TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI

Soon after WIGWAM had released their debut single in the spring of 1969, the other Finnish prog giant TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI was founded -- by the young, highly gifted guitarist Jukka Tolonen together with his cousin and bandmate, drummer Vesa Aaltonen. Just like Wigwam, also TP was born from the ashes of the groundbreaking band Blues Section; it was most likely the former BS bassist Måns Groundstroem's idea to invite the British vocalist Frank Robson, who had replaced Jim Pembroke in the last stages of that band in 1968. Before Robson's return from England, Groundstroem suggested the addition of saxophonist-flautist Juhani Aaltonen. The foursome was't satisfied with the original band name Balloon, so they phoned a certain guy who was good at inventing names. The chap was reading a newspaper at the moment, and his first suggestion was Uutiset ja Sää (News and Weather), but "The President of the State" indeed sounds more serious. Urho Kekkonen himself gave his acceptance to the name. The group's first gig took place in the midsummer of '69, and the LP, produced by the Love Records leader Otto Donner, came out in December.

Despite some stylistic uncoherence, the album is a strong evidence of the band's excellent musical competence. As a brief intro there's an elegant flute melody backed by acoustic guitar, before the meaty jazz-rock starts. The second track 'Obsolete Machine' is my favourite of the album, with its fascinating rhythm pattern, Clapton-like electric guitar, fresh-sounding flute and the bluesy vocals of Robson, comparable to Gary Brooker and Steve Winwood. The blues oriented songs were mostly written by Robson and Groundstroem. The latter shows some will to experiment in his instrumental outburst 'Crazy Thing No. 1' and in the atonality of 'Ancient Mariner'. Groundsroem wrote also the beautiful rock ballad 'I Love You Teddy Bear' and the gorgeous final instrumental 'Wutu-Banale'.

Tolonen was to become a notable composer a bit later; here he offers a romantic, birdsong-flavoured 'Thinking Back' in which he plays his first-learned instrument, piano. The album's reception was warm and it received favourable reviews abroad too. Personally, I like it more than their second eponymous album, but I prefer the third, more complex prog album Lambertland with the new vocalist Eero Raittinen. Blues elements don't generally interest me very much, but this innovative album has more than that. An important early classic in Finnish rock music.

In 1973 hardly anyone would guess that TP would be history within one year (for two decades). The previous year saw the departure of the original bassist Måns Groundstroem and the arrival of Heikki Virtanen, who happened to be Jukka Tolonen's cousin. The band continued as an internationally respected live act. The fourth album was recorded in London, August-September 1973, and produced by the established Peter Eden. This time the lyrics came from the pen of Jim Pembroke (WIGWAM), and the reeds player Pekka Pöyry - a notable figure in the Finnish jazz scene - stepped more into the light as a composer alongside Jukka Tolonen.

The 8-minute title track is instrumentally oriented, typical slice of TP's jazz-rock, more ballsy than focused or melodic. It seems Eero Raittinen as a vocalist is not at his best on this album. 'Caught in the Air' originates from EERO KOIVISTOINEN's groundbreaking avant/proto-prog album Valtakunta (1968), in which the fancy lyrics of the poet Jarkko Laine were sung by Eero Raittinen. The track is stretched up to 11:37 with wandering instrumental sections; I'd say there's not enough proggy innovations to justify the length of this version that clearly loses to the fantastic, psychedelically coloured original.

'Jelly' is an instrumental group effort, not much more than a jam. Pöyry's two compositions are placed in the end. 'How to Start a Day' is quite interesting especially for the paranoid vocals that approach whispering and muttering. But again, 13:47 is way too long for the thin musical contents. The most economic song 'Piece of Mind' is rather calm; nice, but unspectacular. The album came out in April 1974 when the spark had begun to die out. Tasavallan Presidentti collapsed after the summer's tours, and JUKKA TOLONEN continued his solo career with excellent Fusion albums.

TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI's third album was recorded in April-May 1972. Each album saw one member being replaced; first the original saxophonist-flautist Juhani Aaltonen gave way to Pekka Pöyry, and this time the vocalist changed from British Frank Robson to Eero Raittinen, an established singer in the 60's/70's pop culture. The band's fame rose rapidly both in Finland and in England, where they toured twice. Lambertland is almost entirely composed by the guitar master Jukka Tolonen, lyrics are written by Mats Huldén (the original WIGWAM bassist). Gone is the patchwork-like nature of the previous albums, now the album is completely coherent - supposedly also conceptual, though I can't quite figure out the story - and shows the group stronger than ever with a unique personality.

The fast-tempo opener 'Lounge' is a heady cocktail of riffy and bluesy rock, improvisational jazz virtuosity, prog complexity and tight funk. Pöyry's alto sax is all over the place. For me, and many, the album's shiny highlight is the title track that starts slowly in a mystic, nocturnal way. Raittinen's powerful vocals sound truly fantastic on those looooong notes. The delicate instrumental moment that builds up from solitary hi-hat and soft guitar chords into more intense jazz-rock is amazing too. The track changes seamlessly into Pekka Pöyry's instrumental composition 'Celebration of the Saved Nine'.

'The Bargain' has a very reserved basic rhythm on top of which the semi-shamanistic, Jim Morrison reminding vocals and the light jazz doodling of the group make me think of THE DOORS of the 70's, songs such as 'L. A. Woman' and 'Riders on the Storm'. 'Dance', the other instrumental, is fine due to the flute and the occasional Medieval influences, though it has a bit too much of self-indulgent jazz- rock boasting by Tolonen. 'Last Quarters' features a charming bass line, a lot of flute, and some JETHRO TULL-ish nuances. Yeah, a nice track, even if I at first thought it to be directionless.

Without a doubt Lambertland is among the biggest prog classics of Finland, but it's not a 5-star masterpiece to me.

Ever ponder on some mysterious album that somehow, for no apparent reason, becomes a mythical icon and you don't even know why? That is how I feel by Tasavallan Presidentti's Milky Way Moses, an LP I bought back in 1974 or so, initially enamored by the lovely cover art of bright green and sharp yellow trees and finally enthralled by the cool jazzy prog within the grooves. I finally nailed a CD copy and was immediately plunged into a drenching pool of self-inflicted nostalgia that has me beaming. This album remains my favorite Finish prog recording (though the recent Moonwagon albums come awfully close). Jukka Tolonen needs no introduction, a legendary guitarist closely associated in my mind with vintage Jan Akkerman, where robust jazzy chords and slick leads conspire to woo the casual listener and convert them permanently. Together with bassist Heikki Virtanen, sax/flute master Pekka Pöyry and drum king Vesa Aaltonen, Tolonen provides a shimmering glide for singer Eero Raittinen to show off his vocal skills. A nice mix of short and long tracks makes for a delightful menu.

There is little pussyfooting here as title track takes off from the get-go, a flick of the wrist envelops the axe strings with confident technique allied with intense feeling and you just know this will be fun. Breezy, airy jazz- rock, a cool urban vibe where blaring saxophones, tingling piano and that dogged riff keep it all hanging tight. Eero vocalizes nicely in a semi-trembling yelp that is actually quite striking. The stage is set for some soloing, well anchored by the rhythm tandem. Jukka then takes the spotlight and delivers a wah-wah duet with Pekka's squeaky sax, a true masterpiece moment where both maul each other with clever mini blasts, a delirious little musical game. Another vocal refrain which veers into a heavier raging funk and the deed is done. Excellent!

The stunning 11 minute+ epic "Caught from the Air" is another highlight moment, a thrilling musical escapade that swerves in a myriad of directions. Feline guitar and fluttering piano combine to create a jazz tornado that ultimately permits Pekka to go bananas on his sax, in a very overt Didier Malherbe style. Midway through, the groove goes from very relaxed, almost like instrumental Stealy Dan, to more hysterical, notes blasted at a furious pace and decidedly jazz where screeching organ, pounding piano, irate sax and mad guitar rule the waves. The vocals return to that familiar exuberance and the whole just glides along with zest to an effortless finale.

On "Jelly", Virtanen and Aaltonen propel the jiggly jello-jazz with syncopated mayhem, a delightful turbo- powered lightning bolt that knows no respite just finality. Disjointed yet controlled, the manic 3 minute + piece shows off the talents of all involved. The Focus parallel is evident in both the guitar and the turbulent drumming.

A true 70s vibe appears on "Confusing the Issue" which incorporates some odd stylistics, a Planet Gong cabaret meets Frank Zappa feel, with Eero doing odd things with his voice ("Cucumber Stew"?), not unlike the zealous Canterbury lads. Tolonen rips off an acid-drenched solo, making anyone within earshot to giggle nervously.

The longest sucker is the nearly 14 minute "How to Start a Day", a weird introduction that has some Gong meets the Legendary Pink Dots facets, which then prompts bassist Virtanen to shovel along a clearly defined but relentless groove, flute spiraling above the fray. The subsequent massive jam explosion just creams the jeans! Tight and sublimely crazy! Eero even dares to pull off a cheeky Jim Morrison imitation that will make anyone smile. Hilarious! Fill in that damn sax blare and people will glare. Tubular bells arrive just in time to save the gong, literally!

"Piece of Mind" is led again by that thrilling bass in that classic Howlett/Rowe style, a loopy construction that keeps the imagery flowing. Short sweet and effective.

Like I stated earlier, not the best jazz-rock album, nor is it Tasavallan Presidentti's best but there is something about the pervasive comfort of nostalgia that needs not to be explained and just is. Yes, it sounds dated and perhaps not very relevant but I like it. Always have and forever will. Sax is everything!

4 Starlit prophets

This Finnish prog pioneer released their aponymous debut album in 1969. It's a strong but slightly uneven mix of ballsy jazz-rock, jazz, blues, psychedelia and also some art music influences, featuring top musicians like the guitarist Jukka Tolonen and sax/flute player Juhani Aaltonen. The vocals are by British- born Frank Robson, who has a thick, bluesy voice, a bit reminding of Procol Harum's Gary Brooker (and Traffic's Steve Winwood, though not as much as Wigwam's Jukka Gustavson did).

So, into this unrated, coverless single. The A-side 'Time Alone With You' doesn't much interest me. It's written by Robson and his vocals sort of push into the centre more than would be needed. The much repeated "naa naa naa naa naa naa" could have been replaced by some instrument. The song is quite fast and straightforward blues-rock.

'Obsolete Machine' was taken from the album, and for me it's among its highlights. It is rooted in blues- rock too, but it has so much more to offer. Aaltonen's flute is fantastic and can be heard almost through the whole track. The rhythm pattern is very nice and lively (I can't say what it is, I have no such musical knowledge). Vesa Aaltonen does excellent work on drums. This song, credited to the whole band, has a perfect balance between sung parts and instrumental sections. It goes forward very determinantly and yet it has a fascinating, psychedelic atmosphere to it. If that was a non-album track I might give one star more, but in my opinion this single is not very notable. 'Time Alone With You' is included as a bonus on the debut album's CD edition.

The rather rare second album of TP, the one that never got released in their homeland, but in the neighbouring Sweden, and only very recently received a legit (I think) reissue on Walhalla Records. Recorded in the summer of 70, TP2 is a mix of tracks from their debut album (the embarrassing Teddy Bear and Once Again) and tracks that are proper to this album, but already very reminiscent of the upcoming Lambertland. TP was by then in a transitory state with first singer Robson still in the fold, but not for much longer, but windman Poyry has already replaced Aaltonen.

While the album still features some of the embarrassing moments of their debut album (the afore-mentioned tracks) including the Beatles/Traffic semi-lift-off Weather Brightly. The album suffers from a very average quality (not to say amateurish) production, Tolonen's guitar is in full flight, as can be heard in Introduction, Thinker, Freedom or Tease Me. But you can see that the group still hadn't fully matured by then, as evidenced in the slightly Indian-inspired (tabla- like drumming, and sitar-like guitar strumming) 7-mins track of Sinking. The album's highlights are the near-excellent opening rapid-fire instrumental Introduction, the pleasant flute-drenched Deep Thinker, the slow Struggling For Freedom and the closing choppy descending Tell Me More, all hinting at the upcoming Lambertland album.

The Walhalla CD reissue comes with the full Lambertland album as a bonus, but doesn't feature the splendid artwork, so you're left with a rather average brown and white double picture artwork, with just enough space for the other album's track list. Sooooo, since this second album is rather over-rated, your interest in having this unofficial 2on1 is of rather limited interest. I'd rather advise you to search for the proper Lambertland release, which is easily their best album, and IMHO the only thing you really need from them, unless you'd want to make a CD-r compilation of their other three albums.

I had this DVD but sold it away. It was so boring. Sadly it seems to be the only DVD of Tasavallan Presidentti, and as such it may turn out to be a disappointment to many. It's filmed in concerts of November 2006 (Helsinki and Tampere, Finland), featuring mostly music from the Six Complete album of the same year. I'm not fond of it, it's bluesy jazz-rock with quite a little progressive elements. The singer Frank Robson has obviously less variety than 40-odd years ago; now his singing is rough blues. Older, classic stuff is quite absent. Also the stage setting and camera work are totally uninspired.

The line-up is almost the same as in 1969: Robson, Juhani Aaltonen (sax, flute), Jukka Tolonen (guitars), Vesa Aaltonen (drums), plus Heikki Virtanen on bass. An achievement in itself, must admit. But the reunion lacks real spark, the material is rather dull in my opinion. Interview was as boring as the concert. Some nice memories here and there but it all was vague. Not recommended, unless you know you like the newer stuff enough.

Last album from this second-most successful Finnish prog band after Wigwam, Milky Way Moses is more or less well in the line of its predecessors, but like everyone of them , has its own characteristics. Indeed, a further line-up change sees original bassist & organist Groundstroem leave (for crosstown buddies Wigwam) and be replaced by Heikki Virtanen, and leaving guitarist Tolonen and saxman Poyry to play keyboards. Graced with a bucolic forest artwork, MWM is a rockier and much more straightforward album than its predecessor. Surprisingly enough, Tolonen doesn't control the songwriting as much (Poyry does) and the lyrics were delegated to their crosstown rivals Wigwam's singer Jim Pembroke.

Opening on the up-beat title track, the musical mood is a hard-rocking one, where Raittinen's vocals are much more at ease (read don't shock or raise eyebrows) than on the previous Lambertland album. The following Caught In The Air track is penned by jazzman Koivistonnen (who released a few good JR/F albums during that era), and it is the MWM track that is most reminiscent of the LL album, because jazzier, but a tad repetitive. The album-shortest collectively-penned Jelly is a 100 MPH hard-jazz-rock track that will knock your socks off, despite being complex.

The flipside opens on the little-more-than-average rockier Confusing The Issue, but follows with the slow-starting electric piano driven almost 14-mins How To Start A Day, which slowly crescendos, but forgets to go places. As for the closing mid-paced Piece Of Mind, it opens on guitar arpeggios and a pedestrian bass, it's not exactly going out with a "bang".

I'm not exactly on how or why the band stopped, but the present ended up being their last, but guitarist Jukka Tolonen would carry on with his solo career (started during the TP tenure) Not nearly as successful as its predecessor, MWM might have a better chance to please the rockier progheads, but IMHO, I even prefer their still clumsy debut to this largely less-inspired but still worthy album.

4.5 stars. Very close to being a five star album in my opinion.This Finnish band are simply incredible instrumentally and while some have issues with the vocals I personally don't.This is their third album released in 1972. As the liner notes state,they were at this point (after 2 albums) a household name in Finland.There's a new vocalist and reedsman for this one.The original bass player for WIGWAM not only wrote the lyrics for this album but he did the cover art. And no he doesn't play bass here as original bass player Mans Groundstoem continues to do that.The other two original members are the great Jukka Tolonen on guitar and drummer Vesa Aaltonen. In May of 1972 this band became the first Finnish band to headline a tour in the UK. Some interesting words in the liner notes from Ian MacDonald about this band as well. He stated this in September of 1973. "As with most of the recordings of the Eurorock- movement, "Lambertland" was inexpertly recorded, but the essential qualities of the music break through and show the band to be technically proficient beyond the standards of even Danish groups or France's GONG and MAGMA". I think I would call some of those things he said here controversial at the least.

"Lounge" sounds so good to start out then it settles in then kicks back quickly before we get vocals, flute and a full sound.The liner notes show no keyboards were involved but man it sure sounds like mellotron here but maybe it's the flute.These guys really sound amazing. Sax and guitar trade off before 4 minutes as we get this long instrumental break that ends before 7 1/2 minutes when the vocals return. "Lambertland" opens with gentle guitar and atmosphere.The vocals a minute in are almost spoken.They stop as percussion and sounds that echo take over. It starts to build after 3 1/2 minutes.Vocals and a fuller sound come in before 5 minutes. It blends into "Celebration Of The Saved Nine" where the intricate guitar and sax impress with their complexity. Some nice chunky bass too as the drums pound.

"The Bargain" has a beat with sax and guitar as the vocals come and go. Catchy stuff. An uplifting section arrives after 5 1/2 minutes but it's brief. "Dance" has a killer bass, drum and guitar intro. Flute joins in too.The guitar lights it up after 2 minutes right through until before 4 1/2 minutes. He's ripping it up again 5 1/2 minutes in. "Last Quarters" sounds amazing to start then the flute then vocals join in. A calm before 6 minutes then it picks back up with vocals a minute later.

An incredible album that will appeal to JRF fans.

After the psychedelia of their previous albums, Tasavallan Presidentti underwent a similar evolution to that undergone by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, moving into jazz fusion by the time this album came out. Of course, there are differences; for starters, Zappa's quirky sense of humour and ready command of a million different styles of musical composition clearly aren't present here. But at the same time, I think the album does succeed in breaking some new ground; in sections, it sounds almost like the sort of territory that Henry Cow or Discipline/Matthew Parmenter would explore in their jazzier moments in years to come. Not a full-blown classic, but still a solid album more than worth a listen.