Kimmo Kuusniemi Band: Moottorilinnut LP + DVD

This 1981 album is a landmark in several ways. It was the first heavy metal album sung in Finnish, the first heavy metal album with schlager pop superstars on vocals and also the first to feature an album length music video.  This deluxe analog edition features a gatefold jacket, a 12 page booklet and also the original music video on DVD! Only small portions of this shelved video have been in public circulation, until now. 

"This album should always have been "by Sarcofagus". It is a natural follow up to the earlier Sarcofagus recordings. Despite the good feedback and media interest the overall success was modest. But the label JP-Musiikki refused to support anything with the name of Sarcofagus on the cover. Compromises were made. The only way to start recording again was to change the band's name into Kimmo Kuusniemi Band. We would do the album in Finnish, because of popular demand. We would only use the JP Base studio during downtimes, nights and weekends. I also promised to include famous names and top musicians: Upi Sorvali on drums and Kirka and Muska Babitzin on vocals. Most musicians were still looking down on Heavy Metal, and there was a lot of elitism about music genres. Many musicians refused to take part. I had always admired Kirka and Muska Babitzin for their singing, they both have a natural Rock sound. They were a few years older than me and I'd listened to them since the early 70s, although their music was far from Metal. When I asked Kirka to take part in Motorbirds, to my astonishment he agreed! He came to the studio and sang a couple of tracks in one day, he was a natural. Unfortunately he had forgotten to tell about the project to his record company CBS, and they went ballistic. Surely this would ruin his "nice boy" image for good... " 

 Kimmo Kuusniemi