NIMBUS

Psych/prog band Nimbus caught the attention of Love Records in 1972 and recorded three songs next year. However, the purposed single 'Ode to Eagle' / 'Heretic Fool' was never released. The only album Obus (1974) was sung in Finnish. It was released by the minor and far less prog-oriented Satsanga Records. It was around the time of making the album that Nimbus performed in the Liisankatu studio. The 36-minute set features six songs, the aforementioned songs in English, two album tracks ('Pessimistinen dialogi' and 'Myrskyjen välillä'), excellent instrumental 'Aamumaa' -- which strangely was left out of the brief original album, but is included on the CD release of Obus -- plus GREENSLADE-cover 'Feathered Friends'. All of their own material was composed by guitarist Harri Suilamo.

'Ode to Eagle' is a fine dark-toned song, not very complex one but distinctively belonging to the prog genre. 'Heretic Fool' has a faster tempo and a spicy electric guitar solo. The album tracks are good examples of the band's prog style that can be compared to the early WIGWAM, perhaps a bit also to TABULA RASA. Pekka Rautio's organ adds a nice warmth to the guitar-centred sound, and Pasi Saarelma's vocals function perfectly with the music. 'Feathered Friends' (from the Greenslade debut, 1973) is an interesting choice for a cover performance and they deal with it quite well. Luckily Saarelma doesn't try to imitate Dave Lawson's pretentious singing!

The sonic quality is good. The audience remains silent during the performances but applauds politely after each song. This is an excellent addition to a collection of vintage Finnish prog, especially as a CD when one gets also the Finnish-language gig of Kalevala. Arttu Leppänen's detailed liner notes are in English.

Nimbus' music is pure vintage-sounding Finnish prog/psychedelia of the early seventies, though surely not in the high level of TP or Wigwam, and featuring less of jazziness or eclectism. The circumstances weren't very favourable, and despite some warm reception among critics and especially the home area, Nimbus were destined to stay in the margin and to wither away within two years. I believe with the support of Love Records they would have reached much further.

'Ennustus' (= Omen) is a deeply atmospheric and psychedelic song with speech-approaching vocals. On this and some other tracks the keyboard player Pekka Rautio's brother Matti adds his violin to a great effect. The complex melodies and time signatures are even more fascinating in the next song. The band's warm sound with plenty of organ and electric guitar is really nice, and the vocals of Pasi Saarelma are pleasant, comparable to the sentimental vocals of British SPRING (or a cross between Finnish singers Kirka and Petri Pettersson).

Unfortunately the album is only about 33 minutes, and the six songs are quite similar on the long run. They all sound pretty good, but the song-writing - which lacks strong melodies and really memorable highlights - starts to lose its power during the album. The composer is the guitarist Harri Suilamo except for the final song 'Yksinäinen purjehtija' (= Solitary yachtsman) which is written by Pekka Rautio. It's perhaps slightly brighter and livelier in mood.

The CD features two bonus tracks originating from a TV broadcast in January 1974, both written by Suilamo. 'Myrskyjen välillä' (= Between storms) is an average song in the same style, but 'Aamumaa' (= Morning land) is among the best ones. It's a small mystery why it was decided to be left out of the album. The sound quality is a bit poorer on these bonuses, but they are a valuable addition. 3½ stars for the well-done, informative CD edition! On a national scale it could be rounded to four, but internationally three will do.