Pugh Tuning

Pugh Rogefeldt: Love, Love, Love and Signe
From: Ja Da A Da (Metronome, 1969)

Ok, ok, the front cover of this album may not suggest a world of funk riffs and headblowing drums lays in wait but you’ll just have to trust me on this one because this is some stellar stuff. Still don’t trust me? Well, check out the first few bars of Love, Love, Love and let your jaw drop as you realize that DJ Shadow lifted the intro in it’s entirety for Mutual Slump.

Now we’ve settled that, let me fill you in a little more on the life of Pugh. Born in 1947, Pugh dabbled with the blues before sending his first testpress off to record companies in 1968. Unfortunately for Pugh, by the time his talent was recognized by the executives he had started his compulsory military service. However, luckily for us, that didn’t stop plucky Pugh, he quickly went AWOL from the Army and got back in the studio to record the debut album that would be known as Ja Da A Da. While unknown to many English speakers, this album was a huge hit in Pugh’s native Sweden and laid the basis for a career which still continues till this day. You can read a fuller biography here.

So, back to Love, Love, Love and that jawdropping opening. From the very off the track is driven by the intense drumming of Jan Karlsson. The thumping drums and crashing symbols draw the listener in before the track settles down to a slightly less frantic but no less funky pace. What really draws me into this track is the layers, with the relentless drumming and funk riff offset by the vocals of Pugh who sings this track like Sweden’s answer to the Os Mutantes. As the layers overlap they create a psychedelic wall of sound that’s hard to resist. Once again, a track that deserves to be considered in it’s own right outside merely being a loopdigger’s record.

Signe takes a different approach to the world of psychedelia, more sedately funky than Love Love Love. Starting with ominous strings it seems clear to me that Pugh had definitely been checking Love’s classic Forever Changes album went he went into the studio to record this. He keeps the vocals light and sweet over the acoustic guitars before, half way through, the track dissolves into ghostly vocals and strumming. However, this is just the precursor for the track to finally kick in as a rolling bass and hard drums carry the track home in pure Swedish psychedelic funk style.

There, that’ll teach you to judge a book by it’s cover won’t it.