Wednesday 29 October 2014

Ole. G. Nilssen's World of Dreams from 1976 Norway



Of course a lot has been written already about this record, but it really bothers me I don't have a back scan to share.  Instead I am just reiterating the old mp3 rip from years ago that someone long ago did as a favour for all of us.  Yet that record is not so expensive, so perhaps one day I will buy it when there is more of a surplus in the joint shopping account that, as I said before, is predicated on the mathematical equation of 2 shoes for wife = 10 records for me (depending on sale seasons in which case a qualifying multiplier for the first term would be about 1.3).

Anyways, I personally adore this record, and even after hearing it so many times could still listen more.  It has a very dark and melancholy undercurrent and the image of the children, presumably his own, over a mushroom cloud that looks like an H bomb to me, pretty much brings to us the themes.

Some short quotes:

Future Solaris member Nilssen put out this one incredibly obscure album before he himself disappeared into the ether. I've had this one on a curiosity list for well over 10 years, and finally in 2009 I had a chance to hear it, due to a good friend of this site. So was it worth the effort? Rarely is the answer yes in these cases, and "World of Dreams" is no exception, but this is a mighty fine album for certain. Light years better than the subpar Solaris "Misty Morning" album. At its core, "World of Dreams" is a soft rock vocal album. But there are long sections dedicated to instrumentals, and its these sections that are clearly progressive rock influenced, with 1970s era instrumentation. Like a lot of soft rock, the songwriting is better than average, and Nilssen possesses a fine voice, and so the combination is highly appealing, even if not consistent. One I'm glad I finally heard.

From cd reissue wishlist.


From apps on rateyourmusic:

''World of dreams'' is a great work, somewhere between Melodic Rock and CAMEL-esque Progressive Rock with obvious elements of the Singer/Songwriter style in the shorter pieces. But the long tracks contain some excellent vocal harmonies by Nilssen, whose voice is just pure poetry, very sensitive and ethereal, while the instrumental parts remind of a slower CAMEL circa-''Snow goose'' with some slight jazzy influences and plenty of melancholic soundscapes, and the combination of melodic vocals with smooth electric guitars has a CARAVAN-like mood, although this is not close to the Canterbury scene. Nilssen combined an expressive lyricism and accesible vocal parts with multi-influenced instrumental sections, fronted by his KERRS PINK-like guitar work and the discreet presence of other instruments like the keyboards or the jazzy sax and horn parts. The shorter tracks are just narrow versions of the already presented style with sentimental guitar soloing, doubled by acoustic passages in a slightly MIKE OLDFIELD-like atmosphere, with strong jazzy inspirations and some orchestral passages. The music is still very melodic and dreamy with superb structures and background CAMEL nuances, albeit more accesible in nature.

After his stint with Solaris his traces have been lost, although it appears he remained tightly linked to the local music scene of his hometown Harstad. In 2001 he released another album, ''Memories of a lifetime'', which was only locally distributed, and he still performed live next to Esdor Jensen, who also played acoustic guitar on this album.

Beautiful, lyrical Art Rock with progressive touches in the vein of CAMEL and KERRS PINK.Extremely melodic with a couple of standout pieces and strongly recommended.


All I can add is that I've listened so many times to this record, and I could listen to it again and again...  it's that kind of record.  I'm not sure if the original ripper just did a terrible job, or recorded it in mono, but surely we will have to find an upgrade for this little treasure.





One further note, Ole sings in a vibrato that conveys a kind of nostalgic crooner quality to some tracks, an unusual performance for rock, although it can be heard from Paul McCartney from time to time to the utter consternation and disgust of John Lennon I remember, who felt it had no place in rock music, and he was right-- except this record where as I said, it adds an otherworldly dimension to the songs:




At times, he even sings in a falsetto a la French Atlantide.

9 comments:

  1. ole g nilssen
    https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/xoni1k

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy HalloweenTime my friend!
    Ole. G. -damn!- the G. must stand for "Goldmine",
    cause that's what this Lp is!!
    And man this gem is heartfelt...I really feel it...
    it could fit right alongside my Christmas music!
    'Chained To The Past' is a damn sweet treat...
    wonderful bro Thank you.

    Spirits rise in spooky dusks and twilights as
    Halloween approaches!
    Time to await The Great Pumpkin, and to help keep us warm,
    here's a real Fun Halloween mix I did in 2012 called,
    '3 A.M. Halloween Magic'.....It's a great trip down memory lane to friendly ghosts of Halloween past!
    ...any children of the 80s, this will have special meaning for you!!
    Ha Ha Ha

    ~ 3 A.M. Halloween Magic ~

    1. CBS Specials!.................CBS TV Specials
    2. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!.......It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
    3. This Is The Night..............Garfield's Halloween Adventure
    4. I Was All Alone, Workin' In The Lab.....Disney's Halloween Haunts
    5. The Scooby-Doo Show.......................Scooby-Doo Snack Tracks
    6. Simpsons Halloween..........................The Simpsons
    7. Disney's Halloween Treat...................A Disney Halloween
    8. Tiny Toons Halloween........................Tiny Toons
    9. The Blob...........................................The Five Blobs
    10. Ghostbusters...................................Ray Parker Jr.
    11. Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho! - I'm No Scaredy Cat.....Garfield's Halloween Adventure
    12. Tricks-Or-Treats (I Got A Rock).........It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
    13. I Don't Like Candycorn.....................Moose & Zee
    14. Trick Or Treat.................................Trick Or Treat (Disney)
    15. Mr. Ghost Goes To Town - Halloween Spooks........Jon 'Bermuda' Schwartz
    16. Trick Or Treat............................The Wonderland Singers
    17. Tale Of The Headless Horseman..............Disney's Legend Of Sleepy Hollow
    18. Are You Afraid Of The Dark?.......Are You Afraid Of The Dark?
    19. Heffalumps And Woozles.................Winnie The Pooh
    20. Thriller.......................................Michael Jackson
    21. Transylvania 6-5000...................Transylvania 6-5000
    22. Playhouse Theme......................Peewee's Playhouse
    23. Cantina Jam...............................Star Wars
    24. Knock Upon Our Door.................The Munsters
    25. A Merry, Shh, Creepy Halloween.......The Addams Family
    26. The Magic Of Halloween...............E.T.
    27. Ghostbusters Main Theme............Ghostbusters
    28. The Skeleton Dance.....................Disneys Scary Tales
    29. Gremlins Mega-Madness..............Gremlins
    30. You've Got A Friend - Muppet Show Close.....The Muppet Show feat. Vincent Price

    www65.zippyshare.com/v/9513516/file.html

    Good friends & scary tales - Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is the lp i put on to come down from mushroom trips. Super thanks

    ReplyDelete
  4. yes that sounds like a wise choice

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  5. Lovely from beginning to the end. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Of course, this rip is inadequate, I hope someday to return with a better, probably lossless...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ghosts and spooks are out!
    ...And they love music!
    Well, how bout a few of my favorite
    Doctor Who soundtracks then :)

    'Ghost Light', by Mark Ayres, from 1989...
    This is one of those real gems from the
    Doctor Who universe -
    both the episode and the soundtrack are great!
    This rip is from my 1993 Silva Screens cd...

    Doctor Who - Ghost Light OST

    www39.zippyshare.com/v/72861482/file.html

    ...And 'Terror Of The Zygons'(1975) &
    'The Seeds of Doom'(1976),
    both by the masterful Geoffrey Burgon.
    These are the only OSTs he did for Doctor Who
    (wish he'd done more!)
    and are my very favorites
    (as well the awesome episodes!!)

    Doctor Who - Terror Of The Zygons &
    The Seeds Of Doom OST

    www50.zippyshare.com/v/56648606/file.html

    ...check out great tracks like,
    'Murder And Mystery On Tulloch Moor',
    'False Harry', 'Antarctica: The First Pod',
    'The Nuturing Of Keeler' & 'Get Dunbar!/Krynoid on The Loose'...
    ...this rip is from my 2000 BBC Music cd...

    ps. the zip file just says 'The Seeds Of Doom' but it contains both...tracks 1-18 is Zygons, 19-44 is Seeds...

    Happy Halloween!

    ReplyDelete
  8. really liked those shares bro, and tomorrow I will post a big surprise for everyone, something sure to delight and amaze those who will be paying attention, and not too scared I mean, or drunk, from the festivities.... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey bro
    just noticed today that the file for
    '3 A.M. Halloween Magic'
    mysteriously vanished without a trace...
    ...so I brought it back to life!
    www48.zippyshare.com/v/35799173/file.html
    It's Alive!!

    ReplyDelete