Talisman (band)

Talisman
Talisman: Jamie, Marcel, Jeff & Fredrik
Background information
Origin	, Sweden
Genres	Hard rock
Years active	1989−2006, 2014
Labels	Frontiers Records, Electra, Airplay, Dino Music, Empire Records, GMR, Sun Hill Production.
Associated acts	Opeth, Journey
Website	www.talismanmusic.se

Talisman were a Swedish hard rock band characterized by an international melodic/powerful sound.

Talisman was formed by bass player Marcel Jacob, who had previously played with (among others) Rising Force, John Norum Group and Power. While Jacob was playing with John Norum, he started working on tracks which he thought would end up on Norum's second solo album. The singer on those demos was Göran Edman, also in John Norum Group at that time. Norum rejected the songs and, in the meantime, Göran was offered the opportunity to join Yngwie Malmsteen's band. Jacob found himself with record label interest but no band so a vocalist was needed. On a whim, Marcel contacted Jeff Scott Soto who also was in Yngwie Malmsteen's band years earlier. Both Soto and Jacob had played on Yngwie Malmsteen's "Marching Out" in 1985, touring in support of the album during 1985 - 1986. Soto was extremely interested in what Marcel had done and once the songs were done and mixed, Marcel changed the work name for his solo project, Guitars On Fire to a new moniker called, TALISMAN.

In February 1989 recordings for the first album took place in Stockholm with Christopher Ståhl (Power) and Mats Lindfors (Norum, Grand Slam) on guitars, Peter Hermansson (220 Volt, Norum) playing drums on some tracks and Mats Olausson (Yngwie Malmsteen) on keyboards. Jacob programmed the rest of drums and played all rhythm guitars with the help of the producer Mats Lindfors on "Women, Whiskey and Songs"

Electra, to whom Jacob was currently signed, went bankrupt just when the mixing was finished and the album's release was delayed. Meanwhile, Soto's US-based project Eyes got signed. Jacob left for Los Angeles to help Eyes demo and record what would be their first release. During this time an employee of the label that had originally signed Talisman moved to a new label and the masters of the first album were bought from the bankrupt label. So "Talisman" was eventually released in February 1990 on the Airplay/Vinyl Mania label. The first single "I'll Be Waiting" reached number 2 in Sweden's singles chart and 33,000 copies of the album were sold in two months in Sweden.