Artist

Pekka Streng

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Finnish progressive rock legend Pekka Streng is a singer/songwriter and guitarist who only released two albums during his short lifetime. While he died tragically in 1975 when he was only 26 years old, the posthumous album Unen Maa was assembled for release in 2009 and became a Top Ten hit. Born on April 26, 1948, in Sysmä, Finland, Streng made his album debut in 1970 with Magneettimiehen Kuolema on Love Records. The album is a Finnish psychedelic rock classic featuring Streng backed up by Tasavallan Presidentti, a prominent progressive rock band of the era that had made its eponymous album debut only a year prior. Like its predecessor, second album Kesämaa (1972) is well regarded today yet wasn't especially popular at the time of its release. Magneettimiehen Kuolema and Kesämaa were initially released on CD in 1990 as a two-fer. As the legacy of Streng grew over time, the albums were reissued separately in remastered editions with bonus material in response to demand among the singer/songwriter's fan base. Demand for additional Streng material was such,that the posthumous album Unen Maa (2009) was a Top Ten hit on the Finnish album charts. The album is comprised of acoustic demo recordings by Streng to which the band Olympia-Orkesteri added backing music, resulting in a collaboration in the tradition of Magneettimiehen Kuolema, the singer/songwriter's classic collaboration with Tasavallan Presidentti. Olympia-Orkesteri is comprised of Jukka Hakoköngäs (synthesizer, guitar, bass), Anssi Nykänen (drums), Jarno Karjalainen (bass), <a href="spotify:artist:5hy3wvtMIk2xBbs2Zll7Ny">Timo Kämäräinen</a> (guitar, vocals), and <a href="spotify:artist:1NSHUz6LEFJC6H7CBhPQgD">Jukka Perko</a> (saxophone). Streng died of cancer on April 11, 1975, in Helsinki, Finland, at the age of 26. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

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