HYÖNTEISIÄ VOI RAKASTAA

For those who enjoy '80s King Crimson, Henry Cow and Anekdoten. Another point of reference already mentioned would be Samla Mammas Manna. The track description of "Luottamus", I once read - was like "Sade on acid bumping into Gong". I guess that's an appropriate description. Of note - when I played the aforementioned track on my radio programme to many listeners on-line across the globe from the Gentle Giant On-Reflection Mailing List, they couldn't stop talking about it for days (re: "Luottamus").

When I first heard this album in the '90s, it blew my socks off. I'd have given it a 5 star rating. Revisiting it the last few months, I don't think it stands the test of time, so I give it a 3 star rating. If the dated thing doesn't get to you, I respectfully give it a 4 star rating for sounding "'90s".

The track "Pannuhuoneesta" is an inside joke with the band, I think. Just an awful techno- track...although, I figure that's their "electronica" stab at the thumpa-thumpa which was saturating the airwaves at the time. Kind of fun at first, but it disturbs the flow of the album. It may be their aural disdain at the music biz of the time, whereas Gentle Giant did it with their classic album cover "Acquiring The Taste". Who knows?

From memory, there are 3 instrumentals on this album. All very Frippy-sounding, yet very unlike King Crimson. Quite good, actually. Vocals are in Finnish and very fine with an operatic delivery, but not over-the-top like most Italian bands in the '70s. The heavy cello makes Hoyry-Kone sound rather unique compared to many other bands of this era in the history of Progressive Rock.