Wednesday, June 17, 2015

DAG LAUVLAND - 1 Step Closer (1989)

DAG LAUVLAND - 1 Step Closer (1989) front
Requested in "REQUEST & FILL CORNER" section...

Norwegian singer & composer DAG LAUVLAND started his career in the mid-Seventies as part of Rock Shelter and worked as session musician / songwriter during the next decade.
Released in 1989 (as far I know only in Scandinavia), "1 Step Closer" is Dag Lauvland's only solo album.

Featuring some of the most renowned musicians from Norway at the time, including Lava drummer Per Hillestad and super-talented local legend Marius Müller who also produced with a pristine sound, "1 Step Closer" delivers uber polished tunes mixing poppy lite AOR, WestCoast and a pinch of Hi-tech.
The overall feel is very European, not far from masters Lava or their singer Egil Eldøen solo works, but also John Parr, Richard Page / Mr. Mister, and alike.

With a track called "Hearts Of The 80's" (btw one of my favorites here) you should know what to expect here. Everything is smooth and breezy, but while the slow songs abound ("Stonewall" is a little gem), we find many uptempo numbers like "One Step Closer", "Back To Original" and the techie "I Wanna Be Your Love".
This CD version features an extra track in "All There Is To It", a very John Parr sounding AORish song with a typical mid-80s sound.

DAG LAUVLAND - 1 Step Closer (1989) back

Dag Lauvland's "1 Step Closer" never was reissued on any format, suffice to say this one has become a rarity with used copies sold at prohibitive prices. 
A collector's piece


01 - Back To Original
02 - Stay Inside You
03 - (Intro)
04 - I Wanna Be Your Love
05 - Hearts Of The 80's
06 - Yeylah Korino
07 - High Adventure
08 - One Step Closer
09 - Stonewall
10 - Comin' On Stronger
11 - Gideon
12 - All There Is To It (CD exclusive track)

Vocals, Guitar – Dag Lauvland
Guitar, Bass, Keyboards – Marius Müller
Keyboards – Geir Langslet
Horns – Jens Wendelboe
Saxophone – Sigurd Køhn
Bass – Mats Englund
Drums – Per Hillestad




DAG LAUVLAND - 1 Step Closer (1989)
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4 Comments:

JC_AOR said...

Wow, an excellent post Camel! Thank you for sharing ☺

Costas said...

indeed it's a great album

Anonymous said...

A true gem,thanks!

Anonymous said...

excelente!!!! un millon de gracias!