Formed in Sweden in 1965, originally under the name Steampacket, this group combined soul music with their take on the British Invasion to produce a slice of freakbeat which remains highly sought after by collectors.
One of the first Swedish rock bands to tour England, they learned of the similarly-named Rod Stewart/Brian Auger group on one such trip and changed their name to Steampacket II at home in Sweden, while in England they adopted the name The Longboatmen to avoid confusion.
The group released a handful of singles, including Take Her Anytime b/w Only In Her Home Town (1966) released via Polydor, as well as versions of The Turtles‘ Happy Together and The Lovin’ Spoonful‘s 1967 hit Nashville Cats (sung in Swedish).
Copies of the mega-rare Take Her Any Time 7″in mint condition are now valued at over £600 by collectors.
The Longboatmen/Steampacket II split up in 1968.
Rolf Scherrer
Vocals, guitar Mikael Ramel
Vocals, guitar Stefan Ekeström
Bass Staffan Winbergh
Drums Anders Nord
Organ Per Bruun
Bass
