Union Carbide Productions: Ian Person (guitar); Patrik Caganis (balalaika); Ebbot Lundberg (Farfisa); Jan Skoglund (bass instrument); Henrik Rylander (drums).

Additional personnel: Bosse Soderstrom (sitar); Maria St†lhammer (viola); Bernt Andersson (harmonica); Castro (saxophone); Anders Carlsson (piano).

Swedish punk band Union Carbide Productions fairly blew the world away with the authentic, towering Iggyisms of their first two late-1980s releases. On their third album, 1991's FROM INFLUENCE TO IGNORANCE, the Hoover guitars, bluesy rhythms, and swaggering vocals are still in effect, but complemented by piano, acoustic-guitar flourishes, and some power ballads. The ferocious grunge-blues epic "Coda" represents a new level of musicianship for the band, capping off what many fans believe to be the best of their four-album discography.

This third release was bound to disappoint fans of the outrageous Stooges/Beefheart-influenced band. The album swung through a wider variety of styles, including Stones-style boogie rock ("Be Myself Again," "Baritone Street," "Circles"), melancholy ballads ("Golden Age," "Can't Slow Down"), and one genuine psychedelic epic ("Coda"). Taken on its own terms, the 1991 outing is a masterpiece of dissolution, disappointment, and loss. Chiming Byrds-style acoustic guitars, tambourines, and piano underscored the evolution toward a cleaner production sound. The band's playing never sounded more assured, although some detractors would claim this was a detrimental point. While lacking the whacked-out intensity of In the Air Tonight, From Influence to Ignorance displayed new maturity in Union Carbide Productions' growth as a recording and performing entity. Additionally, it represented a personal watershed for Ebbot Lundberg as a singer, lyricist, and producer. ~ Joe Pettit, Jr.