Can You Do It - Koko viime yön

Muska recorded "Koko viime yön" (Whole last night long) in 1973 for her debut album "Muska". It showcases the raw rock voice of Muska's, quite unique at the time in Finland, when it came to female singers. The original rock was called "Can You Do It" and it was third hit single (number 13 in UK) for British band Geordie. Geordie was fronted by vocalist Brian Johnson and lead guitarist Vic Malcolm. Johnson left the band in 1976 and when AC/DC needed new lead singer after the death of Bon Scott, Brian Johnson was hired in. And, of course, the rest is history ...

Here's the pair:

Sorrow - Vaaraa

Here's a rare single form Kristian. He recorded "Vaaraa" (Danger) in 1975. It was three years since his previous single ("Se syntikö on", finnpicked here) and the public had obviously forgotten about him, becouse the single was a flop. The lyrics were provided by Heikki "Hector" Harma. The trigger for this single release was of course the David Bowie's version of the original "Sorrow", being a Top 10 hit for him in 1973. The song was, however, recorded originally in the 60's. It was written by US songwriter trio Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer for the group The McCoys. But it was made a hit by British beat band The Merseys. The Merseys was a duo formed by two former members of the Liverpudlian group The Merseybeats; Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley. This song, their first single, reached number 4 in the UK charts in 1966. I present here also the excellent Finnish cover by Muska from the year 1993, with different lyrics and titled "Anteeks" (Sorry).

Here's the triplet:

Bad Case of Loving You - Tarve rakastua

Muska (see earlier entry) "Tarve rakastua" (The need for falling in love) in 1993 It was released on her album "Pienet suuret pojat". Muska was in long hiatus after her success years in the 70's. She did come-back in the 90's and made two albums. This song is from the latter one of those. The original song called "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" was originally written and performed by Moon Martin (real name John David Martin) and it appeared on his 1978 album "Shots From A Cold Nightmare". The song was picked up by English rocker Robert Palmer in 1979, and he made it to a Top 20 hit. Moon Martin was originally a rockabilly artist, but he gained his fame for writing this song and "Cadillac Walk" for Willy DeVille. He was given the nickname "Moon" because many of his songs had the word "moon" in the lyrics. We present here the original version of "Bad Case", which I consider to be the better one. However, you can see Robert perform a good live version, here.

Here's the pair:

48 Crash - Kun oot 52

Muska (see earlier entry) is the kid sister of Kirka Babitzin. She had several hits in the 70's and she was the first successful Finnish female rock singer. One of her first hits was this "Kun oot 52" (When you're 52) in 1973. It was written by ace UK songwriter duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (a.k.a. Chinnichap) and the original gutsy interpretation was done by Suzi Quatro (b. Susan Kay Quatrocchio). Suzi was born is USA, but moved to London in 1971 and made a stunning career under the wings of producer Mickie Most and Chinnichap songwriters. This "48 Crash" was her second hit. I often wondered what the song was all about. Well, now I know ;-). It is about male menopause, which is a condition that can occur in men around age 48 where they experience many symptoms of female menopause (hot flashes, fatigue), as well as sexual dysfunction. You can see Suzi perform this song, here, or alternatively, here.

Here's the pair:

Bad Bad Boy - Paha tyttö

Muska (real name Marija Babitzin), the younger sister to Kirka recorded several rocking pieces in the 70's. She was about the only Finnish female pop artist at the time to own a 'rocker' image. She cut her first single in 1971 and has been recording and gigging ever since releasing a new album even this year. In 1973 she released "Paha tyttö" (Bad girl) as a single. The original song was written and performed by the members of UK rock group Nazareth. It was very popular in Finland in the 70's with their own singles and albums. For some reason this "Bad Bad Boy" seems to be only Nazareth song that has been covered with Finnish lyrics. There's another one with different lyrics done by the famous Eläkeläiset -group with the original title "Mä humppapappa oon" (I'm an Humba Papa). Perhaps the extraordinary voice of Nazareth's lead singer Dan McCafferty have intimidated Finnish hopefuls. But not Muska ...

Here's the pair: