Vikingarna
Encyclopedia
Vikingarna is a Swedish
dansband
, formed in 1958. The band originally disbanded in 2004 after an extensive farewell tour, but announced their comeback in March 2011, however, with only two original members remaining. They are the best-selling dansband in Scandinavian music history, and are often regarding as the greatest dansband to have existed, and had at the time of their dissolution sold more than 11 million records.
, selling 20 000 copies, but falling short of any real success. It was not until 1973 that the band would finally achieve fame, recruiting several new members, including Tony Eriksson (who left again soon after, but returned for good 1976), Tord Sjöman and Stefan Borsch, who would all remain with the band for several years, and recording their first album at this time, as part of a multi-artist album project by Swedish/Germen recording company Odeon. The album gave the band their first hit, entering Svensktoppen
in 1974, with the song "På världens tak", a Swedish cover
of The Carpenters
hit "Top of the World
".
for their album "Kramgoa Låtar 1" in Sweden, as well as a silver record in Norway. In the years after, the band continued recording and releasing new albums, spawning several hits throughout the seventies, while at the same time doing very successful tours throughout Sweden.
entry to the Eurovision Song Contest
in 1979. Continuing the heavy schedule of touring and recording into the 1980s, the band gradually began to grow outside the Swedish borders. Already established in Eastern Norway and some parts of Denmark, the band expanded their tours to include all of Scandinavia, soon becoming the most popular and best selling dansband ever. For most of the 1980s and 1990s, Vikingarna was often seen as a standard
for the dansband sound. The release of "Kramgoa Låtar 13" in 1985, also saw the bands first ever release in the Soviet Union
, tailing 40 000 copies in the Eastern European country. In 1990, the band also recruited renowned guitarist Lasse Westmann to their line-up. Continuing their success into the 90s, the band recorded what would be their final album for several years in 1992, entitled "Kramgoa Låtar 20", before going on a three year break. During this time, several of the members began solo projects and started new bands, the most successful being singer Christer Sjögren, who had already established himself in Scandinavia as a solo artist. In 1988 and 1991, they were also awarded Grammis
prizes.
In the year 2000, Vikingarna expanded their horizons, and begun to record songs in German
, under the name "Vikinger", the German translation of "Vikingarna". They became immensely popular in Germany
, Switzerland
and Austria
, even having several TV appearances in the former country. The band would record two more albums in German, both becoming best-sellers. In late 2003, Klas Anderhaal left the band to resume his career as a studio musician, and was replaced by drummer Johan Norgren. At the same time, the band announced that they were doing a farewell tour the following year, and that the band would retire afterwards. Not long after, on January 30, 2004, the bands guitarist Lasse Westmann died after short illness. The band would recruite his colleague and friend Lasse Wellander to fill his shoes on their farewell tour. In June 2004, the band appeared on Swedish hit television show "Allsång på Skansen
", in what would be one of the most viewed episodes in the shows history. The band played their final concert in their founding town of Arvika
on 3 July 2004, in front of more than 7,000 people, breaking the record for most attendants at the site, with both Christer Sjögren and Stefan Borsch appearing. At the same time, a "Greatest Hits" compilation album
, which spanned most of the band's career featuring newly recorded versions of several old hits was released. A documentary/concert film titled "Kramgött från början till slut" was released at the same time. At the time of their 2004 dissolvement, Vikingarna had sold over 11 million records.
1958–1973
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
dansband
Dansband
Dansband is a Swedish term for a band that plays dansbandsmusik . Dansbandsmusik is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by swing, schlager, country, jazz, and rock...
, formed in 1958. The band originally disbanded in 2004 after an extensive farewell tour, but announced their comeback in March 2011, however, with only two original members remaining. They are the best-selling dansband in Scandinavian music history, and are often regarding as the greatest dansband to have existed, and had at the time of their dissolution sold more than 11 million records.
Formation and early years (1958 - 1973)
Vikingarna was formed in 1958 by Claes Johansson as "Ji-Coo & the Vikings". Three years later however, in 1961, the band split in two, "Jicco" becoming its own entity, while the remaining members changed the bandname to "The Vikings". The band would go through several member changes in the next decade, rarely having a steady line-up for more than a year or two. In 1963, they recorded a cover of country standard The Tennessee WaltzThe Tennessee Waltz
"Tennessee Waltz" is a popular/country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in December 1947 as a single by Cowboy Copas that same year...
, selling 20 000 copies, but falling short of any real success. It was not until 1973 that the band would finally achieve fame, recruiting several new members, including Tony Eriksson (who left again soon after, but returned for good 1976), Tord Sjöman and Stefan Borsch, who would all remain with the band for several years, and recording their first album at this time, as part of a multi-artist album project by Swedish/Germen recording company Odeon. The album gave the band their first hit, entering Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
in 1974, with the song "På världens tak", a Swedish cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
hit "Top of the World
Top of the World (The Carpenters song)
"Top of the World" is the name of a 1972 song by The Carpenters. Originally recorded for and released on the duo's 1972 studio album A Song for You, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in late 1973, becoming the duo's second U.S. number-one single...
".
Breakthrough and national fame (1974 - 1978)
After the success with their first album the year prior, Vikingarna released their second album, "Här Kommer Vikingarna". However, it failed to break charts, and the band was released from their record deal with Odeon. It would however not be many weeks until the band was signed again, this time by Swedish record company Mariann Records, a contract to remain in place for more than twelve years, until the company was merged with NMG in 1987. The big break-through came the following year, with "Du gav bara löften", their first major hit single. The same year, the band achieved their first gold recordMusic recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for their album "Kramgoa Låtar 1" in Sweden, as well as a silver record in Norway. In the years after, the band continued recording and releasing new albums, spawning several hits throughout the seventies, while at the same time doing very successful tours throughout Sweden.
Change of members and international success (1978 - 1992)
In 1978, singer Stefan Borsch, drummer Per-Anders Carlsson and bass guitarist Börje Gunnarson announced that they were leaving the band. This came as a shock to the band, who were having greater success than ever at the time, but dedicated to continue and recruited new members. One of the new members were Christer Sjögren, who would stay as the bands singer for the rest of their tenure. The band soon recorded and released their eleventh album, "Kramgoa Låtar 9", with their new line-up, including a Swedish cover of "Dschingis Kahn", the West GermanWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
entry to the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 1979. Continuing the heavy schedule of touring and recording into the 1980s, the band gradually began to grow outside the Swedish borders. Already established in Eastern Norway and some parts of Denmark, the band expanded their tours to include all of Scandinavia, soon becoming the most popular and best selling dansband ever. For most of the 1980s and 1990s, Vikingarna was often seen as a standard
Standard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
for the dansband sound. The release of "Kramgoa Låtar 13" in 1985, also saw the bands first ever release in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, tailing 40 000 copies in the Eastern European country. In 1990, the band also recruited renowned guitarist Lasse Westmann to their line-up. Continuing their success into the 90s, the band recorded what would be their final album for several years in 1992, entitled "Kramgoa Låtar 20", before going on a three year break. During this time, several of the members began solo projects and started new bands, the most successful being singer Christer Sjögren, who had already established himself in Scandinavia as a solo artist. In 1988 and 1991, they were also awarded Grammis
Grammis
The Grammis Awards are the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards. The awards ceremony is generally held each year in February in Stockholm.The awards were established in 1969 and awarded until 1972 when they were cancelled....
prizes.
Return to recording and retirement (1995 - 2004)
In 1995, the band once again returned to the studio and recorded a new album entitled "Kramgoa Låtar 1995", a modernization of their album gimmick, and it would achieve a platinum record in both Sweden and Norway within two weeks of its release. It also gave the band their first hit record in Finland. This prompted the band to resume touring in Scandinavia, and two years later they once again returned to the studio to record their next album, "Kramgoa Låtar 1997". However, their happiness came to an abrupt end, when long-time drummer Anders Erixon died suddenly on August 4, 1997, just 53 years old. At the time of his death, he had completed around two-thirds of the drum tracks for the new album. Singer Christer Sjögren would iterate that Erixon was the core of the band, keeping them together when everyone else was tired. Studio musician Klas Anderhaal finished the drum tracks for an October release, and afterwards joined the band as Erixons replacement. The band would then continue touring and recording for several more years, releasing new albums on a semi-yearly basis, while playing to sold-out crowds throughout Scandinavia.In the year 2000, Vikingarna expanded their horizons, and begun to record songs in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, under the name "Vikinger", the German translation of "Vikingarna". They became immensely popular in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, even having several TV appearances in the former country. The band would record two more albums in German, both becoming best-sellers. In late 2003, Klas Anderhaal left the band to resume his career as a studio musician, and was replaced by drummer Johan Norgren. At the same time, the band announced that they were doing a farewell tour the following year, and that the band would retire afterwards. Not long after, on January 30, 2004, the bands guitarist Lasse Westmann died after short illness. The band would recruite his colleague and friend Lasse Wellander to fill his shoes on their farewell tour. In June 2004, the band appeared on Swedish hit television show "Allsång på Skansen
Allsång på Skansen
Allsång på Skansen is a Swedish show held at Skansen, Stockholm, every summer on Tuesdays between 8pm and 9pm. The audience is supposed to sing along with musical guests, to well-known Swedish songs. The show started in 1935 on a small scale - about fifty people in the audience...
", in what would be one of the most viewed episodes in the shows history. The band played their final concert in their founding town of Arvika
Arvika
Arvika is a locality and the seat of Arvika Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 14,184 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Arvika is situated at Kyrkviken, a bay of Glafsfjorden, Sweden's only inland fjord, a remnant of the time following the last ice age .The area is hilly with the...
on 3 July 2004, in front of more than 7,000 people, breaking the record for most attendants at the site, with both Christer Sjögren and Stefan Borsch appearing. At the same time, a "Greatest Hits" compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, which spanned most of the band's career featuring newly recorded versions of several old hits was released. A documentary/concert film titled "Kramgött från början till slut" was released at the same time. At the time of their 2004 dissolvement, Vikingarna had sold over 11 million records.
Post-retirement and comeback (2004 onwards)
In 2008, four years after their retirement, their final concert was released on both CD and DVD. Since then, most of the members had remained active with their individual solo projects. On March 18, 2011, lead singer Christer Sjögren announced to Swedish and Norwegian news that the band were planning a comeback tour, with the first concert schedueled for July 7 at Ekebofestivalen in Sweden. He also told reporters that several new songs had been written, and that a new album featuring these was in the works. Sjögren, along with keyboard player Erik Lihm, are the only two members of the former line-up who are returning, with the remainder of the line-up being filled by the members of Erik Lihms own band.Members
|
|
| 1973–1977 |
|
|---|---|
| 1977–1978 |
|
| 1978–1980 |
|
| 1980–1984 |
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| 1984–1988 |
|
| 1988–1990 |
|
| 1990–1997 |
|
| 1997 - January 2004 |
|
| January - July 2004 |
|
With Mariann Records
- Kramgoa låtar 1 (1975)
- Kramgoa låtar 2 (1975)
- Kramgoa låtar 3 (1976)
- Kramgoa låtar 4 (1977)
- Kramgoa låtar 5 (1977)
- The Vikings Export (1978)
- Kramgoa låtar 6 (1978)
- Kramgoa låtar 7 - Djingis KhanDschinghis Khan (song)Dschinghis Khan was the West German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in German by Dschinghis Khan...
(1979) - Greatest Hits (1979)
- Vikingarnas julparty (1979)
- Kramgoa låtar 8 - Mot alla vindar (1980)
- Kramgoa låtar 9 - Hallå Västindien (1981)
- Kramgoa låtar 10 - Den stora dagen (1982)
- Kramgoa låtar 11 - Save Your Love (1983)
- Kramgoa låtar 12 - Albatross (1984)
- Kramgoa låtar 13 (1985)
- Julens sånger (1985)
- Kramgoa låtar 14 (1986)
- Kramgoa låtar 15 (1987)
With EMI/NMG
- Kramgoa låtar 16 (1988)
- Instrumental Hits 1 (1988)
- Kramgoa låtar 17 (1989)
- Kramgoa låtar 18 (1990)
- Kramgoa låtar 19 (1991)
- Gitarrgodingar (1991)
- Kramgoa låtar 20 (1992)
- Kramgoa låtar 1995 (1995)
- Kramgoa låtar 1997 (1997)
- Kramgoa låtar 1998 (1998)
- Kramgoa låtar 1999 (1999)
- Laulava sydän (1999)
- Kuschel dich in meine Arme/Vikinger (2000)
- Kramgoa låtar 2000 (2000)
- Kramgoa låtar 2001 (2001)
- Tanz mit mir/Vikinger (2001)
- Kramgoa låtar 2002 (2002)
- Romantica/Vikinger (2002)
Compilations
- Vikingarna Gold (1993)
- På begäran (1994)
- 100% Vikingarna (2000)
- Vore danske favoriter (2000)
- Best of Vikinger (2003)
- 100% guldfavoriter (2003)
- Bästa kramgoa låtarna (2004)
- Bästa (2006)
- Danske hits (2006)
- Bästa kramgoa låtarna 2 (2007)