On our last guest post over ALL SCANDINAVIAN, we took a look back at one of the greatest prog-rock albums to come out of Finland in the seventies. While we prepare a new post for Peter’s blog, let us bring here that look at the past and the sounds of Charlies.

Back in the late sixties and through the seventies the most outstanding and groundbreaking music wore the ultimate logo. Done by Harri Manner, it was the logo of record label Love Records who put a solid mark on Finnish rock of that era. Founded in 1966, the label went on to release 384 LPs in 13 years until it went bankrupt. During that time Love Records was the first home of the soon to be most important Finnish artists and bands, bridging a wide array of genres from progressive rock and folk to punk and new wave later on.

Hector, Dave Lindholm, Hurriganes, Juice Leskinen and Pelle Miljoona became popular and respected artists, but others were not that fortunate and their albums were soon forgotten. That was the case of the 29. LP released by Love Records. ‘Buttocks’ was the second album by blues rock band Charlies and although it remained out of print for many years, this eight-song album was converted into cult product, distributed through music blogs and by fanatic fans of the dirtiest rock of the seventies.

Formed in 1966 in Lahti as a power trio, Charlies was another one of the million of bands around the world inspired by the sounds of Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and other guitar heros of the late sixties. Their first recording was the soundtrack for a failed film and only 300 copies were pressed. That was in the beginning of 1970, but just a few months later the band was back in a homebuilt studio to record ‘Buttocks’.

One of the things that makes this album so special is the use of such strong fuzzed guitars and fat bass lines, empowered by a double stack of Marshall amps and double bass drums. All making it probably one of the hardest album of its time (Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ was released just a few weeks before ‘Buttocks’). Wah-wah sounds and crude blues jams are all over the album, but it’s the array of different instruments decorating the songs – e.g. Jethro Tull inspired flute, Stooges sax bits, kettles, and Moroccan clay drums – that makes Charlies’ heavy blues so remarkable and unique.

A couple of songs have had an afterlife on different compilations, but ‘Buttocks’ was forgotten over time, becoming a cult album for only a handful of prog-rock fanatics. Like it’s the case with most of the original releases from the Love Records catalogue, ‘Buttocks’ is nearly impossible to find and the rare copies that might be found on eBay, in secondhand stores or record fairs can easily carry a price tag on more than 100 Euros.

Check out Charlies’ song Like The Purpose Told Me in the player and CLICK HERE for a live video from Finnish television.

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