FAIRYPORT

Although Wigwam's first two albums were decent, "Fairyport" was the first expression of classic Finnish prog rock along with Tasavallan Presidentti's 2nd. Partly due Jim Pembroke's vocals and songwriting, the album had a very English sound to it, although it wasn't simply following trends as it was contemporary to such works as "The Yes Album" and "Nursery Cryme". On the other hand, Gustavson's and Pohjola's writing gave it a very unique sound that simply wasn't to be found in any classic British band, or any other band for that matter. There is a distinct lack of guitar on the album, even though Jukka Tolonen plays here, it is rare that he comes to the foreground (save for the last track). "Losing Hold" and "Fairyport" are two extended songs that give the best picture of the band's sound, featuring very quickly moving harmonies, fast swinging sections, sparse orchestral arrangements, two keyboards always playing at the same time, characteristic but unemotional vocals of Gustavson, who has a very similar timbre to Peter Gabriel. Sandwiched between these two tracks is "Lost Without a Trace", one of Pembrooke's songs and a marvellous short ballad. It's business as usual until we reach "How To Make It Big In a Hospital" one of the few Pembroke-sung tunes here. It sounds like a hippie song with some funny backing vocals. "Hot Mice" is Pohjola's tribute to Zappa's "Hot Rats" and sounds fairly similar to "Peaches en Regalia". It is interesting, but not a great fit for the album. "Rockin' Ol' Galway" and "Every Fold" are two more substandard Pembroke songs, with that annoying hippie sound. The last side of the original album was a poorly recorded live track. It has a lot of guitar playing by Tolonen, but really, this should have been left for a bootleg, unless you enjoy such long Zappaesque jams. "Fairyport" would have benefitted from some editing, but the best tracks are truly excellent.