PEOPLE NO NAMES / BOOGIE JUNGLE

Kalevala , this finish band who got litle recognition in their short career. Easy 4.5 stars for the debut People no names from 1972, absolutly excellent and unfairly overlooked release when talking about essential prog albums from early '70. Top notch the vocal parts, gruff voice that is fiting like glove on the music offered, with nice shining guitar parts, top druming, busy bass and awe inspired arrangements. Aswell are lots of instrumental sections, proving that the musicians really handle the instruments with an amazing ease, alternating more mellow parte as on Where i am from, with beautiful parts to more edge like the opening title track. All in all a nice nearly masterpice album, definetly one of my fav albums ever and in same league with anything Uriah Heep done in that period, being quie similar , or with for example Gomorrha from Germany and their great I turned to see whose voice it was released same year 1972 , that heavy prog we all love of the early days of prog. An essential album to have and i think in top 5 prog rock albums Finland ever produce, 4.5 easy for me

Their second release issued 3 years later named Boogie jungle from 1975 is a diffrent affair, musicaly speaking. The band broke up after releasing their debut, but soon re formed in 1974 with new musicians, including a new voice, important is that the guitarist Matti Kurkinen remaning still, he was the driving force of the band for sure , sadly passed away in a traffic accident soon after releasing Boogie jungle in 1975. So, this album is far less spectacular then the first, being close to comercial hard rock , the progressive arrangements almost completly gone with exception the excellent ending 7 min plus piece named Jungle where Kurkinen shine all through, sounding like it was taken from their debut. The rest while to me is far from bad album, is far less exciting but pleasent for sure. Boogie jungle desearve 3 stars for sure from me, nice art work.

4.5 from the debut plus 3 from second is 7.5 rounded up this time because i like a lot Kalevala, that is meaning 4 stars for this 2 in 1 compilation