Kim Larsen

Kim Larsen (born October 23, 1945 in Copenhagen) is a Danish rock musician.

Inspired by The Beatles and rock and roll, Larsen began as a songwriter and guitarist. In 1969 he met Franz Beckerlee and Wili Jønsson, and the three founded Gasolin' which, later joined by drummer Søren Berlev, became one of the most successful Danish rock bands. The band dissolved in the late 1970s and has always refused to reform although they remain very popular decades after their seventies heyday, which has contributed to their myth and magic. In 2006, the documentary movie "Gasolin"' directed by Anders Østergaard, gave the history of the band and became a big hit in Denmark.

In the 1970s, following trends found in North America and the United Kingdom, Danish popular music styles began to diverge and audiences fragment. Many rock musicians in Denmark began to compose music and texts that reflected more realistic Danish social settings and ideals. Danish musicologist Charlotte Rørdam Larsen states that in the 1970s, Danish groups such as Kim Larsen's "Gasolin"' gave Danish music a special Danish rhythm and significance, linguistically, if not wholly distinct musically from international styles.

Kim Larsen released a number of solo albums in the eighties, topping in 1983 with the album "Midt om natten" (In the Middle of the Night), which became the most sold Danish music album in history, with more than 532,000 copies sold. In 1986, he founded the band "Kim Larsen & Bellami" and released four albums until 1992, when the band broke up. He then released another solo album, "Hvem kan sige nej til en engel" (Who Can Say No To An Angel). In 1995, Larsen moved to Odense, the main city of the island of Funen, and found new success with his new band, "Kim Larsen & Kjukken" and the Swedish producer Max Lorentz.

Kim Larsen has had a number of successful album releases throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s and is possibly the most successful artist in Danish popular music history. As a solo artist, Larsen has sold approximately 3 million records, a remarkable feat considering Denmark's total population of approximately 5.4 million people (as of 2005). In the 2000s Larsen remains a top concert draw and continues to be very popular in Denmark and Scandinavia.

Protest singer

Larsen has many times voiced his opposition to the (for lack of a better word) established society, and in stead advocated the right to be different from the main stream: The album and movie Midt om natten revolves around this subject, and so does the album 231045-0637. The title for this last album is Kim Larsens social security number, which is strictly personal. Larsen was against the big database of every citizen, implied by this title.

As a heavy smoker, he paid in August 2008 an advertising campaign which showed the text "Tillykke med rygeforbudet - Gesundheit macht frei !!!". The first sentence means "Congratulations to the smoking ban" in Danish, the second sentence means "health makes free" in German. Despite the belief that smoking bans are not made to protect smokers, but non-smokers, Kim Larsen pointed out the connection between smoking bans and Nazi phrases as Arbeit macht frei. [http://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/dkkendte/article1046636.ece]

Albums

Gasolin'

* Gasolin' (1971)
* Gasolin' 2 (1972)
* Gasolin' 3 (1973)
* Stakkels Jim (1974) (en: Poor Jim)
* Gas 5 (1975)
* Efter endnu en dag (1976) (en: After Another Day)
* Gør det noget (1977) (en: Does it matter?)
* Killin' Time (1978)

Note: Compilation and live records not included

Kim Larsen solo

* Værsgo (1973) (en: There you go or Like that)
* Kim Larsen og Yankee drengene (1978) (en: Kim Larsen and the Yankee boys)
* (1978) (en: Beware of imitations)
* 231045-0637(1979) (Kim Larsen's personal identification number)
* Jungle Dreams (1981)
* Sitting On A Time Bomb (1982)
* Fem Eiffel (1983) (ep)
* Midt om natten (1983) (en: In the Middle of the Night)
* Kim i Cirkus (1985) (live-record) (en: Kim at the Circus)
* Hvem kan sige nej til en engel (1994) (en: Who can say no to an angel?)

Kim Larsen & Bellami

* Forklædt som voksen (1986) (en: Disguised as an adult)
* Yummi yummi (1988)
* Kielgasten (1989)
* Wisdom Is Sexy (1992)

Kim Larsen & Kjukken

* Kim Larsen & Kjukken (1996)
* Luft under vingerne (1998) (en: Air below the wings)
* Weekend Music (2001)
* Sange fra glemmebogen (2001) (en: Forgotten songs)
* Det var en torsdag aften (2002) (live-record) (en: It was a Thursday evening)
* 7-9-13 (2003)
* Sange fra glemmebogen - Jul & nytår (2004) (en: Forgotten songs - Christmas and New Year)
* Gammel Hankat (2006) (en: Old Tomcat)

PS Compilation albums not included

References

External links

* [http://www.kimlarsen.dk/ Kim Larsen's website]
* [http://www.capitolmusic.dk/artister/default.asp?id=14&group=2/ Kim Larsen's record company]