The Elgar Sisters
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The Elgar Sisters was an Icelandic duo formed by singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir and guitarist Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson in 1984. The Elgar Sisters coexisted with KUKL, another group they were part of.
The origin of the duo’s name dates back to the recording sessions when engineer Mel Jefferson named the duo after English composer Edward Elgar.
From 1984 to 1986 the duo recorded 11 songs at Grettisgat studios (which later turned into Sýrland) which are known as The Elgar Sessions.
Eight songs were composed by Guðlaugur and the remaining three were by Björk. Besides Guðlaugur on electric and acoustic guitars and Björk as vocalist, there were other musicians: Sigtryggur Baldursson (drums), Birgir Mogensen (bass), Einar Arnaldur Melax (keyboards), Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (keyboards, percussion), and Þorsteinn Magnússon (guitars).
Some of the lyrics were taken from Dauðaljóðin (The Death Poems), a poetry book written by guitarist Þór Eldon Jónsson.
With the break-up of KUKL by mid 1986, The Elgar Sisters project was terminated. Although they never released any album, some of their songs have been featured on the solo careers of Björk and Guðlaugur, while others still remain unpublished.
Contents |
[edit] Recorded songs
| Year of recording | Title | Music | Performers | Lyrics | Audio clips |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Critical Mass1 | G. K. Óttarsson | Björk, G. K. Óttarsson, Siggi Baldursson, Birgir Mogensen and Einar Melax |
- | - |
| 1984 | Patré | G. K. Óttarsson & Björk | Björk, G. K. Óttarsson, Hilmar Ö. Hilmarsson, and Þorsteinn Magnússon |
- | - |
| 1985 | Dense Time | G. K. Óttarsson | Björk, G. K. Óttarsson, Siggi Baldursson, Birgir Mogensen and Einar Melax |
- | - |
| 1985 | Horizontal2 | G. K. Óttarsson & Björk | Björk, G. K. Óttarsson, Siggi Baldursson, Birgir Mogensen and Einar Melax |
- | - |
| 1985 | Zymphony | G. K. Óttarsson | G. K. Óttarsson | instrumental | - |
| 1986 | Glóra | Björk | Björk | instrumental | - |
| 1986 | Stígðu Mig | G. K. Óttarsson & Björk | Björk and G. K. Óttarsson | link | - |
| 1986 | Síðasta Ég | G. K. Óttarsson & Björk | Björk and G. K. Óttarsson | link | - |
| 1986 | Quintessence | G. K. Óttarsson & Björk | Björk, G. K. Óttarsson and Hilmar Ö. Hilmarsson |
- | - |
| 1986 | Sue | G. K. Óttarsson | Björk, G. K. Óttarsson, and Þorsteinn Magnússon |
- | - |
| 1986 | Green | G. K. Óttarsson, Björk, Siggi Baldursson, Birgir Mogensen and Einar Melax |
G. K. Óttarsson, Björk, Siggi Baldursson, Birgir Mogensen and Einar Melax |
- | - |
Track notes:
1: Originally named “Mass”.
2: Also known as “Zontal”.
[edit] Alternate versions
- ”Sue”, with drums.
- ”Síðasta Ég”, with drums and no vocals.
[edit] Featured On
- 1993 - Big Time Sensuality (One Little Indian), single by Björk.
- 1993 - Venus as a Boy (One Little Indian), single by Björk.
- 2002 - Family Tree (One Little Indian), CD box by Björk.
- 2002 - Misc. Music (Pronil Holdings), album by Guðlaugur K. Óttarsson.
- 2005 - Dense Time (Pronil Holdings), album by Guðlaugur K. Óttarsson.
[edit] External links
- Video clip of KUKL performing “Critical Mass”, available at YouTube.com
- Björk.com
- Official site of Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
- Page about G. K. Óttarsson at Isound.com
- Page of G. K. Óttarsson at MySpace.com
- Page of Þorsteinn Magnússon at Isound.com
- Page of Þorsteinn Magnússon at MySpace.com
- Official site of Sigtryggur Baldursson
- Official site of Einar Melax
- Page about Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson at Imdb.com
- Mel Jefferson's website
- Page of HÖH at Rate Your Music.com
| The Elgar Sisters |
|---|
| Björk Guðmundsdóttir - Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson - Birgir Mogensen - Einar Arnaldur Melax - Þorsteinn Magnússon - Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson - Sigtryggur Baldursson |
| See also |
| KUKL |
