Archive 1996 – Adolphson & Falk – Unreleased demo-version

During childhood, ever since I heard Depeche Mode’s first album, Speak & Spell, in 1981, it’s been electronic music that has attracted me the most. A Swedish band that I listened to was Adolphson & Falk. Good written songs with clever lyrics about modern technology, astronomy, human solidarity and cosmos, which was produced with the latest synthesizers that had just been released. Fat analog sounds with drum machines in the background. There have been many listening’s on their first two amazing albums that came in 1982 and 1984.
The record company that released Adolphson & Falk was called “Air” and was operated by “Air Chrysalis Scandinavia”, today “BMG Chrysalis Scandinavia AB.” In the spring of 1996 I had already done some work for Air Chrysalis and knew them quite well, first and foremost Pelle Lidell, today perhaps most publicly known as the former Chairman of the Jury in the TV4 show Idol. Pelle was then the A & R manager and had picked up my mixes and productions. After numerous of conversations held that spring, I told him, among other things, about my music background. As it happens, Adolphson & Falk were about to release a compilation album, but wanted two newly produced singles that would enrich the disc and create a new topicality for Adolphson & Falk. This, of course, I had no idea about, so I was both incredibly happy and surprised when I got the question. A bit of a dream that came true one could say.

Anders Falk and Tomas Adolphson had recorded simple demos of the songs that I got sent to me on cassette tape. I created a background that would be used to record the song. Since both Anders and Tomas worked full time, I had to go to Stockholm to record the song. At my previous vocal recordings I had been using an expensive two-inch reel-to-reel that was standard in larger studios that were able to record up to 24 channels. The tape is large as an LP, and about 3 inches thick. And it is heavy too. With the bag packed with the tape and a simple change of clothes I went to the studio in Stockholm, run by Ronald Bood who would also act as the sound engineer. It was very fun just to meet these guys, whose music I had listened to so much. All of a sudden I would decide how it would sound, how the song was sung and if the guitar would play this or that. I have honestly never thought it would have been fun to record the song, my fun job done at home in the studio, but we must have the song, so it’s just to get going.
We started recording during the early evening hours and would go on all night. My evening fatigue makes itself reminded already around 22:00, so it was a pretty long night. Around 03:30 I change my room for a while and fell asleep while sitting at a table and slept for about an hour, while Ronald continues to record until I wake up again and put the final touches. Sometime in the early morning we finish the job and the song is transferred to DAT tape. Now I long home to the studio and the stuff at home to put the whole production in place.

Adolphson & Falk for me, is all about good synth pop songs with clever lyrics and a production that smacks of analog synthesizers, drum machines and vocoders. I thought my two productions should be done in the same spirit, as they would be included in a collection of old songs. At the same time these two new songs were released as new singles as well. This was complemented by with two dance remixes of old hits, I did those too. The first production of “Ta Den Kärlek Du Kan Få” was done in a heartbeat. It was so obvious in a way. Everything fell into place and it sounded new, yet with a natural flirt with the old.
When “Sången Är Till För Dig” was completed and sent, they were not completely satisfied. They did not certain harmonies had the right look. To bring order to it, Ronald Bood came down to me in Gothenburg to help. I myself was quite pleased with my original production but we did another version in the end. The groove was gone, and the song felt now quieter and smoother, but the harmonies penetrated through better perhaps. After two days of work the new version was recorded in my studio and Roland went home. I sent the tape and it got approved, and above all else Adolphson & Falk was now satisfied with this song too. Here you will hear the original version that has never seen the light of day.

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