Samla/Zamla fans were pleasantly surprised by the release of 1999's Kaka, the first album by the Swedish avant-proggers in nearly 20 years. The album represented a true reunion, with the quartet of guitarist Coste Apetrea, drummer Hans Bruniusson, keyboardist Lars Hollmer, and bassist Lars Krantz all being Samla Mammas Manna members way back in the '70s. Then drummer Bruniusson left the fold after Kaka had been released -- but the drummer's chair was soon filled by Tatsuya Yoshida, the manic and riveting drummer of Japanese experimental rock duo Ruins and Hollmer's SOLA septet, the latter group having performed and recorded in Japan during 2000-2001. Hollmer, Apetrea, Krantz, and Yoshida are heard on Dear Mamma, a live CD recorded in Uppsala, Sweden, mainly during May 2002. The recording quality suggests placement of a DAT recorder in the audience, but the balance and stereo separation are good and the sound is adequate, somewhat better than a typical bootleg, for example. There are a number of tunes from Kaka here, notably an 11-plus minute of "Frestelsens Café," nearly a prog epic with its tightly executed heavy themes, rollicking jazz-rock passages, and interjections of vocal zaniness -- it's an effective summary of what this incarnation of the Samlas offered in a live setting. Truth be told, it would be hard to top the stellar version of this tune on Kaka, with its crisp recording and diverse instrumentation (including Hans Bruniusson's marimba) -- but for anyone who believes that prog rockers are not capable of getting their hands dirty, here is some music that is as pummeling as it is nimble, with the rough-edged recording contributing to the general lack of politeness. And the Samlas travel back to their early days, not only covering additional tunes from Kaka such as the three "Ikariens" ("Första Ikarien," "Andra Ikarien," "Tredje Ikarien"), but also "Lång Ner I Ett Kaninhål" and "Ingenting" from the band's third album, 1974's Klossa Knapitatet.

1		Introduction
2		Frestelsens Café
3		Ooaajjii/Ohdadaididadaidi
4		Långt Ner I Ett Kaninhål
5		Dear Mamma, Pt. 1
6		Ingenting
7		Första Ikarien
8		Dear Mamma, Pt. 2
9		Andra Ikarien
10		Mjölk
11		Tredje Ikarien
12		Fredmans Session 1
13		Fredmans Session 2