Plain and Fancy: 04/02/25

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Wigwam - Fairyport (1971 finland, excellent prog art rock, 2010 remaster)

The mark up in musical quality between the first two albums and Fairyport is impressive. Even the band seemed to be at a creative peak as they composed enough material for one and a half albums. Of more importance to us is that this could be considered to be the first truly progressive rock record that the band recorded. Those days albums, unlike todays albums, had to be of a certain length and the duration of the material they had recorded was only enough for three sides of a double album. Unwilling to compromise on the material they had recorded, the band opted to include a fourth side which was taken up by a live jam called Rave-Up For The Raodies rather than discard the third side of recorded material.

The album opens with Losing Hold, long considered a live Wigwam favourite, which has a great organ-led introduction. This, the longest studio track on the album is a masterpiece of progressive rock music. The fusion of the piano and organ creates a sound unique to this band as they romp through this track with the rhythm section creating a fantastic backing. The only lull in the romp comes with the inclusion of vocals, for a short period, that allows the whole track to take a breather, though this is not for long. Lost Without A Trace comes in as a perfect contrast to Losing Hold. The instruments are completely stripped down to Jukka Tolonen's acoustic guitar work accompanying Jim Pembroke on vocals and piano.

One of the features to really come to the fore on this album is the complex musical character of Jukka Gustavson. Before this album, his compositions, though complex were limited to just the band members and possibly one or two guest musicians. This time round help is enlisted in the form of a number of wind instruments who though uncharacteristic for a rock album, manage to carry out the desired effect to perfection. Add to that the continuous shifts in time signature and minor chord progressions, and one practically has described the title track, Fairyport. The jazz influence really permeates this particular track though one does also sense a rock n' roll element at times. The highlight of the track must be the entrance of the brass and woodwinds playing out the theme of the song midway through the track.

The shorter Gray Traitors maintains the uncommercial style of Gustavson compositions. However, one must admit that all Gustavson compositions have an unexpected twist in them. Just as the track seems to be winding up into another quirky tune, it takes off, picking up in tempo, progressing into a great instrumental section and merging with Caffkaff, The Country Psychologist. Possibly the most unconventional track on the album, the chord sequences are totally uncharacteristic, in true Gustavson fashion, with Pembroke's mournful vocals accompanying the piano. Suddenly the track seems to break down with the electric piano indulged in some jazzy runs while Ronnie Österberg makes full use of his congas and percussion. The last of Gustavson penned tracks on the album is May Your Will Be Done Dear Lord. One of the masterpieces on this album, the track manages to show Gustavson in a different light. Here he manages to combine his complex nature with a relatively more straight forward and accessible feel. However he cannot resist including sudden twists, and at the first chance, in come the woodwinds and brass instruments to take over the reins of the track albeit for a short while.

With How To Make It Big In Hospital one sees the return to the Pembroke penned tracks. One immediately senses the simplification of the presentation as well as the accessibility of the music. Pekka Pohjola's could be best described as standing somewhere between those of Gustavson and Pembroke. With a predilection for instrumental tracks, his music is strong in the jazz approach yet at the same time manages to retain a certain amount of ear friendly characteristics. Both Hot Mice and P.K:S Supermarket are instrumentals with the latter having an Eastern European touch to it both in terms of beat as well as style. In fact another characteristic of Pohjola is his predilection in introducing a certain amount of traditional themes into his music. The inability to conceive lyrics led Pohjola to collaborate with Jim Pembroke on those tracks he felt required them. Such is the case with One More Try which has the Pohjola touch written all over it with its clever shifts in time signature pausing only for the occasional vocal interlude.

Rockin' Ol' Galway is the typical Pembroke composition. Direct, concise and more importantly extremely pleasing to the ear with catchy hooks yet at the same time retaining just the right amount of zaniness to make it stand out from any other run of the mill "pop" composition. Every Fold, with Pembroke playing the piano is one of the most moving tracks in the Wigwam repertoire.

As mentioned before, the final track on the album is a seventeen minute plus jam that was recorded live just for the sake of filling up the final side on the record. Called Rave Up For The Roadies, the track also features Jukka Tolonen on guitar, who by then was almost a regular member for Wigwam live performances. The track also allows an insight into what a Wigwam concert must have been like. Unlike their carefully calculated and structured studio material, the Wigwam live performances were very free and improvisational. One could consider them as the Grateful Dead of progressive rock as they would merge tracks and play on for lengthy periods of time. Suffice to say that this particular track was an improvised jam session. Another interesting note is the fact that Pembroke is not listed on the credits, a sign that he had not yet started to play the organ/electric piano onstage, which also meant that he spent a large part of the Wigwam concerts waiting in the wings!

by Nigel Camilleri