Tages were a Swedish rock band from Gothenburg formed in 1963 by vocalist Tommy Blom, rhythm guitarist Danne Larsson, lead guitarist Anders Töpel, bass guitarist Göran Lagerberg and drummer Freddie Skantze. During their seven year tenure, they released six studio albums, three compilation albums, five extended plays and 26 singles in Sweden. Between November 1964 and April 1968, Tages were considered one of the four most popular bands in Sweden, with 13 of their singles reaching the top 10 of the national record chart Tio i Topp including two number one singles. The band also released a string of commercially successful studio albums, with two of them, Tages (1965) and Tages 2 (1966), selling over 10,000 copies each in Sweden, enough for them to be certified gold. Towards the end of the 1960s, Tages' popularity started diminishing, and they charted their final top 10 single in April 1968. Lead vocalist Blom left the band at the end of their folkpark tour in August 1968. The group continued on as a quartet, with the group's sixth studio album and final five singles being released under the name Blond, a name which was chosen by the band's management who believed it to be more internationally viable. They broke up during the summer of 1970 after several personnel changes.
Tages' first 10 singles and three studio albums were released in Sweden by Platina Records, an independent record label founded by Evert Jakobsson. The band had signed a contract with the label in September 1964. Platina was distributed by EMI Records starting in 1965, causing singles by Tages released in the UK during this time period to appear on several EMI sublabels, including Columbia and His Master's Voice. Tages founded their own publishing company, Segat AB, during the spring of 1966, which ensured that "income reached the right [band members'] pockets", contrary to many other publishing companies during the 1960s. Platina's contract with Tages expired on New Year's Day 1967, upon which they opted to sign a contract with Parlophone instead. This caused Jakobsson to issue archival material by Tages on Platina concurrently to their new releases on Parlophone in an act of retaliation. In preparation for a potential international breakthrough, Tages' new manager Richard-Reese Edwards got the band signed to Fontana Records, negotiating an advance of $50,000 , a sum previously unheard of by a Swedish pop group.
Starting with two unauthorized albums compiled by Jakobsson during the 1960s, Tages' music has been collected on several compilation albums. As the band's masters were owned by three separate record labels, the band's early compilation albums were restricted to the material each label had the rights to. In 1983, Jakobsson licensed an album's worth of his Tages Platina masters to EMI, who were putting together the compilation album Tages, 1964-68! Later during the 1980s, Sven-Åke Peterson of EMI negotiated with Jakobsson, purchasing the masters from him. In 1994, the 3-CD career-spanning box set This One's For You was released, containing almost every recording by Tages under that name. The Blond recordings are still owned by Universal Music Group, who issued all of their material with the band on the 2003 reissue of The Lilac Years.
Studio albums Studio albums + Year Title Album detailsPeak chart positionsSwedish release NOR FIN1965Tages Released: 3 November 1965 Label: Platina ×31966Tages 2Released: 4 August 1966 Label: Platina ×—Extra Extra Released: 28 November 1966 Label: Platina 20—1967Contrast Released: 28 April 1967 Label: Parlophone ——Studio Released: 4 December 1967 Label: Parlophone —— 1969The Lilac Years Released: 17 October 1969 Label: Fontana ——"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. "×" denotes the chart did not exist yet. Notes
Live albums +YearTitleAlbum details1999Live At Last Released: June 1993 Label: Secret Room Notes
Compilation albums + Decade Title Album detailsPeak chart positions SWE 1960sThe Best Of TagesReleased: August 1967 Label: Platina —Forget Him Released: 28 May 1968 Label: Platina —Good Old Tages Released: February 1969 Label: Odeon —1970sTages Favoritter Released: 1974 Label: EMI × 1980sTages, 1964-68! Released: 25 March 1983 Label: Parlophone —Tages Bästa! Released: 1983 Label: EMI — 1990sHep Stars! Tages! Shanes! Released: 1991 Label: EMI —This One's For You! Released: 28 November 1994 Label: EMI —Don't Turn Your BackReleased: 28 November 1994 Label: EMI —In My DreamsReleased: 28 November 1994 Label: EMI —Fantasy IslandReleased: 28 November 1994 Label: EMI —Tages BästaReleased: 21 October 1998 Label: EMI — 2000sThe Collection Released: 2001 Label: Disky ×Diamanter Released: 22 January 2004 Label: EMI — 2010sOriginal Album Serien Released: 17 August 2011 Label: Capitol 53Go! The Complete Singles Released: 25 September 2015 Label: RPM —"—" denotes releases that did not chart. "x" denotes album not released in that territory.
Notes
EPs +List of Swedish EPs with selected chart positionsYear Title EP details Peak chart positions SWE (Kvällstoppen) 1965Tages Released: 4 June 1965 Label: Platina 2 1965Sleep Little Girl Released: 30 August 1966 Label: Platina 3 1967Tages-Hits Vol. 1 Released: August 1967 Label: Platina 3Tages-Hits Vol. 2 Released: August 1967 Label: Platina 1Tages-Hits Vol. 3 Released: August 1967 Label: Platina 1 2012Live And Jealous Released: 13 December 2012 Label: Premium —"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Notes
Singles + YearSingle detailsPeak chart positionsAlbum or EP SWE (Kvällstoppen) SWE (Tio i Topp) FIN DEN1964"Sleep Little Girl"b/w "Tell Me You're Mine" Released: 16 October 1964 Label: Platina 31——1965"I Should Be Glad"b/w "I Cry" Released: 15 February 1965 Label: Platina 2237—"Don't Turn Your Back"b/w "Hound Dog" (from Tages) Released: 14 May 1965 Label: Platina 22——Tages (EP)"The One for You"b/w "I Got My Mojo Working" (from Tages) Released: 15 August 1965 Label: Platina 62——Tages (album)"Bloodhound"b/w "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" Released: 19 November 1965 Label: Platina 3640—1966"So Many Girls"b/w "I'm Mad" Released: 11 February 1966 , 11 March 1966 Label: Platina , His Master's Voice 54——"I'll Be Doggone"b/w "Hitch Hike" Released: 18 May 1966 Label: Platina 107——"I'm The Man You'll Be Lookin' For"b/w "Leaving Here" (from Tages 2) Released: June 1966 Label: His Master's Voice xxxx"In My Dreams"b/w "Leaving Here" (from Tages 2) Released: 16 July 1966 Label: Platina 1139—Tages 2"Crazy 'Bout My Baby"b/w "In My Dreams" (UK), "Go" (SE) (Both from Tages 2) Released: 7 October 1966 , 21 October1966 Label: Columbia , Platina 1615——"Miss Mac Baren"b/w "Get Up An' Get Goin'" (from Extra Extra) Released: 30 November 1966 Label: Platina 14——1967"Secret Room"b/w "Friday on My Mind" (from Extra Extra) Released: 16 January 1967 Label: Platina ——xxExtra Extra" Every Raindrop Means A Lot"b/w "Look What You Get" Released: 15 February 1967 Label: Parlophone 42——Contrast"I'm Going Out"b/w "Fuzzy Patterns" (from Contrast) Released: 14 April 1967 Label: Parlophone 32—4"Gone Too Far"b/w "Understanding" (from Extra Extra) Released: 28 April 1967 Label: Platina ——xxExtra Extra"She's Having A Baby Now"b/w "Sister's Got A Boyfriend" (from Contrast) Released: June 1967 Label: Parlophone ————Studio"One Red, One Yellow, One Blue"b/w "True Fine Woman" (from Extra Extra) Released: July 1967 Label: Platina ——xxExtra Extra"Treat Her Like A Lady"b/w "Wanting" (from Contrast) Released: 26 September 1967 , 6 October 1967 Label: Parlophone 73—6"Dancing in the Street"b/w "Those Rumours" (from Tages 2) Released: 14 May 1965 Label: Platina —15xxTages 2"Mohair Sam"b/w "Ride Your Pony" (from Extra Extra) Released: December 1967 Label: Platina ——xxExtra Extra1968"There's a Blind Man Playin' Fiddle in the Street"b/w "Like a Woman" (from Studio) Released: 2 February 1968 , 7 June 1968 Label: Parlophone —10—20"Fantasy Island"b/w "To Be Free" Released: 21 May 1968 Label: Parlophone —14——"Doctor Feel-Good"b/w "Dimples" (from Tages) Released: June 1968 Label: Platina xxxxTages (album)"House of Soul Hill"b/w "Sister's Got a Boyfriend" (from Contrast) Released: June 1968 Label: Odeon xxxxContrast"I Read You Like an Open Book"b/w "Halcyon Days" Released: October 1968 , 11 October 1968 ————1969"I Wake Up and Call"b/w "(I Will Bring You) Flowers in the Morning" (UK), "The Girl I Once Had" (SE) (Both from The Lilac Years) Released: 20 June 1969 , 29 July 1969 Label: Fontana —14——The Lilac Years"The Lilac Years (de Sålde Sina Hemman)"b/w "Six White Horses" (from The Lilac Years) Released: 17 October 1969 Label: Fontana ————"Deep Inside My Heart"b/w "(I Will Bring You) Flowers In The Morning" (from The Lilac Years) Released: October 1969 Label: Platina xxxx"I Pick Up The Bus"b/w "Six White Horses" (from The Lilac Years) Released: June 1968 Label: Philips xxxx1970"Lost Child"b/w "How Can I Pray If I Don't Believe (The Elephant)" Released: July 1970 Label: Fontana ————"—" denotes releases that did not chart. "x" denotes single not released in that territory.
Notes
See also
List of songs recorded by Tages
References
Footnotes
Citations
Sources
External links