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Thread: Featured album: Wigwam - Being

  1. #1
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Featured album: Wigwam - Being

    https://img.discogs.com/GDoWCfqS5M4C...-1118.jpeg.jpg

    Wigwam - Being


    wigwam.jpg



    Tracks Listing:
    1. Proletarian (2:10)
    2. Inspired Machine (1:25)
    3. Petty-Bourgeois (2:58)
    4. Pride Of The Biosphere (3:15)
    5. Pedagogue (9:11)
    6. Crisader (4:47)
    7. Planetist (3:08)
    8. Maestro Mercy (2:32)
    9. Prophet (6:11)
    10. Marvelry Skimmer (2:32)


    Line-up:
    - Jim Pembroke / vocals, voice, piano (3,10)
    - Jukka Gustavson / vocals, piano, organ, Mini-Moog & VCS-3 synths
    - Pekka Pohjola / bass, violin, piano (4), Mini-Moog (7)
    - Ronnie Österberg / drums, percussion, backing vocals (3)
    With:
    - Taisto Wesslin / acoustic guitar
    - Unto Haapa-aho / bass clarinet
    - Paavo Honkanen / clarinet
    - Pentti Lasanen / clarinet, flute
    - Juhani Aaltonen / solo flute
    - Erik Danholm / flute
    - Kai Veisterä / flute
    - Pentti Lahti / flute
    - Seppo Paakkunainen / flute
    - Pekka Pöyry / soprano sax, flute
    - Ilmari Varila / oboe
    - Aale Lingren / oboe
    - Juhani Tapaninen / bassoon
    - Jukka Ruohomäki / VCS-3 assistance
    - Erkki Kurenniemi / VCS-3 assistance


    Here is what Matti P. had to say about it on ProgArchives
    Vocalist-keyboardist Jukka Gustavsson is probably the main man behind this Finnish prog classic - sadly he left WIGWAM after this one, as did bassist Pekka Pohjola too, but here we have the best moment of the original line-up. One of the most recommendable Finnish albums, no language barricades in it either.

    As Jimbo said, Jukka's voice reminds of Steve Winwood's, but the fact is that he was strongly influenced by TRAFFIC/Winwood also musically. This music is more complex than Traffic but there is a hint of similarity. There are Jim Pembroke songs too, though his singing and composing style is at this point closer to Gustavsson's (only simpler) than it was later to be, from the more commercial and poppy Nuclear Nightclub onwards.

    Being is also a perfect example of the very fertile music scene of the early 70's in Finland (which pretty much can be summarized as Love Records led by jazz composer Henrik Otto Donner), where the top class jazz musicians played in rock and pop albums and where therefor different genres were in close symbiosis. Not that Wigwam couldn't be classified as jazz-prog anyway, but have a look at the long list of guest players!

    Why only 4 stars then? Well, I confess that a little more sharpness instead of word- stretching flowing would improve it. For example 9-minute 'Pedagogue' has somewhere else a short Finnish-language version which is more effective. Also I find most Gustavsson's tracks quite similar in a way that without close concentration it all becomes one 'porridge' and the listener gets easily bored. The most recognizable tracks - not necessarily the best ones - are 'Pride of the Biosphere' (organ and an "old man" telling of a strange event) and 'Maestro Mercy', a simple melacholy ballad. The final track 'Marverly Skimmer' is also one of the most charming Pembroke songs.




    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  2. #2
    Member Kcrimso's Avatar
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    Being = Wigwam goes avant-prog. A masterpiece. My favourite Finnish rock-album. Such a pity that they did not continue further with this line-up and direction.

    If there is any Finnish readers lurking here I recently wrote quite comprehensive review about the album: https://pienemmatpurot.com/2020/02/1...am-being-1974/
    My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

  3. #3
    I can only agree.

    To bad I don't read Finnish. I know a Finnish words, like: Kiitos, Iksi, Kaksi, Kolme, Nelja Viisa, but that is all.

    With Google-translate I was able to get an impression.

  4. #4
    Member Kcrimso's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    I can only agree.

    To bad I don't read Finnish. I know a Finnish words, like: Kiitos, Iksi, Kaksi, Kolme, Nelja Viisa, but that is all.

    With Google-translate I was able to get an impression.
    Nice, but you made few minor mistakes: "Kiitos" = thank you, "yksi" = one, "kaksi" = two, "neljä" = four, "viisi" = five.
    My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Kcrimso View Post
    Nice, but you made few minor mistakes: "Kiitos" = thank you, "yksi" = one, "kaksi" = two, "neljä" = four, "viisi" = five.
    I know the meanings of those words, I only misspelled yksi.
    Tietokone = computer
    Lentokone = airplane

  6. #6
    This is one of perhaps only a handful of Nordic progressive rock albums I'd dare namecheck as a true historical masterwork.

    There's practically nothing to be altered here; it's a 100% original, innovative, eclectic and transcendent piece of music grounded in a vision of impressions so dense that it defies immediate description. And still it's fundamentally melodic, crafted in a flow of dynamical contrast which resembles more that of a motion picture or at least a telling story. "Pedagogue" and "Prophet" feature amongst the most developed compositions of any rock-group up to that point - favourably comparable to the level of integral complexity otherwise found only with a Zappa or a Beefheart, an Egg, Hatfield or a HCow, yet really not sounding the least like either. The only other act I know of who attempted anything remotely similar was Supersister, and they never accomplished this extreme faccet of elaboration.

    This record, or arguably Samla Mammas Manna's Klossa Knapitatet the following year, marked the endpoint for advancement in the initial wave of Nordic progressive rock music. What followed immediately of interest were either variations on this standard or radical deviations from it. And -none- of the "big" British artists did anything within a mile of Being's staggering refinement.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  7. #7
    Member TheH's Avatar
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    Kalsarikännit!


  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheH View Post
    Kalsarikännit!

    Now we are talking! Kalsarikännit with prog rock! Parasta!
    My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

  9. #9
    Some simularities between the cover of this album and that of Keith Tippett.

  10. #10
    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    Pedagogue is sublime. The sound of the winds and keyboards is beautiful. I could live inside that music for the rest of my life. I hear similarities to some of the finer American music of the time. Zappa/Duke, and the arrangements on Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark.

  11. #11
    For me Being is a very good record, but not one that I enjoy wholeheartedly. My main issue is the way the lyrics combine with the music, which to my ears sounds somewhat forced and artificial. It's like music was composed beforehand, and lyrics - many lyrics -stuffed in there by an outsider. Somehow the density of music, along with the density of lyrics, does not allow any breathing space for the important moments of the work to shine. No ups and downs in terms of intensity, volume and color. And as a result, it comes at the end a bit blunted and flat.

    I wouldn't want to be misunderstood, in terms of inspiration, originality, arrangements, sheer chops Being contains all elements of a true masterwork, as people here claim. But for me, it's more of a missed opportunity. I hold a very ambivalent relation towards the record, and usually I start my listening to it with enthusiasm and run out of gas somewhere before Prophet. But it's a deep, "difficult" work and - who knows - maybe I can learn to appreciate it more in the future.

    I am very interested to see how others think about it.

  12. #12
    All-time classic for me

  13. #13
    I have this fresh in my head, as I only just listened to it. It was obvious this lineup could not last long, as they had THREE ambitious composers pulling the band in different directions. Pembroke and his more “rootsy” rock tendencies won out in the end, Nuclear Nightclub being something of a cross between The Band and Traffic, with a little Kinks thrown in, and that cast the mould for the rest of their 70s albums.

    But I am really glad Being exists! For all that it is a product of very different ambitions, it comes across as very cohesive! And the woodwind arrangements on this album are sublime!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    I know the meanings of those words, I only misspelled yksi.
    Tietokone = computer
    Lentokone = airplane
    Höyry-kone = Kraftwerk!
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Höyry-kone = Kraftwerk!
    No, eine Dampfmaschine. Or Dampf-maschine, because the correct spelling would be "höyrykone". The archaic spelling was intentional and something that Alamaailman Vasarat also exploited on their first album, perhaps in an effort to seem more eccentric.

    Kraftwerk would be "voimalaitos".

  15. #15
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    Some simularities between the cover of this album and that of Keith Tippett.
    Damn, I've been discovred

    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    I have this fresh in my head, as I only just listened to it. It was obvious this lineup could not last long, as they had THREE ambitious composers pulling the band in different directions. Pembroke and his more “rootsy” rock tendencies won out in the end, Nuclear Nightclub being something of a cross between The Band and Traffic, with a little Kinks thrown in, and that cast the mould for the rest of their 70s albums.

    But I am really glad Being exists! For all that it is a product of very different ambitions, it comes across as very cohesive! And the woodwind arrangements on this album are sublime!



    Höyry-kone = Kraftwerk!
    Yes, three's is a crowd in a four man band. I'm not saying that it's George's fault for the Beatles' break-up, though.

    We were told in concert that Hoyry Kone was "steam Machine" or something to that effect. (Saw them twice, once opening up for Present)

    Like the debut album's name means "It Is Possible to Love Insects". No idea if they were clowning around, though.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    Damn, I've been discovred


    Like the debut album's name means "It Is Possible to Love Insects". No idea if they were clowning around, though.
    Yes, that is correct.
    My progressive music site: https://pienemmatpurot.com/ Reviews in English: https://pienemmatpurot.com/in-english/

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    Quote Originally Posted by Zappathustra View Post
    My main issue is the way the lyrics combine with the music, which to my ears sounds somewhat forced and artificial. It's like music was composed beforehand, and lyrics - many lyrics -stuffed in there by an outsider. Somehow the density of music, along with the density of lyrics, does not allow any breathing space for the important moments of the work to shine. No ups and downs in terms of intensity, volume and color. And as a result, it comes at the end a bit blunted and flat.
    At least Jukka Gustavson's songs, which are the densest musically and lyrically, were based on Finnish lyrics. I'm not sure whether the compositions were finished when the lyrics were translated, but I think the music suggests some of it was composed with Finnish language lines in mind. The message certainly was important to Gustavson, so the lyrics would have been there early on in the songwriting process. Mats Huldén admitted that he thought his translations sounded artificial and not very singable. Even the original texts tend to mangle words and normal sentence structures in an effort to sound more profound or creative (Nimbus did the same thing in Finnish on their Obus album, no doubt inspired by this and Gustavson's stuff onFairyport). All this probably affected the way the lyrics come across and how they are balanced with the music.

    In contrast, Pembroke's songs are more conventional songs. They were also written in English by a native English speaker and as they were mostly written before the band even began to work on the album, they are less bound by Gustavson's concept. Though of course "Petty-Bourgeois" is still lyrically pretty dense.

  18. #18
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zappathustra View Post
    For me Being is a very good record, but not one that I enjoy wholeheartedly. My main issue is the way the lyrics combine with the music, which to my ears sounds somewhat forced and artificial. It's like music was composed beforehand, and lyrics - many lyrics -stuffed in there by an outsider. Somehow the density of music, along with the density of lyrics, does not allow any breathing space for the important moments of the work to shine. No ups and downs in terms of intensity, volume and color. And as a result, it comes at the end a bit blunted and flat.

    I wouldn't want to be misunderstood, in terms of inspiration, originality, arrangements, sheer chops Being contains all elements of a true masterwork, as people here claim. But for me, it's more of a missed opportunity. I hold a very ambivalent relation towards the record, and usually I start my listening to it with enthusiasm and run out of gas somewhere before Prophet. But it's a deep, "difficult" work and - who knows - maybe I can learn to appreciate it more in the future.

    I am very interested to see how others think about it.
    I have never been bothered by the vocals and never payed attention to the lyrics, so I don't know what they are about. Great album btw.
    Some bands seems to think 'we gotta have vocals' even though they don't have good singer - I never got that feeling here.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    We were told in concert that Hoyry Kone was "steam Machine" or something to that effect. (Saw them twice, once opening up for Present)

    Like the debut album's name means "It Is Possible to Love Insects". No idea if they were clowning around, though.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kcrimso View Post
    Yes, that is correct.
    Many of the lyrics on Hyönteisiä voi rakastaa are kind of faux-Gothic horror sketches written not entirely seriously. Lovecraft was apparently an inspiration, so there's your lyrical as well as musical link to Present and Univers Zero. "Hyönteiset", the track that actually contains the title, is particularly a piss-take on that author-driven-mad-by-the-overwhelming-force concept.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    Damn, I've been discovred



    Yes, three's is a crowd in a four man band. I'm not saying that it's George's fault for the Beatles' break-up, though.

    We were told in concert that Hoyry Kone was "steam Machine" or something to that effect. (Saw them twice, once opening up for Present)

    Like the debut album's name means "It Is Possible to Love Insects". No idea if they were clowning around, though.
    I think with The Beatles there is less difference between the musical loves of the 3 composers and they did more or less grow together, which probably made it a bit harder to break up.

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Kai View Post
    At least Jukka Gustavson's songs, which are the densest musically and lyrically, were based on Finnish lyrics. I'm not sure whether the compositions were finished when the lyrics were translated, but I think the music suggests some of it was composed with Finnish language lines in mind. The message certainly was important to Gustavson, so the lyrics would have been there early on in the songwriting process. Mats Huldén admitted that he thought his translations sounded artificial and not very singable. Even the original texts tend to mangle words and normal sentence structures in an effort to sound more profound or creative (Nimbus did the same thing in Finnish on their Obus album, no doubt inspired by this and Gustavson's stuff onFairyport). All this probably affected the way the lyrics come across and how they are balanced with the music.

    In contrast, Pembroke's songs are more conventional songs. They were also written in English by a native English speaker and as they were mostly written before the band even began to work on the album, they are less bound by Gustavson's concept. Though of course "Petty-Bourgeois" is still lyrically pretty dense.
    Thank you very much for this post. It explains most probably this feeling of disharmony I am getting from the Gustavson songs.

    I like Pembroke's voice, and what he's doing in there vocally is not at all easy. Although the concept of Peter Gabriel funny voices is taken a bit too far.

    The album is still growing on me. For the moment I still prefer Fairyport though.

  22. #22
    Member Camelogue's Avatar
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    Probably my least favorite Wigwam release. Never connected with it and just sold it last week!

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Camelogue View Post
    Probably my least favorite Wigwam release. Never connected with it and just sold it last week!
    Really? You like those awful comeback albums (nineties and forward) more?
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  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Kcrimso View Post
    Really? You like those awful comeback albums (nineties and forward) more?
    I don't mind their comeback albums, but albums like Being and Live music from the twilight zone are really the ones I prefer. I have a weak spot for The lucky golden stripes and starpose as well, because it was my first.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    I don't mind their comeback albums, but albums like Being and Live music from the twilight zone are really the ones I prefer. I have a weak spot for The lucky golden stripes and starpose as well, because it was my first.
    Lucky Golden Stripes And Starpose is pretty nice but I don't have many good things to say about those last three studioalbums. At least the material sounded live little bit better...
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