Wigwam

6-16-10

Wigwam

Wigwam is a Finnish band lead by a British singer / songwriter named Jim Pembroke. I first heard them about 1970, on the FM radio. By ’77 or so, I had a bunch of their albums, and was busily buying solo albums by Pembroke and bassist Pekka Pohjola.

LP HARD N' HORNY LOVE FIN LRLP 9

1969 12 TRKS 1^st album

CD HARD N' HORNY / TOMBSTONE VALENTINE LOVE FIN LRCD 9/19

1969/70 26 TRKS 2 on 1 (first two albums) ('90 issue)

LP TOMBSTONE VALENTINE LOVE FIN LRLP 19

1970 12 TRKS 2^nd album

LPx2 TOMBSTONE VALENTINE VERVE US FTS 3089-2

1970 22 TRKS with 'Blues Section' songs

CD FAIRYPORT LOVE FIN LRCD 44/45

1971 13 TRKS ('90 issue) 3^rd album

CD BEING LOVE FIN LRCD 92

1973 10 TRKS 4^th album ('91 issue)

LP BEING LOVE FIN LRLP 92

1973 10 TRKS original issue, booklet

CD NUCLEAR NIGHTCLUB STRANGE DAYS JPN WAS-1069

1975 15 TRKS ('05 issue) (7 x bonus tracks) (kami / paper sleeve)

LP NUCLEAR NIGHTCLUB VIRGIN UK V 2035

1975 8 TRKS UK original issue, 5^th album

LPx2 LIVE FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE LOVE FIN LXLP 517/518

1975 8 TRKS Live, 6^th album

CD LUCKY GOLDEN STRIPES AND STARPOSE LOVE FIN LRCD 166

1976 9 TRKS 7^th album

LP LUCKY GOLDEN STRIPES AND STARPOSE LOVE FIN LRLP 166

1976 9 TRKS original issue

CD DARK ALBUM LOVE FIN LRCD 227

1977 10 TRKS (2 x bonus tracks)

LP DARK ALBUM LOVE FIN LRLP 227

1977 8 TRKS original issue, insert, 8^th album

Before there was Wigwam, some of the members were in a band called Blues Section. And at some point, Wigwam intersected with Kim Fowley. FYI, I have 4 singles by Wigwam, too. And the only one I don’t seem to have on CD is their live album “Live From The Twilight Zone” – and I somehow missed the 2LP set for “Fairyport”! (I have a theory that 70’s double albums were often jot imported into the US because of the expense, hence their scarcity).

I was once sent a videotape from Finnish TV that has Wigwam playing their song “Eddie & The Boys” – great stuff.

I also happily recommend Jim Pembroke’s 4 x solo albums, “Pigworm”, “Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function”, “Flat Broke” and “Party Upstairs”. “Corporal Cauliflower” is one of my all-time favorite albums! I believe these days Pembroke fronts a re-formed Wigwam, but I have no idea who else is in the band these days. Pembroke also sang on some rockin’ Pedro’s Heavy Gentlemen albums, too.

Thanks for the music, Mr. Pembroke. “I’ll be waiting for your card or call…”

Finland

9-1-09 Finland

I first went to Finland in 1979. I arrived in Turku by a boat from Stockholm. I did not have a hotel reservation. I wandered around Helsinki and eventually found a place called (I think) “Hotel Helsinki” (or “Hotelli Helsinki”). I had enough money for a room, and they let me in, as a 21-year-old without a reservation. I remember that the weather was mild when I was there – perhaps in September ’79 – but the windows of the hotel has large wooden shutters, to cover the windows, presumably when it was super cold.

As a you , Finland was known only to me as a place that issued postage stamps. Definitely the first Finnish act I ever heard was Wigwam. I heard “Frederick & Bill” from “Tombstone Valentine” – produced by Kim Fowley. I wouldn’t have known that Jim Pembroke, Wigwam’s vocalist, was British. By the time I got to Helsinki in ’79, I was deeply enamored of Pembroke’s solo album “Corporal Cauliflower’s Mental Function” (Love Records). I bought a factory cassette of it, at a small record shop in a tunnel, near the downtown Helsinki main train station – and listened to “Island Town” and “Bertha Come Back” while I was in Helsinki. Pembroke also guested with Pedro’s Heavy Gentlemen.

I have also been very fond of Finnish bassist Pekka Pohjola, who passed away not too long ago. His solo albums were a source of wonderment for me, especially “B The Magpie” and his debut solo album with the un-rememberable Finnish name. My friend Dana and I always referred to Mr. Pohjola as “Mr. 24 Notes Where 2 Are Necessary”.

I went back to Finland at least one other time, after my first visit. Please understand that it’s a really long way away – with no real over-ground way to get there. You have to take an over-night boat from Stockholm, Sweden (“Silja Line”, I think it’s called). I also met my first New Zealander in Helsinki, while waiting for the boat back to Stockholm. She saw me reading a British (music?) newspaper – so she knew I spoke English. And, after I met her, I went to NZ seven times in the 1980’s.

If I’ve mentioned a British singer and a Finnish bass player – I must now mention a Finnish guitarist, Jukka Tolonen. He was in a band called Tasavallan Presidentii, and later made a whole heap of cool instrumental solo albums, notably “The Hook” and “Summer Games” (both on Love Records).

And I must also shout out to Philip Page, of Austin, TX – who I have known since the 70’s – who has lived in Helsinki, Finland for ages now. He worked with a mail-order company called Digelius Music; last time I talked with Philip, we were both talking about Japanese music. I can only presume he’s been to Japan by now.

I was also once very fond of a Finnish beer called “Koff”. My friend Cameron and I drank cases and cases of Koff beer. I was told that we emptied out a distributor of Koff beer, somewhere in California. The place where we were getting it one day told us that it was no longer available – I can only guess that we drank the entire available supply of it.

- Ron