Mareld "Mareld" (Opus 3 Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Bo Hansson)
A Swedish bluegrass band, featuring Ben Delvert (banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin), Peter Jansson (bass), and Stefan Kinell (guitar, mandolin and slide guitar). This was recorded at a studio in Karlskoga, Sweden...
Mickey & Bunny "Ukrainian Country Music" (V Records, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by Alec Groshak)
The husband-wife duo of Bunny and Mickey Sheppard (aka Orysia Evanchuk and Modest Sklepowich) hailed from Manitoba, Canada, though they were also of Ukrainian ancestry, and it was their country music act that caught the attention of producer Alec Groshak who persuaded them to sing in Ukrainian, thus kickstarting an entire Canadian subgenre. They're backed here by Tony Roman and his band, the Beatles-era rockers D-Drifters-5 (...who also sang in Ukrainian, by the way...) It's almost all country stuff, covers of classics like "Your Cheating Heart," "Poison Love," "A Satisfied Mind" and others, along with a a few polka tunes and a taste of traditional Ukrainian dance tunes.
Mickey & Bunny "Sing This Land Is Your Land And Other Top Hit Songs" (V Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Alec Groshak)
"...In Ukrainian And English," in case you were wondering
Mickey & Bunny "Concert At Massey Hall" (V Records, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alec Groshak)
Mickey & Bunny "Award Winning Presentation" (V Records, 196--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alec Groshak)
Mickey & Bunny "Ukrainian Country Music, Volume 2" (V Records, 196-?) (LP)
(Produced by Alec Groshak)
Mickey & Bunny "Country Roads" (V Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by Alec Groshak)
Jean-Jacques Milteau & Le Bluegrass Connection "Special Instrumental: L'Harmonica" (Le Chante Du Monde, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jean Clair)
Eddy Mitchell "Rocking In Nashville" (Barclay Records, 1974) (LP)
French pop star (and former rock'n'roller) Eddy Mitchell made a pilgrimage to Nashville to cut an album of American country standards...
Patsy Montana "A Dutch Treat, American Country Style" (Munich Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Wil Hensen, Koos Hoepel & Job Zomer)
While on tour in Europe in 1978, cowgal legend Patsy Montana recorded this set in the Netherlands with a few of the locals, including Freek Dicke on mandolin (great name, by the way), fiddler Frans Poptie, Hans Rombouts on bass, and vocal assist by the Dutch duo of AG & Kate. It's all lassic western material... and it's Patsy Montana, who we all love and adore.
The Moody Brothers & Jiri Brabec "Friends" (Supraphon/Lamon Records, 1989)
(Produced by Jiri Brabec, Michal Bukovic & The Moody Brothers)
A post-Cold War collaboration between Czechoslovakian country star Jiri Brabec and the American group The Moody Brothers, a family band that also owned their own independent studio in North Carolina. This album unites the four brothers -- Carlton, David, Dwight and Trent Moody -- along with a few of their hometown studio musicians with a whole host of Czech pickers, including Jiri Brabec on keyboards and piano. Even < href= "../../countryartists/hartford_john_01.html">John Hartford was along for the ride! I dunno exactly how this collaboration was set up, but the liner notes say this was recorded in Prague in early 1989, with "additional recording" done at Lamon Sound, in Charlotte, NC. Anyway, the set included covers of country hits such as "Hey Good Lookin'," "Walkin' After Midnight" and Hartford's countrypolitan classic, "Gentle On My Mind," as well as several originals from the Moodys, as well as three tunes penned by Brabec: "Eighteen Wheeler," "Highway To Somewhere" and "One Big Honkytonk." Among the trans-continental panoply of musicians, notable contributors include Czech steel player Petr Klouda and vocalist Jana Feriova who sings on a duet of "Highway To Somewhere." Let's hear it for glasnost and perestroika!
Moonshine "Bootleg" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Bostrom & David Whiteley)
Country-rockers from Sweden, this not-too-shaggy band included songwriter-guitarists Totte Bergstrom and Stefan Lagstrom, along with drummer Hans Akerman, bassist Curt Berglund, Hasse Breitholtz on keyboards, and numerous and sundry others. Almost all their songs are originals, though they also cover a Dylan tune and couple of songs by John Stewart, which may give a sense of where their sensibilities lay. The group was around for at least a few years, and had been previously known as The New Strangers. In addition to this English-language album, they recorded at least one other in Swedish.
Moonshine "Fullmane" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1979) (LP)
Mostly the same band, with Berglund, Breitholtz and Lagstrom forming the core, and a shift towards singing in their native tongue, which I'm always in favor of...
My Ship "Morning Song" (BASF Records, 1971) (LP)
A folk/prog, country/rock band from Denmark, featuring Jens Elbol, Michael Puggaard-Muller, Bent Sten Myggen and Oliver Strauss. It's pretty darn goofy, though innovative, I suppose, when seen in context. Not really all that country, although Bent Sten Myggen was later known as a country/folk guitarist, so I suppose this is worth keeping on our radar. If you want to see how the Danes responded to Bowie and UK-style psych-prog, give this one a spin.
Country music is everywhere, even in the erudite intellectual aeries of Europe... In fact, there's so much of the stuff, I barely know a fraction of it. This section includes a bunch of random bluegrass and country bands from across the European continent, although I'm aware there are many, many other artists and albums not currently on my radar. Also, separate sections exist for Germany and The United Kingdom and Ireland which have their own large, impressive country scenes, though many of those albums may also be included here. And trust me, once I crack the code and find all the records, France, Croatia and Lichtenstein will all get their own twang guides, too! (PS: I apologize for not being able to support umlauts and schwas and other special characters and for making all your languages look so very not right. I'm just not smart enough for all that technical-type stuff!)
