Finnish
Walt Johnson – Oulun Poika Laulaa
I’m a sucker for homemade album projects, so I was thrilled to stumble on this gem last weekend at a local church garage sale. They actually had a second album of Walt’s so I grabbed that one too. According to the album, Walt and his wife were born and raised in the Oulu area of northern Wisconsin. For those who aren’t familiar with the area, it’s beautiful country with the highlight being the nearby Bois Brule River. A world class trout stream and stunning canoe and kayak destination. And don’t miss Johnson’s Berry Patch around the end of June. An Oulu hot spot. I’m drooling just thinking about those sweet, plump strawberries.
I couldn’t resist adding this video. I’ve run the Brule a few times during the summer, but these guys are nuts. I don’t care if they’re covered head to toe in Neoprene, that’s gotta be cold.
Walt decided to make this record at the urging of his friends after spending many years playing at area dances. My concern was that Walt’s friends might be telling him how good he is just to be nice. So I spun this album up fearing the worst. Well let me just say this, Walt….you rock! With a minimal organ and accordion accompaniment, Walt does a beautiful job singing. Mostly in a language that I can’t understand. He moves back and forth effortlessly between Finnish and English, and he’s so smooth that I’d still listen if he was singing in Klingon.
The part I loved best about this album was seeing that my boiler repairman, Ernie, provided “instrumental assistance”. I had no idea that he was a musician too. Although I didn’t know him well, I always looked forward to every fall when Ernie would stop by to restore my heat for the winter. The man was a wizard with my 1970′s era boiler, so I’m really not surprised that he had other talents. Very cool.
If you’re interested, I did find Walt’s follow-up LP on eBay for $9.98. I haven’t listened to it yet but if it’s half as good as this one, I’d pony up the ten spot.
Tracks:
Side One
- 01_01 – Kultainen Nuoruus
- 01_02 – Onnemi
- 01_03 – Villi Ruusu
- 01_04 – Maailman Matti
- 01_05 – Tennessee Valssi
- 01_06 – Metsa Pirtti
Side Two
