The Lonely Boys
Encyclopedia
The Lonely Boys is a fiction
book by Swedish
author Mats Olsson
about a young rhythm'n'pop band from the south of Sweden
in 1965.
Per Gessle
(of Roxette
fame) was asked by Mats Olsson to write a soundtrack to follow the book, and so the band "The Lonely Boys" came into existence and the debut album by this 1965 fictitious band was released in December 1995.
The band went to great lengths to make the sound authentic 1960s; from the lyrical content (Why did Adam have to fall in love with Eve) to the authentic instruments and amplifiers used in the recording process. The album is set out as two sides of an LP
(although it was available on a promotional LP in Sweden), including crackles of the needle on the turntable
and a pause in between the two sides as the record is turned over.
and Keith Richards
of The Rolling Stones
(although the Stones never recorded a version, The Inmates
did).
Side One:
Side Two:
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
book by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
author Mats Olsson
Mats Olsson
Mats Åke Olsson is a Swedish retired handball goalkeeper. He was born in Malmö.- Player career:Olsson played 294 caps for Sweden between 1979 and 1997. He competed at 4 summer olympics and 6 World championships. Mats Olsson started his career at Dalhems IF in Malmö...
about a young rhythm'n'pop band from the south of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1965.
Per Gessle
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
(of Roxette
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
fame) was asked by Mats Olsson to write a soundtrack to follow the book, and so the band "The Lonely Boys" came into existence and the debut album by this 1965 fictitious band was released in December 1995.
The band went to great lengths to make the sound authentic 1960s; from the lyrical content (Why did Adam have to fall in love with Eve) to the authentic instruments and amplifiers used in the recording process. The album is set out as two sides of an LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
(although it was available on a promotional LP in Sweden), including crackles of the needle on the turntable
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
and a pause in between the two sides as the record is turned over.
Band members
The Lonely Boys consists of:- Lasse Göransson (aka Thomas Holst) on Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Roland Bergström (aka MP Persson) on VoxVox (musical equipment)Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
- & Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
s, PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Kalle Johansson (aka Micke Syd Andersson) on drums and tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
- Thomas Nyberg (aka Per GesslePer GesslePer Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
) on rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and vocals - Richard Andersson (aka Nisse Hellberg) on lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, maraccas, tambourine and vocals
The Songs
There are 14 songs on the album, with the only cover version being "So Much In Love", which was written by Mick JaggerMick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
(although the Stones never recorded a version, The Inmates
The Inmates
The Inmates are a British garage rock/pub rock band, formed after the split up of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In the early 1980s, they had a medium sized international hit with a cover of The Standells' "Dirty Water", and a UK Top 40 hit with "The Walk"...
did).
Side One:
- Lonely Boys (Gessle) - Lead vocals Per (with Nisse), Per on lead guitar, Nisse on fuzz guitar. String quartet arrangement by Clarence ÖfwermanClarence ÖfwermanClarence Öfwerman, born 22 November 1957, is best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album Pearls of Passion in 1986 through to 2011's Charm School, Roxette's latest studio album. He is the big brother of Roxette percussionist, keyboardist and...
. - I'm Not Like You (Hellberg) - Lead vocals Nisse (with Per), Per on acoustic guitar.
- Keep the Radio On (This is the Perfect Song) (Gessle) - Lead vocals Per (with Nisse), MP on 12-string guitar.
- September Girl (Hellberg) - Lead vocals Nisse.
- Adam & Eve (Gessle) - Lead vocals Nisse (with Per).
- I Wanna Be With You (Gessle) - Lead vocals Per (with Nisse), MP on Mellotron, 12-string guitar & lead guitar.
- Fuzzy Puss (InstrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
) (Hellberg) - Nisse on fuzz guitar, MP on drums
Side Two:
- So Much In Love (Jagger-Richards) - Lead vocals Nisse (with Per).
- Flowers on the Moon (Hellberg) - Lead vocals Per (with Nisse), Nisse on acoustic-& 12-string guitar, lead guitar, MP on bongos & MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
. - Let Go of My Heart (Hellberg) - Lead vocals Nisse.
- Apple in the Mud (Gessle) - Lead vocals Per (with Nisse), Per on lead guitar, MP on acoustic guitar.
- Pretty Little Devil (With Angel Eyes) (Hellberg) - Lead vocals Nisse.
- Genius Gone Wrong (Gessle) - Lead vocals Per (with Nisse), Per on 12-string solo guitar & piano, MP on guitar and 12-string guitar.
- Days to Come, Days of Gold (Hellberg) - Lead vocals Nisse, Thomas on guitar.
External links
- The Lonely Boys
- Pearls of Per (lyrics)