Artist: Paroni Paakkunainen
Album: Plastic Maailma
Country: Finland
Genre: Folk Rock, Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Release: 1971 (2010)
Quality: Mp3, CBR 320 kbps

Woodwind-player Seppo "Paroni" Paakkunainen has had a long career as a session musician, band leader and arranger, with a stylistic spectrum encompassing rock, pop, jazz, folk and classical. On the progressive front he has been the driving force behind the progressive folk group Karelia, while his horns have graced the albums of, among others, Wigwam, Jukka Tolonen and Pekka Pohjola. His first bonafide solo album, Plastic Maailma (LP Scandia SLP 559), is a kind of sweep through those many styles, progressive in the sense that styles are juxtaposed and explored with little prejudice. Four instrumentals join six vocal numbers where the gruff vocals of Harri Saksala alternate with the purer voice of pop-chanteuse Arja Saijonmaa, criticising consumerism, poking fun at contemporary sexual mores or singing praises to Nordic egalitarianism with the kind of sincerity that makes it hard to distinguish seriousness from levity. Throughout, the "Baron" acts as an old-style band leader, tastefully adding his saxophones and flutes to the normal flow of guitars, organs, pianos and rock rhythm section, resulting in some very colourful arrangements. He goes to East with the quasi-raga sitar/flute duet "Mango", grapples some hung-over blues-rock with "Laulajan blues" ("Singer's Blues") and takes delight in lightweight vocal pop with jazzy arrangements and a few progressive touches (e.g. sudden textural and dynamic shifts) in the likes of "Kun elämä alkaa" ("When Life Begins"). More obvious homages to prevalent progressive role models appear too: The flute carries the swaying main melody of "Ennen nyt" ("Before Now"), taking to Jethro Tull-like hoarse riffing and soloing during the instrumental interlude, while "Beat Bolero" has Coltraneish saxophone stabbing riffs in unison with the guitar and wailing over gloomy organ chords and the martial drumbeat, very much out of the Crimson cookbook. The end result is a slightly dated, but charmingly odd-ball collection that can be of interest to fans of early progressive. It is still best remembered for its surrealistic cover painting.

Tracklist:
1. Beat Bolero (4:18)
2. Laulajan Blues (3:16)
3. Mango (3:24)
4. Kaksi Pientä Ihmislasta (3:30)
5. Panu Toivoton (4:48)
6. Kun Elämä Alkaa (3:56)
7. Ennen Ja Nyt (4:20)
8. Summer Flowers (5:20)
9. Vain Kaiku Jää (2:50)
10.Plastic Maailma (4:00)

Personnel:
- Paroni Paakkunainen / Flute, Alto & Tenor Saxophones
- Pekka Sarmanto / Bass
- Edward Vesala / Drums
- Ilpo Saastamoinen / Guitar
- Ken McLeod / Guitar
- Nono Söderberg / Guitar
- Esa Katajavuori / Piano, Organ
- Heikki Hietanen / Piano, Organ
- Junnu Aaltonen / Saxophone, Flute
- Mike Koskinen / Trumpet
- Harri Saksala / Vocals (2,5,7,10)
- Arja Saijonmaa / Vocals (4,6,9)