Sagan Om Ringen (Lord Of The Rings)

Bo Hansson spent the early 60s as a member of The Merrymen in his native Sweden. The band, which also included harmonica player Bill Öhrström, opened for one of The Rolling Stones' Scandinavian tours and recorded one album with US singer Boz Scaggs. Switching to the organ, Hansson formed a relatively well-known duo with drummer Rune Karlsson, eventually releasing three albums in Sweden as Hansson-Karlsson. They were even friendly with Jimi Hendrix, having jammed with him when they opened for the Experience in 1966. But by 1969, Hansson, locked away in his recording studio with Karlsson and engineer Anders Lind, began recording his musical interpretation of the Tolkien fantasy trilogy; or rather, Music Inspired by at the Tolkien estate's request. Lind's Silence Records released the album, Sagan Om Ringen ("Lord Of The Rings"), in November 1970 to relative commercial success in Sweden—so much so that Charisma picked up the album some two years later in the UK, where it would enter the Top 40. It's relevant to note that the album is one of the first in the multi-instrumentalist tradition. Hansson's work, though, is often misinterpreted; his quiet yet sinister organ tones are more like Pink Floyd than anything fairy tale-esque or electronic, and his guitar tone is just as exceptional. At any rate, interpreting Tolkien's trilogy, which was undergoing a huge renaissance in the early 70s (as were most things sci-fi/fantasy), turned out to be a shrewd decision. Aided with session musicians and approaching a band format, Hansson would record several other similar albums over the next few years, but would never again achieve this level of success—at least commercially. [UK release date]