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This group was originally known as Arman Sumpe Dur Express, which
included an additional brass section. They recorded one single under this name.
Before that, Andreassen, Knutsen and Methi had played together in the Kirkenes
group The Scavers since 1959. Jahn Teigen had an illustrious past
from groups such as The Enemies and The Red Squares. The latter
was, in fact, a British group who lived and recorded in Denmark, but who were on
tour in Israel when Teigen was asked to join Arman Sumpe (this may sound
ridiculous but it's true!)
Popol Vuh's nicely packaged first LP was released in
Autumn 1972. Musically it ranges from easily accessible progressive rock ("For
Eternity” - distinguished by its good use of mellotron and flute) to funky
jazz-rock ("Joy & Pleasure"), dreamy ballads ("All We Have Is The Past") and on
to more powerful tracks. The group didn't entirely master all these styles at
this point and sometimes appeared hopelessly provincial (not being helped by
Teigen's dreadful English pronunciation!) Quiche Maya was packed in a
black plastic bag with letters printed on it. The opening track, "Queen Of
Queens", was their most powerful offering and probably their most well-known
song. Elsewhere melodramatic ballads with distant mellotron strings prevailed,
sometimes turning to over-the-top operatic eruptions from Jahn Teigen.
In 1975, Florian Fricke (leader of the German group Popol Vuh)
discovered his Norwegian namesakes and threatened them with a lawsuit. For this
reason, Popol Vuh changed their name to Popol Ace.
Stolen From Time (1975) was their most ambitious effort benefiting
from unusually generous amounts of studio time, provided by a record company
dreaming of international success. It's one of those albums that was carefully
produced, second by second, and which consequently lacked spontaneity. Included
were some of their strongest and most mature songs such as "Bury Me Dead" and
"Today Another Day". Their overall sound (with more elaborate instrumental
passages than before) was influenced by Genesis circa 1972-74. Maybe the
rigid production deterred the album from being recognized as a minor masterpiece
- today its compositions appear stronger than those on the two preceding albums.
Jahn Teigen then left Popol Ace to start his highly successful solo career,
eventually becoming one of the most famous entertainers in Norway. Popol Ace
continued with Asbjørn Krogtoft (previously a member of 1-2-6) as their
new vocalist. Their final album was a total disaster (commercially and
artistically) with seriously uninspired songwriting.
(Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of
Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries, by Dag Erik
Asbjørnsen, Borderline Productions)
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