Simo Laiho – Uusimmat Hammond Hitit album art
Say hello to Simo Laiho – the Finnish Hammond organ legend!
The music crazes of the 1960s and ’70s cannot be discussed without mentioning the enormous popularity of so-called easy listening records. James Last, Frank Valdor, Klaus Wunderlich and their likes found a successful formula by recording instrumental versions of popular hits and arranging them as mellow background music for household chores or parties.
In Finland, one particularly popular artist in this genre was the Belgian-born guitarist Francis Goya, but Finnish musicians also tried their luck. One of them was keyboardist Simo Laiho, who released four albums in the early 1980s that achieved moderate success.
The studio-shot album cover, featuring Laiho posing in a suit, conveys a sense of deep respect for the instrument in question: a Hammond Aurora Classic electronic organ. Combined with its stylish typographic layout, the cover makes this familiar fixture of Finnish flea markets an excellent example of the slightly kitsch visual aesthetic of easy listening records.
Listen to “Marco Polo” on YouTube: