Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk band formed in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, in 1977. Ebba Grön consisted of Joakim Thåström (lead vocals, guitar), Gunnar Ljungstedt (drums) and Lennart Eriksson (bass guitar, backing vocals). Thåström, Ljungstedt and Eriksson were also known as Pimme, Gurra and Fjodor. After the release of their second album in 1981, they were joined by a fourth member, Anders Sjöholm, also known as Stry Terrarie, on keyboard. The group was disbanded on 21 February 1983. One of the most famous songs they recorded is a cover version of "Den ena handen vet vad den andra gör" by the Swedish

progg Progg was a left-wing and anti-commercial musical movement in Sweden that began in the late 1960s and became more widespread in the 1970s. Not to be confused with the English expressions "progressive music" or "prog rock," progg is a contraction ...

band, '' Blå Tåget''. Renamed "Staten och kapitalet", the song expresses an

anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists seek to combat the worst effects of capitalism and to eventually replace capitalism ...

sentiment about how the state (''staten'') and the capitalist owned corporations (''kapitalet'') control and enslave the working classes.

History

During a December 1977 party in Rågsved, a working-class suburb of

, Thåström, Gurra, and Fjodor formed a band called ''The Haters''. A few days later they changed the name to Ebba Grön after the codeword used by the police in Operation Leo. One of the first songs performed by Ebba Grön was the controversial ''Skjut en snut'' (Shoot a cop), which was never officially recorded. They released their first single ''Antirock'' on April 21, 1978. The band bought all the 500 copies themselves and sold them in the streets. After a concert at Långholmsparken, which was recorded by the national radio, they were contacted by the Mistlur record label and offered a contract and to re-release the single. Ebba Grön started a hectic period of touring all over Sweden, during which they also released two more singles. In 1978, the time had come for their album debut '' We're Only In It For The Drugs'', with songs about the tough, yet boring, lives of young people in working-class suburbs. The

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

lyrics were very controversial at the time, and the lyrics of ''Beväpna er'' (Arm yourselves)—about taking up arms against the government, the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

, and the Swedish royal family—could not be printed on the cover. The band also started to get a reputation for troublesome gigs with vandalism and fights. At one gig the band was attacked by Neo-Nazis; Fjodor used his bass to fight them off. Ebba Grön also covered " White Riot" by

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

and " Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (which also was recorded in studio) at some of their gigs. In 1980, Ebba Grön released a single that would become their most famous song, a cover of Blå Tåget's ''Den ena handen vet vad den andra gör'' (The One Hand Knows What the Other One is Doing), renamed ''Staten och kapitalet'' (The State and the Capital), with

political lyrics. Their second album '' Kärlek & Uppror'' (Love and Rebellion) was released the next year, with the focus of the music shifting slightly away from punk. The catchy melodies and Ebba Grön's image as young rebels appealed to both the punk crowd and a wider audience, making the album a big success. Later that same year the keyboard player Stry was recruited and brought with him new influences. The single ''Scheisse'' was released in 1981 parallel with this: Thåström, Gurra, and Stry released a single with the new project ''Rymdimperiet'' (The Space Empire), which would later become Imperiet (The Empire). During the recording of their second album and the tour that followed, the band was followed by Johan Donner, who was making a documentary about the band. '' Ebba the Movie'' was released for the big screen in 1982. Their third album, simply named '' Ebba Grön'', was released in 1982, and the influence of Stry was even more obvious. The band later said they attempted to make a "

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

-Album"; a cover of the Stones’ ''Happy'' was recorded but not included on the album. The album had keyboards and horns, and was more melodic than its predecessors. This was a step away from punk. When Fjodor ended up in jail for four months for refusing to do his military service it was the beginning of the end for Ebba Grön. But, without Fjodor, the band lived on as ''Rymdimperiet''; they released their first album in 1983, now under the name Imperiet. Musically this album continued the development away from punk rock. But ''Rasera'' (Destroy), the first Imperiet album, is sometimes considered the last Ebba Grön album. Imperiet got a good start and would be the leading band of the Swedish rock scene throughout the 1980s. In 2003, shortly after the death of

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

, Mick Jones (guitarist of The Clash) traveled to Sweden to play a tribute for the recently deceased musician with Ebba Grön.

Discography

LPs

* '' We're Only in It for the Drugs'' (1979) No. 21 SWE) * '' Kärlek & uppror'' (1981) No. 5 (SWE) * '' Ebba Grön'' (1982) No. 1 (SWE)

EPs and singles

* ''Antirock'' (Profit/Ung & Sänkt) (1978) * ''Prorock'' (Tyst För Fan/Mona Tumbas Slim Club) (1978) * ''Total-Pop'' (Vad Ska Du Bli?/Häng Gud) (1979) No. 18 SWE) * ''Ung & Kåt/Staten & Kapitalet'' (1980) No. 11 (SWE) * ''Scheisse/Tyna bort'' (1981) No. 3 (SWE)

Compilations

* ''Samlade singlar'' (1983) No. 17 (SWE) * '' Ebba Grön 1978-1982'' (1993) No. 17 (SWE) * ''Ebba Grön Live'' (1998) No. 4 (SWE) * '' Boxen'' (1998) - 4 CDs with the complete works * ''Ebba Grön samlingen'' (2005) - Double CD No. 14 (SWE)

Film

* '' Ebba the Movie'' (1982)

References

External links

Thåström official internet page
- Pictures of Ebba Grön from 1979/1980

- Pictures of Dag Vag and Ebba Grön from October 20, 1980

- Pictures of Ebba Grön and Raketerna from March, 1981 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebba Gron Swedish punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1983 Swedish musical quartets Swedish-language musical groups English-language musical groups from Sweden Musical groups from Stockholm 1970s establishments in Stockholm 1977 establishments in Sweden