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Stockholm (AP) - Marie Fredriksson sometimes sings a Beatles song, sometimes in Spanish, then one of her hits in an acoustic version.
A new song collection entitled “Bag Of Trix” will give Roxette fans 47 previously unpublished or previously unavailable recordings by the Swedish pop duo before Christmas.
Much of it, such as the summery, light “Let Your Heart Dance With Me” sounds new, but ultimately does not deviate from the classic Roxette sound.
This is mainly due to the unmistakable voice of front woman Fredriksson, who can be heard here again - a year after her death.
Fredriksson died of cancer on December 9, 2019, at the age of only 61.
Band partner Per Gessle had formed Roxette with her since the mid-80s, and together they celebrated worldwide success thanks to songs like “The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart” and “It Must Have Been Love”.
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Such Roxette classics can now also be heard in the “Bag of Trix” box.
However, in a new guise: "Listen To Your Heart" is available right at the beginning in an emotional acoustic version accompanied by guitar sounds, which was created in 1995 in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London.
An acoustic, lively version of “The Look” was also recorded there.
In addition to live versions such as that of "Wish I Could Fly", recorded in Seattle in 2000, Roxette fans can expect a whole range of demo pieces that were created from 1986 to 2016 during the band's history.
“Joyride” should not be missing either - in a previously unavailable version from the early 1990s.
The 61-year-old Per Gessle, who wrote most of the Roxette songs, counts the Spanish pieces on “Bag of Trix” among his favorites, such as “Tu No Me Comprendes”, the equivalent of “You Don't Understand” Me »from 1995. To hear Marie Fredriksson sing in Spanish in it is simply breathtaking, he says in an interview with the German Press Agency in Scandinavia.
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"Even if I don't understand a word of what she sings, it all comes across as a very soulful song," says Gessle.
“That's the power of Marie's voice.
It just knocks me out every time I hear that. "
Gessle also likes the acoustic versions, such as Fredriksson's interpretation of the Beatles classic "Help".
"It's just amazing to hear her voice in a very naked environment like this."
Three of the four parts of “Bag of Trix” have already been published in digital format in the past few weeks.
The last section now follows parallel to the physical collection, which is available either as a 4-LP box or as a 3-CD set.
Many pieces fell through the sieve during the selection process for the respective Roxette albums and thus partially disappeared into Gessle's drawer.
With a smile, he denies that these are Roxette songs of the second class.
“When you make albums like us, there is so much material.
When we recorded 'Have A Nice Day', for example, we had maybe 35 songs to choose from, ”says the Swede.
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Some things don't make it onto the album, this was completely normal with Roxette.
"It's not about poor quality or second-rate songs, but about the competition between the songs when you make a certain album," emphasizes Gessle in the dpa interview.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201208-99-610439 / 3