The Group - The Group (1978)(2017) 2CD

The Group biography [progarchives.com]
After Made In Sweden decided to call it quits in summer 1977, Pekka Pohjola was essentially left with two choices; either form a new band for himself or start a new career doing studio gigs. Eventually, Pohjola chose the former and with the help of Olli Ahvenlahti (keyboards), Seppo Tyni (guitars) and Vesa Aaltonen (drums), a new group was born - aptly named "The Group".

Pohjola and Ahvenlahti already knew each other quite well - after all, they were both hugely respected studio musicians in Finland and had played together in several studio sessions. Drummer Vesa Aaltonen (ex-Tasavallan Presidentti) was Pohjola's bandmate during their Made In Sweden days, so his place in the band was quite natural. Surprisingly enough, the newcomer Seppo Tyni (formerly of Elonkorjuu) would eventually become an essential part of Pohjola's solo albums, bringing his trademark guitar sound to most of Pohjola's 80's studio efforts.

Progressive rock/fusion music was hardly having its heyday in 1977 - the media had turned their back on prog, and most bands had either gone underground or disappeared completely. This didn't seem to bother the band at all though - instead, they intentionally aimed at filling the void in the media. They took influence from various Fusion supergroups such as Return To Forever and Weather Report. The Group's only album, released in 1978, is somewhat of an anomaly in Pohjola's discography, as it bears little resemblance to his other works. Pohjola's trademark sound is nowhere to be found and musically it possibly pays too much tribute to their "idols". However, this was indeed a group effort instead of one of Pohjola's solo offerings (Pohjola and Ahvenlahti were credited as the main composers), which might partially explain it.

In 1979, The Group went on a tour that consisted of several gigs in the Nordic countries, but at the same time they suffered from financial difficulties. Olli Ahvenlahti was forced to leave the band pretty soon after, due to work commitments. The rest of the group continued under the name of Pekka Pohjola Group.