then before.

The sound is a throwback to the classic prog of the 70's, but updated. You still get all that fantastic mellotron, synth sound of that era with today's arrangements and technology. The music can be described as symph/prog/folk/rock. Since I'm not familiar with Kaipa of the past, I can only tell you about the present reunited band. The song's on the CD are paintings created with sound brushes, the rich textures and vibes that are present will delight your senses and refresh your well-being if you allow the music to work it's spell.

This CD is a reunion of a sort, as Hans Lundin and Roine Stolt haven't worked together in 20 years. If Notes From The Past is any indication, it's been far to long. Hans penned all the material for the CD and handles the keyboards; Roine handles the guitar work and infuses the music with his unique style. Also on board is vocalist Patrik Lundstrom (of Ritual), Morgan Agrenon on drums, and Jonas Reingold on basses. Additional vocals are Aleena and Tove Thorn Llundin. This music has a broad appeal to prog fans, and I dare say lovers of fine music of any genre will find something on this CD to relate to. A must have CD for your personal collection.


Rating: 9 keyboards
Reviewer: Thomas Connolly

Review Date: 06/05/02

Visit the artist website: http://www.kaipa.info/

Credits: Produced by Hans Lundin

DISCOGRAPHY
Notes from the past 2002 Inside Out
Solo 1978 Decca Records Solo / Reissue 1994 Musea
Inget nytt under solen 1976 Decca Records
Inget nytt under solen / Reissue
1993 Musea
Kaipa 1975 Decca Records : Kaipa / Reissue 1993 Musea
Stockholm Symphonie 1993 / Bootleg / Japan
Nattdjurstid 1982 Piglet Records
Hander 1980 Polar




Kaipa - Solo

Tracklist
1. Den skrattande grevinnan
2. Sen repris
3. Flytet
4. Anar dig
5. Frog funk
6. Visan i sommaren
7. Taijgan
8. Respektera min varld
9. En igelkotts dod
10. Total forvirring
11. Sist pa plan
12. Visan i sommaren (live)
13. En igelkotts dod - Omsom sken (medley)
14. Live in an elevator


Musicians
Roine Stolt
6 and 12 string electric guitar and acoustic guitars, guitar-synthesizer, percussion and vocal

Mats Lofgren
Lead vocal, percussion

Hans Lundin
Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Grand piano, mellotron, mini- and polu-moog synths, Korg strings, Hohner clavinet, vocal

Mats Lindberg
Bass, Moog taurus pedals, percussion

Ingemar Bergman
Drums, percussion, vocal, laughing



Recorded at Europa Film Studios, Stockholm, December 1977 by Olle Ramm
Mixed at Bastun Studio, January 1978 by Olle Ramm
Arrangements by Kaipa
Produced by Kaipa & Olle Ramm
Remastered at Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, by Janne Hansson
Bonus live tracks recorded at "Huset" Copenhagen, Denmark 25 May 1978
Track 14 recorded live at "Mariahissen, Stockholm 1979
Live tracks mastered at Studio 55, Uppsala, Sweden




Kaipa - Inget nytt under solen

Tracklist
1. Skenet bedrar
2. Omsom sken
3. Korstag
4. Stengrodornas parad
5. Dagens port
6. Inget nytt under solen
7. Awakening - Bitterness
8. How might I say out clearly
9. The gate of day
10. Blow hard all tradewinds
11. Skenet bedrar (Live version)
12. Fran det ena till det andra


Musicians
Ingemar Bergman
Drums, temple blocks, rattle and vocals

Tomas Eriksson
Bass guitar, synth-bass, voice of the Almigthy

Hans Lundin
Grand piano, Fender Rhodes Piano, Hammond organ, mellotron, Yamaha and Korg synthesizers, string ensemble, clavinet, vibes, marimba, prepared piano and lead vocal

Roine Stolt
Electric guitar, 6 and 12 string acoustic guitar and rattle

Lars Hoflund
Lead vocals on tracks 7-10

Mats Lindberg
Bass on track 11



Recorded and mixed at Marcus Music Studios, Stockholm, June - August 1976
Engineered by Leif Mases
Assistant engineering by Fredrik Brofalk
Produced by Kaipa & Leif Mases
Bonus tracks mixed at Bastun in October 1977 and at Atlantis Studios, Stockholm 17 - 18 August 1992 by Leif Mases
Track 11 recorded live at "Huset" Copenhagen, Denmark 25 May 1978
Remastring by Janne Hansson, Atlantis, 18 August 1992

Mats Lofgren Lead Vocal on track 11, Lars Hoflund 7,9,10 Lead vocal. Track 12 originally recorded for Kaipa - Kaipa (1975)




Kaipa - Kaipa

Tracklist
1. Musiken ar ljuset
2. Saker har tva sidor
3. Ankaret
4. Skogspromendad
5. Allting har sin borjan
6. Se var morgon gry
7. Forlorad i Istanbul
8. Oceaner foder liv


Musicians
Roine Stolt
Electric and acoustic guitars, vocal

Hans Lundin
Hammond organ, Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha synthesizers, harpsicord, Logan stringmachine, Glockenspiel, Lead vocal

Tomas Eriksson
Bass, vocal

Ingemar Bergman
Drums, percussion, vocal



Recorded at Marcus Music Studios, Stockholm, July 1975
Engineered by Marcus Osterdahl
Arrangement by Kaipa
Remastered at Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, 18 August 1992 by Janne Hansson
Cover painting by Roine Stolt, 1974
















CHAPTER 1: The beginning

ans Lundin (keyboards) met Tomas Eriksson (bass) in the late 60's when he joined Hans in his band S:T MICHAEL SECT (later SAN MICHAEL'S). This band issued an eponymous album with original material in 1971. Another album was recorded in 1972, but never released. The recordings were made at ULAB Studio in Uppsala, and they worked together with sound engineer LEIF MASES.

The band broke up in January 1973. Hans and Tomas continued to work together backing artists like Emile Ford, Umberto Marcato and Harpo. Clickable images








CHAPTER 2: URA KAIPA

fter the split, Hans continued to write songs. By 1973 he had grown tired of backing other artists and wanted instead to try his new songs in a band. So he suggested that Tomas join him and form a band playing their own music. Thomas Sjцberg (drums) joined the band, and they started rehearsing intensively to find their own style as a trio. It was a very personal music with influences from pop, rock, classical music, and Swedish traditional folk melodies. Later they would understand that people listening to their music called this progressive rock. The name of the band was URA KAIPA, suggested by their friend MARTIN ANDER. It referred to a Swedish Stone Age chieftain and came from the book "Svenskarna och deras hцvdingar" by Werner von Heidenstam.

The group's style was built around the keyboard parts, particularly the sound of the Hammond organ, the Wurlitzer electric piano and the Davoli synthesizer. Tomas played a Rickenbacker bass guitar, a model with a distinctive tone, which was almost completely unknown in Sweden at the time. The vocals were sung in Swedish to better emphasise the poetic content of the lyrics to audiences. As the group had no international ambitions, singing in English seemed pointless.

The band made two unofficial concerts at local jailhouses in the spring of 1974. Sadly, Thomas Sjцberg was hit by cancer and couldn't rehearse regularly any more. He was forced to leave the band, and was replaced by INGEMAR BERGMAN. The group rehearsed intensively with their new member, concentrated on new compositions and recorded several demo tapes. After a while they realized that the trio format was too limited to express all the dimensions in the compositions. So they decided to look around for a guitarist. First man out was a friend of Ingemar's, ROGER NORDLUND. He was a fine technician, but unable to fit in with the group's overall sound. So KAIPA set up an audition with young ROINE STOLT, then only seventeen years old. Ingemar had met him at the Uppsala Music Fair, and told him about the band. Roine was much impressed by the group's stamina, exhibited in their habit of day-long rehearsals. He didn't know at first whether he would actually join the group, as the other three band members wanted to give the new quartet format some kind of dry-run before making their minds up.








CHAPTER 3: KAIPA

n the summer of 1974 the group shortened the name and became simply KAIPA. The music and lyrics were essentially the responsibility of Hans Lundin, who also doubled lead vocals, with Tomas and Ingemar singing backing vocals. The group systematically recorded their daily rehearsals onto a four-track tape recorder. In spite of his major role as composer and lyricist, Hans didn't act as Kaipa's front man. The group always acted as a collective, with considerable freedom allotted to each member.

Kaipa's early songs were based on a non-traditional song structure: after an intro of folk or classical flavour, the song generally developed a jazzier orientation, before ending with a solemn symphonic conclusion, restoring the classical element.

The group's first live appearance was as a trio. It occurred at an open-air festival in Norrtдlje in June 1974. In August the trio formally asked Roine to join as full-time member. They were now certain of his ability to develop a personal style to suit the group's evolution. The new line-up debuted in an open-air festival at "Gдrdet" in Stockholm that same month.

The group performed well and received a rapturous audience response. The band eschewed stage histrionics, preferring to rely on the quality of their music. They sometimes included circus music and humorous rock'n'roll pastiches in their repertoire and were also fond of lengthy improvisations

On 21 October 1974 Kaipa performed its first radio broadcast, playing live in Christer Eklund's famous "Tonkraft" programme on Swedish national radio, a show devoted entirely to the national and international progressive rock scene. On the same broadcast one could listen to other Swedish bands alongside international headliners like DEEP PURPLE and JETHRO TULL. Under these stressful circumstances, the band's showing was somewhat nervous and lacklustre, but this first broadcast proved a great opportunity to emerge from their relative isolation and get some national recognition.

Kaipa kept rehearsing busily to improve their cohesion and instrumental technique. Roine Stolt started contributing tunes and the entire group polished up some lengthy pieces of ten-minutes-plus duration.



CHAPTER 4: The first album

nxious to record their efforts and obtain wider recognition, the band decided to contact record companies. To that end, they sent a demo tape to the MNW and Silence labels, which reacted negatively, and then to their old friend Leif Mases, who now worked at Marcus Music Studios. Leif played the tape to Markus Цsterdahl, the studio's owner. He liked it very much and immediately offered the group the chance to record a professional demo on to 24 tracks. The numbers "Pе Fдrd" (On Journey), "Karavan" (Caravan), "Frеn det ena till det andra" (From One Thing to Another) and "Skogspromenad" (A Walk in the Woods) were recorded on 3, 5, and 6 February 1975, and the last track was later included on the band's debut album.

Marcus Цsterdahl knew Carl-Eric Hjelm from the Electra label, a Swedish company who distributed Decca, RCA and Philips nationally, and played him the tape. Charmed by the music, Hjelm told the band to record him an album, preferring to await the results before signing them officially. Eventually, Decca would sign Kaipa and issue their debut album.

The recording session was completed in nine days between 4 and 26 July 1975 at Marcus Music Studios in Stockholm, with Marcus himself acting as engineer. The group selected eleven favourites from around twenty compositions. Only the recent, more sophisticated and symphonic songs were retained, as they were considered to be more representative of the group's development. Lack of space unfortunately led to three tracks being omitted from the final track listing. Ingemar, Roine and Tomas didn't want to include the song "Skogspromenad" on the album, because they thought it was too simple and not representative of the band. Marcus considered this to be one of their best songs, and in the end it was included on the album. This proved to be good, as live and on radio this one was going to be the band's most requested song for a long time. Hans used a large array of keyboards, playing Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes electric piano, synthesizer, string ensemble and harpsichord as well as singing lead. The band produced the album themselves and without much studio experience. They were sometimes unable to reproduce perfectly their own characteristic sound, particularly in the more experimental sequences that sounded inferior to stage renditions.

Nevertheless, Kaipa's originality comes well to the fore on the album and on the whole the group was satisfied with the final result. A painting by Roine, depicting "an astral traveller floating freely above temples in the jungle", was chosen as the sleeve artwork for the eponymous album.

Kaipa performed subsequently at different open-air festivals in the summer of 1975 and embarked on a short tour in the autumn which included more radio broadcasts.

The album was released in December 1975 to an enthusiastic public and critical response. Sales quickly reached 5,000 units, eventually reaching 10,000, a definite success for a self-produced prog rock album, especially as distribution was limited to Scandinavia. Kaipa struck a chord with a great number of Swedish rock fans by their favouring musical exploration and melodic charm, not to mention their coupling the splendour of traditional religious and folk themes with the power of rock. Kaipa's success was built on the finesse of the band's music, and enhanced by poetry celebrating the power of love and the beauty of nature. This contrasted strongly with the political preoccupations inherent in the lyrics of most Swedish bands of Kaipa's generation.

Throughout their first album, Kaipa could certainly stake a claim as one of the leading Scandinavian progressive acts. The music is graceful and sophisticated, boasting arrangements and instrumental developments of great refinement. An album which, one could say with certainly, would equal the best productions of the "Anglo-Saxon" progressive school, but with its own unquestionably original touch in the successful use of Swedish folk material.

Clickable images










CHAPTER 5: Back on the road

ollowing the release of their debut album in December 75, Kaipa embarked on an extensive tour in the spring of 1976 and quickly attracted a faithful crowd of fans. Sometimes the band would give an afternoon performance in a school before playing a club or theatre in the same town that evening. Onstage Ingemar acted out the role of clown and showman as light relief to the serious and complex music of an almost Wagnerian grandeur. The band's repertory comprised of all the numbers from their debut album and two new compositions pencilled in for the second LP. These were "Skenet bedrar" (The Appearance Deceives) and "Korstеg" (Crusade), both augmented by some improvised sequences.

The musicians managed their business, investing most of the money in things like a new tour bus and more equipment. They resumed daily rehearsals, which enabled them to progress musically and enhance group cohesion. Writing new arrangements of existing numbers was as important as composing new pieces; none of the band members considered himself a virtuoso and thus Kaipa had to concentrate on playing a very carefully _prepared_ music with elaborate orchestrations.

There were discussions about the variations and the details of the rhythm section when rehearsing a couple of new songs. This almost provoked Roine's departure, and in fact, the band's constant perfectionism nearly occasioned a split more than once!

Another discussion dealt with authorship. In Sweden at this time there were lots of absurd and at the same time naпvely romantic ideas floating around, based upon the vision that everybody can create and play music, and no one is better than his brother or sister. (Sometimes there were some peculiar situations during concerts when somebody from the audience, who really believed in these visions, suddenly stood on stage with the band, thinking he could bring the music to a higher level.) Some forces within the band were in some way affected by these thoughts of collectivity and maintained that the Kaipa songs should be considered as a collective creation, and that everybody in the band were equal authors and composers. These thoughts were in some cases definitely correct but only concerning parts of the arrangements. The basic structure of the song, the melodies, the chords and the words were at this time always composed by one single member.








CHAPTER 6: The making of "Inget nytt under solen"

n 30 June 1976 Kaipa re-entered the Marcus Music Studio in Stockholm to record their second album. This was completed in just ten dates on 16 July. Leif Mases acted as sound engineer and co-producer of the album; he turned out to be a better technician than studio owner Marcus Цsterdahl who had worked on the band's first album. Leif managed to reproduce exactly the sound the group wanted, as close as possible to that of their live gigs with less reverb and more punch to the drum parts. Final overdubs and mixing were done in August.

The band decided to record all the compositions they'd laid down since the release of their debut album. These were all Lundin/Stolt compositions except one, which Roine and Ingemar had co-written. The music had evolved more than ever towards complex arrangements; improvements were also visible in each musician's personal contribution to the completed themes.

The album's opener, "Skenet Bedrar", almost 20 minutes long, couldn't be performed properly as a whole and so was recorded in several sections that were later reassembled in its final form. "Korstеg", an audience favourite in concerts, was also a number with a complicated structure, so much so that the Swedish Institute of Musicology would later use it as an example of sophisticated rock composition.

For the recording, Hans augmented his existing array of keyboards (Hammond organ, Yamaha synthesizer, string ensemble, grand piano and Hohner Clavinett) with a mellotron, a Korg synthesizer, and a mallet instrument. Apart from his Rickenbacker, Tomas used an old Fender Jazz bass and a synthesizer bass. Roine played his old Gibson guitar and Ingemar used his new Tama drum kit for the first time.

For the introduction to "Skenet Bedrar", the band used some synthesizer _pink noise_ processed through a stereo flanger with the addition of some Asian bells; this was recorded while Leif was turning the pitch knob on the 24-track tape recorder. Hans' overdubbed sequence-like arpeggios on his Yamaha synthesizer and Roine's guitar were treated through a phaser; these effects produced the cosmic sounds heard at the beginning of the album.

Hans sang the first part of the theme, followed by Ingemar in the central section; Tomas spoke the bass parts in the finale, "Vilseledd" (Lead Astray). The mellotron is highlighted in "Korstеg" and gives the song its imposing feel with a fusion of string and choir sounds. The instrument also crops up on "Skenet Bedrar" and "Inget nytt under solen" (Nothing New under the Sun). The instrumental part of "Цmsom sken" (Alternately Radiance) was composed by Roine. The lead vocal and central part of the composition were courtesy of Ingemar and Roine, whereas Ingemar composed the Chinese-sounding sequences at the end of the track.

The band decided the track order and chose the sleeve, a NASA photo depicting astronauts in a moon buggy. The group selected this photo from several provided by Electra. Roine and Hans wanted to use a painting by Roine similar to the one on the first album. This would have been a logical continuation. But the other members reneged, and the group finally chose this photo, which had no connection to the title. The band's logo was changed, the original lacking originality. It was redesigned in a more personal style by Roine but was slightly distorted at the layout stage.

Among the people named in the credits is one Eugen Petrйn, cited by the band for his _moral and spiritual support`. In fact Petren didn't exist, even though a _photograph` of him appears in the inner sleeve! The credit was meant as a joke, a skit on rock stars dedicating their records to so-called spiritual masters such as the Maharishi. With similar satirical intent, this photo in fact shows Ingemar _communing with the universe`!

The album title refers to a remark made by Electra's president Carl-Erik Hjelm who during a meeting with the band inquired "Inget nytt under solen?" which translates as "Nothing new under the sun?". The band decided to use this saying as a title for their second album as it provided an ironic comment on their musical evolution. This they saw as a continuing line from composers like J.S.BACH through rock groups like YES, i.e. an elaborate symphonic music aiming at the expression of emotions and feelings in an aesthetic of formal beauty and melodic perfection. Kaipa, however, intended to differentiate themselves from past and present styles, producing a personal and original music taking its inspiration from the past yet looking to the future.
CHAPTER 7: Back on the road again

fter recording the album, the band went back on the road. Throughout the following year, they performed over 100 dates, as they were by now very much in demand in Sweden. They toured throughout the autumn of 1976 and also through the winter of 1976-1977.

"Inget nytt under solen" was released in December 1976 to great critical acclaim. Kaipa's music was often compared to that of GENESIS and YES; this hardly came as a surprise to the band, accustomed as they were to the critical habit of judging records in comparison to others. Kaipa had nonetheless evolved their own distinctive style; if journalists still identified their music with YES' symphonic rock, it was merely due to a common source of inspiration- classical music. Kaipa's second album, however, proved that comparisons are odious; so genuinely original had their music become that one couldn't compare their work with their models. The album even reached the top-50 charts at number 49 for one week, which was very unusual for this type of music. 10,000 copies of were sold in Scandinavia, outside of which it wasn't exported.

The band played their first national TV broadcast around this time, performing their _crowd-pleaser` "Korstеg" to much favourable response; they also played live for Malmц and Stockholm radio stations. In spite of their increasingly tight schedule they still rehearsed daily. Tomas and Ingemar went to England to buy extra sound material, acquiring a new mixing desk and a double-neck bass guitar built for GENESIS' MIKE RUTHERFORD. The band also equipped themselves with a Moog Taurus pedal board and Roine tried out the very first guitar synthesizer, made by Hagstrom/Oberheim and used also by FRANK ZAPPA. Hans got a minimoog directly from Moog's U.S. factory, and also tested the new Polymoog.
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CHAPTER 8: Where's the limit?

n September 1977, the band, faced with their rising popularity in Sweden, began to hope for international recognition; yet they were fully aware of the fact that songs sung in Swedish couldn't help them any further and thus, they proposed Electra to record English versions of some of the tracks from their second album. The label accepted and the four selected songs were translated by Kevin Fickling, an American student living in Gothenburg, who worked as a roadie for the band. Lars Hoflund, a friend of the band's, who played bass in the backing group of the well-known Swedish singer Tomas Ledin, was chosen to sing three of the four vocal parts, as he coupled a strong voice with a correct English pronunciation. The vocals were overdubbed at Bastun Studio in Stockholm on 20 October 1977 by engineer Leif Mases, who also made a rough mix; this was sent to Electra's English subsidiary, which eventually rejected it, disbelieving in the band's commercial potential.

In October 1977 Tomas announced his decision to leave the band, citing _musical differences` as the cause. Kaipa were thus reduced to a trio once again.

The band was now forced to do some serious thinking about the future; some songs from "Inget nytt" had just been recorded with English lyrics with the aim of breaking the band on the international market. Tomas' departure, however, had thrown the group into crisis.

With their second album, Kaipa established itself as one of the essential Swedish progressive bands of the era, on par with the best international groups in this style of music.





CHAPTER 9: Reconstruction part I

n September 1977, the group discussed signing on a lead singer to allow Hans to concentrate more on his keyboard work. Additionally, they imagined that a singer would have a beneficial effect on the visual aspect of their show. They hoped to find someone with a different voice than Hans', one who would add new colours and dimensions to their music. But finding a singer would prove difficult, given the complex and primarily instrumental nature of their music. No auditions had been planned; the group just decided to go out and find a singer who was free.

Roine considered Magnus Uggla, a highly theatrical singer. He'd released two albums on CBS, and although he hadn't enjoyed much success, his qualities as a performer were plain to see. Live, his stagecraft could offer something new to Kaipa, a band that didn't care much for onstage trickery, apart from the periodic interventions of Ingemar. Nevertheless, Kaipa never contacted Magnus, who subsequently went on to become one of Sweden's most popular singers.

Another singer the group toyed with was Derek Hudson of the folk-rock group Scafell Pike but in the end they plumped for Mats Lцfgren, a member of the jazz-rock group Rio Brazzaville and a friend of Ingemar's. After a few conclusive try-outs and demo recordings, Kaipa welcomed him into the fold in October 1977. Mats also had the advantage of being a guitarist and percussionist, and later on he played these instruments live with the band. Nor did Mats bother with visual gimmicks, make-up or costumes - rather like Kaipa themselves.

Hans, who up until then had handled vocals, had a very distinctive voice, but Mats had a deeper tone and a different timbre. The band's followers were suspicious of the change at first but soon grew to appreciate Mats' qualities as a singer. After a while the band's fans adopted him as they got used to the change in the look and sound of the group.

After Tomas Eriksson left, the band had the opportunity to ask Lars Hoflund to join up, but he preferred playing blues, and could at the time earn much more playing with Tomas Ledin. Kaipa then called up Mats Lindberg, a schoolmate of Roine who was only 18 years old at that time. Roine and Ingemar knew of his qualities as a bassist, having jammed with him in their rehearsal room. He was also a nice guy and was equally at home playing guitar. He could play 12-string and was able to handle the double-neck guitar left by Tomas. He joined in November 1977.

Tomas' characteristic bass sound and lines had been very much a part of the original Kaipa sound. The group with its two new members, decided to make up for this very considerable absence by throwing themselves into their work, investing all their energy in a new album. By now, having gained quite a reputation as Sweden's premier prog outfit, Kaipa determined to cut an album a year to satisfy the demand and sustain the interest of their public.


Throughout the autumn of 1977, Kaipa worked on new songs and set about rehearsing and perfecting them. At this time Hans had some basic ideas for another epic song like "Skenet bedrar", but he needed the band to carry out his ideas like they had previously. Roine, on the other hand, had grown in his writing and arranging. He could present his new songs in plain terms and give clear instructions to the players, which produced an immediate result. This lead to a completely different way of working in the new band. The new members had almost no connection or relationship with the basic structure in the former Kaipa music. In fact the new band was subdividing into fractions at this time. Roine and Mats Lindberg formed one group, Ingemar and Mats Lцfgren another leaving Hans alone in the background. Roine appreciated some of Hans' small pieces like "Tajgan" (The Taiga), "En igelkotts dцd" (The Death of a Hedgehog) and " Visan i Sommaren" (A Summer Air). He persuaded the others to accept these songs. They relied on melodic traditions and needed no large arrangements. The basic idea of "the epic song" was presented in a simple version by Hans on the organ but the others quickly rejected it and so it fell into oblivion. It was a time of many new music styles including funk, fusion and jazz-rock and several members were leaning more towards that style and even the simpler style of bands like The Eagles, ABBA, Queen, Bad Company and Fleetwood Mac. There was much ambition in the pipeline at that time and the wish for more success of course propelled the members into dissension about how to achieve it. It turned out to be Roine's composing that got most of the interest when compiling the new album, maybe because the time was right or simply because he had more developed demos and ideas. This new way of working, with separate fractions asserting their own interests, disturbed the old balance that was so successful, and it was the beginning of an era that would split the main forces of the original Kaipa completely a year and a half later.

For the new album Kaipa utilised for the first time pre-production techniques, at that time a little-used process. Firstly the band laid down the tracks on demos on a cheap 4-track recorder in October and November 1977. During these sessions, they worked for the first time with some new instruments. Hans played a Poly Moog and Mats used a Moog bass pedal. Roine tried out a new guitarsynth manufactured by the Swedish company Hagstroem in collaboration with Ampeg. A few of the songs originally had English lyrics but the band decided to rewrite them in Swedish. Their efforts to break the international market with an English language version of "Inget nytt under solen" hadn't succeeded, and so Kaipa reverted to their native language.










CHAPTER 10: The making of "Solo"

he recording of the album was set for December 1977 in Europa Film Studios in Stockholm, a famous studio complex that was regarded as one of the best in the country. Sessions lasted between 19 and 27 December, with the music recorded onto 24 tracks analogue tape under the eye of sound engineer Olle Ramm. Although Kaipa knew the studio well, it was some time before they could get the synth, drum or synth orchestration sounds they wanted, preferring to record a sound different from that produced by the band on stage. Roine tried to convince the other members of the band of the importance of using a mellotron on the new album. Hans managed to hire one, but it was in such poor condition it could only be used on one track, "Tajgan", and it broke down completely soon after the recording! The uncertain pitch produced by this instrument lends "Tajgan" a bizarre other-worldly atmosphere. Oddly, the band had never owned a mellotron; they'd always hired them.

Roine used some guitar effects, running it backwards, multilayering etc., as practised by players such BRIAN MAY of QUEEN. He used a Fender Stratocaster and a very rare Melody Maker as well as an Ovation acoustic in addition to his own instruments. All his guitar work was treated through a customized pedal-board and run through a new Roland Jazz Chorus Amp. He also resorted to the aforementioned guitar-synth with an Oberheim expander, a customised talk-box and an HH echoplex. Hans used a wide range of keyboards - mini and poly moogs, Korg String 2000, mellotron, Hohner Clavinet, grand piano, Hammond organ and Fender electric piano. Mats Lindberg played a Fender Precision bass, the double-neck Shergold guitar and a Danelectro fretless bass with Moog pedals and Sunn Amps.

Mixing took place between 3 and 5 January 1978. The album was produced by the band and Olle Ramm. It contained even fewer reverb effects than before and the guitar and drums were more to the fore on the soundstage of the record.

The album sleeve was designed by Lars Holm, an artist and friend of the group's who'd given him carte blanche as to the design. The frame of the design was much inspired by JACKSON BROWNE's "Pretender" album. One of the characters in Lars' painting was later to be called "SOLO", just because the band decided to call the album that name after some serious brainstorming. Releasing "Solo" Electra swung into action behind the album, making a great promotional effort with attractive stickers and posters and lots of newspaper advertising.

The album came out in May 1978. It didn't enjoy the immediate success of "Inget nytt under solen" but gradually attained a sales figure of 10,000 copies. In fact, the release of the album, at the start of the Swedish summer, had been very badly timed. The press were highly laudatory, and the band's concerts were invariably sold out. Kaipa had clearly "arrived" as a major Swedish group.


CHAPTER 11: Touring, tensions and disintegration

They had cult status in Sweden and they also toured Norway and Denmark. Some of their Copenhagen concerts were recorded for broadcast on Danish radio. The group was on a roll; they were playing many gigs and Finnish and British tours were on the point of being finalised. The group didn't have much in the way of management but many people were always on hand to sort out problems for them.

Kaipa had worked so hard and so intensively that they decided to take a break in December 1978. This was more than necessary; they were weary of touring and rehearsing and of the tensions that inevitably resulted from living together almost every day.

Roine bought himself an 8-track recorder. This gave him the opportunity to start recording of the solo album he had planned as he realised Electra Records wouldn't invest in recording his new music as a solo project at the time, rather concentrating on another Kaipa offspring named Ingemar Bergman Troop!

However, encouraged by Michael B. Tretow of ABBA recording fame who said it was "the best demo he heard in his life". Roine started to record his first solo album. The other Kaipa members clearly stated they wanted to use some of his songs for a new Kaipa album. This was a case of solidarity towards his main group, and not easily solved. But as Roine felt the chemistry was not the best in Kaipa at the time and this was probably a way of designing "a way out" of the bad vibe situation, heading towards new musical adventures and a more friendly and possibly ambitious environment. Also, the ambitious Roine, having a clear idea of his arrangements, drum patterns and the synthesizer patches, did not leave much room for the other Kaipa members to use their creativity and imagination. This forced the band into an inevitable situation making Roine the unspoken leader of the band as all the new material that seemed interesting to main part of the band was written by him, but also the member most likely to leave. In fact Hans was, at this moment, too disillusioned by his former attempts to bring new songs to the band, and he was asking himself several times if this was the intention he had when he once started the band, or if this was some kind of nightmare where he was transformed back in time to 1973 acting as a backing musician again, deprived all his creating ability.

By this time the chemistry in the band reached the lowest possible level. Mats Lindberg and Roine were talking about recreating the band or leave Kaipa, these were the only 2 options to stay healthy in a musically mad environment. Mats tried to persuade Roine frequently that they should leave the band and form a new group inspired by among others, UK, Weather Report and Toto. Roine hesitated realizing all the hard work and effort he had put into Kaipa even before Mats joined. Instead he suggested they should ask the others to leave as Ingemar and Mats Lцfgren had Ingemar Bergman Troop to concentrate on anyway and Hans Lundin did seem disillusioned and lacking his initial energy and at a creative low at the time.

At this point Kaipa members realized that there was no way back and only one solution remained. They decided to split the band in two, but to fulfil all booked concerts together. The last concert with this constellation was given in Katrineholm on 13 May 1979.

Roine started to record his solo album "Fantasia", feeling relieved but with a sense of loss. Sensing also, understandably enough, a sort of "evil ray" coming from the remaining Kaipa members. So when recording the song "Nytt blod" (Fresh Blood) for his new album, the lyrics, a smiling and light-hearted support of his own progress, "criticize" his former partners for being inhibited and "victims of their own democracy". In fact Hans Lundin felt the democracy was already completely obliterated from the band at this time, left with little to contribute from him musically. Now Roine was gone, but when one goes there may always be someone else to step in, fill the space and claim the crown & throne.

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CHAPTER 12: Reconstruction part II

The band was now back to a trio and they needed to find a guitarist and a bassist. Ingemar and Mats had their side project Ingemar Bergman Troop playing simple pop songs without any of the progressive parts that was characteristic for Kaipa. Hans was at this time a guest musician in their band playing on records and touring with the band. Ingemar suggested a fusion of the two bands. Hans wanted Kaipa to keep their profile, playing a progressive music but adding a little more up tempo and rock feeling to the music, and he was not interested in this fusion of bands. Instead they asked an old friend and brilliant guitar player Thomas Arnesen to join the band. Thomas once played in the band Panta Rei and later in several local bands like Hirvi and Puls. He had also filled in for Mats Lindberg, while he was in hospital, playing bass in Kaipa on one tour in 1978. They started to rehearse but, due to Thomas' family affairs, had to cancel the idea. Instead they asked another unknown guitar player recommended to them, Max Еhman from Stockholm, to join the band. He was a brilliant technician but didn't have the same melodic vein in his playing as Roine. They also asked Mats Lindberg to return to the band as a guest musician for a limited period.

The band decided to leave Electra and was signed by POLAR, ABBA's label, for a new album. At this time interest in progressive music had decreased, and the band was a little confused about which musical direction they should choose for the future. The process of making new music was difficult and filled with compromises. Ingemar wanted to act as composer and had some ideas, but his lack of knowledge of chords and other basic musical elements that was the fertile ground of the musical garden of Kaipa turned this into a strange situation. His way of thinking and working in music served a useful purpose in Ingemar Bergman Troop, but it was difficult to incorporate and in distinct contrast to Hans' way of writing and the overall music of Kaipa. Mats Lцfgren acted as lyricist and added most of the vocal melodies.





CHAPTER 13: The making of "Hдnder"

The album "Hдnder" (Hands) was recorded late in the autumn of 1979 at Polar Studio in Stockholm with Leif Mases and Lennart Цstlund acting as sound engineers. Hans used only two synthesizers (Yamaha CS-60 & Prophet 5) and a Grand Piano on the recordings. Like most keyboard players at the time he believed in the infinite possibilities of the polyphonic synthesizer and, therefore, sent his Hammond organ on a long vacation. Max was at this moment not completely incorporated in the bands music, which lead to a keyboard-oriented sound on this record. Three instrumental songs penned by Hans still had the characteristic Kaipa structure. Two of these, "El Grandi" and "Regn" (Rain), were included on the album. Another song, "Staden lever" (The City is Alive), was originally longer and contained some "symphonic" parts. These parts were in the songs final form deducted leaving only a short passage in the middle of the song. Most of the other songs on the album obviously proof the difficulties with the earlier mentioned compromise, showing different musical elements side-by-side, not integrated with each other, which was the purpose.

All songs, except the two instrumental songs, were credited to be composed by Bergman/Lundin/Lцfgren. This was decided when the discussion about the collective creation was brought to daylight once again. Ingemar made a claim for being considered as part composer to all these songs, although his part of the musical process in some cases was quite limited. Good notices greeted "Hдnder" when it was released in the spring of 1980, but the album didn't attain the sales of its three predecessors.

CHAPTER 14: The turbulent period

The band planned a tour to promote the new album in May 1980. They had found a new bass player in Torkel Thyrell, a veteran who played with Hans in S:t. Michael Sect in the 60's. However, the band was heading for serious trouble. Mats Lцfgren felt unmotivated, worn out and generally bad this period. So the last days of rehearsal without excuse, Mats Lцfgren just didn't turn up!! A fatal blow to the band who was about to do shows in a few days! The rest of the group gave up after futile attempts to solve the problem: it was simply impossible to get Mats to fulfil his part.

The band had to face the fact that they had to start the tour and take care of the vocal parts on their own without any rehearsal. The first concerts on this tour were improvised in many ways. The vocal parts of the songs were written and arranged for Mats' voice, but after a while the band transposed the songs to the right keys to fit Hans voice, which was not an altogether simple task while on tour.

The band started to look for a new singer. Anne Chaaban was singing in a local blues band. Hans was attracted by her style, filled with power and feeling. He invited her to rehearse with the band, thinking this could be a new start and direction. The intention was good, but the right chemistry never appeared. Anne's way of singing didn't fit in with the rich harmonies of Kaipas music. She didn't feel comfortable and had no experience in singing this type of music. Sometimes she went completely astray in their musical landscape. This constellation lasted only for one tour during November 1980. After that Anne and Torkel left the band.

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CHAPTER 15: Bringing joy back into the band

After all this adversity the three remaining members decided to continue in the original form as a quartet. Max knew a clever bass player and a very nice guy called MATS LINDBERG from Stockholm. (Yes it's true, two different persons with the same name playing the same instrument and in the same band.) His nickname was "Microben" (Microbe).

This time the chemistry was much better. Hans took care of the vocals once again, and they made a lot of new arrangements of old Kaipa songs mixed with new compositions and improvisations. Now the band just wanted to play, touring and bring the joy back into their life and music. So they undertook several tours between April and December 1981 including a concert at "Huset" in Copenhagen broadcast by Danish Radio.

By the end of this year Ingemar decided to leave the band.










CHAPTER 16: The last album and the end

There was no problem finding a new drummer. Olle Romц started to rehearse with the band early in 1982. But after just a few weeks he had to leave, after an invitation from The Euruthmics. So instead, Pelle Andersson took his place, and brought with his drumming a lot of new inspiration to the band.

They started to arrange a lot of new songs penned by Hans, but the other members also added songs and new ideas. The structure of the music was not clearly defined, the free hands ruled and they didn't know exactly what was going to come out of this. They took some inspiration from artists like Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads trying to do some new kind of progressive music. They wanted to continue the musical journey of Kaipa but they didn't want to stay in the 70's locked in their own history. This was a true progressive trip by all means. Everyone that saw this constellation of KAIPA live can confirm that they really enjoyed playing together. By this time Hans was the only member living in Uppsala, all the others lived in Stockholm.

The band had no record contract, but they wanted to record the new songs on an album. So they decided to make the recording by themselves on Hans' 8-track tape recorder in the rehearsal room in Uppsala. Of course this was a situation completely different by all means and very far away from the last recording at Polar Studio.

The record "Nattdjurstid" (Time of Nocturnal Animals) was recorded by the band with no outside help and released in the autumn 1982 on Piglet Records. It received lots of good revives, but that was unfortunately not enough. All the members in the band were professional musicians, but the work with the band didn't give them enough money to live by. So they decided to take a break after the last gig at Studion in Stockholm the 13th December 1982. This break was going to last for almost twenty years.

This band was on their way to develop something great with their music at this time. Four excellent musicians filled with new musical ideas to the limit of their capacity. But the opportunity to do this just blew away into the unknown history with this break.

CHAPTER 17: Small notes (for the freaks)

Several records were actually recorded in Kaipa's rehearsal room located at the address Hamnesplanaden 9 in Uppsala. Today this street has a new name. The address is Sammaritergrand 7.

1. "Kaipa: Nattdjurstid", recorded at Eugen Petren's Studio. For details about Eugen Petren refer to chapter 6.
2. "Roine Stolt: Fantasia". There is no information on the original album sleeve about where this record is recorded, but parts of it are recorded in the rehearsal room.
3. "Hans Lundin: Tales" recorded at Sonja Studio. The rehearsal room was located in an old factory, which once produced chocolate and was called "Karamell och Chokladfabriken Sonja".
4. "Hans Lundin": Visions of circles of sounds" recorded at Sonja Studio. These recordings were actually made in the basement of Hans' parents' house.

The band's second tour bus, and the second home for the members during the tours 1975 - 1982 had a name: HELGE.

Kaipa undertook two tours with folksinger Lasse Tennander. Lasse opened the show with a solo acoustic guitar set. For encores, the band came back with Lasse and would perform some of his songs adding a bit of "Kaipa- atmosphere", so that all the musicians could end the gig together. The first tour was in October 1975, and the second one in April 1977. The collaboration peaked on August 17, 1977 with a live recording, recorded by Swedish Radio, at an open-air festival at "Gardet" Stockholm.

The single "URAKAIPA: For sent/Bay-e bay-o" (1974) actually consists of two songs from the unreleased second album by San Michael's recorded in 1972, with Hans Lundin and Tomas Eriksson together with Gunnar Westbergh on drums and Nane Kvillsater on guitar.

Some of the words to songs on the album "Hander" were actually written by Mats Lofgren the last minutes before the recording the vocals.

Two songs recorded on the album "Hans Lundin: Tales" were played by Kaipa live on the long tour 1981. The song "Ripples" was the opener, and the first part of "Narrow escape" was used as a joker forcing Max and Hans to progressively increase the tempo.



CHAPTER 18: Crew and sound engineers working with the band on tours.

KJELL ERIKSSON: Twin brother of Tomas Eriksson and a close friend of Hans Lundin since 1967 when he started work behind St. Michael Sect. Accompanied Kaipa on many tours, especially during the years 1979-1980.

TORD TJARNSTROM: 1977

KEVIN FICKLING: 1978

MICHAEL HILLDINGH: 1978

GORAN DAHLIN: 1978

MARTIN HYDEN: 1979-1981

PAUL WRANGE: 1982

TONY DICKMAN: 1982



CHAPTER 19: The unofficial thanklist

Some of the important people who gave the band more than one helping hand, and not mentioned in other places in this story

Never ending support and bed and breakfast

Anders Kadhammar & Anders Osterberg - Saffle
Gunilla & Kerstin Bergendahl - Goteborg
Erik & Ylva Blix - Vanersborg & Goteborg
All the others not mentioned but remembered in our hearts

Equipment

Anders Sagren - Alligator Musik Uppsala
Jerker - Musikborsen Stockholm




Chapter 1: There was a road but it just led to nowhere

n 1991 the original Kaipa with Hans, Roine, Tomas and Ingemar tried to re-form the band and make a new album to follow up the reissue of the original albums on CD. Hans and Roine came up with a lot of new songs for this project, but the attempt failed as no bass was added, leaving Ingemar's recorded drums alone in the rhythm section. The right chemistry was missing and as individuals and musicians they had developed in very different ways.

Hans realised at an early stage that this constellation would not be able to effect his musical intentions. Roine acted like a Henry Kissinger of prog, spending countless hours over the phone, trying to restore the different members' faith in each other but finally the whole idea was discarded. Some of Roine's songs written for this reunion were later recorded by The Flower Kings; one of Hans', "Lantlat 1&2 " (Country-side song), where all members actually play together, was included on a VIMUS compilation CD; and another of Hans', "Folke's final decision", was included on "Notes from the past". After this failure Hans and Roine met some times trying to find other solutions, but it all ended up somewhere in 1995 as an unfulfilled possibility.

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Chapter 2: Some pieces of the future and some pieces of the past

n February 2000 Hans Lundin decided to realise his idea of making a new album. He had written a lot of new songs, and his participation in the making of the album "Hagen: Corridors of time" had proved that he was still a force to reckon with. During these recordings and meetings with fiddle player ANDERS ROSEN he also became aware that his song writing, inspired by traditional Swedish folk music, was something to be proud of. This awareness gave him a new incitement to incorporate more of these folk themes in his compositions.

The first step was to find a singer and a lyricist. MICHAEL OLSSON was the singer in Hagen and he also wrote all the lyrics in this band. Hans thought he could be a possibility. He invited him, and they listened and discussed the material. Michael brought the songs with him with the intention that he should write lyrics and try out the song melodies.

The real beginning of "Kaipa, the history, part II" dates back to a meeting between Hans Lundin and Roine Stolt in the spring of 2000.

Hans wanted Roine to play guitar on the new album, so he returned to the possibility mentioned in chapter 1. Hans considered this to be a musical project and not the forming of a new band. During this meeting they discussed calling it KAIPA. The new music had a lot in common with the old Kaipa music, without Roine knowing it, as he had not heard a single note. But since all songs in this project were written by Hans, they decided to dismiss this idea and wait for another opportunity when they both could be involved as writers. During the recording of the new songs the project was called "INSIDE THE GREEN GLASS", the name of the first song on Hans' first solo album "Tales". The basic structure of this song returns on the new album in an elaborated version called "Second journey inside the green glass".

Hans saw this as a summary of his intentions for the album project. He wanted a synthesis, to bring the best parts of his own musical history into the present, to add all his new knowledge and experience and try to create a new masterpiece out of these parts. The 70's "progressive music" included, and was compelled by, an unending search for new challenges and an avoidance of repeating oneself. Today the term "progressive rock" mostly means bands lacking a musical identity, doing a pale reiteration of what other musicians developed mostly during the 70's. With the new album Hans wanted to test the possibilities that arise when you allow yourself to be proud of your past without losing your present identity, and to search for new challenges.

Chapter 3: The making of "Notes from the past"

Hans and Roine had a second meeting in the summer of 2000 when they decided to start the work. Hans' basic idea was to make a double CD, as he had more than 160 minutes of music. Roine advised him to pick out the best songs and start with a single CD. They had a session listening to the material and chose what they considered were the best songs.

Hans realised that he needed an extra-talented drummer to play these often complex arrangements, but he also wanted someone bringing energy, fantasy, improvisation and personality to the music. For a long time Hans had been a big fan of Morgan Agren for his brilliant technique, and imaginative and idiosyncratic drumming. So in the spring of 2000 Hans contacted Morgan and offered him to be part of this project. Hans sent the songs to Morgan, who accepted. The recordings were made at the UAE Magnetofon Studio in Stockholm 11 - 22 September 2000 by Hans and Morgan.

As soon as the drums were recorded Roine added most of the guitars at Cosmic Lodge during September and October 2000 using mostly his old Gibson Les Paul Gold Top -52 and his Gibson ES-175 to create the special vintage Kaipa trademark sound. Also a lot of similar 70's effects like the phaser and wa-wa were used.

After this, they were forced to take a long break from the recording process because of Roine's work with "The Flower Kings" and "Transatlantic". Hans met Jonas Reingold, after hearing him in Flower Kings on "Space Revolver", in the autumn of 2000 when he presented the songs for him, but not until the beginning of 2001 was Jonas available to add his bass parts. The choice of Jonas was by all means a good solution as he is a brilliant bass player bringing new dimensions to the songs.

One of the songs for the album was intended to be sung by a female. Hans considered Sara Isaksson to be perfect to interpret the song "A road in my mind". He contacted her and presented the song. She thought it was a nice song that gave her a fairy-tale feeling, but declined, saying that she wanted to concentrate on working with her own new songs.

The collaboration with Michael wasn't as successful as they had intended it to be. Hans had written words to some of the songs when they started, and while he was waiting for signs of progress from Michael, he wrote the lyrics to more songs. They made a demo recording of the vocal parts in August 2000, and in February 2001 they made what they thought would be the final recording. Unfortunately this was not good enough. They both realized that Michael, who in fact is a brilliant singer, didn't fit properly in this special musical situation. So they decided to cancel this collaboration and instead join forces in "Hagen" sometime in the future.

So, in Mars 2001 Hans and Roine had to face the fact that they were left standing with a complete album but with no singer to finish the work. A lot of names were put forward as a potential solution to this problem: Roine came up with the singer of unknown band Carp Tree, Patrik Lundstrom of Ritual and Ola Salo of The Ark, but finally Hans decided to make Patrik an offer. Patrik accepted and the vocals were recorded at HGL Studio in just two days, 28 - 29 May 2001. Patrik's high vocal timbre brings a dimension to the music which is close to the sound of the early Kaipa. As he is a professional and brilliant singer he also brought a lot of new energy to the songs. The song "Notes from the past part II" was originally recorded and meant to be sung by Hans, marking a difference between the two versions of the song, but when Hans heard Patrik sing the first part he was overwhelmed and decided to change this decision.

Hans happened to ask Patrik if he knew any female singer who could to perform the song "A road in my mind". Hans wanted a singer able to make a personal interpretation, to bring a lot of energy and feeling to the song as a contrast to the soft and sweet little melody. After some searching Patrik returned on 15 June 2001 to the studio with Aleena. She performed the songs in her sophisticated, personal manner, with Hans and Patrik providing a compact and complete smiling support.

Many of the basic keyboard tracks recorded simply as a momentary demo are still in use in the final result, proving the worth of the original inspiration. During the autumn 2000 Hans completed most of the keyboard work and added the Hammond organ, the Yamaha CP-70 Piano and the Yamaha CS-60 Synthesizer, bringing the final touch to the recordings.

When the recording was completed in the summer of 2001, Hans contacted Per Nordin. Hans knew Per as an obstinate musician from the 70's, but he didn't know anything about his art talent until he saw the cover of the first Transatlantic album. They discussed the possibility of Per doing the artwork for the album cover and properly reflecting the musical content.

To give Per a chance to form his own opinion of the music they listened to the raw mix of the album. After some minutes of silence Per looked at Hans and said: "Why are you talking about a "green glass"? This is irrefutably KAIPA, and this is what all your old fans have been waiting for." So Hans and Roine discussed this, and a few days later they decided to use the name Kaipa again, considering this as a trademark for the content of the album, as well as a good way to nudge it into the Kaipa limelight, and getting more people to hear it. It was also meant as a tribute to the reunion of the main forces of the original band, two musicians bringing their unique forces together again in chemistry. Roine, who already had two bands to write songs for and play with, agreed to reuse the name Kaipa and thought this a good solution, in spite of his lack of input to the actual compositions as he obviously had hands full with his own successful projects anyway. Through his way of playing, Roine contributed much to what was the Kaipa sound and came also with valuable input during the final arrangement and mixing stage.

The album "Notes from the past" proves it's possible to make a bridge between the past and present, forming a new progressive music that has as much similarities with the old Kaipa records as it has differences.

To be continued...








Tracklist
1. Notes from the past
2. Night-bike-ride (on Lilac Street)
3. Mirrors of yesterday
4. Leaving the horizon
5. In the space of a twinkle
6. Folke's final decision
7. The name belongs to you
8. Second journey inside the green glass
9. A road in my mind
10. Morganism
11. Notes from the past - Part II


Musicians
Hans Lundin
Keyboard

Roine Stolt
Guitars

Patrik Lundstrom
Lead Vocals

Morgan Agren
Drums

Jonas Reingold
Bass

Aleena
Vocals on "A road in my mind"

Tove Thorn Lundin
Vocals on "In the space of a twinkle"



General Information
All music and words by Hans Lundin,
except "In the space of a twinkle", words: Mari-Pierre Amat,
interpretation of the Swedish words: Kevin Fickling

Produced by Hans Lundin
Recorded by Lundin at HGL Studio, Uppsala, Sweden

Guitars recorded by Stolt at Cosmic Lodge, Uppsala, Sweden
Drums recorded by Lundin & Agren at The UAE Magnetofon, Stockholm, Sweden
Basses recorded by Reingold at Reingold Studio, Malmo, Sweden

Mixed at Cosmic Lodge by Lundin & Stolt 23-26 July 2001
Mastered at Cosmic Lodge by Stolt 30-31 July 2001

Artwork and booklet design by Per Nordin
More of Per: www.lonelyarts.com

Photos: Per Nordin, Hans Lundin, Stefan Beeking, Stig Lundin, Tove Thorn Lundin & Anette Lindbom