PSYCHEDELIC PHINLAND - FINNISH HIPPIE & UNDERGROUND MUSIC 1967-1974

Hopefully no-one strongly disagrees that this compilation deals closely enough with the Finnish prog history and is of some interest to the readers of PA, even if it isn't a PROG compilation per se. The 2-CD set gives you a wide picture of what several kinds of psychedelic / avant-garde popular music was made in Finland between 1967 and 1974. There's a two-page essay and all the needed information on each track, in English. Apart from e.g. BLUES SECTION and WIGWAM (the rare 'Must Be the Devil', 1969, is chosen from the latter) the songs are mostly sung in Finnish, and some tracks (most of the second disc) are instrumentals.

Only a few of the artists are known from the PA database. Heavy prog band APOLLO's 'Ajatuksia' is from their only album, 1970; PEKKA STRENG is represented with the deeply psychedelic and slow 'Olen erilainen' from his debut of that same year. PEKKA AIRAKSINEN's avant-garde tape experiment 'Fos 2' dates from 1968, and from his group THE SPERM is selected a 16-minute experimental piece for electric guitar.

TOPMOST was a sixties rock group who pioneered in including psychedelia in their shows (three of the members were later in APOLLO too). 'The End' is "an improvised collage of song bits, tape manipulation (...), all inspired by the fade-out section of the Beatles' All You Need Is Love". Singer- songwriter HECTOR, who had debuted with his own translation of 'Universal Soldier' in 1965, sings here (with a less-known chap OSCAR) about the particular smoke. "The story of a young kid hooked on grass was meant to serve as a warning, but at the time, a mere reference to drugs caused the song to be banned from airwaves". So it goes! The popular singer JUKKA KUOPPAMÄKI also deals with drugs in his 1967 song.

BABY GRANDMOTHERS were a Swedish psychedelic group, but their only recording was this Finnish 7" single. EERO KOIVISTOINEN's fantastic album Valtakunta (1968) is represented with an urban, cool song sung by Eero Raittinen (later a vocalist of TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI). CHARLIES were a pioneering heavy blues rock group. The hilarious collective SUOMEN TALVISOTA 1939-40 were probably the most important of our underground groups, featuring M. A. NUMMINEN, "a central figure in Finnish avant-pop", and the late RAULI "Badding" SOMERJOKI. Even JUICE LESKINEN is here, with his humorous sexual allegory 'Zeppeliini'.

CD 1 is relatively accessible psychedelic pop music while CD 2 consists of more experimental recordings, most of them frankly pretty hard to digest. The compilation is very well edited in every way, making it at least an informative curiosity for foreign listeners too.