Pelican - Uppteknir (Reissue) (1974)

The band Pelican enriched the Icelandic musical scene in the mid-1970s, but it was founded in the summer of 1973 by singer Pétr Wigelund Kristjánsson and bass player Gunnar Hermannsson, who had been together in the band Svanfríði, guitarist Björgvin Gíslason, drummer Ásgeir Óskarsson and guitarist Ómar Óskarsson were among the founders. but they had been in a band called Ástarkveðja, where the fellows had started working on material that was later transferred and published by Pelican. Gunnar soon left the band, but Jón Ólafsson took over the bass from him.

Early next spring (1974), the band went to Massachusetts in the USA to record material for an album, but the band's goal from the beginning was to make a breakthrough on the foreign scene.

In the beginning, a two-song single (Jenny darling/My glasses) was released and Pelican played fiercely in the summer of 1974, but the big album, Upteknir, was then released in the fall under the ÁÁ label. It was well received and sold around eleven thousand copies at the time, which was an Icelandic record at the time. Most of the songs were by guitarist Ómar, but there was also an innovative instrumental version of the song Á Sprengisandi by Sigvalda Kaldalón. That song together with Jenny Darling and My glasses were very popular, but also Ásgeir's drum solo in the song How do I get out of N.Y.C. That song was to be featured much later in a modified version as the opening theme of Kastljósinin on Ríkistvílní. That version was released on Ásgeir's solo album, Sól (under the name Ferðalag).

The album Upteknir received excellent reviews in the Week and decent reviews in Jens Guðmundsson's Poppbók, which was published a few years later. The LP was followed by another single (Time/Instrumental love song) which also contained songs from the big album. That single sold about 8000 copies. Around this time, a young Austfjörður, organist Hlöðver Smári Haraldsson had joined the band but did not stay long...