Burnin' Red Ivanhoe & Povl Dissing – 6 Elefantskovcikadeviser 1971 (Denmark, Progressive, Folk Rock)

Burnin' Red Ivanhoe & Povl Dissing – 6 Elefantskovcikadeviser 1971 (Denmark, Progressive, Folk Rock)

Also in 1971, the band recorded an album with Danish folk singer Povl Dissing. Although the compositions were generally more folk-inspired, and the lyrics were in Danish, the album contained some interesting moments for art rock fans.


Review by mr_pearls_brain

It seems from the sleevenotes that BRI and Dissing did a joint tour in 1971 which they called the Elephant Show, and it was something of a success. They had recorded some of it but it wasn't good enough sound quality to release, so they nipped into the studio and recorded studio versions of their most successful collaborations.

I think the title is a pun: if you miss out "cik" from the second word, you get "Seks Elefanstskovadeviser" which translates as "Six Elephant Show Songs" (which is what this is, tracks A1 A5 and B4 being vocal snippets) but the full title actually makes it something to do with cicadas. Crazy times... great counterculture comix type sleeve, too.

My mum is Danish and actually went to see Povl Dissing solo in the late 1960s. He was billed as a jazz singer. She thought he was rubbish. Dissing sings as if he is revelling in the gutteral horribleness of the Danish language (my Mum's Danish, remember, so I'm allowed to say this) every syllable stretched and tortured to breaking point. The vocals are foregrounded and BRI are pretty much a backing band. Tingel-tangelmanden is an obvious highlight, comprising more than a third of the music on this short album, in massive contrast to the boppy version on M144, it starts off with steady menace before diving down somewhere really quiet and dark.

Personally I prefer BRI's own records. This album finishes with "Introduction to Medardus" which is literally Sigvaldi setting the scene for a rendition of the BRI big-band blow out of that name. It fades out during the opening drum break of the song and every time I hear it I wish they could have left the full piece on. It would have been the best thing on it.



Tracks:

01. Introduktion V/Sigvaldi - 0:00

02. Wallifanten - 0:40

03. Narrevise - 7:29

04. Snehvidekys - 12:54

05. Kometen V/Sigvaldi- 17:00

06. Ta' Fri, Ta' Fri - 17:30

07. Et Samfund - 20:25

08. Tingel-Tangelmanden - 22:26

09. Introduktion Til Medardus - 32:53


Personnel:

Povl Dissing – vocals, 12-string guitar, harmonica
Karsten Vogel – soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, organ, piano, mellotron
Ole Fick – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Jess Stæhr — bass, acoustic guitar
Kim Menzer - flute, harmonica, trombone, percussion (handdrums), violin
Bo Thrige Andersen - drums
+
Freddy Hansson – producer, engineer

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