Thor's Hammer (band)
Encyclopedia
Thor's Hammer, or Hljómar, was an Iceland
ic rock
band
primarily active in the 1960s. Outside of Iceland, they are known among music collectors for their rare releases on Parlophone
, sung in English and recorded in London for export. The most famous of these is the 1966 EP Umbarumbamba, regarded as one of the rarest released records in the world and known to fetch prices into the thousands of dollars when a copy surfaces. Their style can be described as garage rock
, fuzz rock, and freakbeat
, with noticeable influences from both The Who
and The Beatles
.
in 1963 under the name Hljómar (literally "Chords"), they soon became popular in Iceland at a time when local rock music was a rarity. By the mid-1960s they were recording in London on Parlophone Records for the international market, including the legendary EP Umbarumbamba, now a valuable collector's item. This record was recorded as a tie-in with a movie starring the band also entitled Umbarumbamba, but the film was not a success. From these sessions also came the singles "Once" and "If You Knew". The band even attempted a single entitled "Stay" in the United States on Columbia Records
, which was produced by John Simon
, known for his work with The Band
and Big Brother and the Holding Company
's album Cheap Thrills with Janis Joplin
.
In 1969 a number of Thor's Hammer members went on to form the prog-flavored band Trúbrot
, which recorded four albums until itself splitting in 1973.
Continual interest in the band among collectors of 1960s rock music lead to the 2001 Ace Records
compilation album From Keflavik With Love, which collects all of the band's English-language output, including the tracks from Umbarumbamba, "Once", "If You Knew", and "Stay", as well as a number of their Icelandic tracks.
Rúnar Júlíusson died on 5 December 2008 at the age of 63 after going into cardiac arrest
.
Thor's Hammer should not be confused with the American metal band Thorr's Hammer
, or the Polish NSBM
band also named Thor's Hammer. None of the three are related.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
primarily active in the 1960s. Outside of Iceland, they are known among music collectors for their rare releases on Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, sung in English and recorded in London for export. The most famous of these is the 1966 EP Umbarumbamba, regarded as one of the rarest released records in the world and known to fetch prices into the thousands of dollars when a copy surfaces. Their style can be described as garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
, fuzz rock, and freakbeat
Freakbeat
Freakbeat is the name used for rare, collectable, and obscure British Invasion records, particularly from 1966 and 1967. Elements of the freakbeat sound include strong direct drum beats, loud and frenzied guitar riffs, and extreme effects such as: fuzztone, flanging, distortion and compression or...
, with noticeable influences from both The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
History
Formed in KeflavikKeflavík
Keflavík is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. In 2009 its population was of 8,169.In 1995 it merged with Njarðvík and Hafnir to form a municipality called Reykjanesbær with a population of 13,971 .- History :...
in 1963 under the name Hljómar (literally "Chords"), they soon became popular in Iceland at a time when local rock music was a rarity. By the mid-1960s they were recording in London on Parlophone Records for the international market, including the legendary EP Umbarumbamba, now a valuable collector's item. This record was recorded as a tie-in with a movie starring the band also entitled Umbarumbamba, but the film was not a success. From these sessions also came the singles "Once" and "If You Knew". The band even attempted a single entitled "Stay" in the United States on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, which was produced by John Simon
John Simon (record producer)
John Simon is an American musician, record producer, and composer. He is best known for his work with The Band as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink and The Band.-Biography:...
, known for his work with The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
and Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
's album Cheap Thrills with Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
.
In 1969 a number of Thor's Hammer members went on to form the prog-flavored band Trúbrot
Trúbrot
Trúbrot were an Icelandic psychedelic/progressive rock band active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.-History:The band was formed in 1969 as an Icelandic supergroup composed of members of the bands Hljómar and Flowers...
, which recorded four albums until itself splitting in 1973.
Continual interest in the band among collectors of 1960s rock music lead to the 2001 Ace Records
Ace Records (UK)
Ace Records Ltd. was started in 1978. Initially the company only gained permission from the label based in Mississippi to use the name in the UK, but eventually also acquired the rights to publish their recordings. When Chiswick's pop side was licensed to EMI in 1984, Ace switched to more licensing...
compilation album From Keflavik With Love, which collects all of the band's English-language output, including the tracks from Umbarumbamba, "Once", "If You Knew", and "Stay", as well as a number of their Icelandic tracks.
Rúnar Júlíusson died on 5 December 2008 at the age of 63 after going into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
.
Thor's Hammer should not be confused with the American metal band Thorr's Hammer
Thorr's Hammer
Thorr's Hammer was an American/Norwegian death/doom band.Thorr's Hammer was formed in Ballard, Washington by Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley during winter 1994-1995. Soon after, Runhild Gammelsæter, then 17-year-old Norwegian exchange student, joined the band as vocalist/lyricist. The band...
, or the Polish NSBM
NSBM
NSBM is an initialism which may refer to*National Socialist black metal, a music sub-genre.*Nederlandse Stoomboot Maatschappij, a Dutch shipping line later absorbed into Nedlloyd as the Koninklijk Nederlandse Stoomboot Maatschappij ....
band also named Thor's Hammer. None of the three are related.
Band members
- Rúnar JúlíussonRúnar JúlíussonGuðmundur Rúnar Júlíusson was an Icelandic pop singer from Keflavík. He died December 5, 2008.-References:...
(13 April 1945 - 5 December 2008; vocals, bass) - Gunnar Þórðarson (guitar, vocals)
- Erlingur Björnsson (guitar, vocals, 1966-1969)
- Engilbert Jensen (vocals, drums)
- Shady Owens (vocals, 1968-1969)
- Gunnar Jökull Hákonarson (drums, 1968)
- Björgvin HalldórssonBjörgvin HalldórssonBjörgvin Helgi Halldórsson is an Icelandic pop singer from Hafnarfjörður...
(vocals, 1973-1974) - Birgir Hranfsson (guitar, 1973-1974)
- Pétur Östlund (drums, 1966)