TOMBSTONE VALENTINE

Kim Fowley, a producer from England, apparently got so excited about Hard And Horny, that he decided to come to Finland to produce Wigwam's second album. He had an idea, that Wigwam would be the next Beatles. I'm still not sure whether this was a good thing or not. For one, Tombstone Valentine is not as experimental as their debut, but partly because of that, it's also a much more coherent and better balanced effort. The line-up had changed slightly, as this was Pekka Pohjola's (my favorite bassist)debut with Wigwam. Jukka Tolonen (who never officially joined Wigwam) also offers his hand, as Nikke Nikamo had left earlier on. On to the music then! Well, it's fairly basic early 70's pop/rock music, with some occasional prog/psych leanings. If looking for comparisons; Procol Harum, The Band and to a lesser extent Traffic spring to mind. "1936 Lost In The Snow" show-cases of what was to come of Pohjola later on, but in general, Tombstone Valentine leaves a slightly tame and bland impression on me. It's far from a bad album, but from their early ouput, it is ultimately the weakest. 3,5 stars