STAGE DOLLS

Torstein and Terje formed Stage Dolls in 1983 in their hometown of Trondheim, with original drummer Erlend Antonsen. Writing and singing their songs in English, Stage Dolls quickly built a reputation as a potent live act. The three musicians soon met up with leading Norwegian producer Bjorn Nessjoe, who took immediate notice of the young combo’s writing and performing abilities. With Nessjoe, Stage Dolls recorded a set of master-quality demos which in 1985 became the band’s first LP, Soldier’s Gun. That album was released in Norway by Polydor, making Stage Dolls the first rock act from that country to score a major-label deal.

Soldier’s Gun sold extremely well in the band’s homeland, setting the stage for the semaphore effort Commandos, which introduced new drummer Steinar Krokstad.

For their new album—recorded in Tronheim, with additional overdubs done in New York City—the band and producer Nessjoe handpicked nine songs from more than 50 recent compositions.