![World According to Gessle [Expanded Edition]](http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/amg/pop_albums/cov200/drl000/l036/l03656cxuox.jpg)
- Artist: Per Gessle
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1997
- Genre: Rock
Review
Per Gessle always was the most interesting part of Roxette. While that band did produce some of the catchiest mainstream pop music of the late '80s and early '90s, they often fell back upon weak, overly slick production and on their more Top 40 pop-oriented side, paying less attention to Gessle's excellent rockers. Gessle's gravelly voice and full-throttle guitar attack were always the reasons why Roxette stood out from their peers in the early '90s, and these are the same reasons why Gessle's first English solo album does just the same. Relying mostly on uptempo rockers and much less on ballads, this album is a catchy delight that's a must-have for both Roxette fans and power pop fans -- yes, power pop, not just mainstream pop. The album kicks off with one of the best sequences ever; the chord-heavy "Stupid" transitions to the Roxette-styled rocker "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?" before hitting the unabashed anthem "Saturday" and ending with the disco-driven "Kix." At its best moments, The World According to Per Gessle sounds like the Cars in their heyday, and that's quite a complimentary comparison. Gessle, however, still doesn't quite have as much lyrical skill as the Cars' Ocasek. The album is weighted down by lyrics that range from pedestrian to downright banal (especially in the musically excellent "Reporter"). Still, Per Gessle was never about being deep, he was about creating fun nuggets of three-minute pop, and he's never done it as well as on The World According to Per Gessle. Absolutely essential. [EMD issued a two-CD expanded edition in 2008, including six bonus tracks plus an entire disc of demo versions.] ~ Jason Damas, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Stupid | Per Gessle | (3:31) | |
| Do You Wanna Be My Baby? | Per Gessle | (3:47) | |
| Saturday | Per Gessle | (3:54) | |
| Kix | Per Gessle | (4:08) | |
| I Want You to Know | Per Gessle | (3:57) | |
| Reporter | Per Gessle | (4:17) | |
| B-Any-1-U-Wanna-B | Per Gessle | (3:56) | |
| Wish You the Best | Per Gessle | (4:51) | |
| Elvis in Germany (Let's Celebrate!) | Per Gessle | (4:10) | |
| T-T-T-Take It! | Per Gessle | (3:16) | |
| I'll Be Alright | Per Gessle | Per Gessle | (3:50) |
| There Is My Baby | Per Gessle | (3:47) | |
| Lay Down Your Arms | Per Gessle | (4:19) | |
| Kix-Cha-Cha | Per Gessle | (1:30) | |
| Love Doesn't Live Here [*] | Per Gessle | (4:44) | |
| Always Breaking My Heart [*] | Per Gessle | (3:08) | |
| I Wanna Be with You [*] | Per Gessle | (2:52) | |
| Blue Umbrella [*] | Per Gessle | (3:18) | |
| Jupiter Calling [*] | Per Gessle | (3:05) | |
| Let's Party! [*] | Per Gessle | (3:59) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| There Is My Baby [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:42) | |
| I'll Be Alright [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | Per Gessle | (3:46) |
| June Afternoon [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:13) | |
| Writer [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:23) | |
| T-T-T-Take It! [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:12) | |
| Elvis in Germany [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:49) | |
| Every Day Outside My Window [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:00) | |
| Love Doesn't Live Here [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:16) | |
| Detective Jones [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (2:53) | |
| Beautiful Things, Terrible Things [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:12) | |
| Elvis in Deutschland [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:46) | |
| Makin' Love to You [Acoustic Version][Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:30) | |
| Lay Down Your Arms [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:36) | |
| Do You Wanna Be My Baby? [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:45) | |
| B-Any-1-U-Wanna-B [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:32) | |
| Stupid [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:40) | |
| Saturday [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:24) | |
| Drum [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:33) | |
| I Want You to Know [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (4:00) | |
| Kix [Demo Version] | Per Gessle | (3:55) |
