Gyllene Tider is a Swedishpop group fronted by Roxette-singer, guitarist and songwriter Per Gessle. They are one of the best selling Swedish bands ever and are known in Scandinavia for numerous hits, starting with the break-through song "Flickorna på TV2" in 1980. The band has earned a legendary status in Sweden based on their power pop, catchy choruses and lyrics about life in a small town.
History
In 1977, Per Gessle met Mats Persson, a member of the band Audiovisuellt Angrepp, forming the duo "Grape Rock". Later Micke Syd Andersson, Anders Herrlin and Göran Fritzon joined and the quintet was born. The group's name was changed to "Gyllene Tider", alluding to Mott the Hoople's song "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll". In 1980, the LP Gyllene Tider was released, becoming a huge success in Sweden. "Flickorna på TV2" was the album's biggest hit. The second album, released in 1981 under the name Moderna Tider, also enjoyed huge success, and was followed by a record-breaking national tour. The following year Puls was released, including the hits "Sommartider" and "Flickan i en Cole-Porter-sång". In 1985 Gyllene Tider officially broke up after releasing their only album in English; "The Heartland Cafe'". Per Gessle continued with a solo-career and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson in 1986. After the break-up several platinum-selling compilation albums were released and a number of live reunions have taken place, starting with the immensely popular Återtåget tour in 1996. In 2004, the band celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with the first new album in over 20 years and a huge summer tour in July and August. The tour, called GT25, was a massive success, being the biggest tour in Scandinavia ever and the second largest of all time in the whole of Europe, gathering well over half a million people all over Sweden. When they performed at Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg on 7 August 2004 during the GT25, 58,984 fans watched the concert live, breaking the record set by Bruce Springsteen, and the performance was later broadcast on TV4. Gyllene Tider reunited again on 14 August 2010 as a surprise encore during Roxette's concert in Halmstad, both bands' hometown. They performed a three-song set, featuring the songs "Juni, Juli, Augusti", "Sommartider", and "När alla vännerna gått hem", with Marie Fredriksson and the rest of the Roxette band joining them on stage for the last number. In January 2013, the group announced a new album and summer tour in Sweden, both called "Dags att tänka på refrängen". The album was released on 24 April 2013; the 19-show sell-out tour started on 5 July 2013 in Halmstad and ended on 10 August in Halmstad. In January 2019, Gyllene Tider announced a farewell tour to celebrate 40 years which took place in Sweden and Norwayin the summer of 2019. The tour started on 4 July in Halmstad, Sweden, and ended there on 10 August as well. Their final album Samma skrot och korn was released on 14 June 2019.
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
Others
Modern Times - Never released
Heartland
Live albums
Compilation albums
EPs
1978 Gyllene Tider
1981 Swing&Sweet included with the first copies of the album Moderna Tider with four cover versions of international hits: Gyllene tider för rock 'n' roll, Vill ha ett svar, Och jorden den är rund and Ge mig inte det där.