Sukellusvene
Vesi- Ja Lintumusiikkia

In 1978, twelve years after its founding by journalist Atte Blom, drummer Christian Schwindt, and composer Henrik Otto Donner, Love Records, which greatly supported the progressive scene in Finland, began to fade and decline due to severe financial issues that would inevitably lead to bankruptcy the following year. But let's stay focused on '78, specifically in the autumn, during a rather unique studio recording where good Atte, wearing the producer's hat, invites six musicians to play whatever pleases them, without worrying about maintaining a defined style and not even thinking about expenses, in order to create an LP in a short time.

But why all this confidence? Where does this trust come from? Simple, the six guys in question are none other than Sukellusvene (Submarine), the winners, along with guitarist Jimi Sumen, of the national rock contest in 1977 and therefore deserving of a rapid promotion at a record level, which would indeed culminate with the release of "Vesi- Ja Lintumusiikkia" (Water and Bird Music), their first and unfortunately only work as a jazz-fusion ensemble, given the challenging times for this genre. Not surprisingly, it was the leader and guitarist Teippi Tuomanen who would be the first to leave the bandmates (keyboardist Kari Litmanen, bassist Pekka Muhli, drummer Timo Kotineva, saxophonist Lassi Talasmo, and second guitarist Jukka Mäkinen), who would continue to play together until 1981, the year the band would cease to exist entirely.

The album opens with "Hilijuna" (Coal Train), and from its long and deep piano intro, it is immediately clear how Kari is the cornerstone of the style adopted by the group, not only in extended episodes like the aforementioned track, which manages to give ample space to the other musicians, creating a certain balance in the continuous solo escapades, but also and especially in shorter, condensed pieces, where the keyboards are able to maneuver smoothly through sudden tempo changes, often blending with Lassi's dynamic sax (Music Maze), while convincingly supporting Pekka's unstoppable bass, simultaneously creating dense atmospheres with dreamy and vaguely hallucinatory flavors (Moon Funk).

The guitars make a strong entrance in tracks like "Metsän Takaa Nousee..." (From Beyond the Forest Rises...), where Teippi unleashes all his technique with an intense solo at the end, supported by Jukka's delicate arpeggios and Timo's light touches, who, with his drums, guides the driving and jazzy rhythm of "Ilmojen Halki" (Through the Air), a lively and undoubtedly elegant composition, centrally illuminated by a brilliant piano escape signed by Kari, who is also the absolute protagonist of the final track "Tosikertomuksia" (True Stories), in which the keyboards, frequently accompanied by rapid wind forays, swirl above the other instruments, weaving evocative and enchanting airs.

Shortly before the album came out, a single was released where, besides the rendition of "Savitaipaleen Polkka", a popular Finnish piece later in high demand during concerts (although the six always categorically refused to play it, not being very in line with their personal style), there was a cover of "Sea Journey" by Chick Corea, performed in the studio after a collective drunken spree by the musicians who, believing they had finished the recordings and forgetting the existence of a B-side on the single, went happily to get drunk, unaware they would soon be called back to finish the work in, let's say, precarious conditions.