Son of a Plumber is the fifth solo album by Swedish singer-songwriter Per Gessle, released on 23 November 2005 by Capitol in conjunction with Gessle's own label Elevator Entertainment. The record was originally issued pseudonymously as Son of a Plumber, although a 2021 reissue includes Gessle's name on the album cover, and it now appears as part of his solo discography on music download and streaming services. The album was recorded at Christoffer Lundquist's Aerosol Grey Machine studio in Scania, and was produced by Gessle, Lundquist and Clarence Öfwerman. It features vocals from Swedish vocalist Helena Josefsson.
Despite containing only of an hour of music, Gessle chose to release Son of a Plumber as a double album, saying he was inspired by the vinyl LPs he listened to as a child. He described the record as an homage to the music he listened to in his youth, and said it contained relatively personal lyrics. The album received generally positive reviews upon release. Numerous publications described it as his best release to date, and noted influences from 1960s psychedelic pop and folk rock acts.
The first single from the album was the double A-side "C'mon"/"Jo-Anna Says", which was issued on 7 November 2005 and reached the top five of the Swedish Singles Chart. "Hey Mr. DJ (Won't You Play Another Love Song)" and "I Like It Like That" were also released as singles, along with a remix EP titled Dancing Plumber, Vol. 1. A fourth single, "Substitute (For the Real Deal)", was cancelled when Gessle resumed work with Roxette. Son of a Plumber was a commercial success upon release, being certified platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association and spending two weeks at number one on the Swedish Albums Chart.
Background and recording Per Gessle is the lead songwriter of Swedish acts Gyllene Tider and Roxette. In addition to this, he released material as a solo artist; his 2003 album Mazarin is his most successful solo record, spending thirteen weeks at number one on the Swedish Albums Chart, and selling over 335,000 copies in Sweden as of January 2005. In 2004, Gyllene Tider reformed to celebrate their 25th anniversary, releasing the studio album Finn 5 fel!, their first new material since 1996. That album was also successful, selling 230,000 copies in Sweden by January 2005. Finn 5 fel! was promoted by a concert tour of Sweden, with the band performing to over 58,000 people in a single night at the Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg, breaking an attendance record previously held by Bruce Springsteen.
Rather than release his next album as a solo artist, or with Gyllene Tider or Roxette, Gessle chose to work under the pseudonym Son of a Plumber. Producer Clarence Öfwerman initially suggested the idea of working under a pseudonym, saying that recording an album under a new name could liberate Gessle creatively. Gessle said he was reluctant to release another Swedish-language album following the success of Mazarin and Gyllene Tider, and that he wanted Son of a Plumber to "feel like a debut, for my own sake. Because I'm afraid people will get tired of me." He chose the Son of a Plumber pseudonym as a tribute to his father Kurt Gessle, who was a plumber.
Son of a Plumber was recorded between November 2004 and August 2005 at Christoffer Lundquist's Aerosol Grey Machine studio in Scania, and was produced by Gessle, Öfwerman and Lundquist. They mixed the record at the same studio from August to October 2005. The album was recorded by many of the same musicians who contributed to Mazarin, including Lundquist and Öfwerman, and vocalist Helena Josefsson. Gessle claimed the studio – built in an old farm house – is haunted, and that he experienced paranormal events during recording.
The album differs from Gessle's previous work, in that he created only three demos prior to recording sessions beginning in November 2004. Gessle said this was done at the behest of Öfwerman, who had worked with Gessle since 1986 and complained that he was "far too prepared before recording sessions". Gessle elaborated that he often created "very advanced demos. Demos that sometimes sound exactly like the end result." Instead, he performed the songs live in the studio on an acoustic guitar, which he said gave Öfwerman and Lundquist "a much better chance of influencing" the songs during the recording process.
Two of the previously recorded demos – "Something in the System" and "I Like It Like That" – were created during sessions for Roxette's 2003 compilation The Pop Hits, while a demo for "Jo-Anna Says" was recorded in January 2005. All three demos were released for free download on Gessle's official website in 2006. Two of the bonus tracks were also previously recorded: "A Girl Like You" was demoed for Roxette's 1999 album Have a Nice Day, but was not included on that record, while "Keep the Radio On (This Is the Perfect Song)" appeared on 1995's The Lonely Boys, a collaborative album recorded alongside Nisse Hellberg of Wilmer X.
Composition and style Son of a Plumber is a double album consisting of 24 songs, with the albums labelled LP#1 and LP#2 respectively. Despite being approximately 60 minutes in length, Gessle chose to release the record as a double CD. He said this was done to simulate the experience he had listening to vinyl as a child, saying he wanted listeners to "feel that moment when one side of the vinyl ran out and you had to turn to the next. You had no idea what to expect from the other side. It was always a wonderful moment for me." He described the album as an homage to the music he listened to as a child, specifically music released between 1969 and 1972. He said he rediscovered much of this music when transferring his vinyl collection to an iPod. The record utilises panning techniques commonly found in late 1960s and early 1970s recordings, most notably drums appearing on the left channel and vocals appearing on the right channel.
Gessle said the album contains relatively personal lyrics, and that it was best experienced when listened to in its entirety. He wanted it to be a cohesive album, elaborating that it "doesn't have eighteen number one singles on it, but that was never the intention. It's a well-rounded, harmonious album and if you like it, you can play it again and again." In 2014, Gessle said he considers Son of a Plumber "to be probably my best album. I think it's got a great vibe to it; great writing and a great production and it's just a very organic record that I really enjoy."
Swedish music publications primarily described Son of a Plumber as a pop album, albeit one that contains influences from 1960s and 1970s folk rock and psychedelic pop. Aftonbladet called it a "strange, highly personal mishmash of pop, psychedelia, singer-songwriter anthems, glam rock, West Coast rock and little instrumental Spaghetti Western songs." Nöjesguiden noted influences from acts such as Swedish band Hep Stars, The Beatles and Paul McCartney's solo work, as well as Elton John's collaborations with Kiki Dee, and said the album as a whole could be described as psychedelic power pop. Musiklandet compared it to the work of late 1960s and early 1970s British psychedelic rock and progressive rock bands Marmalade, Love Affair, Dantalian's Chariot and McGuinness Flint. They also compared it to several albums released in 1967, including Between the Buttons by the Rolling Stones, The Who Sell Out, Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and the discography of Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records. Sydsvenskan said it contained "echoes" of The Kinks, The Monkees, Serge Gainsbourg, Burt Bacharach, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Songs Expressen described the first disc as "playful", but said the second disc was the stronger of the two. Hallandsposten said "LP#1 seems to look out into the world while LP#2 rather looks inward towards the soul." The first song is "Drowning in Wonderful Thoughts About Her", a power pop song inspired by 1960s psychedelia. Gessle composed "Jo-Anna Says" while driving with his family in the south of Sweden. He said Roxette tracks "Vulnerable" and "7Twenty7" – from 1994's Crash! Boom! Bang! and 1999's Have a Nice Day respectively – were written in a similar way, and that he thinks "Jo-Anna Says" is "a really cool song. It's got a classic pop touch to it which I like." He compared it to the early solo work of Paul McCartney. Gessle said "I Have a Party In My Head (I Hope It Never Ends)" is his favourite song on the album, saying the track "turned out exactly as I had imagined it." It is a folk rock song featuring vocals from Helena Josefsson, Indian flutes, and acoustic guitars.
"C'mon" is a glam rock track, and is the first song in Gessle's discography to feature him singing in falsetto. Gessle's then-eight-year-old son was involved in its writing. He said his son entered the studio and started imitating him while it was being composed. Gessle said he "thought that sounded so sweet, so I recorded it." "Week with Four Thursdays" is the first of several instrumental songs on the album. "Hey Mr. DJ (Won't You Play Another Love Song)" is a duet with Helena Josefsson, which Expressen described as the best song on the album. Gessle compared it to the work of Chicago, while Aftonbladet described it as a mix between Burt Bacharach and The Carpenters. "Late, Later On" is a power ballad, while "Ronnie Lane" is an instrumental piece named after a member of Faces. The final five tracks on LP#1 are merged as a medley, titled "The Junior Suite".
LP#2 opens with "Kurt - The Fastest Plumber in the West", an instrumental song inspired by the music of Spaghetti Western films. The song is named after his father, and is dedicated to him. Expressen compared "I Never Quite Got over the Fact That the Beatles Broke Up" to the work of Air. "Substitute (For the Real Deal)" is a pop song featuring tambourines and hand-claps. "Waltz for Woody" is an instrumental piece dedicated to Gessle's wife Åsa. He explained "Woody" is her nickname, but said: "I actually don't know why. That's just her name." It is the only song on the record where Gessle performs keyboards. "Carousel" is a folk pop song, and features a string section.
Gessle said the final five songs on LP#2 contains some of his favorite tracks on the record, saying "I Like It Like That" contained the strongest chorus on the entire album. "Something Happened Today" is an acoustic track, and a love song. Expressen described "Brilliant Career" as "insanely cute", while Aftonbladet compared "Burned Out Heart" to the work of Pink Floyd and Queen. The album concludes with a reprise of "Drowning in Wonderful Thoughts About Her", and "Making Love or Expecting Rain", which begins with a church organ and features an outro sung in French. Expressen said the latter song exemplifies Gessle in "top form". A hidden reprise of "Jo-Anna Says" – titled "Jo-Anna Says Farewell" – is the final song on the album. On CD versions, the reprise plays after ten minutes of silence.
Release and promotion Son of a Plumber was issued in Sweden on 23 November 2005, on CD, vinyl, and as a digital download. It was released by Gessle's own label Elevator Entertainment, under exclusive license to labels including EMI Music Sweden, and Cosmos Music Group. CD versions were released with copy protection. This led to criticism from consumers, who claimed the disc would not operate on some conventional CD players. The album was issued throughout mainland Europe from 6 March 2006.