Biography
The Lea Riders Group fell short of topping the Swedish rock scene during the 1960s, yet they stood apart from the many acts that merely echoed British Invasion sounds. Their clearest highlight arrived with the 1968 single “Dom Kallar Oss Mods,” a track that later ranked among the strongest cuts on the psychedelic installment of the original Pebbles compilation. A grinding guitar riff and sudden, birdcall-like bursts of distortion supported the track’s muddled lyrics, which mixed English and Swedish to convey themes of failure and alienation. No other recording from the band approached that same intensity of psychedelic invention. Between 1966 and 1968 they issued five singles in total, with every remaining song performed entirely in English. Guitarist and singer Hawkey Franzen composed nearly all of the group’s output, favoring a jagged rock-blues approach and occasionally sullen, defiant titles such as “But I Am and Who Cares?” and “The Forgotten Generation.” Within mid-’60s Sweden the ensemble counted as decidedly unusual, though it lacked the vocal and songwriting skills displayed by the stronger, more traditional Swedish rock outfits of the era. Their discs were competent enough, yet today they draw attention chiefly for their rarity and oddity.
Albums