Gasolin'
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1969-71) - Franz Beckerlee -- lead guitar, sax, harmonica, synthesizers - Kim Larsen (RIP 2018) -- vocals, rhythm guitar - Wili Jønsson -- bass, keyboards, vocals - Bjørn Uglebjerg -- drums, percussion
line up 2 (1971-80) - Franz Beckerlee -- lead guitar, sax, harmonica, synthesizers - Søren Berlev -- drums, percussion, acoustic guitar (replaced Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Kim Larsen (RIP 2018) -- vocals, rhythm guitar - Wili Jønsson -- bass, keyboards, vocals
supporting musicians (1971) - Mogens Mogensen -- backing vocals
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- Basil Band (Bjørn Uglebjerg and Wili Jønsson) - Peter Belli & De Nye Rivaler (Wili Jonsson) - Peter Belli & Seven Sounds (Bjørn Uglebjerg and Wili Jonsson) - Franz Beckerlee (solo efforts) - Bolværket (Wili Jonsson) - Christianhavns Bluesband (Franz Beckerlee and Soren Berlev) - The Contemporary Jazz Quartet (Franz Beckerlee) - Den Gule Neg (Kim Larsen) - Dream City (Soren Berlev) - Exploding Mushroom (Wili Jonsson) - Flemming & Page One ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Frede Fup (Bjørn Uglebjerg and Wili Jonsson) - Hermann (Wili Jonsson) - Jomfru Ane Band ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Kim Larsen (solo efforts) - Kim Larsen & Bellami (Kim Larsen) - Kim Larsen & Kjukken (Kim Larsen) - Kim Larsen And Jungledreams (Kim Larsen) - Larsen & Co.(Bjørn Uglebjerg and Kim Larsen) - Les Rivals ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Lone Kellermann & Rockbandet - Musikerne (Wili Jonsson) - Musikpatruljen ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Natlægeholde ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Poulin & De Lidt Brugte (Wili Jonsson) - Rocking Silver ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Rubber Band ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Sømanden Og Stjernerne ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Sorte Penge (Wili Jonsson) - Starfuckers (Kim Larsen) - Swing-Jørgens Rytmecirkus ( Bjørn Uglebjerg) - Sylvester's Jukebox (Kim Larsen) - Tyg (Wili Jonsson) - Wild Honey (Franz Beckerlee)
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Gasolin' Company: CBS Catalog: CBS S 64685 Year: 1971 Country/State: Kobenhaven, Denmark Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: Catalog ID: 1178 Price: $60.00
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Formed in 1969, the initial Gasolin' line-up featured the talents of by lead guitarist Franz Beckerlee, singer Kim Larsen, bassist Wili Jønsso, and drummer Bjørn Uglebjerg. In 1970 the band scored a contract with the small Spectator label, releasing their debut single:
- 1970's 'Silky Sally' b/w 'I've Got to Find The Loser (Spectator catalog number MS-112)
Switching to the larger Sonet label saw a second, equally obscure three track EP:
- 1970's 'Child of Institution' b/w 'The Escape' and 'W.J' (Sonet catalog number T 7259)
Following a personnel change that saw original drummer Uglebjerg replaced by Søren Berlev, the group returned with a third single:
- 1971's 'Johnny The Jackpot' b/w 'Get in Touch with Tomorrow' (CBS catalog number 7183)
inner sleeve photo: left to right: Wili Jønsso - Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee - Søren Berlev
Like the earlier singles, this one did little commercially, but rather than dropping the band CBS management elected to finance an album - 1971's self-produced "Gasolin'" (also referred to as "Gas 1").. Unlike their earlier singles the debut album found the band writing and performing in Danish. It may have done wonders for domestic sales, but essentially ensured the album never had a chance of breaking through in the States. Shame since the performances were quite impressive. Larsen certainly had an impressive voice; raw and rock and roll ready. While he may not have been the most original guitarist you've every encountered, Beckerlee was more than capable of churning out excellent lead guitar moves (check out his performance on 'Fra Dag Til Dag'. The big problem remained the Danish lyrics. Say what you will about the language, but it lacked the fluidity of French, or Spanish which meant, no matter how strong his vocals, Larsen's performances came off as harsh and gutteral - check out 'Laphophora Williamsii'. I've sometimes found myself making up my own English words to the songs.
By the way, I've always loved the Hergé designed cover art.
"Gaslin'" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Langebro (traditional - Kim Larsen - Wili Jønsson - Franz Beckerlee) - 3:20 rating: *** stars Their version of the traditional ballad 'Geordie' sounded like it was heavily inspired by Baez' cover (which had been renamed 'London Bridge'). They also transplanted the location from London to Copenhagen, though they kept the song's original dark and somber tone. Larsen clearly had an impressive voice, though the Danish lyrics were completely lost to my ears. Nice harmony vocals throughout. The track was tapped as a Danish single. For anyone interested, YouTube has what appears to be a 1990's Danish television performance of the tune by a solo Larsen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omDlmQHhXdI
The track was also released as a Danish single: - 1971's 'Langebro' b/w 'Lilli-Lilli' (CBS catalog number 7183)
2.) Hej Christoffer (Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee) - 4:13 rating: **** stars Powered by some tasty Beckerlee lead guitar 'Hej Christoffer' was a surprisingly commercial and radio-friendly pop-rock tune. Surprisingly this one was tapped as a single. 3.) Fra Dag Til Dag (Wili Jønsson - Franz Beckerlee) - 4:26 rating: **** stars Nice hard rock tune carried by more first-rate Beckerlee lead guitar. In terms of overall quality this one could have given most English bands a run for their money. 4.) Lille Henry (Kim Larsen)- 2:28 rating: *** stars Pretty, largely acoustic ballad. 5.) Tremastet Beton (Will Jønsson - Mogens Mogensen) - 5:29 rating: ** stars 'Tremastet Beton' sported a pretty melody (perhaps the album's best), but wasn't so much a song as an opportunity for Danish poet and sometimes musical collaborator Mogens Mogensen to recite some of his work. No idea what it was about, though Mogensen seemed to get kind of riled up towards the end ...
(side 2) 1.) Solfangen Dag (Wili Jønsson - Franz Beckerlee) - 3:14 rating: **** stars Another hard rock--ish number built on Jønsson's nice bass work and showcasing one of Beckerlee's better lead solo efforts. 2.) Laphophora Williamsii - (Kim Larsen - Wili Jønsson - Franz Beckerlee)- 3:23 rating: *** stars Kind of a nice Lou Reed-meets-John Mellencamp vibe going on the breezy rocker 'Laphophora Williamsii'. rating: *** stars 3.) Jeg Kan Høre Dig Kalde (Kim Larsen - Soren Berley) - 3:15 rating: **** stars Maybe it was the harmonica, but 'Jeg Kan Høre Dig Kalde' exhibited a bit of Dylan flavor ... Nice tune. 4.) Strengt Fortroligt (Kim Larsen - Wili Jønsson - Franz Beckerlee) - 4:31 rating: *** stars Blues-rock ballad that demonstrated the band's nice harmony vocals and some of Beckerlee's Hendrix influences. 5.) Lilli-Lilli (Kim Larsen - Wili Jønsson)- 5:02 rating: *** stars Catchy, commercial rocker that served as a 'B' side to the 'Langebro' single. Based on this one, Beckerlee should probably stick to lead guitar, rather than atonal sax (I think he started out play free form jazz and it showed).
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Gas 5 Company: CBS Catalog: 80993 Year: 1975 Country/State: Kobenhaven, Denmark Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; minor edge wear; Danish pressing Available: SOLD Catalog ID:SOLD 6096 Price: SOLD $20.00
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So be forewarned, produced by Roy Thomas Baker, most 1975's "Gasolin' 5" was sung in Danish which was likely to be a major turnoff to the rank and file American audience. That said, if you could get over the language issue (remember for most rock fans, English is a second language), the collection was quite impressive. You could also try to track down a copy of the US version of the album - 1976's "Gasolin'" or the UK version entitled "What a Lemon" both which featured the bulk of the album translated and performed in English. Recorded at Copenhagen's Rosenberg Studio on a 24 track mixing board (the mixing board was featured on the album cover). Thomas-Baker and engineer Freddy Hansson gave the album an incredibly dense sound (try listening to the collection on a good pair of headphones). I've always been a big fan of Larsen's ragged, powerful voice; though to my ears he's actually sounded far better when singing in Danish. Kudos to the band for trying a couple of tracks in English ("Fatherless Hill" and "Lonesome Avenue"), but the strain of trying to sing English detracted from the overall performances. Featuring an all-original collection, this was prime form Gasolin'. Though the ten tracks offered up a mixture of genres including detours into country ("Lonesome Road"), the emphasis was on pop and rock numbers like the Danish single "Rabalderstræde" and "Sjagge" that retained a distinctive commercial sound.
"Gas 5" track listing:
(side 1) 'Rabalderstræde' opened the album with a pounding rocker. Great tune with some tasty effects laden guitar from Franz Beckerlee. The song also showcased the band's knack for crafting catchy melodies. Ccourtesy of YouTube you can actually see a performances of the tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF9QETcSMaQ rating: **** stars 2.) Fatherless Hill (Kim Larsen) - 4:15 rating: **** stars One of the album's few English performances, 'Fatherless Hill' (I'm guessing something got lost in the translation), found the band shifting gears. A mid-tempo pop number with a killer hook, the track featured some wonderful Beckerlee jangle guitar/sitar. 3.) Lonesome Avenue (Kim Larsen) - 3:25 rating: ** stars Another English performance, 'Lonesome Avenue' found the band taking a stab at a country ballad. Not exactly my favorite track, but you had to give Larsen credit for turning in a surprisingly good performance (try to imagine an American artist singing in Danish). 4.) Sjagge (Pedersen - Mogens Mogensen) - 3:07 rating: **** stars Built on an insidiously catchy Berkerlee guitar riff and sporting a slinky, slightly ominous edge, the rocker 'Sjagge' has always reminded me of something Golden Earring might have recorded. Great rocker. 5.) Masser af Success (Kim Larsen - Mogens Mogensen) - 3:33 rating: *** stars 'Masser af Success' (traslated as 'Lots of Success'), was a pretty acoustic ballad, though due in part to the fact the song was slow, you had a tendency to focus more attention on the vocal. On the positive side, Berkerlee use the song to turn in one of his prettiest solos.
(side 2) 1.) Refrainet er Frit (Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee - Soren Berlev - Wili Jonsson - Mogens Mogensen) - 4:13 rating: *** stars Side two opened up with another crunching rocker. Musically it wasn't anything particularly original, but it sure did crank out some energy. It was tapped as a Danish single. YouTube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGUKYJ0xjk 2.) Kvinde Min (Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee - Soren Berlev - Wili Jonsson - Mogens Mogensen) - 2.42 rating: **** stars 'Kvinde Min' was a pretty acoustic ballad with one of Larsen's most impressive vocals. Picture something a mid-1970s British band like Smokey might have recorded, but with a much tougher vocal. YouTube clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QOFJyrLgbQ 3.) 1975 (Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee - Soren Berlev - Wili Jonsson - Mogens Mogensen) - 3:32 rating: *** stars '1975' returned to straight-ahead rock with a great rhythm track and one of their more commercial structures. The song featured Larsen's best sneering vocal. 4.) Sct. Emitri (Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee - Soren Berlev - Wili Jonsson - Mogens Mogensen) - 4:43 rating: **** stars No idea what it was about, but the ballad 'Sct. Emitri' was probably the album's most commercial and radio-friendly composition. It sounded perfect for top-40 radio and I've always been a sucker for Wili Jonsson's harpischord. 5.) Good Time Charlie (Kim Larsen - Franz Beckerlee - Soren Berlev - Wili Jonsson - Mogens Mogensen) - 3:59 rating: ** stars A slow, blues-rock number, 'Good Time Charlie' was the album's third English language performance. Kind of plodding and predictable, all told it was one of the album's less distinguished performances.
A pair of Danish singles were released off the LP:
- 1975's 'Rabalderstræde' b/w 'Kvinde Min' (CBS catalog number CBS 3555) - 1975's 'Refrainet er Frit' b/w 'Good Time Charlie' (CBS catalog number CBS 3826)
For anyone interested, Larsen has a website at: http://www.kjukken.dk/tekster/albumgas.php
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2022
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Gasolin' Company: Epic Catalog: PE 34149 Year: 1976 Country/State: Kobenhaven, Denmark Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6097 Price: $25.00
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Immensely popular in their native Denmark (ah
one of Europe's rock and roll hotbeds), Gasolin' never made much of an
impression in the States. Formed in 1969 and showcasing the talents of
guitarist Franz Beckerlee, drummer Soren Berlev, singer/rhythm guitarist Kim Larsen and bassist Wili Jonsson, starting with 1970's "Angaende
Lone" the quartet released a series of highly popular Danish
sets. Not sure what the marketing case was ("of
course we can sell a Danish band singing in their native tongue to an
American audience ..."), but Epic signed them to a short lived American distribution deal in 1976.
Always loved Tage Hansen's cover painting.
Speaking of covers, throughout Europe the album was released under the title "What a Lemon" For some reason the UK release featured alternative cover art (EPic catalog number EPC 81436).
"Gasolin'" track listing:
(side 1) Originally recorded for 1975's "Gas 5", the Danish title was "Rabalderstræde" which I think translated roughly into "rabble street". Accordingly, I've always wondered about the song's odd English title. Yeah, the English lyrics appeared a bit random, but the vocals exhibited little in the way of accents. Moreover, "What a Lemon" packed a ton of energy into the performance. The title refrain was a gas (LOL) and the song's fade out stop and go structure was interesting. The original Danish version of the song was included on side two. 2.) Fatherless Hill (Gasolin') - 4:16 rating: **** stars Another "Gas 5" track, "Fatherless Hill" (I'm guessing something got lost in the translation) was one of the rare performances the band originally recorded in English Complete with spoken word introduction the tune was a nice showcase for Kim Larsen's rugged voice. The lyrics were dark and enigmatic (perhaps an orphan wondering about their missing father ...), but that was offset by a nicely orchestrated mid-tempo pop-rock melody that featured a killer hook. It was made all the better by some wonderful jangle guitar/sitar from Franz Beckerlee. The band filmed a promotional video for the song: Gasolin' - Fatherless Hill (Musikvideo) 3.) Lonesome Avenue (Gasolin')- 3:25 rating: ** stars Hum, a Danish band taking a stab at American country music ... Another English performance from "Gas 5", "Lonesome Avenue" wasn't exactly my favorite track, but you had to give Larsen credit for turning in a surprisingly good performance (try to imagine an American artist singing in Danish). Always wondered about the female backing singer who sounded as if she was having some sort of medical issue. 4.) Rebel Run (Gasolin' - Tommy Petersen - Dan Beck) - 2:58 rating: **** stars Built on Wili Jonsson's thundering bass (I think I could have played it), "Rebel Run" has always reminded me of an early Sweet effort. Catchy mindless fun. Shame it wasn't longer. Another "Gas 5" remake, the song was originally entitled "Sjagg" 5.) Lots of Success (Gasolin' - Dan Beck) - 3:40 rating: *** stars Another "Gas 5" remake, "Lots of Success" (originally entitled "Masser af Success"), was a pretty acoustic ballad. Due in part to the fact the song was slow, you had a tendency to focus more attention on Larsen's heavily accented vocals. On the positive side, Berkerlee use the song to turn in one of his prettiest solos.
1.) It's All the Same To An American Dane (Gasolin' - Mick Moloney - Dan Beck)- 3:54 rating: *** stars Opening up with some anthemic Beckerlee guitar, "It's All the Same to an American Dane" initially reminded me of a Queen performance. The comparison was short-lived with the song quickly shifting into '50s rock more complete with rollicking "hey-we're-touring-the-US" lyrics. Interesting to hear their Danish view of the US. The original Danish title was "Refrainet Er Frit" (translated as "refrains are free"). Another "Gas 5" tune which had been released as a Danish single:
- 1975's "Refrainet Er Frit" b/w "Good Time Charlie" (CBS catalog number CBS 3826)
2.) Lady Oh Lady (Gasolin' - Mick Moloney) - 2:43 rating: rating: *** stars Surrounded
by an ocean of strumming acoustic guitars, "Lady Oh Lady" was a
remake of "Kvinde
Min" from "Gas 5". Picture something a
mid-1970s British band like Smokey might
have recorded, but with a much tougher vocal from Larsen. There's a
cute promotional clip on YouTube at: Gasolin'
- Kvinde Min (musikvideo) Opening
and closing with some Jonsson harpsichord, the ballad "Sad Song of the
Bluebird" was a remake of "Sct. Emitri" (also from "Gas
5"). With a sweet melody and some nice Larsen vocals, it
was the album's most commercial and radio-friendly composition. It would
have sounded perfect on mid-'70sr top-40 radio. Pretty sure the
English song title had nothing to do with the original Danish title. The album opened with the English remake of "Rabalderstraede" -"What a Lemon". Here's the original Danish version.
The song had previously been released as a Danish 45:
- 1975's "Rabalderstræde" b/w "Kvinde Min " (CBS catalog number CBS 3555)
YouTube has a pair of promotional videos - One in English (they appear to be lip-synching): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsomqAMUFMw and one in Danish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwMEILToxwo
Unlike
anything else on the album, the pleasant jazz-flavored instrumental
"The Last Jim" was a track lifted from the 1974 "Stakkels
Jim" album.
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2022
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simply reworked most of their 1975 "Gas 5"
album. Vocalist Kim Larsen and company recorded new English lyrics
over existing music tracks. The "Gas 5" material was
rounded out by a couple of songs like the instrumental "The Last Jim"
from earlier European releases. Singing in English Kim Larsen's rough hewn
voice remained impressive. though he seemed to have learned the lyrics
phonetically. His accented vocals were far more noticeable on slower
performances like "Lots of Success"
and "Sad Song of the Bluebird".
In case you
wanted to hear it, the blazing rocker "Rabalderstraede" was the lone
Danish performance. Opening the album the English version of the song
"What a Lemon" served as the title track. On paper it
didn't sound like a very promising effort ... Wrong assumption !!! Occasionally
sounding like Golden Earring meets The Guess Who, Larsen and company were
capable and enthusiastic performers. On numbers like "What a
Lemon" and "It's the Same to an American Dane" the quartet rocked with more energy and
conviction than 90% of
American or English bands. Give me these guys over Whitesnake any day.
Elsewhere, the harpsichord-propelled "Sad Song of the Bluebird" was one of the year's prettiest ballads.
In spite of strong reviews from
American critics, the set
vanished without a trace. 
