Hector: Liisa Pien

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   Hector (real name Heikki Harma) is one of the biggest names in Finnish pop history, his best albums are IMO from 70's. He's not a prog artist - and I don't expect non-Finns to know him at all - but I think Liisa Pien (1975) could be of interest to prog fans outside Finland too. It consists of 4 own songs and 3 translated covers, originals being Procol Harum's As Strong As Samson, King Crimson's Epitaph and Cat Stevens' Sad Liza, and each is really as good or better as the original. The 4 other songs are equally great and have a lot of prog aesthetics, title track is even a semi-epic. The album is mostly dark-mooded and its sound is not so very far from Nursery Cryme (with better production). Recommended warmly to all you who think a foreign language brings another pleasure! (It's a terrible shame that this album failed commercially. I would give it 5* if it was here.)

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Matti Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: April 15 2005 Location: Finland Status: Offline Points: 2149	Topic: Hector: Liisa Pien Posted: September 02 2005 at 06:42
	Hector (real name Heikki Harma) is one of the biggest names in Finnish pop history, his best albums are IMO from 70's. He's not a prog artist - and I don't expect non-Finns to know him at all - but I think Liisa Pien (1975) could be of interest to prog fans outside Finland too. It consists of 4 own songs and 3 translated covers, originals being Procol Harum's As Strong As Samson, King Crimson's Epitaph and Cat Stevens' Sad Liza, and each is really as good or better as the original. The 4 other songs are equally great and have a lot of prog aesthetics, title track is even a semi-epic. The album is mostly dark-mooded and its sound is not so very far from Nursery Cryme (with better production). Recommended warmly to all you who think a foreign language brings another pleasure! (It's a terrible shame that this album failed commercially. I would give it 5* if it was here.)

Jimbo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: February 28 2005 Location: Helsinki Status: Offline Points: 2818	Posted: September 02 2005 at 07:24
	Oh, I didn't know this. I'll check that out, thanks Matti


Eetu Pellonpaa Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: June 17 2005 Location: Finland Status: Offline Points: 4828	Posted: September 02 2005 at 13:07
	I haven't heard the album, but the KING CRIMSON cover was known to me from a Finnish prog compillation. I think it's very good, but maybe not as good as the original, which I favour so much that it's a some sort of "sacred icon" to me. The mellotron parts were played by a real orchestra, no? Otto Donner's arragement? Many times artisticly great albums don't get the commercial success... Edited by Eetu Pellonpää