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| VIEWS (Pohjola PELPCD 12) |
| Waves | The Red Porsche | Metropolitan | Views | Us |
- VIEWS レビュー（英文） -
PEKKA POHJOLA "Views" (Pohjola)
An original from the heyday of the '70s European jazz-rock scene, bassist/composer/arranger Pekka Pohjola just released Views, his first sol album in quite some time. Back in the mid '70s, Pohjola just about single-handedly invented what came to be known as Finnish progressive symphonic rock. His early albums, (including the '76 classic Keesojen Lehto produced by Mike Oldfield) were released in the U.K. on Virgin Records back when the label was in the process of growing an exclusively progressive rock label with groups like Henry Cow, Mike Oldfield, Wigwam (another great Finland group co-founded by Pohjola) and Gong. Recording over a dozen incredible instrumental rock albums, in Finland over the past nearly 28 years, Pohjola now further diversifies his sound with the eclectic, cosmopolitan and jazzy / classical sounds of Views. Compared to his hard hitting rocked-out albums of the '80s, the sound on Views could be considered a toning down of the rock-solid guitar-based Pohjola sound boldly witnessed on '80s classics like Urban Tango and Space Waltz. Instead, the sophisticated harmonies on Views focuses on Pohjola's innate skills as a jazz and pop-classical composer-arranger. A number of musicians help take Pohjola's symphonic sound to the next level including long time Pohjola group members, keyboardist Seppo Kantonen and guitarist Markku Kanerva. With it's heavy accent on strings and brass arrangements, Views takes a good look back to Pohjola's trend-setting second album, released on Virgin in England back in '75 with the title B The Magpie. In fact the only song to feature a guitar here is a really different-sounding, Zappa-inspired track entitled "The Red Porsche". The first pop vocal track featured on a Pohjola disc since the early '80s, the song features a few hot vocalists singing the original lyrics (in english) taken from a poem written (and reprinted here) by Charles Bukowski. Views makes for some pleasant listening indeed. It might not be the album you expected from Pekka (well, what is?), but the music is (still) so good, you just can't help but enjoy it.
Rockadillo Records
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| SINFONIA NO.1 (Flamingo Music FGCD 4041) |
| Part 1 and 2 | Part 3 |
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| PIHKASILM KAARNAKORVA (1972, Love Records LRLP 71) |
| Metsonpeli | Virtojen kiharat | Armoton idylli | Nipistys / Valittaja |
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| HARAKKA BIALOIPOKKU (1974, Love Records LRLP 118) | |
| * CD: LRCD 71/118 released in 1990, CD includes also Pihkasilm Kaarnakorva |
| * In England B THE MAGPIE Virgin V 2036 | |
| Alku | Ensimm格nen aamu | Huono s滑 / Se tanssii... | ... ja n殻ee unta | |
| Hereill殻in uni jatkuu | Sekoilu seestyy | El確 jatkuu |
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| KEESOJEN LEHTO (1977, Love Records LRLP 219) |
| * CD: LRCD 219, released in 1994 |
| * In England: MATHEMATICIAN'S AIR DISPLAY Virgin V 2084 |
| * ("Mathematician's Air Display"): |
| untitled but cover simply has "Mike & Sally Oldfield, Pekka Pohjola"! 1981, Holland, Happy Bird, 90096 (LP) |
| Oivallettu matkalyhty (The Sighted Light) | K嚇et suoristavat veden (Hands Calming The Water) | Matemaatikon lenton楽t嘖 (Mathematical Air Display) | P滑ntaivuttelun seuraukset (The Consequences Of Indecisions), part 1. Sulamaan j閣etty kipu (Time Heals All Wounds), part 2. Nykiv keskustelu tuntemattoman kanssa (Comfort With A Stranger) | Varjojen varasl撹t (False Start) |
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| VISITATION (1979, Dig It DIGLP 4) |
| * CD: Fazer Music 220222, released in 1993 |
| Strange Awekening | Vapour Trails | Image Of A Passing Smile | Dancing In The Dark | The Sighting | Try To Remember |
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| PEKKA POHJOLA GROUP : KTKVAARAN LOHIKRME (1980, Dig It DIGLP 12) |
| * CD: F Music 4509-96415-2, released in 1994 |
| K閣k革aaran Lohik滑rme | Tehdasmusiikkia | Sampoliiini | Inke ja m |
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| URBAN TANGO (1982, Pohjola PELP 1) |
| * CD: PELPCD 1, released in 1994 |
| * In USA: URBAN TANGO, Breakthru' Records BRS 1 (LP) |
| * In Germany: URBAN TANGO, JA & RO, 4109 (LP) |
| Imppu's Tango | New Impressionist | Heavy Jazz | Urban Caravan | Silent Decade (Bonustrack on CD) |
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| JOKAMIES (1983, Pohjola PELP 2) |
| * CD: PELPCD 2 JOKAMIES / EVERYMAN released in 1994 |
| * In USA: EVERYMAN Breakthru' Records BRS 2 (LP) |
| * In Germany: EVERYMAN, JA & RO, 4117 (LP). |
| Debt (Velka) | Gaol (Velkavanki) | Blues For Verneri (Blues Vernerille) | Death? (Kuolema?) | Hope (Toivo) | Coral (Koraali) | Strangling (Kuristus) | No Way Out (Umpikuja) | Relief (Rakkaus-vapautus) | Agnus Dei |
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| SPACE WALTZ (1985, Pohjola PELP 3) |
| * CD: PELPCD 3, released in 1986, new version in 1996 |
| * In USA: Breakthru' Records BRS 3 (LP), ABCD1 (CD) |
| American Carousel | Cat Boulevard | Space Waltz | Risto | Changing Waters (Original CD had bonus tracks that have since been released on "Urban Tango" and "Everyman" CD's.) |
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| FLIGHT OF THE ANGEL (1986, Pohjola PELP 4) |
| * CD: PELPCD 4, released in 1988 |
| How About Today? | Flight Of The Angel | Il Carillon | Pressure | Beauty And The Beast |
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| NEW IMPRESSIONIST (1987, Rockadillo Records ZENCD 2013 (Compilation) |
| * In USA: Breakthru' Records ABCD7 |
| Imppu's Tango | Strangling | Inke And Me | Try To Remember | Death? | New Inpressionist | Hope | Coral |
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| SINFONIA no 1 (1990, Flamingo Music FGCD 4041) |
| Part I and II | Part III |
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| CHANGING WATERS (1992, Pohjola PELPCD 5) |
| Benjamin (Introduction) | Waltz For Iikka (Iikan valssi) | Innocent Questions | Fanatic Answers | Changing Waters | Waltz For Outi (Outin valssi) | Benjamin |
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| LIVE IN JAPAN (1995, Marquee/Belle Antique BELLE 95109 (1995, Japan only) |
| Heavy Jazz | Innocent Questions | Mathematician's Air Display | Imppu's Tango | No Way Out | Nykiv keskustelu tuntemattoman kanssa | Risto | Albatross |
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| HEAVY JAZZ Live In Helsinki and Tokyo (1995, Pohjola PELPCD 7, live 2-CD) |
| Relief | Pressure | Imppu's Tango | Nykiv keskustelu tuntemattoman kanssa | Innocent Questions | Fanatic Answers | Benjamin | No Way Out | Albatross | Risto | Heavy Jazz |
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| PEWIT (1997, Pohjola PELPCD 8) |
| Rita | Melkein | Pewit | Suuri kallion ritari (The Great Knight Of The Rock) Intro | Suuri kallion ritari | Toy Rock Intro | Toy Rock | Ordinary Music |
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