Popol Vuh / Popol Ace -

Popol Vuh was a Norwegian art-rock band that released two albums circa 1972/73 on Polydor. Upon discovery of the namesake German outfit, the band changed its name to Popol Ace for two further albums.

Members: Pete Knutsen (keyboards, guitar), Arne Schultze (guitar), Terje Methi (bass), Thor Andreassen (drums), Jahn Teigen (vocals, 1972-77), Fred Alvad (Hammond organ, 1972), Pjokken Eide (flute, 1972), Steinar Kristiansen (trumpet, 1972), Reidar Arman Myhre (saxophone, 1972), Asbjørn Krogtoft (vocals, 1978)

Background

The band formed in 1972 when five veterans of the Norwegian rock scene — guitarist/keyboardist Pete Knutsen, bassist Terje Methi, drummer Thor Andreassen, singer Jahn Teigen, and flutist Pjokken Eide — cut the Polydor single “Fly High” (b/w “Steelgrass”) as Arman Sumpe d.e. (aka Arman Sumpe Dur Express).

Teigen first appeared in beatsters The Enemies, which issued multiple singles and an eponymous 1967 album on CBS Norway. In 1969, he joined UK expat rockers The Red Squares for the single “Five Times I’ve Said Goodbye” (b/w “Good News”). Soon after, he linked with Israeli psych rockers The Lions of Juda and co-wrote both sides of their 1970 single “I’ve Got Starshine, I’ve Got Luck!” (b/w “Where I Belong”).

Eide played flute on the 1968 military brass release Nice to Meet You by Ila Storband/Per Granberg and trombone on the 1971 album Det Året Det Var Så Bratt by folkster Øystein Sunde.

Knutsen did writing and arrangements on 1970/71 albums by Nora Brockstedt, Ingjerd Helen, Bjørn Nordvang, Finn Eriksen, the Arnt Haugens Quartett, and the Knut P. Knutsens Orchestra. In 1971, he played guitar and vibraphone on two albums by folk singer Tone Ringen: Fare Thee Well and Vise, which also feature veteran guitarist Arne Schulze.

Schulze played in The Quivers, a Shadows-inspired instrumental combo that moved into beat music. They released 19 singles on the Nordic labels Triola and Troll between 1962 and 1965. In 1968, he surfaced with ex-126 frontman Asbjørn “Asa” Krogtoft in psych-rockers Taboo, which issued two singles on RCA Victor. Schulze joined Knutsen and the Arman Sumpe crew in a six-piece named after a mythological text of the Mayan Kʼicheʼ people, Popol Vuh.

Popol Vuh

Popol Vuh released their self-titled debut album in November 1972 on Polydor.

The album combines symphonic, jazz, and folk elements, merging classical passages with amplified rhythm work and frequent use of Mellotron, Moog, and flute.

Popol Vuh consisted of vocalist Jahn Teigen, guitarist Arne Schulze, guitarist–keyboardist Pete Knutsen (Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, El-piano), bassist Terje Methi, drummer Thor Andreassen, and trombonist–flutist Pjokken Eide.

Knutsen wrote “Hunchback” with Andreassen and co-wrote three additional songs under the Popol Vuh collective name. Schulze composed “All We Have Is the Past,” “Leavin’ Chicago,” and “For Eternity.”

Popol Vuh opens with “Hunchback,” a multi-part piece where Mellotron waves and martial drums frame Teigen’s operatic vocal, offset by Eide’s surging flute runs and a spoken coda. “Joy and Pleasure” moves interlocks funk rhythms with brisk electric piano phrasing and choral vocal refrains. “All We Have Is the Past,” issued as a single, is a slow symphonic ballad centered on Mellotron strings and dramatic lead vocals. “Leavin’ Chicago” switches to a syncopated blues-rock style led by Methi’s rolling bassline.

“For Eternity” layers acoustic and electric guitars with flute and Mellotron in an extended pastoral sequence. The instrumental “Sucklin’ Pig” follows a syncopated 7/8 pattern with electric piano improvisations and shifting rhythmic accents. “Medicine” closes the album with eight minutes of flute-laced heavy rock that alternates between forceful ensemble passages and reflective Mellotron sections.

A1. “Hunchback” (4:02)
A2. “Joy + Pleasure” (3:28)
A3. “All We Have Is the Past” (4:27)
A4. “Leavin’ Chicago” (3:51)

B1. “For Eternity” (5:32)
B2. “Sucklin’ Pig” (4:16)
B3. “Medicine” (8:00)

Sessions occurred at Rosenborg Studio in Oslo with Popol Vuh self-producing and Egil Eide as recording engineer.

Popol Vuh features artwork and layout by Bjørn Morisse.

Polydor issued “All We Have Is the Past” as a single in Norway, where the album gained local chart placement in early 1973.

Quiché Maya

Popol Vuh released their second album, Quiché Maya, in December 1973 on Polydor.

The album expands on the group’s symphonic style with broader use of acoustic textures, multi-section compositions, and alternating heavy and pastoral passages. It balances ornate arrangements and melodic songcraft, marking a transition from their debut’s heavier tone to a more nuanced art-rock sound.

Popol Vuh comprised vocalist Jahn Teigen, guitarist Arne Schulze, guitarist–keyboardist Pete Knutsen, bassist Terje Methi, drummer Thor Andreassen, and trombonist–flutist Pjokken Eide. Schulze wrote five songs, while Andreassen contributed lyrics to two others and co-wrote with Knutsen and the band on two additional tracks.

Quiché Maya opens with “Queen of All Queens,” a hard-driving blues rocker with sardonic lyrics and sharp guitar phrasing. “Dark Nights” introduces soft electric piano under Teigen’s emotive delivery, accented by flute. “Mrs. Randalie” stretches across eight minutes of Mellotron-laced interplay with contrapuntal shifts in rhythm and mood. “Music Box” unfolds as a reflective acoustic ballad with harpsichord tones and lyrical meditations on musical creation.

Side Two begins with “Yesterday,” a chamber-styled piece that blends acoustic guitar and Mellotron in baroque textures. “Milk-White Satin-Dressed Departure” follows with bright electric piano and syncopated rhythms. “Between You and Me” slows the pace with a plaintive piano-led ballad, and “Get Up” concludes the album with a fusion-tinged workout driven by fluid electric guitar reminiscent of mid-70s Jeff Beck.

A1. “Queen of All Queens” (3:36)
A2. “Dark Nights” (4:00)
A3. “Mrs. Randalie” (7:55)
A4. “Music Box” (4:16)

B1. “Yesterday” (5:13)
B2. “Milk-White Satin-Dressed Departure” (4:46)
B3. “Between You and Me” (3:16)
B4. “Get Up” (6:00)

Sessions occurred at Roger Arnhoff Studio in Oslo in autumn 1973 with Popol Vuh producing and Ola Johansen engineering.

Quiché Maya was issued in a brown inner sleeve printed with lyrics and initially packaged in a special plastic carry bag designed by Ottar Olaussen. Album photography was by Tore Finnerud.

After this album, Popol Vuh learned of the German band led by Florian Fricke.

Stolen From Time

Popol Ace released their third album, Stolen From Time, in 1976 on Polydor.

The album marked the band’s transition from the name Popol Vuh and found them adopting a more polished art-rock sound influenced by symphonic rock and contemporary AOR. It balanced extended, keyboard-driven arrangements with concise, radio-suited numbers that showcased Jahn Teigen’s dynamic range against layered guitars and Mellotron textures.

Guitarist Pete Knutsen composed most of the material and arranged the album with guitarist Arne Schulze, who added acoustic, twelve-string, and electric leads across the set. Knutsen handled an array of keyboards — grand and electric piano, Hammond C3 organ, Clavinet, Mini-Moog, harpsichord, and Mellotron — while also contributing backing vocals. Bassist Terje Methi and drummer Thor Andreassen anchored the rhythm section, with Inger-Lise Rypdal providing harmony vocals on select cuts and French musician Sylvette Allart playing Ondes Martenot.

Stolen opens with “Bury Me Dead,” a stately piano-led piece that introduces the band’s shift toward symphonic rock. “Today Another Day” continues in that mode with alternating bright and bluesy passages, while “Jester” incorporates brass-like saxophone runs by Richard Raux. “Soft Shoe Dancer” and “Mr. Bigalow” explore a lighter, blues-tinted strain, the latter becoming a lasting favorite in Norwegian rock radio.

Side two alternates atmospheric ballads (“Sweet Tune,” “I Can See Tears”) with broader pieces that merge symphonic and hard rock tendencies, notably the 8-minute closer “Suicide,” which develops from slow, organ-heavy tension into an instrumental climax reminiscent of ELP and Focus.

A1. “Bury Me Dead” (5:50)
A2. “Today Another Day” (5:45)
A3. “Jester” (3:58) — features soprano and tenor saxophones by Richard Raux
A4. “Soft Shoe Dancer” (4:37) — features Ondes Martenot by Sylvette Allart
A5. “Mr. Bigalow” (4:07)

B1. “Sweet Tune” (5:00) — features Ondes Martenot by Sylvette Allart
B2. “Sleepwalker” (4:50) — features Ondes Martenot by Sylvette Allart and backing vocals by Inger-Lise Rypdal
B3. “I Can See Tears” (6:25)
B4. “Suicide” (8:19) — features synthesized effects by Arne Schulze and backing vocals by Inger-Lise Rypdal

Sessions occurred at Le Château d’Hérouville in France (September 1975), Advision Studios and Basing Street Studios in London (October 1975), and Talent Studios in Oslo (November 1975) with Popol Ace and Vic Smith as co-producers. Smith also engineered the sessions, assisted by studio personnel at each location.

Discography: