Record Reviews

WIGWAM ~ DARK ALBUM (50TH ANNIVERSARY EXTENDED EDITION) SVART 161 (Barcode: 6430065585213) ~ FINLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1977 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the eighth (and last by the original group) album by the iconic Finnish Prog band WigwamFind albums by this artist, which featured a new lineup of the group and marked a new period in the band´s career, often referred to as Wigwam Mk. II. Following the departure of keyboardist Jukka GustavsonFind albums by this artist and bassist Pekka PohjolaFind albums by this artist, the two remaining members: vocalist / pianist Jim PembrokeFind albums by this artist and drummer Ronnie OsterbergFind albums by this artist were joined by guitarist Pekka RechardtFind albums by this artist and bassist Mans GroundstroemFind albums by this artist. Keyboardists Jukka Gustavson and Hessu HietanenFind albums by this artist added keyboard work on the tracks but the lineup reverted to a quartet again. The original album presented eight original songs, five composed by Rechardt and three by Pembroke, all featuring lyrics written by Pembroke (except for one, which was a poem), who was a British expatriate and could naturally handle the lyrics in English flawlessly. This remastered and expanded edition adds a second CD, which includes the demo version of the album including first mix of six tracks, which was rejected by VirginFind albums on this label Records (the British label that released the two previous albums in the UK). The music, although undoubtedly somewhat less strictly Prog oriented, is by all means absolutely brilliant, wonderfully combining the excellent songwriting with perfect performances, full of great instrumental parts. Wigwam were, as it often happened with the capricious Prog fanatics, accused for taking a more commercial path, but the band, which suffered from a dichotomy in its ranks since its inception, was now completely united behind their musical output and quite honestly read well the changing Prog landscape, which pulled many of the classic Prog bands towards a more song oriented direction. Although this album is often described as outwardly commercial, is not really that different from its two predecessors, and the difference is mostly due to the different sound ambience rather than the music itself. The collected talents of Wigwam´s members still made it one of the best Prog band in Europe and even worldwide, and if not for the fact that they originated from Finland, they would have probably reached to top of the Prog peak. This album was released in the UK and a few other countries, bringing the band some success, but Prog at the time was approaching its global collapse, when the initial creativity of the genre simply dried out. Wigwam decided to call it quits after this album was released and future efforts to resurrect the band proved to be as futile as those of other Prog band around the globe. The magic was simply gone. This excellently sounding and expanded edition is a must have for Finnish Prog / Wigwam fans all over the globe and SvartFind albums on this label Records, as usual, made a perfect job preparing this reissue. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 11/08/2020Posted: 11/08/2020

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

WIGWAM ~ LUCKY GOLDEN STRIPES AND STARPOISE (50TH ANNIVERSARY EXTENDED EDITION) SVART 160 (Barcode: 6430065585206) ~ FINLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the seventh album by the iconic Finnish Prog band WigwamFind albums by this artist, which featured a new lineup of the group and marked a new period in the band´s career, often referred to as Wigwam Mk. II. Following the departure of keyboardist Jukka GustavsonFind albums by this artist and bassist Pekka PohjolaFind albums by this artist, the two remaining members: vocalist / pianist Jim PembrokeFind albums by this artist and drummer Ronnie OsterbergFind albums by this artist were joined by guitarist Pekka RechardtFind albums by this artist and bassist Mans GroundstroemFind albums by this artist. On this album the lineup was extended to a quintet with the addition of keyboardist Hessu HietanenFind albums by this artist. The original album, which was recorded in London, presented nine original songs, five composed by Rechardt and three by Pembroke, all featuring lyrics written by Pembroke, who was a British expatriate and could naturally handle the lyrics in English flawlessly, and finally one tune was an instrumental co-composed by all five members of the group. This remastered and expanded edition adds a second CD, which includes five alternate mixes and four live studio rehearsals of the tunes from the album, all previously unissued. The music, although undoubtedly somewhat less strictly Prog oriented, is by all means absolutely brilliant, wonderfully combining the excellent songwriting with perfect performances, full of great instrumental parts. Wigwam were, as it often happened with the capricious Prog fanatics, accused for taking a more commercial path, but the band, which suffered from a dichotomy in its ranks since its inception, was now completely united behind their musical output and quite honestly read well the changing Prog landscape, which pulled many of the classic Prog bands towards a more song oriented direction. Hietanen was a fully integrated member of the band by the time this music was recorded and this changed the entire sound of the group. Although this album is often described as the most commercial of all the Wigwam albums, is not really that different from its predecessor or its successor, and the difference is mostly due to the different sound ambience rather than the music itself. The collected talents of Wigwam´s members still made it one of the best Prog band in Europe and even worldwide, and if not for the fact that they originated from Finland, they would have probably reached to top of the Prog peak. This album was released in the UK and a few other countries, bringing the band some success, but Prog at the time was approaching its global collapse, when the initial creativity of the genre simply dried out. Wigwam released one more excellent album before calling it quits and future efforts to resurrect the band proved to be as futile as those of other Prog band around the globe. The magic was simply gone. This excellently sounding and expanded edition is a must have for Finnish Prog / Wigwam fans all over the globe and SvartFind albums on this label Records, as usual, made a perfect job preparing this reissue. Brilliant stuff!

Updated: 11/08/2020Posted: 11/08/2020

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

WIGWAM ~ THE LUCKY GOLDEN STRIPES AND STARPOSE ESOTERIC 2175 (Barcode: 5013929727526) ~ FINLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1976 Released: 2010 7th album by Finnish Prog band WigwamFind albums by this artist, the most famous Prog act from that country, which is the second recording by Wigwam Mk II. Following the departure of two founding members bassist Pekka PohjolaFind albums by this artist and organist Jukka GustavsonFind albums by this artist, who gave Wigwam its distinctive sound and musical direction, the band had to reorganize and recruit new members, which of course also influenced their musical direction. The remaining founding members: vocalist Jim PembrokeFind albums by this artist and drummer Ronnie OsterbergFind albums by this artist recruited guitarist Pekka RechardtFind albums by this artist and bassist Mans GroundstroemFind albums by this artist to join the band for the previous album, and added a fifth member, keyboardist Hessu HietanenFind albums by this artist by the time this album was recorded. The revamped Wigwam, more Pop / Rock oriented than the original incarnation of the band, was still a formidable ensemble able of producing excellent music, and the album includes plenty of superb melodies and excellent musicianship, which are effective and memorable. Although initially the album was criticized for being overly commercial, in retrospect it is every bit as good as the other albums the band recorded, being simply different. This album was one of the very few Finnish albums to be released also in UK (on the VirginFind albums on this label label), shortly after it was released in his home country on the legendary LoveFind albums on this label label. A must for Prog fans!

Updated: 07/08/2020Posted:

CD 1 Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend