Gling-Gló

Gling-Gló is the only studio album by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar, consisting of Björk Guðmundsdóttir on vocals, Guðmundur Ingólfsson on piano, Guðmundur Steingrímsson on drums, and Þórður Högnason on bass. The album's title "Gling-gló" is the Icelandic equivalent of the English onomatopoeia "ding dong", referring to the sound that a bell makes.

Gling-Gló
Studio album by
Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
ReleasedOctober 1990
Recorded23 August 1990, 1 and 3 September 1990
StudioStúdio Sýrland
GenreVocal jazz
Length50:39
Label
ProducerTómas Tómasson
Björk chronology
Björk
(1977)		 Gling-Gló
(1990)		 Debut
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
All About Jazz[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

Most of the songs were recorded on 1 September and 3 September 1990 at Stúdio Sýrland, except for two tracks, which were recorded on 23 August 1990. It was produced by Tómas Magnús Tómasson, the bassist of Stuðmenn. The album was released in October 1990 by Smekkleysa. It received mixed reviews by critics.

Background and recording

Most of the songs were recorded on 1 September and 3 September 1990 at Stúdio Sýrland. "Ruby Baby" and "I Can't Help Loving that Man" were recorded on 23 August 1990 on Ríkisútvarpið (National Icelandic Broadcasting Service) for Djasskaffi, a radio programme hosted by Ólafur Þórðarsson.[4] It was produced by Tómas Magnús Tómasson, the bassist of Stuðmenn.

Composition

Most of the songs are sung in Icelandic.[5] Several of these songs are covers of jazz standards translated and sung in Icelandic. Three are sung with a noticeably different musical arrangement: "Bílavísur" (originally "The Blacksmith Blues"), "Ég veit ei hvað skal segja" (Theresa Brewer's "Ricochet Romance") and "Pabbi minn" ("O Mein Papa").

"Þad sést ekki sætari mey" is misattributed in the liner notes as a "Rodgers & Hammerstein" composition,[6] but is instead an interpolation of Irving Berlin's "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" from the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)English translation[lower-alpha 1]Length
1."Gling gló"
  • Alfreð Clausen
  • Kristín Engilbertsdóttir
"Ding Dong"2:43
2."Luktar-Gvendur"
"Lantern-Gvendur"4:03
3."Kata rokkar"Theodór Einarsson"Kata rocks"2:58
4."Pabbi minn"
"My papa"2:42
5."Brestir og brak"
  • Jón Múli Árnason
  • Jónas Árnason
"Crackle and bang"3:20
6."Ástartöfrar"Valdimar Auðunsson"Lovecharm"2:46
7."Bella símamær"
  • Mark Fontenoy
  • Loftur Guðmundsson
"Bella the operator"2:39
8."Litli tónlistarmaðurinn"Freymóður Jóhannsson"The little musician"3:25
9."Það sést ekki sætari mey"
"There is no sweeter girl"4:03
10."Bílavísur"
  • Jack Holmes
  • Jon Sigurðsson
"Car song"2:40
11."Tondeleyo"
  • Sigfús Halldórsson
  • Tómas Guðmundsson
 3:33
12."Ég veit ei hvað skal segja"
"I don't know what to say"3:05
13."Í dansi með þér"
"In the dance with you"2:28
14."Börnin við tjörnina"Jenni Jónsson"The children by the pond"2:50
Total length:50:39
Bonus tracks (live radio recordings for Ríkisútvarpið)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Ruby Baby"
4:06
16."I Can’t Help Loving That Man"
3:41
Total length:58:26

Note: The last track on the bonus edition, “I Can’t Help Loving That Man” is also known as “I Can’t Help Loving You” on certain versions of the album.

Personnel
  • Björk Guðmundsdóttir – vocals, harmonica
  • Guðmundur Ingólfsson – piano, tambourine
  • Þórður Högnason – bass
  • Guðmundur Steingrímsson – drums, maracas, Christmas bells
  • Tómas Magnús Tómasson – production, mixing
  • Georg Magnússon – technician (tracks 15, 16)
  • Óskar Jónasson – photography, cover

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Gling-Gló.[6]

Year-end charts
Chart (2016) Position
Icelandic Albums (Plötutíóindi)[7] 32

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for Gling-Gló
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Iceland[8] Gold 40,000[9]

Notes
  1. English translations not official.
  2. Sleeve mentions "Lag: Rodgers And Hammerstein" as the songwriters, but the actual composer is Irving Berlin.[6]

References
  1. Layne, Joslyn. "Gling-Gló - Björk, Gudmundar Ingólfsson Trio". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  2. Sabbatini, Mark (24 September 2004). "Bj: Gling-Gl". All About Jazz. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  3. Fricke, David (2 October 2003). "Compilations & Soundtracks". Rolling Stone. No. 932. p. 120.
  4. Van Hooste, Wim. ""Gling-Gló" by Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar". Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  5. "Gling-Gló - Björk". Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  6. Gling-Gló (CD liner notes). Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar. Smekkleysa. 1990.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2016" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  8. "Gling-gló fær gull" (in Icelandic). Þjóðviljinn. 20 February 1991. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  9. "Dagblaðið Vísir - DV - 50. tölublað (28.02.2006)" (in Icelandic). Vísir.is. 28 February 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
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