TOMBSTONE VALENTINE

Take a Finnish band full of skilled musicians and try to make them sound like the Beatles. The result is not too bad because they are skilled musicians, but it's far from reaching the scope. For Wigwam not becoming the new Beatles may have been a bad thing, economically speaking, but for us listeners it's better so.

Tombstone Valentine failed to make Wigwam the new Beatles because they were Wigwam. I mean that the band's member, one for all Pekka Pohjola have their way to make music, surely influenced by the Beatles but when artists have personality they can't stay on a standard too strict.

"Tombstone Valentine" sounds Beatlesian enough specially in the slowest parts, but the second track is enough to understand that they are making their own music.

Te third, short, track "Dance of The Anthropopids" is an experimental electronic shot. More experimental than Revolution 9.

"Frederick & Bill" sounds more similar to Gong or Gentle Giant than to Beatles, and taking into account that it's 1970 it means that they were enough in advance respect to their times.

"Wishful Thinker" is a slow country-rock ballad. It makes me think to Rolling Stones and their Wild Horses just with a touch of Procol Harum added by the organ.

Still on the countryside with the fiddle and the banjo of "Autograph", but giving attention to the chords it's not totally country, like Geoff Richardson's Caravan.

"1936 - Lost In The Snow" doesn't have anything of Lennon or McCartney. It's more in the vein of Canterbury. Not jazzy as Soft Machine but promising of what will come in the following years. The final fadeout is really a pity.

"Let The World Rumble On" is a poppy song on which Pekka's bass makes a good work.

"For America" is the first true jazzy song. Bass and piano in 5/4 turning to swing after a while. The best track of this album IMO.

"Captain Supernatural" is a song reminding of Procol Harum. Nothing wrong in sounding like Procol Harum in 1970.

"End" (nice title for a closer) is an experimental organ solo in the first half, then piano and voice complete the song. This is, I think , a Pekka Pohjola's composition.

The album is just a collection of unrelated songs with different moods. I like it but it fits perfectly into the 3-stars definition.