Biography
Recognized as a cornerstone of Finnish progressive rock, Pekka Streng worked as a vocalist, composer, and guitarist yet managed to issue only two albums across his abbreviated career. His death from cancer came on April 11, 1975, in Helsinki, Finland, when he was just 26, yet the 2009 collection Unen Maa, built from archival recordings, still climbed into the national Top Ten. Born April 26, 1948, in Sysmä, Finland, he entered the catalog in 1970 with Magneettimiehen Kuolema, issued by Love Records and now viewed as a landmark of Finnish psychedelic rock; the sessions paired him with Tasavallan Presidentti, the leading progressive outfit that had launched its self-titled debut only the previous year. His follow-up, Kesämaa, arrived in 1972 and likewise enjoys retrospective esteem despite modest initial notice. The two titles first reached compact disc together in 1990 as a combined package, later receiving separate remastered pressings that incorporated extra tracks once collector interest intensified. That same interest prompted the 2009 appearance of Unen Maa, which also registered a Top Ten finish on the Finnish album charts. The set drew on Streng’s acoustic demo tapes, to which Olympia-Orkesteri supplied new instrumental support in the same spirit that had defined his classic partnership with Tasavallan Presidentti. The ensemble featured Jukka Hakoköngäs on synthesizer, guitar, and bass, Anssi Nykänen on drums, Jarno Karjalainen on bass, Timo Kämäräinen on guitar and vocals, and Jukka Perko on saxophone.