release date: Feb. 1983
format: cd (MdCD 6130)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Nils Henriksen
label: Medley Records - nationality: Denmark
7th studio album by C. V. Jørgensen released approx. 2½ years after his to date most successful and critically acclaimed
Tidens tern, and with that comes a reunion with Nils Henriksen as both album producer and guitarist.
Tidens tern was certainly a commercial highlight, but for C.V. it wasn't without costs, and after his break in '81 with Delta-Cross-Band, which had briefly been a regular backing band, it appears as if he now seeks - perhaps also by establishing greater self-control - to find his own path as an artist and as soloist . On this new album, Jørgensen is now the only one credited songs and music, and he's in charge controlling his music in a new musical direction as opposed to what seemed imminent after a commercial peak. The touring and the collaboration with Delta-Cross Band had come to an abrupt end in the Spring of '81 - C.V. didn't feel at home with the musical direction, and you could be tempted to ask yourself if he had felt trapped in the new narrow bonds. Billy Cross was co-composer on almost all tracks, and he was credited as musical arranger on a score he also produced. In that professional partnership, it's not difficult to see Jørgensen reduced to a vocalist and simple passenger on a cargo ship, over which he was no longer in control. Previously, he had only just freed himself from restrictive ties with Det Ganske Lille Band in the company of a number of stable musicians, only to find himself in even stronger ties. With
Lediggang agogo, he finally stands alone as soloist with nine new tracks, and he has teamed up with guitarist Nils Henriksen, who produced
T-Shirts, gummisko & terylenebukser (1975) and
Storbyens små oaser (1977). Former drummer Gert Smedegård is also back, but it is obviously not a desire to reunite old forces, because on both guitar and bass, Jørgensen has hand-picked Lars Hybel (from Warm Guns, also former member of Spillemændene) and percussionist Jacob Andersen (from Sneakers) - and apart from a few other participants, this is the tight little unit who plays on the album.
C.V. Jørgensen has already made significant style changes several times in his career. The first time was with Storbyens små oaser (1977) and a turn towards laid-back soft rock with distinct elements from jazz, and already on the sequel Vild i varmen (1978) he was in a new place jumping into mainstream pop / rock with bigger arrangements, a bolder uptempo beat and with the inclusion of funk. Tidens tern (1980) offered a distinctly American-arranged version of traditional rock with roots in blues rock, and now on this, his most recent album, C.V. finds himself in a softer version with focus on lyrics. The songs are supported by lighter arrangements, which appear to link more to a British version of soft rock and with tempting hints of new wave, which could have drawn inspiration from bands like The Kinks and the more uptempo tracks from The Knack. You'll find splashes of jazz, but overall it still appears as a rock album, where the production probably has become slightly more scrappy, but the end result is that it presents itself more in harmony with other contemporary rock releases.
The album was certainly not what the audience or reviewers expected. Some critics saw the production as narrow and thin, and Lediggang agogo 'only' sold 30,000 copies in contrast to the quadruple sales figures of its predecessor, but C.V. was apparently happy with the new expression.
In the early eighties I considered this a minor album, but in retrospect I think it's better than it was then regarded to be. Compared to his 1980 album, Lediggang agogo is perhaps narrower but at the same time, it's also more focused, and it contains a number of fine tracks. I really enjoy the sound of Lars Hybel's guitar, which nicely pulls the surf rock guitar into the present, and which recalls the strength of Warm Guns. Likewise, Henriksen's guitar adds a layer of quality with a flavour of Andy Summers. The simple but tight arrangements give a sense of newer European rather than older American styled music. The tone of the narratives has also changed. It's no longer C.V.'s raised index finger against everyday consumption and other people's daily lives but a less stomach-churning view of life - or a more nuanced view. There have also crept in more introspective lyrics in 'I' form, which may be found on "Fingeren på pulsen", "Johnny & Djiim", "Byen uden midler", and best of all on the two brilliant songs: "Verden fra mit vindue" and " Elisabeth", where the latter is with the singer's mother in mind.
As usual since '79, the cover is credited C.V.'s girlfriend, Annemarie Albrectsen
Recommended.
