Kalevala -

Kalevala was a Finnish art-rock/psych band from Helsinki that made the 1972 Finnlevy album People No Names and the 1975–77 Hi-Hat titles Boogie Jungle and Abraham’s Blue Refrain.

Members: Juha “Lido” Salonen (guitar, bass, vocals), Beaver Aitto-Oja (drums, 1969), Remu Aaltonen (drums, vocals, 1969-71), Albert Järvinen (guitar, 1970-71), Matti Kurkinen (guitar, 1971-75), Alf Forsman (drums, 1971-?), Harri Saksala (vocals, 1971-?), Sakari Kukko (saxophone, flute), Markku Luukkanen (drums), Ari Vaahtera (bass, 1974-78), Zape Leppänen (vocals, 1974-78), Raimo “Klenkka” Karima (keyboards, 1976), Heikki Hiekkala (keyboards, 1977-78)

Background

Kalevala formed in 1969 under teenage Helsinki bassist Juha “Lido” Salonen (b. 1950). Their name derived from Old Kalevala, an 1835 compilation of epic Finnish poetry. Early members included guitarist Albert Järvinen and drummer Remu Aaltonen. Both departed in 1970 and later surfaced in retro-Fifties rockers the Hurriganes.

In 1971, Kalevala welcomed guitarist/composer Matti Kurkinen (b. 1951) and singer/saxphonist Harri Saksala. The latter hailed from psych-rockers Apollo and appeared on Paroni Paakkunainen’s 1971 release Plastic Maailma. Drummer Markku Luukkanen rounded the first-recorded Kalevala lineup.

People No Names

Kalevala released their debut album, People No Names, in 1972 on Finnlevy.

The album contains eight Matti Kurkinen originals, including “Lady With the Veil,” “Escape from the Storm,” “In the Net,” and the epic title-track. Harri Saksala wrote the lyrics, which underwent English translations by Wigwam bassist Mats Huldén.

Keyboardist Olli Ahvenlahti guests on piano and electric piano. Additional ‘Kalevala Mates’ include acoustic guitarist Ile Kallio (“Waves”) and flutist Raimo Wallen.

People No Names threads acoustic sections, modal guitar figures, and abrupt electric shifts into a sequence that alternates tension and ease without settling into repetition. The nine-minute title track opens with a restrained acoustic motif that breaks abruptly into fast-churn electric guitar and staggered rhythm patterns. Harri Saksala’s vocals enter with force but pivot between declarative and half-spoken delivery as the arrangement veers between doubled lines and freer instrumental breaks. “Where I’m From” begins with quiet piano voicing and cyclical acoustic guitar patterns before intensifying into a rigid, flute-laced section with sharp meter changes and midrange vocal layering. “Waves” stays in low dynamic range, moving along a slow tempo with sustained chords and delayed melodic lines, its guitar solo phrased in long arcs over a static rhythm section.

“In the Net” switches to heavy, riff-based phrasing with compressed patterns, a distorted vocal edge, and a short harmonica solo that punches through the midsection. “My Friend” pares the arrangement down to voice and piano, keeping to a strophic structure with slow pacing and unresolved cadences. “Lady With the Veil” escalates in speed and density—shifting from ballad form into a rapid drum-and-guitar passage that unspools into a fluid instrumental break. “Escape from the Storm” sustains low-register tension with muted electric phrases that warp and fold under wah pedal shifts, with tempo held steady beneath oscillating guitar layers. “Tamed Indians” closes the album in a metered folk style with accordion and foot-stomp rhythm, fully detached from the album’s prior structures but executed with tight rhythmic control. Across the album, sudden modulations, quick dynamic turns, and layered contrasts give each piece a sense of motion without relying on fixed patterns or repeated themes.

A1. “People No Names” (8:59)
A2. “Where I’m From” (4:10)
A3. “Waves” (6:07)

B1. “In the Net” (4:46)
B2. “My Friend” (2:48)
B3. “Lady With the Veil” (4:16)
B4. “Escape From the Storm” (5:14)
B5. “Tamed Indians” (1:49)

Kalevala recorded the album at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki with jazz musician Jukka Hauru as their producer. Soundman Reino Aaltonen engineered People No Names in sequence with albums by Elonkorjuu (Harvest Time) and Hauru’s Information.

People No Names appeared in a gatefold with infrared images of a human skull (front, back) and a landscape image of the long-haired band along a sandy incline (inner-gates).

Kalevala disbanded in 1973, during which Kurkinen joined Eero Koivistoinen‘s Music Society for their album Wahoo!

In 1974, Salonen and Kurkinen regrouped Kalevala with drummer Beaver Aitto-oja (ex-Incense) and percussionist Zape Leppänen, a sideman for the folk duo Isokynä & Orfeus.

Boogie Jungle

Kalevala released their second album, Boogie Jungle, in 1975 on Hi-Hat.

The album features nine co-compositions by Lido Salonen and Matti Kurkinen, including “Snow Bill,” “Boogie,” and “Capseller.” Both play guitar on the album with Lido’s former bass slot filled by Ari Vaahtera, who doubles on Moog synthesizer.

Wigman frontman Jim Pembroke wrote the album’s lyrics and sings backing vocals on five tracks. His bandmate, Jukka Gustavson, plays clavinet on “While the Fire’s Warm.”

Boogie Jungle shifts Kalevala’s sound toward laid-back boogie rock with blues and folk elements, favoring straightforward rhythms and riff-based structures. Several tracks include brief instrumental breaks and psychedelic textures, particularly in the atmospheric sections of “Jungle.” Guitarist Matti Kurkinen plays with expressive, layered phrasing throughout, adding tonal depth to the otherwise restrained arrangements.

A1. “Mind the Fly Hunter”
A2. “Attack at Nineteen Hundred”
A3. “If We Found the Time”
A4. “While the Fire’s Warm”
A5. “Boogie”

B1. “Rockin’ Fish”
B2. “Snow Bill”
B3. “Capseller”
B4. “Jungle”

Hi-Hat chief Tommi Liuhala produced Boogie Jungle at Finnlevy Studios, Helsinki, with engineer Jukka Teittinen, a concurrent soundman for Hector and Frank Robson.

Soon after the album’s release, Kurkinen died at age 24 in an auto accident. Kalevala soldiered on with Salonen as their principal guitarist. In 1976, they issued the single “Playground” as a preview for their self-produced third album.

Abraham’s Blue Refrain

Kalevala released their third album, Abraham’s Blue Refrain, in 1977 on Hi-Hat, which billed them as Kalevala Orchestra.

Refrain contains ten Lido Salonen compositions, including the two-part title track. He retains the Boogie Jungle rhythm section and percussionist Zape ‘Limousine’ Leppänen, who co-composed Side A (barring “Forever Train”) and “Brown’ll Might Suit You.”

Jim Pembroke worded everything apart from “Panamanian Red” and two songs (“Lighthouse,” “Playground”) with lyrics by outsider Peter O’Neill. Musician Heikki Hiekkala (ex-Ferris) plays ‘long Chinese horn’ on Refrain, which features Närhi Ja Kurimus keyboardist Raimo Karima on the two O’Neill numbers.

Abraham’s Blue Refrain combines tight-paced rock structures with brief excursions into atmospheric and emotionally weightier terrain. “Silver Fish” opens at a fast tempo with clipped phrasing and dense rhythmic interplay. “Lighthouse” shifts to a slower pace and centers around expressive Moog voicings that rise between vocal sections, while “Forever Train” accelerates with syncopated drive, built on sudden vocal emphasis and rhythmic sharpness.

The two-part title suite stands apart with a restrained opening section shaped by piano and layered vocals, gradually intensifying into sustained instrumental passages marked by unresolved tension. “Brown’ll Might Suit You” and “Panamanian Red” return to brisk pacing with compressed motifs and terse instrumental breaks. Despite its hard-edged delivery, the album makes room for tonal variation through changes in density, phrasing, and vocal inflection.

A1. “Silver Fish” (3:30)
A2. “Lighthouse” (4:00)
A3. “Forever Train” (3:25)
A4. “Abraham’s Blue Refrain” (6:40)

B1. “Brown’ll Might Suit You” (2:41)
B2. “Highland Temple” (3:50)
B3. “Playground” (3:07)
B4. “Marketbox Street” (3:07)
B5. “Panamanian Red” (5:04)

Abraham’s Blue Refrain has a blue surreal cover by artist/photographer Kari Riipinen, whose visuals grace subsequent sleeves for Se and Pelle Miljoona Oy.

In 2016, Finnish archivists Svart Records issued a seven-song Liisankatu Studios performance by Kalevala (broadcast 7/4/73) as number 07 in its Pop Liisa series.

Discography: