August 08, 2010
An album in memory of Jānis Grodums, one of the founding members of the legendary Latvian guitar rock band Līvi, has been released just weeks after his death. Grodums, 52, died June 15.
The album, Nezāles neiznīkst, features 19 tracks of studio and live performances by Līvi in which Grodums sings the vocal solo, recording company MICREC announced in a July 27 press release. Grodums was known for his dzelzs rīkle, or iron throat.
The idea for the album came from Grodums’ mother, Ausma, who saw it as a way to memorialize someone who had inspired an entire generation, according to MICREC.
The Liepāja-based Līvi was formed in 1976, although the band’s ancestry can be traced to 1972, according to its website www.livi.lv. Original members of Līvi included Grodums (bass and vocals), Juris Pavītols (guitar and vocals), Ēriks Ķiģelis (guitar and vocals), Ingrīda Pavītola (voice) and Andris Krūziņš (percussion).
Grodums, suffering from hepatitis, died two days before a concert in downtown Rīga that was meant to raise funds for his treatment. Instead, the concert turned into a memorial event featuring a number of well-known Latvian performers and an audience numbering in the thousands. A memorial also was held in Liepāja.
The songs on the album include:
- Bailes par ziņģi (1997)
- Ziņģe par bailēm (1997)
- Sesku dāle (1997)
- Līviskā ziņģe (1986)
- Rožu laukums (1986)
- Dzejnieks (1988)
- Piedod man (1997)
- Zvani (1988)
- Nekad (1998)
- Kad saule riet (Saules ceļš) (1988)
- Dieva dēls (2000)
- Mana vienīgā ziņģe (1997)
- Ej, vecais, ej (2004)
- Zelta sirds (1996)
- Ozolam (1987)
- Ja man miljons būtu (1979)
- Lakstu gailis (live) (1994)
- Pārāk maz (live) (1988)
- Dzimtā valoda (1986)
Most of the songs on the album were penned by Grodums. Others were composed by Ķiģelis, Ainars Virga, Guntars Mucenieks, Mārtiņš Brauns and Juris Kulakovs.
Andris Straumanis is editor of Latvians Online.
