Black Slacks -
Savage Sessions 1982-83 (LP)
Shortly after the 12" Rockin' Drifters release with recordings from 1980,
this slab of wax makes its entry on the market and the band is the Black Slacks
and on offer is a piece of Finnish Rock'n'Roll history 1982-1983. This is a
very small print of only 100 copies (and no CD). I've no idea wether there are
still copies available, I highly doubt it (the announcement of the forecoming release was in June 2023). You can try your luck with the label on their site on Facebook
As with the Rockin' Drifters, you get Arto "Archie" Hämäläinen once again, albeit two years older (making him 19 at the time), but in a seldom seen or heard role, this time as the drummer of the band. I knew that Archie had played the drums at one time in his life (and also saxophone, if my recollection of what I've been told is correct). But the fact that there would be a time when these recordings came to the surface was just not possible even beyond positive thinking. In contect, even the release of the Rockin' Drifters were something I didn't expect to see/hear during my lifetime. There he can be heard at an age of 17 on the guitar which proved to be his main instrument in decades to come. I can't contribute to the story of either band and all I know about the Black Slacks is taken from the reverse side of the cover, titles "The Story" and then a short text in Finnish (see below - this is a Google translation).
What can
you hear on "Savage Sessions 1982-1983? Fourteen tracks, of which thirteen
should be well hung cover versions. I'm not too sure about "Herätys Kello
(Tick Tock)". The credits
state "J. Landi - Arr Black Slacks" and I can find a certain Jerry
Landis on the internet wit a track called "Tick Tock", but I'm not
even sure it was his composition. The genre is Rock'n'Roll, no question
about that, and all in 1982-83 where, except in Finland, no thought was wasted
on the style. Which is just to show how deep music in general and R'n'R
specifically is ingrained in Finnish society (but so is Punk, British Style
R'n'B, Metal etc.). The recordings are from a cassette from the stash of Arto
"Archie" Hämäläinen and have been transferred. I bet, that this was
never intended for public consumption, but despite the obvious sound problems
is this an astonishingly good tape at 40 years old. It's definitely not Hifi,
the fluctuations in sound are too obvious, but as a historical document in the
wider sense of Doctor's Order (which came only much later), this is remarkable
and priceless. I'm waiting now
for a release with Archie on the saxophone.
As mentioned
above, "The Story" has been lifted off the release (with just a bit of
corrections - thank you Google translate, Finnish is not your strength) and I
was actually a bit perplexed, Archie on Bass for a later incarnation of the
Black Slacks? Confirmed, by the man himself! You're never too old to learn
something.
Line-Up on the 12"
Tapio
"Teiso" Mikkola: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Janne "Janski" Heikinnen: Lead Guitar
Keijo Ohtonen: SLAP Bass (R.I.P.)
Arto Hämäläinen: Drums
Pasi Pajunen: Rhythm Guitar 1982
One question remains to be asked and answered, what was the
reason Archie stuck to the guitar after playing drums, bass, guitar (and if
true - which I don't doubt the least - saxophone). He's a first rate gitarrero
and it would take a long, hard brainstorming to come up with anyone else to be
a match on the axe. I might ask him though.
THE Story
Teiso rehearsed Rockabilly in the living room of Pekka
Teräs, who lives next door, where Teiso sang, Pekka hinted to Arto Hämäläinen
that he would be a tough singer and after a while Arto went to talk to Teiso
and the deal was born. This is how a band called THE STARLITES was born in
Järvenpää in 1981, consisting of Teiso: Laulu, Veso Ikonen: Slap Bass, Pasi
Pajunen: Rh-Guitar/background singing, Janski Heikinen: Lead Gtr and Arto
Hämäläinen: Drms. The band played together for about six months In 1982 the name
of the bönd changed to BLACK SLACKS Vesa Ikonen, left the band. Pasi Pajunen
continued in the band for a few months, but moving to the USA stopped playing.
Vesa sold his brilliant bass with the Slap feature, Keijo Ohtoselle joined the
band as a new member. The rehearsal venue was Filmilinna (Filmari) in
Järvenpää, where the band rehearsed at the back of the house.
All the songs on the album were recorded at Filmar in
1982-83, the band toured a lot at local schools and on 04.06.1983 at Lepako in
Helsinki. After the Batto gig, Jamski Heikkinen left the band, but Jari Eklund
had tipped Teiso to Bop Cats' Utsi Uusitalo and so Teiso got to sing in Bop
Cats at the Punkalaitumen Särkän Weekend Hop party on 20.08.1983, two songs
*TENnessee R'N'R" and "HYPNOTIZED".
BLACK SLACKS continued with a different composition in which Original members
were only Teiso and Arto, who played bass in the new line-up. Jamski Heikkinen
went on holiday in Cantania, Italy and travelled there with local rockers and
told about Slacks, gave the band's contacts to a local party organizer and soon
Italy contacted Finland and thus BLACK SLACKS got to the Italian gig in 1984
with this new lineup, By the end of that year the band was at the end of its
life cycle.
See the spelling of Archie's name. I don't know wether this was a typo back then or just a change from the standard spelling.
Cheers
Roland
P.S.: I can't thank Ari Kaipio enough for pointing me towards these releases (Rockin' Drifters and Black Slacks) and even more so, for sending me a copy of each release.
