Nashville Train "...Presents ABBA Our Way" (Polydor Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Hazze Ostlund & Nashville Train)
A Swedish country band, covering ABBA classics? Oh, God, yes. Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Although this seems to have been the only album released by Nashville Train per se, several of the group's members -- bassist Rutger Gunnarsson, banjo picker Kjell Johansson, Roger Palm (drums), Hasse Rosen (dobro and guitar), and Lasse Westmann (lead guitar) -- had previously backed country singer Mats Radberg on a couple of his solo albums, circa 1975-76. Guitarist Hasse Rosen is also notable for his early work as a surf-style rock instrumental artist, back in the early 'Sixties. This album apparently came out in Europe in 1977, then was re-released in America the following year. Take a chance, take a chance-chance-chance....
Teddy Nelson "Diggy Liggy" (Triola Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Jarle Zimmerman & Hallvard Kvale)
The first full album by Norwegian honkytonker Terje Nielsen (aka Teddy Nelson, 1939-1992) a singer from Bergen who had been cutting singles since 1970. The record is packed with new, Norwegian-language translations of well-known American country hits from Merle Haggard, Rusty Kershaw, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson and others, along with some originals by composers such as Fredrik Friis and folk singer Johannes Kleppevik. Nelson is backed on some tracks by the country-rock band, Flyvende Nordmenn (The Flying Norwegians) as well as by a Bergen-based folk group called the Løvstakken String Band.
Teddy Nelson "Jippi Tai Ooh..." (Triola Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)
Teddy Nelson & The Flying Norwegians "Point Of Departure" (Sonet Records, 1978) (LP)
Teddy Nelson "Teddy Nelson" (Triola Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Cato Sanden)
Teddy Nelson "Weaver Of Dreams" (Sonet Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Dollar)
Teddy Nelson "Nashville In My Heart" (Sonet Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Johnny Dollar)
A Norwegian country stalwart, Terje Nielsen (aka Teddy Nelson, 1939-1992) made a ton of records, including this album, apparently cut in Nashville with steel player Weldon Myrick and a bunch of other guys I don't recognize right off the bat, as well as the Lea Jane Singers... About half the songs are Nelson's originals, along a Hank Williams tune, one from producer Johnny Dollar, another by Norwegian mandolinist Carl Swanson, and a bunch by a a bunch of super-obscure folks who seem to have been maybe in some type of song-poem type arrangement with Mr. Dollar? Could be, maybe... I dunno. Anyway he made a lot of records... might take a while to track 'em down.
Teddy Nelson "I Lusekoft Og Sixpence" (Buffalo Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Fredrik Friis, Teddy Nelson & John Quist)
Teddy Nelson "Lookin' For The Good Times" (Mercury Records, 1983) (LP)
Teddy Nelson "Honky Tonk Man" (Mountain Records, 1985) (LP)
Teddy Nelson "10 Teddy" (Arco Records, 1986)
Teddy Nelson "Millions Of Miles" (Light Sound Records, 1989)
Teddy Nelson "American Dreamer" (Light Sound Records, 1989)
(Produced by Dutte Berg, Nick Borgen & Ronny Light)
Teddy Nelson & Skeeter Davis "You Were Made For Me" (Elli Records, 1991)
(Produced by Ronny Light & Bill Anderson Jr.)
A collaboration with Nashville legend Skeeter Davis....
New Strangers "Country Grass" (EMI Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Bostrom & David Whiteley)
The New Strangers "Back To The Mountains" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1974) (LP)
The New Strangers "Come Closer" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Bostrom & Lars Rosin)
The New Strangers "Bootleg" (EMI-Svenska Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bjorn Bostrom & David Whiteley)
The New Strangers "Roots And Memories" (New Strangers Music, 2012) (LP)
(Produced by Patricio Cabezas)
The Nightriders "Country And Western" (Disques Festival, 1966-?) (LP)
This 2-LP set seems to be the French version of an American album on Pickwick or Crown, with an anonymous band playing knockoff versions of western-themed tunes. The first disc has song titles in French, the second (for authenticity's sake?) has them in English. A lot of film music -- including several Ennio Morricone instrumentals -- as well as numerous generic "cowboy" and old-time folk songs such "Little Brown Jug," "Pecos Bill" and "My Darling Clementine." Absolutely zero indication of who the actual musicians were.
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!)
