Monday, February 06, 2012

Difference - "Different Ways" {Norway} [1975]

Difference ga ut en av 70-tallets beste popplater med ''Different ways'' (1975), som vanlig preget av nydelige harmonier
Dannet Trondheim, 1967
Oppløst 1980
Biografi
Difference ble startet høsten 1966 av fire unge trøndere: Arne Jacobsen (gitar), Ivar Gafseth (orgel), Ivar Fjøseide (bass) og Knut Solem (trommer). Tre av disse ble med til neste utgave av Difference, som inkluderte bassisten Erling Mylius og gitaristen Snorre Tømmerås, som begge kom fra gruppen The Missing Links. Missing Links vant for øvrig NM i Rock i 1966, og hadde gitt ut singelen «Movin'»/«My Oh My». I tillegg fikk Difference nå egen vokalist, Tore Johansen. De fikk platekontrakt med Triola i 1967, og fikk nasjonal berømmelse med singelen «Tree Of Love». Bandets vokale harmonier vakte betydelig oppsikt.

Året etter skiftet de plateselskap til RCA, og gitaristen Arne Jacobsen sluttet. Difference utga fire singler til i løpet av 1968, blant annet den nydelige «Ballad Of A Broken Heart», men så ble de oppløst. Mange av medlemmene var deretter innom Asmund Bjørkens Orkester.

Difference startet opp igjen i 1974, med flere av medlemmene fra de tidligere besetningene. Knut Solem spilte trommer, Ivar Gafseth spilte orgel – disse to er de eneste som har vært med i bandet hele veien. I tillegg var Tore Johansen vokalist, Erling Mylius spilte bass og Stein Olsen var ny gitarist. Difference opererte nå med blåsere: Kalle Holst på saxofon, Asbjørn Bakk på trompet og Einar Horgmo på trombone.

Nye plater ble det også, nå på Mercury-etiketten. I 1974 kom albumet Difference, i 1975 Different ways. I 1977 kom samlingen Jubileum 1967–1977.

Blåserrekka forsvant etter hvert, og i 1978 sluttet også Tore Johansen og ble erstattet av Ingeborg Kaldager, og enda en gitarist ved navn Jon Petter Westerland. Denne besetningen utga ikke plater, og ble oppløst i 1980.

Herrene Gafseth, Mylius og Johansen dannet senere Travellin' Strawberries, som sto for musikk og alle rollene i den svært populære TV-serien The Julekalender (1994). Kjente sanger fra denne er «It's hard to be a nissemann» og «The Støvel Dance». CD-en fra serien solgte mer enn 150 000 eksemplarer. Påsken 1997 sto de for TV-serien Prinsesse Gullhår og de tre omreisende trubaduerer. De har alle tre vært engasjert ved Trøndelag Teater, hvor Gafseth har vært musikalsk leder. Gruppen feiret sitt 40-årsjubileum på Trøndelag Teater 29. september 2007.

Deler av biografiene i Rockipedia er basert på materiale hentet fra boka Norsk pop- og rockleksikon , samt biografier skrevet av Rockheims egne medarbeidere. De opprinnelige verkene kan leses i sin helhet på Mediateket .
http://www.rockipedia.no/Vault.aspx?entity=43856

- Tore Johansen (vocals)
- Knut Solem (drums)
- Stein Olsen (guitars, various percussion)
- Erling Mylius (bass guitar, congas, various percussion, vocals)
- Ivar Gafseth (organ, piano, electric piano, moog syntheizer, accordian, clavinet, vocals)

A1 Lady Universe
A2 There's a Light
A3 Good Lovin' Tonight
A4 Dead Man's World
A5 Feelin' Lonely
A6 Elin
B1 (I Need to Get) A Hold on You
B2 We Didn't Make It
B3 Land of Love
B4 When the Curtain (Of Night) Falls
B5 Goodbye

We Did Not Make It


Land Of Love


Thanks to Oddleif!!! :o)

link in comments...

25 comments:

isabelbc said...

http://lix.in/-b623fe

Anonymous said...

Very nice gem.

Tristan Stefan said...

fabulous album, very polished in sound with gorgeous harmony backups, reminds me a bit of wings'style from mid-70s; thanks for introducting us to this gem!

isabelbc said...

exactly, Tristan!
i was thinking that sound familiar but i couldn't remember the Wings.
Thank you for your comment! :o)

Anonymous said...

Hi Isabel,

Yes, there is something of Beatles here ! And with great Hammond, it' s still a fantastic piece you've found !
Congratulations !

See you soon,

Philippe

JF said...

Um grande abraço do amigo JF Série Echoes..gostei muito deste post...agradeço de coração..
JF

Anonymous said...

Please mercy us...
So what's the next post 'Bee Gees'?
Supposed to be a PrognotFrog blog.
This post was totally Frog....
Jorg.

josesimon said...

Muchas gracias Isabelc, tienes una coleccion estupenda.

isabelbc said...

thank you for all comments! :o)

to Jorg: is impressive the motivation that people have to make negative comments! motivation that is lacking to make positive comments, complementary comments, or a simple "thank you".
ProgNotFrog gave you the opportunity to hear and make your own evaluation, now you know the album...
by the way, i don't remember seeing any comments yours before, Jorg

Tristan Stefan said...

hey, I'm as into progressive music as anybody here, but I love this album, and I am very happy you shared it. Better to err on the side of sharing, rather than not sharing, no?? ?? I mean, there is really no agreement on what exactly is prog and not prog

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this. Many thanks.

radioman

Anonymous said...

To isabelbc:
Comments are either positive or negative.
I'm free to express my opinion the way I'm feeling it, without 'licking' eachother. I just wrote what I felt listening to your latest post, without using any offensive words refering you.
Concerning me is never too late for having new fans on your blog, but that doesn't mean I have to write positive comments each time you post, unless this is your point of posting.
About "ProgNotFrog gave you the opportunity to hear and make your own evaluation..." you wrote on your comment, that is exactly what I did. And thank you for that, I appreciate it like I appreciate so many other blogs doing the same thing.
About you Stefan, do you really "love" this album? Really? Wow...So if this was a prog for you, then I'm listening to different kind of music.
Jorg

Philipp said...

Hi isabelbc! The 2 songs are greatful. I would like to buy it on CD. But not possible. Is any chance for upload in lossless? Would be greatful. Thanks!

isabelbc said...

Phil,
i have it only in mp3 format...
have a nice weekend!
Isabel :o)

Anonymous said...

isabel, please tell me you have this/or could get it, I would love to hear the whole tracks:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BLACK-HIPPIES-PAZY-ULTRA-RARE-METEORITE-AFRO-FUNK-RIOT-AFRO-PSYCH-Nigeria-/290682520148?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item43ae074254

isabelbc said...

hi Anonymous,
the links are there, scroll down and you will see links for all tracks

BLACK HIPPIES A1.mp3: http://www.divshare.com/download/16990499-df2

BLACK HIPPIES A2.mp3: http://www.divshare.com/download/16990512-63b

BLACK HIPPIES A3.mp3: http://www.divshare.com/download/16990518-7ea

BLACK HIPPIES B1.mp3: http://www.divshare.com/download/16990539-916

BLACK HIPPIES B2.mp3: http://www.divshare.com/download/16990552-447

Anonymous said...

hi, yes I know, but they are only half in length, not the complete track.

isabelbc said...

ah ok, sorry! i just see, we'll keep looking! :o)

Anonymous said...

isabel, maybe you can help. I'm looking for this very rare lp:

http://www.popsike.com/DAVID-LEWIS-ANDWELLA-DAVID-BAXTERGOODBYE-DAVE1970-UK-LP-REFLECTION-REF-L9/310348584845.html

do you know/have it? thanks you

isabelbc said...

hi Anonymous,

sorry, i don't know and i don't have this album...
looking for...

Isabel :o)

Anonymous said...

Mediafire doesn't work. Any chance for a re-up?

isabelbc said...

Mediafire link works very well :o)

Anonymous said...

Can't help but speaking out after reading the arrogant comment(s) of this post, I think the point is not whether a comment is negative or not, it's the empathetic attitude of the critic that matters.

I asked myself a few questions before I start writing my opinion;
Are Difference's albums easy to be found on earth? NO, both are rare on this planet.
Is Different ways an irrelevant work to Prog ? To some strict appraisers, MAYBE. To others who got attracted by eclectic genres, it's still progressive pop, esp B side.
Does Different ways remind me of BeeGees? I grew up with Gibbs' music (from their alpha to omega), but I have no such feeling at all. And what's wrong with posting a Beegees here if it is an unreleased gem or a valuable rarity that the famous Gibb brothers tried out for their non mainstream works.
Is Different ways an enjoyable album to some mates ? Definitely YES.
Does Prognotfrog forbid a post if the introduced music is not strictly prog related ? I am a relatively new visitor here, I donot know. I guess not.
If one did not like an introduced work, can he/she blame the releaser on spoiling the expectation he/she possesses for that specific blog? Well, some arrogant people unintentionally do that in their daily life. Most people would still be grateful to the releaser for granting them such an invaluable opportunity.

I would imagine that even a negative comment shown in the following may still be acceptable if "appreciation to releaser" is properly addressed;

>>I am surprised that the music of this album is intolerable to my ears.
>>I have high expectation towards it but it does not sound like KingCrimson, Mahavishnu or Zappa, it simply sounds as ordinary as BeeGees. And unlike most people in the world, I hate music of the same standard as Beegees because .......... (reasons to be filled by users)
>>God bless mates who only listen to this disappointing BeeGees-level music.
>>However, Thanks for giving me the chance of finding out my dislike of this rare album FOR ABSOLUTELY FREE.

It's not hard to say "thanks" regardless that one likes the share or not. "thanks" changes angles of viewing many things.
Saying something like
"Please mercy us...
So what's the next post 'Bee Gees'?
Supposed to be a PrognotFrog blog.
This post was totally Frog...."
"do you really "love" this album? Really? Wow..."
is very offensive and full of prejudice. People may easily consider these comments as provocative actions.
Even if there is one thing to be blamed, it can be the albums, the musicians, opponents, perhaps my boss, or even ourselves, but it can never be the person who generously started the post and did all the hard work.
On the other hand, I do believe the critic had no intention to hurt feelings, it's just not considerate enough when he/she responded!

I, too, am making provocative-like actions as I am writing these opinions. Maybe my comment should not be approved!
As an occasionally passing visitor to this wonderful blog, I have no commitment to the respectable master team. I simply dislike seeing people claiming "freedom of speech" without any sense of empathy. Although I also believe a valuable comment is not necessary a positive one, a "good" negative comment requires constructive acts from the critic, not just complaining.
Just saying ! Even I know it may hardly be seen by anyone (perhaps one or two staff members of the blog).

Anonymous said...

Guess only one out of hundred people who downloaded a share would probably give a comment, short thanks included. Constructive comments more or less encourage releasers, like to exercise myself for this particular post.
My humble perspective on this album : it has a consistent pop arrangement in an enjoyable quality, featuring various characteristics of soft pop rock of 70s. It has sketchy constituents as those building Wings, 10cc, John Miles, pop side of Prog bands like Kayak, Be Bop Deluxe, even a little Machiavel, etc, also including good west coast like pieces, slightly funky rhythm, melodious and lyric arrangement well-connected here and there........
Instead of hearing individual track, listening consecutive tracks as a whole gives better tastes. Melodic pieces of B side is pretty pleasant and Goodbye is an apt ending.
Thanks to isabelbc for sharing this particularly interesting rarity.
duran

Tristan Stefan said...

http://netkups.com/?d=0d91400b20255
Reup posted on Sept. 23, 2013

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