Danish Hippies out with the Trees, Grass and Stones

I couldn't have planned it out better - somehow more than a few of the Danish psych clips I've been looking through recently happen to be outdoor performances.  On a less serendipitous note, I've also been running into a lot of political kraut that I don't understand because I can't speak the language.  My guess is that this Skousen and Ingemann (top left) video would be a lot more interesting if I could translate, but all the same it's a fabulous slice of flower power at its peak (* Listener William kindly sent me a complete translation of this song - you can read it on the bottom fold of this post).  Savage Rose (top right) are outliers in this post not only because this particular song is more reminiscent of Phil Spector than it is of later psychedelia, but also because I've made a rare exception of posting a video that abruptly cuts out at the beginning and end.  Why'd I allow it?  Because I can't get this fuckin song out of my head and it totally rules my life right now!  Wow, beautiful vocals, beautiful piano solo, hooks hooks hooks, oh man oh man.  Most of Savage Rose's extensive discog doesn't match up to this single but oh man I mean really what a catchy song.

Gasolin' (bottom left) was one of Denmark's most popular acts throughout the seventies.  You wouldn't really be able to tell from the not so huge crowd however, since this 1971 performance caught them a bit before they blew up.  It's too bad a lot of the syncing isn't great in this Day Of Phoenix (bottom right) video because they've got an awesome drummer.  Can't tell you much more about this short lived band, but if you want to know more about this era in Denmark, here's a nice article for you to read from Tarkus magazine.  Also, you oughta check out cool footage of Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Beefeaters, Pan, Thor's Hammer and part of some Danish documentary.

Here's what listener William sent me:

"I wrote down the lyrics while listening to the
song, so you might have slight inaccuracies in the text, but it really
is a basic text, and from what I can gather it describes the sun
setting on some bummed out hippies who've been up all night talking
(and god knows what else, but the text doesn't elaborate on this).

From the title and delivery of the song it resembles a typical hippie
protest song from the era, but it really doesn't convey any polical
sense, more a stoned out jammy feel about what it's like being
different (a hippie), this is most evident in the verse where someone
has gone too far, see below.

If you credit me on the blog, please link to my weblabel
www.tonebank.dk (which is offline right now, aarrg.)

----

(Here) from where we stand

{Here from where we stand
we can look around
to all sides

it moves
when we move
it changes
through all times}

everything has calmed down
and soon the sun will rise again
the accordion howls of seagulls
is slowly dying out

{from where we stand
we can look around
to all sides

it moves
when we move
it changes
in all times}

we have talked almost through the entire night
but here it has come to a stop
people are lying around us, sleeping
they do not know where to go

{from where we stand
we can look around
and we can look to all sides

it moves when
when we walk
it changes
through all times} x 2

there was a friend who left a little before the others
and now they say he came too far
but if there is no one who knows the direction
there's always someone who will take the blame (idiomatic expression
that literally means that someone will have the gun pointed at him)

{from where we stand
we can look around
to all sides

and it moves when we walk (back.vocal.: "and right where we stand")
it changes
through all times}
x 2

now the morning light is spreading out
with everything that it covers
here we have to spend some time
and there something has to be subtracted [? possibly just gibberish]

{chorus}

guitar solo at ~6:56

{chorus}

end."

Comments

[K]

That Gasolin' clip sounded to me like Simply Saucers hygenic twin.

[William]

Gasolin wasn't that short-lived a band, they existed for nine years. There's a decent wikipedia entry on them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasolin%27 (not sure about that link, it is supposed to have ' at the end instead of %27). The lead singer Kim Larsen is still active, and is a well-known figure in the Danish music landscape today. He has refused to receive life-time financial support from the government. Being Danish I might be able to answer any questions you might have to the bands in the videos.

[Brian Turner]

Alrude Rod & Young Flowers are two of my biggest Dave faves....worth seeking out.

[andy]

first three savage rose records are pretty good, but the first especially is recommended (from whence this clip came).
discovered them on this blog, actually...

[Listener Steve]

Burnin' Red Ivanhoe's "Across The Windowsill" is great, if you ignore the first 5 minutes......

[Medina]

Savage Rose´s first 2 albums are truely beautiful.
and this video is great.

[otto]

Someone knows that artist of them 60's said the whole world is happy being hippie?