Måltid / Maltid

Måltid (Swedish for "Meal Time") was the Samla Mammas Manna's second LP, the first featuring guitarist Coste Apetrea. A beautiful piece of work, although poorly recorded, this album showcases the musicianship, audacity, and downright silliness of the band. Free improvisation, Scandinavian folklore, progressive rock motifs, and Amon Düül II-like short songs all come together on this LP as a patchwork instead of an integrated whole. "Dundrets Frojder" is a kaleidoscopic piece containing the best and worst of the Samlas. It features a middle part with lush Mellotron chords and a warped electric piano solo by Lars Hollmer. "Oförutsedd Förlossning" is a simple song with self-mocking, screaming, high-pitched vocals, while the instrumental "Den Aterupplivade Laten" could have been recorded by the early Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. "Tarningen" is a dual keyboard/guitar melody that will remain in the band's live set for quite some time. "Minareten" features some extended jamming in twisted time signatures with a weird blues-like finale. Måltid is not yet the Samla Mammas Manna's prime material, but it is still a very respectable offering. [The 1993 CD reissue on the Resource label contains three bonus tracks from the same recording session. In 2008 the Japanese Arcangelo label reissued Måltid, remastered and packaged in a mini-LP sleeve. This reissue was also included in Arcangelo's eight-disc Samla/Zamla Box, featuring all the albums (also remastered and with some bonus tracks, and packaged in mini-LP sleeves) released by Samla Mammas Manna and Zamla Mammaz Manna between 1971 and 1980, along with the Gregory Fitzpatrick album Bildcirkus.] ~ François Couture, Rovi