Summary of Influences on Swedish Art-Rock
The biggest influences mentioned are the English art-rock groups Genesis and Yes, especially Swedish groups formed after 1974. Art-rock, art music, and jazz/fusion are sources mentioned by the groups as significant influences. Upon studying the music, art music influence is especially noticeable in the timbre and complexity of arrangements and compositions. Folk music is, as previously mentioned, an underlying influence in these groups, particularly in basic harmony and melody. This is especially evident in Kaipa, which also has song titles in a folk music style.
The desire for musicians to develop their style and sound rather than copying others was common. This is a developmental process where a musician matures and eventually blooms with influences from many artists and musical styles, leading to their own style. For art-rock musicians, the same applied; they borrowed and drew inspiration from English groups in terms of playing style, timbre, and composition. The influence of individual playing style and sound is also apparent. “Robert Fripp, Steve Hackett, or Steve Howe guitar” can be heard as a clear influence/borrowing from English art-rock in Swedish art-rock groups formed after 1973. In a Samla Mammas Manna analysis paper by L. Lilliestam, Hans Bruniusson ponders about the dilemma of being influenced by other musicians: “I was listening to King Crimson for a while, and I noticed that I used a few things that Bill Bruford (King Crimson’s drummer) used. But it works very well anyway because Coste (Coste Apetrea, guitarist) has listened to something entirely different, so it doesn’t sound like King Crimson. But sometimes there have been problems when you’ve heard that someone has been heavily influenced by a certain musician so that you’ve ended up with some sort of identity difficulties.”
A common theme among art-rock groups was the desire to play music that wasn’t solely based on the rhythm and blues tradition. Influences came from art music, jazz, and folk music, but it was important for the music to be innovative and break away from conventional rock music frameworks.
For some groups formed before 1974, like Anna Själv Tredje and Älgarnas Trädgård, the creation of soundscapes and meditative music was a shared influence. The music would serve as a background for activities like reading, which was a departure from conventional rock and pop. This musical style continued in Sweden through groups like Cosmic Overdose and Twice a Man, where important members of the aforementioned groups collaborated. A musical style now known as New Age falls into the same domain as this Swedish version of art-rock. Tangerine Dream, Gong, and Kraftwerk were crucial groups in the musical development of these Swedish groups and the international New Age style.
A certain Nordic tone and folk quality in harmony and melody were also common elements in Swedish art-rock, even though the groups formed after 1973 might not have acknowledged this influence. This is especially apparent in groups formed before 1974, where it’s also noticeable through song titles. It was also common to borrow and find inspiration from folk music from around the world, as seen in Samla Mammas Manna and other groups.
Psychedelic rock, fusion, and rock jazz influences were also shared by two other groups from the early 1970s: Solar Plexus and Trettioåriga Kriget. Some members of Solar Plexus came from the rock group Made in Sweden, which played psychedelic rock with fusion influences. The musicians in this group belonged to an earlier generation and had experience from the 1960s Swedish pop and jazz scene. Their influences go back to the late 1950s with rock ‘n’ roll artists like Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, and the new acoustic trend, skiffle. The significant influence of the Beatles from their first tour in Sweden in 1963 was also the origin for the musicians in Solar Plexus and Trettioåriga Kriget, who were then in a youthful and impressionable developmental phase. This shared influence also applies to other Swedish art-rock groups, with the Beatles as a foundational musical influence.
Art music as a shared influence in the music was primarily evident in some groups arranging art music pieces for art-rock groups. (This was also borrowed from the English rock scene.) It was common for music groups and musicians that the music should present a technical challenge to perform. The borrowing of forms for dividing longer “works” into sections, each with a theme, came from art music. Kaipa’s LP “Inget Nytt Under Solen” has a composition titled “Skenet Bedrar” with five parts: A. Uppvaknandet (The Awakening) B. Bitterheten (Bitterness) C. Hoppfullheten (Hopefulness) D. Överheten (Supremacy) E. Vilseledd (Misled).
The musical influence in arrangements, harmony, or melody from art music is limited; this influence is likely filtered through the English role models.