Päät (The Heads) evolved from a punk band to a melodic new wave-influenced rock band in the course of one year and two singles. The furious if slightly cheesy "Jetset / Ime kosteutta" and "Rotat / Lihansyöjäihminen" were released in 1979 by the original lineup: Pia-Yvonne "Pivo" Rosenqvist - vocals Mika Mantere - guitar Juha Pulkkinen - bass Kai Fuhrman - drums Mantere was replaced by Juhani Kansi, who became second vocalist as well as guitarist. Immediately the band surprised everyone by rele...
Päät (The Heads) evolved from a punk band to a melodic new wave-influenced rock band in the course of one year and two singles. The furious if slightly cheesy "Jetset / Ime kosteutta" and "Rotat / Lihansyöjäihminen" were released in 1979 by the original lineup:
Pia-Yvonne "Pivo" Rosenqvist - vocals Mika Mantere - guitar Juha Pulkkinen - bass Kai Fuhrman - drums
Mantere was replaced by Juhani Kansi, who became second vocalist as well as guitarist. Immediately the band surprised everyone by releasing the excellent single "Täynnä elämää / Moderni yö", which was devoid of any punk attitude. Pivo, who had been one of the few Finnish female punkers, left the band, and was replaced with another female singer, Taina Ketonen. Sidi Vainio (ex-Briard) became the new drummer.
Päät was often accused of having an overly serious image, and the band made their statement with the next 45: "Me emme hymyile" (We Don't Smile). However, it was a major disappointment, lacking all the charm and ambition of the previous single. The band added guitarist Asko Kallonen to its lineup and striked back with the 3-song EP "Huutoja ja kuiskauksia" (Cries and Whispers), which was a very well thought-out whole: the first song "Huutoja" is a classic new wave rocker, a brilliant song with a frantic tempo and good use of saxophones and piano. The closing track "Kuiskauksia" is a soft synth arrangement of the same song, and another good track "Viimeiset kiusaukset" is nicely sandwiched in between.
The debut album "Onnenhetkiä" finally appeared in 1982 and was a fairly ambitious effort. Eleven well-produced songs about desire to live, love and be loved, one of them told from the viewpoint of a sad little boy whose father dies from illness, and who seeks comfort from his own imagination. Romantic new wave doesn't get any better than this!
Päät kept on releasing records after this, although only three more albums saw the light of day until the band dissolved in 1992, exhausted by constant changes in lineup, record companies and musical style.
Apart from their final album ("Lumottu planeetta", 1991), only the first two single a-sides have been re-released on CD.
Juha Pulkkinen and Asko Kallonen formed their own band Keba, who put out two albums in 1985-1987. Pulkkinen later produced cultural programs for radio and has written a novel and a collection of short stories. Kallonen became an important all-around force in the Finnish music world, but is probably best known today as regular member of the Idols jury. Mika Mantere played in rock band Smack, who nearly achieved international fame in the latter part of the 80's. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
