''Hep Stars on Stage'' (also referred to as simply ''On Stage'') is the first live album and second overall release by Swedish rock band

Hep Stars The Hep Stars are a Swedish rock band formed in Stockholm in 1963. During 1965–1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in the English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best k ...

. Released in November 1965 on

Olga Records Olga may refer to: People and fictional characters * Olga (name), a given name, including a list of people and fictional characters named Olga or Olha * Michael Algar (born 1962), English singer also known as "Olga" Places Russia * Olga, Russia ...

, the album is composed of recordings made on 7 and 8 August 1965 at two separate

Folkpark In Sweden, a folkpark (approximately "peoples park" in English) is a public recreation space, usually featuring large grassed areas, trees, children's play facilities, etc. Most towns and cities have a folkpark. These parks were originally created ...

s in

Trollhättan Trollhättan () is the 23rd-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is situated by Göta älv, near the lake Vänern, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the city proper. It is locate ...

and

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås ...

, Sweden. ''Hep Stars on Stage'', although not the first live album by a Swedish artist, was the first live recording of a Swedish rock group released. The album is composed of rock standards, including "

What'd I Say "What'd I Say" (or "What I Say") is an American rhythm and blues song by Ray Charles, released in 1959. As a single divided into two parts, it was one of the first soul songs. The composition was improvised one evening late in 1958 when Charl ...

", "

Surfin' Bird "Surfin' Bird" is a song performed by American surf rock band The Trashmen, containing the repetitive lyric "the bird is the word". It has been covered many times. It is a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons: " Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "Th ...

" and "

If You Need Me "If You Need Me" is a 1963 song co-written and originally recorded by Wilson Pickett. It was made into a bigger hit by Solomon Burke, who sent the song to #2 on the R&B charts that year. Overview The song was written by Wilson Pickett with two ...

", but also features the band's hit singles of the time, such as the opening track, "

Farmer John Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and an independent subsidiary of WH Group. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter ...

", "

Bald Headed Woman "Bald Headed Woman" is a traditional blues song, covered by British rock band the Kinks on their eponymous debut album in 1964. Another British rock band, the Who recorded it in 1964 as the B-side of their first top-ten single " I Can't Explain ...

", "

No Response "No Response" is a song written by Benny Andersson, first recorded by Swedish rock group Hep Stars and released as a single in September 1965. The song was written in response to criticism drawn from other Swedish beat groups, including Shanes ...

" and "

So Mystifying "So Mystifying" is a song written by English musician Ray Davies, first recorded by his band the Kinks for their 1964 debut album ''Kinks''. It appears as the second track on side one, following "Beautiful Delilah", and is the first track on the a ...

", all of which had been hits on both Kvällstoppen and ''

Tio i Topp ''Tio i Topp'' (English: ''Ten At The Top'') was a Swedish record chart and radio program broadcast by Sveriges Radio P3 between the years of 1961 and 1974. It was launched to combat pirate radio charts and was the first official Swedish record cha ...

''. On "

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

", Lennart Fernholm, the band's tour manager, introduces the band by their nicknames, which were "Chrille" (Christer Pettersson), "Janne" (Janne Frisk), "Lelle" (Lennart Hegland), "Benne" (

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...

) and "Svenne" (

Svenne Hedlund Sven Ove Hedlund (1 March 1945 – 3 December 2022) was a Swedish pop singer who was a member of the music group Idolerna. Hedlund sang in the Swedish bands Clifftones and Hep Stars in the 1960s. In 1968, the singer Charlotte Walker (born 1944 ...

). Nonetheless the album became a huge success in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, reaching number two on ''LP-Toppen'' (LP-Top) after

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Rubber Soul ''Rubber Soul'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom, on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single "Day Tripper" / "We Can Work ...

''. The album was a favorite of

Per Gessle Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...

when he was younger. The album was remastered and re-issued in 1996, with added content, consisting of singles and B-sides.

Track listing

Personnel

The Hep Stars

– lead vocals, co-lead vocals on "Whole Lot-ta Shak-in' Goin' On", backing vocals, tambourine, * Janne Frisk – rhythm and lead guitar, lead vocals on "If You Need Me", co-lead vocals on "Whole Lot-ta Shak-in' Goin' On" * Benny 'Benne' Andersson –

Vox Continental The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supp ...

organ, backing vocals * Lennart 'Lelle' Hegland – bass guitar, backing vocals * Christer 'Chrille' Pettersson – drums, lead vocals on "Surfin Bird", backing vocals

Other personnel

* Lennart Fernholm – introduction *

Gert Palmcrantz Gert Palmcrantz (born 1 February 1938) is one of the most distinguished sound engineers in Sweden. He commenced his career in the late 1950s, at the gramophone studios of Europa Film. In 1976 Palmcrantz recorded Sweden's best-selling jazz record ...

– producer, sound recording * Ulf H. Holmstedt – cover photography

References

External links

Hep Stars website
1965 live albums Hep Stars albums {{1960s-rock-album-stub