TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI

In 1972-1973 the Finnish group TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI, with their new vocalist Eero Raittinen, were on the top of their game and enjoyed popularity even abroad; as the detailed liner notes of this CD/LP tell, both the third studio album Lambertland and the gigs were warmly received in England. Jukka Tolonen's debut album Tolonen! (1971) had also powerfully increased his status as Finland's most respected guitarist. The other line-up change was Heikki Virtanen -- Tolonen's cousin -- replacing Måns Groundstroem on bass. The aspiring and eager quintet features also the reeds player Pekka Pöyry and drummer Vesa Aaltonen.

When returning from their succesful UK tour in March 1973 the band travelled to Southern Swedish city Göteborg whereby there were lots of Finns who longed to hear Finnish bands live. Jam nights of Finnish musicians were being organized, and this was the perfect circumstance for TP to perform there. The gig (tracks 1-2 and 5-6 when speaking of the LP track order; on the CD the Göteborg set is logically tracks 1-4) was recorded and broadcast by Swedish Radio, as well as the gig in Stockholm's Skansen in August '73 (tracks 3-4). The sonic quality is surprisingly good all the way.

The material here concentrates on the mentioned Lambertland album. I'm not going to analyze the performances in detail like Petri Kuljuntausta does in his liner notes. However, it's important to point out that the band plays severely extended live versions with lots of improvisatory approach. For example the instrumental 'Dance' lasts 21 minutes. I'm a bit bored by this kind of fusion stuff, to be honest, and I really wish there was a keyboardist in the line-up, too. Pöyry plays some electric piano on 'Milky Way Moses' (the title track of the fourth studio album) but this is basically a jam-oriented live performance for electric guitar, reeds and rhythm section. Also Raittinen bravely participates in the improvisation with his singing. The other non-Lambertland piece is the almost 20-minute version of 'Ramblin'', originally on Tolonen!.

A listener favouring jam-oriented live material starring guitar and saxes has all reasons to rate this release much higher, but I give a neutral 3 stars. If I hadn't received this album for reviewing, I probably wouldn't have cared to give it a proper listen in the first place. In recent years there have been quite many TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI releases of archival sources, and time and time again the material tends to concentrate on the Lamberland era. So, at least in my personal opinion there isn't any need for another live set like this one. But I'm not a big friend of live records, and especially in the case of this group the live stuff is to me less appealing than the more eclectic musical spectre on the studio albums. So excuse me if this (undeniably deserved) first review is more like a delivery of news than a subjective, dedicated review.

Among the several recent archival (and mostly live) TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI releases of Svart records, this one is special. At first I categorized it as a compilation, but on second thought, "studio album" is a bit more adequate category, despite the fact that the results of the 1971 studio session never materialized as an album release back then, not even to a degree of having a proper album name. Nevertheless, this very set of four progressive jazz-rock pieces could have been the legendary Finnish group's third album -- if only the circumstances within Love Records would have been slightly different, according to the lengthy liner notes.

After Otto Donner, one of the three founders of Love Records, moved over to the Finnish Broadcasting Company, Atte Blom and Chrisse Schwindt continued working full-time, with quite opposite ideas of the release strategy. Schwindt wanted to avoid financial risks by producing one record at a time, which led to a situation that Blom produced albums behind his back. Around the time of this TP studio session in the fall of 1971, Blom had been secretly working on the debut album Tolonen! of the band's enigmatic guitarist and main composer Jukka Tolonen. "Schwindt didn't take this well but agreed to finish the project. Presenting Tasavallan Presidentti's session to him could have been too much at this point." Another reason for the TP studio session becoming eventually forgotten was within the group itself. They were going through line-up changes, and in the spring of 1972 they started recording Lambertland with the new vocalist Eero Raittinen.

Now to the music. Three tracks of the four are instrumentals. Tolonen, reeds player Pekka Pöyry, bassist Måns Groundstroem and drummer Vesa Aaltonen are all in a terrific shape as musicians, bravely stepping into improvisational expression that approaches free jazz, comparable to the way KING CRIMSON did in e.g. Red (1974). Had the session been released as an album, it surely would have been both "challenging for the pop- oriented audience" and "an artistic success. The release would have revealed what the band sounds like at their best live performances, with the difference that the session was recorded in studio with top quality equipment". The sonic quality is indeed very good.

'Impressions of India' later appeared on the guitarist's second album Summer Games (1973), but as a very different version. Here it is an energetic 4-minute jazz-rock piece highlighting on guitar and flute, perhaps less poetic compared to the solo album version. The nearly 17-minute 'Falling Deeper', the sole track to feature Frank Robson's vocals, became part of Lambertland, retitled as 'The Bargain', as well as Pöyry's composition 'Celebration of the Saved Nine'. I'm not a big fan of this kind of thick and complex jazz-rock featuring saxophone and extended structures leaning towards improvisation, but it's the very essence of Tasavallan Presidentti and what they were/are so highly respected for. The latter piece extends into a lengthy improvisation. The mutual work of the quartet is impressive.

The fourth track 'Hills and Dales' (7:41) is an improv-based group effort. What makes it exceptional as a TP piece is that Tolonen shifts to piano and Pöyry to organ. The piece lacks a traditional theme but IMHO maintains its musical fascination better than the preceding longer pieces.

My subjective rating for this album is only three stars. Without a doubt, for the dedicated fans of TP's intensive jazz- rock this release is a worthy addition to their relatively sparse studio output of their halcyon days. Add a fourth star if you wish.

TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI, the other one of the major Finnish prog bands of the original prog era (alongside Wigwam) were an active and highly respected live act, and yet they didn't release any live albums back then. This double vinyl/cd set, already the third TP live release from Svart Records in recent times, IMHO comes closest to what really would have been a worthy official live album in its own time already. My countryman Mortte has reviewed Pop Liisa 1 (2016) and Live in Lambertland (2019) that both feature Jussi Raittinen as the vocalist. They both are somewhat limited what comes to the set lists -- the first one has two tracks only and the latter concentrates on the album Lambertland. Changing Times and Movements consists of three gigs, the original member Frank Robson as the vocalist, and on saxes and flute Pekka Pöyry who had replaced Juhani Aaltonen -- they both were Finland's major jazz names at the time. Although the three gigs' set lists partially overlap here, the 85- minute whole offers an interesting and horizon- widening view into TP as a live act at the time, not least because there are several songs the band never recorded for their studio albums.

This handsome gatefold release features detailed, well written liner notes on the band's early history in general and on each gig/ song in this set in such depth which would be a severe exaggeration in a review. But let's start.

TP participated in the first Ruisrock Festival (that's the most legendary yearly rock happening in Finland) in August 1970. Also the British prog bands Colosseum and Family were there. 'Going Back' is a tight jazz-rock song composed by Robson. According to the liner notes, the TP members didn't even remember the song which never appeared elsewhere! 'Ain't Ya Coming Home, Babe' is a Blodwyn Pig cover (yes, the band Mick Abrahams founded after exiting Jethro Tull). The extended performance is full of energy. 'Tis Me Tis You' was recorded for TP's second album where it's played acoustically and in a slightly faster tempo compared to this live version. The sound quality of the Ruisrock gig is fairly good, just like it is on the two other gigs too.

Two vinyl sides are devoted to the gig two weeks later in Stockholm's Skeppsholmen. The five-song set features nice if not very many-sided selection from TP' first two albums plus the mentioned Blodwyn Pig cover, now played in a jazzier way. Heady, steamy and energetic jazz-rock with lots of saxophone; unfortunately no acoustic guitar or any keyboards are used on any of these gigs.

The third gig in this release took place in the Eastern- Finnish small town Lappeenranta in May 1971, following the second studio album's release. The gig was part of the Finnish Broadcasting Company's series of radio-broadcast gigs from all over the country. In between the songs you hear the program's host speaking in Finnish. And this five-song set is the most interesting for the rarity factor.

'Whirlwind Nightmare' and 'Gigolo' were Tolonen- Robson compositions, but never recorded by TP, instead they were in '72 recorded by Kirka, a very popular Finnish pop singer. Also 'The Old Woman' (written by Robson) entered into Kirka's album. 'Deep Thinker' (another song from TP II) is featured also in the Stockholm set, and a die-hard fan will enjoy analyzing how the performance has evolved. 'Impressions of India' was to appear on Jukka Tolonen's solo album Summer Games (1973).

As I said, this release is THE live album of Tasavallan Presidentti's early phase, and the 50 years' perspective doesn't make it any less noteworthy for all fans of the band.

Tasavallan Presidentti from Finland impressed me with their charming prog-infused song-based bluesrock second record (1971). A year later the band would release 'Lambertland' with a different singer and quite frankly; a totally different type of band. This is pure eclectic prog. Take some early Zappa ('King Kong' was mentioned earlier), add some Soft Machine, Fairport Convention, some Jan Akkerman style guitar (of Focus) and most importantly some Sammy Davis Junior (yes that jazz singer who sang 'Mr. Bojangles'). The combination of folk & jazz-rock with the beautiful artwork and title 'Lamberland' creates a unique journey through the imagination. Light-hearted, charming and full of positive creative energy. The quirkiness of the melodies and the way the rhythms are gently pumping are quite unique. The band uses interesting harmonies and finds original folky melodies. Pekka Pöyry plays both saxes and flutes and is great in always finding a suitable place in the music. Jukka Tolonen, a guitarist of some fame in Finland, mostly excels at finding nice quirky jazz riffs. The vocals of Eero Raittinen have fueled some debate and on the opining song he does in fact sings way out of tune. Since I do like the tone of his voice and his different way of singing (more like vocal jazz) I can actually appreciate his performances quite a lot. The album has a few very strong moments and no weak spots and I really like the totality of it. The Svart label has released a stunning vinyl reprint. 'Lambertland' may have its shortcomings, but it does deliver that truly original one-of-a-kind early seventies progressive rock experience like all too few album do. It's the kind of album you'd like to see in the PA top 100.

Tasavallan Presidentti from Finland recorded a progressive rock must-have called 'Lambertland' (with a slightly different line-up), but not before releasing this charmer of an album in 1971 (only in their neighboring country of Sweden) . The band sounds surprisingly English and lead-singer Frank Robson actually grew up in England and is therefor a native speaker. This is type of progressive rock that has a blues rock basis enhanced with prog, jazz- rock and folkrock. The sound of Tasavallan Presidentti could be compared to bands like Colosseum (use of saxophone), Patto (jazz-rock guitar by Tolonen), Spooky Tooth (songwriting), early Focus, Edgar Broughton Band (vocal expression) and Procol Harum (mainly the vocals). This is just one of those albums that hits the right vibe, full of enthusiasm and pleasant songy' rock melodies. The sound of the productions is quite good and my only complaint is that the vocals of Frank Robson - though often very charming and inciting - do have their false notes here and there. This is most problematic on the song 'I'm Going Home Again'. The guitars of Jukka Tolonen are among the best of early seventies rock. Still a very pleasant little album from the golden age of rock deserving a small four star rating. Currently available on vinyl on the Svart label.

Svart Records has really continued it's cultural work releasing this double live, because there are so little released live material from Pressas sixties/seventies times! I believe without Svart Records these live recordings would have stayed forgotten in the vaults. In last review I told YLE started live broadcastings from Liisankatu Studio. Luckily they broadcasted bands gigs also from other places like Esplanadinkappeli restaurant, Kulttuuritalo (the main concert place of Helsinki that time) and Natsa Club (one of the few clubs in Helsinki that time where popular musicians had gigs and jams that time). I think 1972 was the peak year of Tasavallan Presidentti in their career. They went then their first tour in the UK and also recorded and released their best album 'Lambertland'. This album documents really well, how they sounded live that year.

First album was recorded wholly from Esplanadikappeli. They start with medley from 'Celebration Of the Saved Nine' and 'The Bargain'. Both are played quite the same way as in studio album, but Aaltonen is playing much complex rhythm. I like more the straightforward playing of the studio version. Next comes version from 'Lounge' that is the only version in this album. It's also really same as the studio, but in the middle there is different slower part. That changes quite fascinating when P'yry starts to play organ and the whole band plays quiter. First version of 'Lambertland' is as great as the studioversion, only in the middle there is some different improvisation part and they play the end heavier than in studio version. 'Dance' has really fast tempo, also it sounds as they really get into playing mood in this last piece from this gig! It has quite long intro with Raittinen and P'yry making really pirimitive voices, also there are imrovisational pieces that are not in the studio version.

Second album starts with another longer version from 'the Bargain'. At first only Tolonen is playing guitar, then P'yry joins and soon after that the whole band. 'Ramblin' is a piece from Tolonen's first solo album. I can't compare those versions, because haven't heard the original, but anyway this piece is the least interesting to me. Good playing, but not enough substance. These two pieces are recorded from the Eastern Pop Concert, Kulttuuritalo. There were also playing Omega from Hungary and Blue Effect from Czechoslovakia. Last three tracks are recorded from Natsa. It's the latest performance and you can hear how their playing had become tighter.'Lambertland' is almost same kind of version as in first album. It's amazing, how Raittinen sings this as great as in studio (really would have wanted to hear this in their 50th celebration concert). 'Dance' is shorter and not have as long intro, but primitive vocals are there too. 'Celebration Of the Saved Nine' is longer and has quite interesting improvisational period in the end.

This album is culturally really important, but when reviewing it as an album, I think it is a bit too long. The versions of the same tracks haven't got enough variety to keep my interest it's over 90 lenght. I would have taken only 'Lounge' from the Esplanadinkappeli-concert and add it with the rest of material. But of course there would have been those, who had said 'Why there isn't the whole Kappeli-gig', so I think that's the reason Svart decided to put this all to same record. Anyway I would have given four starts to more compact version, now I will give only three.

Although prog music had at least little popularity in Finland at the seventies, prog music or not even rock music wasn't commonly played in the Finnish radio. Also there really weren't many places where bands could play their music live. So when Finnish state radio channel YLE decided to start live music broadcasts from the Liisankatu Studio in Helsinki, it was a big step to Finnish prog music. Those broadcastings started in 1972 and lasted 1977. They were at first in tuesday's but changed to wednesday. Every other tuesday there were pop theme and every other jazz, although there were quite many same musicians in both themes and as we know, Finnish prog was highly influenced by jazz. These broadcasts were really live, so if guitar string broke and there were no second guitar, the host had to make some improvisation talking to avoid ankward silence in the program. Although these broadcasts were in the YLE, they could have remain into unknown history without Svart records. They went into YLE archives and decided to release some of those broadcastings. Unfortunately all the broadcasts hadn't survived, for example Haikara was too in the Liisankadun studio, but I quess there wasn't enough survived material to an album. There are two series in Svart Records: Pop Liisa & Jazz Liisa.

Tasavallan Presidentti was in the Pop Liisa at autumn 1973. M'ns Groundstroem was the latest change in a line-up, Heikki Virtanen took his place. TP had just returned from UK, where they played at the Reading Festival and Marquee Club. Also they have started to record 'Milky Way Moses' album.They played 56 minutes at the Liisankatu broadcastings, but sadly there were technical problems, so only two pieces are included in this release (really would have liked to hear their live version from 'Milky Way Moses'). First piece here is 'Lennosta Kii', which is origally composed by Eero Koivistoinen. TP made an studio version of this as 'Caught From the Air' to forthcoming album. Although this version is in Finnish, it has a lots in common to studio version. The main difference is, that in the middle there is the end part of 'How to start a day', that I have started recently love a lot as the whole B-side of 'Milky Way Moses'. The another piece 'Dance' has a lot more improvisational parts as the studio version, also it has even greater tempo. All the way both long pieces are really great, I believe in this recording moment TP was musically at it's best!

This record is from the time when TP was both musically and also with it's success going high! Sadly the members anyway didn't feel then their career going forward, also I think there had been personal problems already many years. So really great 'Milky Way Moses'-album became their last album in the seventies. I know there are fans of 1990/2000 Finnish prog outside Finland (for example bands Kingston Wall, Uzva, Hidria Spacefolk). I really hope they will check out this live album as also live albums from Wigwam, because my honest opion is those modern Finnish prog artists just haven't ever achieved the same magic as there is in these old live recordings. There were really reason, why Wigwam and TP were the cream of the Finnish prog in the seventies, although I of course really love Haikara, Kalevala, Nova & Nimbus too!

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.