Knutna Nävar – De Svarta Listornas Folk (Proletärkultur 1973)

‘This album is dedicated to all the working people who bravely fought and still fight for the cause of freedom for their class – and therefore always are met with harassment, prosecutions, blacklisting, jail or get murdered by the bourgeoisie and their wicked ways’. That was my own translation from the message written in Swedish on the backside of this ultra obscure LP that is filled to the brim with totally serious, but at the same time highly catchy communist-folk. Yes, you read that right. Of course: The band name in itself more or less explains what these guys and gals were all about. Knutna Nävar is Swedish for ‘tied fists’. These fists were clearly raised as well, in good communist fashion. Much of the enjoyment I get from this album, comes from two things: 1. That this band and their songs were obviously dead serious about the necessity of a armed revolution for a (utopian) classless society where absolutely *everything* is to be shared all the time (remember: this is 1973, more than two decades before mankind invented the – it should be said – double-edges sword that is called irony), and 2: The ridiculously catchy melodies. Musically and not at least vocally speaking, this is superb stuff. The lyrics (all Swedish) are of course totally over the top, but personally I have no problems with that. I like all the songs on the album, but my absolute favourite is ‘Streiken På Arendal’. That one swings like hell, and at the end goes into pure Jethro Tull territory. Brilliant! The opening title tack, the anthemic ‘I Alla Länder’ and ‘Ho Chi Min’ (their big hero, besides a certain Stalin) are other gems. But there are actually some melancholy here as well, not at least on ‘Greppet Hårdnar’. The melody is wonderful, and the singing utterly convincing. So all in all: ‘De Svarta Listornas Folk’ (= ‘People of The Black Lists’, referring to the people who in fact got fired from their jobs in Sweden’s various industrial sectors because of their left wing support) is a wonderful album. But it will probably have very little appeal outside Sweden and Norway (where I live), and by other than those of us who enjoy totally-out-of-the-box folk music. Besides: This album is practically impossiible to find, either on LP or CD. It wasn’t exactly mass produced, and we will never see a reissue of this, haha. I seriously think I got the last physical LP copy of it that was still for sale on… Earth.