For this biographical portion, this is mostly written up from memory, and while I believe it to be accurate, if there are errors I do apologize.
Gemini is the name of sister and brother Karin and Anders Glenmark's musical act in the 1980s. The two of them and ABBA have intersected plenty of time prior to the creation of Gemini. Together with their aunt and uncle Bruno Glenmark and Ann-Louise Hanson, Karin and Anders would compete against ABA in both the 1973 and 1974 Melodifestivalen. Bruno Glenmark had a recording studio in the basement of his home, and ABBA would go on to record parts of their 2nd studio album in that recording studio. Anders even played the guitar on Money Money Money, and he and Karin both provided backing vocals for Frida's Ensam and Agnetha's Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus albums, and Karin and her aunt Ann-Louise Hanson also sang in the backing choir for some of Ted Gardestad's albums, which Agnetha and Frida both contributed to.
All of this to say, Karin and Anders were both really prominent musicians, and the amount of work that they did outside of what I listed above is quite incredible.
In 1982, Bjorn and Benny were bitten by the musical bug, and together with Tim Rice, started conceptualizing a story based off the Cold War, a love triangle of sorts set in the world of chess players and chess competitions. Bjorn and Benny would develop the music, and Tim Rice would write the lyrics, and they gathered a group of prominent musical vocalists to sing the parts of the various characters for what would become the concept album, like Elaine Paige (Tim Rice's then partner), Tommy Korberg, Murray Head, and Barbara Dickson. But before that, they had to actually write the songs.
In typical Bjorn and Benny fashion, they tried to recycle melodies that they had tried to use as ABBA songs but simply never worked in their minds. The most well known one being Just Like That, which got separated into two different songs that they tried to fit into the Chess story somehow. The verses for Just Like That were harvested into a demo that had multiple different titles and versions, but the most well-known one online is When The Waves Roll Out To Sea. This song did not end up making it into the concept album or into the complete musical, however in 2002 when Bjorn and Benny worked the musical into a Swedish version, the song did get put back, this time called Glom Mig Om Du Kan.
The chorus for Just Like That was also worked into a separate track, still called Just Like That, with whole new verses, and a demo version exists, sang by Elaine Paige. However, this song also did not make it into the musical and never did.
If you're interested, I have a more detailed video on the Chess demos (with some facts wrong, like the inclusion of Glom Mig Om Du Kan for the Swedish version of Chess, but I did not know that at the time of making the video).
For a lot of the demo recordings for the songs from Chess, Bjorn and Benny worked with Karin and Anders to provide vocals. They even had Agnetha step in for one of the tracks, Every Good Man, that went on to become Heaven Help My Heart in the completed musical. (I've heard it said that Every Good Man was already an existing ABBA demo, hence why it's Agnetha on the track, but most accounts seem to state that it was recorded new for Chess.) Anders Glenmark would record the demo vocals for One Night In Bankok, and - I'm not 100% sure if this is accurate but I've heard it said so I'll mention it here - they liked his performance so much that's why his vocals ended up staying in the official version of the song, where as Murray Head only sang the verses. Ultimately the chorus ended up being the part that stood out the most - even my Dad remembers hearing One Night In Bankok play on the radios here in the US in ~1984/85, and little did everyone know that it's in fact Anders Glenmark they were hearing even though the song was credited solely to Murray Head.
Anders and Karin would go on to provide backing vocals to the entire Chess concept album, and can I just say that their vocals are honestly one of my favorite things about the album?
On a quick digression and tangent - I realize that I really hate the way the backing vocals ensemble are done in musicals. That's part of the reason why I hate Mamma Mia musicals - it never sounds beautiful or harmonious, instead just sounds annoying and I absolutely despise how ABBA's beautiful songs can be made to sound so ugly and so much is to blame on the ensemble. I also get that for some weird reason that I will never understand, that is the way musicals are done. And I came to this realization because I have been trying desperately to enjoy the performances for the new Chess on Broadway, but the ensemble, who I am sure are doing a good job, just ruin it for me. And every time I try to listen to the cast album, even with superb singers Lea Michelle, Aaron Tivett, and Nicholas Christopher (his performance on Endgame though - Fantastic!), it just does not compare to the vocals from Karin and Anders.
Now, after the Chess concept album was released, Bjorn and Benny still had plenty of material left over from Chess that had the potential to become good songs. So Gemini was born. Anders was a good songwriter in his own right, and would write several songs, together with Bjorn and also with Ingela "Pling" Forsman, who had written songs with Agnetha in the past.
Gemini's first album, simply titled Gemini, was released in 1985. The album is very 80s, lots of synths, and in my personal opinion, a lot of the songs are quite slow, but they're pretty good. I personally love actual 80s music (not the stereotypical 80s sound that shows like Stranger Things personify - but actually music from the 1980s) - it always reminds me of listening to the oldies radio when I was a kid, so I do really like it.
When I was younger and just getting into ABBA and would spend hours scouring YouTube and Wikipedia, I came across Gemini, and of course I was a hater. I think in some childish way, I thought Bjorn and Benny had replaced ABBA with Gemini, putting their sole focus into this band rather than continuing with ABBA, and I was very stupid for thinking that. I hate that I had this predisposed negativity that stayed with me until I actually gave the album a proper listen, and when I did, my mind was changed almost instantaneously.
I don't want to go about comparing this album to Bjorn and Benny's work with ABBA - constantly comparing them to ABBA is part of why I couldn't make myself listen to it for so long. The fact that album includes a new version of the song Slowly, that Bjorn and Benny had given to Frida for her 1984 Shine album, as well as the new reworked version of Just Like That, the version that resused the chorus from the original ABBA demo, as well as the closing track Another You, Another Me that honestly to my ears sounds like it could have been an ABBA song, doesn't help with that.
These are all my opinions obviously and how I interpret the songs - if you interpret the songs differently that's fine as well.
1. Slowly - This song is written by Bjorn and Benny, and honestly follows a pretty standard B&B formula about a relationship falling apart. It's very reminiscent of One Man, One Woman, talking about how the love in the marriage has simply faded away and there's nothing left, but unlike OMOW, there is no sense of hope that they can work through this, and it's honestly devastated. Although Frida had already released a version of this song the year before, Gemini's features slightly different lyrics. One change being in the opening verse. In Frida's version of the song, she's singing about her partner, "We take so much for granted, he and I/We share a life in one dimension", while in Gemini's, they're singing directly to the partner, "We take so much for granted you and I/We share a life in one dimension." And in the third verse/pre-chorus, Frida sings "I'll be the woman in his arms tonight, if he should need someone to hold him tight. He's like a child", but in the Gemini version, they sing "If you need someone in your arms tonight, I'll be that someone but it won't feel right, cause something's wrong." I love both versions of the song obviously, but I gotta say, especially in that last pre-chorus, the lyrics kind of hit harder. I like how the energy of the song builds after each chorus, with end of the song pretty much ending in a cry. It's a good song, and I really like it.
2. Too Much Love Is Wasted - Another Bjorn and Benny classic. Karin takes lead vocals on this song, which is another song about a relationship on the verge of burning out, but it's at least a little more hopeful, as the narrator realizes that this is a repeating cycle and she's determined to try and push through. I wouldn't say it's a super upbeat song, but it is very reminiscent of ABBA's happy music paired with sad lyrics. The song ends with the line "I lost one lover, and I don't intend to lose another..." before fading out, and every time I listen to it, for whatever reason it always makes me think of the ending of Don't Shut Me Down, with the last line being "I have learnt to cope, and love and hope is why I am here now" before it fades out. I think this song is my favorite on this album, and it's really pleasant.
3. Slow Emotion - the first upbeat song on the album! Written by Bjorn and Benny, the song features Anders on lead vocals. The song seems to be about someone who is kind of slow to warm up to love or pursuing a relationship, and they've met someone who is the complete opposite and is very quick to make a move. The narrator is a bit shocked and surprised by how fast the other person is moving, and is hoping they'll wait for him to warm up. I honestly wouldn't compare this to any ABBA song - it sounds unique enough, works well, although the lyrics are a little simple, and is pretty straight forward.
4. Just Like That - Although I don't think I'll ever agree with Bjorn and Benny that their original ABBA version of Just Like That sounds disjointed, this version of the song has grown on me. It's basically the same story of ABBA's version - about a short-lived, one-night stand possibly, relationship that was always supposed to be temporary, but the narrator has caught feelings and now their entire life is in shambles from it. Karin sings lead on the song, and she is able to capture the feelings of yearning in her vocals. Just like I'm able to enjoy both Frida's and Gemini's version of Slowly, I have learned to love both versions of Just Like That as well.
5. Falling - The first song on the album to be written by Anders Glenmark together with "Pling". The song is about someone trying to break free from a relationship that for some reason they keep on going back to even though they know they're not changing their past behaviors. And the narrator just chooses to ignore the past issues and try again, and the cycle just repeats "every time you look at me, I am falling." The song is simple, but t's very much about relationship dynamics that I personally enjoy writing about in my own personal books, so I like it a lot.
6. Have Mercy - Written by Bjorn and Benny, this song is quite slow and is a plea or prayer for mercy as the world is in turmoil, with violence and misdeeds prominent. The lyrics kind of remind me of "Ode To Freedom" from Voyage a little bit, although Ode to Freedom is a little more hopeful, where as Have Mercy doesn't really offer any thoughts of hopefulness. Anders and Karin each sing a verse on the song, singing the chorus together. The song kinda gives me religious vibes haha, but also it's kinda fitting to today's day and age with how horrible world affairs have been lately.
7. Live On The Love - Written by Bjorn and Anders Glenmark. I honestly would have loved if the two of them collaborated together more. The song is very interesting - it seems to also be about a kind of tumultuous relationship with lots of unsurenesss. Possibly it's about cheating, how their partner comes home late after the kids are asleep, and the narrator is aware that they're losing their partner, but is tied between trying to act cordial or let the relationship continue to die, and this relationship is just painful. Each chorus is a bit different, which is unique, and it's a very interesting situation. Musically I find it a bit... boring...? but it's not a bad song at all.
8. In The Middle Of Nowhere - Written by Anders Glenmark and "Pling", I think the song is about trying to get back to a relationship that has already ended, but they're trying to reach out and follow after the relationship, as their love has grown again for that person. I'm going to be honest, I'm a little confused by the lyrics, like what does "Writing every little word in calligraphy" mean...? But I like the sound, the chorus is fun, and I do like how Anders and Karin alternate singing each verse.
9. Another You, Another Me - written by Bjorn and Benny, I think this song is about meeting again after maybe initially meeting and the relationship not working out. But now, here they are, "Another you, another me", and they've changed, and now somehow they're in love and everything's just working out. The music itself sounds kinda sad, but the lyrics seem to be telling a positive story. Similarly to the way slowly is structured, after each chorus, the song builds and adds even more energy. And the final chorus has Karin singing so strong, and it just sounds amazing, especially on the final "And I can't see. mo I can't tell you how it came to be, another you, another me." I think this song is a very good closing track, and very powerful, and it does sound like it could have been an ABBA song in another life. But it is beautiful as is, and Karin does a fantastic job on this track.
I feel like album is generally pretty consistent sonically and lyrically. The album isn't telling a story, but rather singing about all types of relationships, good and bad, and overall I like it. This is probably one of the first times I really delved into the lyrics, mostly I just listen to this album because I like the overall sound, so this was nice.
1. TLC - This song is fun. A long time ago I saw their performance on Jacob's Stege and thought they were so weird, but I love this song now. Written by Bjorn and Benny, it's about someone who always makes mistakes, they get into fights, they drink, they smoke, and their poor partner has to put up with it, but the narrator promises they'll change and all they want is tender loving care. Again I'm not trying to constantly compare this to ABBA, but it's kinda like the same story as I Can Be That Woman from Voyage, but maybe that same woman before she hits rock bottom. The music is upbeat, but the lyrics are a bit sad if you think about it. But on a whole, the music is fun, and kinda sounds tropical.
2. Beat The Heat - This song kinda reminds me of a performance I'd hear in Glee, and it's funny because I haven't even seen Glee so maybe it's just my brain making that association, but it's all I can think about when I hear it. Written by Anders Glenmark and "Pling", and sang by Anders, the song seems to be about it being crazy hot in the summer, the weather is sweltering, but the narrator is also feeling the heat as they're pining for someone, and they want to beat the heat by getting heated together. The song is kinda kooky, but it's also quite fun. Also the instruments in some parts like just before the chorus make me think of Under Attack by ABBA.
3. Mio My Mio - I feel like this song is kind of out of place for this album, as it was written by Bjorn and Benny for a children's fantasy film Mio In The Land of Faraway, based off a book by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. I haven't personally watched this film, but it features some pretty big names, Christopher Lee and Chistian Bale, and also Timothy Bottoms who I know as the Dad from the American Girl Chrissa Stands Strong film. The song is sang by Karin, and it is a very beautiful song, very spiritual sounding, kind of ethereal. Karin also does the vocals for the song in Swedish and Russian!
4. Ghost Town - Written by Bjorn and Benny, this song is kind of like a nightmare horror story. Tim Rice mentioned in a podcast that this song was also recycled from Chess outtakes, and I think I can hear that. It almost sounds like it reuses some elements from One Night In Bankok, but that could just be me. Sang by Karin, the song recounts a past encounter where the narrator gets into car trouble, her car dies, and she's stranded in a ghost town for a bit, but it's a literal ghost town. Like she hears sounds, voices, but no one is there except for her. It's very weird haha, and not my favorite track on the album, but it's quite unique at least.
5. I Am The Universe - Written by Bjorn and Benny, this song is yet another "I Am The [..]" to add to Bjorn and Benny's repertoire. ([I am the" Tiger, I Am The City, I Am The Seeker, etc.) Its also kind of spiritual and philosophical. I don't really understand it either, but it's pretty.
6. Sniffin' Out The Snakes - This song is written by Anders and "Pling", and is very weird to me. I like the chorus, but the verses are kinda weird. I'm guessing the song is about someone's partner cheating and lying, but the narrator is good at "sniffing out the snakes" and will find out and uncover her secrets. A slight digression, but I've been listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac songs lately, specifically from Tango In the Night and Rumors, and most of the songs that Lindsey Buckingham sings leads on I like to call "Weird Lindsy Buckingham songs", and this song kinda reminds of a weird Lindsey Buckingham song.
7. I'm A Bitch When I See Red - Written by Bjorn and Benny, this song is about a woman who likes the domestic life, wants to raise a family, but her husband is cheating on her with "another woman and she's better than me" and she's had enough of it. So she's going to fight. I can't tell if she's fighting to keep the man, like is she planning to compete with the other woman, or is she going to fight her husband? The last verse is, "When the novelty's wearing off, Where d'you think you're gonna be. When you find she wants a home and kids, just like me/When she finds you're not the man she thought you were, but a liar and a cheat/I can hardly wait. My revenge will be so sweet." And I can't tell who she's plotting her revenge against. The husband? The other woman? Are they working together? I don't know, but it's interesting.
8. There's No Way To Fool A Heart - Written by Anders Glenmark and "Pling" - first of all I LOVE THIS SONG. It's my favorite from the album. I'm guessing it's about someone playing hard to get, but the narrator is like, "If you want my love just say it", and doesn't want to play any games. He just wants to finally admit they're in love. I don't really know why, but this song makes me feel very nostalgic, the music, the sound, is just perfect to me, and I find it so pretty, especially in the final chorus when it starts to sound like there's a full on choir. I don't really have more to say other than I just love it. Also at the end, Anders kinda starts sounding a bit like Daryl Hall haha.
9. Wild About That Girl - written by Anders and Bjorn together, this song is about a narrator falling head over heels over a woman he meets at some place, and he wants to ask her to dance, and make her his. It's simple, but upbeat, and very catchy. I get the chorus stuck in my head a lot, and my poor budgies have been inflicted with me singing "I'm wild about that bird, I'm wild about that budgie..." to them all the time haha.
10. Nearly There - Written by Bjorn and Benny, this song is a very upbeat, catchy song. It seems to be about someone not believing in love, but then suddenly they get that spark when meeting someone, and now they're starting to believe in love. Simple, but fun nonetheless. A good album closer. And honestly I feel like this one could have also been an ABBA songs, like I can picture Agnetha and Frida singing this song, maybe Voulez-Vous era. But again, it's fine as is.
I think overall this album, while being a bit weird haha, has more positive songs than the last one. Even though I liked more of the songs from the last album, this one I've been gravitating towards more, as my two favorites really make the album for me.
I'm honestly so mad at myself that it took me so long to really give these albums a listen, and part of that is also because none of the tracks were available in high quality anywhere, not even on streaming platforms, but recently, after Karin passed away, they were finally uploaded to streaming platforms. i haven't personally listened to them to see if there's anything different about the mixes as I've been listening to my CD rips, but if you ever want to give them albums a try, now it's a lot easier to do so!
I have grown to really love Karin and Anders' voices, both individually and when they're singing together, and even when they're just providing backing vocals, you can distinctly hear that it is the two of them singing. (They also provided backing vocals for Agnetha's Eyes of a Woman album - specifically on the track Save Me.)
Thank you for the music, Karin and Anders.
