Rugsted & Kreutzfeldt

One of Denmark's most beloved rock duos, Rugsted & Kreutzfeldt started out slowly, with their two debut albums getting very little attention before breaking through to the pop consciousness as a whole in 1981. The pair met in 1977, as both <a href="spotify:artist:3QHLd7qMThTMugXl9E1gQa">Jens Rugsted</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7yJpCn14VwJ8j9jW5zMKdH">Stig Kreutzfeldt</a> were working at Sweet Silence Studios in an engineering capacity. Finding that they had a similar taste and direction, musically speaking, the two began to work on tracks in the time slots not occupied by booked recording artists, and eventually landed a deal with CBS Records, who released their debut collection -- the 11-track Rugsted Kreutzfeldt -- in 1979. The album was a less than stellar seller, only moving a few thousand copies, but the label kept the pair, and in 1980 released the follow-up, Rugsted Kreutzfeldt 2.

But that was all to change with an appearance on a television music program the following year, which altered the fortunes of the duo forever. Their performance on the show Play Up led to a sea change in sales for their first two albums -- landing both at the top of the Danish album charts -- as well as invitations to perform for more than 50,000 in Tivoli and also at that summer's Roskilde Festival. More live appearances -- all smashing successes -- followed, and in 1982 the duo released its third album, 3. In 1983, Rugsted & Kreutzfeldt took selected tracks from their first three albums and translated them into English for a full-length English release. With success firmly in place, and a bit of space with which to breathe, the pair decided on a break, and each recorded a solo album. But the break was not to last, and in 1984 the pair returned to the fore, releasing Earth Call, with lyrics written by Berit Grane Poulsen. A tour followed, and then Rugsted & Kreutzfeldt -- for real this time -- called it a day.

While the pair would go on to appear together and produce for other artists, the duo as it had been known was no more. They worked with <a href="spotify:artist:2ZQifdPOptKHxTaYTLh0BC">Kim Larsen</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2tNnhfyBpjjEQEZywjlsCb">Sanne Salomonsen</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4XXfhoWXcfQol6IXKIXclH">Lis Sørensen</a>, but didn't release or produce any work under their old moniker, even in the face of massive popular pressure to do so. Eventually, in 2006, the pair decided to give the people what they wanted, and Rugsted & Kreutzfeldt were back, playing a hugely successful concert in Tivoli (the site of one of their earliest triumphs), which then led to a number of shows in Denmark. A box set release of the pair's work went on to considerable sales, and in 2008, Gar Fennem Tiden, 1977-2007 would peak at number three on the Danish album charts. That year would also see the Danish rock royalty play to thousands on the summer festival circuit. ~ Chris True, Rovi