Biography
Hoola Bandoola Band ranked with Nationalteatern as the leading act in Sweden’s prog rock movement. Nationalteatern paired rock songs with socially realistic lyrics, yet Hoola Bandoola favored explicitly political material and moved farther from standard rock conventions. The band’s beginnings lay in the short-lived project Spridda Skurar, whose members included Clemmendson and Afzelius. Wiehe was recruited to supply songs, but the three instead formed Hoola Bandoola, taking the name from a line in a Donald Duck film, and added keyboard player Randén, bass player Frank, drummer Kjellgren, and percussionist Skytte.
A first radio hit in 1971 brought immediate offers from two labels, one commercial and the alternative MNW. In the charged political climate of the 1970s, the choice proved decisive; by signing with MNW, Hoola Bandoola became Sweden’s best-known act on the alternative side. Their 1971 debut Garanterat Individuell was praised as the opening of a new era for Swedish pop and voted album of the year. The lyrics were not strongly political, but Vem Kan Man Lita På, issued the following year, delivered a clearer socialist message. The album sold strongly and contained lasting hits such as “Herkules.” På Väg, recorded with the balalaika orchestra Södra Bergens Balalajkor, placed Hoola Bandoola among Sweden’s best-selling groups. The band then took a break the next year, during which Afzelius released his solo debut Vem Är Det Som Är Rädd.
They regrouped in 1975 for Fri Information, whose socialist stance was more direct than before. Afzelius contributed half the songs, whereas Wiehe had written nearly all material previously. That year the alternative movement staged opposition to a tennis match between Sweden and Chile under military rule, prompting Hoola Bandoola to issue the single “Stoppa Matchen.” It remained their final studio recording. The group disbanded the following year, after which Wiehe and Afzelius each launched successful singer-songwriter careers, both separately and together.
After twenty years apart, Hoola Bandoola reunited in 1996, opening for Bob Dylan before touring nationwide. The album För Dom Som Kommer Sen was recorded on that tour. Afzelius’s death in 1999 made further reunions unlikely.
A first radio hit in 1971 brought immediate offers from two labels, one commercial and the alternative MNW. In the charged political climate of the 1970s, the choice proved decisive; by signing with MNW, Hoola Bandoola became Sweden’s best-known act on the alternative side. Their 1971 debut Garanterat Individuell was praised as the opening of a new era for Swedish pop and voted album of the year. The lyrics were not strongly political, but Vem Kan Man Lita På, issued the following year, delivered a clearer socialist message. The album sold strongly and contained lasting hits such as “Herkules.” På Väg, recorded with the balalaika orchestra Södra Bergens Balalajkor, placed Hoola Bandoola among Sweden’s best-selling groups. The band then took a break the next year, during which Afzelius released his solo debut Vem Är Det Som Är Rädd.
They regrouped in 1975 for Fri Information, whose socialist stance was more direct than before. Afzelius contributed half the songs, whereas Wiehe had written nearly all material previously. That year the alternative movement staged opposition to a tennis match between Sweden and Chile under military rule, prompting Hoola Bandoola to issue the single “Stoppa Matchen.” It remained their final studio recording. The group disbanded the following year, after which Wiehe and Afzelius each launched successful singer-songwriter careers, both separately and together.
After twenty years apart, Hoola Bandoola reunited in 1996, opening for Bob Dylan before touring nationwide. The album För Dom Som Kommer Sen was recorded on that tour. Afzelius’s death in 1999 made further reunions unlikely.
Live
