Gasolin'

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Gasolin' was a Danish rock band from Christianshavn in Copenhagen formed by Kim Larsen and Franz Beckerlee and Willi Jønsson in 1969. Their first drummer was the late Bjørn Uglebjerg. He was replaced by Søren Berlev in 1971. At the formation the guitar playing of Franz Beckerlee was inspired by Jimi Hendrix and the singing and lyrics of Larsen was inspired by Bob Dylan, while the rhythm playing of Jönsson and Berlev owed much to The Beatles. However, they would soon develop their own musical identity. The pop sensibility of Kim Larsen, the raw avantgarde attitude of Franz Beckerlee and the musical competence of Wili Jönsson would prove to be a recipe for success. Søren Berlev would be the Ringo: The steady and loveable drummer.

In 1970 Gasolin' released their first single: "Silky Sally" followed by "Child of Institution" and "Johnny The Jackpot". These three singles were sung in English and flopped. Their debut album and the subsequent albums had Danish lyrics and was a success. Although they would occasionally still sing in English, Danish proved to be the language where they could express themself most eloquently and this was acknowledged and rewarded by the Danish audience and critics.

From 1972 to 1978 Gasolin' was the most popular rock band in Denmark. With producer Roy Thomas Baker they released such classics as "Gasolin' 3", "Gas 5" and "Efter endnu en dag"; albums that sound as fresh and innovative now as they did then. In that respect Gasolin' may be considered as the Danish Beatles: Each album was a landmark and like The Beatles, they broke up at the pinnacle of their success. The reasons for the split was the failure to break the international market and personal differences.

After the demise Kim Larsen would go on to become a very successful solo artist; his album from 1983, "Midt om natten", is the best selling album in Denmark ever. Wili Jönsson and Søren Berlev would go on playing music as session musicians and in various bands. Franz Beckerlee works as an artist, but occasionally he played with Søren Berlev in Christianhavns Bluesband and in 1979 he released "No Kiddin'".

In 1991 the CD compilation, "Rabalderstræde Forever", became a big seller, so did the box set from 2003, "The Black Box". In 2006 a movie called "Gasolin'" directed by Anders Østergaard became the most popular documentary movie in Denmark ever. Despite this, Gasolin' has always refused to reunite.