norsk suite

Label: Norske Albumklassikere

Digi-sleeve Rain were one of the more mysterious names in early Norwegian progressive rock. Although the group left very little behind during their original lifetime, the material later collected as Norsk Suite reveals a band with a bold, restless and unusually ambitious musical imagination.

Recorded in 1969 but not issued as a full album until decades later, Norsk Suite stands apart from much of the Norwegian rock of its period. Rain blended psychedelic rock, early progressive arrangements, orchestral touches, brass, fuzz guitar, Hammond organ and dramatic vocals into a sound that was colourful, theatrical and often unpredictable.

The album mixes original compositions with striking reinterpretations of well-known songs. Their versions of A Day In The Life, Strawberry Fields Forever and Isolation are not simple covers, but ambitious reworkings filtered through Rain’s own dense and eccentric musical language.

The self-written pieces give the record its strongest identity. Whine And Wail, Join The City War, Ikke Vær Redd, Far and Sveins Vise move between heavy organ-led passages, psych-rock tension, odd melodic turns and a distinctly Nordic sense of atmosphere. The title track, Norsk Suite, sits at the centre of the album as a compact example of the band’s adventurous approach to structure and arrangement.

This Norske Albumklassikere CD edition, catalogue number NACD518, restores a fascinating lost chapter of Norwegian rock history and is highly recommended for fans of Scandinavian prog, late-60s psychedelia, Hammond-driven rock and ambitious underground studio experiments.

Track Listing

1. A Day In The Life
2. Whine And Wail
3. Strawberry Fields Forever
4. Norsk Suite
5. Join The City War
6. Ikke Vær Redd, Far
7. Have You Seen Your Father’s Face
8. Sveins Vise
9. Isolation
10. Siste Ordre
11. Tapha