Esa Pulliainen Kai Pulliainen Jari "Kepa" Kettunen
Past members
Ville Valo Vesa Haaja Jorma Kääriäinen Topi Sorsakoski Rauli Somerjoki Pekka Rytkönen Juha Takanen Petri Rantala Eero Ojanen Jukka Ollila Hans Etholén Heikki Sandrén
Agents is a Finnish band formed in 1979, playing rautalanka, schlager and rock'n'roll music. The head figure and musical director of the band is solo guitarist Esa Pulliainen.
Agents was founded in 1979 on the ruins of Tuomari Nurmio's band Köyhien ystävät. All former members of Köyhien ystävät, with the exception of Tuomari Nurmio, played in the original Agents. The band also recruited Esa's brother Kai Pulliainen and keyboard player Jukka Ollila. The lead singer was Pekka Rytkönen, nicknamed Beat-Pete.
Co-operating with Badding
Agents started co-operation with Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki in autumn 1981, which also meant the end of Beat-Pete's career in Agents. Jukka Ollila was also replaced by Petri Rantala.
The band's first album, Ikkunaprinsessa, was published in 1982. The album included the hits "Ikkunaprinsessa", "Kuihtuu kesäinen maa" and "Muista hyviä aikoja". Agents participated in the lyrics and music of the album.
The next album, Tähdet, tähdet, was published in 1983. The title song of the album became one of Badding's best known hits. Other hits from the album include "Nukkuja kaunein", "Yön hiljaisuudessa" and "Kun aika rientää". Esa Pulliainen arranged almost all music in the album.
The last album made in co-operation with Somerjoki, Laivat, was published in 1985. On the album, Agents plays under the alias The Young Beats. Hits from the last Badding album include "Laivat", "Illan varjoon himmeään", "Lähdön hetkellä" and "Tahdon".
Co-operation with Badding ended in 1985. During his last years, Badding performed with various bands, but Laivat was his last album. Agents had already been performing on and off with Topi Sorsakoski, who now became the official lead singer of the band. The keyboard player also resigned from the band alongside Badding.
Topi Sorsakoski & Agents
Topi Sorsakoski contributed vocals to four studio albums during his first tenure with Agents.
With Topi Sorsakoski as their primary lead singer, Agents went on to record their next studio album In Beat in 1985. The album, produced by Pedro Hietanen, was released in 1986 and it topped the Finnish album charts. In Beat was a commercial success and it was certified double platinum in Finland. The album provided hit songs "Surujen kitara", "Salattu Suru", "Eeva" and "Olen yksin".
In the next year, the band published another hit album, Besame Mucho. To the surprise of many, Besame Mucho doesn't feature on the album, instead the name is a trick played on purpose by Agents and Topi Sorsakoski. Hits from the album include "Kaksi kitaraa", "Kauan" and "Valot" (Badding's song as an instrumental version).
In 1988, the band published their third album, Pop. The third album also sold well. Hits from the album include "Tyhjää", "Varjojen yö", "On kesäyö", "Jo riittää" and "Nyt kaikki muuttunut on".
In 1989, Agents did not publish a new album. The EMI record company decided to publish a collection album called Greatest Hits, which the band did not like. The collection album sold well and reached a gold record.
In 1990, Agents' and Topi Sorsakoski's last album, Half and Half, was published. Half of the album contains sung material and the other half contains Agents' rautalanka music.
Topi Sorsakoski & Agents split up in 1992 because of internal arguments. Topi had published his solo album Yksinäisyys in 1991, which anticipated the end of the co-operation. One of the reasons was Topi Sorsakoski's financial troubles in the early 1990s, and he would have wanted higher commissions from their performances and records. In common with Topi Sorsakoski, the assisting guitarist Hans Etholén and the drummer Juha Takanen, both of which had been playing in the band since the Köyhien ystävät days, also quit the band.
Agents & Jorma Kääriäinen
In 1992, Esa Pulliainen invited Jorma Kääriäinen as the lead singer of Agents. The band also got a new drummer, Heikki Sandrén. The keyboard player on the albums was J-P Virtanen.
The first album, Agents Forever, was published in 1995. Hits included "Antaudun", "Tähti kaukainen" and "Pikku Mona".
The next album, Agents Is Back!, was published in 1996. Hits included "Moskovan valot", "Salainen rakkaus" and "Salaperäinen".
The third album, Agents Is More!, was published in 1997. The album also contained Agents' rautalanka music. Hits included "Päivin öin", "Sinä vain", "Valot" (Badding's song as a new version), "My babe", "King Creole" and "Minä kuljen".
The fourth album, Agents Is Best!, was published in 1998. Hits included "Illan varjoon himmeään", "Muistan kesän" and "Olen syytön".
Agents started a TV show called Laulava sydän on YLE TV2. In 1999, a double album with the same name was published, featuring many other artists, such as Ville Valo, Pate Mustajärvi, Marko Haavisto, Topi Sorsakoski and Reijo Taipale. The album reached a gold record.
In 2001, the album Agents is... here! was published. The album also contained Agents' rautalanka music.
In 2001, the rock album Agents is... rock! was published. Hits included "Hound dog", "Move it" and "Teenage Dolly".
In 2003, a new album, Agents is... tonight was published. Hits included "Jos näin ei koskaan", "Fever" and "Peliä vain".
In 2004, a co-operation album with The Boys, called Pop Show, was published. The album was accompanied with common concerts in the next summer all over Finland. Hits from the common album included "Tahdon saaren", "Yyterin twist", "Takaa ajatusten virran" and "Leningrad".
In November 2004, the second collection album from Jorma Kääriäinen and Agents was published. The album contains five new releases from Agents. ...Is best vol. 2 reached a platinum record, 30 thousand sold records, in June 2005.
On 13 September 2006, the seventh and currently the latest studio album from Jorma Kääriäinen and Agents, ...Is Allright, was published.
In October 2006, Agents announced they were withdrawing from playing and recording for a long while. The lead singer Jorma Kääriäinen currently performs as a solo artist and published his new solo record, Yhden tähden hotelli, in spring 2007.
Topi Sorsakoski's comeback as lead singer of Agents
Topi Sorsakoski returned as lead singer of Agents for one album and one tour. In autumn 2007, a new Agents album, based on material released by the 1960s British rock band The Renegades, was published. Topi Sorsakoski & Agents also performed a small tour accompanying the album.
Instrumental album
On 13 August 2008, a new studio album, Agents... Is Beat! - Instrumental 2008 Recordings was published. The album consists solely of instrumental music.
Agents & Vesa Haaja
On 26 August 2008, the band announced they had hired a new lead singer, Vesa Haaja. Born in 1968, Vesa "Vesku" Haaja is a Finnish musician and vocalist who had previously sung in the band Whistle Bait as well as in The Barnshakers and in Hi-Fly Rangers.
The band was also joined by the saxophone player Juho Hurskainen.[1]
The most recent album releases of Agents have been credited to Agents & Vesa Haaja, the first being On Stage / In Studio in 2012 followed by Sound on Sound in 2014.
Music
Agents performing in 2015
Agents' repertoire consists practically completely of songs originally written and performed by others. There are many reasons for Agents' popularity, but the most important ones are well chosen songs, Slavic melancholy, the lyrical guitar sound of the band's leading figure Esa Pulliainen, and the well-executed compositions he has made.
After recruiting Kääriäinen, the band has shifted its repertoire to focus more on rock'n'roll, which does not appeal to everyone. The melancholy longing feel has not been completely forgotten though, and the band is still popular at dance venues.
The Electric Spanking of War Babies is the twelfth studio album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released in April 1981 on Warner Bros. Records. The title is an allusion to the Vietnam War and baby boomers. Sly Stone contributed to the recording sessions, singing lead vocals on "Funk Gets Stronger ".
Dingo is a Finnish rock band formed around 1982. Their style fused Finnish melancholy with catchy rock melodies. The band was led by the frontman Pertti Neumann. For a few years at its peak, Dingo was one of the most popular Finnish rock bands and caused a phenomenon called "Dingomania" all over Finland.
Elf was an American rock band founded in 1967 by singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein. The band was originally called the Electric Elves, but was shortened to the Elves in 1968 and finally Elf in 1972. Elf disbanded in 1975 after recording three albums and after most of the lineup had been absorbed into the newly formed Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, among others. The band's Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rauli Somerjoki, known professionally as "Badding", was a Finnish rock singer born in the town of Somero into a family of five children. His records were published on such labels as Love Records.
Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978 by Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan. The band achieved its best success in the 1980s, producing many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best-known for their double-platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme song for the 1982 motion picture Rocky III; that single spent six weeks at number one in the US. The band continued to chart in the mid-1980s with singles like "Burning Heart", "The Search Is Over", "High on You", "Is This Love", and "I Can't Hold Back." Before Survivor formed, Jim Peterik was the lead vocalist–guitarist for the band The Ides of March. The Jim Peterik Band formed after Peterik had released his album Don't Fight the Feeling on Epic Records in 1976. The liner notes of the album, written by Jim Charney, refer to Peterik as a "survivor". This note inspired the name of Peterik's next grouping.
Blackfoot is an American Southern rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1970. Though they primarily play with a Southern rock style, they are also known as a hard rock act. The band's classic lineup consisted of guitarist and vocalist Rickey Medlocke, guitarist Charlie Hargrett, bassist Greg T. Walker, and drummer Jackson Spires.
Handful of Rain is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Savatage, released in 1994. This is the first album since the death of the band's founding member and lead guitarist Criss Oliva who in turn had contributed to writing on two of its songs before his passing, namely "Taunting Cobras" and "Nothing's Going On".
Wigwam was a Finnish progressive rock band formed in 1968.
The Very Best of Kiss is a compilation album by the American rock band Kiss. It was released on August 27, 2002. It contains 21 of the band's most popular tracks, all previously released, with original versions.
Jefferson Airplane is the eighth and final studio album by San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane, released on Epic Records in 1989. Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady all returned for the album and supporting tour, though Spencer Dryden did not participate. The album and accompanying tour would mark the last time Jefferson Airplane would perform together until their 1996 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
My Kantele is the second EP by Finnish heavy metal band Amorphis, released in 1997. It is not to be confused with the recording "My Kantele" from the album Elegy, which is not on this compilation, although the title is still used as it contains the acoustic version of "My Kantele" and four previously unreleased songs. The song "My Kantele" is a traditional Finnish song from the 1840 collection Kanteletar, sung by Loituma.
Jukka Jorma Tolonen is a Finnish jazz guitarist. Tolonen became famous as guitarist for the progressive rock band Tasavallan Presidentti.
Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. They released a split album and their debut on Little Rose Productions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Immortal Souls signed with Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second and third album as well as a compilation. They have performed at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival. Their musical style is characterized by their use of melodic guitar riffs and singing which shifts between growls and shouting. Their music has been called winter metal since Immortal Souls utilizes frosty metaphors in their lyrics and usually creates a cold, wintry atmosphere. The album Wintereich was released in 2007 in Europe on Dark Balance and in the USA through Facedown Records.
In common usage, the Finnish word rautalanka means instrumental rock in general. Some enthusiasts use the term more narrowly to refer to the somewhat distinct style of music that emerged in Finland in the 1960s. This article is written from that more narrow point of view.
"I Want Out" is a song by German power metal band Helloween from the album Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2, that was released as a single in 1988.
Kahdeksas ihme is the eighth album of Finnish rock group Eppu Normaali. The album was produced by Mikko "Pantse" Syrjä, the guitarist and main songwriter of the band. It was released on 19 August 1985 through Poko Rekords, and it is one of the most famous and best-selling albums of Eppu Normaali and among the 40 best-selling albums of all time in Finland.
Tehosekoitin was a Finnish rock band formed in 1991. The band made music with traditional rock 'n roll attitude. Besides pure rock 'n roll, they also made some songs which were more like jazz, blues or tender ballads than actual rock. Tehosekoitin was really popular in Finland. After a successful decade in Finland the band toured under the new name Screamin' Stukas in Britain and Europe. They translated all their lyrics into English. The tour wasn't very successful.
Pekka Erkki Juhani Tammilehto, better known by his stage name Topi Sorsakoski, was a Finnish singer. His father was Finnish tango singer Yrjö Johannes "Tapio" Tammilehto.
Repullinen hittejä is a compilation album of Finnish rock group Eppu Normaali. The album was produced by Mikko "Pantse" Syrjä, the guitarist and main songwriter of the band. It was released on 12 September 1996 through Poko Rekords. Repullinen hittejä debuted at number one on the Finnish Albums Chart and, with 110 weeks until 2007, became the third-longest charting album of all time. It is also the second-best-selling album of all time in Finland with sales exceeding 250,000 copies, which has granted it a sextuple-platinum certification.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
