Chapter One

1982-1985. The band that had potential. Samsara Recordings #1 “One” available from Running Moose webshop, well stocked records shops and iTunes et al.

Members:

MkI:
Hannu Leidén: Vocals, piano, bass
Sami Sarhamaa: Keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
Jukka Tikander: Lead guitar
Jouni Ullakko: Bass, backing vocals, synths
Pekka Viherlaakso: Drums, backing vocals.

MkII:
Hannu Leidén: Vocals, piano
Jyrki Rahkonen: Bass, backing vocals
Sami Sarhamaa: Keyboards, backing vocals
Mikko Terhiä: Drums
Jukka Tikander: Lead guitar

with:

Ismo Piipponen: Drums, percussion
Sasu Moilanen: Drums
Tomi Laaksonen: Drums
Hannu Tornivuori: Guitar
Markku Palm: Piano, guitar, bvoc

While still in Leroy, me and Hannu had discussions of our aspirations and dreams. We both seemed to want more than what we had at the moment. After some time we decided to quit Leroy (July -82) and ask if Jouni and Jukka would like to join us. They did.

I was able to secure a rehearsal space in the same basement that Caramba used to practice in, underneath the school I used to go to. We needed to find a drummer and while we were looking Jukka asked his friend Tomi to help us out. Tomi had just begun playing so he was not suited to join the band at that time. We tried quite a few drummers and the first one even remotely suitable was Ismo Piipponen. He didn’t last long, the next one was my band pupil, Sasu Moilanen. After a while Sasu decided to quit, so we continued looking. Finally we found Pekka Viherlaakso, who fit right in. Peku had a groove and a light touch that served our sometimes quite bombastic music as a nice counter balance.

We played all the gigs we could get and got quite good. Hannu found a producer, Tommi Liuhala, who had his own studio. We parked ourselves at Birdland, later Subway Studio with engineers Make Törrönen and Sepi Myllyrinne. During 1983 we managed to basically make an album, which unfortunately didn’t get released (but it will, it will…).

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To make things more complicated, we the younger ones had to go to the army. So one after another me, Jukka and Peku went. That didn’t help the band. Even though we had substitutes, it didn’t go too smoothly. During my time in the greys, Chapter One was placed second in the Finnish National Championships for Rock Bands. After some internal dispute, Jouni quit and C1 MkI was over. I’m not quite clear what happened with Peku, but we asked my school mates Jyrki Rahkonen and Mikko Terhiä to join. So the C1 MkII was born.

The pop influences were reduced, we went for the art. The songs became longer and heavier, from powerful songs like Chapter One and Masks to some harder-to-chew numbers á la Tear in a water glass and Home. Maybe we took ourselves a bit too seriously, who knows. Not too much fun was had, anyway.

We still had access to Subway and made quite a few recordings there. Hannu had become quite skilled at recording and was working at Yleisradio as an engineer so we didn’t need any outsiders as I also had done quite a lot of recording at Sibelius Lukio. After a trip to Sweden with Dada (Matti Kervinen’s band) and a Tavastia gig (10.4.1985), Jukka decided to leave. We still plowed on with Hannu Tornivuori, but the end was at hand. The last stretch included a 4 song recording at Yleisradio and a performance at Vernissa, Velmu’s new headquarters.


Chapter One was a very important step in my education, I was blessed with excellent, musical band mates. Hannu and Jouni had good compositional skills, so I was offered a great seat at learning how to compose. I was the main lyricist of the band and made some decent lyrics, but today they sound quite the basic angst laden stuff of a guy in his early twenties, no more. After Jouni departed I was able to compose more and managed to make quite a few nice songs. This band probably helped me the most to become the composer I am today.

The first of two Chapter One releases on “Samsara Recordings”, One was released on 31.1.2014.

Here’s a review from “Karjalainen” by Suonna Kononen

Neoprogea

Suomalaista ennen julkaisematonta 80-luvun neoprogea pylvään takaa, arkistojen uumenista. Progressiivisesta rockista kiinnostunut ottaa Chapter One -yhtyeen levyn kiinnostuneena kuunteluun.

Chapter Onessa ehtivät 80-luvun ensimmäisellä puoliskolla vaikuttaa muun muassa sellaiset sittemmin eri puolilla kevyen musiikin kenttää vaikuttaneet yksilöt kuin Hannu Leiden, Jone Ullakko ja Sami Sarhamaa. Pitkäsoitto työstettiin vuonna 1983 tuottaja Tommi Liuhalan kanssa, mutta jäi julkaisematta reiluksi 30 vuodeksi.

Mestariteos cd:lle tiensä löytänyt One-levy ei ole, mutta mielenkiintoinen raakile vähintään. Chapter One yritti samoilla, myöhemmästä Genesiksestä, varhaisesta Rushista ja Sagasta inspiroituneilla linjoilla, joilla sittemmin Suomessa tämän lajin bändeistä pisimmälle pääsi Ageness.
SuoNNA KoNoNEN

AND one in Salon Seudun Sanomat:

Chapter One: One (Samsara)

Chapter one syntyi väärään maahan ja teki tällöin aivan vääränlaista musiikkia.
Ei ihme, että valmiiksi värkätty One-levy jäi tuolloin julkaisematta. Suomeen mahtui
vain yksi alan bändi kerrallaan, ensin Broadcast ja sen jälkeen Gringos Locos.
Elettiin 80-luvun alkuvuosia. Pääkaupunkiseudulta kotoisin olleen Chapter Onen
nuoret sällit (ykkölaulajana Hannu Leidén) kuuntelivat jotain muuta kuin tuon ajan
Suomi-rockia tai -punkkia. Kuuntelussa olivat lähinnä jenkkibändit tyyliin Journey,
Foreigner ja Saga. Näin uskoisin.
Levyttämään viisikko kuitenkin pääse, mutta One-nimistä pitkäsoittoa ei koskaan
julkaistu. Tämän ymmärtää 80-luvun suomalaisessa musiikkimiljöössä, mutta muutoin
Chapter Onen debyytti ei häpeä yhtään olemassaoloaan yhtenä 2014 uutuislevyistä.
Tätä kuunnellessa jopa hämmentää kavereiden kyky tarjoilla kaikin puolin
oikeaoppista American AOR:aa. Tämä pätee niin sujuvaan soittoon kuin osaavaan
laulupuoleenkin.
Osa One-levyn biiseistä olisi mennyt noina 80-luvun vuona aivan täydestä Steve
Perryn aikaisen hittivetoisen Journeyn keikkasetissä ja levyillä. Tosin levytyssoundeissa Suomi-pojat jäävät toiseksi.

Ilkka/Pohjalainen – Juha Seitz

Chapter One: One (Samsara).

Kotimaisen Chapter One -bändin 30 vuotta sitten äänitetty debyyttialbumi saatiin vihdoin julkaistua. Kotikutoisen sympaattinen kiekko puurtaa kosketinsoitinvoittoisesti, mikä poikii paikoin Saga-yhtyeelle ominaisia kuulaita kasarisointuja. Vaikka matkan varrella haparoidaan, yhtyeen rock-näkemys lujittuu parhaimmillaan eheäksi. ***

Retrokki blog, Pekka Koskivaara:

Retrokki kuuntelee: Chapter One ”One”, 2014 (1983)

16 thoughts on “Chapter One

  1. The greatest band of all times in Finland, if you ask me.

    I was there in Vernissa and Pormestari (YLE gig) like 30 years ago. I recorded the YLE show from radio to a C-casette which i have lost unfortunately.

    Is there any way to get/buy the unreleased album as well as ANY other material, live or studio, anything?

    “Hegemony”, “Another role” i can’t wait…

    1. Moi Karsta!

      Yes, the unreleased album will be released as well as another CD that has the MkII recordings. They will be available as digital releases at least and hopefully as CD’s as well. Before the snow melts…

      S

      1. That’s so awesome!! Is follow-up of this blog enough to get informed asap when they’re out?

        1. For sure! It seems we’re releasing a digi-single first, the song being “Last Letter”. Did You notice that Jouni is competing at Voice of Finland?

      2. Can’t wait to get them all. I hope you will not release them on crApple’s itune. I boycott that totally.
        Yes, sure i noticed Jouni. Two thumbs up for him!

  2. I’ve waited 30 years so I won’t give up easily. But I want them all. Not just one song, man.

  3. Dude,…it’s snowing. Last Letter is awesome, and I don’t wanna push, but I can’t help it. I want more.

    1. It’s practically there. As You hopefully noticed, Chapter One “One” is scheduled for a January 2014 release, so just a little bit more patience…

      1. Sorry, I’ve missed that. Found the comment now from the August archive. That’s so awesome, looking forward to it!

  4. Crap:

    “Valitettavasti tukku ei ole saanut ajoissa Chapter Onen levyä varastoonsa ja ilmestymispäiväksi se ei sinulle ehdi. Toimitamme sen sinulle niin pian kuin mahdollista! Pahoittelut viiveestä!”

    Weekend ruined.

  5. Just got Chapter one – one.
    Great album. Looking forward to “two”
    It.s the closest to Saga I have ever heard.

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