Karisma Records are set to release the entire six-album back catalogue of the ’70’s Norwegian Prog legends RUPHUS. All the albums will be re-mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo, who is working with new digital transfers from the original master tapes which are stored in the Norwegian National Archives for posterity.
The first release, which is set to hit the streets on the 8th March, will be band’s debut album “New Born Day”, to be followed later by “Ranshart”, “Let Your Light Shine”, “Inner Voice”, “Flying Colours” and “Manmade”.
Throughout their first incarnation, which lasted from 1970 to 1981, RUPHUS developed from playing hard, progressive rock, to becoming one of the leaders in the jazz rock genre, whilst fielding a lineup that contained more members than a football team.
Originally released in 1973, “New Born Day” is widely regarded as one of the best albums to have emerged from the Norwegian Prog scene. Conceived in a house in Meråker (near Trondheim) during the summer of 1973, the band spent a month locked away working on their creation before entering the studio with producer Stein Robert Ludvigsen.
The lineup on “New Born Days” featured seven members, of whom only Kjell Larsen (guitar) and Asle Nilsen (bass, flute) would go on to play on all of RUPHUS’ albums between then and 1981. Whilst the band nodded in the direction of the likes of KING CRIMSON, JETHRO TULL, YES and SAVAGE ROSE, RUPHUS had a clear advantage when it came to stamping their own identity on their music by being fronted by not one, but two vocalists, with one of the female Prog pioneers Gudny Aspaas combining her exceptionally powerful vocals with those of Rune Sundby.
“New Born Day” is clearly a product of its time, and so it should be, representing, as it does, a period of rock history in which musicians performed their music together, in the same room, all at the same time. However, fans who are discovering RUPHUS for the first time cannot fail to notice how Ludvigsen succeeded in producing an album that sounds fresh even today.
With artwork by Anders Kaardahl, “New Born Day” will be available in CD and digital formats as well as in heavyweight vinyl formats in regular black and limited edition blue vinyl. Tracklisting for “New Born Day” is as follows:
- Coloured Dreams
- Scientific Ways
- Still Alive
- The Man Who Started It All
- Trapped In A Game
- New Born Day
- Day After Tomorrow
“New Born Day” is now available to pre-order from
https://www.karismarecords.no/artists/ruphus/
On the 8th March, RUPHUS will play a a special ‘re-release concert’ at Oslo’s Parkteateret to celebrate the reappearance of “New Born Day”. Details of the event can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/504811426674712/
More information about RUPHUS can be found on the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thebandruphus/
A video of RUPHUS playing live at the studios of Norway’s NRK TV can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/5RnuFIuAn0U
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