Rock Music of Finland

The rock music came in existence in the year 1950, the first bands performed the initiation in the 1960, love records was one of the first domestic record labels dedicated to Finnish rock music, even though the label’s roster also include the jazz and the political songs. During the late 1960s, the blue section, which is a group that is inspired by Jimi Hendrix and who achieved respect of being the first Finnish band of international quality. Another band that gained some status was Apollo that had the later great jazz-drummer known as Edward Vesala as a band member.

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Also, during these early days of Finnish rock, the music didn’t have much characteristically Finnish flavor and in the case of most bands, the activity was limited in performing the music made by the international superstars. The aforementioned blue section that later established into the internationally acknowledged super-band Wigwam, that had an English composer Jim Pembroker who also wrote the songs of the band and also several of the sounds/harmonies of their songs, in the early days of the band there however, were also songs with Finnish words written by Jukka Gustafsson like the classical Luulosairas. And during the year 1970 the progressive rock orchestra Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti received critical approval in the United Kingdom, but popularity stopped them. The Pekka Streng was one of the great early inventors of Finnish rock music with his very personal progressive traditional rock and Finnish words with a spiritual content, in the year 2000 there was a Streng-renaissance and one of his rhythm even became an international club hit, a Hard-rocking orchestra known as Hurriganes was well-known in Sweden as well as in Finland, but not further afield.  Dave Lindhol, Hector, Juice and Leskinen and many others were successful musicians of the year 1970 sang their lyrics in Finnish, a trend that has continued to this era. During the year 1970 the kind of suomirock was born through the founding work of musician artists such as mentioned above.

The word Suomirock literally means Finnish rock music, however, its true meaning is a more specific one, meaning the rock/pop music with Finnish lyrics, as a kind and a name it really began, its life in the 1980 accompanied the poor movement. This means rock/pop music that is not only imitating the international trends or otherwise having international sound and English lyrics, but a way of rock music, that is recognizably Finnish and have Finnish lyrics. A more and more general and current term is suomipop. The boundaries between what is seen as rock and pop have become quite unclear and random and largely dependent upon the personal preference, and this is also to some extent with rock/pop and iskelma. The folk iskelma music, the musicians themselves with a few exceptions did not write their songs or lyrics, but in the rock scene the independence of the musicians was seen significant. It still is, but in the year 2000, this is more and more typical that new artists such as idols song contests winner Ari Koivunen perform even heavy rock in the manner that is to be typical only in isklema-scene.

The poor movement came in Finland in the year 1977 and had a great influence on the Finnish youth culture, Pelle Miljoona being the most popular Finnish poor singer, Terveet Kadet who also began the hardcore poor-wave in Finland. Another famous group is the Eppu Normaali who also started during this period (later changed it to pattern from punk to rock/pop). At the same time, Finland also had a massive Ted movement of Elvis and rockabilly fans.

In the year 1980 the most favored musicians were punkish Dingo and heavy hearted Yo, both singing their lyrics in Finnish, in the underground, Ismo Alanko was considered by many as the leading Finnish rock lyricist, who gained a legendary status with his punkish orchestras Hassisen Kone and Sielun Veljet. Kauko Royhka was another educated underground personality, leaning musically towards Velvet underground; the year 1980 showed the short international popularity for the punk pattern glam rock band Hanio rocks. Hanoi rocks have been cited as an influence by the major groups like the Guns N’ Roses, Smack and Peer Gunt were other successful Finnish bands of the same pattern. The heavy metal was very famous in Finland during the year 1980, producing orchestras such as Stone and Zero Nine and latter being a fondly remembered speed metal act. Hardcore punk is also well-known in Finland, bands like Lighthouse project, Endstand, I wake the line and Abduktio.

During the early 1990s Finnish rock parody orchestra known as the Leningrad Cowboys, a re-grouped international rock comedy band that grew out of the Finnish comedy band the Sleepy Sleepers, whose members were used as actors in Aki Kaurismaki’s comedy film Leningrad Cowboys Go America, achieved Central European touring success and performed live at the MTV music awards in New York City in the year 1994, together with the full Red Army Choir, performing Sweet Home Alabama. It was the biggest TV audience of any Finnish music player ever. Leningrad Cowboys were well-known for the outrageous outfits that include the ridiculous rock-a-billy hairdos and ultra-pointed hoes. The group was not able to develop that visibility into more US success but remained famous in parts of Europe.

Although Finnish groups tend to write their lyrics in English as to leave their music open to countries outside of the native Finnish boundaries, in the year 1990 bands like the Ultra Bra, Apulanta and Miljoonasade and the shamanic art-punk orchestra CMX had initiated their share of success with the Finnish lyrics. The hard-to-define electronic country garage rock group 22 Pistepirkko got excellent reviews on the Finnish rock press and has reached some type of a cult status on the Central Europe. Some other notable Finnish cult rock orchestras of this period are the psychedelic, Hendrixian Kingston Wall that went in their late era far into psychedilia taking influence from shamanism and some kind of electronic dance music, and equally psychedelic but gothic, heavy Mana mama, gloomy.