galleon interview

Hello Goran: first of all, how could you introduce Galleon's music to people who doesn't know anything about the band ?
phew,,, well if you mix a little IQ, Genesis, Yes, Marillion, Rush, Pallas,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and then you add a little swedish melancholy and a tiny splash of swedish folkmusic you maybe come up with Galleon.

Comparing the new album to Galleon's old stuff, I noticed a small change of direction. I mean "Mind Over Matter" sounded more "sweden trendly". On the contrary "From land…" sounds more "british", more accessible and more various (in my cd review I wrote you're currently the brightest swedish answer to Arena). What do you think about that ?
Well I am not very fond of being compared to other bands and Arena is not a personel favourite band, but if people want to compare us with other bands it´s up to them.

Let's talk about the song "Land": it's a little different from the rest of the songs, more folkish, pastoral. Is it only an occasional experiment ?
Yes it is, Stefan and Kristina who plays on that song are playing folkmusic all the time and I asked them if they wanted to make a song together with us and they did so.. it was a very fun song to do.

Can you tell me the concept of this album in few words ?
Well the Ocean is about all the myths and legends and some hard facts of what we have done with it and the first cd is about land based things like the stupid documetry soaps ,the wannabe culture today and the european community and so on.

I read the cd working process started two years ago: did you already know from the beginning it should have been a double cd ?
Yes we did, but I have to correct you because the process started three years ago and I have always wanted to do double.

Have you ever thought that 110 minutes of music could have been a little boring ? (I'd personally answer: "What beautiful 110 boring minutes !!"…)
No that have never come to my mind really. he he and thankx for that one.

What's your favourite double album of music history ?
My favourite double must be either Genesis "The Lamb" or Yes "Tales From Topographic Oceans".

Which band you would like Galleon play a gig with ?
Well I can think of doing a gig together with Genesis,Yes or IQ.

Are you currently arranging an european tour ?
Not arranging but we got an invitation from Switzerland so we will see if we can arrange something during springtime.

Do you think you'll play the new album in its entirety on stage?
No, not the whole but we played Three Colours, Fall Of Fame, Liopleurodon, The Price and The Ocean on the release gig and we did a gig in our hometown and played the same songs.

Ok Goran, tell me something about the Spektrum project: each member involved in the project has his band to play with, including Lizette, who has just released her solo album. Will a second Spektrum album see the light sooner or later ?
Yes I think so but not next year, everbody wants to do it again sometime. We´ll see maybe 2005.

According to you, which are the main differences between Spektrum and Galleon music ?
well we did not work so very long with the songs to the spectrum project because of time shortage but the main differences is that I wasn´t very driving when it comes to the making of the songs because I had our double to think about.

Thanks a lot, Goran, I'm waiting for Galleon in Italy.
Yeah thanks, well we have never been to Italy so let´s hope we come during next year.

Luca Alberici