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CD
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RACD 107CD
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The Choko King by Jono El Grande features recordings from the period between 1995 and 2008, some of which pre-dates his first album by four years. This album offers an open door into Jono's surrealistic musical universe and is a rare gift to his increasing number of fans and anyone interested in the workings of a truly eccentric and artistic mind. The album has been meticulously assembled from home recordings, demos, rehearsal tapes, live and studio recordings and made into a completely new work by Jono himself. Jono El Grande is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margin of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He released his debut mini-album Utopian Dances in 1999, a collection of absurdist instrumentals recorded at home using not much more than a workstation synth. 2003 saw the release of Fevergreens (RCD 2031CD), an album that drew upon classic progressive rock, film music, easy listening and a variety of pop idioms and featured a nine-piece orchestra. The Wire noted that "the vitality of his writing keeps just the right uplifting balance between sweetness and acidity" and called it "a pleasant surprise." Next up was Neo Dada (RCD 2084CD/RLP 3084LP) in 2009, an album brimming with musical adventure, odd turns, weird combinations of sounds and instruments, complex signatures and a good portion of pure joy, all mysteriously sugared with infectious melodic hooks. Neo Dada represented something of an artistic breakthrough and received great reviews everywhere. This was followed by Phantom Stimulance (RCD 2106CD/RLP 3106LP) in late 2010. The sleeve paintings on The Choko King are by acknowledged Norwegian artist Christer Karlstad and show The Choko King, intentionally misspelled to point to the megalomaniac's hubris: to choke on what you desire the most. The CD edition includes a 14-minute bonus track.
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LP
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RALP 307LP
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LP version; limited, numbered edition of 300 copies. The Choko King by Jono El Grande features recordings from the period between 1995 and 2008, some of which pre-dates his first album by four years. This album offers an open door into Jono's surrealistic musical universe and is a rare gift to his increasing number of fans and anyone interested in the workings of a truly eccentric and artistic mind. The album has been meticulously assembled from home recordings, demos, rehearsal tapes, live and studio recordings and made into a completely new work by Jono himself. Jono El Grande is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margin of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He released his debut mini-album Utopian Dances in 1999, a collection of absurdist instrumentals recorded at home using not much more than a workstation synth. 2003 saw the release of Fevergreens (RCD 2031CD), an album that drew upon classic progressive rock, film music, easy listening and a variety of pop idioms and featured a nine-piece orchestra. The Wire noted that "the vitality of his writing keeps just the right uplifting balance between sweetness and acidity" and called it "a pleasant surprise." Next up was Neo Dada (RCD 2084CD/RLP 3084LP) in 2009, an album brimming with musical adventure, odd turns, weird combinations of sounds and instruments, complex signatures and a good portion of pure joy, all mysteriously sugared with infectious melodic hooks. Neo Dada represented something of an artistic breakthrough and received great reviews everywhere. This was followed by Phantom Stimulance (RCD 2106CD/RLP 3106LP) in late 2010. The sleeve paintings on The Choko King are by acknowledged Norwegian artist Christer Karlstad and show The Choko King, intentionally misspelled to point to the megalomaniac's hubris: to choke on what you desire the most. Printed innersleeve includes nerdy details about each track from Jono.
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CD
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RACD 103CD
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This is definitely the most asked-for product by fans of Norwegian duo Fra Lippo Lippi, the original version of their best known and most popular album Songs, originally released on Easter Productions in 1985, now available for the very first time on CD. After having released their two first albums In Silence and Small Mercies on the Norwegian indie label Uniton in 1981 and 1983, Fra Lippo Lippi decided to finance and release their next album, Songs, themselves. If the development from the Joy Division-influenced In Silence to the piano-based Small Mercies was a big step, the same can be said about the further development leading up to Songs, the most obvious aspect being a stronger focus on more structured sounds. Although the acoustic piano was a key part of Small Mercies, it was even more evident on Songs, especially as the original recording of this album was completely without guitars. This gave the album a very personal and unique sound in the middle of a period that championed drum machines and the newly-developed digital synths and sequencers. Talk Talk was another band that would soon use the piano in much the same way. Songs was later picked up by Virgin UK and some additional recordings were done by Depeche Mode and Cure producer Dave Allen. Songs received great critical acclaim and today, twenty years later, it has frequented various "Best Norwegian Albums" polls, while the track "Shouldn't Have To Be Like That" was recently listed as one of the country's 100 best songs ever. A special and limited 20th anniversary edition, this release comes in a so-called replica mini-LP CD format with the original artwork intact. It has been beautifully manufactured in Japan and is housed in solid, sturdy cardboard. The recording itself has been remastered and the complete live album Crash Of Light is included as bonus tracks, also for the first time on CD.
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CD
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RACD 102CD
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"In 1985 they release their third album Songs, this time on their own label. Here the songs are more structured with stronger melodies and a much better production, recorded and mixed at Abba's Polar Studio in Stockholm. Songs is picked up by Virgin UK and some additional recordings are done by Depeche Mode and Cure producer Dave Allen. The album includes the hit single 'Shouldn't Have To Be Like That' and receives very favourable international reviews. On the basis of Songs and new demos, Virgin UK gets Walter Becker from Steely Dan to produce their next album. Light And Shade is recorded in Los Angeles and released in September 1987. The first single, 'Angel', is sent to selected US radio stations and gets very good feedback. But Virgin US have problems and need to 'trim the roster'. Several acts have to go. Out of nowhere, FLL is suddenly big in the Philippines. Being invited for one concert in Manila, they end up selling out 6 shows at the same venue, 70.000 tickets all in all. In 1989 they release The Colour Album on Record Station, a label under BMG in Sweden. In 1992 they release their last studio album Dreams. The Best Of Fra Lippo Lippi includes tracks from Songs, Light And Shade, The Colour Album and Dreams in addition to one live track and a new track recorded in 1994 and not available elsewhere. For contractual reasons some of the songs have been re-recorded, but the original recording of 'Angel' is included, complete with Walter Becker's guitar playing."
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CD
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RACD 101CD
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Rune Arkiv is a Rune Grammofon sub-label. "The Norwegian duo Fra Lippo Lippi was formed by Rune Kristoffersen in 1980. The name is taken from a poem by Robert Browning, dedicated to the Italian renaissance painter Filippo Lippi. A year later their debut album is released by the Norwegian indie label Uniton. In Silence shows a strong influence by groups such as Joy Division and The Cure. For their next album Small Mercies (1983) they get Per Oystein Sorensen to join as the new singer. The music shows a considerable development towards a more personal style, with the piano as the central instrument. The Early Years includes both In Silence and Small Mercies and 2 instrumental b-sides, all on one CD."
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