Harvester – Hemåt

I have this pressing. It does not have a laminated cover for me. And it also comes with a printed inner sleeve not pictured here.

Probably likely an early 1970´s pressing. This kind of lamination used didn't exist later on any Silence releases, except for a later 3rd issue of "Sagan Om Ringen" SRLP 4600

Vinyl reissue of this album is included in the new International Harvester box set

My review from Audion magazine #45...

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER - SOV GOT ROSE-MARIE (Silence SRSCD 3614) CD 74m
HARVESTER - HEMÅT (Silence SRSCD 3616) CD 49m

Way back in Audion #14 (March 1990) I reviewed the LP reissue of the Swedish underground classic SOV GOT ROSE-MARIE in a hefty feature on the Silence Records label. Since then, as all the vinyl disappeared, Silence had been dragging their heels on the reissue front. And then, out of the blue, not only do we get a CD reissue with a bonus 25 minutes, but also the follow-up album from Harvester, also with a bonus track. There's also the Pårson Sound 2CD (obscure
pre-International Harvester, reviewed elsewhere) which I'm yet to hear. All go, eh?
These were the birth of a new Swedish scene that spawned a wealth of bands, with their roots in the repetitive music of Terry Riley, the Rolling Stones (true) and (more aptly) the Velvet Underground, they were also linked with the Hendrixy freak-psych combo Mecki Mark Men. There's not much to add to my original review, really, best to check that out, except this CD sounds even better than the Silence LP remaster. Okay, I'll reiterate that this starts with an awesome Dies Irae, freaks-out, trips along in folky and heavy-rock directions, before venturing to the mightiest of big jam sessions, kind of the spirit of Amon Düül done with the attitude of the Taj Mahal Travellers. The bonus track is what was originally planned for the second side of the LP, but never made it: Skördetider is a brilliantly hypnotic dirge, pinned on lazy drums, with dancing flutes and mantric chants, moving very close to early Can in feel as it goes along ever growing in power and emotion. Magic.
Adding more traditional Swedish folk into the music, they became just Harvester, although the music was still of the same type. Largely live, HEMÅT (originally on the pre-Silence label Decibel) is often much more Hapshash & The Coloured Coat in feel, and contains nothing recognisably composed, being all jams, with a heady stoned feel all the way through. I love it, though I'm yet to absorb it fully. A stepping stone to what they would later explore as Träd Gräs Och Stenar on further albums. The bonus track here is a 7 minute number called Hemåt (title track as a bonus?) which has a jazzier proto Archimedes Badkar cum Arbete Och Fritid feel (two later Swedish bands born from the Harvester legacy). Excellent!