Bo Hansson - Lord of the Rings (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Journey Through Darkness Into Light

Brian E. Erland | Brea, CA - USA | 01/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought Bo Hansson's 'Lord Of The Rings' when it first came out in '72 and it immediately became one of my all-time favorite albums. One of the early concept albums, Bo's inspiration was Tolkein's masterpiece and in my opinion he was tremendously successful in exploring the mood and mysticism, both dark and light, in Tolkein's trilogy.

The compositions were written and recorded in a rented castle located on the Scottish moors. The dark overcast and foggy setting turned out to be the absolutely perfect inspiration for Hanssons' project. The imbending gloom, stark loneliness and isolation in some of his tracks is absolutely unnerving. The entire album/CD is exquiste!

This is really a seminal work which pre-dates both the New Age and Gothic musical genres of today. Yes, I said Goth. Many of Hanssons' tracks are deeply somber, melancholy and incredibly haunting. I like to consider his compositions as the instrumental predecessor of 'Dead Can Dance.' Definitely one of the essentials!"

Evocative of a Time and a Mythical Place

Richard M. Affleck | Lake Hopatcong, NJ USA | 08/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Before the glut of New Age music inspired by Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and the orchestral bombast of Howard Shore, there was this little gem that is almost unknown today by the American record/CD-buying public. Released in the early '70s, Bo Hansson's music inspired by the LOTR is something that I've returned to again and again. I know that its organ and guitar sound is dated, but at the same time, for me, it evokes the mystery and magic--the otherworldliness--of Tolkien's books, before the Bakshi and Jackson films, and their accompanying soundtracks, had become imprinted on my brain. It won't be to everyone's taste, particularly in in these days of overproduction, but, then, that's the nature of art, isn't it?"

Although not a strict interpretation, it captures a middle e

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 02/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's three volume masterwork Lord of the Rings, the recent film adaptation of the books, and also progressive rock. It should come as no surprise then that this 1970 recording by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Bo Hansson would appeal to me on a number of levels - it is in fact, a personal favorite. As it is presented on this instrumental album, Bo creates a spacey, warm vibe that reflects his own personal interpretation of the books. Whether or not this album successfully approximates the mood of the three books is ultimately left up to individual listener - I personally did not have any a priori assumptions and simply listened to the excellent music. On the album, Bo plays Hammond organ, electric guitar, (very early use of) the moog synthesizer, and bass and is joined by Rune Carlsson on drums, Sten Bergman on flute, and Gunnar Bergsten on saxophone. The music is largely spacey and reflective, but there are some occasionally heavier sections where slightly distorted electric guitar is used. The heavy moments are far and few between however, and the music overwhelmingly conveys the mood of a grey and snowy winter afternoon. Bo's moog work is instrumental in creating this atmosphere and its warm sounds are utilized to the fullest extent throughout this album. The remastering of the CD is pretty good and features excellent sound quality along with decent liner notes and pictures of Bo and (I think) recording engineer Anders Lind. All in all, this is an excellent album that is recommended to all prog fans that like things on the mellow side. Other excellent 1970s albums by Bo Hansson include Magicians Hat (1972), Attic Thoughts (1975), and Watership Down (1977)."

A Musical Milestone

Stephen KEEN | Western Australia | 06/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You may well have seen the recent blockbuster movie trilogy, or perhaps you grew up reading Tolkien's literary classic, but there is a third manifestation of the fabulous fantasy - the 1970 recording of "music inspired by Lord of the Rings" by Bo Hansson [released on the British & most other music scenes in 1972].

These musical visualizations by the Swedish composer-musician almost seem to have arisen from the very pages of the book. The track titles bear the names of chapters from the story in sequence ; "Leaving the Shire, the Fog on the Barrow Downs, the Black Riders,& the Flight to the Ford", & so on until the ending "the Grey Havens".

I admit to being a fan of Bo Hansson since the appearance of this album & I would go as far as accrediting him with having introduced storybook fantasy music to the broad realm of rock. Other artists soon followed with their own rock music adaptations of popular stories, historic,& folklore themes.

It must be remembered this music was created way before state of art digital electronic keyboards & computer enhanced sound. These were the days of the Hammond organ & the original Moog synthesizer. On this album Hansson plays organ, Moog, guitars,& bass, & most of it was compiled whilst he lived reclusively on an island off Stockholm.

It is worth noting that Bo was held in high regard in the British music scene in the late sixties when he played & recorded with fellow Swede Janne Karlsson. This unusual rock duo released their own albums under the name "HANSSON & KARLSSON" [see my review] & had a number of jams with none other than Jimi Hendrix. Bo's organ playing was considered by many to be ground breaking at a time when keyboard provided mainly backing for most rock bands.

Bo was one of the very first rock musicians to put the keyboard up front, often without an electric guitar anywhere in sight,& was one of the earliest to make full use of the Moog synthesizer as an exciting new lead instrument. In 1970 a tiny number of artists were just beginning to use electronic keyboard for this kind of musical imagery. These were really pioneering times & this album was a milestone at the start of an era of many keyboard masters & solo multi-instrumentalists, so one can see how many have been influenced by Hansson.

If you enjoy the "Lord of the Rings" story &/or you have a sense of fantasy consider this classic album from a very creative man.

"

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