A SHORT HISTORY OF ESTONIAN PROGRESSIVE ROCK
Estonian progressive rock has a surprisingly long history, with some of its earliest manifestations in the late 1960s. At the time the only outside influences came via smuggled music of King Crimson, Yes and other like-minded bands; however, those recordings were indeed in high demand, as progressive rock soon became a dominant part of Estonia's growing rock music scene.
During those early years some prog-like projects appeared, many playing space and psychedelic music. But the creation of Ruja in 1971 paved the way for Estonian progressive rock, as well as Estonian-based rock music. Ruja was one of the first rock acts to perform original material in Estonian (instead of translating hits from other countries), and their use of poetry form some of Estonia's best-known poets resulted in rather negative reaction from Soviet authorities.
Ruja's experimental nature inspired many other musicians to experiment with their musical styles too. As smuggled prog from the rest of the world filtered through the music community, prog rock became a major part of the music scene by mid decade. The hard rock band Meie experimented with some prog elements, while Sven Grünberg's Mess brought symphonic prog to Estonia -- with a full stage design as well. The innovative Noor Eesti introduced even bassoon to prog, while Psycho improvised as effectively as the Wetton-era of King Crimson. Creativity was in full bloom in the mid 1970s.
Remember, Estonia was still under Soviet occuation. Creativity was severely restricted due to censorship, and many musicians suffered under the brutality of the KGB. Another problem was getting instruments (even though world-famous cymbal company Paiste originally came from Estonia), especially keyboards. As prog throughout the world experimented with Hammonds, Mellotrons, Moogs, and other synths, there was very little in Estonia to work with. Härmo Härm, the king of Estonian synthesisers, began building his own versions. These early synths can be heard most prominently in recordings by Mess, and they have such original sounds that would just blow away synth enthusiasts.
By that time prog gigs were quite popular, especially among students. Prog concerts by these and other bands were common at the old Tallinn Polytechnic Institute (now known as the Tallinn Polytechnical University). By the latter part of the decade, Ruja had established itself as the kings of Estonian prog. However, despite all the popularity, no official recordings of any of these bands were available. It wasn't until the very end of the decade that some 7" singles came out -- including the historical first release by Ruja that featured the prog epic "Põhi, lõuna, ida, lääs" and three other songs.
However, the late '70s also saw the end of the first great era of Estonian prog. Many of the bands were history, including the brilliant Mess and Noor Eesti. Even Ruja was put on hold. Punk took over the country as its most popular form of music. Many of the country's best prog musicians played in the punk protest group Propeller -- which was later banned by authorities. But this punk movement laid the foundations to the "Singing Revolution" as the power of music was fully demonstrated.
Prog came back in about a year or so, albeit in much different shape. An ambitious project for a rock-opera, called "Johnny" was crafted by gifted pianist Olav Ehala. Among some of the participants on the project was Ruja and a young music student named Erkki-Sven Tüür. However, after a few performances authorities shut the production down for its pro-freedom message.
As Ruja re-grouped in the early 1980s, it turned drastically to another direction -- rockabilly. Ruja now played good ol' rock-and-roll and plunged into punk a little, but without any of the prog stylings people came to love. However, Ruja was still Ruja, and they did revisit many of their classic prog material live -- especially at their 10th anniversary concert in 1981.
Going back to the aforementioned Erkki-Sven Tüür, he soon put together a band -- In Spe -- to perform some of his most creative works. The music, termed "chamber rock" by Tuur, featured some of the most amazing pieces of prog music in existance. With the release of a full-length LP, In Spe was soon among the biggest names of prog in Estonia, and the LP became a major collectors' item outside of the Iron Curtain.
On the other hand, rising from the ashes of Propeller was the fusion-inspired Kaseke. Featuring the twin guitar attack of Riho Sibul and Ain Varts, the band played an aggressive form of prog-fusion that captivated its audience. Huge summer festivals were held in second city Tartu every summer (The Tartu Rock Festival), where bands like In Spe, Ruja and Kaseke drew the largest audiences.
However, this period ended in just a few years. Ruja became directionless again after keys player Rein Rannap left for a second time. Erkki-Sven Tõõr devoted all his time to his studies and passed In Spe to a jazzier Alo Mattiisen. The golden era of Estonian prog came to an end in the mid 1980s.
Just like the fading of previous periods of prolific prog, a new era was on its way. In the mid 1980s a new wave of prog hit the Estonian music scene, becoming again a dominant part of its rock scene. The prog of the mid 80s featured shorter songs -- much like that of the prog scene all over the world, led by Rabin-era Yes and others. Once again Ruja led the charge, itself revitalised by the fresh keyboard sounds of Igor Garshnek. Shorter yes imaginative songs again brought Ruja to the top of the tables, though ambitious plans by their manager to bring their music throughout the former Soviet Union eventually backfired as the band's chemistry shattered. The scene took a major blow with the break-up of the band in 1988.
Other prog bands also sprund up during this era, ranging from the Yes-like Proov 583 to the pop-prog Linnu Tee. Though in many ways keyboardist Igor Garshnek drove the prog of the entire era. Synopsis, the short-lived partnership of Garshnek and guitarist Nevil Blumberg, released an excellent LP. Garshnek also released a fabulous prog epic based on the famous "Animal Farm" story, while working in the innovative tech-driven prog band Data with programmer Tiit Aunaste.
The "Singing Revolution" grew into full force by the end of the 1980s, with many top prog musicians playing a major role in the movement to restore Estonia's long-lost independence. One of its leaders was In Spe's Alo Mattiisen, who became a national hero for some of his most memorable national songs. The "Singing Revolution" succeeded, and Estonia finally regained its independence in August 1991, more than 51 years after it was first occupied by the Soviet Union.
The music scene was in chaos following the restoration of independence, as the basics of building a state and economy took precedence. Many prog projects faded away during this era as well. The country regained its stability and economic growth soon enough, but the prog scene never recovered. The freedom won by Estonia also opened up the music links with the rest of the world, and soon Estonia -- like most of Europe -- was engulfed in techno and dance music. Rock was on the way down, with prog on the very bottom.
There was very little prog in Estonia during the 1990s. A few concerts by Linnu Tee and a few other bands was it. Only a tragedy in 1994 saw a brief reprise of the important role prog played in Estonia's music scene. On 28 September 1994 the ferry 'Estonia' sank en route between Tallinn and Stockholm, killing 851 individuals. One of them happened to be the heart and soul of Estonian prog, vocalist of Ruja, Urmas Alender. Despite the devastation, several members of Ruja played a memorial concert just weeks later, though with the proviso from guitarist Jaanus Nõgisto: "This is the first and last time Ruja takes the stage without Urmas Alender..."
The scene remained nearly dead, as Linnu Tee played very infrequently. The most active prog band in the latter half of the 1990s was WW, a metal-prog unit based out of Tartu. As metal-prog a la Dream Theater became the driving force of the prog scene around the world, the same effects were felt in Estonia. WW gigged somewhat frequently, playing intricate compositions with a metal edge.
It was not until the late part of the decade that prog saw a bit of revival. Outside interest for Estonian prog began to grow, and the number of re-releases of vinyls and archive recordings by bands like In Spe and Ruja continued to increase. Ruja released a 5-CD boxed set that featured nearly its entire archive of unreleased material, while the first In Spe recording was finally released on CD nearly 20 years after it first graced the scene as an LP. Foreign labels got involved as well, as the Russian/Czech company Boheme Records put out a series of Estonian prog LPs on CD, like Igor Garshnek's "Loomade Farm" and material by Kaseke, Synopsis and Sven Grünberg.
With the turn of the millennium, the prog scene appears to be gaining momentum again with a new generation of musicians joining the fray. Metal-prog instrumentalists Echosilence presents an edge much like a Rush with fretless bass, while old prog masters VSP Projekt regrouped for a series of concerts. With the new joining the old, the synergy for a new wave of prog is on the horizon.
