I mainly like the story of this band and their only album - though the music is fine: chugging riffs a la Sabbath, some Tull, some Jansch in the acoustic numbers like Cocaine - when on a brief tour in Norway, broke down in their van outside the house of a guy who gave them accommodation [it's just what everyone did in those days: I used to tell people who gave me lifts where my cottage was and that I never locked the door. Peace and love]. Turns out he was a small record company owner, and as a thanks to him the band recorded this album in his studio. There's blues and harmonica too, as with Rollin'; Spanish Feeling has some heavy guitar work; The Annexe is more of the riff rock of the time, with requisite organ joining the thumps, and it closes [original vinyl release] on a Monty Python-esque whimsy. The end.
I am a former member of Universe & am grateful some people like what we did those few days in a little 2-track studio in Northern Norway in 1971. The story a lot of those who have the vinyl or CD think is correct is not completely the right one. We were touring Norway at that time but half way thru the dates the agent took off back to Oslo & we never saw him again. We were stranded with little money, not enough to get back home. We were grateful to some very good people who fed us & got us some gigs in the local towns. During one of them we met a guy called Nils Oybakken. He took some photos at a concert in Mosjoen & told us he had a small recording studio. He took us there with the idea of recording a 45 single which he would release on his own label Experience Records. He had already issued a couple of Norwegian artists. The sessions for the 45 became an LP after Nils heard more of our songs. The financial arrangements between us gave us enough money to get down to Oslo, where an agent in Copenhagen advanced us the ferry ticket money to work for him there. From Copenhagen we went to Hamburg, Germany for another month of gigs before travelling back to Wales. When the album had been pressed Nils sent us copies, but without the covers which hadn't been printed. He also sent the 45 singles with a picture sleeve. We never heard from Nils again & until 1992 when I met Jorn Andersen from Colours Records I had never seen the LP cover. He gave me one when we were discussing the re-issue of the Universe LP. That is the true Universe/Norway story. I hope you enjoy reading it & listening to our music. Thank you Steve Finn.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, surprise response Steve. Thank you for clarifying the details of your story, which is all the more engaging and interesting than the one I had, in all good faith, re-presented. I am most grateful for this, and I hope others pick up and pursue your music of that time. Best wishes, Some Awe
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