Kingston Wall
Encyclopedia
Kingston Wall was a psychedelic
/progressive
rock
group from Helsinki
, Finland
, originally formed in 1987. Influenced by such artists as Jimi Hendrix
, Led Zeppelin
and Pink Floyd
, the group combined eastern
themes, mysticism
and vivid psychedelia with acid-rock.
The band consisted of Petri Walli
(guitars, lead vocals), Jukka Jylli
(bass, backing vocals) and Sami Kuoppamäki
(drums, percussion). Walli took the most active role in the band. He formed the group, composed most of the songs and wrote all the lyrics. He was also Kingston Wall's producer and manager and ran the band's own Trinity record label.
(later referenced and re-released as I) in 1992 under the Trinity label. Their debut album consisted mainly of psychedelic hard rock along with a cover of Jimi Hendrix' song "Fire", which gained the group some popularity among the Finnish radio
stations. The album culminated in the heavily progressive, 21-minute track, "Mushrooms".
, was released in February 1993. This time the group brought in some more acoustic and folk
elements to their songs, like acoustic guitars and violins in "Istwan" (violin played by Ufo Mustonen
) and saxophones in "Shine On Me" (saxophone played by Sakari Kukko
). They also included a cross-genre
cover version of the Donna Summer
disco
classic "I Feel Love".
, was released in autumn 1994. It was a very different album compared to the two previous ones as it included more hard rock sounds, at times combined with dub reggae
, techno
and synthesizers arranged by Kimmo Kajasto (from Koneveljet and Rinneradio
). Most of the lyrics on Tri-Logy have almost religious philosophical/mythological tone in them, and they are partially based on the Bock Saga, an eccentric explanation about the origins of the alphabets, words and the whole human history.
This story of Bock Saga was told by Ior Bock
, a man Petri Walli knew well and most likely got to know him during his trips to Goa
, India
, where Bock used to stay at wintertime and tell his tales. When Tri-Logy was released, Petri Walli said in an interview that it was probably the most expensive self-financed album ever made in Finland. Tri-Logy was also considered by many as an almost megalomaniac rock-epic reminiscent of Pink Floyd's The Wall
album. The last song on the album, "The Real Thing", runs for 18 minutes and again features Sakari Kukko on saxophone along with ambient synthesizer pads played by Kimmo Kajasto.
Tri-Logy was to be the Kingston Wall's last studio album. They played their last public show in Lepakko
, Helsinki on December 1994 and their last show ever was some days later in Sörnäinen
' prison at Helsinki. After this, the band called it quits in a local cafeteria and each of the members went on their separate ways. Walli left for India and shortly after his return to Finland, on the 28th of June, 1995, jumped to his death from the tower of Töölö
church in central Helsinki. This marked the end for Kingston Wall. Walli was later buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery
, about one kilometer away from his place of death.
Kingston Wall was known for their energetic live performances. The band held their own Freak-Out Club three times in Helsinki. They started playing live from small local pubs but as their popularity grew they could sell out the biggest clubs in Helsinki.
All the original Kingston Wall albums and singles under the Trinity label have been since sold out and are regarded collector's items. The trilogy
was re-issued by a Finnish record label Zen Garden in 1998. A limited amount of 1000 copies included a bonus CD along with each of the three original remastered albums. The limited re-issues sold out quickly. The bonus CDs contained single B-sides and previously unreleased live recordings. In 2000, a remix album titled Freakout Remixes was released. This tribute album included techno
and psychedelic trance
remixes of the original Kingston Wall songs, made by such Finnish artists as Accu, Squaremeat and Texas Faggott. Kingston Wall has also influenced many Finnish rock groups and received cover tributes from artists such as The Rasmus
("Used to Feel Before" on Madness-single) and Amorphis
("And I Hear You Call" on My Kantele
-EP).
Although Kingston Wall never played outside Finland apart from one gig in Tallinn
, Estonia
during their early days, the group is considered even by many Finns as one of the country's best hard rock groups. Their albums have appeared on the Finnish Top 40 album charts. The cult following
status
of Kingston Wall has also gained them a steadily growing fan base around the world, mostly thanks to the Internet
.
After a long period of silence, a live CD box set was released from Kingston Wall. The box set featured three CDs recorded from various gigs during the bands existence. The tracks were selected for this album by bass player Jukka Jylli.
Jukka Jylli and Sami Kuoppamäki currently play in the Finnish rock outfit Zook
.
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
/progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
group from Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, originally formed in 1987. Influenced by such artists as Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, the group combined eastern
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
themes, mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and vivid psychedelia with acid-rock.
The band consisted of Petri Walli
Petri Walli
Petri Ilari Walli was the founder, vocalist, guitar-player, songwriter and producer of the Finnish psychedelic rock-band Kingston Wall....
(guitars, lead vocals), Jukka Jylli
Jukka Jylli
Jukka Kalevi Jylli is a Finnish bass-player who played in a band called Kingston Wall.After Kingston Wall was disbanded, he played in a group called Saunabadh.At the same time as his rock career flourished Jylli was also active in the Helsinki pub music scene, playing with the pioneering...
(bass, backing vocals) and Sami Kuoppamäki
Sami Kuoppamäki
Sami Kuoppamäki is a Finnish drummer who has been a very prolific jazz and popular music session musician after the break-up of his early-90s band, Kingston Wall. His current, most active group in which he plays in is called Zook...
(drums, percussion). Walli took the most active role in the band. He formed the group, composed most of the songs and wrote all the lyrics. He was also Kingston Wall's producer and manager and ran the band's own Trinity record label.
Kingston Wall I
Kingston Wall released their first album, Kingston WallKingston Wall I (album)
I is the debut album from the Finnish group Kingston Wall.This album was originally released under the bands own record label, Trinity, in 1992. It was also licensed and released in Japan by Japanese Zero record label. Both of these prints have been sold-out in the 1990s and are considered...
(later referenced and re-released as I) in 1992 under the Trinity label. Their debut album consisted mainly of psychedelic hard rock along with a cover of Jimi Hendrix' song "Fire", which gained the group some popularity among the Finnish radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
stations. The album culminated in the heavily progressive, 21-minute track, "Mushrooms".
Kingston Wall II
Their second album, IIKingston Wall II (album)
II is the second studio album from the Finnish group Kingston Wall.This album was originally released under the bands own record label, Trinity, in February 1993. It was also licensed and released in Japan by Japanese Zero record label. Both of these prints have been sold-out in the 1990s and are...
, was released in February 1993. This time the group brought in some more acoustic and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
elements to their songs, like acoustic guitars and violins in "Istwan" (violin played by Ufo Mustonen
Ufo Mustonen
Ufo Mustonen is a Finnish violinist, who played in the song "Istwan" by Kingston Wall.He has also played in Hearthill, in Riki Sorsa's Leirinuotio-orkesteri and has made a solo-album with Finnish lyrics. His violin can also be heard on some of Kauko Röyhkä's albums.-References:...
) and saxophones in "Shine On Me" (saxophone played by Sakari Kukko
Sakari Kukko
Sakari Kukko, Born on July 8, 1953, Kajaani, Finland, started his career in the early 1960s as a singer participating in several singing contests and performing in radio stations ,TV programs and other venues. At the age of 7, He began taking piano lessons. Soon after that he started to play also...
). They also included a cross-genre
Cross-genre
A cross-genre is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres.-Examples:*Action comedy *Comedy-drama or dramedy *Comedy-horror...
cover version of the Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
classic "I Feel Love".
III - Tri-Logy and Walli's death
The third and last album from Kingston Wall, III - Tri-LogyIII - Tri-Logy (album)
III – Tri-Logy is the third and final studio album from the Finnish group Kingston Wall. The album name is sometimes cited as Tri-Logy or Tri~Logy....
, was released in autumn 1994. It was a very different album compared to the two previous ones as it included more hard rock sounds, at times combined with dub reggae
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and synthesizers arranged by Kimmo Kajasto (from Koneveljet and Rinneradio
RinneRadio
RinneRadio is group of electro jazz pioneers from Finland. Operating on the boundaries of jazz and electronic music, the output of RinneRadio has been described as "some jazz, plenty of techno and ambient influences, a few poppy melodies, and hints of world music"...
). Most of the lyrics on Tri-Logy have almost religious philosophical/mythological tone in them, and they are partially based on the Bock Saga, an eccentric explanation about the origins of the alphabets, words and the whole human history.
This story of Bock Saga was told by Ior Bock
Ior Bock
Ior Bock [i:or bok] was a Swedish-speaking Finnish tour guide, actor, mythologist and eccentric...
, a man Petri Walli knew well and most likely got to know him during his trips to Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where Bock used to stay at wintertime and tell his tales. When Tri-Logy was released, Petri Walli said in an interview that it was probably the most expensive self-financed album ever made in Finland. Tri-Logy was also considered by many as an almost megalomaniac rock-epic reminiscent of Pink Floyd's The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
album. The last song on the album, "The Real Thing", runs for 18 minutes and again features Sakari Kukko on saxophone along with ambient synthesizer pads played by Kimmo Kajasto.
Tri-Logy was to be the Kingston Wall's last studio album. They played their last public show in Lepakko
Lepakko
Lepakko or Lepakkoluola was a place for independent youth culture in Helsinki, Finland, functioning from 1979 to 1999.The building was mostly used for rock concerts. Many Finnish rock artists came into popular knowledge through Lepakko. Lepakko also had a sauna and on special "steam club" nights...
, Helsinki on December 1994 and their last show ever was some days later in Sörnäinen
Sörnäinen
Sörnäinen is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland.Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district of Hakaniemi. The east side of Sörnäinen borders the sea....
' prison at Helsinki. After this, the band called it quits in a local cafeteria and each of the members went on their separate ways. Walli left for India and shortly after his return to Finland, on the 28th of June, 1995, jumped to his death from the tower of Töölö
Töölö
Töölö is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö and Taka-Töölö in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsinki Peninsula....
church in central Helsinki. This marked the end for Kingston Wall. Walli was later buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery
Hietaniemi cemetery
The Hietaniemi cemetery is located in the Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland...
, about one kilometer away from his place of death.
Legacy
During their active time, Kingston Wall never achieved mainstream popularity. All their albums were printed in limited amounts and released on Walli's own independent label, Trinity. It was only after the group had disbanded that their popularity slowly grew through word-of-mouth.Kingston Wall was known for their energetic live performances. The band held their own Freak-Out Club three times in Helsinki. They started playing live from small local pubs but as their popularity grew they could sell out the biggest clubs in Helsinki.
All the original Kingston Wall albums and singles under the Trinity label have been since sold out and are regarded collector's items. The trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
was re-issued by a Finnish record label Zen Garden in 1998. A limited amount of 1000 copies included a bonus CD along with each of the three original remastered albums. The limited re-issues sold out quickly. The bonus CDs contained single B-sides and previously unreleased live recordings. In 2000, a remix album titled Freakout Remixes was released. This tribute album included techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and psychedelic trance
Psychedelic trance
Psychedelic trance, psytrance or just psy is a form of electronic music characterized by hypnotic arrangements of synthetic rhythms and complex layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. It appeared in the mainstream in 1995 as with reporting of the trend of Goa trance. The genre offers variety...
remixes of the original Kingston Wall songs, made by such Finnish artists as Accu, Squaremeat and Texas Faggott. Kingston Wall has also influenced many Finnish rock groups and received cover tributes from artists such as The Rasmus
The Rasmus
The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1995 in Helsinki while the band members were still in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen , Eero Heinonen , Pauli Rantasalmi and Janne Heiskanen...
("Used to Feel Before" on Madness-single) and Amorphis
Amorphis
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band started by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other types of genres, which include heavy metal, progressive metal, and folk metal...
("And I Hear You Call" on My Kantele
My Kantele
-Personnel:*Esa Holopainen – guitar, acoustic guitar*Pekka Kasari – drums*Tomi Koivusaari – guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals*Pasi Koskinen – vocals*Olli-Pekka Laine – bass guitar*Kim Rantala – keyboards...
-EP).
Although Kingston Wall never played outside Finland apart from one gig in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
during their early days, the group is considered even by many Finns as one of the country's best hard rock groups. Their albums have appeared on the Finnish Top 40 album charts. The cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
of Kingston Wall has also gained them a steadily growing fan base around the world, mostly thanks to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
After a long period of silence, a live CD box set was released from Kingston Wall. The box set featured three CDs recorded from various gigs during the bands existence. The tracks were selected for this album by bass player Jukka Jylli.
Jukka Jylli and Sami Kuoppamäki currently play in the Finnish rock outfit Zook
Zook (band)
Zook is a Finnish rock band based in Helsinki, Finland. Their debut album, Root Canal Recovery, was released in January 2006. It charted at number 27 on the Finnish Top-40 charts....
.
Studio albums
- IKingston Wall I (album)I is the debut album from the Finnish group Kingston Wall.This album was originally released under the bands own record label, Trinity, in 1992. It was also licensed and released in Japan by Japanese Zero record label. Both of these prints have been sold-out in the 1990s and are considered...
(1992) - IIKingston Wall II (album)II is the second studio album from the Finnish group Kingston Wall.This album was originally released under the bands own record label, Trinity, in February 1993. It was also licensed and released in Japan by Japanese Zero record label. Both of these prints have been sold-out in the 1990s and are...
(1993) - III - Tri-LogyIII - Tri-Logy (album)III – Tri-Logy is the third and final studio album from the Finnish group Kingston Wall. The album name is sometimes cited as Tri-Logy or Tri~Logy....
(1994)
Other
- Freakout RemixesFreakout RemixesFreakout Remixes is an album by Kingston Wall. It includes trance, breakbeat and electronica remixes of Kingston Wall's songs by Finnish techno artists.-Track listing:#"Intro" - 0:17#"And I Hear You Call" - 6:29...
(2000) - Real Live ThingKingston Wall Real Live Thing (album)Real Live Thing is a live album from Finnish rock band Kingston Wall, which was compiled by Jukka Jylli.-CD One:# With My Mind – 6:13# Two Of A Kind – 7:15# I'm The King I'm The Sun – 6:35# Get Rid Of Your Fears – 1:20...
(3CD box set) (2005)
Singles
- We Cannot Move/She's So Fine/I Feel Love/Between the Trees (1993)
- Stüldt Håjt/Have You Seen the Pyg-mies?/Time (1994)
- The Real Thing, Radio Edits (1994)