Gling-Gló
1990 studio album by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
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Gling-Gló is the only studio album by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar, consisting of Björk Guðmundsdóttir on vocals, Guðmundur Ingólfsson on piano, Guðmundur Steingrímsson on drums, and Þórður Högnason on bass. The album's title "Gling-gló" is the Icelandic equivalent of the English onomatopoeia "ding dong", referring to the sound that a bell makes.
| Gling-Gló | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 23 August, 1 and 3 September 1990 | |||
| Studio | Stúdio Sýrland | |||
| Genre | Vocal jazz | |||
| Length | 50:39 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | Tómas Tómasson | |||
| Björk chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |    [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Most of the songs were recorded on 1 September and 3 September 1990 at Stúdio Sýrland, except for two tracks, which were recorded on 23 August 1990. It was produced by Tómas Magnús Tómasson, the bassist of Stuðmenn. The album was released in October 1990 by Smekkleysa. It received mixed reviews by critics.
Background and recording
Most of the songs were recorded on 1 September and 3 September 1990 at Stúdio Sýrland. "Ruby Baby" and "I Can't Help Loving that Man" were recorded on 23 August 1990 on Ríkisútvarpið (National Icelandic Broadcasting Service) for Djasskaffi, a radio programme hosted by Ólafur Þórðarsson.[4] It was produced by Tómas Magnús Tómasson, the bassist of Stuðmenn.
Composition
Most of the songs are sung in Icelandic.[5] Several of these songs are covers of jazz standards translated and sung in Icelandic. Three are sung with a noticeably different musical arrangement: "Bílavísur" (originally "The Blacksmith Blues"), "Ég veit ei hvað skal segja" (Theresa Brewer's "Ricochet Romance") and "Pabbi minn" ("O Mein Papa").
"Þad sést ekki sætari mey" is misattributed in the liner notes as a "Rodgers & Hammerstein" composition,[6] but is instead an interpolation of Irving Berlin's "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" from the musical Annie Get Your Gun.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | English translation[a] | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gling gló" |
| "Ding Dong" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Luktar-Gvendur" |
| "Lantern-Gvendur" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Kata rokkar" | Theodór Einarsson | "Kata rocks" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Pabbi minn" |
| "My papa" | 2:42 |
| 5. | "Brestir og brak" |
| "Crackle and bang" | 3:20 |
| 6. | "Ástartöfrar" | Valdimar Auðunsson | "Love magic" | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Bella símamær" |
| "Bella the phone girl" | 2:39 |
| 8. | "Litli tónlistarmaðurinn" | Freymóður Jóhannsson | "The little musician" | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Það sést ekki sætari mey" |
| "There is no sweeter maiden to be seen" | 4:03 |
| 10. | "Bílavísur" |
| "Traffic signs" | 2:40 |
| 11. | "Tondeleyo" |
| 3:33 | |
| 12. | "Ég veit ei hvað skal segja" |
| "I do not know what to say" | 3:05 |
| 13. | "Í dansi með þér" |
| "In a dance with you" | 2:28 |
| 14. | "Börnin við tjörnina" | Jenni Jónsson | "The children at the pond" | 2:50 |
| Total length: | 50:39 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Ruby Baby" | 4:06 | |
| 16. | "I Can’t Help Loving That Man" | 3:41 | |
| Total length: | 58:26 | ||
Note: The last track on the bonus edition, “I Can’t Help Loving That Man” is also known as “I Can’t Help Loving You” on certain versions of the album.
Personnel
- Björk Guðmundsdóttir – vocals, harmonica
- Guðmundur Ingólfsson – piano, tambourine
- Þórður Högnason – bass
- Guðmundur Steingrímsson – drums, maracas, Christmas bells
- Tómas Magnús Tómasson – production, mixing
- Georg Magnússon – technician (tracks 15, 16)
- Óskar Jónasson – photography, cover
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Gling-Gló.[6]
Charts
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Iceland[9] | Gold | 40,000[10] |