The Silver Hawks - Twang On! (featuring Mosrite!)

[juan_10]

Here's a couple more Finnish words for you Sarah ..

Heavisaurus ..... such joy!

And 'Bouncy Feeling '

Love those Finns !! The gift that keeps on giving. (apologies for zero Mosrite content )
Just getting over the flu here .. I'm posting rubbish I know. But these both made me smile and there IS a tenuous connection to the thread.

[Dennisthe Menace]

OMG! Juan, I just fell off the computer chair, taking with me a fresh cup of coffee watching
"Bouncy Feeling.". This is one of those type of vid's that it is so ridiculous, that it's hilarious!..

[vetovideo]

Dennis .... you fell over just like the poor kid at 2:08 ??????? LOL!!!!!

[Chemo]

Cool! I learned a new word, "rautalanka".

Great! Actually, rautalanka might be interesting to anybody who is interested in classic old guitar instrumentals: it is a style typical to Finland. Is was a big thing over here in the early sixties. The music is a kind of a mixture of The Shadows tape echo sound and slavic melancholy. Japanese instro fans tend to like it a lot.

...and no, not many Mosrites were around here back then. But we younger players sometimes bring Mo's in rautalanka...

[64sunburst]

Chemo,
I looked at a bunch of Rautalanka videos on Youtube, and I did notice the heavy Shadows influence - a lot players with strats with that Hank Marvin sound. And I also noticed the similarity of a lot of the music to Japanese pop music too. I wanted to ask about a song that several bands were covering - 'Manchurian Beat" or something like that? What's the story with that song?
Byron

[Veenture]

I wanted to ask about a song that several bands were covering - 'Manchurian Beat" or something like that? What's the story with that song?
Byron

It was written by J.Schatrow/J. Liebkind/K. Maniloff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQZX04wQZgg

Finland has spawned some of the best guitar combos, starting in the 1960s with the Sounds, who had the honor of having their original hit, "Mandschurian [Manchurian] Beat," covered by the Ventures themselves. Led by Johnny Liebkind, the Sounds had a wonderful power pop kind of sound that well deserves a rediscovery. More elusive are the Quiets, who I've only heard on an obscure Japanese compilation, but whose atmospheric covers of "From Russia with Love" and "In a Persian Market" have led me to years of (so far) fruitless searching. And in the 1990s, Finland gave us the awesome Laika and the Cosmonauts, who were as good at reinventing tunes such as Mancini's "Experiment in Terror" as they were at writing originals such as "Six Seconds in Dallas. http://www.spaceagepop.com/lpforgit.htm

The first Ventures' recording of the tune appeared on an EP in 1971.

[Chemo]

Yes, Mandschurian Beat is a 1963 classic rautalanka recording by The Sounds. It was a flipside of "Emma"; this single was a big hit not only in Finland but in Japan too. Those two songs are still among the most covered rautalanka songs.

The Sounds actually played again last summer at Nastola rautalanka festival - the first time in 46 years. They are playing in Helsinki next saturday. Unfortunately, I won't be in Finland then and I also missed the festival gig so I won't be able to report. But I've heard good things about the first one. There are a couple of good cd compilations around which cover pretty much all of their recordings.

The abovementioned The Quiets were not a 60's band, they started in the 80's - but they are very loyal to the rautalanka heritage. And a top notch band too, so if you ever have chance to see them live I can highly recommend them.