Bo Hansson (10 April 1943 – 23 April 2010) was a Swedish musician best known for his four instrumental albums released in the 1970s.
Music Inspired by Watership Down is a progressive rock album by Swedish musician Bo Hansson. The album is Hansson’s fourth solo album and is, as its name suggests, built around musical ideas inspired by Richard Adams’ heroic fantasy novel Watership Down. It was the second album of Hansson’s to have been based on a novel; his first solo album, Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings, had likewise been based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Hansson had already composed and released a musical suite inspired by Watership Down on his previous album Attic Thoughts. However, beyond its title, the Music Inspired by Watership Down album contains few overt references to the novel and instead features excerpts from the works of various poets, such as John Keats and Alexander Pope.
Music Inspired by Watership Down was originally released in Sweden as El-Ahrairah by YTF Records in 1977. This title was taken directly from the pages of Watership Down, with El-Ahrairah being the name of a trickster, folk hero-deity rabbit, known as “The Prince with a Thousand Enemies”. The album was subsequently released with its English title by Charisma Records in the United Kingdom and Sire Records in the United States, but it failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic. Music Inspired by Watership Down was reissued on CD in 2004 by Virgin Records. (by wikipedia)
Bo Hansson’s fourth, & sadly his last, major album was inspired by the Richard Adams novel about the world seen through the eyes of rabbits. But even if you couldn’t care less about rabbits & you’ve never read the book & never will, this is still thoroughly enjoyable musical imagery. This is music that sounds like the theme it depicts. At times the listener can just picture the wind rippling grass in the fields or the sunset over the meadows. And yet at the same time it is still essentially rock music.
I agree with reviewers who have praised “Born of the Gentle South”, the lenghty opening track, & a miniture masterpiece in itself. But also, I have always enjoyed this album for it’s continuity. It has a near continuous flow of music following a single theme, and some segments are linked by delightful piano interludes.
By the time of this release (1977) many advances had been made in synthesizer design, & so organ was becoming obselete. Bo plays a variety of synthesizer/keyboards on this album, as well as piano & some guitar & some bass, and there are six other Swedish artists providing basses,drumming,concert flute,& wooden flute.
Guitarist Kenny Hakansson who appeared on “Attic Thoughts” & “Magicians Hat” makes some fine contributions of his unusual electric guitar style, but he also played a considerable role in the composition of parts of this music.
There is a well composed air to this record & it has a realism about it. If other Hansson albums tend to carry you into a fantasy in some way, this one is a more feet on the ground affair.
Those familiar with the original vinyl version may feel at first that the addition of the “Migration Suite” seems out of place, but I have lived with both the vinyl & the CD for some time & I now consider this bonus piece an essential part of the music. Hakansson’s guitar playing alone on this extra track, & the fact that it was recorded live in the studio, make it worthwhile listening.
For me “Watership Down” represents the closing of an era when for a time rock music was often fused with other styles to produce some very sophisticed instrumental works. But a new young generation soon emerged who favoured a return to a strong rock back beat. At the time of this release [which was largely ignored by critics] terms such as “progressive rock” & “new age” didn’t exist. But whatever we call it nowadays this type of music has stood the test of time, & I am glad the works of Bo Hansson & similar artists are being remastered into CD format for all to enjoy, now & in the future. (by Stephen Keen)
Personnel:
Sten Bergman (flute)
Torbjörn Ekman (wooden flute)
Kenny Håkansson (guitar, bass)
Bo Hansson (keyboards, guitar, bass, tambourine)
Göran Lagerberg (bass)
Tomas Netzler (bass)
Fredrik Norén (drums)
Pontus Olsson (piano)
Bo Skoglund (drums, percussion)
Tracklist:
01. Born In The Gentle South (Hansson/Håkansson) 16.34
02. Allegro For A Rescue (Hansson) 1.23
03. Legend And Light (Hansson/Håkansson) 3.39
04. Trial And Adversity (Hansson) 4.10
05. The Twice – Victory (Hansson) 8.14
06. The Kingdom Brightly Smiles (Hansson) 1.24
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07. Migration Suite (live studio recording) (Hansson/Håkansson) 11.39
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