ALICE BABS, POVEL RAMEL, MARTIN LJUNG, ALLAN "KING" JOHANSSONS RYTMISKA JULOKTETT: THE BIG JULEBLUES

This must have been a bestseller during Christmas 1952, since it is according to my experiences one of the most common Swedish 78 rpm records. It was recorded in Gothenburg, November 12, 1952, by record company Metronome and contains three of Sweden's most popular entertainers during the early 1950s, Alice Babs (born 1924), Povel Ramel (1922-2007) and Martin Ljung (1917-2010). That is, Ljung may not have had his real breakthrough since his name isn't mentioned on the record label. Allan Johansson (1919-91) and his orchestra accompanies. The song is a traditional Christmas medley, but with new lyrics by Povel Ramel, and the medley is divided on the two record sides. So when Povel Ramel starts babbling in the middle, it is because the flipside has just started and he tells the audience to change the needle, since the old one hurts, and to wind up the gramophone until Alice Babs reminds him that they are actually doing a recording of a Christmas record. I've been a collector of Povel Ramel's 78 rpms for a long time now, and even though this is not his most famous recording, it is without doubt the one that is easiest to find these days. So ... it must have sold VERY well.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Alice Babs
• Martin Ljung
• Povel Ramel
• Christmas
• 78 rpm
• record collecting

[davidpalmquist]

What a delight! Thank you for posting this. I met Ms Babs at the Ellington conference in Stockholm in 2004, and she was very nice. I haven't heard her in her non-Ellington recordings before, so I was pleased to stumple onto this one.

[78rpmblog]

@davidpalmquist Thanks for your comment. Well, Alice Babs made her recording debut as early as 1938 - if I remember correctly and I think she has tried every possible music genre during her long and fabolous career. She sings with perfection without ever getting boring - which I think is incredibly impressive.

[lili1916]

Thanks for posting this. It is a masterpiece. Alice Babs Sjöblom is a jazz singer of absolute worldclass. Was also one of the voices in the famous show group SweDanes. Povel Ramel was outstanding. Will never forget him and his musical companions.

[davidpalmquist]

@78rpmblog

The arrangement itself and the supporting musicians add to the success of this recording. This is jazz worth listening to. I wish I could understand the words in the middle, but my Swedish isn't good enough.

(Arrangemanget i sig och de stödjande musikerna lägga till framgång för denna inspelning. Detta är jazz värd att lyssna på. Jag önskar jag kunde förstå orden i mitten, men min svenska är inte tillräckligt bra.)