Samla Mammas Manna / Lars Hollmer

5-24-10

Samla Mammas Manna / Lars Hollmer

I see that I wrote about Lars Hollmer and Samla Mammas Manna in both 2004 and 2006. But lately, I found a few S.M.M. CD’s – so I have really been listening lately.

CD SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA SILENCE SW

SRSCD 3603 1970 14 TRKS (2 x bonus tracks) ('01 issue)

LP SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA SILENCE SW

SRS 4604 1971 12 TRKS

CD MALTID SILENCE SW

SRSCD 3604 1973 12 TRKS (3 x bonus tracks) ('91 issue)

LP MALTID SILENCE SW

SRS 4621 1973 9 TRKS

LP KLOSSA KNAPITATET SILENCE SW

SRS 4627 1974 9 TRKS

CD KLOSSA KNAPITATET SILENCE SW

SRSCD 3617 1974 9 TRKS ('95 issue)

LP SNORUNGARNAS SYMFONI MNW SWEDEN

MNW 70P 1976 4 TRKS Gregory Allan Fitzpatrick

LPx2 FOR ALDRE NYBEGYNNARE / SCHLAGENS MYSTIK (as VON ZAMLA) SILENCE SW

SRS 4640 1977 18 TRKS with poster

7" LOJONET AV LJUGA (as VON ZAMLA) LOVE SWEDEN

SLS 1 1979 2 TRKS with pic sleeve

LP FAMILESPRICKOR (as VON ZAMLA) SILENCE SW

SRS 4662 1980 8 TRKS

CD FAMILESPRICKOR (as VON ZAMLA) SILENCE SW

SRSCD 3612 1980 8 TRKS ('93 issue)

CD ZAMLARANAMMA (as VON ZAMLA) RESOURCE SWE

RESCD 511 1982 9 TRKS

CD 1983 (as VON ZAMLA) CUNIEFORM US

RUNE 121 1999 13 TRKS Live '83 – excellent sound!

Lars Hollmer was the keyboard / accordion player for Samla Mammas Manna (and it’s various permutations, Von Zamla etc.), but he passed away in 2008. I bought the S.M.M. albums in the 70’s, but…there was so much stuff back then, they didn’t have the impact they maybe should’ve. It was Hollmer’s solo album “Fran Natt Idag” (1983?) that really got me to listen. I played that LP to death – and now I can’t locate a CD of it in the new century!

There are also a few more S.M.M. CD’s I’m looking for – Swedish CD’s are notoriously difficult to come by in the western U.S. – and expensive. I will likely be mail-ordering the double CD “FOR ALDRE NYBEGYNNARE / SCHLAGENS MYSTIK” from Cunieform… but I would really like to find some of the ones that I have never seen or heard. Maybe next time I go back to Japan?

Samla Mammas Manna were part of “Rock in Opposition”, a musical political movement in the late 70’s, early 80’s in Europe. But I usually think of R.I.O. music as being kind of ‘dour’ (Dagmar Krause, perhaps?) – and there is always a great sense of humor on S.M.M.’s / Hollmer’s (mostly instrumental) work. Almost psychedelic progressive rock…accordion!

Tak for the music, Mr. Lars Hollmer (1948 – 2008).

p.s. I think I'll get the box set from Cunieform / Wayside...